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

[Brent]

If you make flight so inconvenient that people won't fly or won't fly as often the terrorists win without blowing up a single plane. No liquid or gels? What if an ill person gets stuck on the tarmac for several hours without access to water. There are a lot of people that would have a very difficult time traveling with zero liquids and gels including babies and the elderly.

Well you know at least they wouldn't be blown up over the middle of an ocean.

[storms in NC]

Hubby said that they swabed his case for any power or where ever.

[stormtruth]

the terrorists don't win if we are inconvenienced. The terrorists lose if they are caught and nobody dies. They win if they suceed in carrying out the mission

They also win if they force us to change our ways so much that flight travel becomes so annoying that the airlines go out of business or our economy is weakened.

[gtalum]

It's more than convenience. Our whole economy is at stake. If you make it inconvenient to fly, people will reduce their travel plans for business as well as leisure. If people reduce their travel significantly, the US economy will collapse. Why do you think they target airplanes? It makes a huge economic impact when we react this way.

[stormtruth]

You also can no longer take an electronic key fob. No way would you want to put that in your regular luggage.

[P.K.]

It is quiet up there today. I'm 20km from LHR and often see planes but I haven't heard any today. Lots of disruption out there today. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4778771.stm

[Derek Ortt]

if the terrorists are captured and people live we win.

This is a WAR on terror and WAR involves making sacrifices.

I can only invision to complaining if we ever had to revert back to ration books

[gtalum]

You also can no longer take an electronic key fob. No way would you want to put that in your regular luggage.

And if you drive a new Toyota, that means you can't take your car key with you at all.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Probably, but it is a billion times more convenient to have your own bottled water than to have to nag the staff. As these restrictions continue to get more and more strict it won't be long before someone dies as a result of them. Just a couple weeks ago a flight was stuck on O'hare in the heat for several hours with no AC -- if that happened again under these new restrictions several people would have perished.

Storm, please don't take this the wrong way as it's not intended. You speak about "inconvenience"... and yet we are talking about the potential "perishing" of well over 2-4 thousand people that these monsters were planning. I, for one, will gladly go through some aggravating "inconveniences" if it will continue to thwart the purveyors of terror from achieving their hideous goals! What else would you, or could anyone else offer as an alternative action?

A2K

[gtalum]

What else would you, or could anyone else offer as an alternative action?

Send everyone and all carry-ons through the new explosives "sniffers". problem solved.

[Audrey2Katrina]

the US economy will collapse.

I seriously doubt the US economy will "collapse"... I agree, however, it could very much potentially have a marked adverse affect. Just look at what happened shortly after 9/11. But the economy did not "collapse". I think that not imposing these inconveniences, only to have a few more planes crashing mid-air could pose a far greater potential impact on the economy. JMO

A2K

[gtalum]

I seriously doubt the US economy will "collapse"... I agree, however, it could very much potentially have a marked adverse affect. Just look at what happened shortly after 9/11. But the economy did not "collapse". I think that not imposing these inconveniences, only to have a few more planes crashing mid-air could pose a far greater potential impact on the economy. JMO

The worst of the increased security measures after 9/11 were temporary. If this is temporary, then I have no problem with it. If it goes on for the long term, it will stop people from travelling. And like it or not, that will seriously harm our national economy. And that is one goal of the terrorists.

The problem is that these measures will not stop these guys from taking down the planes. Sure, we can't carry liquids on any more. But they can put them in the hold and remote-detonate them. Everyone's just as dead.

This is just the same standard bureaucratic "do something so it looks like we're doing something" response that causes problems and doesn't solve anything.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Send everyone and all carry-ons through the new explosives "sniffers". problem solved.

sounds over-simplistic; but in all honesty I'm not familiar with just what they could "sniff" out...perhaps you are right; but were it this simple, it seems they'd go for this option. I'd heard Sky News discussing these things, and among the "liquid" explosives being discussed, I beieve I heard that some were un "sniffable"... but I can't say that unequivocally. In either case, I agree, that sometimes "convenience" must be sacrificed in a state of war, and whether people want to admit it or not--this is exactly what it is.

A2K

[fwbbreeze]

What else would you, or could anyone else offer as an alternative action?

Send everyone and all carry-ons through the new explosives "sniffers". problem solved.

Perhaps your right, but that is a long term solution...and the problems in the UK are here today. It would take time to put the measures you speak of into place.

[storms in NC]

The airlines are still in trouble from 911. And you say that it would hurt the economy. Sorry to differ. But yes it would. I for one is very thank full My hubby made it back home and is safe. It was was all the security he had to go thought in London. He had to go though 5 different one. And he also said thier system in so much better.For one it their Xrays are in color and you can see what is in your bags. Here in the us they can't see all that well. But if they think they see some thing in ? they will check it out.

[craptacular]

Can we rip on any other parts of our government on this board, as long as it's not the NHC or weather-related?? I'll assume that would be too political.

[Audrey2Katrina]

This is just the same standard bureaucratic "do something so it looks like we're doing something" response that causes problems and doesn't solve anything.

Opinion noted and respected; however I respectfully disagree--you see, the "beaurocracy" for all its penchant for self-perpetuation can't publicize ALL of the measures they're taking, and apparently some good intelligence efforts on the part of those "bureaucracies" managed to expose and thwart this effort--I also thought of the possibility of remote detonation of objects placed in a hold, and figred (perhaps rose-colored glasses--but hopefully all the same) that those responsible for anticipating these actions, are considering them as well as are we here on a blog. I would like to think that while they aren't about to publicize what measures they may make to catch them... they are being taken.

A2K

[stormtruth]

Here is another question: How much does everyone trust the airplane water?

It's contaminated with bacteria according to the EPA

ew findings from the Environmental Protection Agency show some planes have unwanted stowaways in their water supply -- potentially dangerous bacteria that could make you sick.

"What we have in the water right now from our test results is an indication that there could be a safety concern," says Tom Skinner, the Environmental Protection Agency's chief enforcement officer.

Over the past six months, his agency randomly tested water on more than 300 planes from domestic and foreign carriers.

In one out of every seven planes, the EPA found water that did not meet federal standards. It found bacteria like coliform and E. coli -- which are often associated with human feces.

And now we are all forced to drink feces by the U.S. government? No thanks.

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

Damn no more carry ons in the US, UK and Canadian (probably other Western Countries will soon follow suit). I was watching a program on NGEO about architect Frank Gary’s design of the Rock 'N Roll museum, marveling at the majesty and ingenuity of Modern Western Culture, when I flipped back to CNN, and this crap had happened. From the constructive to the destructive, all in the flip of a finger. In closing all I can say is that I'm glad I live in this part of the World, where things are peaceful and pleasant.

[Audrey2Katrina]

And now we are all forced to drink feces by the U.S. government? No thanks.

Storm: Why must you mischaracterize things like this--for crying out loud, we nearly lost 10-20 planes last night/today... and you're worried about drinking plane water? I mean it appears you're going out of your way to FIND reasons to complain about these horrible "inconveniences". The "bacteria" mentioned in the article, such as E-coli, are NOT "feces"... they are "associated with".. (meaning betimes found in such places as...) feces... I have no doubt this colorful "association" was inserted for its doubtless emotional connotation. It is also associated with certain types of raw meat--does this mean we'd be drinking "raw meat"... it's a bacteria! How about we simply raise the standards on the water air carriers bring on board? I'd feel a lot safer with that, than trusting every Tom, Dick, and Harriette, boarding a plane with a liquid that just might be an explosive.

Sheee.

A2K