The John Doe Protection Act

As noted last week, Rep. Steve Pearce introduced a bill which would protect the public from being named in lawsuits by scam artists like The Flying Imams and the thugs from CAIR. Well, good news today from the House (via Power Line).

House Republicans today surprised Democrats with a procedural vote to protect public-transportation passengers from being sued if they report suspicious activity -- the first step by lawmakers to protect "John Doe" airline travelers already targeted in a lawsuit by Muslim imams that charges profiling.

The introduction of a motion to recommit the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007 back to committee with instructions to add the protective language was introduced by Rep. Peter T. King, New York Republican and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

Mr. King says all Americans, airline passengers included, must be protected from lawsuits if they report suspicious behavior that may foreshadow a terrorist attack.

A vote on the measure is expected tonight.

The language is based on a bill introduced last week by Rep. Steve Pearce, New Mexico Republican, to protect "John Does," or passengers targeted in the suit filed by six Muslim imams earlier this month in Minneapolis.

A Republican memo issued before the vote cites the November incident, in which the Muslim men were removed from a US Airways flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix for suspicious behavior, the details of which were first reported by The Washington Times.

As noted by The Jawa Report, the measure passed 304-121.

Take that, CAIR.

Meanwhile, the perpetually aggrieved whiners were up to some shenanigans today on C-SPAN, reports Marc Sheppard at The American Thinker.

Notwithstanding the moderator's televised reading from the Op-Ed, including those portions which clearly outlined the imams' startling behavior that triggered their removal, most of the callers stated that they were firmly behind the suit, blaming:

* The ignorance of White America
* Blatant Religious and Racial Profiling
* Americans' lack of knowledge about other cultures
* Denial of Freedom of Religion
* And, of course, President Bush

So, screaming anti-American slogans and words similar to the final cries of suicide bombers while changing assigned seats without authorization and brandishing potential restraints and weapons in a post-9/11 airplane cabin is within anybody's cultural or religious rights? Houston ... we've got a problem, a huge problem.

Adding fuel to this spreading fire is the fact that Washington Journal is as fair a call-in show as you're likely to find anywhere, with calls selected sequentially from Republican, Democratic and Independent lines. Yet the vast majority of callers appeared to have fallen hook, line, and sinker for CAIR's tactical rhetoric that the imams were innocent victims of discrimination. CAIR wouldn't stoop to lining-up callers with speed dialers to flood the lines, would it?

You can bet your last dollar they would.

More from Michelle Malkin and Hot Air, which added the roll call. Shocking. All those who voted no were Democrats.