Who's On the Watch List

The security screening area at Denver International Airport.

From Washington Post:

The federal government's consolidated terrorist watch list has become a central issue in the debate about how we can best secure our homeland. Unfortunately, myths about the watch list continue to grow in just about every report and retelling.

How many times have you heard: There are a million terrorists on the consolidated watch list! Thousands of Americans get detained and inconvenienced daily because of watch-list errors!

There aren't. They don't.

A vigorous debate about the best way to continue protecting our nation is vital, and the terrorist watch list should be a part of that discussion. As director of the federal Terrorist Screening Center, I offer five facts to remember about the government's consolidated watch list:

Read more ....

Previous Post: U.S. Terrorism Watch List Tops 1 Million

My Comment: With detailed information coming in from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. has been successful (through the use of biometrics) in building comprehensive databases on who is who in each war theater.

I am sure that the U.S. Watch List is also incorporating this information, and I can easily see it being successful in ensuring that certain individuals do not come into the country.

As for American citizens who are "inconvenienced" by these procedures, it must be a "pain" every time they go to the airport. I am sure that with time .... and after many complaints .... this "watch List" will be refined. But the overall intent and function of the Watch List is here to stay .