(Forwarded by Barbara Gaines)
Subject: Fascism Watch > > Date: 11/9/2002 1:36:01 PM > > Subject: Fw: Green and Grounded > > > > CounterPunch, October 1-15, 2002, Vol. 9 No. 17 > > "Green and Grounded" By DOUG STUBER > > > > "Two or three times a week we see stories on the web about people > > detained from flying because they show up at the check in computers, or > > because they're Men of Profile (MOPs), i.e. of non-white ethnic origin. > > Doug Stuber was state chairman of the North Carolina Green Party and > > more recently its campaign coordinator. > > Here's his story. > > > > I was trying to make an important trip to Prague to gather artists for > > Henry James Art in Raleigh, NC, USA when I was told (ticket in hand) > > that I was not allowed to fly out that day. I asked "why not" and the > > answer at Raleigh-Durham Airport (RDU) was that because of the DC sniper > > attacks, no Greens were allowed to fly overseas on that day. Naturally, > > I went back the next morning, and instead of paying $670 round trip was > > forced into a $2,600 "same day" air fare. I was mad enough about the > > money, but what happened in the next 24 hours was mind-boggling. > > > > So, it was 6 am and my first flight wasn't due out until 11:45, so I had > > plenty of time to kill. At exactly 10:52 am, just before boarding was to > > begin, I was approached by Officer Stanley (the same policeman who > > ushered me out of the airport the day before), and he said he "wanted to > > talk to me". I went with him, but reminded him that no one had said I > > could not fly, and that my flight was about to leave. (I also knew that > > I could make the Air France connection in Atlanta and still make it to > > Prague in time, as long as I could catch a Delta flight at 1:10pm, so I > > wasn't too worried yet.) > > > > The officer took me into a room and questioned me for one hour. By noon > > Stanley was introducing me to two gentlemen I will refer to as Secret > > Service-A and Secret Service-B ( SS-A and SS-B). Here is where the > > story proves the US is heading toward a "totalitarian" state. SSA and > > SS-B took full eye-open pictures with a digital camera. They then asked > > me all the details about my family, where I lived, who I ever knew, what > > the Greens are up to, etc. > > > > At one point I asked if they really believed the Greens were equal to Al > > Qaeda. Here they made an error. They showed me a document from the > > Justice department that actually does show the Greens as likely > > terrorists. Just as likely as Al Qaeda members. Man, I wish I had had > > a camera to be able to copy that document! Sure enough we got out of > > there at about 12:45, but with enough time to catch the later flight. > > > > Here is where they really made me mad. They walked me to the Delta > > counter and asked that I be given tickets for the flight so I could make > > my connections. The woman (she is a tall blonde with short hair and > > works for Delta at RDU) quickly printed out tickets so that I could make > > the flight, and I was relieved that the SS hadn't stopped me from flying. > > > > I was wrong again. By the time I was about to be quickly placed on the > > flight, officer Stanley once again ushered me out the door. To be fair, > > he told me this: "Just go to Greensboro, where they don't know you, and > > be totally quiet about politics, and you can make it to Europe that > > way." I felt like I was being yet again set up by this man, but I went > > to Greensboro anyway. In Greensboro, NC I was told flat out that I > > could not fly overseas or domestically. I was told this after I showed > > my passport, so apparently the SS had moved quickly to shut me down from > > any kind of air travel. (One wonders whether Greens throughout the US > > are now barred from flying, since our national Co-Chair, Nancy Oden had > > already been denied a flight form Maine to Chicago eight months ago.) > > > > Not to be denied, I then traveled to Charlotte. This is another hour > > and a half away, so I've been up for 40 hours, with a 1.5 hour drive > > ahead. I stocked up on Dr. Pepper and decided I would not be denied. Of > > course, at Charlotte the same thing: "Get this terrorist out of here" > > was the mode the cops were in. > > > > I then drove three hours home (43 hours trying to catch a flight) and > > crashed hard in bed. It appears that Greens, who have ten key values > > that include nonviolence, social justice, etc., are considered > > terrorists by the Ashcroft-led Justice Department. I had always > > speculated that capitalism had gone too far. Now I know for sure. CP" > > > > -- > > George DeCarlo (908) 322-4319 > > > > New > ------ End of Forwarded Message
