Thu, Jul 17, 2008
Why? Well, One Reason Is He's On It...
Calling hassles he encounters every time he wants to fly on
commercial airlines "a pain in the neck," former US Assistant
Attorney General Jim Robinson says it's time to put a stop to the
government's so-called terror "watch-list."
Robinson headed the Justice Department's criminal division
during the Clinton administration. He tells the Associated Press
his believes his name is a close match for someone who was placed
on the list in early 2005.
Despite being an obvious threat to the security of the United
States (note to DHS: this is sarcasm, no phone calls or SSSS
ticket codes, please -- Ed.) Robinson had his
own top-level security credentials renewed last year.
"I suppose if I were convinced that America is a safer place
because I get hassled at the airport, I might put up with it,"
Robinson said. "But I doubt it. ... I expect my story is similar to
hundreds of thousands of people who are on this list who find
themselves inconvenienced."
Over 30,000 people had asked the Department of Homeland Security
to remove their names from the list as of October 2006. The list of
over-1 million names -- consolidated from 12 existing lists
following the September 11, 2001 attacks -- does NOT include at
least 20 suspected terrorists; as it turns out, they were left off
the list last year due to a programming glitch, reports the AP.
FBI spokesman Chad Kolton says the government is trying to make
sure such gaffes are rectified. "We strive to have the watch list
contain all appropriately suspected terrorists who represent a
threat to the US, but only appropriately suspected terrorists,"
said Kolton, who works for the agency's Terrorist Screening
Center.
Despite public outcry over erroneous listings, it's not likely
we'll see the end to the terror watch list any time soon. Last
year, congressional investigators found "general agreement that the
watch list has helped to combat terrorism."
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