Dems Try to Remove Protections for "John Doe" from Homeland Security Bill

Remember the famous Flying Imams? They threatened to sue the "John Doe" citizens who reported their suspicious activities. Republicans in Congress decided that good citizens need to be protected from these intimidating lawsuits and added language to the Homeland Security Bill to do just that. The Democrats would rather that citizens just shut up and stay out of the anti-terrorism business:

Democrats are trying to pull a provision from a homeland security bill that will protect the public from being sued for reporting suspicious behavior that may lead to a terrorist attack, according to House Republican leadership aides.

The legislation, which moves to a House and Senate conference committee this afternoon, will implement final recommendations from the 911 Commission.

Rep. Pete King, New York Republican and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Rep. Steve Pearce, New Mexico Republican, sponsored the bill after a group of Muslim imams filed a lawsuit against U.S. Airways and unknown or “John Doe” passengers after they were removed for suspicious behavior aboard Flight 300 from Minneapolis to Phoenix on Nov. 20 before their removal.

“Democrats are trying to find any technical excuse to keep immunity out of the language of the bill to protect citizens, who in good faith, report suspicious activity to police or law enforcement,” Mr. King said in an interview last night.

“This is a slap in the face of good citizens who do their patriotic duty and come forward, and it caves in to radical Islamists,” Mr. King said.

“I don't see how you can have a homeland security bill without protecting people who come forward to report suspicious activity,” Mr. King said.

Republicans aides say they will put up a fight with Democrats when the conference committee begins at 1 p.m., to reinsert the language, but that public pressure is also needed.

Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi Democrat and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, initially opposed the legislation for fear it would lead to racial profiling.

Of course, we can't have that....

UPDATE: The John Doe protections were removed from the bill by both the House and Senate. Another profile in courage brought to you by the Democrats.

UPDATE 2: The GOP may have saved the day by getting the John Doe language back in the conference report.