Drudge - cancelled flight believed headed to attack Las Vegas

12/25/03 | Drudge

[salbam]

Developing

[dvwjr]

If the flight cabin is secured from the rest of the aircraft, I would expect that the flight crew would NEVER come out and risk loosing control of the aircraft to terrorists. It's up to the passengers to kill or be killed on their own. If you die, TOUGH LUCK. Better to die trying, than to let the aircraft be used to kill thousands on the ground.

It is just the best of two bad outcomes...


dvwjr

[August West]

The ancient Egyptians were NOT Arabs, so Luxor is not an example of Arab culture.

[elli1]

They eventually got them by making bombs that would it the dam (on the lake side) and roll down to the bottom.

I did not know that. Thanks! (Sounds like a fascinating story--any reading suggestions?) Makes sense though that the ''easiest'' way to take out a dam would be from the water side & to concentrate the blast at the bottom. Coming at it from that direction, the blast would be working with force against the structure. And I'm assuming that the closer to the bottom, the greater the water pressure vs the dam.

Another thing to think about dams as opposed to buildings is that dams are anchored, pinned on three sides and that they are engineered to rigidly withstand lateral forces of much, much greater intensity (I'm assuming) than a flexing windblown skyscraper. (not to minimize windload).

[Quix]

Good points.

Thanks.

[mickie]

John Batchelor said on C-Span this morning that there was no reason to announce why the flights were canceled. That this is done all the time and it did not benefit the US to give out all the information.

[RWR8189]

Link to story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A30985-2003Dec25?language=printer

[gg188]

If the flight cabin is secured from the rest of the aircraft, I would expect that the flight crew would NEVER come out and risk loosing control of the aircraft to terrorists. It's up to the passengers to kill or be killed on their own. If you die, TOUGH LUCK. Better to die trying, than to let the aircraft be used to kill thousands on the ground.

Agreed. HOWEVER...in today's world and pc climate of appeasement...where liberals argue for negotiation, accomodation---ANYTHING to stop the killing..! Why didn't the captain---who is responsible for his charges---DO something, you can bet the Dean-ites of the world would cry! ...Yup, bad outcomes either way.

[gg188]

Rip his fingers off one at a time, then proceed to his balls. This puke has got to tell what he knows.

EXACTLY how we should proceed with every captured moham, from Sadaam to Gitmo to CAIR. Our childrens' lives and our civilization are at stake. No more messing around. God did not give us our rights and our nation for us to fritter it away like scared little schoolgirls.

[gg188]

This may not be politically correct, but if you knew that say the Fox-Sioux hated you, and would kill you on sight, would you let the Fox-Sioux drive wagons into your Fort?

No, you would not KNOW they were driving the wagons because since you can't PROFILE, you would make sure you did not NOTICE who was driving the wagons. Otherwise Sharpton and the Dems would decry your racism, lack of diversity, and criminal profiling!

[elli1]

I'm convinced that the dam isn't a target, least ways, it's not a feasible target. I'm not so sure Vegas is a target, either. Least ways, from AQ's perspective, I don't think it's a smart target. However, AQ has been pulling off some real stupid stunts lately, so anything is possible.

[Frank_2001]

I think you're right!

[rocksblues]

After the next attack, I hope that the Chamberlain/Peaceniks/Leftists will see the light but I doubt it because their goal is to see America fail.

[Patriot_from_CA]

Regretably, the french crew would surrender to one mean-looking arab kid with a water pistol.

[elli1]

Now, if the dam upstream were to be hit, and it's holdings let loose, couldn't all that water at least weaken the Hoover?

Previous poster said that due to the drought, water level in Lake Mead is 90' below normal level. And are you forgetting that dams also release water via the floodgates?

[poindexter]

I caught a glimpse of the moon early this evening. It is a beautiful, slender crescent.

[poindexter]

"I always thought they should just come up with a way to spray some sleeping gas into the cabin to put everyone to sleep. Then the pilots could land the plane at the nearest airport without any worries."

It would be easier for the pilots to depressurize the cabin, while they are on oxygen. If they could do it slowly, hypoxia would sneak up on the bad guys (and the pax) and turn out their lights. I don't know if the crew can do this now...I kind of doubt it.

[f7Oshawn]

They could probably do that now, but then the oxygen masks would drop down automatically.

[singsong]

al quada 3000 +

U.S. War on Terrorism - freedom to 2 countries...

[Patriot_from_CA]

I doubt that any pilot could make a direct hit on the non-lake side of Hoover dam without a lot of practice in a simulator. AQ pilots would undoubtedly crash into the sides of the narrow canyon surrounding the dam or overshoot and plow into Lake Mead. A plane disintegrating and bouncing off the canyon walls into the dam would do no damage to the dam (except for cosmetic damage to the color of the grey concrete.) AQ wants the civilian casualties so they would attack the strip and crash into a big hotel.

I wonder if this flight from France was flying over Russia into LA from the west? In that case, Vegas isn't on the flight path and a plane continuing on to Vegas and not responding to radio would be shot down by fighters out of Nellis AFB. Now that would irritate the French.

[Franking]

I read the story in a compilation called "Adventure Stories for Boys", but I think it was an excerpt from a book called "The Dam Busters".

IIRC, they used a special "ball bomb" that would skip along the surface like a skipped rock, then hit the top of the dam and roll down. Fused by pressure, i think.

The suicidal part was they had to release them exactly 60' above the water and some specific distance from the dam. They got the altitude by mounting spotlights on each wing, angled to converge at 60'. Flying straight at a defended target with blazing spotlights on resulted in huge casualties, and they had to do three in one night, i seem to believe....

F