Aug 10 2006

What A Day To Fly!

Published by at 9:20 am under All General Discussions,UK Airline Plot

Woke up in CA this morning with the hopes of getting home today only to find the entire air transportation system on Red Alert. The news out of the UK is stunning to say the least, but I find it comforting that the system is now on high alert and any remnant members of the plot are probably heading underground. There is speculation as to what triggered the arrests. I am still wondering about those 600 cell phones (detonation devices?) found on the two men in Ohio who were arrested yesterday.

While the question of what triggered the arrests, which I agree with many commentators that the plot was getting to close to execution, I also wonder on the timing of the plot itself. (Side note: US Congressman Jack Quinn on FOX just mentioned that the UK security elements were in close coordination with US security. This might explain our security stance at the highest level). What I take away from this is the timing of the Lamont-Lieberman primary. I know I have been harping on this, and I don’t want to overstate the situation, but simple logic points to a desparate Al Qaeda prepared to do anything to loosen the strangle hold the Bush, Blair and Howard administrations have on them.

The left in this country, and the old media, have been hyping this fall’s elections as the tipping point in the war on terror. This year it is predicted that the US may turn and run if the Democrats win the Congress. If the Dems start impeachment proceedings on Bush – all the better. I saw a lot of left leaning talking heads comment on how the Lamont win may end the international involvement (some, like David Gergen, used a term like ‘misadventures’) of the US. These comments must be music to the ears of Al Qaeda

Add to that the nature of the beast. Al Qaeda is a brutish mindset. The seek dominance for themselves and expect submission by others. So their mindset would push them to do the opposite of common sense in the West. When they see weakness they wish to send a message. So the national debate here in the US could be triggering Al Qaeda to demonstrate to America why we should follow the Lamonts of the world into the slaughter house.

This is classic misjudgement by both the left and Al Qaeda. The left believes if we leave Al Qaeda alone there would be no war. And Al Qaeda believes if the attack us hard enough the left will win the day. They are both tragically wrong and those of us who want to see real, long term security need to reject both mindsets. We need to fight this war to its end and stop enticing attacks by showing any hint of hesitancy.

14 responses so far

14 Responses to “What A Day To Fly!”

  1. MerlinOS2 says:

    We need to fight this war to its end and stop enticing attacks by showing any hint of hesitancy.

    AJ

    PLEASE email this to the Prime Minister of Israel!

    NPR this morning had someone commenting that there debate at the UN was heading to a compromise about setting a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.

    Trying to track down if this came from Murtha or Lame mont or just another Kerry/Kennedy joint press release

  2. MerlinOS2 says:

    AJ

    Just for a bit of consideration

    If you had a private pilot license, you could have leased a small aircraft today and maybe had to puddle jump a few fuel stops on the way home.

    But chances are you MAY have gotten home quicker than taking a commercial flight.

    Also if you were to loose baggage on the flight, you really know who to blame!

    Why I fly myself, hate mass nontransit!

  3. luc says:

    It is now being reported that the lack of serious Israeli action in Lebanon is due to US pressure. Unfortunately, the pressure is not being applied by Murtha or Lame mont or just another Kerry and/or Kennedy and/or Galloway ! 🙂 🙂 Is there any hope left or are we all slowly self-destructing even without help from AQ or Islam-fascists…

  4. MerlinOS2 says:

    Luc

    The debate by the left and our MSM enablers could give that impression.

    The Kos kids and the “band of others” could get the headlines to support this “loss of the moral high ground”

    This is a comforting choice for the “spin to win” minority report, but then reality sets in, and it is hard to accept unvarnished shark jumping.

    Of course we will take all measures not to support illegal profiling of sharks.

    This is reasonable because PITA would have to take on the Kos cause.

    Yupp, right after Ted Kennedy donates the vast amount of his fortune to MADD. Teddy boy, follow the example of Warren Buffet and you can get 72 virgins.

    OOPS wrong religion, my bad!

  5. lurker9876 says:

    “AJ

    Just for a bit of consideration

    If you had a private pilot license, you could have leased a small aircraft today and maybe had to puddle jump a few fuel stops on the way home.

    But chances are you MAY have gotten home quicker than taking a commercial flight.

    Also if you were to loose baggage on the flight, you really know who to blame!

    Why I fly myself, hate mass nontransit!”

    Not entirely true. It depends on how much they shut down. For several weeks after 9/11 Class A and B airports were shutdown, even for IFR and VFR private pilots. One may have to check the lower classified airports. Not worth a hassle. I’ll check into amtrak or bus travel if airports will continue to be shutdown for days.

