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 ...
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Yeah, that'd be great. Then they wouldn't even have to hijack a plane to fly it into a tower-----it would be on the official flight plan! ("Flight 412 is scheduled to arrive in side of Sears Tower at approximately 3:39CST...")
The only other possibility I can think of is that they were doing their prayers in the bathroom.
I used to work with a Muslim who had some pretty pecular bathroom habits, he used to carry a cup of water into the stall with him and douse himself over the toilet. I believe it is a custom in Islam that bathrooms are considered unclean and thus they wash themselves many times during the use of the toilet. They also are supposed to step in with their left foot first to show Allah that they are thinking of him even in the most mundane of tasks.
All I knew is that there was water everywhere when he left.
Exactly. What is sad is no one, NOT ONE, person did a thing. We did not learn a thing. Did Todd Beamer and the other 3000 die for nothing?
Ping for your perusal.
Thanks I missed it...
That is TOO funny...and I am a bit like that too...except Ican get into "vomit on command" when I get reallllllly stressed!.
I don't understand why passengers and attendents sat passively by, and allowed these fellows to possibly build a bomb in the bathroom?! I thought we had all learned a lesson from flight 93, on 9-11? No?
I think the author should sue Delta. Sorry, but the flight attendents failed to do the job they are hired to do: protect the passengers. They needed to tell the men to take their seats. If they didn't, then the marshals could arrest them. Then again, that may be part of the terrorists plan. Cause a diversion, identify the airmarshal and keep him and the attendents busy.....
And now we have another possible modification for the airplanes. Give the pilot the ability to lock/unlock the bathroom doors, from the cockpit!
History has been rewritten it appears so that these facts have almost disappeared from the record in the quest for PC.
The threat today from Muslims living in the US as well as abroad is far far more dangerous than the threat during WW 1. Let us hope that articles such as this lead to saner policies concerning safety in the air.
Was this a test in response to Pennsylvania? It would not take too many average size men to block a narrow aisle while the rest worked on the cockpit door!? Fatal repsonse by the passengers and crew!
the neck of the closest...
MINNEAPOLIS - The war on terrorism is again at Minnesota's front door after federal authorities arrested a man who they suspect has terrorism ties.
Federal sources told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the man was arrested last Wednesday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Sources in the Twin Cities and in Washington D.C. said the man arrived on a flight and was taken into federal custody. Along the way, customs agents found disturbing items in his possession.
The U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Ali Mohamed Almosaleh is in federal custody in the Twin Cities. He was being detained on an immigration law violation, but federal sources confirmed there is much more than that to this investigation.
Sources confirm Almosaleh was carrying a suicide when he was arrested. They say that note indicated a specific time and date for carrying out some sort of public suicide. He was also carrying CDs and DVDs, which federal sources say contained anti-American material. A source also confirms Almosaleh had something with him indicating a connection with at least one known terrorist.
"One of the first things that comes to mind is is he actually going to do something that's the first concern," said terrorism expert Bill Michael. "Second, if law enforcement believes he is, and now rightly so they take an overly safe approach and they try and determine what activity he might actually be planning to engage in."
Almosaleh arrived on a KLM flight last week. A source confirmed he began his travels in Syria and stopped in Amsterdam before continuing to the Twin Cities.
A federal source would not say where Almosaleh's final destination was, but that source did indicate it appears Almosaleh had plans to travel beyond the Twin Cities.
One federal official in Washington noted, this is a "very sensitive" investigation.
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have you seen this?
You hit the nail on the head. I am very curious that no one did anything. Other than watch.
> I highly doubt that I could have sat through that flight for 4 1/2 hrs without doing anything
Yeah, like getting right in their faces and yelling LOUDLY: HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? SIT THE HELL DOWN.
I guess I would get in trouble with the PC police, but I'd feel like I did the right thing. I cannot believe that woman and her husband just sat there.
When I flew from Boston two weeks ago, they made a woman in a wheelchair, who obviously was able to do so, get up and walk through the metal detector, AND they made her take her shoes off. Then she sat in a chair while the security person checked the wheelchair, which was the property of one of the airlines!!
Oh dear, vomit on command......hahahaha!!!!!!!!!
I think terrorists are so anti female, until they wouldn't pay a lot of attention to several coming at them full speed ahead. Remember, females are non-people to them.
So there is a lot each one of us can do when our lives are at stake.
Between America loving men and women we have to stick together and not be concerned for our own personal safety.
Frankly, I'm glad there are men in my life. I don't care too much for pain.
Also, there needs to be some who are praying. I'm a pray-er.
I believe that's what God called me to do.
Yell at the same time, but still pray.
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