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Muslim family removed from flight for...nothing
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I sometimes wonder about the overall intelligence level of the FBI and the NTSB. I’m not saying that to be humorous or for effect. I genuinely wonder about the FBI at times. Or maybe it isn’t the FBI per se, maybe it’s our collective ignorance in the way we’ve gone about fighting the war on terror and the FBI is simply “doing as it’s told.”
Either way, when I hear stories like this next one, I become unnerved. A Muslim family was removed from an AirTran flight this past Thursday due to a “conversation” about the supposed “safest seat” location in the event of an airline disaster. There was no mention of “bomb,” “terrorism” or practicing of any “unusual prayer rituals,” only the innocuous conversation.
Story HERE.
The FBI removed 8 family members and a friend for questioning.
Never mind that there have been two runway incidents in the past month and on the minds of every subsequent passenger, irrespective of race. Never mind that terrorists bent on bringing down an airliner aren’t concerned with their own likely survival and aren’t interested in “public discussions” of clandestine activities. Never mind that the airline refused to re-book the family on a flight to help them get to their intended destination (but did offer a refund.)
Never mind any of that.
I’m concerned with how the FBI and NTSB are both still reactionary and myopic in nature. Unless there was an agent on the plane in the seat behind the family, we can assume that either a flight attendant, an irrational passenger or some likely combination of both “reported” the family.
Of COURSE, the family fit the “profile.”
Muslim/Middle-eastern, and on a plane. Sounds like a potential terrorist to me!
As an African-American man, this rings all-too familiar. As a 13-year old boy sitting in the passenger side of my mother’s car. A Torrance police officer pulled a gun and pointed it at my head as he answered a call of the bank being robbed.
The bank robbers were ADULT and White.
But I digress.
As I was saying, I sometimes wonder about the overall intelligence level of the FBI and the NTSB. To this day, the crux of our airport security can be found in the removal of our shoes, laptops and discarding of lotions and cremes. All under the watchful eye of bored 20-somethings and plain-clothed air marshals.
All of which have been a reaction to 9/11. Common sense and history have shown that terrorists aren’t likely to do the same thing, the same way twice. If our security measures are still focused on the presence of Muslim families who have innocuous conversations on aircraft, God help us all.
God help us all.
My question is this, does the FBI detain any former Army veterans primarily on their ethnically similarities to Timothy McVeigh who drive near federal buildings? Remember, they fit "the profile" too.
Probably not.
Does the FBI detain any high school adolescents primarily on their ethnically similarities to Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold who also might be emotionally troubled? Remember, they fit "the profile" too.
Probably not.
Does the FBI routinely detain mentally disturbed college students primarily on the basis of their ethnically similarities to Seung-Hui Cho? Hey, there is a profile here as well.
Probably not.
But last I checked, all of those associated events were acts of terrorism where dozens or hundreds died. But “we” are more concerned with chasing our tails questioning Muslim Americans who have the "unmitigated gall" to fly. America is unsafe, due to an unjust war internationally and shortsighted homeland security domestically. WE are our own worst enemy, not our shoes and lotions.
And yes FBI. you can now go back to reading my email, tapping my phones and monitoring my empty bank account…I know the Patriot Act drill and know it well. Yes, waste more time and resources worrying about me.
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Note: AirTran has since offered a public apology...including a retraction of their original public statement alleging that the passengers in question were "irate" and had to be "escorted away" by local law enforcement. Also, it indicates that Mo'Kelly was right...random passengers were the cause of the "problem." Article HERE
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