  6. lurker9876 says:

    And I’m really unhappy that USA put too much pressure on Israel to halt its invasion to let the diplomacy process run to its end. This will do far more harm to Israel than forging ahead. Olmert and Bush both need to get emails saying that this is a mistake.

  7. crosspatch says:

    The lunatics over a Kos are apparently posting that all of this is hype by BushCo to get his popularity up. Jeez those people are just unbelieveable (got that from Charles’ site LGF).

    Electing Democrats really can get your family/friends/loved ones killed.

  8. MerlinOS2 says:

    Lurker

    I only hear of additional restrictions on carry on’s for commercial flights, did I miss something?

    Will have to go back and check how long private flights were downed after 9/11 but I believe you may overstate the duration.

  9. MerlinOS2 says:

    Crosspatch

    What is their supposed reasoning for the poll chasing? GW could care less about polls. Only Kos and Co. seem so fixated on them.

    So nice they can assert wag the dog stuff, but miss the part that their house is in water up to the windowsills.

    The seem to think they are the political reincarnation of the Pirates of the Carribean.

    However confusion of the ideal with the real seldom goes unpunished.

  10. Terrye says:

    I heard that Israel was goiong to wait a day or two before the big push to give diplomacy a chance. It is easy for us to say they should do this or that but the Israelis do not want to occupy Lebanon again and they have made it plain from the beginning that they want some kind of force in there to make it possible for them to withdraw. Bush has always been supportive of Israel, but maintaining a push like this for a country of 6 million people is difficult. I think some American pundits forget that.

    But the Israelis still sent men into southeast Lebanon today and they are massing more on the border. No one is going home.

  11. Unscripted Thoughts says:

    AJ:
    My ex-mil buddies and I have been having this dicussion for some time. It goes something like this: AlQ is desperate to conduct another attack to declare their ‘relevance’. The more damage done to the US the better–hence look for something pretty spectacular (and if it causes a severe financial crisis even better). Urgency rises each month as we approach Jan 2009. Why? Because they are desperate to embarass the one man that has stood up to them time and again—GWB (departing in 2009). God save us all if the likes of sKerry or Shrillary has the helm.

  12. lurker9876 says:

    “Lurker

    I only hear of additional restrictions on carry on’s for commercial flights, did I miss something?

    Will have to go back and check how long private flights were downed after 9/11 but I believe you may overstate the duration. ”

    My husband was taking private lessons at a nearby airport about five minutes away (Ellingon Field), which was class B at the time of 9/11/01. Of course, the location of Ellington Field was close enough to Houston Hobby, which played a factor into shutting down Ellington Field. From 9/11 til several weeks or months later, he wasn’t able to fly out of there. No one was allowed to fly in or out. He ended up flying out of another private airport about 20 minutes away, which is class C.

    Anyways, a few weeks later, they finally updated the status of Ellington field to restricted class B for a few more weeks, which allowed IFR flying but no VFR flying.

    Incidentally, NASA JSC basically shutdown to essential on 9/11/01 for a few days. My husband had an office onsite but had a meeting offsite. He rode with one of his co-workers. The security guard wouldn’t let him back onsite to pick up his own car so he could drive home until he received a message from his walkie talkie to let those people onsite so that they can wrap up and go home.

    Things have certainly changed at NASA JSC since. We used to enjoy bringing in our own visitors before 9/10. Since 9/11 I haven’t seen anyone bring their family members in. We had to turn people and family away. Also, the vicinity of the Mission Control Center has been beefed up with pipes sticking twenty feet down into the ground; that is, to prevent terrorists from driving into MCC with bombs.

    When there’s a shuttle mission on, MCC has security x-ray doors with security guards to search through handbags, etc.

  13. lurker9876 says:

    Oh, I haven’t kept up with today’s news…I thought that many flights were cancelled so I concluced that airports are closed?

    I think a bus or Amtrak ride would be better than trying to catch a flight home. In fact, one guy that actually saw the plane ramming into Pentagon wasn’t able to fly home so ended up taking the bus home. Took him 32 hours but he got home! This guy was driving a rental car and waiting at a traffic light when he followed that plane ramming into the Pentagon with his own eyes.

    Talk about 9/11 conspiracies DISPROVEN!

  14. […] I was traveling the day this happened, August 10th 2006. It was a nightmare for a while as security at airports across the world changed overnight. In fact I have an entire category of posts dedicated to this one attack. In the annals of history, this will always be a historic event because of how it changed the world, even though the attack itself was thwarted. […]