hey, that baby could have put someones eye out with his diaper pin!

August 15, 2005

Oh baby: Infants among those caught up in U.S. 'no-fly' confusion

over names

05:00 PM EDT Aug 15

LESLIE MILLER

WASHINGTON (AP) - Infants have been stopped from boarding planes at

airports throughout the United States because their names are the

same as, or similar to, those of possible terrorists on the

government's " no-fly list. "

It sounds like a joke, but it's not funny to parents who miss

flights while scrambling to have babies' passports and other

documents faxed.

Ingrid Sanden's one-year-old daughter was stopped in Phoenix before

boarding a flight home to Washington at Thanksgiving.

" I completely understand the war on terrorism, and I completely

understand people wanting to be safe when they fly, " Sanden

said. " But focusing the target a little bit is probably a better use

of resources. "

The government's lists of people who are either barred from flying

or require extra scrutiny before being allowed to board airplanes

grew markedly since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Critics including the American Civil Liberties Union say the

government doesn't provide enough information about the people on

the lists, so innocent passengers can be caught up in the security

sweep if they happen to have the same name as someone on the lists.

That can happen even if the person happens to be an infant like

Sanden's daughter. (Children under two don't need tickets but Sanden

purchased one for her daughter to ensure she had a seat.)

" It was bizarre, " Sanden said. " I was hugely pregnant, and I was

like, 'We look really threatening'. "

Sarah Zapolsky and her husband had a similar experience last month

while departing from Dulles International Airport outside

Washington. An airline ticket agent told them their 11-month-old son

was on the government list.

They were able to board their flight after ticket agents took a half-

hour to fax her son's passport and fill out paperwork.

" I understand that security is important, " Zapolsky said. " But if

they're just guessing, and we have to give up our passport to prove

that our 11-month-old is not a terrorist, it's a waste of their

time. "

Well-known people like Senator Edward Kennedy, Democratic

Representative John Lewis of Georgia, and David Nelson, who starred

in the sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, have also been

stopped at airports because their names match those on the lists.

The government has sought to improve its process for checking

passengers since the Sept. 11 attacks. The first attempt was

scuttled because of fears the government would have access to too

much personal information. A new version, called Secure Flight, is

being crafted.

But for now, airlines still have the duty to check passengers' names

against those supplied by the government.

That job has become more difficult - since the 2001 attacks the

lists have swollen from a dozen or so names to more than 100,000,

according to people in the aviation industry who are familiar with

the issue. They asked not to be identified by name because the exact

number is restricted information.

Not all those names are accompanied by biographical information that

can more closely identify the suspected terrorists. That can create

problems for people who reserve flights under such names as " T

Kennedy " or " David Nelson. "

ACLU lawyer Tim Sparapani said the problem of babies stopped by the

no-fly list illustrates some of the reasons the lists don't work.

" There's no oversight over the names, " Sparapani said. " We know

names are added hastily, and when you have a name-based system you

don't focus on solid intelligence leads. You focus on names that are

similar to those that might be suspicious. "

The Transportation Security Administration, which administers the

lists, instructs airlines not to deny boarding to children under 12 -

or select them for extra security checks - even if their names

match those on a list.

But it happens anyway. Debby McElroy, president of the Regional

Airline Association, said: " Our information indicates it happens at

every major airport. "

The TSA has a " passenger ombudsman " who will investigate individual

claims from passengers who say they are mistakenly on the lists.

Spokeswoman Yolanda Clark said 89 children have submitted their

names to the ombudsman. Of those, 14 are under the age of two.

If the ombudsman determines an individual should not be stopped,

additional information on that person is included on the list so he

or she is not stopped the next time they fly.

Clark said even with the problems the lists are essential to keeping

airline passengers safe.

a blinding flash

hotter than the sun

dead bodies lie across the path

the radiation colors the air

finishing one by one

August 15, 2005

Not much thought given to the facts then!

