Daily Archives: 27 February 2013

The Efficacy of Government-Held Databases on Citizens

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Here’s an all too likely outcome from letting government maintain databases on its citizens, ostensibly for the safety of those citizens.

A Muslim US Air Force veteran who had trouble entering the country last year to visit his terminally ill mother was barred again Saturday from trying to return home to Qatar, the second time this month that he’s been prohibited from boarding a flight in Oklahoma City because his name appears on a government no-fly list.

The reason?  There isn’t one, really:

[Saadiq, who is an American citizen as well as a vet] Long said a TSA agent told him that he was “still on the list” and he would have to contact the FBI.

Pass that buck.  But

Long said the FBI has not told him why he is on the no-fly list[.]

It’s entirely possible this is on the up and up.  There’s no information to support that thesis, though.  On the other hand, database errors happen, but it’s deucedly hard to get government to correct their errors.  Bureaucracy, don’t you know.

Quit Whining, and Lead

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Quit crying about the lack of leadership, Republicans; you’re not providing any, either, with that.  Step up and lead.  Where are your proposals?  Talk about what you’ve passed that the Democrats are ignoring.  Pass a bill that substitutes targeted cuts for the sequester, and put the onus on the Democrats.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R):

The president needs to step up to the plate.  There is never enough taxes for this administration.

Senator Tom Coburn (R, OK):

…told Fox News that the cuts will happen but put the blame on President Obama, saying he has provided “no leadership” on averting the cuts, known as sequester.

And he added,

The reason there is no agreement is because there’s no leadership from the president on actually recognizing what the problem is.

Senator John McCain (R, AZ) had this:

I won’t put all the blame all on the president of the United States.  But the president leads.  The president should be calling us over somewhere—Camp David, the White House, somewhere—and us sitting down and trying to avert these cuts.

Do.  Stop bleating.