A failure to act

Verity

"The last two months have seen two terrorist incidents in the US...".

No. Three, as I've already written. Nidal was one, then the Nigerian who self-detonated his crotch, and another Nigerian, on the same day ... this one also on his way to Detroit, but on a Delta flight.

During the last hour or 45 minutes of the flight, he locked himself in the loo. When he didn't return to his seat for landing, the crew broke the door down, and there was another Nigerian plonker, this one trying to manipulate a rectum sized bomb out of his .. uh .. rectum. Must have been a tight fit.

He was also arrested, of course, but we haven't heard any more about him. But this was the THIRD terrorist incident in the last couple of months and it was on the same day as the other one, and both flights were headed for Detroit.

David Ossitt

“It is shocking that, in a post 9/11 environment, no red flags were raised by this.”

And yet we can see why; for the same reasons that those in authority insist that elderly white men and women must remove their shoes at the airport departure gates.

NO FLAGS WERE RAISED because that could be interpreted as profiling; in our attempt to counter the terrorist threat we in the west are working in a blindfold with our hands tied behind our backs, if the authorities were really serious profiling and body searching those most likely would be high on the agenda.

To allow anyone to enter a public building, airport, or railway-station whilst wearing a burqa is terribly wrong, to allow the burqa to be worn whilst the wearer is using any form of public transport, is a total madness.

Dennis Churchill

Profiling is the elephant in the room.
Until it is introduced the public will not consider the threat is being dealt with seriously.
As the poster above suggested, while elderly white men and women are subject to the same security checks as travellers of the same ethnic groups as past terrorist belonged to the procedures are just an irritating farce.

Yow Min Lye

It almost lends credibility to the belief that the US authorities - rather like New Labour over here - need a permit a few terrorist atrocities now and then in order to justify depriving their countrymen of yet more of their traditional, God-given liberties.

Verity

David Ossitt - about burqas, I have written many times that this face mask must be outlawed, for all the reasons you so sensibly state.

It is a sign of in-yer-face aggression ... in other words, we have to put up with this threatening garment that has no place in our liberal Christian society, or be labelled "racist". (Islam is not a race; it's a "religion". This cannot be stated too often.) They shove normal women off pavements in total anonymity. They refuse to show their faces to bus drivers to confirm that they are actually the holder of the student pass ... bully, bully, bully, but only because they can get away with it under the Marxists and, I regret to say, there would be no change under a Conservative government as presently constituted.

This is wrong. Why should some people be privileged to mask their identity?

Wearing a mask in any public area should be outlawed. In fact, I thought it had been outlawed about 200 years ago, in Dick Turpin's day. Does anyone know whether wearing a mask in public is against the law in England?

It is too bizarre that people be allowed to wander around our free streets masked. And go into public buildings and banks masked.

The French are more robust, as ever, but so, also, are the Moroccans. Hijabs (head scarves) are allowed on public property, but anyone wearing a burqa can't enter. Same in Turkey which has actually outlawed burqas anywhere in public, not just public buildings.

I would wish you a happy new year, but as long as we are ground under the feet of the 1960s students of Marx and Gramsci currently occupying the squat at No 10, there will be no lightness of spirit in our country.

Austin Barry

More evidence of the huge disconnect between our weak, tremulous ruling elite and the rest of us.

Every sensible person knows what's required: you profile possible jihadists and pull them out of the line; you make any selection for such searches exempt from human rights legislation with respect to which you take the "Dirty Harry" approach -"I'm all broken-up about his rights" - and do what you have to do.

But our supine leaders, already rotten to the core with venality and corruption, do nothing because they are terrified of the ignorant face of jihadism which warns, "don't mess wiv' de Mooslims, in'it."

How weak, how weak we have become. Perhaps we deserve the Carry On Caliphate death of exploding underpants.

Tokyoguru

I just flew in from the States to Japan and was heavily profiled, my briefcase was searched for bombs and everything dusted. For once I kept my equanimity and was rewarded with the confidence that I was targetted for searching because I was the only white haired causasian available to keep their quotas tidy...

eeyore

Failure to act is endemic in large bureaucracies. If you're a functionary in one it's generally safer, and always easier, to do nothing. Saying No gives less trouble than saying Yes. When organisations get so big that their internal managerial functions swamp their proper external activities, they're on the high road to paralysis. One suspects that American intelligence is in exactly that position.

Nicholas

Re profiling, something is wrong. There is no doubt that the ruling leftist elite have a blind side.

When Christian minorities in Muslim countries are persecuted or the Christian faith is insulted (not that those types of incidents are even newsworthy or get reported) you don't get huge crowds of screaming Christians burning flags or holding up banners demanding that the perpetrators be beheaded. The current regime talk about "equality" and "fairness" when such displays make a complete mockery of those concepts. They tip toe around the sensitivities of vociferous minority race and religion at the expense of the majority upon whom they impose unreasonable restrictions or requirements, whether it is about public order or security or just voicing an opinion, and that is neither fair nor equal.

Our Muslim communities are very quiet about the outrages their co-religionists perpetrate in the name of their religion but very noisy about any offence caused to their religious sensitivities by the majority - and the leftist ruling elite and their embedded social engineers pander to that ad nauseum. Not equal and not fair - and obviously so to everyone but the deluded lefties who make our collective lives such misery with their ridiculous "rules".

