Poor Teddy

[UncleKyle]

Sorry I think it's funny.

US senator Kennedy complains of falling on anti-terror no-fly list

WASHINGTON (AFP) - He is among the most recognizable politicians in the United States, but liberal lawmaker Ted Kennedy said that even he has fallen victim to the tightened air security of the terror-conscious, post-9/11 era.

At a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee (news - web sites) Thursday, the Massachusetts Democratic senator described having endured weeks of inconvenience after his name ended up on a watch list barring persons deemed to pose a threat to civil aviation or national security from air travel.


Kennedy said that on several occasions last March, he was nearly denied permission to board a US Airways shuttle from Washington to Boston because his name landed on a no-fly list in error.


In each instance, he said, an airline supervisor was called and he was eventually allowed to board the flight.


But the misunderstanding persisted for weeks -- even after US Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge personally intervened.


"It happened even after he called to apologize," Kennedy said at the hearing "because my name was on the list at the airports and with the airlines.


"He (Ridge) couldn't get my name off the list for a period of weeks."


Kennedy directed his remarks to Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson at the hearing, suggesting that if a well-known US senator can have such difficulties in clearing up the such misunderstandings, the average traveller must have a much harder time.


A spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, Yolanda Clark, confirmed Thursday that the senator had on at least two occasions been subjected to additional pre-flight screening, but added "he was not on the no-fly list."


However, she said "his name was similar to an alias of someone who was on the list," leading to the confusion that complicated Kennedy's travel.

 

[oldkicker]

He wasn't going to DRIVE, was he???

 

[Poohbear123]

Hmmmmm............

 

[Megan's Mom]

Yea I feel real sorry for him.

 

[LScot]

Old Kicker--Too funny!!

Thanks for the laugh Kyle! I wouldn't want him on my plane anyway!

 

[Virgo10]

What's not funny about this is that the "Patriot?" act is affecting regular people too. A relative of mine is caught up in this because of a money transfer. NO ONE ,as in the banks and the government agengy that over sees the PA, knows what the h*ll they're doing!

He has a large amount of money coming to him but it's been held up by this agency for nearly a year. Believe me, it stops being funny when it starts happening to you. I pray that none of you who are laughing so hard about Senator Kennedy's problems ever gets caught up in this never ending loop of stupidity!

Roberta

 

[Belle041281]

As someone who works at a bank I take offense to what you say. We are only doing our JOBS when we report things. We can get in trouble by the government by not reporting. If your Uncle has the proper documentation for his money there will be no trouble. As far as Senator Kennedy-Good. Now he knows what it feels like to have to deal with inconvienance like the rest of us.

 

[Bob NC]

"When I rethuurned, Mahri-Jo ahnd the cah were gone"

 

[shortbun]

The only reason I see this as funny it because it points out the
continued incompetence and lack of power of Tom Ridge. So much
for Homeland Security and GWB's appointments.

BOB NC-your post is in particular bad taste, not funny and
disgusting.

 

[SeaSpray]

Just yesterday I heard a woman on the news talking about the fact that her YOUNG (under age 18) daughter was on this "list", too. Apparently her daughter's name closely matches, or is identical to, someone's name who IS on the list. They were trying to return home from vacation and the security people at the airport would not let her daughter board the plane. I didn't hear how they eventually got back home, but now they are dealing with trying to get daughter's name off the list, or somehow get her daughter's name unassociated with the legitimate person's name/restrictions.

I have a very common last name....How in the world would they differentiate between me and someone else with the same exact name?? My husband has an EXTREMELY common first name...I can just see them detaining him while we're traveling for our Disney cruise next week! I'm glad we all have passports, I hope they'd help if this situation ever arose.

I totally understand the effort and reasoning behind this "no-fly" list, but surely they've got to be able to quickly and easily be able to determine WHICH "John Doe" is the threat, and which one is just going on a family vacation.

 

[Virgo10]

Originally posted by Belle041281
As someone who works at a bank I take offense to what you say. We are only doing our JOBS when we report things. We can get in trouble by the government by not reporting. If your Uncle has the proper documentation for his money there will be no trouble. As far as Senator Kennedy-Good. Now he knows what it feels like to have to deal with inconvienance like the rest of us.

If this was directed at me let me elaborate a bit. I never said that the banks shouldn't report things they have to report. I also never said it was an uncle of mine.

You couldn't be more incorrect about proper documentation. He has all that. The LARGE bank he's working with has promised his money would be free for him to get so many times, I've lost count. The latest stupidity was just this week when he was ABSOLUTLEY promised it would be there on Monday.... and then again Tuesday. On Wednesday we found out that the government had issued a new set of rules and regulations so now it will be there this coming Monday. Remember, this has been going on for over a YEAR. No one at the bank put forth the time or effort to find out why the money was still being held until he made numerous phone calls.

You cannot believe what a nightmare this has been. Maybe your bank does things right but the one he's involve with must have employees that have to pass a stupidity test. As for the Homeland Security people, absolute power (which at the moment they have) corrupts absolutely. Think IRS hearing of several years ago and you have his situation.

Roberta

 

[olena]

I wonder if someone added his name to that list as a joke.

 

[Figment22]

One nation....under surveillance.

 

[Bob NC]

Originally posted by shortbun
BOB NC-your post is in particular bad taste, not funny and
disgusting.

Listen, I lived in Massachusetts for 20 years....The only thing that's in bad taste, not funny and disgusting is the way they keep re-electing that murderer.

 

[Jeanny]

Originally posted by Bob NC
Listen, I lived in Massachusetts for 20 years....The only thing that's in bad taste, not funny and disgusting is the way they keep re-electing that murderer.

Bob, you lived here for 20 years, so you know it was an accident.