Life, Liberty, and my pursuit of Happiness

I've just returned from a trip to Australia (for work) that brought to light the fact that my name somehow matches an individual that is on a terrorist watch list and "should not be allowed into the United States".

I first became aware of this issue as I was delayed at the Singapore Airlines desk at JFK airport as I attempted to obtain a boarding pass for my flight (JFK -> Frankfurt -> Singapore -> Perth).

Delta Airlines had already provided me with boarding passes for the entire out-bound trip, but upon my attempt to enter the gate area (passing through security screening), I was told that the kiosk-printed passes were not sufficient and that I would have to return to the Singapore Airlines counter.

At the counter, I was told that they were having to run a check on me, as my name "matched three letters and the birth date" of someone that was on a watchlist.  It took them about 20 minutes to get me "approved" for the flight and they wished me well in my travels.

The flights to Perth (JFK -> Frankfurt -> Singapore -> Perth) were uneventful, and the stay in Australia was quite fun.  Here's a picture of me with a kangaroo.

Upon checking in at the Singapore Airlines counter in Perth for my return trip, I was informed that there was "an issue" and that they would need to hold my passport while they approved me for travel.

After ~30 minutes, my passport was returned and I was given a boarding pass for the first leg (Perth -> Singapore) of my return trip.  I was informed that I would need to check in at the transit counter in Singapore to get the rest of my trip confirmed.

When I arrived in Singapore, I waited in line for 20 minutes and was then told that my name (or a name like it) was not actually on a no-fly list, but was on a "no-entry to the United States" list.  They were not able to provide me with the actual name that was similar to mine on the list.  A copy was made of my passport, the copy was faxed somewhere, and a phone call was made during which my name and passport number were given to the person on the other end.  I was instructed to "have a seat" and that someone would get back with me shortly.

After another 20-30 minutes, I was given my boarding passes for the rest of my flights (Singapore -> Moscow -> Houston -> Raleigh).

Upon my arrival in Houston (my first US port-of-call), I was immediately passed through customs and immigration with no hint of there being any problem with my entry into the United States what-so-ever.

At no point was anyone rude, and I was not severely inconvenienced, but the length of time required for me to get through these checks could easily have caused me to miss a more tightly connected series of flights.  I have no idea as to the name or even the closeness of the match between my name and that of the person that may or may not be a terrorist.

Additionally, this has come up recently, as a trip that I took to Rome earlier this year had no issues leaving or re-entering the USA.

If anyone has any ideas on how/who to approach at the TSA, State Department, etc., I'd appreciate it.