Thread: The comical extent of US paranoia...

Isn't this exactly what the Government wants.

US Terror Paranoia Taking Comic Proportions

zaman.com | August 27 2006

The rise in terrorism paranoia that reignited following the “second 9/11 plan” claimed to have been targeted against Britain has reached comic proportions.

Pronunciation of the word “bomb” in American airports can lead to arrest and flight delays. Different versions of this paranoia have created a “comedy-like terror panic,” which delayed seven U.S.-bound flights in just one day.

Another plane was forced to land after it was discovered that the mirror in one of the lavatories was not properly secured, and in another event, passengers were made to wait in an airport for hours because of the panic caused by a screaming child that refused to get on a plane.

A false bomb threat forced another plane to land urgently and the discovery of an unclaimed knife in an empty seat caused “terror paranoia” on another flight.

Another example of this “Dark comedy” occurred on a Continental Airlines flight from Argentina to the United States. A 21-year-old university student was arrested when sniffer dogs discovered dynamite in the student’s baggage.

It was later revealed that the student had taken the dynamite as a souvenir from a Bolivian mine.

It was reported that the American student may be charged with carrying explosives.

In another incident, a passenger argued with the staff on a U.S. Airways plane bound for the American city of Charlotte from Phoenix. The plane was forced to land in Oklahoma City and the passenger in question was removed from the plane and taken into custody.

An American Airlines flight from Britain to Chicago was also rerouted and forced to land in Bangor due to an undisclosed security concern.

One of the most bizarre events in the U.S. occurred on a Continental Airlines flight from Corpus Christi, Texas to Bakersfield, California.

When staff discovered that the lavatory mirror had been removed, the plane rerouted and landed in El Paso, where passengers were questioned. The questioning yielded no results.

A knife accidentally left on a U.S. Airways flight from Philadelphia to Bradley caused major panic, although nobody was arrested in this incident.

FBI agents, considering the knife evidence, questioned passengers and assessed in a statement released after conducting their investigation that there was no danger.

Following a bomb threat on a flight from New York to Dublin, the flight was forced to land to another airport in western Ireland; however, no explosive device was found on the plane that had been immediately evacuated.

In yet another incident, a child refusing to board a United Airlines flight to Chicago caused a scene delaying the flight for hours, unnerving the other passengers.

"British holidaymakers staged an unprecedented mutiny - refusing to allow their flight to take off until two men they feared were terrorists were forcibly removed. The extraordinary scenes happened after some of the 150 passengers on a Malaga-Manchester flight overheard two men of Asian appearance apparently talking Arabic. Passengers told cabin crew they feared for their safety and demanded police action. Some stormed off the Monarch Airlines Airbus A320 minutes before it was due to leave the Costa del Sol at 3am. Others waiting for Flight ZB 613 in the departure lounge refused to board it. The incident fuels the row over airport security following the arrest of more than 20 people allegedly planning the suicide-bombing of transatlantic jets from the UK to America. It comes amid growing demands for passenger-profiling and selective security checks. It also raised fears that more travellers will take the law into their own hands - effectively conducting their own 'passenger profiles'. The Tories said the Government's failure to reassure travellers had led the Malaga passengers to 'behave irrationally' and 'hand a victory to terrorists'. Websites used by pilots and cabin crew were yesterday reporting further incidents".

Mutiny as passengers refuse to fly until Asians are removed | the Daily Mail

OK, the Brits are slightly paranoid too.
Our respective Governments have got us right where they want us, all scared, increasingly irrational and racist.

Jokes about bombs have always been treated as "real."

The chances are small, but one mistake can lead to disaster.

People that bring things like knives on planes when they are not supposed to go to jail for it.

Liquid bombs, box cutters, etc.

We live in a different age.

Another no-no: saying "Hey, Jack" or "Hi, Jack" to a friend in an airport.

If you expect the company you work for to provide a safe environment then you should expect the airline you fly on to provide a safe environment as well. I don't like people who sue over every little thing but I definitely believe the survivors of anyone killed on a hijacked plane should be able to sue the airlines and anybody else who prevented measure to ensure safety.

