The Daily Princetonian has an interesting story on Walter Murphy and the No-Fly list that sheds more light on why Professor Murphy thinks he was intentionally targeted for his speech:
Murphy added that it could be a coincidence — “if you believe in the Easter bunny, yeah” — but said he doesn’t think that it is.
“The coincidences are multiplying,” he said. He cited the “outing” of CIA agent Valerie Plame immediately after her husband’s public questioning of the rationale behind the war in Iraq and two of his personal acquaintances, who are critics of the Bush administration and are also on the no-fly list.
“It begins to strain credulity,” he said.
The story continues:
Murphy doesn’t think that his name — which, he points out, is half-German, half-Irish — is common enough to suggest a case of mistaken identity.
“I’ve only known of one other Walter Murphy, and that was a rock guy back in the ’70s,” he said.
Ultimately, Murphy said, there’s little doubt in his mind that the airline ban is an annoyance deliberately devised for him by the government, albeit one that he has found amusing. “I was always sorry I didn’t make Nixon’s hit-list, but making Bush’s hit-list is almost as good,” he joked.
Assuming Professor Murphy’s views are being represented here accurately, these explanations don’t exactly inspire confidence that Professor Murphy’s beliefs are justified. First, I can’t see any connection between this and the outing of Valerie Plame. Second, a quick check with Peoplefinder found 380 people with the name “Walter Murphy.” The fact that Professor Murphy has “only known of one other” seems a bit myopic. And finally, even though it’s a joke, the comment about regretting not having been on Nixon’s enemies list suggests that Professor Murphy may be a bit too inclined to interpret events as having targeted him in particular.
Of course, none of this directly answers whether Professor Murphy was targeted. But I think it does add reason to think (in light of the sparse facts we know) that Professor Murphy may be reading a bit more into things than is warranted.