That's pretty scary!

This has been making the rounds...here (http://blogs.salon.com/0002874/2004/07/16.html#a1012 -- sorry, I don't know how to link it up in the comments) is another take on it.

Also, the woman who wrote the article got some of her "facts" from Ann Coulter, who warns her readers to beware all "swarthy" men.

Here are some other things to consider:
1. Racial profiling is, well, illegal.
2. Are we supposed to keep all middle eastern people from flying? Just the men? Just the men between 20 and 50?
3. If we do start racial profiling (see #1) I'm assuming Saudi Arabians would be included in this. The Saudis, with whom the current administration is pretty much in bed financially.
4. Even if we bar all middle eastern people from flying, then what? Terrorists don't really give a shit if it's a plane that kills innocent civilians or a car bomb. It might be more effective to consider, you know, why these kinds of things are still happening.

I have to admit the article lost a lot of clout in my mind when I saw the Ann Coulter quote.

Her final thought provoking question is, "But I wonder, if 19 terrorists can learn to fly airplanes into buildings, couldn't 14 terrorists learn to play instruments?"

Here is my question: Couldn't terrorists find 14 non-Middle Easterners to carry out terrorist acts without worry of racial profiling?

Security needs to be efficient regardless of race.

Agreed.

"my husband and I exchanged glances, and then continued to get comfortable.  I noticed some of the other passengers paying attention to the situation as well." is immediately followed by   "As boarding continued, we watched as, one by one, most of the Middle Eastern men made eye contact with each other."

Oh no, eye contact! She made eye contact with her husband, maybe he's a terrorist! And then when she saw other passengers paying attention to the situation, I hope they didn't make eye contact!

And who would have thought that 14 middle eastern men might be flying from Detroit, which has one of the highest arab populations in the country?

"Since the FBI issued a warning to the airline industry to be wary of groups of five men on a plane who might be trying to build bombs in the bathroom, shouldn't a group of  14 Middle Eastern men be screened before boarding a flight?"

Actually, since terrorists like the DC snipers and the Oklahoma City bombers were in the military, shouldn't any group of US military personnel be screened? How is that criteria any different from screening middle eastern men?

Basically this reads like something out of the weekly world news and is only scary because people are giving it credence.

Regardless of race, car bombs and Ann Coulter, that is still pretty scary. I mean the guy made the slit your throat gesture.

In response to Emily, who missed the point entirely as usual... the article was not posted to suggest Middle-Eastern people should not be allowed to fly or any of the other nonsense (but typical) worst-case scenarios she suggested. The purpose to show that the fear of being OFFENSIVE due to the very rhetoric that she has repeated in her post has paralized security in this case (and likely in others).

It's not as if this is some sort of conjecture...that is a pretty comprehensive description of a terrorist dry run. Emily, I hate to tell you that just because she quoted Ann Coulter doesn't change the fact that she was ON THE PLANE.

Or a bunch of Middle-Eastern musicians had the runs.

Hahaha....nice. :o)

BTW Ryan, your points are well taken. I suppose anybody sympathetic to the cause COULD be found to carry out these attacks. That is not the precedent, though, and though it may be taboo to say so (I have never been swayed by PC crap)...I don't know if there is anything else on the planet other than this extreme form of Islam capable of making a large group of people THAT crazy (70 virgins waiting in heaven...etc.). Security does need to be efficient regardless of race...I agree. I think maybe that should start with flight attendants not being afraid to tell people to "sit down" out of fear of being labeled "racist" themselves!

Oh...and while I am thinking about it, does anyone have an explanation as to why Sandy Berger was stuffing classified documents in his pants and socks?!?!

What a day...I need a beer.

Id say in light of the news article regarding in-fight bomb preparation dry runs quoted in this article it is definitely really suspicious. The way she described how they moved about the cabin says a lot i think.

