Ted Kennedy in The Test of our Times

On Homeland Security: Stopped at airport gates; established TSA ombudsman

One day I took a personal call from Senator Ted Kennedy. He, with one of the most recognizable political faces in the country, had had to wait several times for clearance before boarding the shuttle between Washington and Boston, which he had been taking for decades. He said, "I seem to have trouble when I try to get to the gate." He asked me to look into it for him, and added in his wry way, "I know some people in your party may think I'm a political terrorist." We both laughed. It was a cordial conversation, but I understood his frustration. I didn't know whether he was on a watch list or perhaps mistaken for someone with the same name who was on it. One call to TSA and the matter was resolved. There were many folks far less prominent who didn't know where to take their complaints. Finally, we established an 800 number and appointed an ombudsman to deal with them. He was extremely busy as we worked to improve the watch list process. Source: The Test of our Times, by Tom Ridge, p.203-204 Sep 1, 2009

The above quotations are from The Test of our Times: America Under Siege...And How We Can Be Safe Again, by Gov. Tom Ridge. Click here for other excerpts from The Test of our Times: America Under Siege...And How We Can Be Safe Again, by Gov. Tom Ridge. Click here for other excerpts by Ted Kennedy. Click here for a profile of Ted Kennedy.
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