U.S. Urges Changes in Watch List Rules

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- A gap in the airline passenger-check system permitted the former Cat Stevens to board a London-to-Washington flight despite being on a no-fly list for suspected ties to terrorists, a Bush administration official said Thursday.

The incident involving Yusuf Islam, formerly known as singer Cat Stevens, dramatizes a need for changes to tighten the system, said Asa Hutchinson, under secretary for homeland security.
.....
While in Washington in May, Islam met with officials of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives "to talk about philanthropic work," according to White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan, who said the meeting occurred before Islam was added to the no-fly list.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-cat-stevens-plane,0,1548085.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[AIJ Alom]

1. Yes.

Cat Stevens is an obvious threat. He was going to bring down the plane using his guitar.

[BJ]

2. This was a not so subtle signal to al Qaeda.

Yusuf "Cat Stevens" Islam's bouncing, because he's on Tom Ridge's "no-fly" list, sent the signal to al Qaeda terrorists that if you're going to enter the United States for Christ's sake don't use a Muslim-sounding name!

[jayfish]

3. Without Offering Any Proof What-so-ever...

that Mr. Islam was correctly included on the US list, they want everyone else to tighten their systems. And they wonder why we are hated throughout the world.

Jay