Screening Air Travelers

Wall Street Journal ^ | August 10, 2004 | Editorial

[OESY]

...

For the record, however, we'd also like to draw readers' attention to another Transportation Department missive. It is a consent order dated June 21 and signed by the Department's deputy general counsel. It asserts that Delta Air Lines discriminated against passengers undergoing its screening procedures and directs the carrier to spend $900,000 over the next two years to provide "civil rights training to its pilots, flight attendants, and passenger service agents."

Delta denies the charges that it violated federal law by removing from flights or denying boarding to "persons [who] were, or were perceived to be, of Arab, Middle Eastern or Southeast Asian descent and/or Muslim." The carrier says its actions were based solely on safety and security concerns. It agreed to the settlement to avoid litigation or fines.

Transportation notes that it has reached similar settlements with United, American and Continental -- all of which also speak for themselves, and don't make us feel safer.

[skip_intro]

Well, now at least we know what the DOT's policy on terrorism is; send the airline employees to civil rights training.

This administration is becoming a bigger joke by the day.

[sergeantdave]

Ohhhh, I feel real sensitive today, Mr. Terrorist. Would you like a poodle and coffee with that grenade?

[mvpel]

I suspect that the so-called "civil rights training" will skip right over the civil right enumerated in the Fourth Amendment.

[DoctorZIn]

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