Terror in the Skies article - Must read
 

BayLady posted this in another thread and it deserves it's own thread.
You MUST read this article.

http://www.womenswallstreet.com/WWS/...mp;start=16854

Honestly, after reading the whole article and the follow up which is on todays home page of www.womenswallstreet.com
I just don't know what to think.

I think that if the airlines refuse to insure my safety, I may have to impose my own profiling and refuse to board under similar circumstances.

After you read it, post your thoughts.

This is the 4th/5th time this has been posted on the US and Europe Forums in the last 2 days. It's been booted as many times. ((b))

Is it even possible to verify this? Is the publication valid? It's beyond frightening if true, and with the conventions coming soon, not altogether impossible to fathom. Anyone else researched this for accuracy? J.

Why would they boot it?
It is not political or crude...
What's breaking the rules?

Is this the same writer who penned the story about her friend's boyfriend being of Middle Eastern descent and taking off the day before 9/11 but not before warning her about going to malls on Halloween? The tone is similar.

It never occurred to me that it could be a hoax. I checked snopes.com and they say "undetermined" but the website that is published the article is reputable.
There are several links on snopes I am checking out...

It was the nasty, political responses that got it booted. ((b))

Well, after reading quite a few "reviews" on other sites I have decided that her account is dramatized, but based on actual events... like a movie.
Still scares me, though.

For perspective, I was on an airliner - pre 9/11 - on which an incident occurred - nothing to compare with this. And by the time the flight landed CNN was waiting with a camersa crew - as were all the local news media. They tried to interview everyone on the plane and the story was aired nationally for several days.

The fact that none of this happened in this instance leaves no doubt in my mind that this is a complete hoax.

The thread didn't get booted from the European forum, only shut down due to the political squabbling which took approx. a nanosecond to erupt. It's here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34514246

TxTravelPro, I don't have an opinion about the veracity of the article (it was frightening to read), but regardless, you are already free to refuse to board an airline for whatever reason you choose.

Thanks nytraveler ...we should feel safer for you stating the account was a hoax? Is that a soft whistle in the dark I hear?

Yeah, I'm sure some air marshals would let the flight go on despite suspicious activity just to see what happened. Probably the same folks that stole the UPS uniforms...

Yes, I realize that... but since they would have to locate my bags in the cargo hold, possibly delaying the flight for all, I hesitate to exercise this option. I would have to be VERY VERY scared. I suppose they would start taking it seriously if passengers started requesting to get off the plane.
That would be crazy.
As someone who travels almost every week... this whole subject gives me a headache.
On a similar note, I was once freaked out by someone on a subway and got off.

Last night, MSNBC, Scarborough Country, had on a couple that were on the flight. They were scared to death. Thought that this may have been a "trial run" to test the waters.

You can view the video of last night's show on their website by going to MSNBC.com, clicking on the MSNBC TV tab at the bottom left, then the Scarborough Country tab, then Frightened Couple. Interesting!!! ((b))

I'll say it again..the author makes numerous assumptions such as why the FBI didn't do this or that (could it be because there wasn't anyt reason do do anything?????); she obviously has this phobia about men with dark complexions and goatees....and apparently when all the non dark-skinned and goateed passengers were lined up near the lavatories that didn't seem to phase her or her increasingly anxious husband in the least.

Has there been a follow-up article to this "incident"? No! Has there been anything anywhere even on Faux News about whether or not anyone was charged with a crime, etc? No!

Why must anyone read this sort of stuff? So they can be frightened out of their wits because some nervous, xenophobic writer got some newsplay? Get real!

What I just mentioned wasn't an article -- it was an actual interview. It was apparent that the flight attendants and the pilots were also concerned.

Review the video - this was not Fox, it was MSNBC. You don't have to read anything -- you can watch and listen. ((b))

I also read the article with interest. Decided to ask my brother-in-law, who is a pilot for American Airlines, what he thought about it and if he had heard about it.

He said that he hadn't heard about this incident, but that on flights he's flown there have been similar instances and that what it turned out to be was that one of the men was a Prince or a Sheik or something and the rest of the men were body guards. Everytime the Prince got up to go to the bathroom, all the bodyguards got up and watched the rest of the plane. My brother-in-law knew the passengers were upset because it looked unusual, but said that he couldn't exactly announce that "flying with us today is Prince Such and Such and now he's going to the bathroom..."

Just one possibility for an explanation, although given her description, it sounds like more to me. But you can't beleive everything you read now can you?

TopMan,

There IS a follow-up article. Check the womenswallstreet home page. She's apparently been getting confirmation from pilots that these "dry runs" happen frequently.

Thanks for posting TxTravelPro, the articles sure sent shivers up my spine! And they should indeed be read by ALL! As they say, *where there is smoke, there is usually fire.*

I just read the follow-up article (take a look at it TopMan)...after having read the original yesterday. Seems very credible. I think a lot of people have become complacent. If you don't think this stuff is going on, you're not paying attention. There's a lot of credible info. out there that you're not being told about for fear of mass hysteria.

And please, Arab shieks and princes flying coach on an American airliner? Now that I'd like to see. (Then again, no I don't).

Thanks for the heads-up, TxTravelPro!

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.htm...&tntemail0

This is the NY Times take on her story. If you don't want to read it, the summary is:

Her facts are essentially correct, that two groups of Arab-looking men with packages behaved strangely on the flight, including standing in the aisles when the "seatbelt" sign was on and visiting the lavatories in groups.

However, the Times seems to back up the story that it was just a group of musicians. I guess the unanswered question remains: Did anyone investigate their actions in-flight?

