Since when does BOB mean “Bomb on Board?” . This ludicrous story has been picked up by a number of bloggers and all concur that somehow this episode in stupidity was a good thing because, after all, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’m reminded of the bag found onboard an airline some years back that was exploded by bomb experts resulting in a baby’s diaper being blown to smithereens. This slow cultural journey towards a fear-based reality isn’t good. Hand-wringers unite!
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The latest “news” doesn’t help.
First, we are told an al-quida member, with crypto-codes, was recently captured in Pakistan (a few weeks ago?) – and that this recently-obtained info points to planned-attacks on financial centers in the US.
So, heightened security – newspaper pictues of random inspections of trucks in NYC, and armed transit police making sweeps in commuter trains in D.C.
But wait, the “casing” of the financial districts was done 3 or 4 years ago??
Offical answer: doesn’t matter, they often spend years researching targets for attacks.
My take: if word gets out that they already knew about the planning, after an attack occurs – they would get the boot. So, they have to do something, even though it gives the impression of another false alarm.
That probably is the best way for a terrorist organization to disrupt the US: make plans to attack every facility of note, and occassionally let the plans leak-out – with the window-dressing of message traffic between “cells” – even if they don’t have the capability or intention of caring-out the plans. They would just need an occasional attack – somewhere – to maintain the organization’s credibility. Maybe just set-up a few “patsies” to be arrested, and divulge more “plans”.
What administration, Republican or Democrat, could withstand the backlash of “crying Wolf!” so many times?
The sad thing is that many people today really do believe in the better-safe-than sorry movement. It’s the same sort of nonsense that gets gradeschoolers expelled for pointing a chicken finger at a classmate and saying “Pow pow pow.”
How many people stop to reflect that the country was founded on the notion that there are more important things than being safe? Like freedom, for example. (I think I just uttered a political blasphemy!)
One sentence I couldn’t quite come to terms with:
“I am comforted that the final decision to divert the flight was in the hands of the captain, and not a United Airlines executive who might unduly worry about the $US100,000 the emergency landing ended up costing.”
Unduly? I hate beancounters, but these are, actually, the sorts of occasions on which they can play an important role. A good beancounter would have told the crew to stop obsessing and get back to work.