White House: Failed Airline Bombing Was Attempted Act of Terrorism

[Aardvark154]

Does that mean that a blond blue eye Norwegian female is just as likely to be a suicide bomber?

It does mean that when a snap judgement needs to be made the 25 year old Norwegian woman is less likely to be carrying a bomb than Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab.

However, if airlines all went to the El Al standard, then one would find out that the Arab was the son of an Archbishop and in Seminary himself. While the Norwegian had been a member of the Communist Party at the University of Oslo and has since then spent lots of time in Saudi Arabia and Yemen with people of radical Islamic tendencies.

 

[jiiimmm]

how about....until all 'moderate Muslims' actually condemn violence against all people and not just fellow Muslims anyone named Umar has to ride the hound.
I wait patiently for the first bleeding heart to throw the R word.

 

[Aardvark154]

Boy they were lucky, apparently the bomb was composed of PETN.

 

[scouser1]

All airlines should move to the El Al standards - but not only would that that cost real money, but they are also afraid of being sued because - God forbid that we should profile anyone (although indeed the procedures for members of the Frequent Traveler and NEXUS programs are exactly that).

Moving to El Al standards would be the ruin of the airline industry. Any of you armchair bigots hiding behind your keyboards pushing for this should check out how much money this airline loses, the only reason this company survives is because of government funding, and oh yeah we all know governments are wonderful in running corporations.

 

[rama putri]

Any of you armchair bigots hiding behind your keyboards pushing for this should check out bla, bla, bla ...

This seems to be the common come back from reactionary naive inexperienced bleeding heart liberal types with guilt complexes who've never been to Yemen, Mosul, Swat or Karakoram in their lily white Stepford lives.

 

[Aardvark154]

Moving to El Al standards would be the ruin of the airline industry. Any of you armchair bigots hiding behind your keyboards pushing for this should check out how much money this airline loses, the only reason this company survives is because of government funding, and oh yeah we all know governments are wonderful in running corporations.

Gosh, and here I already mentioned issue of the cost in a previous post.

Then again, what is the cost when an civil aircraft is blown out of the sky, because it was either: a) too expensive or b) horribly prejudiced, to conduct through background checks and screening on the passengers!

(Shades of the Ford Pinto - let's risk the lawsuits rather than correcting the defect).

 

[scouser1]

You wanna racially profile Arab and South Asian passengers? well dim wits this guy is from Nigeria and probably looked like every other black guy, so that would have really worked!!!

and guess what the next suicide bomber isnt going to look like your stereotypical Mustafa or Yusuf, the international Al Qaeda wackos are gonna recruit disillusioned Sven from Goteborg, blond hair, blue eyed and Viking looks, then what you are just gonna have to get rid of all air travel.

 

[jiiimmm]

You wanna racially profile Arab and South Asian passengers? well dim wits this guy is from Nigeria and probably looked like every other black guy, so that would have really worked!!!

and guess what the next suicide bomber isnt going to look like your stereotypical Mustafa or Yusuf, the international Al Qaeda wackos are gonna recruit disillusioned Sven from Goteborg, blond hair, blue eyed and Viking looks, then what you are just gonna have to get rid of all air travel.

sadly your probably right, that's why intelligence gathering at any means is so important. But for now there are more Yusefs and Mustafas blowing up things than Svends or Dianes. So that is where you need to start. Call it racial profiling, it is, and it works.

 

[Aardvark154]

that's why intelligence gathering . . .is so important.

Indeed.

Scouser1 you were the one saying that doing this like El Al was impracticable/impossible.

 

[Aardvark154]

His information about the son was forwarded to the National Counter-Terrorism Center, and the son was added to a general watch list, a data base of suspected terrorists. But the official said "the info on him was not deemed specific enough to pull his visa or put him on a no-fly list."

Extremely stupid, hopefully there will changes made.

 

[jiiimmm]

According to those in the know, since 9/11 there have been over 14000 bombings large and small in the name of Allah. (if the stats are to be believed) This is the first time a family member tried to warn someone that I'm aware of. Change my view? not on little bit.

