Posted on 01/04/2002 9:34:45 PM PST by ImphClinton
Edited on 04/29/2004 1:59:53 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Here's one from Karen who's from upstate, New York. Big territory. "Bill, I almost always agree with you, but you are really wrong on this one. The pilot did exactly the right thing. And anyone who believes a government ID cannot be forged is living in a fantasy."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Imph: Was it you I saw posting that bogus story about a shootup at BWI just now?
I'm kinda curious here. You've been here since 1998. Yet I can't find a single post from you except on this particular issue, at a quick search. And lately, there's been a lot of people with old-old regdates suddenly popping up and waving their flags for various odd causes.
Makes one kinda wonder what's going on here.
And you think the pilots statment and that of the SOC were not scrutinized and refined before they were published on Americans Website? I have a bridge I would like to show you.
Do you have a recording of the Agent telling the supervisor this? Remember, the supervisor also works for American Airlines and they are in full damage control mode.
I believe he is a Clinton appointee. Why is he still there and how do we know he's NOT a "sleeper"
The book had a title similar to "The Crusades..from an Islamic Perspective".
It would be interesting to see how many other Arabs or Arab-American passengers were also on this flight and how many of them were booted. If there were a number of other Arabs (or Arab-Americans) on the flight and yet this agent was the only one singled out, then his claim of profiling is substantially weakened.
Would you have then gone to this gun toting terroist and asked him to leave the plane. I wouldn't have. I would have gotten law enforcement involved. I had 90 minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave. Plenty of time for them to do their job.
Is it really your job to dis-arm terroist???
Perhaps the flight attendent should be fired. She told the Captain that the book was written in arabic. It was written in English. It was a college level textbook on the history of the Arab world, something that would not be unsuual reading for a Secret Service agent who had just spent three months working with the FBI Counter-Terrorism Unit. The fact that he was of Arab descent doesnt mean he had much, if any knowledge of ARab culture. I'm of Swedish descent but all I know about Swedish culture has to do with the Vikings.
She also says it was suspicious that the Agent left the plane, said he would be back and asked that she not remove his items. Well, according to the Agent, he left the plane because he was ordered to so by the Captain while the Captain checked his identity. If the Captain is accepting the flight attendants suspicon as the rationale for his suspicion that the agent might not be who he said he was, then something is wrong, since he knew he had ordered the Agent off the plane.
Someone claiming to be a federal agent who didn't know how to fill out paperwork would be suspicious no matter what their ethnic background is. Anyone wanting to fly who doesn't fill out paperwork correctly now raises suspicions no matter who they are. Someone who just doesn't want to take their shoes off now raises suspicions so why a fed or an Arab or both thinks they are above the law is in the wrong.
Normally when you have a problem with a company you wish to continue using, you complain to upper management. When you improperly fill out forms three times you supposedly should know how to fill out, and then run to an organization like CAIR, you are looking for publicity and probably lawsuit money. This agent is a fraud ---he knew how to fill out those forms all along.
I have no problem with racial profiling as long as further checks are allowed in a manner that allows the innocent to prove their innocence. That wasn't the case here. They made no attempt to check out this Agent and see if he was real.
Even this I would have had no problem with except they didn't take this armed man into custody until the knew he was not a terroist. There can be no innocent until proven guilty in a case like this. You are a armed terroist until you prove otherwize and must be kept safe from other passengers and crew.
Well Howlin, he did have proper identification. The pilot checked it five times but refused to have anyone verify it was valid.
The paperwork was an American Airlines form. Before he was foreced to switch flights the form was completely and accurately filled out. Since they didnt have any additional forms at the gate, the gate attendent changed the flight number, etc on the form and returned it to him. This the Captain refused, even though he knew he had a supposed Secret Service agent coming over from the cancelled flight two gates over. He knew his flight number and he knew the flight number of the cancelled flight but he concocted some fable that perhaps he was terrorist because he had changed the info on the AA form.
Since he's claiming agent status, he should have been familiar with how to travel and what documents he would need.
He was familar with what was required of him. He had checked in with Airport police. Been verified three times prior to boarding. Was escored by police officer through security. Presented his badge and photo ID (which pilot would not know whether real or not since he had never seen them better) and completed AA form.
What couldn't he get it filled out properly in three tries
Well we have only the pilots word on this. Presumably American Airlines has these forms. Its surprising that they havent used them to buttress their case by placing them on their website...unless the accusation is not true.
Also from the pilots own statement, what was wrong with the form was that it wasnt signed and that it didnt include the telephone number of his superior. Think about it. The form was filled out in front of the Captain. Does his signature prove he is who says he is? And as far as the telephone number, the Agent had given the number to the pilot numerous times and suggested that he contact the Agent in Charge at the White House but the pilot showed no interest. To me, this whole form business smells of excuse after the fact, not the real reason they pilot wouldnt allow the agent to fly American that day.
I'm sure nobody at CAIR wanted to use this incident to further their cause. Ah, right again!
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