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 ...
Did you READ the article?
FOURTEEN MUSLIMS....sharing potty breaks....positioning themselves at key points of the aircraft....
Wow, this is bad.
Veeeerrrrrry interesting article. Bookmarked to later read all these comments...
The assembly would necessarily be in the lavatory so that it couldn't be seen. Unless they passed the object from one person to another out side the lavatory, they would have to leave it inside the lavatory for the next person to bring his part of the device, be it gun or explosive or whatever.
Could it be an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) device designed to disrupt the planes controls and cause a crash?
One of my employees, an Air Force reservist, travelling in uniform, on orders, was ubjected to secondary screening. An Arab, directly behind him, was not.
Much simpler than that: Start a fire, or set off enough of an explosion. That's all it takes. Other posters have already suggested how easy it is. Liquid explosives, by the way, are not detectable by the bomb scanners. Cheddar chesse, on the other hand, sets off the red lights.
If they have been let go, then you're right. I sure as hell hope not.
Note to others. You don't need to fight to take over the plane. If I had half of the 14 men bring, say 1/3rd of a liter of ammonia each, and the other half bring 1/3 of a liter each of chlorine (say, all in their shaving kits), I could make a WMD that would kill every one on board such a closed-air system that a pressurized cabin of an airplane is. And the 14 men could have gas masks, or parts to make gas masks in their carry-ons.
What's really scary is that the second time it happens probably STILL won't change it. Third, maybe? Fourth...?
*shudder*
Give me a break! I don't know which has made me angrier today, this article or Bob Novak's column on the liar Joe Wilson. Too many people are either through stupidity or intention helping to facilitate the next attack on the U.S., and it is going to make 9/11 look like child's play.
Good call. I didn't think you were allowed to either use the bathroom, much less form a line for it, when the seatbelt sign was on. Apparently that's not the case.
I have had an opportunity to see the other side of racial profiling. My grown son looks somewhat "Middle Eastern". He is part Hawaiian and has a heavy beard. When he travels alone he frequently is pulled aside for the full treatment, (pat downs, shoe removal, etc.). When he travels with me this doesn't happen. A person in his Bible study group told him that he "looks like a terrorist".
That said, I would have been at least observant on this flight, but even supposing something had happened, it sounds like one of the greatest problems to deal with would have been all the people having panic attacks.
Thanks for the kind thoughts, but don't be so quick to say that Psalm. It's the one we usually say at funerals. :(
Tefillat Haderech ("The Traveller's Prayer) would be more appropriate.
PRAYER FOR TRAVELERS
This prayer is to be said, standing if possible, outside the city on the first day of one’s journey (or sitting in one’s seat as the aircraft lifts off the runway). On subsequent days of the journey until reaching home again, whether on the road or at a hotel, the prayer should be recited every morning, but should be concluded thus:
Blessed are You who hears prayer.
May it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our fathers,
to lead us in peace and direct our steps in peace; to guide us in peace, to support us in peace,
and to bring us to our destination in life, joy, and peace.
Deliver us from the hands of every enemy and lurking foe,
from robbers and wild beasts on the journey,
and from all kinds of calamities that may come and afflict the world;
and bestow blessing upon all our actions.
Grant me grace, kindness, and mercy in Your eyes
and in the eyes of all who behold us,
and bestow bountiful kindness upon us.
Hear the voice of our prayer,
for You hear everyone’s prayer.
Blessed are You, Lord, who listens to prayer!
The point is because of the ACLU lawsuits against Northwest Airlines for discrimination against ragheads, the flight crew was afraid of telling the terror operatives to sit down and stop acting suspicious for fear of being sued by the ACLU, CAIR, etc. So they just let the Syrians take over the airplane unchallenged. The ACLU is going to be responsible for the deaths of many more Americans and they'll take the side of the ragheads.
Thanks for the ping.This is an eye opener.
Un-freaking-real! The day after the next 9-11 we can all be proud to know that the airlines and gummint didn't discriminate against the airborne jihadis, just like on 9-11-2001.
If everyone on the flight was as spooked as the writer implies, then the FA made a judgment call that calming passenger panic was the overriding concern. That said, who is to say that the FA wasn't talking to the Caucasian ring leader. Very bad form on her part, but she was probably shaken to the core.
I don't know. Take 14 young strong middle eastern men and have them clog up the aisle in front of the cockpit. Two of the men could go to the cockpit and the remaining me could act as buffers for anyone who did fight. They could use the plane as a missle again. The only real line of defense would be air marchals and the pilots. I'm sure the pilots would crash the plane rather than have it used as a missle. BTW, I wouldn't put much faith in the best effort of a liberal to fight off anyone. It isn't in their nature.
Why did these Syrians bring their cell phones and cameras with them into the bathroom to perform WuDu? Is that a Muslim ritual, too?
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