Talk Radio

[enigma]

This is probably old news that I missed the first time around. Not to start any flame wars, but I heard on the radio yesterday that the fifteen year old that flew his Cessna into the building in TPA was actually half arab. This was broadcast on a national talk radio program, it was not a show that I hear infrequently and I'm not sure of the hosts name although I think it was Michael Medved, or it may have been Mike Gallagher. I'm not sure.
The host stated that Bishop was born with the surname, Basuropp (sounded that way, I didn't hear him spell it). His mother changed their name during the Gulf War because she was afraid of an anti-Arab backlash. the mother is apparently caucasian/American and the father was Arabic. The father left the family when the boy was young.

Has anyone else heard this, or anything like it?

Also, today on the Rush Limbaugh show , the guest host shot down the story that says that Ollie North fingered Osama Bin Laudin in 1987. Apparently, North himself has repeatedly stated that there is no truth to the rumor. Oh well, it sounded good

regards

 

[Wiggums]

I heard the exact same thing. CNN doesn't always give the public the whole story.

 

[BE1900DATP]

Does it Matter?

 

[enigma]

Yes it does

Does it Matter?

Yes it matters. This business is my, and most other posters', livelyhood. If the story that I heard is true, it means that we are being lied to by our media/government in an attempt to pacify the masses. If the story is true, it means that aviation is taking a hit that rightfully belongs elsewhere. Being sensitive to the good Arabs amoung us sounds good, and is nice and politically correct; but if our government is ignoring real threats because of political correctness, we are being left vulnerable. And our profession is being left vulnerable because it now seems that even student pilots are suspects.
I don't appreciate the fact that aviation is taking a hit that rightly belongs to a radical movement and its followers. If we place blame where blame belongs, terrorists, then the innocent, the aviation community, is not punished.

It matters because the You and I are both at risk, and the government is allowing us to stay in that condition because they don't want to take the hard actions necessary to protect US citizens from a militant group of males, men who fit a well known profile.

8N

 

[SentryIP]

enigma,

Like you, I don't want to start a flame war on this professional forum. However, I respectfuly disagree with you. Because of attitudes like yours (if I've read your post correctly) we did the same thing during WW II with the Japanese. I'm an Arab-American and fit the profile you're describing. I've also served in the U. S. Air Force for over 20 years and fought for my country in three wars. Operation ENDURING FREEDOM will be my fourth and I hold no sympathy for these criminals. If I misinterpreted your post, I apologize up front.

 

[ifly4food]

FYI, the Osama/Ollie North story was false. It is explained and debunked on the "Urban Legends" web site. It is at www.snopes.com/rumors/north.htm

 

[Timebuilder]

Major Amin-
I think I understand your position. As a man with a military education, I understand that this conflict will require sacrifices to be made by all of us. Your sacrifice may be different than mine, since you may fit a profile of those who attacked us. During WWII, many Japanese citizens were required to make a great sacrifice during internment due to the actions of the Emperor. The vast majority of these people were loyal Americans. It is reasonable to believe, however, that some would have conspired to harm us during that time, and were prevented from doing so because they could not roam freely. The loyal majority of Japanese in the camps knew this.

It would be impossible in our modern society to ask that sacrifice of any group now, but it is not unreasonable to ask loyal Americans such as yourself to step up to the plate in this new terrorist environment. This may mean an additional search (or three) or being asked to remove a muslim head covering for a more complete search. In the case of the woman who is suing over being searched, I think her anger is misdirected. Instead of being resentful over her treatment, she should be resentful that other muslims have, by their attack, caused her to be regarded as suspicious. You also should be resentful. Now, your country will ask more of you in her defense, and I know you will honor your oath to help provide that defense.

Here is what I am not hearing in the media: voices of thousands of muslims condemning the terrorist movement. I see only leaders of various groups complaining of discrimination. Where is the complaint, which should be shouted from rooftops, that the Quoran does not support this activity? Where are the clerics that should be all over the media, countering the Taliban beliefs?

Osama didn't care about either one of us when he hatched his plan. Pass the word. And speak up.

 

[RJPilot]

Well said timebuilder!

 

[enigma]

enigma,

Like you, I don't want to start a flame war on this professional forum. However, I respectfuly disagree with you. Because of attitudes like yours (if I've read your post correctly) we did the same thing during WW II with the Japanese. I'm an Arab-American and fit the profile you're describing. I've also served in the U. S. Air Force for over 20 years and fought for my country in three wars. Operation ENDURING FREEDOM will be my fourth and I hold no sympathy for these criminals. If I misinterpreted your post, I apologize up front.

