This post has been updated
By Sara Kehaulani GooWashington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 20, 2004; Page A01
U.S. Sen. Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy said yesterday that he was stopped and questioned at airports on the East Coast five times in March because his name appeared on the government's secret "no-fly" list.
Federal air security officials said the initial error that led to scrutiny of the Massachusetts Democrat should not have happened even though they recognize that the no-fly list is imperfect. But privately they acknowledged being embarrassed that it took the senator and his staff more than three weeks to get his name removed.
Homeland Security can’t seem to tell the difference between a United States Senator and a terrorist. That is just total incompetence.
Or maybe this is part of George W. Bush’s ‘you’re either with us or against us’ policy. After all, Senator Kennedy sure isn’t with the president.
Senator Kennedy is not alone. The ACLU reports:
WASHINGTON – A member of the military, a retired Presbyterian minister and a college student are among seven U.S. citizens who have joined the first nationwide, class-action challenge to the government's “No-Fly” list filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Check out their web site on the No Fly List and the ACLU's Keep America Safe and Free Campaign.
Update: CNN has this related story:
Kennedy has company on airline watch listFriday, August 20, 2004 Posted: 7:18 PM EDT (2318 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Edward Kennedy is not alone.
A second prominent lawmaker said Friday that he's been subjected to extra security at airports because his name appears on a list designed to prevent terrorists from boarding planes.
Rep. John Lewis, D - Georgia, a nine-term congressman famous for his civil rights work with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has been stopped 35 to 40 times over the past year, his office said.
