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 ...
Yet they practically anal probed my 3 yr old on the way to Disney. Un-Friggin-believable.
After this, the close scrutiny everybody got on El Al Airlines last month when I flew from London to Israel seems considerably less irritating.
If the "evil do'ers" are going to nuke us (or whatever) why would they be wanting to blow up a few planes?
Fine. Panic then.
"Good Point. You also need to read the entire article to find that the questionable men were thoroughly checked out and cleared."
That means only that they weren't on any watch lists. The terrorists are smart enough to recruit fresh martyrs who haven't drawn attention to themselves.
This was REALLY scary. In the words of Todd Beamer: LET'S ROLL!
I used to think that liberals were just mindless fools who didn't really have a clue what was in the best interests of America. Now I have to believe they really want to destroy our country and our way of life-it has to be intentional. Unfortunately, we're going to have to suffer more pain and more losses before something gets done about Mineta and his ilk. When that happens, I wouldn't be surprised to see public lynchings.
I did a lot of flying on commercial airlines last month and I know I kept my eye on anyone who looked Middle Eastern. Sorry, but until a group of Nordic-looking women hijack a plane and crash it into a building and kill thousands, I'm most certainly going to do a bit of racial profiling.
Are you serious? Act on what? Somebody going to the bathroom? In fact, that would be a win-win for the terrorists, because now (guess what?) they know who the air marshals are on board.
I don't know if anyone considered this, but perhaps all the overtly suspicious movements of this group were designed to draw out and help identify the air marshals on the flight...
If only FBI would have paid more attention to what James Woods witnessed while in flight-an actual rehersal for 9-11...
Mark for later
My daughter leaves tomorrow on UA for a four hour flight. I had tears in my eyes reading this.
Just do a google search on these terms
James Woods hijackers
and many links will come up.
I'm going to DC from LA with a connecting flight in Dallas next month and am doing the same thing.
"So here's my question: Since the FBI issued a warning to the airline industry to be wary of groups of five men on a plane who might be trying to build bombs in the bathroom, shouldn't a group of 14 Middle Eastern men be screened before boarding a flight? "
They were "screened before the flight". And nothing was found. So....we search them again, based only on the fact they are of "Middle East" origin?
While I find the stated policy as related by Lehman and Mineta troubling....sorry, lets not overlook the obvious.
Nothing happened.
Their primary purpose is to cause terror, hence the name terrorists.
To instill terror with the added bonus of topping the 9-11 body count is more of a bonus, would-be-nice, option.
The next attack's primary mission will be to instill terror for the purpose of making people vote against Bush. As for this "dry run", it could be just one of the attacks planned for the pre-election islamifest.
As for me, if I see this type activity going on, I will make certain that I stand in line for the restroom immediately after I notice suspicious activity, with the hope that I can possibly thwart their plan, at the very least throw them off balance. I suggest others do the same. Sitting and watching is NOT AN OPTION!!!
Well, maybe, but they'd probably suck.
So they were cleared. That is no assurance that they weren't in the trial phase of the operation. And at the end of their numerous trips to the john, the head guy signaled the other with a forefinger to his throat and mouthed the word "no". That meant, to me, that they planted the various components of the bomb and it wouldn't set to go. Meanwhile, I imagine the plane was scoured for evidence, including the various refuse receptacles.
Amen.
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