Minnie Ovens

I'm somewhat puzzled by the activities of Al Quaeda in that if the Muslims in Europe sat quietly,
growing their percentage of the population by relatives and birth, they will be in a majority situation within the next fifty years in most countries.
I guess they feel that no western governmen has really critisized them for over 40 years for blowing up people, buildings and planes, preferring instead to fall on their backs with their legs open, they might as well continue.
With the UK it also helps things because the first thing the Government does in time of war is to cut back the RAF to a flight of A/C while ordering new equipment for possible use in six years time.
Given their record we still will not be sure whether the aircraft will arrive "on time" or even will work.
Heigh Ho.

Mitch

On a recent trip to Cyprus to visit family in the RAF I (a white English male traveling with my wife and Grandson) was the only one pulled out and frisked, they were very polite and asked if I objected but seeing as when said family members joined we were all checked by the government and I'm informed, regularly rechecked why me? and not the several Indian looking people and the several Negros in the Queue.
Quota filling maybe or just easier because I couldn't kick up a fuss.
We need Profiling and scanners but we really need the staff to take it seriously instead of just more paperwork to fill in.

Augustus

Even after 1400 years many Muslims all over the World consider themselves at war with non-Muslims. But the West continues to labour under the false belief that Islam is just another 'ordinary' religion, like Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism. Islam's totalitarian political ideology uses the trappings of a primitive
desert religion to help veil its true nature. It's publicly stated goal in its theology and political ideology is to impose
the rule of Islam over the entire world, and make the non-believers submit to its laws. Koranic doctrine explicitly requires
that Islam be spread by any and all means necessary, including by violence and mass slaughter, in a process known as jihad, or holy war. The fact that many followers of the Muslim faith do not engage in violent jihad is irrelevant. If only 1% of Muslims worldwide were to take the Islamic mandate of jihad seriously, it would mean that over 15 million people, scattered over the world's Muslims would want to fight us, and no means of determining in advance which ones they are. The solution is to contain Islam within the borders of existing Muslim-majority nations as much as possible, and to deport all Muslim criminals as well as those who are unable or unwilling to assimilate completely into the cultures of their adopted Western countries. This submissive left/liberal reigning multicultural ideology of the last decades only enables Islamization to continue on its
dangerous goal of the destruction of Western civilization. This political class, and it's doctrines must be replaced by individuals who, whatever their party affliliations may be in other matters, at least can demonstrate a strong commitment to
the humane and democratic values of the West
and who would be prepared to refuse any special accommodations for Islam in our public spaces and institutions, and to forbid intrusive public displays of Islamic
practices.

echo34

think about risk assessment.

100 muslim terrorists in a room, what are the odds on more than 10 being caucasian, 25 women, 1 child perhaps...

This should be how our security establishment works especially as the current blanket system has been proven not to work.

How many times have you walked through an airport and seen school groups being scanned or having passports swiped? This all takes our peoples eyes off the higher risk targets.

How many caucasian islamic terrorists have you heard of besides the australian at gitmo?

Address the risk through profiling.

logdon

And General Casey, in charge of Fort Hood's comment?

“I’m concerned that this increased speculation could cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers.......

Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse,”

So there you have it. A US General more worried about attitudes towards Muslims than the lives of his own soldiers.

Once upon a time that would be called treason and General Casey would not so much be worrying about the strength of diversity but that of the rope he had an urgent appointment with.

wonderfulforhisage

Verity 1:27am.

Are you a woman? If so, I think I may be in love.

Brilliant comment.

JohnBUK

echo34 - "think about risk assessment.

100 muslim terrorists in a room, what are the odds on more than 10 being caucasian, 25 women, 1 child perhaps...

This should be how our security establishment works especially as the current blanket system has been proven not to work."

Actually, think about it this way. Suppose an air passenger group sued an airline that had allowed a terrorist on board who had managed to detonate a weapon and killed and wounded a large number of passengers. Suppose they won and the ultimate risk bearer (an insurance company) paid out. Then imagine what stipulations and or costs all insurance companies would place on airlines and/or airport authorities. To remain profitable (I know, I know!) there will be changes to their processes ............

David Ossitt

wonderfulforhisage

I am afraid; that you must get to the back of a very long queue, as this lady has many admirers.

David Ossitt

“logdon” in his/her excellent post January 1st, 2010 7:20pm, raises the issue of the American General, who is in charge of Fort Hood, being more concerned about being “diversity” correct in his appeasement of Muslims , than for the well being of his own troops.

Is this not indicative of the problem that we all face; diversity and equality, its partner in crime, are both at the very heart of the politically correct mumbo jumbo that has invaded into every aspect of our daily lives.

It has spawned a multitude of highly paid non jobs; all of these individuals, who are so employed, have no real work and so they have to conjure up work replacement activities that are a waste of time and money.

This faux work requires justification but as it can not be justified, they pretend it is by writing “mission statements” couched in a language that has only one real purpose, to confuse, and be of such mindless drivel, that it is meaningless to the general public.