Air travel and security

RevdTess · Post by **RevdTess** » 10 Aug 2006, 21:43

Anyone else find themselves suddenly entirely in favour of locking people up indefinitely without trial? I can't believe I used to put civil liberties ahead of the safety of the public. What on earth was I thinking?

skeptik · Post by **skeptik** » 10 Aug 2006, 22:11

At least Radio 4 still has the decency to call it "The so called War on Terror"

Exploding Starbucks cups or somesuch...

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 10 Aug 2006, 22:55

Tess wrote:Anyone else find themselves suddenly entirely in favour of locking people up indefinitely without trial? I can't believe I used to put civil liberties ahead of the safety of the public. What on earth was I thinking?

That'll be Bush, Blair, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz etc. you're thinking should be locked up?

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 10 Aug 2006, 22:58

Bozzio wrote: can TATP come in liquid form?

You need to mix a bottle of infant formula milk, a cheap paperback novel and a car key at 30 000 feet for the full effect.

XENG · Post by **XENG** » 11 Aug 2006, 01:16

I think this neatly sums up my feeling on whats happening here:

"Go back to bed, America. Your government has figured out how it all transpired. Go back to bed, America. Your government is in control again. Here. Here's American Gladiators. Watch this, shut up. Go back to bed, America. Here is American Gladiators. Here is 56 channels of it! Watch these pituitary retards bang their f***ing skulls together and congratulate you on living in the land of freedom. Here you go, America! You are free to do what we tell you! You are free to do what we tell you!"
-- Bill Hicks

May the farce be with you.

[Admin: external quote edited for language that was making this page unviewable through some organisations' firewalls.]

hatchelt · Post by **hatchelt** » 11 Aug 2006, 07:54

Despite the media's rabid attempt to whip up a fear frenzy, it seems the British public are finally thinking for themselves, as the BBCs "Have Your Say" website shows:
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread. ... #paginator
What a relief. I just hope the powers that be don't now up the ante in order to push their Orwellian nightmare through.

Pippa · Post by **Pippa** » 11 Aug 2006, 13:25

I travelled down to Gatwick last week to go on holiday to Canada with a friend who was flying out the same morning to Cyprus.

My flight took off 4 hours after his so I stood around in his check out queue chatting for a while. To both our surprises the checkout closed with no announcement to those queuing meaning that we had to move across to the next desk.

Imagine everyone's surprise when the remaining 2 desks then also closed and the attendants simply shut up shop and walked away without first explaining properly what was happening to those left standing there. Anyway, it transpired that the flight was over booked (no surprise there). Instead of informing the travellers of options etc the staff simply turned their backs to leave. You can imagine that this didn't go down too well with the small pack of folks left stranded.

Cup of tea anyone?

Several people (including my friend) got quite agitated. My friend put his hand on one of the employees shoulder as he turned to walk off to regain his attention. At that point a supervisor turned up and the man who my friend had been trying to talk to accused him of physical assult.

Next thing security was called and 2 armed police turned up. Cut a long story short he was interogated 3 times, banned from flying with the airline in question and told that they would put his name down for a charter flight with the clearing desk but that they would also tell the carriers what a violent person my friend was.

Despite the fact that there were plenty of independant witnesses to what had gone on, my friends and the other passengers word counted for nothing. I was simply gob smacked. My friend had no rights, it wasn't even his word against theirs; their word was the law.

It is true that my friend is pretty quick to get cross and I often think he should learn to calm down a bit (he goes very red in the face and waves his arms about alot).

Still, I can't help thinking we live in increasingly more and more difficult times.

One of the saddest things I find these days is that so few people (including most of my long term friends) can see what we are becoming and what we are, for the most part, so willingly giving up.

Post by **mikepepler** » 11 Aug 2006, 16:08

A case of deja vu here, regarding the latest terror scare:

Terror plan to shoot down plane (February 2003)
The BBC has learnt that security services received information at the start of the week about a missile attack at Heathrow. The following morning, 1,700 police officers and 450 troops were deployed to Heathrow Airport, while armed police patrolled other UK airports. An Algerian network of hardened fighters, linked to al-Qaeda, is believed to be behind the plan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2759157.stm

I can't find any trace on the BBC website of a follow up to this. No arrests, no trials, just a big scare, and some new contracts for people making missile countermeasure equipment to be fitted to airliners...

