Plane diversion reveals raw nerves

[leftchick]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4799835.stm

It sounds like a stand-up comedian's joke: A nervous flier boards a plane with hand cream and a box of matches...

But the diversion of United 923 from London to Washington - and the arrest of a passenger for interfering with the flight - was no laughing matter.

Fighter jets scrambled to escort the plane into Boston, and the media scrambled to keep up with events.

Television news showed luggage laid out neatly on the tarmac, sniffer dogs searching them for anything suspicious.

And interest in the story was intense, as the BBC News website's own statistics show.

Within two hours of the story breaking - in the middle of the afternoon, London time - it had become our top-hitting story of the day, racking up more readers than articles that had been on the site all day long.

[LuckyLib]

1. It is clear now that acting strangely on an aircraft will get you

in big trouble. It's about time. Too damned many folks should NOT be flying. They're not terrorists, they're just too damned strange to occupy a tube filled with people flying at 35,000 feet.

[C_U_L8R]

4. only near election-time

terrorism just doesn't exist other times of year

[rodeodance]

2. :"Meanwhile, over on CNN and Fox News, experts speculated...."---this

is the primary reason for the fear along with it being implanted by the WH.



Rumours flying

Meanwhile, over on CNN and Fox News, experts speculated about early reports suggesting that banned items had been found on the plane.

Armed officer at Heathrow airport
Ordinary items now trigger a security response

Was it Vaseline? That would be cause for alarm: last week's arrests in London reportedly centred on a plan to concoct explosives from liquids or gels while a plane was in flight.

Was it a screwdriver? Even worse: the 9/11 hijackers took control of four planes with nothing more than small, sharp hand tools - and the fifth anniversary of 9/11 is looming.

Was it a note about al-Qae

[indepat]

3. And national 'lection season is just around the corner

[patrice]

5. That's a very interesting part of this!

How did the information get sooo screwed up? What did she have that got confused with "a note to/about al-Qaida"? What did she have that was mistaken for a screw-driver?

It appears to me that someone WANTED it to be a note about al-Qaida, wanted her to be a threat. They wanted it so bad that they got all screwed up. Precisely WHO was that?

[niallmac]

6. Hard not to be suspicious about all this cr*p.

It all serves the evil over under lords. Fear is their only ace in the hole.
Problem is, it works every time.

[ShortnFiery]

7. Nope the people are reaching burn out ...

Plus I'm happy with taking AmTrak or Driving to my long distance destination.

The only thing this Executive Branch's "Summer Fear Fest 2006" is accomplishing is to fire up the Democratic Base and at the same time, throw the Right Wing into a state of learned helplessness. I believe this will be the WORST GOP turn out in decades. :-) :applause:

Thank you USA's Executive Branch ... for overplaying the "terra" and "fear" memes. :hi:

[niallmac]

8. I really hope you are right.

I really really do.
:dilemma: :hi:

[krkaufman]

11. Reminds me of ...

... the old 'The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street' episode of The Twilight Zone, from 1960. Come to think of it, this old "alien invasion" episode was remade a short time back, with a "terrorist attack" plot: 'The Monsters Are On Maple Street (2003).'

[HuffleClaw]

9. i seem to recall a tale of a passenger who was spotted

reading a left-wing book by another passenger who then complained about it?

[NashVegas]

10. Maybe It's Time Airlines Start Carrying a Supply of Xanax?

And notify any qualifying medical personel on board they may be needed to lawfully prescribe it.

When I was having panic attacks (over 10 years ago) brisk physical activity was the only way to shake one off w/out meds, but they don't like that on planes.

[hedgehog]

12. Just about a month before 9/11, a passenger was killed on a flight

to Salt Lake City. It turned out that he had some sort of mental illness. He was acting in an aggressive manner on the plane and other passengers piled on to subdue him. Somehow he was smothered. It turned out that he had some sort of mental illness.

It always strikes me as one of history's "What ifs" that the planes went down on 9/11 because of the accepted manner to address hijackings. Everyone on board followed the normal script expecting to land in Havana until it was too late to stop the destruction. What if the passengers had acted at once instead of sitting quietly waiting for authorities to start negotiations?