I call BS on that. The only way to guarantee safety is to never fly.

You step onto a plane, you take the risk, you deal with it.

To make an airport so secure that people cannot even take a bottle of water on the plane is beyond ridiculous.

Bunch of scared people, the terrorists have already won because some people are just too willing to follow their leaders blindly into a storm and give up whatever liberties they are asked to give up.

Based on your various postings I think you're pretty scared of the terrorists as much if not more so than many Americans.

The terrorist have won anything.

Not at all. I gladly stepped into the face of terrorism barely one month after 9-11 and flew on several planes.

They don't scare me. I don't feel unsafe flying or travelling overseas. I don't feel like I need to step into a maximum security facility just to fly.

For all I care they could let people carry what they want on planes and we could have open borders. Wouldn't scare me a bit. Statistically I stand more chance dying while driving my own car than dying in a plane crash, train crash, or terrorist attack.

Originally Posted by surasak

Not at all. I gladly stepped into the face of terrorism barely one month after 9-11 and flew on several planes.

You stepped into the face of terrorism ?

See how the airline industry got hit after 9-11? Too many people too scared to fly.

I didn't let it bother me. Terrorism won't interrupt my plans or make me change my life. Some people, on the other hand, are too willing to give up their liberties to the government.

By all means. Terrorists wouldn't take the risk if the people were armed. They know passengers can't even take a drink of water on the plane now, so, it makes it easier for hijackers.

The terrorists have definitely won. They always do. At the end, the USA will be on her knees and beg for negotiation with AQ if that organization is real. Might take 10 or 20 years to achieve that, but 20 years of paranoia and silly "scares" will do that to a population.

Whitshiva and surasak,

Sounds like you two guys would be supporters of groups like the NRA. Would that be true or not ?

Originally Posted by Dougal

Pre 9/11, the instructions to aircrew and passengers has always been not to oppose any attempt to hijack the aircraft. Since 9/11 I am sure that if any passenger attempted a hijack I think the other passengers would gleefully beat them to death.

Does anyone know of any hijack incidents since 9/11?

A goo point, Dougal.

The passengers.

Now that....is a deterrent, too.

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Whitshiva and surasak,

Sounds like you two guys would be supporters of groups like the NRA. Would that be true or not ?

I am a very strong supporter of the Second Amendment (owning several items myself).

Very few gun crimes are committed by a person using their own legal firearm. Most of the time it's stolen or in possession of someone who isn't legally allowed to own or possess a firearm in the first place.

No, what causes more crime is laws which generally prohibit people from taking their arms out in public display. I think if more people were allowed to carry arms openly then criminals would think twice if they knew they would be gunned down before they could pull the trigger.

Criminals will always get guns no matter how many laws you pass. They know this and exploit this.

Originally Posted by surasak

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Whitshiva and surasak,

Sounds like you two guys would be supporters of groups like the NRA. Would that be true or not ?

I am a very strong supporter of the Second Amendment (owning several items myself).

Not being a yank, I don't give a rat's ass about the NRA and the second amendment. Charles Heston comes accross as a bit of a looney, mind you.

I have a 92F Beretta and a Browning Buckmark at home. If only I could figure out to legally get them over here......

no offense to anyone here, but one of the best things about gun owners is that they often accidently shoot their own kids.

Originally Posted by raycarey

no offense to anyone here, but one of the best things about gun owners is that they often accidently shoot their own kids.

Or better, get shot by their kids.....

Originally Posted by surasak

I think if more people were allowed to carry arms openly then criminals would think twice if they knew they would be gunned down before they could pull the trigger.

I'm trying to conjure up an image of you surasak... I'm struggling with a combination of either Festus from "Gunsmoke" or the version of Doc Holliday played by Val Kilmer.

Originally Posted by raycarey

no offense to anyone here, but one of the best things about gun owners is that they often accidently shoot their own kids.

Quote of the week that is from the forum's pseudo-intellectual.


I can't help but wonder what kind of person would make such a comment about kids?

You must be a "Dodgy" type of TEFLer ...

P.S. (Dodgy is code for the "P" word)