A RESPONSE to last week’s column about the chronic troubles of air travelers came from Christine Anderson, who says she was with her son Jack both times he was told that he was on the terrorist watch list. The first time was in 2004, when Jack; his mother; his brothers Joey, then 8, and Joshua, then 5; and their grandmother, Susan, arrived at the airport in Minneapolis for a trip to Disney World.
“The woman at the ticket counter demanded, ‘Who is John Anderson?’ ” Ms. Anderson recalled. She pointed at the baby stroller and said, “He’s right here.” The suspect, then 2 years old, blinked his big blue eyes and happily gummed his pacifier.
“That baby’s on the no-fly watch list,” the agent said.
His brothers became agitated. “We’re not going to Disney World!” one of them wailed, according to Ms. Anderson. After about an hour, the airline ascertained that the Jack in the stroller was not the Jack on the terrorist list, and the family made its flight. Her concern, she told me, goes beyond a mere hour’s delay at the airport while Jack’s name is cleared. It’s more about the effect such a stigma has on people like Jack, she said. Jack’s brothers, of course, made a big deal about their baby brother being a terrorist suspect — especially when it happened again two years later on another family trip when Jack, then 4, was taken aside.
“I understand a delay at the airport is a small price to pay for security,” Ms. Anderson said, adding: “But it’s more than just a delay. Jack’s a sweet, sensitive boy. What will the ramifications be for him, years later? Kids don’t rationalize like adults. His take on this is, ‘I don’t do bad things, but they say I do.’ And you can’t tell him differently.”
Since the last airport incident, the family has driven on vacations to avoid airport trouble for Jack.
Please, all we are asking for is a small display of common sense, is that too much?
Mac,
Remember, common sense is not always so common.
Remember, common sense is not always so common.
Most especially in the travel industry and government.
What, you mean there are TWO Jack Andersons in the USA? Damn…. so if your name is Joe Smith is there any point in even trying?
Why do we all have to be treated like criminals?
I’ll settle for basic fairness and accountability. Persons named on the list must have the right to have their status reviewed, and the burden of reasonableness has to rest with the person asserting that person should be on the list. They have to prove to an impartial judge that you belong on the list. Unfounded listings must be removed and a formal written apology made. Sloppy record keeping results in termination. Any listing found to have been motivated by political (Hey, that guy didn’t vote for me!) or personal (that’ll teach you to cut me off in traffic) or other than justifiable reasons leads to jail time. The abuses and stupidity have to stop.
How is it a name match alone is sufficient? How about a name and date of birth? Fingerprints? Physical description?
Every time I fly commercial I am terrorized by our own gubment. Little by little it adds up to a whole bunch of terrorism. I would rather take my chances on a hijacking happening than the absolute certainty that I will be harassed by our homeland insecurity gestapo. Do you have your papers. Vas ist dos? Herr Anderson, dos ist verboten!
It might have been the British who coined the phrase “jobsworth” (brainless official for whom it’s “more than my jobs worth” to let something go), but I must say your American TSA etc. have elevated it into a high art form… congratulations.
As an American Airlines rep once told me:
“If you have time to spare, go by air!”
Incredible.
Apparently working for TSA means giving up rational thought and any critical thinking skills to be come a mindless drone. What moron thought, matching people only by name was a good idea?
I thought the no-fly list was a joke, and this and numerous other incidents only confirms it.
“I understand a delay at the airport is a small price to pay for security,” Ms. Anderson said
Are you sure Ms. Anderson?
Maybe it would be fun getting 10 to 25 John Andersons tickets for one flight.
Terry Love It might have been the British who coined the phrase “jobsworth” (brainless official for whom it’s “more than my jobs worth” to let something go), but I must say your American TSA etc. have elevated it into a high art form… congratulations.
Bloody Americans! Always have to be better than the UK in everything! Once the UK was the most hated in the world, once the UK were the ones starting all the wars, once the UK had all the silly snivel servants with mindless rules and forms to fill out.
