On the FBI watch list: flying? NO! Buying guns? ABSOLUTELY!!

[mamadelbosque]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/op...ml?ref=opinion

So, if your on the FBI's terrorist watch list, its perfecty OK to tap your phone & not let you onto an airplane.. but, if you want to buy guns or lots of ammo or 50#s of explosives, why, thats peachy fine. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? :boggle:

[lotusdebi]

Makes sense to me.
Flying is not a right protected by our Constitution.
Anyone can have their phone tapped if the cops get a warrant, which takes a judge and (usually) some amount of legitimate suspicion.
Denying someone their rights under our Constitution based on suspicion of guilt is unAmerican. It flies in the face of that whole "innocent until proven guilty" thing.

And, honestly, do you even know how many people are on the terrorist watch list? It's ridiculous. There are over a million people on the FBI's terrorist watch list. Do you honestly believe that all those people are guilty of something? What about the children on that watch list? Are they guilty too?

Read up on the truth about the terrorist watch list:
http://www.aclu.org/technology-and-liberty/watch-lists

[AdinaL]

It makes an odd sort of sense to me. Airplanes are something that have been used as a huge weapon, and are easy to control. I also believe that there are wait lists and hoops to jump through if one wanted to buy guns or explosives, and that while they may be able to attempt to purchase gun, they may not ever actually be able to obtain them legally.

Of course, they may still be able to obtain guns/explosives illegally or even fly under another name.

I also agree that those lists are incredibly long and bloated, and I don't think that a lot of those folks are guilty of anything.

Let's remember that this is a heated topic, for sure, and to be respectful of one another when posting.