Sincerely,
Amin Aur
Major, USAF

You have only partially misinterpreted my post. I am not attacking people of Arab descent, but I am attacking the government and media who ignore the obvious in the name of political correctness.

It disgusts me that a honorable segment of society, (aviation) is tar'd and feathered in the press, and shackled by the government when that segment is not the threat. We , as a society, continue to attempt to regulate tools instead of people. We outlaw guns instead of bad guys that shot people. We demonize cigarettes instead of the people who CHOOSE to smoke, etc. Now it looks like we will see airplanes and aviation regulated more tightly just because society doesn't have the guts to face reality.

Also remember that we are not talking about a random search of people who were doing nothing obviously illegal. We are discussing a young man who flew his airplane into a building in an attempt to cause harm. He did the crime, I want to know why we are blaming the aircraft/aviation instead of acknowledging his background and possible motivations.

regards

 

[empenage]

enigma:

I have just one question....Is that a Ford or a Massy? I'm partial to the "Big M", Farmall myself.

 

[Timebuilder]

Hmmm. I'll say Ford.

My favorites are the H model Farmall, and the old John Deere "poppers".

 

[BE1900DATP]

Enigma....

First of all read my profile, I too am a pilot and have been affected by this... I guess the idea that I tried to make clear was muddied by the time that I posted it. Remember that this is a war on terrorisim, which is an idea/belief. It is not a group of people that we can put a finger on. We are currently bombing the crap out of Afghanistan not because they are arab, but because they supported/harbored the terrotists that did this to us. Now while a large number (almost the majority I believe) of terrorist incidents have been conducted by people of Middle Eastern decent, they are not an exclusive bunch. Take John Walker for example, if you clean him up, he's probably as american looking as apple pie, but has been infected with terroristit ways of thinking. The IRA has taken a stab at terroristic measures. So I really don't care if the TPA kid was Arab, Irish, or American, all I care about is was it a terrorist motive, or a kid looking for attention (aka Collumbine).

As far as the Jappenese during WWII. That can't be compared to this profiling, because at that time we were at War with a country, not an idea/belief like we are now. We could proflie the hell out of all arabs, lock them all up in camps, even gor so far at to lock up people with very good tans, and that won't stop anything, the Walkers of the world will simply take over....

What we need to do, is just what we are.... treat them all the same, and send the message that we will not tollerate terrorism at all....


The fireproof suit has been donned... Fire away....

 

[SentryIP]

enigma,

Point taken. Thank you for your reply.

 

[Citabria]

I have always known that most of in aviation are consevative individuals but half of you all sound like the factual however crudlike information emanating from conservative AM radio and FOX news.

This concept that liberalism has been the ruin of America has become such an accepted axiom as to make unacceptable if one disagrees with whatever the current mentality.

It strikes a abhorrent to see a group of men and women using 9/11 as the rallying cry for a new great generation. So we are not great if there is not a war ? Our grandparents were not define by WWII , but by a economic catrastophe. And guess what it was a liberal goverment which brought us back from the dead. It was a collective mentality of mercy and care for others which made them the greatest generation. Many of our families were saved by the New Deal.

Some of you did not have to live the ridiculous arm race and MADD. How to nations use smaller conflicts to whip it out and see who was mister big.

Now thanks to individual who have never felt or understood how taking a life feels we are back into the new "cold war ".

There will always be terrorism eitherby some megalomaniac individual like you know who. There are many cases in which these sort of actions although disgusting are the result of legitimate grievances. Remember terrorism is defined by the empire. Terrorism is the weapon of those without an army.

The question which we should all be trying to answer is why ? Presently we are the biggest guy in the block, how are we going to act ? Like the Romans, the britsbefore us we are acting like an empirelet us at least fess up to it and not kid ourselves.

Remember the most patriotic complement an American
can recieve is to be called a dissident.

 

[RJFlyer]

Sounds like a lot of people have had their head in the sand. I heard and read the story of the kid's ethnicity weeks ago, on all the news channels and in the major papers. Does the fact that he's of half-Arab descent matter in all this? Not really. He's just another idiotic, poorly-brought-up kid on a copycat kick (like so many of the would-be Columbiners out there).