But Who Watches The Watch Lists?
In another illustration of how the Obama Administration fails as miserably on the issue of civil liberties as the Bush Regime did, the number of people on US government terrorist watch lists (including the no fly list) has risen from around 4,000 in 2009 to 38,000 today. Twenty thousand of those are on the no fly list, while another 18,000 are on what's known as a "selectee list". Federal agents now have about 55 encounters with "suspected terrorists" every single day, although hardly any of those result in arrests.
When agents encounter people whose names are on the list, they contact a special Terrorist Screening Center, which maintains a 24-hour command post, for further instructions on what to do. Recommendations could range from releasing the person to calling in backup. But wait a minute. If these watch lists are only supposed to be for suspected dangerous terrorists, why are there so many people on the lists who don't merit any further concern? And does anyone really believe that there are 38,000 terrorists who pose any kind of imminent security threat?
The watch lists seem to have developed the same problem as sex offender registries: there are too many people on the lists who have no business being there. Most people on the lists don't pose any kind of threat. This wastes law enforcement resources and reduces the amount of resources available to focus on people who are truly a cause for concern.
People who have been tripped up by federal terrorist watch lists include a lawyer for the ACLU, former anti-apartheid activist and South African President Nelson Mandela, the late U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, a U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant returning from Iraq, various nonviolent activists who opposed the Iraq war, and this 18-month old girl.
When agents encounter people whose names are on the list, they contact a special Terrorist Screening Center, which maintains a 24-hour command post, for further instructions on what to do. Recommendations could range from releasing the person to calling in backup. But wait a minute. If these watch lists are only supposed to be for suspected dangerous terrorists, why are there so many people on the lists who don't merit any further concern? And does anyone really believe that there are 38,000 terrorists who pose any kind of imminent security threat?
The watch lists seem to have developed the same problem as sex offender registries: there are too many people on the lists who have no business being there. Most people on the lists don't pose any kind of threat. This wastes law enforcement resources and reduces the amount of resources available to focus on people who are truly a cause for concern.
People who have been tripped up by federal terrorist watch lists include a lawyer for the ACLU, former anti-apartheid activist and South African President Nelson Mandela, the late U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, a U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant returning from Iraq, various nonviolent activists who opposed the Iraq war, and this 18-month old girl.