Honolulu-Bound Flight Diverted After Crew Discovers Box Cutter

The Associated Press ^ | AP-ES-09-30-01 2214EDT | The Associated Press

[AKbear]

Pretty much, yeah.

[TheOtherOne]

A well sharpened pencil also makes a good weapon. You can go for the heart.

Not to mention a nicely twisted paperclip or two.

[First_Salute]

Tip: Stop trying to strangle the airline industry, which is in wartime, part of our material [and people] air transport command!

Mobilize production for war material.

DO NOT ASSUME that the terrorist assaults are ALL OF THE general attack strategy.

We need a whole lot more fire trucks and ambulances and military equipment and aviation support.

But instead, the Bush Administration has been consuming its energy by shutting down what should otherwise be a gigantic logistics buildup.

Ask the Japanese, the Germans ... who will tell the U.S.A. that the ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY is much of what they could not beat in World War II.

Grab the friggin' carpet and shake up EVERYBODY.

The confiscation of nail files and knives IS NOT going to prevent in any way, another hijacking. While the threat of area defense, can and will.

If the Bush Administration were AWAKE(!), there would ALREADY BE watch towers at the four corners of every major and most minor airports across the country.

WHO THE HECK IS WATCHING THE PERIMETER?

Nope. All eyes are on a Ms. Jones and her nail file.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR THE TERRORISTS --- WHO BY NATURE FIGURE OUT WHAT PEOPLE FEAR --- TO FIGURE THIS ONE? --->>> Slip nail files into passersby's pockets, purses, baggage, camera pouches. Scatter them about the lounge areas; leave them on the pay phones. (THE VIET CONG WERE EXPERTS AT USING AMERICANS' FEARS!)

"Just like that," you've shut down the airport because the Bush Administrators are idiotically focused upon the nail files!

Boo!

It's not the nail file, stupid.

But for "policy makers" it must be, because they work to disarm Americans from their right to defend themselves.

Our "leaders'" obsessions with nail files is as smart as a military leader's obsession with everybody marching properly while the base perimeter is being sapped.

So what if four bad guys get aboard an aircraft with nail files(?) ... we'd still have 70 other good guys aboard with nail files.

I like the odds.

The Bush Administration might as well order finger nail and teeth removal!

[The Real Deal]

Who ever found the box cutter should have said nothing. Then they could have fought their "highjackers" box cutter to box cutter.

[theneanderthal]

Yeah old story, but have you seen the API photos of lethal nail clippers and pocket knives being confiscated under the "zero tolerance" screening of passengers? Gimme a plane load of armed citizens any day. Frangible ammo and right to concealed carry laws would have negated the flying bomb scenario from the planning of these bastards.

[B4Ranch]

A plane load of people is a smaller loss than a building full of people.

[blam]

"If I find myself on a plane in a hijack situation, I'm not going down without implanting half my mirror in someone."

I like your attitude.

[SKYDRIFTER]

Here's the inside skinny - seriously.

The current hijacking procedures are left over from the 60's. Hijacker compliance was the best idea until 1995, when "Project Bojinka" was discovered.

While flight crews were advised of a "Muslim" and terrorist threat in the Pacific, none of the flight crews were advised that suicide takeovers were in the plans. I doubt that the threat was officially revealed to flight crews by the name, "Project Bojinka." I only heard the name through an ex-FAA security type.

While the same former FAA airport security agent raised hell all over Washington - for years, the best he got was to be charged through the FBI to silence him. Steve Elson is his name, he's been on TV a few times since 9-11.

The Philippine government had advised the U.S. on both the suicide aspect & the specific targets, but that was never let out - even on Internet accounts - until after 9-11. The Philippinos got mad and told the world that the U.S. knew the entire time.

One-by-one, the "Bojinka" bombings still happened. The first WTC bombing was on the list; TWA-800 and the Oklahoma City bombing had undeniable connections to "Project Bojinka."

Warnings aside, the continuous history of the bombings were living proof; yet the American Public was methodically lied to. No warnings were given, even to the flight crews.

That's factual history; not opinion!

Had the Kamikaze threat been known, the attacks would have been bloody, but thwarted. I can promise you that the pilots would have made radically different decisions.

Worse, the sky-rage issue has been plenty deadly in U.S. history, but neither the FAA nor the airlines would legitimately address the passenger monitoring-intervention issue. Sky-rage training has been mandated for a long time, but the FAA was essentially bought & paid for.

Remember that PSA had a suicide passenger case that took out an entire full plane about 1986/87.

