Terrorists are practicing....

[Pilot124]

If 16 ME men all acting suspicious on an aircraft doesn't set off red flags to you ATL2CDG you are missing a few screws. Sometimes I really wonder about you and why you play devil advocate to everything. 1 guy acting suspicious gets my attention. I just wish you were on that plane to TALK all 16 into taking their seats and stop acting suspicious. After all YOU are the voice of reason.

 

[ATL2CDG]

enigma :

No, I neither have or deserve any special protection from the Muslim fundamentalists.

Regarding my views about security and freedom, your own signature sums it up nicely : «Those who would trade freedom for security, deserve neither.» I think I've made my position on this topic quite clear and I see no need to reiterate my opinions.

Lastly, to my recollection, I have never «blamed their problems on us».

 

[ThomasR]

One Brief Note:

QUOTE: "All I can say is that we play be the rules. They do not."

The rules are; there are not rules.

 

[ATL2CDG]

Pilot124 :

If you would take the time to re-read all of my contributions to this specific thread, you would see that I have never claimed that sixteen persons of Middle Eastern origin acting questionably would not cause me to be suspicious. All of my remarks to this topic have been in regard to the forced screening of all persons of Middle Eastern origin without just cause or due process. In-depth seaching of ALL persons meeting this criteria is, in my humble opinion, racism. If a Lebanese family of four arrive at the gate, the father is a platinum frequent flyer and the purchase was made 3 months in advance, I would feel advanced security checks would not be necessary. Now, if fifteen Saudi nationals have cash-purchased, one-way tickets that were bought within 2 hours of each other within the past week, that would be cause for concern.

I've never claimed that I could persuade the suspects to take their seats.

I've never claimed to be the voice of reason ; I am simply the voice of an independent-minded, decently-well educated, very bored, radical 24 year old American male. If you want reason, this forum is the wrong place to be in search of it.

 

[100LL... Again!]

Bold idealism coming from someone who, as you put it, is on the wrong side of the cockpit door.

What about 15 young saudis who bought tickets anywhere from 4 months to 4 weeks in advance. Do they get off free?

Mark my words:

If we get hit a few more times successfully, the majority of the public will easily be talked into internment camps.

I think a little 'draconian' screening will BENEFIT the nice arabs by preventing the aforementioned scenario. Otherwise, they could be unfairly swept up in the panicky mob mentality that would surely follow. Don't think internment camp could happen in this day and in the US. Think again. Scared people will amaze you with what they are capable of.

I would not care if I got the full strip-search to travel on El Al. If that is what they must do to prevent needless deaths, then okay.

 

[ATL2CDG]

Bold idealism coming from someone who, as you put it, is on the wrong side of the cockpit door.

Ah, yes. The fact that I enjoy working in the service industry and have not the funds or time to secure the needed ratings to be a commercial airline pilot, I have not the intelligence, experience or simple cognitive ability to formulate complex social, political and cultural theories and related desires. Only pilots are able to conjecture or othewise devise various ideas or thoughts on important topics that affect the world.

Nice way to connect two COMPLETELY unrated facts to make a personal jab at me. Care to have at it again?

 

[Singlecoil]

funny....

I just did a search on Altavista.com of " Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to Los Angeles"

Nearly 40+ online news websites had the same story...

So much for a A WWS Exclusive Article

I did a google search and only found articles written by this Annie Jacobsen person. How come no other news organization has written about this perplexing incident? A vast ACLU conspiracy? Or maybe its all a bunch of Bull$hit? I'm picking the latter. This whole thing doesn't smell right. My Bull$hit annuciator started flashing as soon as she mentioned Ann Coulter. Her credibility vanished just that fast.
Does anybody else think this is just bogus internet fiction?

 

[FN FAL]

Actually, whether they were conducting a probing excercise, testing our our ability to track them or whatever...they were successful in one thing, spreading fear on that flight and on anyone that has read the article and reacted with feelings of terror.

They don't have to bomb an airliner or kill anyone to be successful in creating terror. All they have to do is scare people.

 

[ATL2CDG]

FN FAL :

I can't believe that I'm thinking this, but « WELL SAID! »

 

[EagleRJ]

If they were terrorists on a trial run, they were sure being obvious, weren't they? You don't need 12 guys to assemble a bomb, either. The trips to the lav might have been a way to distribute weapons, but again, why so obvious?

It could be that they were actually musicians who were merely talking to eachother, but they must have been incredibly naiive not to notice that their actions were suspicious.

If I was on the plane, I would have rushed the lav holding my mouth like I was going to be sick. If the guys waiting were musicians who didn't want to get barfed on, they would move out of the way. If they were terrorists, though, and there was a partially-assembled bomb or a pile of knives in the sink, they would have gone ape-sh*t. In that case, their cover would be blown, and the whole cabin would have rushed them.
In these times, you might have to do something like that to test someone's true intentions.

There have been numerous other incidents that are extremely suspicious and probably were probing attempts, but this one doesn't seem right. I'm guessing it was just a combination of indifference and paranoia, maybe flavored a bit by a reporter who needed a story.