Sep 29th, 2009
Posted by Katy Nelson, ACLU Technology and Liberty Program at 6:14pm	Technology and Liberty

It's Funny Because It's True

Yesterday, Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker jokingly placed Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien on the "Newark New Jersey Airport No-Fly List," after the comedian poked fun at the city on his late night television show.  Mayor Booker’s joke about O’Brien’s potential barring from flying out of New Jersey is very funny. Maybe O’Briens across the country should be worried and leave extra time for future hassles at the airport, as should O’Brians, Obriens, Obermans, and people named Conan.  Just ask the wife of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, Catherine.  She shares a name with No-Fly lister Yusuf Islam, a.k.a. Cat Stevens.

Sadly though, many innocent Americans are tangled in the web of the no-fly list every day because they have a name similar to a possible terrorist suspect.  The list has over a million names on it.  We’re not sure if making a joke that someone else doesn’t like will get you on the list, but for all the people who can’t find out why they’ve been listed and can’t get off, it might as well be true.

Permalink |	Technology and Liberty

1. Cat Givens Says:
   Sep 29th, 2009 at 5:31pm

   YIKES!
   I've refused to fly since all the newest implementations.
   The no fly list is my major protest, seconded by the weird "safety measures".
   Even though our small local airport is kinder about things, it's not enticing enough to make me strip to board.

2. Liberal Hater Says:
   Sep 30th, 2009 at 1:30pm

   HA, Ha, that is so funny. Let me tell you what would really be funny and ironic. Since all liberals, and especially the ACLU, hate America and want to tear it down to the point of a third world nation I was just thinking how funny it would be if the whole ACLU got aboard a plane full of hijackers and the ACLU defended their right to board the plane and within 20 minutes after take off the hijackers took over the plane and crashed it killing the very people who defended their right to be on the plane, the ACLU to be specific. Now that would be pretty damn funny. HA, Ha.

3. scrivener Says:
   Sep 30th, 2009 at 2:34pm

   NO-FLY LIST MERELY THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG OF A MULTI-AGENCY, FEDERAL-LOCAL CAMPAIGN OF IDEOLOGICALLY DRIVEN, EXTRAJUDICIAL TARGETING, PUNISHMENT...

   ... AND DOMESTIC TORTURE.

   Please wake up, ACLU, and smell the domestic terror of a police state spawned or expanded under Bush-Cheney and now enabled by a naive and apparently misinformed Team Obama:

   http://nowpublic.com/world/gestapo-usa-govt-funded-vigil ante-network-terrorizes-america
   http://nowpublic.com/world/domestic-torture-radiation-weaponry-amer icas-horrific-shame
   http://nowpublic.com/world/targeting-u-s-citizens-govt-agencies-roo t-cause-wall-street-financial-crisis

   OR (if links are corrupted / disabled):

   http://NowPublic.com/scrivener RE: "GESTAPO USA"

4. Vic Livingston Says:
   Sep 30th, 2009 at 2:35pm

   (second attempt to post this:)

   NO-FLY LIST MERELY THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG OF A MULTI-AGENCY, FEDERAL-LOCAL CAMPAIGN OF IDEOLOGICALLY DRIVEN, EXTRAJUDICIAL TARGETING, PUNISHMENT...

   ... AND DOMESTIC TORTURE.

   Please wake up, ACLU, and smell the domestic terror of a police state spawned or expanded under Bush-Cheney and now enabled by a naive and apparently misinformed Team Obama:

   http://nowpublic.com/world/gestapo-usa-govt-funded-vigil ante-network-terrorizes-america
   http://nowpublic.com/world/domestic-torture-radiation-weaponry-amer icas-horrific-shame
   http://nowpublic.com/world/targeting-u-s-citizens-govt-agencies-roo t-cause-wall-street-financial-crisis

   OR (if links are corrupted / disabled):

   http://NowPublic.com/scrivener RE: "GESTAPO USA"

5. Vic Livingston Says:
   Sep 30th, 2009 at 2:37pm

   (third attempt to post this:)

   NO-FLY LIST MERELY THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG OF A MULTI-AGENCY, FEDERAL-LOCAL CAMPAIGN OF IDEOLOGICALLY DRIVEN, EXTRAJUDICIAL TARGETING, PUNISHMENT...

   ... AND DOMESTIC TORTURE.

