Posted on 07/15/2004 6:19:30 AM PDT by Rutles4Ever
A WWS Exclusive Article
Note from the Editors: You are about to read an account of what happened during a domestic flight that one of our writers, Annie Jacobsen, took from Detroit to Los Angeles. The WWS Editorial Team debated long and hard about how to handle this information and ultimately we decided it was something that should be shared. What does it have to do with finances? Nothing, and everything. Here is Annie's story.
On June 29, 2004, at 12:28 p.m., I flew on Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to Los Angeles with my husband and our young son. Also on our flight were 14 Middle Eastern men between the ages of approximately 20 and 50 years old. What I experienced during that flight has caused me to question whether the United States of America can realistically uphold the civil liberties of every individual, even non-citizens, and protect its citizens from terrorist threats.
On that Tuesday, our journey began uneventfully. Starting out that morning in Providence, Rhode Island, we went through security screening, flew to Detroit, and passed the time waiting for our connecting flight to Los Angeles by shopping at the airport stores and eating lunch at an airport diner. With no second security check required in Detroit we headed to our gate and waited for the pre-boarding announcement. Standing near us, also waiting to pre-board, was a group of six Middle Eastern men. They were carrying blue passports with Arabic writing. Two men wore tracksuits with Arabic writing across the back. Two carried musical instrument cases thin, flat, 18" long. One wore a yellow T-shirt and held a McDonald's bag. And the sixth man had a bad leg -- he wore an orthopedic shoe and limped. When the pre-boarding announcement was made, we handed our tickets to the Northwest Airlines agent, and walked down the jetway with the group of men directly behind us.
My four-year-old son was determined to wheel his carry-on bag himself, so I turned to the men behind me and said, "You go ahead, this could be awhile." "No, you go ahead," one of the men replied. He smiled pleasantly and extended his arm for me to pass. He was young, maybe late 20's and had a goatee. I thanked him and we boarded the plan.
Once on the plane, we took our seats in coach (seats 17A, 17B and 17C). The man with the yellow shirt and the McDonald's bag sat across the aisle from us (in seat 17E). The pleasant man with the goatee sat a few rows back and across the aisle from us (in seat 21E). The rest of the men were seated throughout the plane, and several made their way to the back.
(Excerpt) Read more at womenswallstreet.com ...
"The last man came out of the bathroom, and as he passed the man in the yellow shirt he ran his forefinger across his neck and mouthed the word "No."" I wonder what would have happened if he mouthed the word go.
Fly the friendly skies of TERROR (right here at home) - ping.
That was stupid, all you had to do was put it in a checked bag.
I would have caught the next flight. Come on people, use that thing on your shoulders for something other than a hat rack!
Vigilance and fear are not the same...I can remain without fear yet at the same time be attentive to protecting myself.
not sure why... maybe just forward the article hyperlink.
One thing about United is that they do not allow you to use a bathroom in a different class than the one in which you are seating. Since my upgrades a fewer since I wasn't flying a lot in the last year or two, I am now rarely upgraded. While inconvenient, it is a good rule. However, I am not going to go around frightened. Life's too short for that. I trust these men are now under surveillance, and I doubt that another air incident will be successful.
Ping for later read.
Remember, they don't need to hijack or blow up a plane. A small vial of some nasty bug in the ventilation system would be enough.
I thought my mouth couldn't drop any farther open than it did reading the article at the top of this thread. But it has. Do they really think we'll all be shopping at the malls when there's an attack of that sort?
This sort of think is probably why the last few flights I have been on have had a rule that only first class passengers can use the forward lavatory. Also there is to be no standing around in the forward area. All someone has to do to stop this is search the restroom after only half of them have used it. That or put cameras in there but there is no way they will do that.
14 Syrians got on a plane with one way tickets to go "play" at some concert in the desert. They acted not only suspiciously, but in a manner that is clearly indicative of planning together to acomplish some goal on the aircraft. Two days after this flight, they all flew back to Syria.
IMHO, the enemy is testing, probing, dry-running against us, just like they did before 9-11. These people would be crazy and dangrously asleep at the wheel if they didn't notice ths type of activity and report it the way they did.
'when they started doing the group thing, the pilot should have kept the fasten seat belt on..
Good point. Then the flight attendants would have reason (to satisfy the politically correct police) to ask these men to sit down. But, still couldn't prevent them from using the lavatory.
It just raises one's level of concern, especially those of us with children about to fly the friendly skies tomorrow, for example. Yeah, those destined-for-Vegas bands from Syria. They sure have a fine sense of humor.
Women's Wall Street? WTF? We can't use the same one as men?
Bump
Yup.
Nothing happened on 9/10/2001 either, hoss.
Remember the actor James Woods was on that flight!
Naw, y'all keep leaving the lid up. ;-)
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