Suspected Terrorist [Multimillionaire sues U.S. government over right to fly anonymously]

Reason Magazine ^ | August/September 2003 | Brian Doherty

[StriperSniper]

for many

I just hope there are enough.

I have some doubts, but then again that could be because I live amongst the Jersey sheeple, they have been well programed.

[eno_]

And we know that John Frum and mabelkitty will be on the Neighborhood Comittee for Protection of the State.

[John Frum]

Yes, and then after that we can hand out machetes and long swords and tasers and stink bombs too LOL :-) Arm every one to the teeth!

[Admin Moderator]

We've had to remove two of your replies for profanity. Make sure we don't need to remove a third.

[John Frum]

Those who provide valid ID have nothing to hide, thus they wouldn't be terrorists (because they'd be found out). So, if you're afraid of disclosing who you are, you are suspect and THUS might be one prone to sabotage.

So your first argument is shot down: What does not providing ID have to do with keeping bombs off planes? The two are mutually exclusive and independent of each other.

of course I won't give out my SSN its totally irrelevant to proving my identity

According to whom?

Its not according to anyone - why you think that everything has to be authorised by some SPECIFIC agency is more part of your paranoia.

Logic dictates that if you have a photo ID (as in drivers license or passport), which is original and valid - that will suffice.

Your second argument is now shot down. I could keep going on shooting down all your premises but I'm just tired, and its not worth my time. Of course you'll go through all this AGAIN as you did last time, iota by iota, itemizing all the faults here too.

[SauronOfMordor]

Its totally ludicrous to have civilians on planes with guns. Does the phrase EXPLOSIVE DECOMPRESSION have any meaning for you? You have the right to carry arms on the ground, sure. But in a pressure vessel (which is basically what a plane's fuselage is at 30000 feet) you don't have the right to carry a gun. Go endanger yourself on your own time, NOT MINE.

It may surprise you to know that planes continuously leak air, which is replaced continuously. Otherwise it would get rather stuffy in a sealed cabin on a multi-hour flight, now wouldn't it?

Air is continually injected into the cabin from compressors that take in outside air and bring it up to cabin pressure. Stale air is let out by pressure regulators. If the cabin pressure is a little too high, they open up more, if it's too low, the valve closes a bit more. If a hole is put in the cabin wall, the air pressure will drop a bit, and the regulator will close

[Mulder]

Those who provide valid ID have nothing to hide, thus they wouldn't be terrorists (because they'd be found out)

I don't provide ANY ID (valid or otherwise) for most daily activities. Sometimes I even provide "cat ID" (which is what a name and address might look like if a cat strolls across the keyboard) to those who have no right to know the real information.

Does that make me a terrorist?

So, if you're afraid of disclosing who you are, you are suspect and THUS might be one prone to sabotage.

I'm not "afraid" of it. I simply don't want to. Is that clear?

Its not according to anyone - why you think that everything has to be authorised by some SPECIFIC agency is more part of your paranoia.

Try getting a driver's license or job without a social security number.

It's pretty clear we have some 'irreconcilable differences' here, so I'll close in saying that I hope you get the opportunity to live in your idealized little police state. Enjoy.

[e_engineer]

Imagine an airline that does not require ID to fly.

Now imagine the lawyers crawling from the woodwork after one of their planes crashes. The airline can't prove that your "missing" family member was not on the flight.

[John Frum]

I don't live in a police state. I walk around, outside, free as I want to be, doing whatever I choose to do (legally).

I am not paranoid at all, because I have NOTHING to hide. Obviously, you're more paranoid than I, since you care about the useless minutiae the "government" might see about you.