   Please wake up, ACLU, and smell the domestic terror of a police state spawned or expanded under Bush-Cheney and now enabled by a naive and apparently misinformed Team Obama:

   http://nowpublic.com/world/gestapo-usa-govt-funded-vigil ante-network-terrorizes-america
   http://nowpublic.com/world/domestic-torture-radiation-weaponry-amer icas-horrific-shame
   http://nowpublic.com/world/targeting-u-s-citizens-govt-agencies-roo t-cause-wall-street-financial-crisis

   OR (if links are corrupted / disabled):

   http://NowPublic.com/scrivener RE: "GESTAPO USA"

6. Vic Livingston Says:
   Sep 30th, 2009 at 3:00pm

   NO-FLY LIST JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG...

   A COVERT MULTI-AGENCY COORDINATED ACTION PROGRAM OF EXTRAJUDICIAL TARGETING, PUNISHMENT AND TORTURE IS VIOLATING THE CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF MANY UNJUSTLY TARGETED AMERICANS.

   The evidence is all around us -- yet ACLU has not aggressively addressed government-enabled DOMESTIC TERRORISM and TORTURE:

   http://nowpublic.com/world/gestapo-usa-govt-funded-vig ilante-network-terrorizes-america
   http://nowpublic.com/world/domestic-torture-radiation-weaponry-amer icas-horrific-shame
   http://nowpublic.com/world/targeting-u-s-citizens-govt-agencies-roo t-cause-wall-street-financial-crisis

   Note: This is a second or third attempt to post this comment. It appeared that the message posted earlier. But when I refreshed the page, the comment was gone. Does THIS explain it?

   http://nowpublic.com/world/govt-fusion-center-spying-pretex t-harass-and-censor

7. Vic Livingston Says:
   Sep 30th, 2009 at 3:03pm

   (third attempt to post this. IT appears my connection is subject to malicious surveillance and tampering:)

   NO-FLY LIST JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG...

   A COVERT MULTI-AGENCY COORDINATED ACTION PROGRAM OF EXTRAJUDICIAL TARGETING, PUNISHMENT AND TORTURE IS VIOLATING THE CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF MANY UNJUSTLY TARGETED AMERICANS.

   The evidence is all around us -- yet ACLU has not aggressively addressed government-enabled DOMESTIC TERRORISM and TORTURE:

   http://nowpublic.com/world/gestapo-usa-govt-funded-vig ilante-network-terrorizes-america
   http://nowpublic.com/world/domestic-torture-radiation-weaponry-amer icas-horrific-shame
   http://nowpublic.com/world/targeting-u-s-citizens-govt-agencies-roo t-cause-wall-street-financial-crisis

   Note: This is a second or third attempt to post this comment. It appeared that the message posted earlier. But when I refreshed the page, the comment was gone. Does THIS explain it?

   http://nowpublic.com/world/govt-fusion-center-spying-pretex t-harass-and-censor

8. Vic Livingston Says:
   Sep 30th, 2009 at 11:08pm

   My comment here, about the terrorist watch list being just the tip of the iceberg of a covert campaign of ideologically driven extrajudicial targeting and torture, an American genocide/politicide hiding in plain sight, was apparently censored...

   ...at least it didn't show up on my connection. Ever hear of "spoofed" web sites, or the "parallel internet"? Psy ops, anyone?

   Please scroll to the bottom of the following ACLU thread and read up. It may or may not be there.

   http://blog.aclu.org/2009/01/26/internet-filters-volunta ry-ok-not-government-mandate

   Welcome to Gestapo USA. ACLU, act before this apparent, incipient security/military/intel coup further decimates the rule of law in America. Even your former FBI agent on staff must be alarmed by now... I bet he is, even if he may be fearful of telling all he knows or can intuit from the evidence that's hiding in plain sight...

9. Dee Miller Says:
   Oct 1st, 2009 at 1:07am

   Seeing as how the whole war on terrorism is a hoax made up by Cheney-Bush and Company, it really is a shame that congress has so little respect for the people who still fly and help keep the airlines in business that they can't figure out how to keep an accurate list, but instead, take no responsibility for its accuracy, much to everyone's detriment. Where's the justice and where is accountability on the part of the people who make others helpless and remove any recourse for this crass and gross negligence on the part of our government? I guess if Bush and Cheney don't have to take any responsibility for all the damage they did to this country, Iraq and Afghanistan, then why would any government employee have to?

10. Maggie Says:
    Oct 3rd, 2009 at 8:18am

    I believe the list should be updated frequently but you are dealing with the government so the governments frequently is counted as months to years. But as this being a hoax I don't agree with that, I think of the 3 planes on 9/11 with all those people aboard crashing. I think they would have liked to have a list. This government is not perfect and never will be perfect we are humans and as humans we make mistakes.

    We have to elect officials that we believe will do the right thing. Some times they do and sometimes they don't.
    At least we are still allowed to vote in this country. As for the list does not bother me I have been thrown out of better places.

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