dude, has James Taylor contributed to Hamas and to sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing? I'd be surprised.

So there's no more passport control flying to the USA? Y'know, when you go to board a flight to that country where you have to play 20 questions with some git, armed only with your passport and non-refundable ticket? After you've already been through this at the ticket desk, with the exception that this bored prick can have you thrown in jail.

No, wait, let's divert the flight instead because that's more entertaining, and wastes everybody's time.

So, Eric, should British Air divert all the flights from the nice people in Boston, New York, and no doubt, Ohio, who have cheerfully contributed to the IRA over the past two decades. Is Ollie North on the no-fly list because he's armed terrorist groups in both Central America and Iran?

But then the USA is the country which forced charities in Canada to declare pianos munitions because people like Jane Bunnett wanted to ship them from Toronto to Cuba.

Where'd you hear about him giving money to Hamas, Eric? I checked that post and the links from it and the only direct reference I saw to such a donation was your own statement. I'm not being argumentative; I assume you have a source, and I'm just a little curious what it is (and I don't like the guy's music, for what it's worth).

Cat isn't called 'Cat' anymore, he's called Yusuf Islam. And we all know this will pop him up on all alert lists around the world now, irregardless of his actual political/terrorist activities. We do not seem to be so worried about all terrorists - only those who are not English speaking white people ;-)

If you're starting a pool for "Worst Choice for the No-Fly List" -- I call Muhammad Ali, do I get bonus points for the Parkinson's, and I want to double down if he gets arrested with Richard Pryor.

godoggo: it's at the bottom of my story: A second government official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. authorities think donations from Islam may have ended up helping to fund blind sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and Hamas, a Palestinian militant group considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel.

absolutely they should have caught it before they took off - they say they were confused by the spelling (the watch list has it "Usef Islam"

The point isn't that he is an actual direct danger - it's to enforce a policy of denying those who support terrorist organizations entrance into the country - there will always be absurdities as a result

there will always be absurdities as a result

I want to give you a moment to think about that.

So, this official policy is making you safer, you say? Because your regular Customs and Immigration doesn't work, how?

So, why are you putting up with this obvious stupidity from two branches of your government?

geekgirl2: There is no such word as 'irregardless'

Also, we were much harder on John Walker Lindh. As far as I remember, he was a Caucasian, English-speaking terrorist. It's not the package, it's what's inside.

good point, except JWL carried a gun and shot at people and stuff in a mean way - just pointing that out

Eric Olsen:
I believe your question has long been answered: Are people who merely provide aid/money to killers as guilty as the killers themselves? Yes. If I hire someone to commit murder, I am guilty of murder as well. If I give money to or otherwise succor those who murder, I am guilty of murder. Note: I differentiate between unwitting funding and purposeful funding. If you are aware that a person or group will use your aid for murder, you are guilty. If you merely suspect...well, I still think you're guilty. If you honestly have no idea, you may be naive but not guilty.

p-dawg, totally agree - the question with Cat seems to be which of those categories he falls into

* postscript Sept 28th - I was right! Cat Stevens was not and is not the enemy. It was a typo, news here. When will you people get it? I am correct! Learn it, know it, love it!

You rock, Lono!

Cat Stevens is no more a terrorist than Al Barger's puppy (poor thing) is. Anyone who has ever given a penny to a Muslim charity can be accused of supporting terrorism in post-Patriot Act America. That would include me. I donated money to a Muslim school last year. And, I volunteered to work pro bono on a case involving Muslims being deported, but was never needed. So anonymous government officials have spread propaganda about the man? He deserves our sympathy.

Come to think of it, if I recall correctly, Al Barger's puppy ran away. Good judgment, there.

Lono, I fear you have read the story incorrectly: the name spelling error doesn't clear the Cat, the name spelling error is why he was allowed on the plane in the first place. When they cross-referenced the list with another list, the proper spelling came up and the flight was diverted. There is not another individual on the list for whom the Cat was mistaken - it WAS him who is on the list, there were simply two different spellings of his name.

None of this means that Cat really SHOULD be on the list, or that booting him was appropriate - that's another matter entirely - but his name IS on the list and that is why he was denied entry.