Posted on 09/10/2007 2:28:48 PM PDT by Mr. Jazzy
"Credible Security Risk" Those are the words of the pilot on Delta Flight 1824 out of OIA, after it pulled back from the gate Friday morning to take off for Atlanta. Nine Middle Eastern passengers, six males and three females, had been denied access to the plane when TSA screeners found they were carrying an array of suspicious items ranging from hydrogen peroxide, which can be used to make bombs, to wires and Vaseline bottles taped together. Perhaps most disturbing, what one TSA worker tells me were the first positive tests for SEMTEX ever reported by security at OIA. SEMTEX is considered the bomb making material of choice by Islamic terrorists. In addition, a couple of them also had improper identification. The suspicious passengers were denied access to the flight, but ultimately...(are you ready for this?)...they were allowed to go on their way after questioning by airport officials and Orlando police!
(Excerpt) Read more at 540wfla.com ...
We can help with our prayers for the men and women who stand up for us. When I go to lunch, I’ll buy for GI’s in uniform.
Sometimes, we don’t know who our brothers and sisters are. Special prayers for them.
What else? If it comes down, get some. Best we can do.
I’m sending you a belt. The boots are up to you.
I agree with you 100%.
It’s highly likely that these people didn’t actually intend to blow anything up. They were just testing the system.
The tests accomplish several things. First of all, they want to see what they can get through security (e.g., SEMTEX). Second, they want to see what kind of behavior they can get away with (e.g., how many can travel together, what kind of suspicious actions get them noticed). Third, they want to see what happens if they get detained (e.g., can they file lawsuits, create negative publicity in order to give future terrorists a pass for their behavior).
We need to prevent all 3 of these actions. And if we can’t prevent them, then we need to play better at their game. Give them a false sense of security and allow them to think they’ve gotten away with something when they have not.
I think the Flying Imam nonsense may have backfired. Regardless of the lawsuit and the accusations of insensitivity, I think it only served to make most normal Americans even more vigilant. Most of the people I know would not hesitate to report this kind of behavior. Most of the people I know would not be intimidated by the threat of a lawsuit. I think most Americans will fight back even when the government and the legal system won’t.
That’s what makes me proud to be an American. The regular people out there who stand up for what’s right.
>>”Will a taser still discharge through vaseline I wonder?”
Yeah, and the guy might even catch fire as a bonus.<<
Super!!!!
From this website:
http://www.skygod.com/asstd/abc.html
“When the Wright brothers first took to the air in 1903, there was no need for coding airports since an airport was literally any convenient field with a strong wind. However, the National Weather Service did tabulate data from cities around the country using a two-letter identification system. Early airlines simply copied this system, but as airline service exploded in the 1930’s, towns without weather station codes needed identification. Some bureaucrat had a brainstorm and the three-letter system was born, giving a seemingly endless 17,576 different combinations. To ease the transition, existing airports placed an X after the weather station code. The Los Angeles tag became LAX, Portland became PDX, Phoenix became PHX and so on. Incidentally at the historic sand dune in Kitty Hawk where the first flight occurred the U.S. National Parks Service maintains a tiny airstrip called FFA—First Flight Airport.
Many station codes are simply the first three letters of the city name: ATL is Atlanta, BOS is Boston, MIA is Miami, SIN is Singapore, and SYD is Sydney, Australia. The first letter(s) of multiple cities served forms other codes: DFW for Dallas Fort Worth, MSP for Minneapolis/St. Paul, and GSP for Greenville/Spartenburg, South Carolina. Sometimes the city name lends itself to one letter for each word, such as Salt Lake City (SLC), Port of Spain in Trinidad & Tobago (POS), or even Port au Prince, Haiti (PAP).
Most of the “hard to decipher” identifiers become obvious if one knows the name of the airport rather than the city served. A Louisiana example is ESF, for Esler Field in Alexandra. Orly airport (ORY) and Charles De Gaule airport (CDG) serve Paris, France, while Tokyo, Japan has the Narita airport (NRT). When you know what the code represents, some curious acronyms become obvious: MSY is the former Moisant Stock Yards in New Orleans, CMH is Columbus Municipal Hangar, BWI is Baltimore Washington International, LGW is London Gatwick, and LHR is London Heathrow!
This system of identifying airports caught on quickly and soon expanded to include all radio navigation aids used by pilots. The VOR on the field at ORD sends out the Morse code for ORD. Recently some VORs not located at the airport of the same name changed identifiers to prevent possible confusion. The clearance “cross 10 miles south of Chattanooga” was confusing when the airport and VOR were five miles apart. FAA surprisingly didn’t try to change the name of the city but changed the VOR, resulting in the Chattanooga Airport (CHA) and the Choo Choo VOR (GCO)!
All localizer identifiers are prefaced with an “I.” Compass locators are assigned a two-letter identifier, normally using the localizer as a base. For example, at ABC the localizer might be IABC, the locator outer marker, AB, and the locator inner marker, BC. (Note, outside the US radio navigation aid naming may be much less formal.)
Some special interest groups successfully lobbied the government to obtain their own special letters. The Navy saved all the new ‘N’ codes. Naval aviators learn to fly at NPA in Pensacola, Florida and then dream of going to “Top Gun” in Miramar, California (NKX). The Federal Communications Committee set aside the ‘W’ and ‘K’ codes for radio stations east and west of the Mississippi respectively. ‘Q’ was designated for international telecommunications. ‘Z’ was reserved for special uses. The Canadians made off with all the remaining ‘Y codes which helps explain YUL for Montreal, YYC for Calgary, etc. (The start of the the song YYZ by the band Rush is the Morse code for the letters Y Y Z. Rush is from Toronto.)”
Looks like our friends to the north just got to the table late in the letter game!
'Suspicious items' stall flight
Orlando - An Atlanta-bound Delta Air Lines flight at Orlando International Airport was delayed about three hours Thursday morning after security officials detained 12 people in two families who they said were carrying "suspicious items."
Some passengers who were already seated on the flight were instructed to get off the plane so officials could re-screen every person and package aboard the aircraft, the Transportation Security Administration said.
An agent at the FBI's Tampa office said the suspicious items turned out to be a bottle that had been covered with tape to prevent leaking. The flight ultimately took off about 10:20 a.m. without the two families, who were still undergoing FBI questioning. They were ultimately released.
"It was all benign," said Dave Couvertier, the FBI agent.
But I also do not believe in the truthfulness or in the investigative skills of the staff of the Orlando Sentinel.
At one time, the Sentinel was worth reading. It no longer is.
Never knew that. Thanks for posting it! :)
I strongly support a broad John Doe liabilty immunity waiver, which in my view also should extend to all aircraft and airport personnel, as well as the backbone of National Security: a vigilent public.
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On this story from the radio station website.
“Now, some new information revealed on Monday’s show. My anonymous contact within TSA, who was part of the security check, says this was the first time ever that SEMTEX had been detected at OIA. How can the FBI and local authorities expect us to believe this incident was “benign”, as they have characterized it, when SEMTEX suddenly shows up at our airport?! In addition, my TSA contact reports that security personnel at OIA were told to work overtime through the weekend to create a maximum presence, presumably to deter any other terrorist activity. Does this sound “benign” to you?”
Just an update.
Thank you for the update on this story.
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