I got this note from Marc Perkel. Perkel is the Sysop of Dvorak Uncensored and the guy responsible for “I get no spam.” Now he’s on the TSA “hit” list. Perkel founded the Church of Reality and once ran for Congress. He’s also responsible for straightening out the EFF computer systems. Even Ted Kennedy got on this list as part of an apparent government harrassment program.

This last week I made a trip to Portland for Thanksgiving and went up to the instant pass ticket machine to get my boarding pass and it refused to give me one. It referred me to the ticket agent who informed me that my name was listed in the TSA database as some sort of person of suspicion. She suggested that perhaps that someone else with the same name as me might be a wanted criminal. The issue is – I’ve ever run into anyone with the same name as me, and if there is someone out there with my same name it’s just not likely that they are wanted by the law. It’s possible, but the odds are stronly against it.

What does this mean?

Perhaps it’s those damn space aliens trying t clone me again and the clones are getting into trouble?

Or – someone “up there” is letting me know that they are watching over me.

Anyone have any TSA experience? I’m curious as to how I got on the list.

I’m reminded of this story:

Infants have been stopped from boarding planes at airports throughout the U.S. 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 1-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.”



  1. Milo says:

    This is a classic example of government policy on the cheap. Politicians make a big speech and then don’t provide funding. When things like this happen it’s called incompetance instaed of underfunding. Another good example is writing a bill that they know won’t stand up in the courts, then the courts are to blame.

  2. Eideard says:

    Marc — you’ve probably been on the list for years. You dis the supermarket religions, you’re involved with modern communication systems and, good grief, may even be guilty of significant public dissent with some political troll.

    All that happened is that the dorks shuffling electrons bumped you over to one or another of the lists that are starting to talk to each other. Sooner or later, the bulk of the US population will be on “the list”.

  3. Jim says:

    He might want to watch this story.
    http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/pilottakes26.htm
    They have a pilot on the list up in New England. He fighting the system.
    I guess having a pilots license doesn’t matter. Go figure.

  4. Pat says:

    I think the correct question is: How many terrorists has this list caught? If the person is flagged as a terrorist, then why are they not arrested and charged then and there for their terrorist activities?

    The Fifth Amendment states “No person shall be … deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. For any law enforcement official to stop someone from legally pursuing a legal and public endeavor is wrong. For some reason though, Dubya has hoodwinked the courts into believing that the Constitution only applies when he wants it to apply.

  5. Mike Voice says:

    Just what I need to hear. 🙁

    My step-son (currently living in Germany) just informed us his wedding plans have been finalized, and he will be getting married in April, in Delaware (his fiance’s family is there).

    So, my wife and I have just started planning to make the trip to Delaware from Portland, OR.

    Nice to know either one, or both, of us could be stopped from boarding a plane – at some point during our trip – which could leave us standed out-of-state. Because I know it would be my luck that the idiots would let me board a plane leaving Portland, but deny me access onto a return flight!
    e.g. Ingrid Sanden’s 1-year-old daughter was stopped in Phoenix before boarding a flight home to Washington at Thanksgiving.

    I’m glad to see the Transportation Stress Administration is on the job, so I can feel “safe” on my trip.

  6. jasontheodd says:

    At the local St. Louis airport, I watched as several people got out of the line of people waiting to be screened, and walk down a hallway designated for employee use. They were in the waiting lounge looking board by the time the rest of us got through security. If one of them wasn’t a child I might have thought they were marshals. As It is I think they were just somebody in security’s family. Security only applies to those trying to be honest anyway.

  7. T.C. Moore says:

    I was flagged like this last year on both of my flights for Thanksgiving. I did not get around to sending in the paperwork, and by Christmas I was apparently off the list, as I was not flagged at all. It may just go away.

    No one is being deprived of anything. They ask for your ID and some identifying info like your birthdate, and then you get on the plane. Everyone should arrive at the airport with plenty of time, especially if you have children. And you can raise hell at the ticket counter to get approved without standing in line.

    What I don’t like is they say it is “recommended” that you take your shoes off. I thought it was because of metal in ones shoes. No. They should say “you will be wanded” if you don’t, which is what happened to me. Clarity would really help smooth the process.

  8. site admin says:

    Meanwhile…where is Bin Laden? It’s been years and years.

  9. Dave Drews says:

    John, Bin Laden is already on the plane. He wasn’t carrying tiny scissors, and his picture ID matched how he looked: Arabic. Plus, some guy with a baby named Bin Laden filed a lawsuit the month before and after filing the right amount of paperwork the right number of times, finally got the removal approved, only the person doing the removing pressed the wrong button and deleted all Bin Ladens from the list.

