Claim: Green Party activist Nancy Oden was denied permission to fly because she represents a political party that opposes the bombing of Afghanistan.
Example:[Collected on the Internet, 2001]
Armed government agents grabbed Nancy Oden, Green Party USA coordinating committee member, Thursday at Bangor International Airport in Bangor Maine,as she attempted to board an American Airlines flight to Chicago.
"An official told me that my name had been flagged in the computer," a shaken Oden said. "I was targeted because the Green Party USA opposes the bombing of innocent civilians in Afghanistan."
Oden, a long-time organic farmer and peace activist in northern Maine, was ordered away from the plane. Military personnel with automatic weapons surrounded Oden and instructed all airlines to deny her passage on ANY flight. "I was told that the airport was closed to me until further notice and that my ticket would not be refunded," Oden said.
Oden is scheduled to speak in Chicago Friday night on a panel concerning pesticides as weapons of war. She had helped to coordinate the Green Party USA's antiwar efforts these past few months, and was to report on these to The Greens national committee. "Not only did they stop me at the airport but some mysterious party had called the hotel and cancelled my reservation," Oden said.
The Greens National Committee — the governing body of the Green Party USA — is meeting in Chicago Nov. 2-4 to hammer out the details of national campaigns against bio-chemical warfare, the spraying of toxic pesticides, genetic engineering, and the Party's involvement in the burgeoning peace movement.
"I am shocked that US military prevented one of our prominent Green Party members from attending the meeting in Chicago," said Elizabeth Fattah, a GPUSA representative from Pennsylvania who drove to Chicago. "I am outraged at the way the Bill of Rights is being trampled upon."
Chicago Green activist Lionel Trepanier concluded, "The attack on the right of association of an opposition political party is chilling. The harassment of peace activists is reprehensible."
For further information, please call 1-866-GREENS-2 (toll-free) The GREEN PARTY USA will hold press conference in CHICAGO SATURDAY, NOV. 3 to discuss this matter.
Origins: Nobody has to be told that travelling via air has become a considerably different experience since September 11. Passengers have to arrive two or three hours before their scheduled flights, National Guardsmen are stationed at airports, travellers (and their luggage) are subject to more frequent and stringent searches, and a number of commonly-carried items (such as scissors) are now verboten aboard aircraft. Although the process is intended to protect everyone's safety, it can be quite wearying, both for air travellers and those tasked with enforcing the new security rules. A little cooperation goes a long way.
Sometimes passengers are now selected for additional scrutiny, either by a random selection process or by matching the criteria of a profiling system developed by law enforcement agencies. (Such criteria might include what type of ticket was purchased, how it was purchased, or how it was paid for.) That is what happened to Nancy Oden on November 2 — she was selected to undergo a more stringent screening process before boarding her flight. Yes, she ended up missing her flight to Chicago for a Green Party USA meeting when security declined to allow her on the plane, and yes, Nancy Oden is a representative of a political party that "condemns the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan as inhumane and an act of 'state terrorism' against a starving and impoverished nation," but the evidence to support a claim that a causal connection exists between these two facts isn't very
strong.
There are many factors that going into determining why a passenger might be selected for additional screening: besides random checks, other factors considered are when the tickets were bought, how they were bought, how they were paid for, whether the tickets were round-trip or one-way, whether the passenger was travelling alone or in a group, departure city, arrival city, etc. A number of combinations of these factors might have triggered an extra security check that had nothing to do with the politics of the traveller.
As mentioned above, a little cooperation goes a long way, but Ms. Oden — by her own admission — was far from cooperative. She insulted the women manning the x-ray machines by insisting they wash their hands before handling her luggage (even though they wear rubber gloves), she reached for her bags as they were being searched (a no-no, as the searchers don't know that you aren't seeking to grab a weapon stashed therein), she pointedly ignored or argued with National Guardsmen, and she objected to being touched with the metal-detecting wand. Is it a surprise that an unruly, uncooperative passenger who caused problems with every step of the security screening process might be declined permission to board an airplane?
And, as noted, all of this can be gleaned from her version of events. The versions related by others involved were less charitable. An inquiry to airport officials produced the following response:
Thank you for writing. Ms. Oden's version of events, while certainly exciting, are far removed from reality. Her Green status was and is irrelevent. The passenger in question was asked to undergo additional screening (i.e. a hand wand examination) because the manner in which she purchased the ticket triggered a concern under the new Federal screening guidelines post September 11. She refused to cooperate and became quite abusive. It is illegal for an airline to fly an unscreened passenger. Accordingly, the airline denied her boarding. She never got near a plane.
She never went through security. No screen, no fly — it is as simple as that. The situation was entirely of her own making. What's sad is that she refuses to admit to and take responsibility for her own inappropriate behavior, looking only for somebody else to blame for her own inability to cooperate with reasonable expectations under the circumstances. 99.9% of people selected are very understanding and cooperative and the process only takes an extra minute.
Again, thanks for writing to express your concerns and we appreciate your efforts to objectively view the
circumstances.
As reported by the press, airline officials concurred:
Under newly adopted FAA regulations, more passengers — either randomly or based on a computerized profile — are being targeted for more intense screening during the boarding process.
"She was uncooperative during the screening process," said American Eagle spokesman Kurt Iverson. "Obviously if they can't submit to screening, (federal) regulations require that they not be allowed to
board the plane."
While acknowledging that Oden was singled out for added extensive screening, authorities said it was more likely due to the manner in which she purchased her ticket than for her activist past.
Last updated: 7 April 2008
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