John Does And Their Plight At The Hands Of The Democrats

The only attention paid to this flap is via the blogosphere. That is a sad testament to the Congress. The "John Doe" provision removed from The house Transportation Bill is the only protection that we can avoid having repercussions back on us should we "snitch" on terrorists. On Friday, Investor's Business Daily asked why the Democrats seem to be for the terrorists on this issue. They seem to be the only people willing to remove the protections in place to allow us to serve as the "silent sentinels" here in America:

Despite overwhelming support in and out of Congress, legal protection for airline passengers who report suspicious behavior is being blocked by Democratic leaders. Wasn't one 9/11 enough for them?

Were it not for the courage and sacrifice of the passengers of United Flight 93 who forced their plane into a Pennsylvania field, many in Congress might not be here today, with a gaping hole where the U.S. Capitol still stands. We wonder if this fact is appreciated by those trying to block final passage of the so-called "John Doe" provision protecting from legal action those who report suspicious behavior on airplanes.

Today's passengers have an advantage. They know what can happen. They know what to look for. They will not be taken by surprise, and they are willing to take action. But some in Congress would sacrifice their lives on the altar of political correctness.

Last November, six Muslim imams leaving an Islamic conference were removed from U.S. Airways Flight 300 in Minneapolis when passengers reported that the imams had acted in suspicious ways. Both U.S. Airways and the passengers soon became targets of legal action charging discrimination and racial profiling.

Also attending the conference, interestingly enough, was Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, D-Minn., who took his oath of office on the Quran, and who most recently compared President Bush's actions after 9/11 to Hitler's after the Reichstag fire. Ellison condemned U.S. Airways for "prejudice and ignorance."

So last March, the House of Representatives passed by a 304-121 vote the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007, with language protecting from such lawsuits airline passengers who might report suspicious activity. All seemed well.

But last week, as Republicans tried to have the "John Doe" protection included in final homeland security legislation crafted by a House-Senate conference committee to implement the 9/11 Commission's recommendations, they found Democratic conferees blocking its inclusion.

"Democrats are trying to find any technical excuse to keep immunity out of the language of the bill to protect citizens, who in good faith, report suspicious activity to police," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. "I don't see how you can have a homeland security bill without protecting people who come forward to report suspicious activity."

Only God knows why the Democrats would like to keep us open for civil and criminal retaliation when we are the ones doing to watching. The government, indeed, did fail on 9/11. I lived through it once, and I dio not want to see another one occur. But the drawbacks of removing this vital protection -- especially at this point in our war with radical Islam -- is inviting suicide. People will not be so quick to speak up against others that they deem suspicious (we should still be thanking the Circuit City employee for tipping off authorities about the "Fort Dix Six"). Our enemy knows precisely how tolerant our nation is, and they are banking ont he Democrats to help them out as much as possible.

While the Democrats may not be the dictionary definition of a "fifth column" in the nation, they definitely exhibit many of the same motivations, tactics, and beliefs. And that is likely the saddest part of this issue.

Marcie