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Speak No Evil
“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” — Wendell Phillips, (1811-1884)
Eternal vigilance may be the price of liberty, but the price of vigilance may be a lawsuit. That is, if the Democrats get their way.
Remember the Flying Imams? In November 2006, six Muslim clerics were removed from a flight after several passengers noted their unusual behavior. In response, the imams sued the airline and the passengers who had reported their suspicions, claiming that they were the victims of a “malicious . . . conspiracy to discriminate.”
Congressman Peter King (Rep - NY) has introduced legislation that would protect watchful Americans such as the “John Doe” passengers on the U.S. Airways flight. His amendment was tacked onto a bill which implements many of the 9/11 commission’s suggestions. And, of course, the Democrats are opposed to it. On the grounds that it would “promote racial profiling” (there’s nothing in the amendment about race, religion, etc.), Democrats are doing everything they can to strip the wording from the bill. And, as Rich Lowry observed:
Obviously this wouldn’t have happened if the men weren’t Muslim, but fears of Islamic terrorism necessarily focus on Muslims. If the perpetrators of 9/11 and the Madrid, London, and Bali bombings had been Episcopalian, a group of strange-acting priests traveling in their vestments would warrant an extra measure of suspicion. This is not discrimination, but a common-sense reaction to the facts of life.
King sees right through this facade:
Democrats are trying to find any technical excuse to keep immunity out of the language of the bill to protect citizens, who in good faith, report suspicious activity to police or law enforcement. I don’t see how you can have a homeland security bill without protecting people who come forward to report suspicious activity.
UPDATE: Michelle Malkin has a great set of Photoshopped images, including the one above, of what the Democrats would say if they had the chance.