755,000 Names on Terrorist Watch List Shows Hysteria, Not Terror Threat

In the interest of protecting all Americans, the government has compiled a list of 755,000 names. The people whose names are on the list are "known or appropriately suspected to be or have been engaged in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of or related to terrorism." Those "appropriately suspected," including infants and small children, are singled out and searched before entering the U.S. and, according to some listees, when traveling domestically as well.

The gargantuan list is separate from the dreaded "no fly" list, but just as unwieldy and unregulated. Since the information on the list is related to "national security" and is compiled largely by the FBI, those whose names end up on the list, even erroneously, have little means of having their names removed, and indeed, aren't even informed as to why or how they ended up there.

Some, of course, will say that it is well worth it to have hundreds of thousands of people harassed each time they set foot in an airport if it will in some way make the nation more secure from the threat of terrorism. But it doesn't end with annoyance at the airport. As several unsuspecting people have found, being on the list can prevent their buying homes, cars, and even prevent them getting certain jobs, all because their name, even if it's only their middle name, is similar to that of a "suspected terrorist." Fine, so tell the government they've made a mistake and have it removed, the list's supporters will say. Only, as the ACLU and many citizens who've hired private lawyers have found, that's next to impossible. Once your name is there, it's there for good.