As reported in many places

[james_davis_nicoll]

Silly me. I thought flying on 9/11 would be easy. I figured most people would choose not to fly that day so lines would be short, planes would be lightly filled and though security might be ratcheted up, we’d all feel safer knowing we had come a long way since that dreadful Tuesday morning 10 years ago.

But then armed officers stormed my plane, threw me in handcuffs and locked me up.

Comments

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

Would there be any political backing for the simple measure of giving anyone picked up by security theatre and then released a written apology from the people who picked them up and some token compensation, say equivalent to the salary of the President of the United States ($200 per hour), for their time? It costs only money, of which the US has no shortage, and emphasises that 'cravenly apologetic for the inconvenience that they might be putting you to' is the appropriate way for State officials to interact with the not-yet-proven-guilty.

[timgueguen.livejournal.com]

What I'd want is written confirmation I'm not on a watch list now, even though security officials didn't find I'd done anything wrong. Hopefully it takes more than one moron to decide "Well, we may not have caught them this time, but I'm sure they were up to something," but I wouldn't count on it.

[robertprior.livejournal.com]

Given that they've kept children on the list for years, I rather doubt that anyone would be dropped:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/nyregion/14watchlist.html

[ross-teneyck.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine had trouble flying home for Christmas, because her six-month-old baby was on the no-fly list.

Or, just possibly, somebody with a coincidentally similar name was on the no-fly list, but the TSA officials at the airport seemed to consider this unlikely.

[sethb.livejournal.com]

The only way anybody will get compensation from the Security Theatricals is false arrest lawsuits (possibly combined with writes of mandamus forcing prosecution under federal law for violation of civil rights under color of law).

Meanwhile, remember "I wish to speak with my attorney."

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I even get that; I think my rights as a non-US citizen entering the US are really very small indeed.

Unfortunately the US is where my employer's customers are based and where the conferences they attend tend to be hosted ...

[robertprior.livejournal.com]

Ashcroft was of the opinion that you have no rights whatsoever. The constitution doesn't cover you, as a non-citizen.

Dunno if that's been changed now he's out. (And if it has, whether the memo's reached the troops on the ground.)

[felis-sidus.livejournal.com]

If you're being detained under the Patriot Act, you don't have a right to an attorney, citizen or not.