SICK AIRLINE HOAX

New York Post ^ | 10/18/03 | NILES LATHEM and JOE McGURK

[kattracks]

October 18, 2003 -- A prankish terror scare on two Southwest Airlines jets prompted the FAA to order searches of every commercial airliner yesterday - and soon afterward, the FBI had a suspect in custody. A 20-year-old North Carolina man was being questioned by the FBI in Baltimore - site of a major Southwest hub - in connection with the incidents, said a congressional official and a senior law enforcement official, who both spoke on condition of anonymity.

[clee1]

This punk deserves 3-5 years in prison.

The time and money spent checking 7000+ airliners.....

We have better things to do than deal with hoaxes.

[tdadams]

While I don't agree with his vigilante-style method of sending a message, clearly this should be a wake up call to Congress, the airlines, and passengers who are naive enough to believe that airline security became impenatrable overnight as soon as the TSA screeners went into place.

If anything, my belief is security is more superficial than ever. It only got more annoying and less effective. They ought to hire the guy as a consultant.

[JerseyHighlander]

The time and money spent checking 7000+ airliners..... THis punk should be applauded. By the Feds response, they have admitted through action that there is no security at anytime anywhere that there is a point of entry to 7000+ airplanes.

How many hundreds of millions of dollars have been advocated for the largest make-job program since the New Deal? With the men at the top of the agency knowing full well it is possible for a terrorist to move through the system UNABATED at any point where they went to check?

[JerseyHighlander]

When you control an agency that has thousands of agents sitting on their butts, you need make-work assignments to demonstrate need to the Congress so the tax monies continue to flow, and to maintain the morale of the agency, reinforcing the belief they are "Making a Difference." Of course the 7000+ search was unnessecary, but how many work hours did that fill? Conservatives rightfully despised the increased budgets and powers of FEMA during the CLinton years, and Democrats and Republicans rightfully fear the increased monies and powers of the TSA and Homeland...

[clee1]

No, this punk - and any that want to duplicate his little stunt - should be locked up.

I'll not argue that the TSA is useless and the numb-nuts they hire to screen passengers are mostly burger-joint rejects, but it is NOT the place of an individual to inconvenience the travelling public, scare people away from air travel, and force the spending of untold amounts of money by private companies to highlight the fact that Federal agencies usually do a poor job of performing their assigned duties.

The TSA allowed the stuff to get through security. The airlines had to search for contraband.

Scream from the rafters if you want, but nobody has the right to "make a point" in this way.

[HitmanLV]

This punk deserves 3-5 years in prison.

This punk deserves a medal, for exposing weaknesses in our airline security.

[clee1]

I personally see no reason for the TSA to exist.

With armed pilots, Sky Marshalls, and a travelling public that is ready to rip the head off of a terrorist (even if it means their own death), terrorist will have a pretty rough time of it in future hijackings.

Our vaunted TSA spends it's time feeling up good looking women, harrassing grandmothers, stealing personal items, and thanks to Osama Bin Lopez - searching shoes. It needs to be paying attention to college-aged smart@$$es whose political statements cost us all time and money.

[FLAUSA]

Yes, this punk should go to jail for a long time.

However, his actions have brought to light the problem with airport security, namely that back room personel (bagage handlers, maintenance workers, etc.) are not routinely screened for items they may be carrying into an airport.

[tkathy]

Hoaxers are not normal people. He should be put away for a long time.

[TomGuy]

force the spending of untold amounts of money by private companies

In the long run, is it more expensive to prevent or recover from a terrorist atrocity? Had airlines, for example, put out a few more $$$ for security before 9-11, they might have saved the billions of $$$ 9-11 cost the National economy.

Prevent? or Recover from? The National economy is still sputtering, partially from 9-11-01.

Essentially, that is the same kind of argument regarding National Security, in general. As a Nation, do be become pro-active and pre-emptive or do we wait until, then react? That battle is going on in Congress and between the two political parties, even now. Do we say Clinton was right in putting off, delaying, igoring terrorism, so as not to stir up an even worse hornets' nest? or Do we say GWBush is right in being preemptive in an effort to prevent some future major terrorist acts?

[KantianBurke]

Clee, I think you've bought the Fed govt line hook and sinker. The TSA shmucks skillfully deflected the public's main reason to get upset - namely their incompetence and inability to keep the skies safe even from an idiot college kid - by going overboard and searching over 7000 planes thus inconviencing many passengers.

I say going overboard for two reasons. First the articles that were deliberatly placed there were marked off as being a "hoax." This in it of itself isn't an assurence but the 2nd bit of info would make it so - they knew who had placed it! Think about that. Once they knew the identity of the kid, all they would have to do is search their databases to see which flights he had been on, ground them and then remove the contraband. No need for interupting anyone...unless you need to CYA as JH had mentioned and deflect the public's anger as I have said.

[clee1]

OMG! Have I mistakenly stumbled into DU?

Come on people. Are you serious? Give him a medal? Comparing costs of prevention vs. an actual incident? A clearly labeled hoax to demonstrate the ineptitude of the TSA? I'm buying into the Feds attempt at deflecting blame?

For the love of God! Is is cheaper to prevent a hijacking than cleaning up afterward? YES! Was it a hoax? Apparently. Is the TSA useless? For the most part (and I said that when it was proposed, and after every flight I have made since). Have I bought the Feds BS? Not on your life!

This young man committed a crime. He carried box cutters and bleach through security twice and placed it on 2 different aircraft. Had the TSA actually done what it is being paid to do, he would have been caught, arrested, and then probably jailed for 3-5 - irregardless of his motive. Isn't that what the libs say: "He meant to do the right thing." < whine > He broke the law. Period.

OK - so he "exposed the flaws in our airport sercurity system". Anyone that doesn't already know there are holes big enough to drive a truck through doesn't have the smarts he was born with. I have serious issues with the FedGov't "security measures" and the TSA, but that does not allow me to excuse this fellow's behavior.

Guys like this jacka$$ are dangerous. Almost as much as the terrorists themselves.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Boxcutters won't protect hijackers from passengers anymore.

Those days are over.

All this proves is that 50,000 minimum-IQ airport Gestapo don't do anything except drive passengers away.

Adding 50,000 more will only drive more away.

I don't fly anymore. Ever. The airlines can take their mini-POW camp/airports and shove them up their bankrupt chutes.

[NavyCaptain]

While this person's actions were not useful and will just scare the flying public, the TSA should be doing just this to uncover and expose to itself breaks in the system. We do that in that in the Intell community every now and then to show how even the most protected facilities can be breached!

[TN4Liberty]

This guy is not a hero. I think people who claim he is doing travellers a service are mistaken. Vigilante wannabes who "test the system" provide cover for would-be terrorists who want to do the same thing, but for different reasons.

Airline security is not perfect, and people who think it should be better stay off airplanes. It appears that a new 9/11 type act would require coordination between terrorists posing as ground workers and those posing as travellers. The chances of success are much smaller than before, but they still exist. Perfect security is a liberal myth. Most conservatives are smarter than that.

While I am on a rant, I'm tired of seeing screeners disparaged simply because of their job. Many (certainly not all) who enter our armed forces or go into local law enforcement are people who are less educated and less skilled than the average American. But they learn to do important work and they do it well. We respect them for what they do for us, and we should respect airline security the same way.

The security system has worked for over two years now. In the first level measure of success, no airliners have been taken over. We need to improve it as we find opportunities to do so. But we also need to keep in mind who the heros are in this case.