Gypsytravel.

Sorry but that's a load of nonsense. The UK intelligence service is pretty damned good (by most independent judges as good as any bar Israel's, and WAY better than the USA's who believe that ELINT is better than HUMINT).

I have a tiny insight to this through my job (ie I am perhaps 5% better informed that Joe public, search under my old log in around 7//705 to see what I mean. I've been busy today.) and on the back of that small insight I can tell you that the security services here are surprisingly aware of an awful lot of stuff.

Yes they get caught out, much as the yanks did with timothy McVeigh, but so far they've caught all the balls bowled at them for the last year.

Girlspytravel --

If you had anything other than an incidental tie to the intelligence community, you would have chosen another moniker.

Please stop insulting our friends the British over matters on which you are obviously ill-informed.

Sorry, Audere, what you call "nonsense" because you don't like to hear your own country slammed for its lack of proactive security planning, which has led to the present situation are simply FACTS, not opinions. UBL's London office staying open until the 98 embassy bombings when the rest of the world had shut down his official operation in the early 90's? FACT. Star Wars bar scene of Islamic radicals operating freely in London? FACT. Sheikh Abu Al Hamza spewing his ideology of hate to impressionable young Asians at the Finsbury Park mosque-among them, Moussaoui and Richard Reid, without being shut down? FACT. (Hamza, if you'll recall, was FINALLY picked up by London police for inciting terrorism the day AFTER the London bombings, btw).

And here we see this article in Britain's Daily Mail today, from your own Home Secretary, John Reid, who states that the UK is under a greater threat from Islamic terrorism than it EVER has been, since World War II:

Britain Faces Greater Danger than World War II, warns Reid:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

The article basically says, that Britain has got to be dragged kicking and screaming into the post 9/11 reality world-which it still hasn't quite got the hang of yet.

Britain STILL allows extremist mosques to stay open and spew their message of hate to impressionable Asian youths, for god's sakes-amazing.

Do a search on August 22nd....that's the day in Muslim beliefs that Mohammed flew on a winged horse from Jerusalem to Heaven and back...any wonder why they'd target airplanes (winged) and most likely on that date. Hopefully, they stop the other 29 before this date.

Tara

I'll fly naked with no baggage as long as they let me carry an extra large bottle of XANAX which I'll need to board a flight.

All of this heated discussion is too much for me this morning. I am just very selfishly glad that all of our summer travel is completed. (School starts on Tuesday.) I am just picturing the poor ladies at Heathrow carrying around a clear bag containing their passport, their cash, their credit cards and their tampons.

Gyspytravel,

Where to start? Yes OBL's various offshoots were around for a while. Some of them undoubtedly still are. This is because our security services decided that they would rather have these people out in the open and monitorable, rather than underground and untraceable - that's a judgement call. One I think that they got right, you obviously think otherwise.

Closing down mosques on the basis that you don't like what the Imams are saying is a bit ifffy don't you think? I'm not over the moon about what some American fundamentalists believe and preach, but I don't want them jailed or silenced.

That's not to say that the threat isn't real and immediate and needs to be met with proportionate force. We just disagree with what that force is.

Does anyone know if they are allowing wrist-watches through security? They are not on the approved list.

Girlspytravel,Grow up

I SAID that perhaps it was the press that were giving that perception. On the other hand, maybe the peaceful ones need better PR. I shouldn't have to look so hard. And, yes, I agree about other atricities committed in the name of almost anything. Maybe we humans have to come to term with the fact we are violent beings. Unfortuneately, none of this is new. It's been this way since the beginning of time. We never seem to learn from the past, so as the line goes, we are destined to repeat it.

The UK has been dealing with terrorism for decades. Much of it was financed by misguided people in the USA.
It was on 9/11 that the US that was made to join the world that Europe and Asia had been reluctantly inhabiting.
The UK is a decent, tolerant and free society. That some people take advantage of those qualities to target us is a tragedy.
It is ungracious of Americans to sneer at Britain's present terrorist troubles because most of them have been caused by our Prime Minister's pushing us into imperialist adventures. It's not even our empire.
Let's stop all the silly sniping and cooperate to make the world a safer place.

larrtista and missypie LOL :-D I can just see the faces of security when they see the tampons!!! Ha! How about my Preparation H wipes, hmmmm?

Folks - just <u>ignore</u> girlspytravel. She was banned for a reason, and coming back w/ a new screen name doesn't mean she makes any more sense than she used to . . . .

She is wrong - and josser is just as wrong on the flip side.

- The UK has been handling security very well for decades, and more seriously than the US did until 9/11. I was living in the UK during the '70's and know security when I see it.

- and this plot certainly isn't the &quot;fault&quot; of the US - obviously 9/11 happened before Iraq/Afghanistan etc. This is just another attempt by the same fanatics.

So quit with all the screeds alreads . . . .

sheesh - typos

&quot;So quit with all the screeds <b>already</b>&quot; . . . .

Hmmm, you're usually a champion of the banned posters.

I'm glad that the UK security people discovered this. Exactly when they discovered it is up for discussion as I heard on radio news this morning that W and Blair discussed it last weekend. Purely coincidental that the s... hits the fan right after Joe Lieberman's loss in Connecticut? And the most recent poll shows 60% of all Americans are against the war in Iraq? I'm way too sceptical to believe it is. Especially now that we're also hearing that Karl Rove has reached out to Lieberman with offers of help now that he is an &quot;independent&quot;.

I believe that UK security forces have uncovered a serious threat, but I'm quite sure that it has been, and will continue to be, manipulated by the Bushies to try to remind us all, prior to the November mid-terms, that only Republicans can keep us safe. And that
&quot;it's better to fight them over there&quot;. Please be sceptical too.

What the heck are you talking about??

First of all, I have seldom jumped into the &quot;bannings&quot; fight - except for a couple who were banned for getting into a personal dispute w/ one of the editors.

And anyway -- Do you have <b>any</b> idea why girlspytravel was banned?? Let's just not go there . . . .

Calm down now. No need to get upset.

Barbara, have you had your meds today? The black helicopters aren't coming until tomorrow. ((b))

Hello all, an update from Gatwick.

I returned to Gatwick at 1600 and was shocked at how orderly it was in comparison with this morning. The airlines and airport had drafted in staff from everywhere and all were trying their best to be helpfull and cheerful. Amazingly the crowds were also in a good mood, considering the circumstances and formed orderly queues (a British speciality) to enter the boarding area. Everyone gave up their bags, cellphones, laptops, mags, water without arguement or fuss. It was heartening to see how co-operative everyone was.

BTW, I had my handl uggage, containing my laptop (had to bring it for business reasons) and handbag 'wrapped'. Hope this helps.

All domestic flights are cancelled for the day. Some European flights have been cancelled, but most are going with 90 - 120 minutes delays. No news on mine at the moment and I probably won't know until about 1900.

As I booked a BC fare, I am in the very lovely BA BC lounge enjoying a glass of wine at their internet terminal.

I DO hope the next time you hear from me will be from Madrid.

regards Ger