BREAKING: CNN And Fox Reporting Massive Search Of Airliners...

[WillyT]

No link yet, but fox reported that at this moment, the authorities are searching EVERY airliner in the country.

Both CNN and Fox are reporting that two Southwest Airliners were found to have bags with boxcutters, a clay-like substance, bleach, and a note saying "Security is not very tight."

Looks like somebody was trying to warn about lax security issues!!!

:shrug:

Will post link when one becomes available!

[bif]

1. Wow!

.

[Guaranteed]

2. Holy Bejesus.

WOW.

[DK666]

3. No suprise there...

Frigging amatures,,,,,

[hang a left]

4. distraction

[Guaranteed]

8. Yeah.

[Sandstorm]

5. Southwest?!?

That's what I always fly.

[Demobrat]

6. Me too.

Yikes!

[Nottingham]

7. Well tell us something we don't know! Security does suck

and they went after Southwest Airlines cause they are the most
viable of the Airlines

:bounce:

[arcane1]

9. but, if we send another $87 billion to Iraq...

won't that make the airliners safer..? :shrug:

</freeper logic>

[nostamj]

65. no, but...

we won't NEED safer airliners because all the terrorists are moving to Iraq...

[will work 4 food]

10. Red Cell

This is Red Cell at work. Good Job!!! Show em where they suck.

[DK666]

11. Red Cell ?

Never heard of them ?

[KAZ]

20. Link Red Cell.

http://www.navysealteams.com/Marcinko.htm

[oneighty]

22. You had best

take "Red Cell" with a grain of salt.

180

[cosmicdot]

12. can Tom Ridge justify an 8-hour work day?

[WillyT]

13. First Link I've Found !!!

Link: http://www.news24houston.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=16901

Not much, but this is still breaking!

[omshanti]

15. AP wire story just out

FBI probes suspicious bags on two planes

(edited to fix link - sorry!)

[WillyT]

16. Check Your Link, I Can't Get Through...

:hi:

[DK666]

14. More/better training.

Man the HSA really needs to go back to terrorist 101 this is bushleague stuff (no pun intended). Its a diversionary tactic.

[Guaranteed]

17. Dean gets to use this, though.

Two years after 9/11! Bush is incompetent!

On edit: I think this is almost entirely a point for the Dems. If it had been an actual attack, it would have probably garnered some support for Bush. But, since there aren't any bodies, it just shows that Bush isn't do a good enough job to protect us. There aren't any terrorists to point the finger at.

[TahitiNut]

18. Southwest Airlines Statement

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031017/daf026_1.html

DALLAS, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- While performing maintenance on an aircraft lavatory in New Orleans last evening, several items were discovered in a lavatory compartment. The items, inside a small plastic bag, included a small number of boxcutters and other items intended to simulate a threat.

A similar discovery was made in Houston last night on another aircraft during a scheduled maintenance inspection (C check).

A note in both packages indicated the items were intended to challenge the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint security procedures.

<snip>

After consulting with the TSA, we immediately completed inspections of our entire fleet of 385 aircraft and found no additional miscellaneous items. We continue to cooperate with the TSA and FBI to determine the origin of these items.

<snip>

[Bandit]

25. I would think this is good news

They found the items. What do we expect here? We criticize when they do their job and we critize when they don't. People here seem to just want to be critical. Some of those hate e-mails have a good point. There is a lot of hatred on these boards. I would suggest people start using a little thought process here.

[Beetwasher]

26. Ummm, no, they found them WAAAY too late

They were already there long enough to be used. They're supposed to find them BEFORE they get on the plane, otherwise what's the point? Read the reports, they were found by accident by a maintenance team. That's pretty fucked up if you ask me.

[notadmblnd]

37. Well if they were already there and...

had not been used, do ya think the "TERRORISTS" chickened out? The powers that be think their best weapon is fear. Seems to me this is just another attempt to kick it up a notch. Remember, you must be afraid, the boogy man is every where. booga, booga, booga booga booga BOO!

[Beetwasher]

56. You're discounting the note that is being reported as found

along w/ the stuff. The note indicates pretty clearly it wasn't terrorists but someone exposing imcompetence...

[Terran]

71. agreed, they didn't do their job at all

A friggin maintenance team found the items? That's ridiculous! They deserve to be slammed for this!

[DoYouEverWonder]

19. Ridge & Co

will always be a day late and a dollar short.

You can't have security when you go around pissing off the whole world.

