http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/200...-name-lon.html
Quote from Article:
"The
Terrorist Screening Center runs the list, which is created from nominations from a wide array of government agencies via the National Counter Terrorism Center. The watch list entries are used to check persons seeking visas,
travellers entering or
leaving the country, domestic airline passengers and persons stopped by state, local or federal law enforcement. Most of the positive matches on the list came from police routinely checking persons, such as speeding motorists, against the list, according to the Government Accountablity Office's report (.pdf). The TSA is responsible for resolving mismatches, which can happen when an innocent person's name is similar or the same as different, watch listed person. The number of individuals on the list may be significantly less than three quarters of a million, since the name count include aliases."
I'll refrain from writing openly what my grandma said about these type of posturing techniques.
To travel, you have a choice: (1) by benefit of their permission; or (2) by your own will and freedom.