You might have heard that the spy bureaucracy's terror watch lists are bloated and full of non-terrorists. That's because the government has extremely low standards for designating people terror suspects, and putting them on counterproductive and discriminatory lists. Former Senator Ted Kennedy once found himself on a no-fly list. Actor Mark Ruffalo was placed on a terror list, too.
The latest public figure to discover he's been ensnared in the ridiculous watch listing system is Weekly Standard writer and Fox News contributor Stephen Hayes.
Just informed I'm on the @DHSgov terrorist watch list. Explains why I have been subject to extra screening each of my recent trips.
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) September 23, 2014
Naturally, when I went to file a "redress" form on the @DHSgov website, as instructed, the form could not be processed. #limbo
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) September 23, 2014
I suspect I made the list b/c of concerns about #Syria. I took a one-way flight to Turkey in late July (return flight was Athens). @DHSgov
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) September 23, 2014
Maybe it was something he tweeted.