Sen. Schumer proposes "no-ride list" for Amtrak trains

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: Reuters

A senator on Sunday called for a "no-ride list" for Amtrak trains after intelligence gleaned from the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound pointed to potential attacks on the nation's train system.

Sen. Charles Schumer said he would push as well for added funding for rail security and commuter and passenger train track inspections and more monitoring of stations nationwide.

"Circumstances demand we make adjustments by increasing funding to enhance rail safety and monitoring on commuter rail transit and screening who gets on Amtrak passenger trains, so that we can provide a greater level of security to the public," the New York Democrat said at a news conference.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/08/us-security-trains-idUSTRE7472CF20110508

---

Every day we get farther and farther away from democracy.

[Liberal Veteran]

1. I propose we all travel naked and submit to body cavity searches...

....you can never be too safe, you know.

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. There goes concealed carry............

[oneshooter]

16. Carry, whether open or concealed is illegal on Amtrak. n/t

[TheCowsCameHome]

18. That's fine

plus it's especially difficult to conceal if you're naked, as proposed in post #1.

[No Elephants]

59. What part of Reply 16 did you not understand?

[TheCowsCameHome]

72. What part of Reply 1 did you not understand?

It was a funny suggestion that I was responding to. Think about it.

Christ, don't take everything so seriously...............

I suppose you're sore that Amtrak prohibits guns.

[nosmokes]

9. Fuck-you very much Senator. Now please prove you're a hardass on defense on

some other stupid ass idea so we can at least have one decent dignified means of travel left in the "Homeland?"

[FLAprogressive]

44. Oh trust me, he is. $chumer is a big Wall Street/MIC shill.

[defendandprotect]

48. Schumer's nuts -- and you're right -- there'll be no end to the demands ....

and that Schumer is pushing this rightwing game is disgusting!!

[no_hypocrisy]

2. And what about commuter trains? Like Metro North or the LIRR?

This no-travel list is getting waaaaay out of hand.

[No Elephants]

61. What about subways? Buses? Cabs? Parked cars in Times Square that might be loaded with bombs

[SusanaMontana41]

80. You nailed it. And wouldn't it be more prudent

to guard the tracks?

[RKP5637]

3. Next will be to just lock everyone in their homes or prison. Just walking as a

pedestrian is really a form of travel too, then what about the buses, and what about cars on congested highways. There's tons of money to be made off all of this. Maybe we should just rename the US, "The Country of Fear." The is doing "exactly" what OBL wanted.

[alp227]

4. Those lists are pointless when people on those lists still get to buy guns

as happened with some no-fly listed people.

[oneshooter]

17. So you support the no-fly secret lists?

How very progressive of you.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[alp227]

27. my point was that those are weak and pointless

when those people are only restricted from flying but still are allowed to buy firearms. Therefore it follows that I do NOT support such list

[oneshooter]

30. So you believe that people should be denied

their rights just because they are on a super-secret list? Lose their rights without a trial or even knowing that they are on the list?

Again, how progressive of you. :sarcasm:

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[alp227]

32. when did i ever say that no-fly listees be banned from buying guns?

I was criticizing the list but never directly said that people on the list should not be allowed rights. What's a compelling reason why someone banned from entering commercial aircraft be allowed to buy a gun? And I also oppose the list due to the many inaccuracies such as children or people with names similar to terrorist names.

[beevul]

76. "What's a compelling reason why someone banned from entering commercial aircraft be allowed..."

"What's a compelling reason why someone banned from entering commercial aircraft be allowed to buy a gun?"

Ted Kennedy.


That compelling enough?


(he was on bushes super secret list, in case you weren't aware)

[Tunkamerica]

34. hey buddy, pay attention.

do you need a third response to tell you the poster does not agree with the list?

[Kolesar]

53. That's all that "he" does

Look at his username for all you need to know about Mr. Post #27

[leveymg]

5. So, they would just switch targets again. Chuck, this is ridiculous.

I used to like you.

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. Chuck, cut the crap, OK? Read paragraph 7 of this Op-Ed

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_17982579

Enough of this stuff.

[rasputin1952]

8. Subways too?

How about "No Drive" lists so that no one can go anywhere because theymight have nefarious purposes.

Then can come a "No Bus" list, because he watched Speed

We can move on to "No Pedestrian" lists because of the possibility someone might have a "personal immolation" device.


Here we are, the United States of America, and what do some congresscritters do? They drive the "politics of fear" another notch up. One more thing that strips away Liberty.

Has the TSA been worth all of th effort? Have the incredibly few that have "caught", made it worth the effort? Besides, when they are down to frying their privates because they've run out of options in flight...hat's left to be afraid of?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

55. I could be carrying ANFO on my bicycle.

.

[cliffordu]

10. I am so tired of the cowards running the meme.

Fuck.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. Not the Schumer I heard during the Attorney gate hearings, not by a long shot.

[truthisfreedom]

12. Just put machine-gun-toting military guards on every train.

All we need are trained, armed vigilant observers.

