US-bound? No in-flight iPods, following terrorist bomb attempt *UPDATE: BA, Virgin statement say it may be OK
US-bound travelers face a tough choice following the alleged attempt by a Nigerian millionaire terrorist to blow up a plane flying 278 passengers from Amsterdam to Detroit on Saturday - it seems they’ll be unable to use digital devices, including iPods, laptops and digital cameras.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, believed to be linked to al Qaeda, attempted to ignite an explosive device on the plane as it neared Detroit. He suffered extensive burns and was overpowered by passengers and crew.
Reacting to the incident, the US Transportation Administration has requested increased security measures on flights heading to the US from across the international community. These measures presently include stringent searches of travelers and their baggage, sniffer dogs and more.
American authorities have also told airlines to suspend use of their in-flight mapping systems, the in-flight displays that show the location of an aircraft and how far it is from its destination - this has forced some airlines to disable all in-flight entertainment systems they usually provide.
US President Barack Obama has also ordered a review of air security measures, asking how the Nigerian managed to carry dangerous substance PETN (pentaerythritol) on board the flight from Amsterdam.
A US record for 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was created last month, after the man’s father tipped authorities off concerning the behaviour of his son. Abdulmutallab is the son of a prominent Nigerian banker.
UPDATE: both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have confirmed travellers to the US from the UK will still be able to take electronic equipment such as laptops, DVD players and games consoles on their flight as usual. The situation from different countries and different carriers may still vary.
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Comments (40)
quote:
"US President Barack Obama has also ordered a review of air security measures, asking how the Nigerian managed to carry dangerous substance PETN (pentaerythritol) on board the flight from Amsterdam."
At least, somebody, put the eyes where the eyes should be. Although "the attempt to ignite" can be follow to the maps and related info... the sole existence of the bomb inside the plane is the real breach in security.
a millionaire terrorist with some fireworks?
nonsenses...
Dammit. Why are people still permitted to use an obvious device solely designed for concealment: pants. This never would have happened if people had to take off their pants before boarding.
This man speaks the truth!
And when someone finally gets the idea to shove a bomb up his hole, we'll all be boarding the plane naked after a thorough cavity search.
"...Nigerian managed to carry dangerous substance PETN (pentaerythritol) on board the flight from Amsterdam"
At least TSA stopped him from carrying his water bottle...
Let's take look into the mystical and magical crystal ball.
Today : all passenger are treated like potential terrorists, no pee break, no ipod, scanners making you nude, paranoid rules and quite frankl : everyone at the TSA (and worldwide equivalents), the airports, etc are simply nuts. Lunatics. Just by making a joke about the paranoia can get you jailed.
(for your reference : every your much more people at their homes (accidents, etc) than due to terrorist attacks, much more people die due to alcohol, drugs, etc. In other words : the whole fear for terrorists is just *bullshit*! Terrorist derives from the latin word for fear. So by being terrified by these criminals, they win. Their goal IS to spread fear, and thereby get others to change their habits. The terrorists ARE winning, BECAUSE we change our habits.
HOWEVER :
In 5 years : you have to be literally nude (not only via scanners), you will be sedated during the entire flight. Luggage will be transported separately.
In 10 years (after someone took a bomb with a timed fuze (invisible for x-rays) in his rear end with him) : potential passengers with be incarnated prior to their flight. An extensive medical screening will be forced. Incl. complete blood exchange (think about the possibilities of transferring liquid explosives inside your veins), complete and extensive examination of your gastro-intestinal tract via a probe, NMRI scanning, DNA extraction, brain scanning for potential negative/terroristic thoughts
In 20 years : see above + complete cryogenic stasis due to the resistance some terrorists have shown regarding sedatives.
In 30 years : everyone is a terrorist unless she/he can prove otherwise. If proof can not be brought forward immediately , the terrorist (previously known as citizen) is being guilty and shot where he stands.
In 50 years : everyone is dead. Security has won. The apes are applauding 'cause we finally got rid of the terrorists.
....
To sacrifice freedom in exchange for pseudo-security means to loose both and not being worthy of any of them.
No need for all that. The current security measures work just fine, they just have to be used as directed.
It was Amsterdam airport security that let the side down here. He was known to have links with a terrorist group. His name was on a friggin' database. They should have picked up on that, but they didn't.
Now, thanks to them, people can't use their iPods on a plane.
"It was Amsterdam airport security that let the side down here."
That's because they were high!
no it was not the amsterdamn airport - he landed and never changed planes there - he started and got on in yehmen.
He got on in Yehmen, not amsterdam- read the article - he never got off the plane so he didn't go through the trougher controls in Amsterdam - Yehmen let him on (please excuse the any spelling errors - dead tired).
Meanwhile, as American fliers are forced into more and more extreme security based on false premeses (that terrorism is caused by poor, underprivleged people from 3d world countries) and intermitant succesful attacks, Israeli fliers will be enjoying the same level of security as they are in 2010, still without ANY terroists successfully boarding an El Al planes.
Israelis (fully clothed) will still be bringing their drinks, water bottles, iPods, iPhones, laptops, any other gadgets available, watching inflight moves, and watching their plane's inflight progress, in general having as enjoyable flight as is possible.