[rasputin1952]

23. Precisely...

n/t

[TahitiNut]

21. FBI finds suspicious boxcutters, note in bags on 2 airline flights

http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=61655

WASHINGTON - The FBI is investigating the discovery of three suspicious bags aboard two commercial aircraft in the United States that contained box cutters and at least one note questioning air safety, officials said Friday.

Discovery of the bags late Thursay night has led to a government order that all U.S. commercial flights be searched by security personnel within 24 hours, according to a senior law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity.

The items were found in bags aboard two Southwest jets that are now on the ground in Houston and New Orleans, officials said. The bags were not found in suitcases or other luggage, but officials declined to describe the bags further.

In addition to the box cutters, the FBI found bleach and some form of clay. It was not clear if there was more than one note.

<snip>

[kayell]

33. Search of all flights within 24 hours

Hah, they are more interested in finding evidence to lead them to the people who showed up their incompetence, than in really stopping terrorism. Real terrorism is what they would like to see to keep the US population cowed.

Everything the BFEE does goes to show this, from ignoring pre-9/11 warnings to starting a needless war that they were repeatedly warned would lead to more terrorism, to our STUPID foreign policies, to shipping a high percentage of first responders overseas, to short changing the police and fire departments to .....on and on and on....

:nuke:

[9215]

24. Chicken Little chickenshit!

Boy those fascists really got this country by the emotional balls.
There are not gonna be any terrorist attacks on this country that aren't approved by the BFEE. Those attacks that are approved will be unstoppable with the BFEE in power, so you may as well go about your business and hope you aren't, inadvertently or otherwise, in the line of fire.

[Loonman]

27. Homeland Security

Is officially frickin' useless.

[DK666]

29. Dude...

I just got a job offer from them....

[Sal316]

28. I'm so glad the GOP voted down a 'cargo searching' amendment.

/sarcasm off

I remember reading a couple weeks ago that the Dems offered an amendment to fund the TSA and DHS complete cargo search on airliners. The GOP voted it down.

Damn, I wish I could remember which bill it was!

[camero]

36. They're searching cargo too

I purchased airline tix that were being delivered by Fed-EX and I have been wiating all day for my shipment to come.

[Sal316]

57. They are now, but....

...the GOP voted down an amendment that would require and fund full cargo screening on airliners a couple weeks ago.

Hindsight and all...

[camero]

60. When and what time did this happen?

I think I am getting lied to by the customer service rep at Fed Ex.
My package supposedly arrived at 9:49 am to a location 1.8 miles from my house. Must just be another excuse for bad service.

[MUAD_DIB]

30. So is this real or is there some bad news coming

out today that Chimpy wants to get off the front burner?

[TacticalPeek]

32. Smoke

for the Friday evening data dump.

[DK666]

39. Ahhhh.....

Watch carefully and dont pay attention to the man behind the green curtian....

[davsand]

31. I find this wildly ironic

Especially in light of the fact that I heard it on WBBM (Chicago) right after a really somber report on how bad the markets are looking right now.

Our security is about like cheesecloth and we've all known that for a while now. This just reeks of either a diversion or else somebody making a point about how UN-safe we really are.

Laura

[eek]

51. Southwest? Sheesh - whatta they gonna do..

hijack the 24 seater from Midland-Odessa and force 'em to re-route to Harlingen?:eyes:



But anyway, the fact that there's scarifyin' going on while aWol and Pickles are far away is *totally* surprisiing, huh?:eyes::eyes::eyes:

Shit - wonder what's up dick's sleeve this time. x(

[Cocoa]

34. part of the PR offensive

sorry, but I would feel foolish if I took anything they said at face value right now. Maybe later, if some credible reporters or democrats say this is for real, ok, but right now it's just Tom Ridge.

[Beetwasher]

35. No way. This makes them look REALLY incompetent

This is NOT part of their plan. No way.

[Cocoa]

45. maybe...

the red flag for me was "FBI announced..."

I'd like to see the employees on TV talking abot how they found it, etc.

[Beetwasher]

53. Yeah, but that note they found is not something the admin.

would want released and yet it was. If it was terrorists they wouldn't have left the note. The admin. would LOVE this to be portrayed as them stopping terrorists, but that note has put the kaibosh on that spin...

[WillyT]

38. Hmmm... Interesting Thought...

Is this story more useful to the BFEE as a diversionary tactic for political gain, or does it make the BFEE look like a bunch of dangerous clowns for net political loss???

