John Doe's Protection Eroding

As a result of Congressional Democrats' efforts to allow frivolous lawsuits against 'john doe' tipsters reporting suspicious behavior, Debra Burlingame, writing in the New York Daily News, questions "[w]hat could prevent any member of Congress from supporting no-brainer, bipartisan legislation that protects Good Samaritans from frivolous lawsuits". Initially rising from the 'Flying Imams' case last fall, this legislation could have a great impact on future terrorist attacks. She uses another recent example as perspective: the Fort Dix Six.

An alert Circuit City clerk who was converting a video to DVD for a customer noticed that the video showed several Middle Eastern-looking men shouting "Allah Akbar" while firing assault rifles and engaging in military-type maneuvers on the video. After discussing with his family, he decided to alert officials, and the Fort Dix Six plot was foiled, and the FBI rightfully called the clerk a hero. Burlingame poses the money questions: "But would he have made that call if he thought getting it wrong might require defending himself against a multimillion-dollar lawsuit? Would you?"

Why would these lawsuits be allowed? One reason: to fight against profiling.

Indeed, Burlingame reports about 9/11: "One of those most haunted by that day is the airline employee who checked in two of the hijackers that morning. He told the 9/11 commission that the pair, traveling on first class, one-way, e-tickets, 'didn't act right.' Though he selected them for secondary screening, he didn't request a more thorough search because 'I was worried about being accused of being 'racist' and letting 'prejudice' get in the way.'"

She argues that succumbing to political correctness (i.e. not profiling) like this simply disarms us, overriding common sense.

I agree. This is a perfect example of the dangers of political correctness: why should we ignore obvious warning signs that could lead to another tragedy like 9/11? We shouldn't. This amendment would have protected the willingness of Americans to come forward when those warning signs become apparent. Now, we might have someone who is too intimidated by the potential of a major (frivolous) lawsuit to come forward, just like that airline employee on 9/11. Think about the consequences. And, think about who blocked this legislation. Now, think about who you want running the country.

There's my two cents.