Abc News Exclusive: Two Men On United Flight From Chicago

Army of Dad · September 3, 2010

I say this not as the dirty, commie liberal that I am...but, as the airline employee who has dealt with somewhat similar situations: "Ahhhh, xenophobia at it's finest".

I have seen bags belonging to Middle Eastern passengers (always to NY-LaGuardia, for some reason) rip apart on the ramp from overloading...and, you wouldn't believe some of the weird crap that has come falling out. Quite literally, a kitchen sink fell out of one. I can't speak to the reasoning or possible cultural difference, but oddly bound and just plain odd items are in people's baggage all the time.

Stupid crap like this, and worse, happens every single day. The stories I could tell of security breaches and diversions due to security issues that never make the news. And, if these were white guys, it would never have made the news. Ask me how many hidden, undeclared guns, ammunition, and knives the TSA confiscated, reported, and turned over to us (almost always belonging to white males). Who knows what these mens' intentions were...that won't stop xenophobic America from speculating. Of course, who knows what the intentions of those middle-aged, white males trying to take their "more traditional" weapons with them could have been...but, we won't bat an eye because they're "one of us".

We won't bat an eye because the greatest hijack and mid air bomb threats come from islamic males of Middle Eastern descent. Somehow it is easier for you to call other people xenophobes than it is to rationally analyze and form a threat matrix. Much of the security rules at airport are just so much theater, trying to make John and Jane Doe feel safer without actually making them safer. Little old ladies with knitting needles and pinking shears are not likely undertake in-flight violence. Making them be patted down because the check has to be random makes people like you feel better that you were so much more PC than to pat down the middle eastern male in line right behind her.

Hijacks and bombs don't happen to El Al anymore because their security isn't a PC circle jerk. Israel got tired of finding and killing terrorists for blowing up and hijacking their planes and have taken serious steps to make sure they won't have to in the future. Their threat matrix demands more stringent measures than we likely need here in the US, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't adopt some more of their measures.

Terrorism is crappy problem to deal with and there is nothing that can stop attacks 100% of the time, but this incident was news because they were Middle Eastern islamic men doing weird stuff with their luggage. That is news because of the other weird things Middle Eastern islamic men have done with their luggage-like blow up a plane over Scotland and attack and kill flight crews so they can fly the planes in to buildings.

KRAM1 · September 3, 2010

Really? So there is a white guy that intentionally crashed a commercial airliner into a building?

If not, then the statement isn't ignorant, just simple true.

OK, what was that white guys name who flew the plane into the IRS building in Austin just this last year? Seems "white guys" are, indeed, capable of being stupid and flying planes into buildings. Just thought I'd mention that since you have missed the point and want to "hammer" on only flying planes into buildings. I can understand your feelings on this issue...it is a real problem in today's world, but really, you have to admit that stupidity is not confined to any religious group or race, etc.

Stupidity and intolerance (an I am not thinking of the PC type of "can't we all just get along" and let's "stick our heads in the sand and pretend" it isn't true intolerance here) probably create most of the challenges facing everyone in to day's world.