Instead, the FAA methodically ignored the issue. Neither Congress - who knew the threat - nor the FBI - who was intimately aware of the Boston-Logan problem - would change a damn thing. Yet, they swore they had no warning. RUBBISH!

Guess what???? We got 9-11!

Any doubts; see -

Airline Safety ‘Net

- look to the TWA-800” and “Attack on America” links.

What isn't told on that site is that the captain of Continental Micronesia Flight 985 was a union safety team member. He'd protested the smuggler's paradise designed into the new Guam Airport terminal building - approved by Clinton. That same drug smuggling mechanism allows terrorists free reign in the Pacific. He didn't know what hit him or why.

While Customs has nearly the power of God, they couldn't get that loop-hole plugged. The FAA, again, was silent.

See -

"Air Mike Flight 985"

"The Rest of the CS-985 Story"

Those on the U.S. West Coast are probably entitled to be nervous.

If you're feeling brave, read the rest of the accounts on that Web site - particularly the letter to the FAA Administrator, Jane Garvey. On her watch, the Crew Rest, Crew Resource Management, Aircraft Wiring and Airport Security issues were ignored to an extreme.

After a body count of approximately 7,000, she still has a job. Even after the 9-11 horror, her boss, U.S. Transportation Secretary, Norman Minetta, made a comment on TV about, "...Jane Garvey and her great team."

You take it from there.

[boltfromblue]

People with CCW might like to take the training for air marshal, in the event they can act as subs, if not become marshals. Pilots might, too, for their dead travel time.

[paul51]

Maybe they should distribute box cutters to everyone boarding a plane. With everyone "armed", who would try to take over the plane?

[Critter]

bump for later reference.

[martinD]

Hey - now that whole gun control debate is starting to make sense! There sure is no way you can get rid of every possible offensive weapon on an aircraft (ladies hair pin, compact mirror, steel pens, disabled crutches), so why the hell not give everyone a 12 inch survival knife??? Crazy as it sounds, you can bet that not one of those planes would have been taken over and brought down, and If I ever found myself in such a dreadful situation, I would be cursing the fact that I had nothing to defend myself with since all the sharp objects had been removed from around me... So the answer is (in all seriousness) - arm the flight crew.

[weegee]

Something that came to my mind in the days following the hijackings was an incident from last year.

A passenger became aggressive and demanded to get into the cockpit. He was restrained but died shortly the plane landed. A lawsuit followed.

This may have contributed to the passive nature of the passengers.

[paul51]

Yeah. And they can even make them cheap ones with there logo on them so we can keep them so we are also safe in the airports. I think we are on to something!!!

[paul51]

Make that "their" logo. No speaka the eng.

[weegee]

Regarding other people planting weapons on the planes that were crashed...

I don't think that this was the case because the letters the hijackers had reminded them to bring their knives.

With increased scrutiny at security checkpoints, assistance from ground crews becomes more likely though.

And then there are all of the businesses that operate between the metal detectors and the boarding gate. Most probably have some cutting implements (restaurants, newsstands, gift shops) for use by the employees if not the customers.

If you are really determined, an aluminum can (from the beverage cart on the plane) could be torn into a sharp edge.

[Kozak]

"Haven't thought about mirrors, but I understand that they are considering banning hot water for coffee and tea (throwing it in someones face can be a problem). I can handle room-temp coffee, but I wouldn't want it to be served that way. "They can make weapons in prisons, I don't imagine it would be much effort to do the same with common available items and a decent nail file.... A decent can of hair spritz can blind you for a few minutes, what else --- pepper spray disguised as perfume, acrylic nails sharpened to points, hair bobs sharpened, the list goes on ad infinitum. It's a cat and mouse game"


Everyone is indeed insane. Look. Short of doing a cavity search on EVERY PERSON getting on a plane I guarantee weapons can be smuggled on far more lethal then a box cutter. The list of potential weapons is almost endless. The answer is armed air marshalls, armed pilots, a secure cockpit door and an understanding by all who fly that any attempt to hijack a plane will result in an all out assault by everyone on that plane on the hijackers. The old rules whereby we meekly submit are gone. This rule must also be applied in all areas of life where we might be threatened by terrorists, there are no noncombatants in this war.

[FITZ]

This is absolute lunacy. Has everyone gone completely insane???????

Not me, you won't catch me getting close to a plane. If I need to go somewhere I'll drive or take a bus.

[paul51]

will result in an all out assault by everyone on that plane on the hijackers
as well as having the passengers deal with the hijackers

[afraidfortherepublic]

If the pilots had been carrying guns, this would not have been an incident

If the airlines had not allowed visiting "pilots" to sit in the cockpit during flight, this might not have been an incident either.