Nancy Oden: Screwing the Greens?

[/ dave /]

Bob Morris wrote:

> After a few days, it is now clear that Nancy Oden really was hassled,
> severely too.  And I say that as an active Green, and I know Walt
> Sheasby.  The bad blood between GP-US and GPUSA (the splinter group
> Nancy is in) is irrelevant.
> 
> Who will be next?  Yow..

Jeez - a few people still don't seem to get it.

Yes, Oden was hassled, for a combination of reasons relating to the behavior of a
handful of the airport staff as well what Oden herself described as her own
"passive resistance." It was a complicated situation that escalated as a result of
behavior on both sides.

But while no credible person who knows anything about the past practices of the
U.S. Gov't would deny that the authorities are capable of shady practices in
contravention of the very laws they claim to uphold, the fact is there is still no
evidence whatsoever that Nancy Oden's initially being singled out had anything to
do with her being a Green activist. None.

As has been pointed out numerous times, when the airline clerk told Oden that her
name had been flagged to be checked "no matter what," that still provided no
explicit information as to just why she had been flagged, as hundreds of other
passengers have been each day since 9/11. As others have mentioned, there is a
possibility it may have been because of the way in which her ticket had been
purchased (over the internet) or some other combination of factors that makes a
ticket buyer stand out. Which is not to defend the practice, or condemn it -
that's another topic entirely.

It was Oden herself who made the inappropriate mental leap from the ticket agent's
"no matter what" to "because I'm a Green activist," and then initiated a press
release and a series of public statements to that effect. Was she targeted because
of her politics? Who knows - certainly not Oden or the Green representatives who
wrote the press release. Is it possible? Absolutely (though no other Greens have
been stopped at the airport, as far as we know). But if she was in fact targeted
for this reason, naturally the Gov't will never own up to it, so it's an assertion
that's likely impossible to prove or disprove.

If you're going to claim victimization and unfair treatment, you've got to be able
to provide evidence if you want the public on your side. From what we do know,
Oden was lectured, manhandled (sic), and treated with no small measure of
disrespect by some of the staff. This is bad enough.

But in the meantime, to continue to assert that Oden's politics definitely
provided the impetus for the initial search is irresponsible, and makes the Greens
- yes, both factions, because the American public doesn't care about the
difference - look like dishonest opportunists at best (not unlike the politicians
they claim to oppose), and liars at worst. Who's going to support people that
appear to be engaging in such tactics? Is this the "alternative" to
politics-as-usual? Many Americans who might otherwise support the Green platform
will see through that in an instant.

A press release that focused on Oden's maltreatment but acknowledged the obvious
uncertainties would have been a far more noble, honest and admirable effort. It
might have discussed the potential for Oden's having been targeted owing to her
politics, and the historical precedents for same, without jumping to completely
unwarranted conclusions (conclusions that only a psychic can have made with
certainty). This likely would have won a good deal of support on the part of the
populace at large, which is exactly what is needed now as crackdowns begin on
legitimate protest, patriotism becomes the norm, and paranoid organizations begin
to chip away civil liberties.

Unless someone in a position to know can better explain why Oden is so certain of
the means by which she was singled out, the rest of her story, true as it may be,
inevitably takes on an unbecoming patina of doubtfulness in the eyes of the
public. Which is the last thing the Greens, and all of us, are in need of at the moment.

--

/  dave  /