A U.S. watch list of terrorism suspects has passed 1 million records, corresponding to about 400,000 people, and a leading civil liberties group says the number is 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…
“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.”
The cowards who feed off the aura of terrorism as a political tool are consistent in their inability to either justify their smarmy database – or maintain it according to any reasonable standards.
I wonder when U.S. citizens will come to realize a one-million-record terrorist watch list database isn’t a terrorist watch list database at all?
So basically all Muslims are on the list?
If you post here complaining about this story, do you get put on the list?
Or is that everyone on welfare is on the list? That makes even more sense since they say one million records, but 400 thousand people, which is the number on welfare today.
Eventually, everyone who didn’t vote for GWB will be on the list.
Just mind blowing to think that I’m surrounded by terrorists everywhere I go. The security services must be do a great job to stop all these people from blowing us all to hell. But wait, with that many terrorists, how many work for the security services??? Just a world gone mad and the delusions of a dumbass as president.
Everyone who posts on DU is on the list, surely?
Folks. There’s a product called World-check, http://www.world-check.com, which provides huge “watch-list.” This list contains all of the known watch-lists that are compiled by Countries & Banks (OFAC, EU, BOE …).
It’s about 800,000 records, so It’s possible that those numbers are inflated a bit.
People who are on those lists are supposed to be there, because they’ve committed crimes, terror or even a politician or related to one.
Probably after this post, I’ll be on it too.
Still, that’s only one in 300. About the same as police, per capita. Drunk drivers outnumber these suspected terrorists 24:1.
#2 – MikeN,
No. I’m sure it includes some bloggers as well.
#3 – alienevildoer,
If you post here complaining about this story, do you get put on the list?
I doubt you’d get added for a first time offense.
I’ve never understood the combination of the no-fly-list and the security screening. Isn’t a person supposed to be “clean” after passing through the security screening, or is it all a big joke!?
This is good. Watch the count go up in real time. Apparently, it ticks off some interval in between a name being added, and thus has a decimal point. Odd concept IMHO, but still pretty cute.
ACLU Watchlist Counter
Peter it’s closer to one in a thousand.
If you didn’t receive Bush & Cheney’s previous permission to command and fly airplanes in New York City, you must be a terrorist.
Ah, Bush at his finest !!!
this is a new jeff foxworthy meme in the making
if you get lo-fat lattes from starbucks instead of maxwell house from a diner, you might be a terrorist
if you ever mentioned in public that the company that the vice president used to work for makes a whole bunch of money off the war in iraq, you might be a terrorist
if you ever said in public that the war in iraq might not have been the best idea ever, you might be a terrorist
# 16 grog said,
this is a new jeff foxworthy meme in the making
Superb!
If you’ve ever posted a picture of the POTUS depicting him in an unflattering manner, you might be a terrorist.
I’m getting on the list right now!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
George Bush Sucks!
Bush was particularly sucky in his news conference this morning.
I am a public school teacher, and I support this list, and hope it is expanded.
I surveyed my students, and 27 out of 35 also support the list.
It is government’s jobs to keep us SAFE, people.
There are too many suspicious people out there. We need more safety. We can’t afford obsolete notions of “freedom,” these are new times we live in. One 9/11 was one too many.
I hope that was just a clumsy attempt to be funny, Harvey. If not, you might consider moving to Singapore. It’s the next best thing to being in jail, which sounds right up your alley.
#18 – After that outburst, if you try to fly you’ll have more fingers stuck in you than Paris Hilton.
That means that one in every 300 Americans are on the list as of now. Give it a few more years and everybody will be.
This sort of crud delutes the effort to actually observe the few thousand most likely to cause problems.
If the list is such an excellent tool let’s see some data that backs it up…
It is just another way to keep the masses in fear.
SOSDD
The very first time I heard the name “Patriot Act” I knew it was a trap.
Conservatives always name legislation exactly opposite of the truth.
In the Orwellian world of Bush-speak, peace activists are war activists, thus they make it to the list.