'Suspicious' men removed from Oakland plane They used cash, then spread out to different seats

The San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 10/5/02 | Henry K. Lee

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Four men removed from an America West plane at Oakland International Airport had prompted concerns because three of them paid cash for a ticket surcharge for the flight and had spread out to different seats, while the fourth was seen talking to them, authorities said Friday.

[Commie Basher]

If someone on my plane mumbles "hi, Jack." I will strangle him with my own necktie.

My, aren't you the macho man!

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Are you for real?

Oh nevermind. You're just a liber(al)tarian and contrarian.....nevermind...keep on.

[Commie Basher]

I don't know how some Freepers get to sleep at night. They're so afraid, if they get up to take a pee, when they come back there will be four young Middle East men under their bed sitting in different seats.

A generation ago, they were the type of "conservatives" who'd panic if they got into the same elevator with a black man. The type of "conservatives" that Leftists like to create caricatures around.

[Commie Basher]

I think the episode with the lady in the restaurant with the "medical students" was the same kind of exercise--to find out what the official response would be, so scenarios could be invented to evade it.

Do facts and evidence mean anything to you? Those medical students were investigated. They were indeed medical students. They had jobs awaiting them in Florida.

But, never allow facts and evidence to interfere with your paranoia.

[stndngathwrthistry]

I don't know if I'm more appalled by the people who think that sensible security precautions are a sign of incipient fascism, or the people who insist that an Arab who puts his feet up on an airplane must be probing our defenses.

[A_perfect_lady]

I'm suspicious of them no matter what they do.

I'm with you.

[Commie Basher]

Does this sound strange to you guys or am I letting my paranoia run wild?

M.E. people don't move in like that, all of a sudden like. Your town is being invaded by pod people -- usually former FReepers who are transformed into M.E. looking people by a space-borne bacteria.

You must report it to Art Bell at once!

[KneelBeforeZod]

hmm. they paid the SURCHARGE in cash. I've done that. once when I would have been stranded in Denver because the corp secretary didn't pay for switching our tickets like she was supposed to.

however we weren't middle eastern men. (or women)

I was on a flight to cancun where some family of morons kept switching seats. I would have loved to have them removed. and they weren't just morons for switching seats...they were all slobs and you had to wonder how the parents genes got passed on.

[Commie Basher]

As I've reported before, this is not uncommon, these men want to be thrown off of planes, then file suits against the airlines, hoping for a quick settlement.

All the more reason not to throw them off the plane for silly reasons. (Not that we know this was the case with these people).

[Roscoe]

remember Saddam is in Baghdad

Some of the terrorists he helped train are within our borders. Some of his apologists are on this thread.

[spokeshave]

" while another put his feet on an adjoining chair, "

Well...that solves it...they can't be islamics as it's not polite in their culture to display the soles of shoes or feet.

[TC Rider]

All the more reason not to throw them off the plane for silly reasons. (Not that we know this was the case with these people).

How bout we just let them fly in shackles. My friend who is a pilot for National, told me that in once case they put an extra divider between 1st class and coach and locked them in their own little compartment. They should call it 'Islam Class', except Islam extremists have no class.

[GOPJ]

Sorry, I have a Muslim friend who is totally appalled when a grandmother gets searched and he sails past airport security. As he says, he has to be on that plane too. He has no desire to die for the cause of political correctness. And yes, he's also an American citizen, son of an Iranian Mullah.

Try to understand that just because someone is Muslim, doesn't mean they want to die for some liberal politically correct delusion.

Were these "Middle Easterners" Americans? If so, they were our guys. They were Americans, same as you and me.

[GOPJ]

Sorry, I have a Muslim friend who is totally appalled when a grandmother gets searched and he sails past airport security. As he says, he has to be on that plane too. He has no desire to die for the cause of political correctness. And yes, he's also an American citizen, son of an Iranian Mullah.

Try to understand that just because someone is Muslim, doesn't mean they want to die for some liberal politically correct delusion.

Were these "Middle Easterners" Americans? If so, they were our guys. They were Americans, same as you and me.

[soccermom]

Look, I'm not saying they shouldn't have pulled them from the flight. I'm just saying their actions were pretty normal. If my family had done the same thing, no one would have given it a second thought. It is, as someone else noted, just a sign of the times.

[Letitring]

LOL. I love it. :)

[Letitring]

I'm with you two. :)

[Commie Basher]

How bout we just let them fly in shackles.

I'm sorry, I thought you were an American. My mistake. Are you posting from Red China or Cuba? No real liberty-loving, equality-loving American thinks that way. No Christian either. So you must be an ahteistic Communist totalitarian.

[clamboat]

How bout we just let them fly in shackles.

I'm sorry, I thought you were an American. My mistake. Are you posting from Red China or Cuba? No real liberty-loving, equality-loving American thinks that way.

Unfortunately, the liberty-hating, constitutional shredding type is typical of the freerepublic variety of 'conservative', and they are all very much American. Bigoted, scared, fightened, blowhards who are frightened of their own shadow. Sigh.

[2rightsleftcoast]

OK,perhaps you are a kinder,gentler, person than me.
We must profile now. To not profile is complete
stupidity to me. I don't want your family to get hurt.