This Week’s Security Horror Story : What do these people all have in common? A disabled Marine veteran and US citizen in Egypt. A U.S. Army veteran and US citizen in Colombia. A US Air Force veteran and US citizen stranded in Europe? A US citizen in Portland unable to visit Dubai? A Guinea native, granted US political asylum, and who has lived in the US since the age of two, unable to fly from coast to coast?
All these people are on the no-fly list and are unable to travel by air within, to, from, or over the United States.
And now, they have another thing in common too. They are all plaintiffs in a case being brought on their behalf by the ACLU, challenging the constitutionality of a secret no-fly list that prevents them from the ‘right’ of flying and gives them no opportunity to understand why they are on the list or how to be removed.
More details here.
For a long time, there has been a bit of an inside belief that the best way to ensure that your luggage arrived safely at your destination airport is to check a firearm into the luggage. This supposedly ensures your luggage gets special handling and is less likely to be lost.
On the other hand, some people have wondered and worried if labeling your luggage as having a firearm inside might not also make it more tempting to luggage thieves operating within the airports.
A partial vindication of these concerns occurred this week. Remarkably, the bodyguards traveling with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were not allowed to take their firearms on board a commercial flight between New York and Washington DC, and had to check them and their baggage. One has to wonder if the Israeli government could successfully persuade the Secret Service to disarm themselves when traveling with our president in Israel?
Anyway, seven pistols were checked in two pieces of baggage, both of which were misrouted to Los Angeles rather than to DC. Furthermore, when the bags were finally found and recovered, four of the pistols had mysteriously disappeared. Ooops.
More details here.
