While you're at it Addison, why don't you resurrect the W.W.II internment camps and just lock up anyone who "appears" Arab. That will keep them away from the airports. Your statement, "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck", makes it sound like you think that everyone with dark skin is a terrorist. I sincerely hope that is NOT the case. I would be willing to bet money that the guy who is suing Northwest is East Indian. Chowdhury is an Indian name, not an Arab name. If you were singled out because of the colour of your skin, I don't think you would be as magnanimous as you are expecting these people to be. Mark Addison Schonland wrote: > Y'know this is nuts...If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck....the > threats to US commercial aviation have 100% come from people with obvious > characteristics. How can the industry NOT profile for these types? I mean > no disrespect to anyone - but all travelers who "appeare(d) to be Arabs" > should appreciate what is necessary to protect the business. > > -----Original Message----- > From: The Airline List [mailto:AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU]On Behalf Of > Roger James > Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2002 4:13 AM > To: AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU > Subject: Lawsuits accuse airlines of profiling > > Lawsuits accuse airlines of profiling > By Donna Leinwand, USA TODAY > > WASHINGTON =97 Five men who say they were barred from airline flights= > because=20 > they appeared to be Arabs will sue four airlines today, their lawyers said.= > =20 > The lawsuits accuse the airlines of discrimination unrelated to security,=20 > the American Civil Liberties Union says. The lawsuits by four U.S. citizens= > =20 > and a legal resident will be filed in federal court in Washington, New York= > =20 > and Los Angeles by the ACLU and Relman & Associates, a Washington, D.C.=20 > civil rights law firm, the ACLU said. The cases involve men who appear to=20 > be of Arab descent and who had been cleared through security, but were=20 > removed from flights or denied boarding, lawyers familiar with the case=20 > said Monday. The law firm and the ACLU said they would identify their=20 > clients today. > > The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Council on=20 > American-Islamic Relations say that they have documented an increasing=20 > number of incidents of profiling at airports since the attacks on the=20 > Pentagon and World Trade Center on Sept. 11. In its human rights report=20 > issued April 30, CAIR recorded 191 alleged incidents. In one case expected= > =20 > to be filed today, Arshad Chowdhury, an MBA student who in October had=20 > visited a friend in California, was returning to school in Pittsburgh on a= > =20 > Northwest Airlines flight when he was pulled for a series of security=20 > checks. Chowdhury was cleared by law enforcement officials, but he says a=20 > flight attendant barred him from boarding. The attendant said, "I'm sorry,= > =20 > sir. This won't make sense to you, but you can't fly with us," he said in=20 > an interview with The Nation magazine. Chowdhury could not be reached for=20 > comment Monday. > > Northwest officials say they have been in contact with Chowdhury's=20 > attorney, Christy Lopez of Relman & Associates for several months and have= > =20 > investigated his claims. The airline acted within Federal Aviation=20 > Administration security guidelines when it refused to board Chowdhury,=20 > Northwest spokesman Bill Mellon said. "The action was not based on his=20 > ethnic background," Mellon said, but because "Northwest's pilot received=20 > conflicting information about whether authorities had cleared him to fly,"= > =20 > Mellon said, not because of his ethnic background. Northwest rebooked=20 > Chowdhury on a direct flight once the airline received official clearance,= > =20 > Mellon said. Relman & Associates also represents U.S. Secret Service Agent= > =20 > Wallid Shatter, who has complained that an American Airlines pilot refused= > =20 > to allow him to board a flight from Baltimore to Dallas. American Airlines= > =20 > said the armed agent presented sloppy paperwork. The agent has not filed a= > =20 > lawsuit. > > The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: > Roj (Roger James) > > *************************************************** > escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca > Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com > CBSC Website > http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeansocabrassconnection/ > The Trinbago Site of the Week: > (Robbie Greenidge) http://www.steeldrumband.net/greenidge/ > (Robert Greenidge - Pan Arranger/Composer/Player) > courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory > Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com > TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt > *********************************************************