This sounds like a very bad idea to me.
The lawsuit distressing Senator Skelos is the one against Northwest Airlines and unnamed individuals who caused 6 Muslim imams returning home from a religious conference in Minnesota to be pulled off a plane last November. The offended religious leaders claim racial and religious profiling -- the airline claims prudent fear of terrorism. The rights and wrongs will be fought out in court.ALBANY - New legislation awaiting the governor's approval would allow people to report suspicious, possibly terrorist, behavior without fear of a lawsuit. It's an effort to encourage citizens to turn in those acting in a dubious fashion. ...
"Sept. 11 changed the way all of us have to think in terms of protecting ourselves," said state Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), the bill's Senate sponsor. "We see in airports and train stations warnings to report things that are suspicious. We're all encouraged to do this, but now ... [some who did] are being sued."
New York State legislators want to appear tough, so they aim to make it impossible for individuals who are harmed by false, malicious, or racist allegations to seek civil redress.
This is a country where some 30 percent of us are so ignorant we think Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11 and where border guards ask visiting Muslims "do you know Osama Bin Laden?" The last thing we need is more freedom to indulge prejudiced suspicions. Some small inhibition against making wild charges against people who scare us seems like a good idea to me. But apparently New York lawmakers disagree.
Hat tip to The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog for pointing to the Newsday article.
4 comments:
Am trying again--
It all seems ridiculous, but I fear that it's going to get much worse with the attention given to MUSLIM DOCTORS in Britain attempting to explode bombs in vehicles in London and Glasgow. Can't even trust "colored" DOCTORS!! (Look at that excellent cartoon). Talk about "prejudiced suspicions". . . .Look out. And I hope I'm wrong.
Thanks for posting, esp. the website at the end.
Initially, I was nervous when I read this disturbing news (hey, if you put a turban on my African-American noggin and--ta da!--I'm a terrorist), but I reasoned that after a few lawsuits after the inevitable wrong arrests, this nonsense will quietly fade away.
Besides, we don't have those many cops to spare, do we? Wasting our dwindling resources (thanks to the vile vacuum cleaner called The War In Iraq) on scary-looking brown people means more little old white ladies mugged for their welfare checks. It doesn't add up.
Bullshit Acclomplished.
Jan, OT, but I wanted to thank you for directing me to the Group News Blog. Good to have them step up.
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