    Oh, yeah. With all his frequent flyer miles, he got bumped to first class.

  10. Jim Dermitt says:

    They have new behavior-recognition software. It uses smart cameras, so maybe if you act a certain way or do something that software doesn’t think is right you get flagged and put into a database by the computer.

    This camera technology is being used on campus, in Baltimore of all places. Home of the lost and stolen street lights. Maybe they’ll develop night vision cameras with intelligent video computers.
    Campus Graduates to Intelligent Video
    http://www.securitymagazine.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/coverstory/BNPCoverStoryItem/0,5409,163796,00.html

    Another use is parking garage cameras, which watch every move you make and then process the information to send out alerts based on what the machine sees. We are moving towards a society that is watched over by cameras and computers. There’s a chance these so called ‘lists’ are products of smart software. Sell the features! Software is just a set of rules, that tell a machine what to do. Too bad we can’t develop software to tell the airplanes to start making money. That could produce job security. So you have an airline losing hundreds of millions of dollars and the operation is supported by cutting edge technology. The airline isn’t a security risk to the computer, the average passenger providing revenue by spending money is.

    Airline security may be a bigger source of profit than the airlines themselves. The 737’s lose a billion dollars and the security vendors make millions of dollars securing a system that does nothing but produce more bankrupcy and busted out pensions for retirees. The thing you are securing, should be worth what it cost to secure. The airline industry is just about worthless. Then there is the problem of securing the air cargo, which is still a big problem and the cargo might just be the only thing making any money in the air. Just keep adding cameras and more computers. Somebody should make a buck, even if the airlines have to start detaining people until the authorities arrive because the camera caught somebody on the list.
    Here’s a tip. Avoid the airlines, airports and keep your friends close and your family closer. Over the river and through the woods to Grandmothers house we go.

  11. Jim Dermitt says:

    I just found a report that the Greek Army is going to run the Kabul airport.

    ATHENS, November 27 (Online): SOME 38 Greek Air Force personnel left Athens Friday for Afghanistan, where they will run Kabul airport as part of NATO`s peacekeeping mission (ISAF), the Greek army said in a statement.

    I always thought the Greeks were known for their Naval skills. I guess we haven’t got the Afghan Air Force up and running yet and the TSA isn’t prepared to go global. I wonder how much heroin and opium gets flown out of that place.

    Then there’s this: Tourism Key to Afghanistan’s Future
    By Adam Dean
    http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=2727

    I’ll bet you never even consider a vaction to Afghanistan! Visit a modern ruin. Maybe United or Delta will offer flights soon, because Bamiyan will become a major international tourist attraction. It just might.
    http://www.afghan-network.net/Culture/bamian.html
    You won’t have to deal with the TSA, just the Greek Army. Welcome to Afghanistan, we hope you enjoy your tour, don’t go out at night!
    Be careful if you are an editor though.
    Editor’s jailing tests Afghan democracy http://www.newutah.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=69737

    Let there be light
    Japanese artist Hiro Yamagata announced plans to recreate Afghanistan’s destroyed Bamiyan Buddhas using as many as 240 laser beam images, a giant project that could also bring electricity to local people. This is slated to begin in June 2007, so until then pack a flashlight and some D batteries. Yamagata plans to install 120 laser systems, 10 windmills and 11,988 solar energy panels. 10 windmills! It starting to sound like Vermont or upstate NY, only with lasers and more solar panels. Maybe this is where all the street lights from Baltimore are going. It could be an international plot.

  12. Jim Dermitt says:

    Here’s a link for the Bamiyan laser project.
    http://www.bamiyanlaser.org/
    And the wind data and urban plan is here
    http://www.bamiyanlaser.org/en/topics.html

    Withstanding numerous invasions, including raids by Ghengis Khan, Bamiyan remained as a major tourist attraction in the country until Soviet invasion in 1979. Since then Bamiyan has suffered from many battles and the majority of the Bamiyan ruins were destroyed by a terrorist attack in March 2001.

    The place seems pretty famous for being invaded. Maybe they’ll have a laser U-2 concert or something. The political battle for the status of the ruling party has long repeated there. It sounds a lot like Washington D.C. when you think about it. They will need an airport if this laser project is going to work. It looks like they are on the verge of getting electricity, so an airport isn’t much of a stretch. The site says that “Sponsors :Beverly Hills Mercedes Benz etc” It also claims Maria Shriver (NBC TV Director) James Cameron (Film Director) Sharon Stone (Actress) on the Executive Committee of Bamiyan Afghanistan Laser Project. It sounds like a all star cast. Maybe when Marc gets cleared, he can head over there and check it out.


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