Posted on 07/22/2004 10:47:47 PM PDT by FairOpinion
I've been around Free Republic for a substantially longer time than you, my friend, and I won't be intimidated by pisants tossing out the "troll" word.
Beyond that I'd suggest that you haven't a clue about where I've been, what I know or what makes me tick. In other words, you are completely FOS.
As for you other opinions- well, you know what they say about opinions.
What Islamists are you referring to?
I say....
This is not true that they were just a group of musicians.
They were in this country Illegally according to MSNBC and Joe Scarboro.
They were planning something and MSNBC has stated that they were investigated by the FBI.
The story gets even better.
MSNBC did their own investigation of the investigation and they say that the FBI lied to the media about who these people were.
They were in the country illegally and WERE planning some kind of opperation.
I'm not sure what "Um El" means but "shaheed"= 'a martyr. Someone who dies in the way of Allah'.
I haven't been able to download the video, I keep getting 'access forbidden on this server' but it looks to me like a video in praise of terrorists. If he sympathizes with terrorists then how much of a stretch is it to think he might actively aid them?
You know I have seen you say this on just about every article put on freerepublic about this incident, but after 9-11, 14 Arab men being allowed to get up and walk around in groups and behave strangely is a serious cause for any intelligent passengers concern.
I don't care if they were talking music or bombs make them sit or go to the bathroom in ones and then sit, but do not let them act weird and scare the hell out of the passengers!
Yep, and Sandy Berger 'inadvertently' put classified documents down his pants.
What's your take on post#224?
I saw that before, and thought "Well, he's Syrian. Gotta' appeal to your fans." Maybe like the Beach Boys "Student Demonstration Time."
Here's the missing component to the story, start to finish:
There is not one single mention of anyone - crew or passenger - approaching one or more of these guys and saying "Look, your behavior is upsetting the other passengers," or "You guys seem to be friends, where are you headed?" or anything at all.
Instead it's just a descent into deeper and deeper paranoia.
If I were in that plane, and it was as potentially spooky as described, I might try to set an example by approaching the guys and making conversation. If you're wrong, at least you've interrupted the logistics of their "attack."
There is not one single mention of anyone - crew or passenger - approaching one or more of these guys.....I might try to set an example by approaching the guys and making conversation
There is at this point only Jacobsen account of doing just that...
"I decided to try to reassure my husband (and maybe myself) by walking to the back bathroom. I knew the goateed-man I had exchanged friendly words with as we boarded the plane was seated only a few rows back, so I thought I would say hello to the man to get some reassurance that everything was fine. As I stood up and turned around, I glanced in his direction and we made eye contact. I threw out my friendliest "remember-me-we-had-a-nice-exchange-just-a-short-time-ago" smile. The man did not smile back. His face did not move. In fact, the cold, defiant look he gave me sent shivers down my spine."
I do not think this "look" is all definitive.
In fact it seems to illustrate a pervasive cultural naivete that is at the crux of this story.
The guy is an Islamic male. You know they are generally intolerant of women, and that they are completely flummoxed by Western women.
Perhaps this guy thought she was being too forward, and by his look was scolding her for that and her perceived "loose morals."
I'm sorry, the story is seeming more and more like group hysteria to me.
Your statement that John Valentine is a troll is pure BS. Just becuase he says we can't physically attack a suspicous person. If you were travelling and someone thought that your were suspicious,do you think they should attack you!
I would perfer that all passengers would be armed then if some were terrorists , I might have a chance to stop it, before crashing the plane. I sure would like more options than Flight 93 had.
".........However, air marshals who monitored the incident said there was no "legal basis on which to take enforcement action.....".
Expired Visa? [as has been reported]
No problem! Come on down!!!!
The guy was an Islamic male. He has been raised to be intolerent of "loose" women, "forward" women, Western women.
He was being polite at the gate because he is male and it is his perogative to be polite if he chooses (not hers, she's a woman). He is Muslim. He's the boss.
Later on the plane, this woman gives him a big smile. Is she "loose"? Has she no morals? Is she a prostitute? He is completely aghast. It's not on his cultural map.
So he gives her a stoneface.
Do you now consider it explained?
Oh, bullshit! Do you believe everything that Snopes.com prints? It was a damn dry run and an attempt to flush out the air marshalls.
I fail to see group hysteria, The writer did not show any hysteria on the plane. She was concerned of behavior that was consistent with terrrorists behavior. Also you can get an feel for a person based on a look. If you cannot read body language then you cannot percieve a lot of information from personal interaction.
If you feel this is all baloney, then perhaps you would feel comfortable being on that plane. Personally if I had to take a flight in the next 2 months, I would watch my fellow passengers carefully and if I saw more than a few middle eastern men, then I would refuse to go on that flight. If nothing happens fine, just an inconvienence to get another flight.
Maybe, maybe not.
In the situation she describes, I'd probably have innocently strolled over to the head (where they were "congregating") and struck up a conversation.
If they were hijackers, doing so would spook them or perhaps interrupt their plans. If not, then it would be nothing.
The notion of sitting there for 4 hours and getting more and more paranoid just seems ridiculous. That's no way to solve problems.
The article stated she tried to do just that and got such a cold look that she was intimidated. Anyway how each of us would react is different. I found it strange that the men were not told to sit down by the stewardess.
That is an incredibly lame explanation.
And a very bigoted one about Muslims.
In other words...Muslims
Well, you are the first person I've seen on this thread who is calm and rational, not running around screaming like your hair is on fire.
I suppose that in the last almost 3 years, having read on here about every possible mishap -- fires, electricity outages, industrial accidents -- being a terrorist act, I've become more than a little hesitant to jump on the "IT'S A TERRORIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" bandwagon.
Thank you for that. In fact, you're the first person who has actually shown me some *proof* that these guys are not what they seem.
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