Jo

Oh baby: Infants among those caught up in U.S. 'no-fly' confusion

over names

05:00 PM EDT Aug 15

LESLIE MILLER

WASHINGTON (AP) - Infants have been stopped from boarding planes at

airports throughout the United States because their names are the

same as, or similar to, those of possible terrorists on the

government's " no-fly list. "

August 16, 2005

I wouldn't put it them to use an infant for their cause, however it's not likely that baby would be on any list!

I've heard they are going to re-do the ban list for screening. I understand ice picks are no longer dangerous and small knives as well.fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote:

Oh baby: Infants among those caught up in U.S. 'no-fly' confusion over names 05:00 PM EDT Aug 15 LESLIE MILLERWASHINGTON (AP) - Infants have been stopped from boarding planes at airports throughout the United States because their names are the same as, or similar to, those of possible terrorists on the government's "no-fly list." It sounds like a joke, but it's not funny to parents who miss flights while scrambling to have babies' passports and other documents faxed. Ingrid Sanden's one-year-old daughter was stopped in Phoenix before boarding a flight home to Washington at Thanksgiving. "I completely understand the war on terrorism, and I completely understand people wanting to be safe when they fly," Sanden said. "But focusing the target a little bit is probably a better use of resources."

The government's lists of people who are either barred from flying or require extra scrutiny before being allowed to board airplanes grew markedly since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Critics including the American Civil Liberties Union say the government doesn't provide enough information about the people on the lists, so innocent passengers can be caught up in the security sweep if they happen to have the same name as someone on the lists. That can happen even if the person happens to be an infant like Sanden's daughter. (Children under two don't need tickets but Sanden purchased one for her daughter to ensure she had a seat.) "It was bizarre," Sanden said. "I was hugely pregnant, and I was like, 'We look really threatening'." Sarah Zapolsky and her husband had a similar experience last month while departing from Dulles International Airport outside Washington. An airline ticket agent told them their

11-month-old son was on the government list. They were able to board their flight after ticket agents took a half-hour to fax her son's passport and fill out paperwork. "I understand that security is important," Zapolsky said. "But ifthey're just guessing, and we have to give up our passport to prove that our 11-month-old is not a terrorist, it's a waste of their time." Well-known people like Senator Edward Kennedy, Democratic Representative John Lewis of Georgia, and David Nelson, who starred in the sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, have also been stopped at airports because their names match those on the lists. The government has sought to improve its process for checking passengers since the Sept. 11 attacks. The first attempt was scuttled because of fears the government would have access to too much personal information. A new version, called Secure Flight, is being crafted. But for

now, airlines still have the duty to check passengers' names against those supplied by the government. That job has become more difficult - since the 2001 attacks the lists have swollen from a dozen or so names to more than 100,000, according to people in the aviation industry who are familiar with the issue. They asked not to be identified by name because the exact number is restricted information. Not all those names are accompanied by biographical information that can more closely identify the suspected terrorists. That can create problems for people who reserve flights under such names as "T Kennedy" or "David Nelson." ACLU lawyer Tim Sparapani said the problem of babies stopped by the no-fly list illustrates some of the reasons the lists don't work. "There's no oversight over the names," Sparapani said. "We know names are added hastily, and when you have a name-based system you don't focus on solid

intelligence leads. You focus on names that are similar to those that might be suspicious." The Transportation Security Administration, which administers the lists, instructs airlines not to deny boarding to children under 12 -or select them for extra security checks - even if their names match those on a list. But it happens anyway. Debby McElroy, president of the Regional Airline Association, said: "Our information indicates it happens at every major airport." The TSA has a "passenger ombudsman" who will investigate individual claims from passengers who say they are mistakenly on the lists. Spokeswoman Yolanda Clark said 89 children have submitted their names to the ombudsman. Of those, 14 are under the age of two. If the ombudsman determines an individual should not be stopped, additional information on that person is included on the list so he or she is not stopped the next time they fly. Clark

said even with the problems the lists are essential to keeping airline passengers safe. a blinding flash hotter than the sun dead bodies lie across the path the radiation colors the airfinishing one by one Jonnie

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