[Golden Raisin]

15. Yeah and get some of those

on the #1 Train and the #104 Broadway bus, especially at rush hours. Have them point their machine guns at passengers and ask for, "Your papers!"

[No Elephants]

63. I've heard we're a tad short of military.

[Bragi]

69. Heavily armed passengers needed

If I can jump in before the NRA gets here, trains would sure be a lot safer if every passenger was issued a handgun when they boarded a train.

If any terrorists were spotted, there would be dozens of people inside each car poised and ready to shoot.

I can't see how this could possibly go wrong.

[cheri010353]

13. Wasn’t the plan to derail a train by sabotaging the tracks?

How does restricting passengers on the train avoid this?

[liberal N proud]

14. Here is why the TSA grab your ankles type security makes not sense for trains

Millions of miles of rails across country, nearly 100% of which is unguarded. Better yet there is not feasible way to guard it.

Poking my junk isn't going to stop someone from blowing up a bridge along the route or taking spices out of the rail ties.

The only thing you will do, is piss off the riders and give bin Laden the last laugh.


Living in fear is exactly what the terrorist are after.

[Sal Minella]

19. That seems like an improvement.

For years, Congress has been working on a policy of "No Amtrak trains" for passengers.

[petronius]

23. LOL! Good job finding the silver lining...

[freshwest]

49. And this is probably the only way the GOP will fund it. An excuse to keep them going.

[No Elephants]

64. Love your "train half full outook!

[Sal Minella]

66. Comes from deep cynicism stemming from Congress's vicious

repression of rail travel and hauling freight by rail.

Congress has been carping for years that AmTrak ought to be "self-supporting."

We can subsidize Big Oil and Big Ag out the wazoo, but assistance to any form of transport that might save people money is out of the question as far as Congress is concerned. Makes me just livid.

[Odin2005]

20. GRRRRRR!!!

:grr:

[City Lights]

21. With friends like these....

:argh:

[Fuddnik]

22. How about a "NO ELECT" list?

Too many assholes with too many stupid ideas running around as it is.

[Maat]

39. +1 (n/t)

[krabigirl]

67. A thousand times this.

[petronius]

24. Stupid posturing. If it really took info from bin Laden's compound to make

Sen. Schumer realize our rail system might be vulnerable, then we need some new senators more than we need oppressive and secretive ban lists...

[gateley]

25. God you guys, Schumer's a good guy. So he's wrong about this,

but you don't have to shred him. I don't know what his motivation is, if it's political or if he really thinks it's a good idea, but give him a break. He's one of the ones who's really there for us. Sheesh. What a bunch of meanines!x(

[2banon]

28. was this tongue in cheek?

I guess I missed any personal attack on Schumer, I only saw attacks on the proposed policy (not the person).

[Tunkamerica]

36. is a meanine like a mezzanine?

[FLAprogressive]

37. No he isn't, he's a shill for Wall Street and the MIC.

[No Elephants]

65. It's 100% cynical. Everyone has for years known Amtrack is vulnerable. Ditto all means of public

transportation. Ditto our water supply, and on and on.

[2banon]

26. after this, it'll be check points on highways..

papers please. I think it's time immigrate to a country who cherishes their freedoms more than they cherish the police state. And this is a Democrat proposing this fascist edict.

[Maat]

41. +1 (n/t)

[Newsjock]

43. Try driving anywhere in the Southwest, or on I-87 in upstate New York

The highway checkpoints are already here. Don't even think of trying to slip through one with your state-legal medical marijuana.

http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2009/07/08/news/doc4a536f2c99ce0791861809.txt

"After 9/11, Congress gave the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the right to use some of its powers deeper within the country, and now DHS has set up at least 33 internal checkpoints where they stop people, question them and ask them to prove their citizenship."

[name not needed]

29. Chuck Schumer: giving liberals a bad name since 1999

[FLAprogressive]

45. $chumer is one of those fake liberals that the media trots out as their definition of a liberal.

[cartach]

31. As a retired railway worker -

I can think of many ways that a terrorist attack could be made on a railway train and none of them would require the perpetrator to ride the train.In fact riding the train to perform the attack would not even be a consideration. Think about it. Senator Schumer's call for a no-ride list which would result in needless additional cost to the taxpayer is ludicrous.

[Ian David]

35. How much money does Schumer get from The American Automobile Association? n/t

[wordpix]

40. good point AND we'll be standing for hours in lines

At DC's Union Station, the gates have small holding areas and it's usually standing room only before the gate opens. Also, there's only a narrow hallway to the gates with lots of concession eateries opposite. I can only imagine what it will be like to have lines, TSA pat downs, metal detectors, suitcases being opened---where will they put it all?

[Ian David]

33. The risk to trains would primarily come from OUTSIDE the train.

It's not like a plane that flies thousands of feet up in the sky.

Not only don't you HAVE to be on the train to do it harm, but you'd probably PREFER not to be on the train when you do it harm.