Bozzio · Post by **Bozzio** » 11 Aug 2006, 16:11

Right, that's sorted then. Me and my mates who range in age from 35 to 17 years (strange age gap I know but that's the way it is) are going to blow up several aircraft simultaneously across the Atlantic.

We've been discussing this for months and it still seems the best strategy. OK, so the security in UK airports is pretty stringent but if we use liquid explosives disguised as baby milk we shouldn't be detected. I told one of my mates not to be so stupid when he pointed out that we don't have any babies, as if that matters. I did get annoyed when another colleague suggested we try bombing some music festival or another other easy access event where there would be thousands of people and lax security. "Buffoon" I called him, "What's wrong with airports and who cares about CCTV, armed policemen and trained staff - it'll be like pissing in the wind" I said.

Even if we get caught we should still get our point across for I figure that the security services will go overboard and create havoc in most airports. That's what we want, to make the British people scared of us. I'm sick and tired of hearing about Israel on the TV. I'm sick and tired of watching all that Iraq and Iran bollocks. Who cares whether John Reid has made the sweeping changes to his department in 100 days as he stated he will do - if we carry this out on the day before his deadline then who will care about that issue also? Besides, if we do get caught, it'll never come to trial and we'd still have broadcast our message that this war will never end - certainly not in most people's lifetime as that idiot Dick Cheney once said.

And you know the best part, me and my mates are getting paid for this; that's right, by the MI5 who want to promote our cause. There's a real market for what the MI5 call patsies at the moment. I don't know what patsy means but they work alonside moles or something like that. They even paid for our plane tickets using the internet which means the police will be able to track our work and find out who we are more easily so that the whole world will know our identities. The MI5 have also helped us with the explosives. They told us not to worry if they don't work because they'll plant more bombs on the planes for added effect.

Sounds great. See you all on the other side.

(Actually I should state, for anyone who is wondering, that this is a joke post and shouldn't be taken seriously. I'd also like to say that this piece of fiction represents my own personal view of the current situation and is not endorsed by Powerswitch.)

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 11 Aug 2006, 16:38

Careful mate - you can get in trouble for saying stuff like that - just ask Dr David Kelly.

Maybe MI5 are more loyal to their citizens that the CIA are - they just cause a scare and massive publicity, rather than actually going ahead and killing people to make their point.

Plus the whole thing has dropped the oil price, dropped co2 emissions and prepared people for a life without air travel.

Maybe we should be grateful for small mercies . . .

ianryder · Post by **ianryder** » 11 Aug 2006, 16:41

That'll be PowerSwitch shut down...'known subversives have been monitored hatching copy-cat plans to blow up planes'...I can see the headlines now.

Anyone with young babies - beware, you obviously have the pefect cover for such operations so they'll be watching you first.

Bozzio · Post by **Bozzio** » 11 Aug 2006, 17:09

Andy Hunt wrote:Plus the whole thing has dropped the oil price, dropped co2 emissions and prepared people for a life without air travel.

I did actually wonder if this was just a way of reducing flights. As you say, at least we are saving some CO2.

Are suggesting that David Kelly also sent a joke email like mine which prompted a rather over zealous response from MI5. I hope you've told this to Norman Baker MP.

Andy Hunt wrote:Maybe MI5 are more loyal to their citizens that the CIA are - they just cause a scare and massive publicity, rather than actually going ahead and killing people to make their point.

MI5 'failed to pass on Omagh bombing intelligence'

Leader of the Nationalist SDLP, Mark Durkan, said: "Allowing MI5 to have a lead role in intelligence in Northern Ireland would be like appointing Herod as children's commissioner."

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan, 21, was killed, said: "At best, this is criminal negligence. At worst, it's assisting a terrorist murder plot."

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 11 Aug 2006, 17:14

Well, I thought David Kelly was joking.

I mean, what a preposterous claim, that there were never any WMDs in Iraq.

I mean, they found lots of fungus-based bio-weapons materials in Saddam's fridge after the invasion, didn't they?

Bozzio · Post by **Bozzio** » 11 Aug 2006, 17:15

Very funny

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 11 Aug 2006, 17:20

You know the world is insane, when stating the obvious has become a capital offence.