What do the Israelis do to make their planes secure? They simpily inteview each passenger. Yes, they profile. And it works without all the c@#p associated with US air travel. Which system would US citizens prefer going forward?
After taking out the Twin Towers, the second Al Qaida objective is to shut down all transatlantic air travel... They are not 'criminals' - to label them such is to misidentify them and doing so forever lose. They simpily hate all things Western and are willing to die to achieve that objective.
And yes it is a fundamental religious belief: There is only one version of Islam and the only valid Islam is found in the 2nd half of the koran (they only part which Mohammed endorsed and folllowed). If you have actually read the koran, then you must also read the Sunnahs and Hadiths to understand the context of the koran, else remain ignorant of that 'religion'.
There are moderate muslims, but there is no moderate islam.
3d world countries? Good thing I never upgraded from 2d.
This is your virtual standing applause...
This does not bode well for iSlate or Kindle devices either. Looks like that old paper-based book may again be all the rage.
no more pants on airplanes
1. No pants allowed. You have to wear short shorts or underwear.
2. Body cavity searches for everyone including babies.
3. No coats. T-shirts only are allowed on flights.
As ststed on another blog, I made the comment that the "electronics ban" is jumping to a bad conclusion. The bad actor in this recent atempt used no electronics at all. This is a major problem/issue for TSA who let this guy slip by. One of these days ther're going to figure out that they are going to have to profile.
The TSA was not involved in this affair - in was the European air security which allowed him on in the first place - it was a connecting flight. And only a clown would say "the system worked"...
And yes profiling is the only thing which works - as the Israelis have proved. The current system is a government boondoggle providing jobs for the otherwise unemployable in the security industry, and for electonics manufactures to sell very expensive equipment to the govenment and airports at further inflated prices.
The whole thing brought to us by those who wish to 'feel good' about their policies, while remaining 'fair' in their security endevors - which is why grannies are stripped seached, while groups of young obviously muslim men are waved through...
Thank you, peaceful religion of Islam.
And thank you, a$$shole, for the racial and religious hatred. That attitude only contributes to the problem, you do realize that? I'll spend my energy worrying about the people who burned down 8 houses in my town last night, killing 2 people. There is zero chance they were Muslims.
Yes, and other religions, such as the Catholics, have never done horrible things in the name of their god? Ever hear of the Spanish Inquisition...? Didn't the Pope make a deal with Hitler? Didn't the KuKlux Klan claim some kind of holy mandate for their crimes? The Protestant witch hunts? Abortion doctor slayings? Islam has never had, and still does not have, a monopoly on violence done in the name of their religion. Seems all faiths can spur hatred and violence...do a little research before being sarcastic. Maybe we should be condemning all religion, not just one that's currently chic to condemn.
How about Jewish people?
What about them? Terrorist/hateful/warlike acts have been done in the name of that religion as well. Same with Hindus, Buddhists, and whoever else you want to name. Any time a group with some self-defined claim on being "right" and everyone else is "wrong" is combined with some mandate to preach your beliefs and convert others, you're bound to end up with bad things happening in the end.
Absolutely right.
people do not study history anymore and are oblivious to the fact that religious enforcement in the old world had led to the horrible deaths (by burning mostly) of hundreds of thousands of people. It is by no accident that the founders of our country have wisely instituted the principles of separation of state and church as one of the major tenets of our Constitution. Let no one forget this and remember that religious tolerance is much better than all the cruelties and crimes associated with the spirit of intolerance which tends to lurch behind every one of the major religious orders in the world.
"Separation of state and church" is not in the Constitution. It is only mentioned in passing in one letter by Jefferson. Separation of state and church is a false premsis to supress Christianity and Judaism while allowing Islam and atheists to set the moral tone of the country.
The Constitution simple states that:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
There is nothing here which calls for any 'separation'.
No religion other than Islam has its central prophet and religious word of God call for killing non believers, subjugation of women, robbery of non Muslims, marrying prepubescent girls and slavery. "Christians" may do these things but they can't justify them in the New Testament. Nor can Buddhists or Jews in their texts. The Koran and Hadiths justify all the outrages of Islam and in fact call for them. That is why the Taliban can claim they are pious Muslims.
Great excuse! Everyone else did something bad in the name of religion in the past so it's only natural... let's give them a pass in the name of fairness and felling good about our selves, maybe they will notice and love us...
Islam is historicaly violent, unlike Christians and Jews. Violence is a tenant of Isalm, unlike Christianity and Judaism.
It is not a 'current chic' thing to name Islam for what it is - even the founding fathers of the US recognized that point.
Maybe we should just call a spade a spade... and deal with in on its own level.
1. I said nothing about race.
2. I said nothing about other religions. Other religions are not the topic, nor cause of this story.
3. It doesn't take research to realize that the majority of the security precautions in airline travel are due to behavior by Muslims. They've been hijacking and blowing up planes for decades.
This story is about a Muslim who tried to blow up a Delta plane and the loss of freedom to innocent citizens that resulted.
Why is the response always, "but other religious zealots do it too!" whenever anyone mentions Islamic terrorism? I've not heard about any Buddhist, Shinto, Unitarian, Hindu, Rastafarian, or Catholic terrorism in the news recently.