The article and the recent intelligence points to a bombing not a takeover. Try fighting with the bomber as the plane is in a million pieces over Kansas.
(pardon the pings...Ms. Bruce is covering the story pretty well)
Ms. Bruce (the law-and-order lesbian and former president of NOW in Los Angeles)
is now recounting of how being politically correct got her mugged and beaten some years ago...
she didn't pay trust her instinct about "hey, I don't usually see that sort of
potentially threatening person at this time and place..." and she paid the price.
(pardon pings)
Skeptical caller asks how come there were Air Marshalls on the flight (as in
there were only enough to cover about 1-2% of flights)...
Ms. Bruce mentions that maybe there are plenty more Air Marshalls now...and "why doesn't
Dubya's "pre-emption" policy apply domestically".
Ms. Bruce mentions the possibility that potential hijackers/bombers realize the
likelihood of "citizen action"...so they can't get by with 4-5 guys...hoping that with
more bodies they can still overwhelm the plane...or protect a bomb-building project.
One caller mentions the possiblity that authorities could occassionally call for
a FULL-PLANE check (of all passengers)...maybe 14 Syrians could still try a discrimination
suit, but a full-plane check might blunt that sort of machination.