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CALLED IN FOR A, QUOTE, FUEL
CONSERVATION TRAINING, WHICH
THEY CALL INTIMIDATION.
THE COMPANY SAYS SAFETY IS ITS
NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
>>> WE TOLD YOU NEXT TIME YOU
TRY TO CHECK IN FOR A FLIGHT,
YOU COULD DISCOVER YOUR NAME IS
ON THE GOVERNMENT'S TERROR WATCH
LIST, YOU AND HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF OTHER PEOPLE
APPARENTLY.
AMONG THE OTHER NAMES, DREW
GRIFFIN.
IS IT DREW GRIFFIN THE CNN'S
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT?
THE GOVERNMENT SAYS NO, BUT AS
YOU'LL SEE, IT'S NOT EXACTLY A
PICNIC FOR HIM AT THE AIRPORT,
NO FOR A NUMBER OF OTHER LAW
ABIDING CITIZENS.
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
WHAT, IF ANYTHING, CAN YOU DO
ABOUT IT?
KEEPING THEM HONEST TONIGHT.
>> Reporter: WASHINGTON ATTORNEY
JIM ROBINSON IS A FORMER
ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL.
HE'S A FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY FROM
MICHIGAN.
HE HOLDS A HIGH LEVEL GOVERNMENT
SECURITY CLEARANCE AND HE'S A
FORMER LAW SCHOOL DEAN, A
HUSBAND, A GRANDDAD, AN
AMERICAN.
AND HE GETS DELAYED, IF NOT
STOPPED, EVERY TIME HE GETS ON A
PLANE.
WHY?
BECAUSE ROBINSON IS ALSO ONE OF
THE ESTIMATED 1 MILLION NAMES
NOW ON THE TERROR WATCH LIST.
>> SO IT SEEMS FOR YEARS NOW,
DESPITE MY BEST EFFORTS TO GET
OFF.
>> Reporter: THIS WEEK, ROBINSON
JOINED THE ACLU IN WASHINGTON TO
MARK WHAT THE GROUP CALLS A
RIDICULOUS MILESTONE.
1 MILLION NAMES THE GOVERNMENT
BELIEVES MATCH KNOWN TERRORISTS.
AND ACCORDING TO THE ACLU,
20,000 NEW NAMES LIKE ROBINSON
ARE ADDED EVERY MONTH.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
IT MEANS, BECAUSE OF HIS NAME,
HE CAN'T CHECK IN TO FLIGHTS
ELECTRONICALLY.
HE CAN'T CHECK BAGS AT THE CURB,
CAN'T CHECK IN AT ONE OF THE NEW
SPEEDY AIRPORT KIOSKS.
EVERY TIME HE TRAVELS, HE AND 1
MILLION OTHERS NEED TO WAIT IN
LINE.
>> AND SEE SOMEBODY WHO THEN HAS
TO MAKE A CALL AND DETERMINE
THAT APPARENTLY I AM NOT THE
JAMES KENNETH ROBINSON WHO IS
THE CAUSE OF MY BEING ON THE
WATCH LIST.
>> WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
>> I'M GOING TO CHICAGO THIS
MORNING.
>> Reporter: DON'T THINK IT CAN
HAPPEN TO YOU?
IT'S HAPPENING TO ME.
>> YOU ARE ON THE WATCH LIST.
>> Reporter: A WATCH LIST?
SO HOW DID I GET ON THIS LIST?
WELL, THE TSA IS ADAMANT IT'S
NOT EVEN ME, EVEN THOUGH IT IS
ME GETTING STOPPED AT THE
AIRPORTS.
THE TSA SAYS IT'S THE AIRLINE'S
FAULT.
THE AIRLINES SAY THEY'RE JUST
FOLLOWING THE LIST PROVIDED TO
THEM BY THE TSA.
AND COINCIDENTALLY, THIS ALL
BEGAN IN MAY, SHORTLY AFTER I
BEGAN A SERIES OF INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTS CRITICAL OF THE TSA.
11 FLIGHTS NOW SINCE MAY 19th.
>> HE'S ON THE WATCH LIST.
>> Reporter: ON DIFFERENT
AIRLINES, MY NAME POPS UP,
FORCING ME TO GO TO THE COUNTER,
SHOW MY IDENTIFICATION.
SOMETIMES THE AGENT HAS TO MAKE
A CALL BEFORE I GET MY TICKET.
IT'S A HASSLE.
WHAT DOES THE TSA SAY?
NOTHING -- AT LEAST NOTHING ON
CAMERA.
OVER THE PHONE, A PUBLIC AFFAIRS
WORKER TOLD ME AGAIN I'M NOT ON
THE WATCH LIST AND DON'T EVEN
THINK THAT SOMEONE IN THE TSA OR
ANYONE ELSE IS TRYING TO GET
EVEN.
>> SO IF THERE'S ANY THOUGHTS OR
SHADOW OF A THOUGHT THAT TSA
SOMEHOW PUT YOU ON A WATCH LIST
BECAUSE OF YOUR REPORTING, IT IS
ABSOLUTELY FABRICATED.
