First time ever: judge orders the removal of name from terror/government watch list.

And it only cost $4 million!

Scholar Wins Court Battle to Purge Name From U.S. No-Fly List.

A former Stanford University student who sued the government over her placement on a U.S. government no-fly list is not a threat to national security and was the victim of a bureaucratic “mistake,” a federal judge ruled today.

The decision (.pdf) makes Rahinah Ibrahim, 48, the first person to successfully challenge placement on a government watch list.

Pipkin and a team of lawyers handled the case pro bono, spending $300,000 in court costs and racking up $3.8 million in legal fees covering some 11,000 hours of work, she said. “Why in the United States of America does it cost that much to clear a woman’s name?” she asked in a telephone interview.

A mistake, really? Come on. Thats the judge being kind.

And kudos to the lawyer and the firm. They deserve some major recognition.

The trial last month was shrouded in extraordinary secrecy, with closed court hearings and non-public classified exhibits. Judge Alsup today issued his full judgement under seal, but made public an abbreviated version that we’re allowed to know about.

It must be upside down world. Our public servants work in secrecy while using Gestapo type tactics to invade our privacy...

But who cares, not like they're just going to put anyone on a terror watch list. You gotta be a "terrorist". Yah right:

Marshals: Innocent People Placed On 'Watch List' To Meet Quota.

The air marshals, whose identities are being concealed, told 7NEWS that they're required to submit at least one report a month. If they don't, there's no raise, no bonus, no awards and no special assignments.

How about that 6yo Christian girl:
But wait a second. Remember when Senator Kennedy ended up on the terror watch list 3 times? You dont?

Sen. Kennedy Flagged by No-Fly List.

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.

But privately they acknowledged being embarrassed that it took the senator and his staff more than three weeks to get his name removed.

So, a public servant can get his name removed no problem. Everyone else has to spend $4 million?

America... WTF?

reply to post by gladtobehere


Welcome to the United Fascist States of America. Wonder how many other "mistakes" have been made in regards to this? A few years back the TSA detained me because of a button on my hat that said "If I'm smiling you should be worried." Probably on the no-fly list myself by now.

Oh yeah, and the TSA wants to have a talk with you. No nicee no flyee.

The government's "No Fly List" is a sick joke, and rewarding air marshals for pulling names out of thin air is even worse, especially since they do not have to prove that the names they come up with are actual threats. These people are terrorists because their name's on a list. Simplistic, idiotic thinking at its finest.

This type of crap, and the invasion of privacy along with the "guilty until proven innocent" mindset of the TSA are exactly why I have refused to fly for over a decade now. If I cannot drive there, I'm not going.

However, I'm not naïve enough to think that this type of insanity will stop at airports. Soon it will be everywhere. Can't wait for the "No Drive" and "No Ride" lists to come out for our highways, and bus and rail systems.