House GOP protects airline John Doe’s (from CAIR)
March 28, 2007, 7:06 pm |
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By Andrew L. Jaffee
CAIR and its “friends” have sought to silence Americans whom report suspicious activities (e.g., terrorism), but House Republicans today acted to protect citizens who take their constitutional rights and responsibilities seriously. In addition, the American Islamic Forum for Democracy has offered help to such responsible Americans.
On March 19, Andrew Whitehead reported:
…the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced that six imams who had disrupted a US Airways flight by engaging in suspicious behavior, have filed a lawsuit against US Airways and the Minnesota Metropolitan Airport Commission (MAC) claiming a laundry-list of civil rights violations. In addition to suing the airline and the MAC, the ‘Magnificent Six’ are going after unknown gate agents, other unknown employees of US Airways, and ‘John Does;’ currently unidentified passengers who, according to the complaint, had the effrontery to dare to report the suspicious activities of the Magnificent Six to authorities.
Thanks to the House GOP and some Democrats:
House Republicans yesterday surprised Democrats with a procedural vote to protect public-transportation passengers from being sued if they report suspicious activity — the first step by lawmakers to protect “John Doe” airline travelers already targeted in such a lawsuit.
After a heated debate and calls for order, the motion to recommit the Democrats’ Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007 back to committee with instructions to add the protective language passed on a vote of 304-121.
All 121 of the “no” votes were cast by Democrats, while 199 Republicans and 105 Democrats voted in favor.
Republicans said the lawsuit filed by six Muslim imams against US Airways and “John Does,” passengers who reported suspicious behavior, could have a “chilling effect” on passengers who may fear being sued for acting vigilant.
Rep. Peter T. King, New York Republican and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, offered the motion saying all Americans — airline passengers included — must be protected from lawsuits if they report suspicious behavior that may foreshadow a terrorist attack. …
CAIR may want to note that moderate Muslims are supporting airline passengers who wish to report suspicious activities (oh, yeah, CAIR’s far from being moderate):
Lawyers and a Muslim group say they will defend at no cost airline passengers caught up in a lawsuit between a group of imams and U.S. Airways if the passengers are named as “John Does” and sued for reporting suspicious behavior that got the Muslim clerics booted from a November flight.
The six imams are suing the airline, Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission, and the unnamed “John Does” to be named later, for discrimination, saying they were removed from the flight for praying in the airport.
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, a Phoenix-area physician and director of American Islamic Forum for Democracy — a group founded in 2003 to promote moderate Muslim ideas through its Web site (www.aifdemocracy.org) — told The Washington Times his group will raise money for legal fees for passengers if they are sued by the imams.
“It’s so important that America know there are Muslims who understand who the victims are in air travel,” said Dr. Jasser. “But I hope it doesn’t get to that point because the backlash will be even greater when Americans see Islamists trying to punish innocent passengers reporting fears.” …
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Categories, Tags: United States, Islam, War Against Islamo-fascism
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March 29th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
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