I guess next America will be hiking their income taxes up to 50% to beat our 45%, adding 20% sales tax beat our 17.5% VAT sales tax, charging £1000 ‘road tax’ to beat our £500, and charge £200 instead of £135 TV Licence fee to watch TV, just to prove they can do it better!
Why has no one here even considered that the kid might be a terrorist? These guys are supposedly masterminds and this could very well be part of their plot! Seed America with little babies, these could be real time bombs. We are letting our guard down. It only takes one bad baby taking down a plane and that will be one bad baby too many. I, for one, am glad they are making us line up for inspection, making sure we aren’t a danger to ourselves and others. This way I can just enjoy my freedom.
JK!
Jane Fonda, Daniel Shore, Jack Anderson, hey this is Richard Nixon’s enemies list!
Please, all we are asking for is a small display of common sense, is that too much?
We don’t deserve any, after all we got what we voted for…
“After about an hour, the airline ascertained that the Jack in the stroller was not the Jack on the terrorist list”
I can’t believe it took more than 2 seconds! I weep for my country…
Repuke created “Dept Of Homeland In-Security (and crony capitialism) at work !!! Don’t you feel safer now ???
He’s TWO. Of course he’s a terrorist. He has poopy pants and throws temper tantrums.
If he’s not a terrorists, then why does he have a BOMB strapped to him….hmmmm????
#8
If I have “time to spare” I can DRIVE THERE..
Better view, MORE stops, and the Bathrooms ARNT FULL(any tree will do). might even see/find some forgotten history.
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I find it funny.
In a nation of NAMES, they cant find the time to make a YES/NO list, or even MANUAL CORRECTION..
what would it take to WRITE IN, the kids SS# and NOTE, “NOT THIS ONE”.
Iv mentioned before, about an INTEGRATED PASSPORT/ID system.. If you get a passport/visa you get entered into the machine, and its SHARED with every nation that wants access. NAME, ADDRESS/Nationality/WHERE you have been/ports of entry/ AND A #@$@#% PICTURE.. So we know it isnt the OTHER guy trying to sneak into a country.
At this point we dont even SHARE Drivers/ID Lic info between states(willingly).(and you Always wondered WHY out of state plates get ticketed more)
Even supposing that the TSA “agents” who take seriously whether a 2 year old is a threat actually have been brainwashed into not feeling foolish, ultimately this has simply got to make the general public aware of just how stupid these rules and the no-fly list is.
How can we take seriously something this stupid?
But then, maybe I’m being too optimistic. After all, we are (apparently) taking Palin seriously as a candidate for VP.
(walks away, shaking head…)
So when the Enemy writes this open letter:
Allah is Great
All infidels must die!
he shouldn’t sign it with his real name, but as William Smith. Aw shucks, George, the bozos have won!
If his head is shaped like a football, he IS
a dangerous terrorist!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Anderson
What you want to bet they were targeting a retired investigative journalist with Parkinson’s?
The mother is a pagan and thanks to Bush and his buddies Amerika is in a never ending war against Satan, they should have tasered the kid when he threatened the airport with the toddler invoked a wiccan magic spell known as a sonic boom easily mistaken at first for a toddler’s cry.
If he wasn’t guilty of something, he wouldn’t be on the list. The whole family sounds suspicious. Especially the mother. Send the whole lot to Gitmo and find out what they were up to!
He probably is a little Terror at home!
I was on such a list – not really a no-fly list but the kind of list where you can’t check in online or with a kiosk. Luckily for me I have the same name as a Canadian cabinet minister and there was a big story about him being denied boarding an Air Canada flight. After that incident I had no problems 🙂
Note be sure to book your flights with your full name – including the middle name or at least initial. The idiots who make these lists don’t even differentiate between Joe M. Smith and Joe N. Smith.
This is so much crap. I put up with it only because I have to get somewhere. If the whole airline industry went down the drain overnight I would rejoice.