>> Reporter: JIM ROBINSON, WHO
SERVED TWO DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENTS, SAYS HE'S TRYING NOT
TO THINK POLITICS IS INVOLVED
EITHER.
>> I DON'T FEEL SAFER BECAUSE I
HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS HASSLE,
I CAN TELL YOU THAT.
>> Reporter: THE ACLU'S
TECHNOLOGY CHIEF BARRY STEIN
HART SAYS THE LIST IS SO
SECRETIVE YET SO SHODDILY PUT
TOGETHER, IT'S HARD TO TELL HOW
IT'S BEING USED OR ABUSED.
>> THE TRUTH IS WE DON'T KNOW
HOW MUCH IS BUREAUCRATIC
INEPTNESS AND HOW MUCH IS
POLITICAL RETALIATION.
>> Reporter: EVEN MORE
FRUSTRATING BEING ON IT IS
TRYING TO GET OFF.
ACCORDING TO THE TSA, YOU FEEL
OUT A FORM ONLINE, I DID ON MAY
28th.
YOU THEN COPY PERSONAL
DOCUMENTS, FILL OUT ANOTHER FORM
WITH AND SEND TO HOMELAND
SECURITY, WHICH I ALSO DID ON
MAY 28th.
THEN APPARENTLY YOU WAIT.
ROBINSON HAS BEEN WAITING NOW
THREE YEARS.
>> ON MAY 2nd, 2005, I FILLED
OUT ALL THEIR FORMS, MADE A COPY
OF MY PASSPORT, DRIVER'S
LICENSE, VOTER'S REGISTRATION
CARD, PUT IT IN A PACKAGE, AND
SENT IT OFF TO TSA AND NEVER
HEARD BACK.
AND IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T SEEM TO
HAVE DONE ME ANY GOOD AT ALL.
>> Reporter: MY WAIT HAS
APPARENTLY JUST BEGUN.
>> SO, DREW, YOU FLEW TODAY FROM
ATLANTA -- THIS ISN'T FUNNY.
I SHOULDN'T BE LAUGHING.
YOU FLEW FROM ATLANTA TO
LOUISIANA.
WHAT HAPPENED?
>> Reporter: IT'S A BIG HASSLE.
HAPPENED EVERY TIME AND HAPPENED
AGAIN THIS MORNING.
I HAVE TO GO TO THE DESK AND
HAVE TO PROVE TO THEM, EITHER
WITH MY DRIVER'S LICENSE AND MY
DATE OF BIRTH OR SOMETIMES EVEN
MY PASSPORT OR THEY HAVE TO MAKE
A CALL TO PROVE THAT I'M NOT THE
TERRORIST GRIFFIN THAT IS ON THE
TERRORIST WATCH LIST.
ONLY THEN CAN I GET MY TICKET.
IT IS A HUGE HASSLE.
>> I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT
THIS LAST NIGHT AFTER YOUR
REPORT.
CAN YOU FIND OUT IF YOU'RE ON A
WATCH LIST?
IF THERE'S A MILLION NAMES OF
PEOPLE OUT THERE WATCHING, CAN
THEY FIND OUT IF THEIR NAME IS
ON A LIST, AND CAN YOU GET OFF
ONE?
>> Reporter: IT'S NOT OUT THERE,
ANDERSON.
IT'S SUPPOSEDLY A SECRET LIST.
THE ONLY REASON I FOUND OUT IS
BECAUSE EVERY TIME I GO TO THE
AIRPORT, LIKE I SAID, THE
AIRLINES TELL ME, OH, YOUR NAME
MATCHES THE PERSON WITH YOUR
SAME NAME APPARENTLY THAT IS ON
THE WATCH LIST.
NOW, THE FBI SAYS, LOOK, IT'S
ONLY 400,000 TERRORISTS.
MOSTLY FOREIGN WITH AND MOSTLY
LIVING OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
IT'S 1 MILLION NAMES BECAUSE
SOME OF THOSE TERRORISTS HAVE
MULTIPLE ALIASES, APPARENTLY ONE
WITH THE NAME OF GRIFFIN.
AND WE DID HEAR FROM THE TSA
AGAIN TODAY, ANDERSON.
THEY SENT AN E-MAIL SAYING THIS
WHOLE THING IS PROBABLY GOING TO
GET BETTER NEXT YEAR WHEN THE
TSA IS GOING TO ASSUME
RESPONSIBILITY FOR MATCHING THE
PEOPLE ON THE TERROR WATCH LIST
TO THE PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO ARE
ACTUALLY FLYING.
THAT SHOULD ELIMINATE SOME OF
THE PROBLEMS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE FBI,
ANDERSON, SAYS THIS IS A GREAT
TOOL.
THIS IS WORKING DESPITE MINOR
INCONVENIENCES TO PEOPLE LIKE
ME.
>> LET US KNOW WHAT HAPPENS,
DREW.
TO YOU ESPECIALLY.
YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE