Free Republic

Wanted: More Snoopy Americans By Norma Zager “The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.” Dave Barry As a child I watched Bewitched. One of the characters in the show was Gladys Kravitz, the nosy neighbor who excelled at diligently spying on the Stevens’ residence. As such she saw much more than she ever anticipated, to the chagrin of her long-suffering husband and her own mental health. Her character was intended to portray that one neighbor or family member constantly watching, snooping and collecting information; the local gossip in residence or GIR. Today the New York based Gladys Kravitzes...

Passengers on a Manchester-bound flight have described how two men were removed from the plane because other travellers thought they were speaking Arabic. Heath Schofield, a passenger on the flight from Malaga, described it as being a "bit like Chinese whispers". Monarch Airlines said passengers had demanded the men were removed because they were acting suspiciously. Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood said it was disgraceful the pair seemed to have been judged on their skin colour. The men - reported to be of Asian or Middle Eastern appearance - were taken from Wednesday's flight ZB 613 and questioned but were allowed...

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit questioning the security policies of a Boston airport today, according to a press release. They say the policies are unconstitutional and led to the illegal detainment of an ACLU coordinator. King Downing, a black man who works as National Coordinator for the ACLU’s “Campaign Against Racial Profiling,” was stopped and questioned last year at Logan International Airport. According to the ACLU, officials used “behavioral profiling” in their decision to approach him. The group also claims that racial factors were involved. Ironically, Downing was at the airport last October, on his...