What's Happening with the Introduction It wouldn’t be the Giraffe Heroes Project if the people who work here didn’t stick their own necks out when they have to. That just happened when Project Prez John Graham discovered he’d been put on the so-called “Watch List” of persons "who pose, or are suspected of posing, a threat to civil aviation or national security." Nobody could tell him why or how his name got there. Worse, he found out that there was no way he could defend himself or undo the listing. No due process at all. But the faceless people behind the Watch List picked on the wrong guy. Graham used to work on national security affairs and he knows that careful screenings at places like airports are necessary. But what’s happening now—to him and to thousands of other law-abiding Americans put on the Watch List—is, as Graham told a Seattle talk-show host, “just plain wrong.” |
The article Graham wrote on his experience has now been read by millions on outlets as varied as Alternet.org and MichaelMoore.com to the Liberty Forum and the Chicago Sun Times. The flood of mail he’s gotten so far confirms this is a crossover issue. Citizens all across the political spectrum realize the danger to personal liberty of a national security apparatus run amok. Graham is pressing the case on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. Congress—not just to get his own name cleared, but to push back against the loss of civil liberties for all Americans. He’s already got two offers to underwrite all his legal costs. He’s working on legislative and legal strategies with the ACLU and reaching out to libertarian and conservative groups such as the Cato Institute to join in. The battle is heating up. We’ll keep you posted. |
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