My brother is a customs agent in NYC. You have no idea how many "incidents" happen that do not make it to the media. Just because CNN wasn't there to greet the plane doesn't make it a hoax.

I hope no one lets the N.Y. Times interpretation of the story influence their thinking too much. That paper has really lost credibility on several stories in the last couple of years!

Frankly I'm surprised that people are taking this lightly. Regardless of what someone's rights are , bottom line, if I'm not comfortable with what I'm seeing/feeling when the plane is boarding, I'm getting off. MY choice to make.

Oh, I have much more confidence in womenswallstreet.com than the NY Times, of course (groan).

As Ann Jacobson correctly pointed out, if 9 terrorists can be taught to fly a plane, certainly 14 can be taught to play instruments.

When I read articles like this and I read the reactions of some on this board who miss the bigger point (or complain about the extra time security takes) I thank God everyday that I no longer have a job that has me flying 30 business trips a year.

Sadly, like everything else when it comes to air safety, the FAA and the airlines will live with the risk, until they are forced to act when people die.

I'm with you WagonWheel!
I think I like the thought of being empowered like that...
I mean, if people can smuggle in contraband to people in maximum security prison, how an I trust the TSA bozos to keep contraband off a plane?

All I can say as I read some of these comments in UNBELIEVABLE. The fact that some are hung up on the source, WHEN MULTIPLE MEDIA OUTLETS like ABC, NBC, the NY Times, etc all state the government has confirmed their was an incident, just boggles my mind. We're at risk - read the original article, the follow-up, and the letters from industry sources!

I wonder, when the next plane is used as a terrorist weapon, will you first question the media outlet reporting it?

k_999_9, think Jayson Blair and Judith Miller to name a couple of reporters........ Not to say the NYT isn't a good paper, but it doesn't carry the prestige it once did, IMHO. I no longer take something as gospel that I read there, as I, admittedly, once did.

The article is a must read only if you are interested in the hysterical rantings of a right wing racist. The only thing that the "Middle Eastern men" actually was to use the lavatory when the seat belt sign was on. How many times have you been on flights when non middle eastern people use the lavatories when the seat belt sign is on? Every flight I've ever been on people have done this. Further proof of the racist hysteria of the article is her quoting of Ann Coulter, a Neanderthal nut case who is even further right than Rush (if that is possible).

Now, c'mon, RBC. They did more than use the bathroom at the wrong time.

The article is a must read only if you are interested in the hysterical rantings of a right wing racist. The only thing that the "Middle Eastern men" actually did was to use the lavatory when the seat belt sign was on. How many times have you been on flights when non middle eastern people use the lavatories when the seat belt sign is on? Every flight I've ever been on people have done this. Further proof of the racist hysteria of the article is her quoting of Ann Coulter, a Neanderthal nut case who is even further right than Rush (if that is possible).

Sounds to me as though, on this flight in question, we were getting slapped in the face by our own political correctness. From Jacobsen's account, these 14 Syrian men behaved in this most peculiar manner ... yet no one felt they should/could intervene. It sounds to me as though these men were making an effort to alarm other passengers, up to a point, but didn't go over the line where the air marshals could/would have called them on their actions. Yet a white-haired, WASP Granny can barely get through an airport these days without being relieved of her shoes, and half her clothing, when there is not the slightest thing unusual about her behavior.

But my big question is this: why aren't we hearing more from other passengers on the plane? I do wonder about that.... Guess it will all come out in the wash!

No one wants to believe this story, but to discount it purely as paranoia (or right wing conspiracy) seems tantamount to denying that terrorists are still after us. Or, do you believe the prosecution of the war against terror is 100% effective? Is there a middle ground? And, if so, what are you willing to risk that you're right?

1. Using the lavatories wasn't the "only" thing they did. Read the NY Times account, and you'll see that.

2. The question is not whether you totally believe the NY Times. To cite two instances of inaccuracy amid the millions of stories that come out of the Times doesn't seem to lend reasonable weight to your argument that the Times is an unreliable source. No one said the Times is perfect. The question is which source you put more faith in. Fox news, perhaps?

3. It's unclear whether the air marshals stayed quiet because they didn't want to alarm the passengers or they didn't think the actions of the men warranted action. We really don't have the air marshal's side (yet).

I'm with RBC on the entire article. Quoting Ann Coulter was the final straw. Would I be nervous if I was on the flight? Dunno. I disagree with the inferred call for racial profiling.

k_999_9, my comment on the NY Times is no big thing. (Really has nothing to do with this story, and whether it is believable or not.) I'm just saying, in general, that the NYT is not my indicator of what's kosher and what isn't - I don't trust it as I once did. I rely on a ton of news sources and form my own opinion on an issue. (Not to say that you don't!)

We all know the terrorists will create another 9/11 if they get a chance. My question, in this instance, is "where are the other passengers on this flight, and why aren't we hearing from them?" Otherwise, I don't find the story suspect.

Why is it so important to determine whether or not the story is true? Shouldn't the questions be:

1. Is it plausible that terrorists could build a bomb in flight?

2. If so, what's to be done to prevent it from happening?

TSA, FAA and the airlines must make sure there's no repeat. That would be a tragedy. Since Bush builds his reelection around thwarting terrorism, if they get their hands on another plane, I'd think there'd be a move to impeach Bush, and rightly so. I cannot understand the stupidity in this country.

Last week, someone stopped their car on a bridge and started videotaping planes landing. When a motorist called 911, the cops gave him the run-a-round about jurisdiction, and by the time it was sorted out, after he called four police departments, the person had finished and moved on.