An excerpt from commentary under that title by James Zumwalt, which amazingly appears in the New York Times today:
Anyone in the security business knows that if a passenger exhibits suspicious behavior before takeoff, he or she cannot be allowed to board — or remain on — the plane until that behavior has been satisfactorily explained or otherwise resolved. Post-9/11, anyone entering an air terminal should be sensitive to this need and should work in a cooperative spirit to remove any suspicion.
Nothing can prevent a passenger who believes he has been wronged by the screening process from filing a lawsuit. What is outrageous is to hold good Samaritans liable simply for doing what any reasonable person observing suspicious activity should do. This is pure and simple intimidation.
In the interests of national security, Congress cannot allow this to happen. While the House has taken the initiative to insert protective language in a public transportation bill, that bill does not go far enough. Such protection needs to be comprehensive, extending to the public at large rather than just those using airplanes or other public transportation. (Obviously, such a law should not protect anyone whose motivation is based on personal profiling.)
James Zumwalt, Lieutenant Colonel, USMC (retired), is the son of the late Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt and a member of the Committee on the Present Danger, an anti-terrorism education and advocacy group.