Scary Article about an airline flight with 14 Middle Eastern Men

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...
Actually, before 9/11 it was not illegal to bring box cutters onto an
airplane. I don't know about mace. Anyway, didn't I hear somewhere that
the
box cutters were planted on the planes before the hijackings?

Mace has always been. More than once (prior to 9/11), my wife has forgotten
she was carrying and was forced to leave it behind as she went through
airport security. I'm surprised box cutters weren't illegal, but now that
you mention it, that sounds right. However, planting box cutters ahead of
time spells conspiracy, which is illegal.

That said, I don't know for a fact that the box cutters were planted. If
they weren't illegal, why would they need to be planted? And if they were
planted, who planted them, and why haven't they been arrested (or have they
and I just didn't notice)?

Anyway, my point is that most or all of the people involved in the 9/11
attacks were NOT squeaky clean.

I like that sentiment, but our lives would suck even worse if we made no
effort at all to protect and defend ourselves. We would all just end up as
slaves. The key is striking a proper balance between freedom and safety.
Just where that balance lies differs widely among the population and even
among each individual from day to day.

I agree and said as much. But the balance surely falls well beyond
suspecting people just because of how they look.

We had a recent event here in the Seattle area, in which a dark-skinned (not
even Middle-Eastern) person was questioned by several different law
enforcement personnel after he took pictures at the Ballard locks. They
even visited him at his home.

The people described on the plane did sound a little weird to me. However,
I wasn't there, and don't know for a fact that they were indeed acting
exactly as described. Prejudiced people "see" all sorts of things that
didn't actually happen. Furthermore, for all the author knows, they were
passing the time on the plane by playing some sort of game ("hide something
in the lavatory, or elsewhere on the plane, someone else find it", I
dunno...something like that), or were involved in some project unrelated to
terrorist activity.

But in any case, other than inspecting the areas of the airplane that
appeared to be of interest to the oddly behaving men, the authorities had no
reason to detain the men any further, without any concrete evidence.

Actually, I would have noticed their behavior.

For better or for worse, you are a unique individual. I seriously doubt
a more typical person would have.

There are many terrorist groups out there

Indeed there are. And as long as people continue to be scared half to death
every time they see an Arab board their airplane, they are going to have too
much tunnel vision to notice the real threats around them.

Pete

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...
Actually, before 9/11 it was not illegal to bring box cutters onto an
airplane. I don't know about mace. Anyway, didn't I hear somewhere that
the box cutters were planted on the planes before the hijackings?

Mace has always been. More than once (prior to 9/11), my wife has
forgotten she was carrying and was forced to leave it behind as she went
through airport security. I'm surprised box cutters weren't illegal, but
now that you mention it, that sounds right. However, planting box
cutters ahead of time spells conspiracy, which is illegal.

That said, I don't know for a fact that the box cutters were planted. If
they weren't illegal, why would they need to be planted? And if they were
planted, who planted them, and why haven't they been arrested (or have
they and I just didn't notice)?

Anyway, my point is that most or all of the people involved in the 9/11
attacks were NOT squeaky clean.


In my mind, it would appear to be difficult to prove any box cutters were
planted for 9/11, although its fun to speculate. Personally, I think that
is giving them to much credit. However, after reading this I realized that
I had forgotten the proof that box cutters were involved in 9/11. I seem to
remember reading of a phone call that said the hijackers had box cutters,
but I can't think of anything else. Were any box cutters found in any of
the attack/crash sites that would appear to have been on the planes, or is
there anything else that proves box cutters were involved?

Earl G.

Peter Duniho wrote:

I'm surprised box cutters weren't illegal, but now that
you mention it, that sounds right.

Although I never carried a box cutter, I used to carry a small pocketknife (about
2.5" blade). Security never blinked an eye about that prior to 9/11.

George Patterson
In Idaho, tossing a rattlesnake into a crowded room is felony assault.
In Tennessee, it's evangelism.

On Mon, 19 Jul 2004 15:21:34 GMT, "G.R. Patterson III"
wrote:



Peter Duniho wrote:

I'm surprised box cutters weren't illegal, but now that
you mention it, that sounds right.

Although I never carried a box cutter, I used to carry a small pocketknife (about

Actually, I do.
I have one of the Schefeld(sp?) folding box cutters. I use it around
the shop more than I do knives or chisels. (works great for trimming
fiberglass lay-ups) It has a belt clip and I rarely remember to leave
it in the shop when I go to town. The blade is only 3/4 or 1 inch.

2.5" blade). Security never blinked an eye about that prior to 9/11.

I remember in the "old days" they'd take the pen, or jack knife and
measure it against a finger, then give it back.

Depending on where you are and what you've been doing it is quite easy
to forget your are carrying a *big* knife as it has become second
nature.

I know one couple who spent several months in South America. Most of
the time was out in the country/jungle.

They were standing in line to board the plane when security pointed
out he couldn't take the knife as carry on. :-)) (He forgot he
still had a large hunting knife on his belt) Time was short and the
luggage had already been checked so he decided to just leave the
knife.

As they were boarding, one of the security people walked up and said,
"Here, you look honest, just put it in your pack and leave it there".

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com


George Patterson
In Idaho, tossing a rattlesnake into a crowded room is felony assault.
In Tennessee, it's evangelism.