A friend of mine sent me this link to a recent article in the Women's Wall Street Journal. I hope it hasn't already been posted. A long article, but creepy none the less.....

http://www.womenswallstreet.com/WWS/articl...1&articleid=711

I hope the link works. FYI


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[ July 19, 2004, 09:10 PM: Message edited by: m1 ]

Racist paranoia from a disciple of Ann Coulter, the Evil Queen of Air Transportation Security.

B-but...she's not a racist. She even said so! wink

Guess I'm confused...
I don't know the history behind these individuals. Is the story a lie?

In another thread, MIB posted

Is Profiling on Airlines a Good Idea?

What do the masses think? If so, what, if any, limitations should we have? If we can't profile, then are we really that safe in the air?


J1780 replied

Yes! We should profile! I, for one, am CONSTANTLY on the lookout for any solitary, white, caucasion male driving a rented truck on any street in front of any federal building.

The story you linked, "Terror in the Skies, Again?", is inflaming the political blogosphere. Some claim it's a hoax, some just a paranoid misinterpretation, and some take it as clear proof that We're All Doomed (thanks to The Arabs and The Liberals). One (tin-foil hat) comment even called for martial law, now!

IMHO, the whole thing just doesn't ring true, for a number of reasons. One "source" quoted in the article, Ann Coulter, is a sensationalist, reactionary media slut. That the author seems to take her seriously throws doubt on the entire enterprise.

We can hope for further fact-checking and commentary in the mainstream press.

[ July 17, 2004, 10:13 PM: Message edited by: redsoxbreath ]

We can hope for further fact-checking and commentary in the mainstream press. [/QB][/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info. To me upon first read I thought it was a wild story, but if it turns out to be true....
In any case, re: MIB's question and profiling I think it should happen but shouldn't come down to an exact number (say only two), but a even # of the passengers. For example in this scenario, if the airline wanted to pull these 14 or so gentlemen aside, then I think they had to come up with an additional 14 "non middleeastern" passengers too. Keep it even, cover their asses no matter the hassle.
The one part of this story that didn't ring true to me--not one person/group of persons got up to leave while the boarding process was going on. My partner and I read this story and agreed as the number of middle easterners getting on was growing, we would have definately gotten our carry ons and left the plane. If this many people were suspicious in the boarding process, it seems odd that no one "profiled" for themselves.

This thing has urban legend written all over it, and even if it is true, it doesn't mean we should automatically get suspicious just because there are a large number of Arab-looking people on a flight.

The men described in the article were acting suspiciously - that is why they should be suspected, not because they belong to a certain group. And it sounds like the flight crew was suspicious, and was taking what steps they could without frightening the whole plane. After all, these guys could just be weird passengers.

Well a few things are suspicious in the article but we cant discount them really. Because people make mistakes and dont follow the rules every time.

The mention about the flight attendent telling the passenger that air marshalls were on the plane. Air marshalls do not identify themselves first of all. Secondly, the flight attendent would indeed be fired if she disclosed she knew who they were. They are meant to be there incognito in case something happens. That goes for FAA employees as well, who try to pass weapons through security every day and succeed. And yes, passports are checked during check-in since they are id. I used to do it myself.

I think the main issue of this article, true or not, is that the TSA and the whole airline system is a joke and is not any safer than it was pre- 9/11. The screeners are the same undertrained people who worked in the same positions before, but now they just get paid one extra dollar an hour and are federal employees. As I mentioned before, FAA employees will travel to various places under cover and try to pass weapons through and do quite frequently. The only thing that happens is the screener's agency gets fined.

On my last trip this past week, the guy running the metal detector was more concerned about my sneakers and me walking through the gate before he told me it was ok than actually checking me for anything. He was too busy writing something down and ignored me until I got all the way through and told me what the international sign for stop meant. He made me send my thin sneakers through the xray, which I normally do but didnt think about it this time since I was in a hurry, but then allowing 2 TGIFridays employees behind me with steel toe boots to walk through with them on?

Firstly, the site is actually called WomensWallStreet.com, not Women's Wall Street Journal... their very name makes one think they're something they're not.

Secondly, and thirdly, and fourthly, the whole "article" (if you want to call it that) rings so false, so much like bogus Internet "news." It reads far more like a "story" than reporting--with the reporter seeming to know what was going on all over the plane (behind the first class curtain, and at the rear of the plane--despite the fact that she was sitting in the front of econmy class), the secret notes, the authorities storming the plane, etc.

Please, I've seen Hollywood movies that were more realistic than this.

I think they might show this movie on Fox News in November

There's a follow-up piece on Womenswallstreet.com
today that can answer some of these questions....

"There are no new facts revealed, just a defense of her deep suspicion of Arab men on airlines and her scorn of airline security systems in place." - blogger Donald Sensing

Well - the comforting thing (regardless of the credibility of the article) is that there were Federal Marshals on board. I have some friends who work for the airlines and say that there are Marshals on all cross country and international flights and many other domestic flights.

They also say that they are sworn to secrecey about the presence of the Marshals and can not ever divulge this information.

Which pisses off a lot of elite status frequent fliers who normally upgrade their seats to first class. Most airlines have to hold First Class seats for marshals, which means less opportunity for frequent fliers to upgrade.

What Really Happened on Flight 327?


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[ July 22, 2004, 07:29 PM: Message edited by: m1 ]

This links to an entertaining followup article about who was actually on the airplane.