Interestingly, NPR had an interview with the former defense minister of India the other day in which he reported being strip searched twice despite being invited here by the gov. and accompanied by an ambassador. Racial profiling may be illegal, but it certainly happens. Ive done a lot of traveling with indian and arab colleagues and usually at least one of them is pulled out of line.

Really, airport security is a joke here anyway. countries like Peru have much tighter constraints, maybe becuase they have had ~75K people die as a result of terrorism in the last 30 years.

My proposed solution to the problem would be to eliminate carry on luggage. I never have room to put my laptop case in the overhead compartment anyway, cuz some selfish asshole has brought all five pieces of their luggage on board.

Then again, perhaps they were all playing a really elaborate practical joke....

Guess this post is a bit late, but im on AZ time.

:)

Aren't you guys getting tired of talking politics yet? Jesus, it's been almost a year now and we can't get off of this. I remember when disjointed was a fun site. I suppose I am partly to blame, but goddamn get off it already (apologies to anyone who doesn't know me). I check this site once in a while, but it disgusts me to see the rabid hatred one side has for another, dems and reps. Let it go, the election is drawing to a head and is almost done. What happened to megaman?

Dude, I love it when you insult me! As usual, however, because I disagree with you, this indicates that I'm missing the point. I'm not missing the point. I disagree with the point. Racial profiling isn't going to help, even if it is instituted.

There is an article on Salon today about this (for anyone who's interested) by an actual pilot who, I assume, knows more about air travel safety than Annie Jacobsen or even Dude.

Emily you still missed the point! Amazing....

You still don't realize that I wasn't necessarily advocating for racial profiling (whatever that means exactly), do you??

JT...no hatred here. This is what America is all about. Actually...I think this site is pretty balanced in it's discussion.

I only get frustrated with Emily because her critical thinking skills were not developed propery by her government school, and thus her emotions determine how she assembles her information rather than vice-versa. Sometimes that makes it hard to have reasonable differences with her. I certainly don't hate her...in fact, I imagine a rather sweet young woman who's company is equisitely pleasant to be in.

One more thing. I find it interesting that you won't lend a bit of credence to Ann Coulter, yet you keep expecting me to refer to Salon.com, one of the most blatently communist sites on the net.

I do read everything you refer me to...I just find it interesting.

Jt - I don't see how the site is not fun just because 1 out of every 20 posts has to do with politics. It is an election year, of course people are going to talk about politics.

The idea behind the site was for people to post and talk about whatever they find interesting, there was never supposed to be any theme. In that respect I think we have been pretty sucessful. If you want to talk politics here you can do it, if you want to read about art you can do it, if you want to see funny pictures of cats, we got that too.

So Dude, what are you advocating?

I'm not saying Salon is unbiased...I was just offering it up as further reading on the subject, another point of view.

Even though I have been warped by my government school, I still like to be well-informed. I've even watched Fox News! ;)

Hahahahahahahahaha. Salon.com, one of the most blatently communist sites on the net. Dude, sometimes you are too much.

That is our new slogan here. It is perfect!

Glad to brighten your day!!!! :o)

I REALLY WANTED TO LET THIS GO, UNTIL I FOUND THIS LITTLE WRITE-UP http://www.tonguetied.us/...JUST HAD TO SHARE IT.

The New York Times and Salon have both gotten to the bottom of the mystery on Flight 327 and blamed the incident on, of course, racism and bigotry.

Annie Jacobsen’s article on www.womenswallstreet.com described the fear she felt when a dozen or so Middle Eastern men started acting suspiciously on a flight from Detroit to Los Angeles.

The Times found out that the Middle Eastern men were Syrian musicians en route to a show near Los Angeles. To the Times, Jacobsen’s fear was clearly a result of ethnic stereotyping. Salon was less restrained, calling her bigoted, hysterical and paranoid.

Good thing the folks from Salon and the Times weren’t on Flight 63. Instead of beating the shit out of shoe bomber Richard Reid and averting a mid-air catastrophe, they might have bought him a drink in the name of ethnic harmony.