U.S. Terrorism Watch List Tops 1 Million

U.S. Senator Edward M. (Ted) Kennedy, was flagged by the No-Fly List.

14 July 2008

By Randall Mikkelsen

WASHINGTON- A U.S. watch list of terrorism suspects has passed 1 million records, corresponding to about 400,000 people, and a leading civil rights group said on Monday the number was far too high to be effective.

The Bush administration disagreed and called the list one of the most effective tools implemented after the September 11 hijacked plane attacks -- when a federal "no-fly" list contained just 16 people considered threats to aviation.

The American Civil Liberties Union publicized the 1 million milestone with a news conference and release.

It said the watch list was an impediment to millions of travelers and called for changes, including tightening criteria for adding names, giving travelers a right to challenge their inclusion and improving procedures for taking wrongly included names off the list.

"America's new million-record watch list is a perfect symbol for what's wrong with this administration's approach to security: it's unfair, out-of-control, a waste of resources (and) treats the rights of the innocent as an afterthought," ACLU technology director Barry Steinhardt said in a release.

President George W. Bush ordered in the current list in September 2003 as a way to wrap several growing terrorism watchlists into a single government database compiled and overseen by the FBI, through a Terrorist Screening Center.

Most well-known from this Watch List, is Nelson Mandela winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Suspected terrorists or people believed to have links to terrorism are included on the list, which can be used by a wide range of government agencies in security screening. About 50,000 individuals are included on the Transportation Security Administration "no-fly" or "selectee" lists that subject them to travel bans, arrest or additional screening.

Critics have pointed to troubles that figures such as U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, 1960s civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis and singer Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) have had with watch lists as evidence the consolidated database is poorly managed.

The Terrorism Screening Center, which maintains the list, has already put in place several steps to ensure the list is accurate and up-to-date, spokesman Chad Kolton said.

He cited a report last year by the Government Accountability Office that said there was general agreement within the federal government that the watch list had helped to combat terrorism.

"The list is very effective. In fact it's one of the most effective counterterrorism tools that our country has," he said.

About 400,000 individuals are included on the list, about 95 percent of whom are not U.S. citizens or residents, Kolton said. The watch list also includes separate entries with aliases, fake passports and fake birth dates, bringing the total number of records to more than 1 million, he said.

TSA spokesman Christopher White said the agency's "no-fly" watchlists to screen travelers were "scrubbed" last year to remove about half of the names, leaving them with somewhat fewer than 50,000.

He said Kennedy and Lewis were never on the list, and that problems they reported were due to their misidentification with names properly on it.

Commentary

by HRM Deborah

I am on this list and it has been proven without doubt, that I am not a terrorist, but to the contrary; I am the one person that is the most outspoken person, against terrorism.

When the second Intifada occurred, it was because I was being succumbed to another assassination attempt in 2000 and as I have said before; I was severely injured and almost died and it took about a year and half, too recover.

In that time, I did not know about the second Intifada, because I was told, everything was as usual and nothing to worry about.

After this until 2003, I was caring for a dying husband and was told at that time, that my husband came first; then he died; even at this time, I was told that everything was good.

When I found out about certain events like the suicide bombing‘s, for example, I stopped them as fast as I could and went on further to do everything in my abilities, to save lives.

As of today, I am not only still fighting against terrorism, but other crimes within my country, for the safety of everyone in the country. As many know, there is not only peace in the State of Palestine; but the country is working towards prosperity, for all citizens.

Furthermore, it is not a crime to be born into a certain family nor being the leader of a country; as far as I know.

There also is no excuse to have me on this list because, I have tried to not only be a good citizen in the United States, but also try to help the country, where I have been able.

So the United States from my knowledge has no valid reason to have me on this list, for I am guilty of nothing.

As to my understanding, this is classified as another form of torture.