"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"tscottme" wrote in message
...
The Sept 11 hijackers didn't break any law until they started slicing
passengers with box cutters, spraying mace, and rushing the cockpit.

You mean other than bringing box cutters and mace onto an airplane, right?

Oh yeah, and entering the US illegally (for several of them, anyway).
Right?

Other than THOSE illegal acts, you mean. Right?

In any case, it's clear that you miss the point. We will never be
perfectly
safe. Why should our lives suck in the meantime? We all die eventually
anyway. I'd rather not get killed by a terrorist, but if I'm basically
living my life in fear and suspicion, that's not much of a life at all.
I'd
rather live a free life and enjoy myself, and accept the risk that I might
die earlier than I thought I would.

I'm not against security in general, but when we start suspecting people
just because they look different (without an overt illegal act), we lose
what makes us American.

Do you really think anyone on the airplane would've noticed how those men
behaved, if they had been white? It wasn't their behavior that drew
suspicion...it was their race. And that's racist.

Pete


You did read the part of the story describing all the behavior of the men,
right? You seem to think that having olive skin makes one exempt from being
observed. It's not that one olive-skinned men made one sideways glance at
another olive-skinned man. The story described apparent coordinated
behavior. Make yourself feel anyway you like by pretending Sept 11 involved
an ethically diverse group of terrorists.

Box cutters were not illegal on Sept 11. I don't exactly how the "mace"
made it on the aircraft, but ask anyone that has worked the ramp at an
airport, get a job in any number of ground service jobs, or make alliance
with someone in such a job, and you can pretty much smuggle a pink elephant
on to the aircraft. I guarantee you that just as I did in the past I can
get a job with a catering or fueling contractor. Once you get the job you
will have opportunity to secret items on the aircraft, even under the new
rules.

It's not racist to notice the description of people. Even if it was racist,
asking a question is not a hardship. A crew member very well can "break
line" and investigate the lavatory. The point of the exercise is not to try
and impress the ACLU with what obvious things we can all pretend are
invisible. The point of the exercise is safe interstate transportation by
aircraft.

If you or anyone of any description is so sensitive that being asked a
question is interpreted as persecution, stay home or fly on ACLU airlines.

It's silly to move from we can't be 100% safe to we shouldn't take
reasonable precations. You made the point you will not connect the
description of passengers and their behavior, good for you. Why must your
decision be forced on all other passengers? If the described passengers
hadn't appeared to be taking coordinated action, if they had all remained in
their seats reading magazines, listening to music, or sleeping and they were
singled out, you might have a point. But even if they had done all that and
a crew member asked them questions, that's not a hardship. I see no reason
to conduct security according to the preferences of the most sensitive
person available.

--
Scott