US terrorist watch list explodes from 20 names to 755,000 names under Bush administration

[kurth]

More than 755,000 on US terrorist watch list

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US terrorist watch list includes more than 755,000 names and continues to grow, the US Government Accountability Office said Wednesday.

The list exploded from fewer than 20 entries before the September 11, 2001 attacks to more than 150,000 just a few months later, after the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) was created in December 2003 to keep tabs on terrorist suspects, according to the GAO, the non-partisan investigative arm of Congress.

Including known pseudonyms of suspects, the list's 755,000 names as of May 2007 represents, in fact, around 300,000 people, according to TSC estimates.

Tasked with gathering data on individuals "known or appropriately suspected to be or have been engaged in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of or related to terrorism," the TSC gets its information from Federal Bureau of Investigation intelligence and passes it on chiefly to immigration authorities.

Since 2003, the list has been used around 53,000 times to single out individuals for possible arrest or to prevent them from entering the country, the GAO said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071024/ts_alt_afp/usterrorismlistpolicesecurity

[aquart]

1. 300,000 terrorists? How many are American citizens?

HOW DARE THEY ACCUSE ANY AMERICAN OF TREASON IS THIS SURREPTITIOUS MANNER??? WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO CONFRONT OUR ACCUSERS.

[Dr.Phool]

5. I've got a bad feeling,

There's about 109,000 from this board.

:hide: :scared: :hide:

[LakeSamish706]

2. Why the F*** don't they just put everyone in the world on the Terrorist list?

Would seem that most are going to end up there one day anyway!

[EFerrari]

3. It's like the Attack of the Horribly Inept Temp.

:scared:

[DemInBuckhead]

4. Simple question that seems to elude the Bush folks

How in the hell are you going to track 755,000 people, even if you're granted all of the wiretapping/spy/torture/etc. powers you want?

[FREEWILL56]

11. That list is probably for their concentration camps later on.

We know damn well they couldn't find 1000 terrorists right now if it were to save their lives. Hmmm. In retrospect they are protected so they couldn't find 1000 terrorists right now to save our lives. Yea, right, like they care.

[daninthemoon]

6. And you just made the list. Oh crap, now I did for responding.

:hide: Actually, the whole thing is deadly serious, and probably far worse than we can yet imagine. :scared:

[SeussTree]

7. I'm on it.

I was arrested at a peaceful protest for being outside the legal protest area - a misdemeanor. Charges later dropped.

However, everyone who was arrested that day is now on the list. When I get stopped by traffic police I have to wait while they call the FBI to see if I need to be arrested immediately. There is some kind of notation on my driver's license, my car license plates and on my passport.

At airports, I have been questioned for up to 2 hours. The stupidest questions you can imagine. Once the police were checking passports as people got off the plane - literally right off the plane, not in the customs area. When they got to me, they quit checking. They were LOOKING for me. They have photocopied every piece of paper in my luggage (including movie ticket stubs, etc.) and questioned me about every picture on my camera.

Other people arrested in that same incident have been surrounded by police with guns drawn when trying to renew driver's licenses. At least one was taken off a plane after boarding.

[Oilwellian]

9. Welcome to DU SeussTree

I'll be flying next summer and am wondering if I'm on any list as well. I've never been arrested but have written many LTTE's as well as signed many a petition. Who are your congressman & senators? Have you tried complaining to them?

[IDemo]

8. My two cents on this from earlier today

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2127701&mesg_id=2127701

[Manifestor_of_Light]

10. Is this related to the SSS stamp on your boarding pass?

I've gotten that before which means you get extra screening. I've been in the extra screening line before. I was the only white person in that line.
No idea why I'm on it. I guess SSS means super special security.

Also, one time they X-rayed my carry-on bag which had my medicine in it and a steel A-440 tuning fork. They rummaged around till they found it, at which time the person took it out. I said "It's a tuning fork" and the person seemed to know what that was. They didn't
cnfiscate it or ask me what it was for.

[benEzra]

12. This is why the administration's push to automatically treat watchlisted people as terrorists

which some on DU have cheered, is a phenomenally bad idea.

[earth mom]

13. So how do you find out if you're on it?

:yoiks:

[KansDem]

14. I'm suppose to fly to Los Angeles on Monday...

I'll let you know if there are really 755,001 names on their list...

[Me.]

15. Terrorists R'Us

We are the enemy and this has been clear right from the very start.

[treestar]

16. It wasn't useful when it was 80some thousand and two of the

911 hijackers were on it for about 3 weeks before 911.

Even the terrorist watch list takes the government more than 3 weeks to see to. By now it must take them years.