more on more on What if Cat Stevens had flown under a different name?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Richard Perlman <perl () lucent com>
Date: September 24, 2004 7:30:21 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net, Ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: Re: [IP] more on more on What if Cat Stevens had flown under a 
different name?

Dave:
[Please feel free to change the subject if you use this -- it really is 
no
longer about Cat Stevens, etc.]

On the topic of Cat Stevens, lists, etc.

In the 1950's the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC - sort 
of the
Homeland Security agency of congress) kept a list of "Subversive
Organizations" Members of those organizations were presumed to be
Communists, Fellow Travelers, sympathizers, etc.

Unlike the TSA list, there was no legal impact from being on the list,
members of listed groups could still fly, take the train, shop for food,
etc. However, there was a horrible extra-legal impact, people lost their
jobs, could not get hired, could not sell their books, paintings etc.

Then, as today, the real issue was (and should be) what due process 
controls
who goes on the "list."  There was none then and there is none today 
(or it
is "secret").

Cat Stevens is bad because his name was on a list.  Fine.  But, let's 
not
become distracted by discussions of should the plane have stopped in 
Maine,
or was he a danger.  The real question is what form of "Due Process" 
put his
name on that list.

As someone whose father volunteered to fight the fascists in Spain over 
60
years ago, and spent almost 20 years labeled as a known un-American for 
that
choice.  Note that because "The Veterans of The Abraham Lincoln 
Brigade" was
on the UUAC list, anyone who was in the Lincoln Brigade was 
automatically
listed as well -- there was no way to "un-join."

This new list of the TSA is no-different -- It is a catch-all to punish
people for crimes for which they have not been charged, not been tried 
and
not been convicted.

Richard


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