St. Charles man 'I'm no terrorist'

St. Charles man 'I'm no terrorist'

beaconnews.suntimes.com

Local dog trainer Ibraheim “Abe” Mashal says he might have considered the FBI’s request for him to work as an undercover informant if they’d recruited him openly.

Instead, the American-born Muslim and U.S. Marine Corps veteran charges that agents secretly put him on the federal government’s “no-fly” list and launched an investigation that included his family, friends and clients, then offered to restore his flying privileges in exchange for him spying on area mosques.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.nbcchicago.com
www.miamiherald.com
www.boston.com
www.nytimes.com

Now, this story is nothing new to most people, and since 9-11 this government mandated "No-Fly List," has snared another victim in its Soviet, Gestapo, and McCarthyist teeth. A dog-trainer and ex-Marine was given the preferential treatment and placed on the list without personal knowledge or a formal hearing.

By all accounts this man seems like a model citizen. Just by sending an honest email about something as trivial as raising a child in a inter-faith household to someone who is a Muslim theologian, and under suspicion by the Justice Department can get a person's travel rights rescinded, visits by Federal Law Enforcement using those restrictions as leverage to coerce Muslim informants into service, and essentially stripping a person of core civil liberties. There are some bad people out there, but this guy was not one of them.

Unfortunately, since this madness began we have learned about others being put on the "no-fly list," and often times by mistake. When will the madness stop, and common sense rule the day? These violations seem to go far beyond the usual bureaucratic mishaps, but seems to be tinkering with how much the American public will take?

At the very least, this program has got to be sent before Congress for re-evaluation. Now he has to fight to have travel rights restored, and his name cleared. This is not an isolated incident, and others who are not of the Muslim faith or Middle Eastern have been unduly targeted by this draconian policy. The blue-print for totalitarianism or tyranny is in place. I will end with a quote from a religious leader in Nazi Germany who faced persecution, and it sums up where policies like this one and others can go.

Martin Niemöller

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

beaconnews.suntimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

What the hell... What the hell... I am at a loss for words. Seriously, this is messed up.
I wish I could type more right now....

reply to post by Jakes51


Starred and Flagged.

This crap needs to stop. It has gone beyond the laughable and all the way to the truly bizarre, and even criminal conduct of our so-called "civil servants".

I hope ACLU tears somebody a new one!

reply to post by mydarkpassenger


Yeah, I hope the man in the story has his day in court and is victorious. I have heard stories of toddlers, kids, and the even the elderly being placed on the no-fly list. As far as I am concerned, this business goes far and beyond the usual workplace incompetence, or bureaucratic foul-ups. It seems like the Federal Government is testing the resolve of the people to see if they remain apathetic to violations like this one, or if they respond in mass? I hope the ACLU has a field day with this one as well. Hopefully, it curtails behavior like the one displayed in the story and others from the past.

This is pathetic.

They man served his country, he works and pays taxes yet he has to put up with this BS.
Those agents should be fired.
pffft

reply to post by SLAYER69


Very pathetic indeed! It goes to show how intrusive the government can be online, when all it takes is a trivial email about raising kids in a interfaith household to a Muslim cleric can get one's name on the no-fly list and the Feds on their doorstep. Unfortunately, for the former Marine, the person being sought after for advice was under investigation by the FBI. How was he supposed to know that the person he contacted was under suspicion by the Justice Department?

Those agents should have went to his home to apologize about the mix up, and told that it is in his best interest to cease contact with the alleged suspect. Now, he has got to fight the government in court to get his name off that list, and will probably have to sue for lost wages caused by this mistake. Using the no-fly list as a recruitment tool, is just plain wrong. I hope the agents are fired as well!