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Bill Narvey

 
Bill Narvey: Phyllis Chesler stopped at JFK by security for reading the Jewish Press while woman in niqab sails through!

by Bill Narvey, February 24, 2014


 Dear Ms. Chesler,
 
 I am writing regarding an article by Lori Lowenthal Marcus in the Jewish Press regarding the above captioned matter: http://www.jewishpress.com/tag/security-stopped-chesler-because-she-was-reading-the-jewish-press/
 
 Daniel Greenfield, writing for Frontpagemag referenced that article and concluded with the following plaintively derisive comment:
 
 "In the TSA’s mixed up world, reading a conservative Jewish newspaper is a search trigger, but walking around in a mask associated with the terrorist ideology responsible for the TSA’s own existence isn’t."
 http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dgreenfield/tsa-ignores-masked-muslim-stops-fpm-contributor-reading-conservative-jewish-paper/
 
Much of course has been written on countless incidents where TSA's inspections of travelers with no outward appearance and manner that would arouse any suspicions and in particular the infirm, elderly and very young, have been embarrassing, intimidating and inappropriate. I presume the TSA is following, if it is not directed by the Obama administration's policies designed to avoid at all costs, linking to Muslims generally, the fact that about 99% of an estimated 20,000 terrorist actions since 9/11, have been perpetrated by Muslims.
 
This letter however, is not to recount serious concerns with the TSA, all of which you are familiar with.
 
I am writing to address the question Lowenthal Marcus' piece concludes with, which is similar Greenfield's observation:
 
"Had the situation been reversed, there is little question that the Committee on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), would be up in arms. So would the American Civil Liberties Union and probably half a dozen Jewish organizations. But in this real life situation, a Jewish woman was stopped as a potential security threat in an airport in New York because she was reading a Jewish newspaper. Will anyone be up in arms?"
 
The question, "Will anyone be up in arms?" is a good one. Unless "anyone" does act on this matter, the significance of this incident will be nothing but a question of fleeting interest to both the article writers and their readers.
 
 So who is anyone?
 
Assuming these reports are accurate, more than just suspicion is aroused that the TSA officers involved, broke with the directive to avoid any words or deeds that even hint at racial-religious profiling by singling you out for special attention only because you had a copy of The Jewish Press visibly clutched in your hand.
 
 Answering the question, who is the anyone to take action in this regard, begins with you, The Jewish Press -Lowenthal Marcus and Daniel Greenfield of Frontpagemag and Sultan Knish.
 
 Will you be taking this matter further to get Jewish leadership and civil liberty organizations engaged and involved with a view to holding to account, the TSA and in particular the TSA officers that singled you out for extra inspection only because they saw you with a copy of The Jewish Press in your hand?
 
 This case of TSA impropriety is about as obvious as it gets, so will you be taking action to hold TSA and the subject TSA officers to account?
 
 I would appreciate your response.
 
 Sincerely,
 
 Bill Narvey, Calgary AB

 
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