Secret Watch Lists - NYTimes.com "The Black Hole of Terrorism Watch Lists" (editorial, Dec. 16) rightly recognizes the urgent need to reform the government's system of secret watch lists. But to fully appreciate the devastating consequences for individual rights and our system of checks and balances, it's important to place the toxic mix of secrecy and government watch lists in broader context. Secret government lists now dictate not only who can fly but also who can open bank accounts, who can get security clearances (and therefore certain jobs), and even whom the government may kill. The American Civil Liberties Union has documented the many problems with these lists - including the fact that innocent people like Rahinah Ibrahim, whose case you discuss, often don't know why they've been included - and we are aggressively challenging the lists in court. Congress and the courts can and should provide more effective redress for individual mistakes. But it is crucial that Congress confront the underlying issue: the executive branch's extravagant use of a range of unreliable secret lists that deprive individuals of fundamental rights without notice or any meaningful opportunity to correct error. SUSAN HERMAN President American Civil Liberties Union New York, Dec. 17, 2013