A "Do Not Go Near Rail Road Crossings List" would probably be more effective than a "Do Not Ride List," if such a thing were possible.

[Maat]

38. Senator ...

do you remember something about a 'constitution' thingie, and a 'due process' thingie. In the olden days, before one could remove an ability to do something, or property, or put someone in prison, one had to provide a hearing BEFORE this was done. Silly me, 'due process' is probably irrevelant these days.

I guess I'm not going to travel anymore - by plane or by train. I refuse to encourage this out-of-control 'security' apparatus.

[sarcasmo]

42. How long before we have a no fueling at the gas station list?

[JDPriestly]

46. So, how do people get on and off the list?

What if a person is on the list by mistake?
How are people on the list supposed to travel? By bus? By car? By rented car?

This is really strange. Because the definition of a terrorist is very broad. We think we know who is a terrorist and what terrorism is, but the law really doesn't define the range of activities and associations that can qualify a person as a terrorist very narrowly as I recall.

Does anyone know how this list is created? What are the precise criteria for being on the list?

[Zhade]

58. These questions also underline why we should capture and not assassinate.

NT!

[Nodak]

47. Schumer

Schumer has always been an idiot.

[MindPilot]

50. Chuck, have you ever actually seen a train?

A terrorist could do far more damage to way more people by derailing a freight with a few tank cars of nasty chemicals. Any ten year-old who lives near the tracks knows how to derail a train. The fact that this has not happened yet--hell al-kada could just claim credit for a few of the rail accidents that happen because the tracks are in disrepair--tells me that al-kada either is not very bright or they really aren't as interested in blowing us up as the PTB would have us believe.

[boppers]

51. We have enough train accidents that another one wouldn't be a big deal.

If Al-Queda figured out a way to cause more car accidents, it wouldn't even get noticed, because, well, that shit happens all the time.

[Solly Mack]

52. They'll end up using the no-fly list as the no-ride list.

After they (Congress) spend money studying how best to handle it.



Alas, even from the grave...

[Heywood J]

54. Like this ever worked for airplanes.

Underwear Man's father even called him in twice, yet he was allowed to get on. Schumer needs to be primaried so badly that it hurts.

One of the reasons people take trains is so they don't have to be cavity-searched and wait five hours to get moving.

[Javaman]

56. And we are "winning" the war on "terror" how?

more like a war on our personal freedoms.

we are a stupid cowed nation.

[Bragi]

70. And "stupid cowed nation" is bad, right?

Just checking.

[KurtNYC]

57. Was the interviewer Ali G ? Schumer needs to see this.

"how does we know they ain't been buildin' em?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDQNpr2RnFI&feature=player_detailpage#t=169s

[slackmaster]

60. Senator Schumer has his head up his ass

Every day we get farther and farther away from democracy.

With some prominent Democrats every bit as culpable as Republicans.

[GreenStormCloud]

62. Dear Idiot Schumer, YOU DON'T WRECK A TRAIN BY RIDING IT!!

You wreck a train by putting a bomb on the tracks. For maximum effect you use a command detonated one and wait until some tank cars with either hazmat or flammable signs on them or over the bomb. Being in a populated area adds to the disaster.

Try guarding all 233,000 miles of railroad track in the U.S.

After the terrorist team sets off one bomb they get in their car and drive to some other city and do it again.

[krabigirl]

68. With "Democrats" like this, who needs Republicans?

[midnight]

71. K&R

[Incitatus]

73. That's stupid. A terrorist could do more damage by sabatoging tha tracks than he what he could do as

a passenger.

[Rochester]

74. Outrageous

I consider cops and soldiers with automatic rifles to be a far graver threat to my freedom and safety than terrorists. Keep them far, far away!
I don't ride the rails very often, and I'll probably forswear it completely if this passes. If for some reason I don't drive somewhere, I guess there's still Greyhound.

[unkachuck]

75. "Sen. Schumer proposes "no-ride list" for Amtrak trains"

....in addition, Amtrak should consider a 'no-ride-list' for dumb-fuck senators....

[marasinghe]

77. schumer's always been the very slightly smarter lieberman.

dear CT, since you guys seem to have more patience with these vichy Dems, can you please take him off NY's hands? thanks.

[rayofreason]

78. 17-3=14 passengers left on Amtrack! n/t

[one-eyed fat man]

79. You don't have to be ON the train

to cause problems. Someone on Schumer's staff needs to ensure he is sober before he holds a news conference.

If they do hijack the train, where are they going to take it? New Jersey?

[Raine]

81. Lets just do it for buses too and how about

taxicabs. :sarcasm:

[X_Digger]

82. Hey Chuckles.. go put yourself on the 'no-talk' list.

I expect this authoritarian crap from the rethugs, not our own party.

Boosh supah-sekrit squirrel list bullshit was (rightfully so) excoriated here. Due process? We don't need no stinking due process.

Sickens me to see one of our own proposing, "Yes, please, moar moar MOAR!"