Anybody???

:shrug:

[DK666]

40. Ok I give

What the heck is BFEE ?

[WillyT]

44. LOL !!! BFEE = Bush Family Evil Empire

Or so I've heard.

:evilgrin:

[kayell]

46. Bush Family Evil Empire

You can find a discussion of it, links, and cast of characters here.
http://www.destee.com/forums/archives/topic/16727.html

I have to warn you that the author uses some insulting comments to start with. Ignore them and keep reading, the information below the introduction is excellent.

[sallydallas124]

47. Bush Family Evil Empire

eom

[notadmblnd]

48. It refers to the

Bush Family Evil Empire

[DK666]

52. Holy Crap

Thanks everyone. I think that reply is burned into my monitor now.....


:+

[henslee]

64. Baffled by an acronym.Ha! For weeks EOM had me stumped. EOM

[WillyT]

68. Here's A Helpful Little Site For Ya !!!

Internet Acronyms Dictionary

Link: http://www.gaarde.org/acronyms/

:hi:

On edit: Though they don't have BFEE listed... yet!

:evilgrin:

[DK666]

79. Hey...

thx man

[WillyT]

41. CNN Link Here:

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/10/17/suspicious.baggage/index.html

:shrug:

[WillyT]

43. MSNBC Link Here:

Link: http://www.msnbc.com/news/981710.asp?0cv=CB10

:shrug:

[Unknown Known]

42. Could have something to do with this?

October 14, 2003 — The search goes on for a stolen laptop computer, a computer that contains sensitive information about security at all the commercial airports in the U.S. It happened during an airport security training seminar at the Embassy Suites near Philadelphia International.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/101403_nw_computertheft.html

and then, this -

The Department of Homeland Security has warned airlines, local police and emergency personnel across the country to be on heightened alert after U.S. intelligence recently received "multiple reports indicate terrorists may be poised to conduct simultaneous attacks in the near term against US interests" here or overseas, according to an agency memo.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A32056-2003Oct15?language=printer

[maggrwaggr]

49. Meanwhile, air cargo goes 100% uninspected.

good lord this country's run by a bunch of dumb-asses

[WillyT]

55. Oh C'Mon Now... It's Simple Cost\Benefit Analysis !!!

The money it would take to inspect all airline and shipping container cargo is way more expensive than the loss of several thousand lives every now and then.

Don't ya just LOVE Capitalism???

:grr::nuke::mad:

Whadda country... Sigh...

<sarcasm /off>

[mikehiggins]

74. Cargo planes

I used to think you only had to worry about bombs in the cargo bays, but that guy who shipped himself from NYC to Texas suggests something even more dangerous. If he had been a terrorist with a gun or a bomb what couldn't he do, once he got out of that box?

[kayell]

50. hmm, are we being set up for another 9/11?

The timing with whistle-asses polling problems fits, but how will they make us believe that it wasn't their fault? Or do they think that just enough people will believe in them or be scared enough to see in the next period of Constution shredding? If they shred it thoroughly enough this time, maybe the peoples opinions truly won't matter any longer.

By the way, who really thinks that Al Queda* would be likely to use the same method twice in a row?

Added: the *, because who really knows? :tinfoilhat:

[pezcore64]

54. ....

I wouldn't be suprised if they did something to scare people into believing they are our savoir. If it does happen though, I dunno about you guys, but Im starting a Revolution! lol! There hasta come a time when enuffs is enuff , ya know? ;)

[reprobate]

78. pezcore64, you are joking about a revolution, I know, but........

...for some time now I have had the feeling that we are entering a period that history will call the Second American Revolution, or R2.

Look at the economy and the loss of jobs to lower labor cost countries, the growth the wealthy have experienced, while the middle class has lost ground, and the rise of the number of poor.

Our military is severely overextended, and yet they treat the returning GIs so badly, even to putting wounded troops in substandard barracks and make them wait weeks to see a doctor. Anyone who has served the country will not forget this, and the angre is swelling.

It certainly seems to me that if you compared todays situation with France in 1789 and Russia in 1917 there would be some scary parallels. I believe that the entire country is holding it's breath, hoping that this nightmare will go away with the next election. A BFEE win next november will, IMHO, make R2 inevitable.

