Major Terror plot foiled against U.K.-U.S. bound flights

[Janice]

And no, you cannot take your beer in your car, unless you have an extra cold one for the officer who will pull you over...

[Skywatch_NC]

...or a box of KK's for the officer...

[Audrey2Katrina]

Now I would never advocate going to this level of extreme given this situation--but my heaven, worrying about a friggin' bottle of water, or some perfume, or a sports drink? This is beyond ridiculous!

A2K

It's you and the government worried about the bottles of water and sports drinks not me. I want them on the plane remember? It's you and some other people on this thread that suddenly fear them and are terrified of the terrorists. I think the security levels are already enough as they were before the new restrictions and I don't think these new ones will help one bit. Planes will still be blown up even with them. So, I'm happy to board a plane full of water bottles, cosmetics, perfume and sports drink. I'm not afraid like you.

This whole paragraph is so much spin a person could get dizzy reading it. But since it contains a lot of "It's you"... from my quote, I will respond in kind--sort of.

1.) The ONLY one "on this thread" who is raising holy hell about NOT getting to carry on their precious sports drinks and/or bottles of water IS, in fact -- YOU. Hence, the conclusion that you're making a big stink over a bottle of water or sports drink is valid. Others may have strong disagreement, but yours borders throwing a tantrum. YOUR attempt to spin it around to where I'm the one "worried" is a weak effort at verbal sleight of hand. Most of the folks I've read in here don't seem upset at all about this--you, on the other hand--DO. So the one who is all but apoplectic over a bottle of water would not be the one who could care less about this minor restriction, but those who tirelessly bring in example after example ad nauseum of how "awful" a precedent this item is. The game of playing around with the word "worried" doesn't change the point one little bit.

2.) Making statements of who is or isn't "terrified of terrorists" aside from being irrelevant and a puerile effort at straw man tactics, also adds nothing to your argument beyond the display that in another's failure to acknowledge your point you find indication of their "(insert potentially insulting-yet completely diversionary) label. Personally, I find this tactic not only illogical--but childish.

3.) What YOU think about the security levels, you are entitled to believe. the only point of myself, and others, is that some folks in here are making more than a mountain out of less than a mole hill. It was a precautionary move to step-up security consequent to this recent foiled effort. Some of us see it, while uncomfortable--even perhaps aggravating, as something with which we can live. Others, do NOT like them and see them either as a dangerous slippery slope, or as an impending doom for our liberties, and still others go on, and on, and on, about rather trivial privileges they might stand to lose and then begin to put words into other peoples' mouths who dare disagree with them drawing ever increasingly absurd hypotherical scenarios. Of course, anyone has their right to be in any of the aforementioned groupings--or yet another of their own choosing or making. I do not grant them, however, the priviledge to twist my words into something else altogether without calling them to task for it.

As for your last line--this masterstroke of irrefutable logic:

So, I'm happy to board a plane full of water bottles, cosmetics, perfume and sports drink. I'm not afraid like you.

There is SO much I could add here, but it really would move the discussion away from what has, up to this point, been a really nice debate of views even from people on all sides of the issue... I'll let it sit there as an icon to the impeccable logic it represents.

A2K

[Audrey2Katrina]

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

-Benjamin Franklin

I do NOT consider giving up a bottle of water the surrender of "essential liberty"

-A2K

[coriolis]

...And we all have lost the precious right to bring our beverages into most sports stadiums.

Think about that. That's not even about safety. It's about concession profits.

That's a much lower reason than safety.

[coriolis]

And to go for a trifecta, or a hat trick if you prefer:


What about our constitutional right to bring glass bottles to the beach?

What percentage of glass bottles will actually be broken. Maybe only 0.001 percent of the bottles on the beach WILL get broken. And I am sure that the little old ladies who swim will NEVER allow their bottles to get broken. So why punish all the law abiding persons who would properly dispose of their glass bottles?

Besides, I ain't afraid of no broken glass. You people who want to ban glass bottles are cowards!

[Audrey2Katrina]

Besides, I ain't afraid of no broken glass. You people who want to ban glass bottles are cowards!

Excellent point, as always, Coriolis.

A2K

[Janice]

The only thing I would officially ban from the beaches are Mermaids.....

[Stephanie]

Gtalum,

While I see this as a security precaution and not tyranny and you see it oppositely, I love your passion for our country and our freedoms. I do love the old saying that while I may disagree with what you say I will defend to the death your right to say it. We live in a country where debates like this are free to take place and open forums and debate have made this country great.

While ideally we should have absolute rights, there are restrictions on rights and freedoms and their always have been. It is necessary because there are bad people in this world who would abuse these freedoms to harm others. Until you can change those people there will be times like this and the good will have to suffer for the bad

It's so refreshing when someone makes a post like this in a debate. It's great to see someone either back up their ideas with facts, or acknowledge the other person's point of view.

It's much better than being condescending or making accusations that the person of picking a fight, not arguing correctly, acting like a kid, or anything else.

That being said, I concur that though I may disagree that any rights are being taken away, it's nice to see someone who actually cares about their rights. There are fewer of those people in America than there should be.

I think that BOTH of these posts should be repeated on each page of this thread as a reminder.

EXCELLENT comments zoey & Regit!

[stormtruth]

It's fun to make fun of the guy who still wants to bring his water bottle on the plane right? He's so silly that guy. Can you believe it? He actually wants to bring a water bottle? OMG HILARIOUS! He even wants to bring his toothpaste. HA HA HA! HA HA HA!! He must be the only one in the whole world that wants his own liquids and gels on the plane!!

A lot of people want these restrictions dropped -- not just me. There are millions of U.S. citizens who want them dropped and millions who think the government is completely out to lunch on this issue and many others. There are also millions of people who think the government has done an incompetent job of actually killing the terrorists?

Remember this is what they were supposed to be doing for the last five years? Hasn't been successful has it? Nope. If the War on Terror has been a success then why are they having to increase security at the airport? The reason they are increasing security is because the War on Terror is a failure. We are NOT SAFER TODAY.

You still haven't explained how the US plan can possibly provide safety when the UK has banned so much more. They can't both be secure plans. The UK bans electronics and carryons -- the US does not? Surely even you can see that one of these plans is not like the other?

[brunota2003]

stormtruth, sources on each one of those "millions of people" please...thank you...

[GalvestonDuck]

stormtruth, sources on each one of those "millions of people" please...thank you...

Ditto that...considering it hasn't even been two days since the security measures regarding liquids took effect.

[Cookiely]

"Better safe than sorry" My papa told me that many times. I should be upset because the government tells me the same thing. I don't think so.

[coriolis]

Stormtruth, I wholeheartedly understand your point. There is no doubt in my mind about what you are communicating. Lots of people hold the same opinion. Lots of people hold a different opinion too. I think that the points have been made. I also think that we've reached the point that no one is going to change their mind. This goes for others too. Maybe we all should declare a cease fire on this topic and move on. As civilized people we should be able to handle that.