 

[Aardvark154]

hopefully your mind will also change now

I'm puzzled why would or should this change my mind? Instead seemingly it would confirm some of the very things I've posted.

 

[Cinema Face]

Yes, that's right. All 1.6 billion Muslims were involved in this. Its a vast conspiracy. Now run and hide under your bed, because they are coming to get you.

Certainly not all Muslims are terrorists.

But, almost all terrorists are Muslims.


I'm glad to see that some passengers are on the ball. I say well done to the people who stopped this barbaric act on Christmas of all days.

 

[Rockslinger]

the international Al Qaeda wackos are gonna recruit disillusioned Sven from Goteborg, blond hair, blue eyed and Viking looks, then what you are just gonna have to get rid of all air travel.

Ok, so what is your solution? Just roll the dice?

 

[Aardvark154]

Ok, so what is your solution? Just roll the dice?

I don't know about his Rockslinger, mine is post #65.

 

[Rockslinger]

I don't know about his Rockslinger, mine is post #65.

Your solution would piss off Bob Rae and Jack Layton. In a moral and just society, it is far better that a million innocent people die than risk offending the sensitivity of even one ----- man.

 

[kkelso]

Best quote of the night:

"Don't Say We're Violent, Or We'll Kill You"

 

[scouser1]

Ok, so what is your solution? Just roll the dice?

The solution is better investigation and cooperation between security agencies around the world. To catch one of these bastards before they even get close to an airport would save more lives than all the El Al security fancy bigoted methods could ever do. For example when a guy's daddy calls up your embassy and says I think my son has gone to Yemen and is up to no good, you take the threat seriously!!!

Another method but this is really a pipe dream in la la land, is for the West simply to stop propping up dictatorships in the Muslim world. When people are given an outlet to voice their dissent and a normal civil society, groups like Al Qaeda will be beaten by other Muslims or simply disappear. Think about the early 19th and 20th century in the West, how many threats were there to society from anarchists, fascists, communists etc but they eventually faded away.

 

[Questor]

how about....until all 'moderate Muslims' actually condemn violence against all people and not just fellow Muslims anyone named Umar has to ride the hound.
I wait patiently for the first bleeding heart to throw the R word.

Please substitute the word Christian for Muslim in the above statement. To expect all those of any religious group to condemn violence is not very realistic.

Certainly not all Muslims are terrorists.

But, almost all terrorists are Muslims.

It depends on how one defines terrorism. If you define it as all acts of violence directed at the USA by non-state entities, then yes, your statement is mostly right. Unfortunately, that is a very naive definition of terrorism. It excludes violent acts committed by governments against civilians, particularly the US government.

Your solution would piss off Bob Rae and Jack Layton. In a moral and just society, it is far better that a million innocent people die than risk offending the sensitivity of even one ----- man.

Do you think you might be misrepresenting the position of Rae and Layton just a wee bit? If not please provide link to where they have said this.

Another method but this is really a pipe dream in la la land, is for the West simply to stop propping up dictatorships in the Muslim world. When people are given an outlet to voice their dissent and a normal civil society, groups like Al Qaeda will be beaten by other Muslims or simply disappear. Think about the early 19th and 20th century in the West, how many threats were there to society from anarchists, fascists, communists etc but they eventually faded away.

Yes, this goes to the root of the conflict: Western interference in the politics of the Muslim world. Terrorism, and in particular suicide bombers, is the tool preferred by those who are otherwise mostly powerless to achieve their goals.

 

[rosemount36]

I find this statement very disturbing "And that I refuse as a Muslim to kill another Muslim..."

I take it everyone that isn't a Muslim is fair game?

Why did you cut off the entire quote....your selective use of this story puts this quote in the wrong context....or is that what you intended....here is the full quote and perhaps this will put your selection in its proper light:

"And that I refuse as a Muslim to kill another Muslim and also as a Muslim to defend the rights of others." He added that he thought Islam should not be practised as it was 10 centuries ago."

Read in its entirety the message is not threatening at all.