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| Fifth Column |
| Moonbat Fantasy: Antiwar Prof Claims to be on No-Fly List |
| 2007-04-10 |
| James Taranto, "Best of the Web," The Wall Street Journal Left-wing blogs have been abuzz for a couple of days over a post by Mark Graber, a professor of law and government at the University of Maryland. Graber prints a story he received from Walter F. Murphy, a professor emeritus of jurisprudence at Princeton who now lives in New Mexico, about a bad experience Murphy had last month with airport security in Albuquerque. Murphy alleges that the treatment he received was politically motivated. How credible is this claim? As luck would have it, Kip Hawley, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration visited The Wall Street Journal's office this morning, so we showed him a copy of Graber's post. Here is Murphy's story, as reprinted by Graber, with Hawley's explanation of what happened: |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #12 the Homeland Security Department's Traveler Redress Inquiry Program. TRIP. Some one has a sense of humor. Like the guy who developed the General Electric System Tape Actuated Processing Observer back in the days when GE built computers. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-04-10 20:45 |
| #11 If this jerk is such a scholar, he should know it is The Johns Hopkins University Press. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-04-10 20:40 |
| #10 I just popped over to Princeton U's webpage on the honoured professor. It sure sounds like he's done some things. But I do find it a bit incredible that a Marine colonel, who fought in the Korean War and then served almost two decades as a Marine Reservist, is unable to accept that sometimes everyone is subject to stupid rules. this is the kind of "Do you know who I am?!?" behaviour more common to aging starlets and retired local politicians. He more than most should know that security requires sacrifice. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-04-10 20:37 |
| #9 I was part of church group coming back from Asia that got stranded overnight in Minneapolis. We wound up flying the next day on different airline. So we were 1) a large group, 2) travelling from Asia, 3) using one way tickets. Just about 1/3rd of us got flagged for security checks. I don't remember us kicking up some anti-religious nuttery. Missed opportunity. |
| Posted by: Slinesing Angomolet1065 2007-04-10 19:35 |
| #8 I'm sure the TSA was the better for having you there, USN, Ret. Actually, it's a pity more there don't have your understanding of the situation. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-04-10 19:23 |
| #7 If being an "enemy" was a criterion for being selected for extra special attention, then Cindy Sheehan, Jane Fonda, and any number of other anti-war stars would constantly be hassled at airports. Every single time. Not that I am opposed to such a policy, of course. |
| Posted by: Rambler 2007-04-10 17:43 |
| #6 Used to work for the TSA ( please don't hold that against me) We had no discretion about who was selected by the airlines; their ticket printing system added the 'special codes';we could randomly select others, but the airlines had no input on that, either. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-04-10 17:29 |
| #5 Yep, Snopes material RJB. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-04-10 17:02 |
| #4 The whole bit about the peace march just doesn't jive with me. I think that's the tip off that this story is mostly BS. |
| Posted by: RJB in JC MO 2007-04-10 16:40 |
| #3 Message to Professor Murphy: Get real - you're not worth the powder. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-04-10 16:20 |
| #2 its also been pointed out that the prof was not stopped on his return flight, so he HAD to be a random selectee. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2007-04-10 16:20 |
| #1 GAWD! I got singled out last week...BFD. I wonder if he had mints on his pillow when he checked in? If not did Karl rvoe steal them? |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2007-04-10 16:16 |