[ConcernedCanuk]

58. OhBoy - I feel a REAL attack is not far away - -

. . Don't think the terrarists been sitting on their dumplings while the WH fumbles around in Afghanistan and Iraq

. . the REAL terrarists are already INSIDE the USA

Just My Humble Canuk Opinion

[kayell]

61. Another attack

would certainly set them up if they could avoid the blame. Imagine - they could open those concentration camps for foreigners and people of suspect origin or politics. They could limit travel severely - we could all be required to carry papers. Expect people of modestly suspect politics (registered dems, avowed liberals) to be restricted in many travel options. Checkpoints, searches, restrictions on publications, crack down on "subversive" websites. House Un-American Activities hearings again. Blacklists. oh boy... Welcome to East Germany.

Know of any horticulture jobs on that side of the border?

Added: I HATE feeling like severe paranoia is the SANE point of view these days.

[lightbulb]

67. your fear is well founded

Just look at what happens to Mr. Bush' approval ratings when bad stuff goes down. They are going to time it for the election, just as his numbers are in the toilet.

[amazona]

59. oh for cryin' out loud

We have to fly out of New Orleans to Mexico next week for dental work. Who needs this crap? The airport already seems to be losing flights right and left as it is. I suppose within the decade we'll end up driving to Houston or Atlanta every time we need to fly somewhere. :-(


i guess we won't be bringing our teddy bears

[Catherine Vincent]

62. Security is not very tight.

Of course it's not very tight. If a damn man can airmail himself to his parents in a freaking crate and no one noticed, then we've got some problems. Sheesh!

[cthrumatrix]

63. Fear, fear , fear.....be afraid....you need King George to protect

i can't see a terror group giving a warning...there is no impact for them.

I can see "those" who want to keep us in fear do just that.

[RaulGroom]

72. It's not a warning, it's a blueprint n/t

n/t

[lovedems]

66. I will believe a terror threat when Cheney goes in hiding again!

Just one more reason NOT to privatize airport security. It will be all about profits and not about safety! This war on terror is becoming quite a sick joke.

[corarose]

69. Bush's polls numbers need to go up

We should expect a bombing sometimes real soon.

[Zan_of_Texas]

70. Read the SW Air release -- this ain't no terrorists IMO

These two bags sound like a message from someone who believes security is lax, not from a terrorist.

Southwest Airlines Statement


DALLAS, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- While performing maintenance on an aircraft lavatory in New Orleans last evening, several items were discovered in a lavatory compartment. The items, inside a small plastic bag, included a small number of boxcutters and other items intended to simulate a threat.

A similar discovery was made in Houston last night on another aircraft during a scheduled maintenance inspection (C check).

A note in both packages indicated the items were intended to challenge the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint security procedures.

Both discoveries were made on Thursday night, Oct. 16, by Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Employees. These items were immediately turned over to authorities with whom we will continue to cooperate during this investigation.

After consulting with the TSA, we immediately completed inspections of our entire fleet of 385 aircraft and found no additional miscellaneous items. We continue to cooperate with the TSA and FBI to determine the origin of these items.

We will not speculate on who might have left these items onboard. We will cooperate with the federal authorities to investigate this thoroughly.

www.southwest.com

SOURCE Southwest Airlines
CO: Southwest Airlines; Transportation Security Administration
ST: Texas
SU:
Web site: http://www.southwest.com
http://www.prnewswire.com
10/17/2003 12:29 EDT


____________________________

[JackDragna]

73. This is what happens, folks.

You make a big deal out of security in airports..then fire a high percentage of the screeners! Sheer idiocy.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

75. it was playdough and bleach....they found playdough and clorax

someone trying to show how lax security really is....opps sorry we don't have a playdoughg and bleach sniffer

the flight attendents are sending a message....they are tired of cleaning the planes just so that SW can save money

[leesa]

76. What a bunch of crap! Oh yes, the Muslim boogiemen again!

You sure there wasn't a little GOP elephant pin among the stuff found? What a scam!

[Eurobabe]

77. time to tamp the masses again

things are getting a little too outta hand here. stories about leaks leaking, mayors with bugs, retired generals getting too popular, ex-govenors raking in too much money...

[DK666]

80. Right o

Spin up the natives and send em to their caves....

[mumon]

81. this is soooo totally Repuke!

folks This story broke how many hours after the NYSE closed????

I'm puttin' 10 bucks it's nothing but DICK Cheney yankin'

[WillyT]

83. Actually, It Broke 45 Minutes Before The Close Of The Market...

But I pick nits here.

:evilgrin:

[goforit]

82. The WH tease!!!!.................Polls down?..More propaganda!!!

:puke: