Flight diverted to KBGR.

[Craig.]

I'd rather the system decides if a passenger is a risk before the plane boards, it doesn't matter if a terrorist kills one person onboard or 2500 on the ground the simple fact is they were allowed onboard to do that. If the system is made so it can screen passengers before a flight, a suspect can be questioned there and then by police and their fate decided while the rest of the passengers carry on delay and hassle free safe and sound on board while the airlines dont have to worry about loosing thousands for a flight that is diverted. then if the questioned passenger is released no charges their info is updated on the system and they can travel on a later flight.

[Hagar]

I'd rather the system decides if a passenger is a risk before the plane boards,

Quite. I wouldn't think that's impossible, even with existing technology. The point is that they're never likely to use the same methods again - or are they? Nobody will ever be sure again so you have to take precautions against it. Meanwhile, they're more likely to hit softer targets in other parts of the world or come up with something nobody's thought of. This might not involve aircraft at all. One thing's for certain. Air travel will never be the same again.

[Craig.]

Aircraft have always been a target, as you said the same method? maybe not. But like i pointed out earlier, Lockerbie was another act of terrorism involving an aircraft that cost many people their lives. Without trying to sound insensitive, the number of lost lives is irrelivant to the reaction an attack should provoke, one life lost to an act of terror is one life too many.

[Hagar]

I believe the Lockerbie bomb was intended to explode over the ocean which it would have done if the flight had not been delayed. In this case they would probably still be trying to find out what happened to that aircraft. No amount of personal screening would have prevented it as the bomb was in the baggage hold & the person that planted it was not even aboard the aircraft.

I would also remind you that the events of 9/11 involved internal flights & the terrorists had been living in the US for some time. You've made a very good point Craig. If it has to be done for international flights, stop anyone suspicious boarding the aircraft at the point of departure, not wait until it's almost reached its destination.

One thing about all this. I don't remember hearing about a "normal" hijacking since 9/11. This used to be quite a common occurrence.

[Flt.Lt.Andrew]

This is yet another example over world paranoia!!

A.

[Hyperion2]

I don't see it as paranoia at all.  Perhaps I was too close to 9/11 I don't know....(not nearly as close as others, but it was still very attached to me).

I personally don't care what they do, as long as they keep me from having to live that day a second time.

[Hagar]

I personally don't care what they do, as long as they keep me from having to live that day a second time.

The only certain way of doing that would be to ban all flying. To make doubly certain you could also close your borders & prevent anyone leaving or visiting your country. While you're about it ban all vehicles which could be used as bombs, another favourite terrorist weapon. I believe that this type of thinking would be a big mistake & achieve nothing.

We are now faced with a different type of warfare & the sole objective is an attack on the heart of our Western society. The destruction of the WTC was a terrible demonstration of what can be achieved by a few determined people at very little cost to themselves, except their own lives. It affects the whole Western world, not simply the US & what happened must have exceeded their wildest dreams. Like many others all over the world I watched the whole thing live on TV & apart from NYC residents & their relatives it affected me as much as anyone else.

Unlike other terrorist organisations these people cannot be bargained with & are not afraid to die for their cause. This makes it very difficult to prevent as nobody knows who they are or where they might strike next. Osama Bin Laden & other leaders are not the ones carrying out these attacks. They persuade others to do their work for them, preferably young idealistic followers with no previous criminal records, so they would not be on any security list. The safest flight to be on would probably be sitting next to Bin Laden himself.

The security services are in an impossible no-win situation & whatever they do they will be criticised. Whatever measures they take, I feel that they should be very careful not to abuse the rights of ordinary people or interfere with their everyday lives. This is exactly what these people want & means they have already succeeded.

[Hyperion2]

A lot of people concur with that theory.  "If we live in fear, they win."

I've never personally bought into that.  If you're dealing with individuals so dedicated to a cause that they're willing (and eager) to blow themselves to bits in order to further said cause, they're not going to consider it a victory if people just have an emotional reaction.

I agree that there's only so much we can do.  I'm not so young and naive to think that it will ever be 100% resolved.  But I think we owe it to the "good guys" of the world to protect ourselves at all costs.

If in the process of protecting ourselves we piss off a few people, maybe get them to their destination a few hours late or inconvenience them another way, so be it.  I'd much rather see that than see people having to leap hundreds of feet to their deaths because that was the better option.

[Saitek]

The best way to look at this is to say "what if"! ( )

If the plane had been left and it was taken over and crashed then what would have happened? Everyone would have been yelling and demanding people getting sacked, wanting a big investigation etc.

It turns out, yes - they knew the man with a name and birthdate that matched a baddie who was on the flight and they thought they'd leave it as people would be annoyed etc and oh dear he proved to be a terrorist and killed several hundred people. Everyone would say what folly! What an idiotic defence! That would be so true. Therefore they did the right thing and I now move (for next week or two weeks later when it happens again) the same action is taken!

Ben

[Hyperion2]

Also worthy of pointing out, a lot (not all) of the same people who are now complaining that this was an unnecessary inconvenience were the people who said on September 12th that we weren't doing enough to stop this sort of thing from happening to begin with.

[Saitek]

Also worthy of pointing out, a lot (not all) of the same people who are now complaining that this was an unnecessary inconvenience were the people who said on September 12th that we weren't doing enough to stop this sort of thing from happening to begin with.

Exactly and the same people were probably the same people who were most angry and had the most to say at the "incompetence" of those who failed to spot it on 9/11. What a crazy world.  ::)

[Hagar]

This comes back to Craig's point. Once anyone on that list is aboard the aircraft it's too late. The system should be changed to stop them at the point of departure. As I've pointed out several times already, the most likely threat would come from people with no criminal record & not on any lists. All this is just giving a false sense of security.

[Hyperion2]

Ahh, but if the aircraft were stopped before any damage was done, it wasn't really too late, was it?

[Saitek]

This comes back to Craig's point. Once anyone on that list is aboard the aircraft it's too late. The system should be changed to stop them at the point of departure. As I've pointed out several times already, the most likely threat would come from people with no criminal record & not on any lists. All this is just giving a false sense of security.

True, but there is only so much money available for security and only so much human beings can do. It is always easy being in the Opposition as they say...

[Hyperion2]

The problem is that the issue of national security has been overly politicized.  There is a faction of people out there who will oppose ANYTHING done by current leaders.

(I'm really trying to dance around the no politics rule, is it obvious?)

It's not about security.  It's not about right and wrong.  It's about opposition and obstructionism.  

It's disgusting.