by Nomad
A five-year legal battle ended last month over the suspicious airport security agents handling of a passenger. At the heart of the issue: Can there ever be a balance between our security and our civil liberties?
Nick George must feel the sweet satisfaction of closure after a settlement was reached last month related to an August 2009 incident at a Philadelphia airport. While
traveling from Pennsylvania to California George found himself in as absurd and frightening situation as anything Kafka could have imagined.
Suspicious Minds
On his way to begin
his senior year at Pomona College, George caught the attention of security
agents at Philadelphia International Airport. As he passed through the routine screening for his cross-country flight, Transportation Security Authority (TSA) agents asked him to empty his pockets. He was carrying a set of English-Arabic flashcards.