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 ...
Someone needs to get this story some higher visibility.
I plan to email it to O'Reilly with an urgent plea to look into it.
I'd appreciate as many Freepers as possible jumping on the bandwagon and sending similar emails to him, plus your key Legislators.
Maybe if there's enough noise made, we can get the RIDICULOUS policy of the TSA not to "profile" changed.
Every time I fly through Det Metro, I get pulled aside and my bag inspected - while swarthy MEs sail through pretty much unchecked. I'm not trying to say here that all ME types are bad guys, but the guys trying to kill us ARE ME by and large. So, this PC nonsense of not "offending" anyone and checking little old ladies and people like me (who's obviously nothing more than a middle aged 100% European decent American) are patently and completely ridiculous - and leave us exposed to all sorts of risk).
And yet you nor the 5 thousand others who crossed the bridge reported them. Last week there was a purse sitting on the floor by the check-out counter at Walmart. I sent my kid to tell the service desk (get the children away!). I know I should have stepped away too but didn't want someone else to see it and pick it up. Of course the manager picked it up without a second thought, but I was very nervous.
I ama tired of muslim men looking for a quick buck via a civil rights violation lawsuit or INTIMIDATING an airplane full of people.
f%#% 'em
there'd be more "guns on the street" and liberals would
blame Bush and Halliburton and try to pass more gun control
That was my response as well. I put my daughter on a plane tomorrow for four hours and now I have this scenario in my head.
This sounds like the twisted logic of liberals.
I will be contacting my US senators and reprentative regarding this article. I would encourage others to do the same. Call their office. Get a staffer who will allow you to fax the article or email a link and confirm to them that your are concerned about the situation raised in this article and want your elected office's response and position on what happened.
14 syrians with one way tickets should never been allowed to travel together on one flight. In fact, they never should have been issued visas to enter the U.S.
is the terrorist get married to each other then it's
marital law . then they also have spousal protection and
won't have to testify against one another and John Kerry
can perform their wedding as a Justice of the Peace.
Absolutely! I figured this was something Michael Savage would go nuts over, so I went to his website to find an email address... he already has a link to this story at the top of his front page.
I'll be sending it to O'Reilly. I liked your suggestions for Hannity & Rush also.
I'd add: your House reps & Senators.
Let's turn up the volume on this thing and not wait for a mid-air explosion or ten before we try to DO SOMETHING and change the ridiculous, moronic policy that the TSA has here.
And I for sure don't care if we "offend" anyone in the process.
See my tag line. I believe it's very apropo to what's going on in the US today. We need to get off our duffs and ACT - even if it is initially futile. We need to make noise. We need to yell. And we need to make damn sure that people know what "the scoop" is, because I'll bet my last nickle that 99.999% of all Americans have NO idea that this ridiculous "anti-profiling" policy even exists.
That was my reaction, too. The air marshall program has been grossly underfunded and it's my understanding that a flight would rarely have more than one (if any) marshalls on board.
What bothers me so much is the fact, that no one DID anything.
I'm a little high-strung and would probably have
done something irrational. At least to some folks.
Like demand them to sit or gather in one spot or simply to be a little wiser as to how Americans behave after 9/11. We're a little squeamish!
They might not make it off the plane whole. And I might not either.
At least I would like to think I would make some kind of move! &:-0
We are so afraid of offending someone! YUCK!
Good Lord ...
And if I recall it was the ACLU back during the Clinon Administration that screamed about profiling
And they are still doing it today
We should all call our local talk radio guys about this. This is an outrage. If we get the word out, we will save lives.
or in da butt
or in da beard
or in da headrap
Place holding bump. This article is unreal, and should be in every paper in the country.
Yes my mom has to take diuretic medicine. She always times it so she is near a bathroom when it kicks in.
These two women were in their early 20s. I highly doubt they have to take diuretics. And if they can't hold it for 5 minutes, how do they drive in California? I think they were inexperienced flyers and just clueless.
Oh and the flight attendant mentioned that there is a $10,000 fine per person to the airline if someone is out of their seat while taxiing (if the FAA had an inspector on board to witness it of course). I suspect that fine would be passed on to the offending passenger (maybe not). if so that would be an expensive 5 minutes.
I'm no chemist, but I wonder if there are explosives which could be assembled on the spot from separate ingredients which - on their own - would escape detection. But I think the terrorists are probably more sophisticated than that; what worries me are explosives disguised as - or hidden within - ordinary objects such as cell phones or shoes.
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