“I thought that the men were celebrating a stag party,” Simon Balakrishwan, a 43-year-old passenger from India, told the NRC Handelsblad daily.
“After the plane took off a mobile phone rang and the men started cheering,” he said. “They kept exchanging plastic bags and looking in them and laughing. Irritating passengers.”

Was this sort of behavior allowed before 9/11, and why would anyone get upset by passengers reacting to such an outbreak of insanity? I personally believe that those claiming racism, or relying on political correctness in these very dangerous times, are Stuck On Stupid.

First person to leave a comment about MK and hyperventilation is banned on grounds of obviousness.

Wouldn’t that be you, Mr. Allah, by having posted about it?

And now, assuming the wrath of Allah is not upon me yet, to the serious discussion/s.

I don’t know, but somehow, if they’d all been whites, speaking dutch, I hardly think it would have made the papers.

When someone elses rights are violated, or have had their dignity stripped from them for their color, language or religion, then we’ve all been had. This is a basic principle in a civil rights society. But of course, you know this. Don’t you?

THeDRiFTeR on August 24, 2006 at 3:50 PM

I’ve held platinum travel status for years, am white and traveled much before and after 9/11/01. Not once, not even remotely, did it occur to me, nor did I see anyone explode joyously at a cell phone call, after the announcement was made to not use them, and then exchange plastic bags and create other commotions. What on Earth does that have to do with being white and Duch-speaking anyway? Just follow the flight protocol and no one cares if you’re read, brown, white or green.

Bin Laden is “in the dock”, if you wish to use this expression. He’s really in a cave since Dec. of 2001.

THeDRiFTeR, to your accusations about ‘hunting’ bin Laden ‘dead or alive’, you will have a chance to see Mr. Clinton, Sandy Berger and Ms. Albright being filleted during the ABC 2-nights docudrama about Sept. 11, 2001, on the nights of Sept. 10 and 11. It’s based on commission findings, a commission the Left bows to.

For the first time much of the truth about the dereliction of the Clinton Admin. will be aired. You will find out how bin Laden was really offered on a platinum platter to a President who was too busy defending himself from floozy-gate.

You will also find out why Mr. Berger was busy hiding 9/11 documents in his pants and how weak the CIA had become, how the agents were called out of Afghanistan, even knowing where/how to get bin Laden.

“Are there any real men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards?” will be a phrase we’ll all be very intimate with after 9/11/06. We’ll hear it over and over and over. Most interesting will be who said it.

Yes, the Bush Admin. didn’t know or do everything either but we’ve heard that story a million times already, though it will not hurt to see it repeated.

And, lastly, I’m for the Israeli airport security system. All means and tests, especially interrogations and psychological evaluations are valid.

Sorry, but given the current climate, anyone of middle eastern, arab, or middle asian background – including Pakistanis and Indians – should be pretty much aware that they need to watch their behavior on planes. Don’t blame white racists…blame the idiot jihadis for screwing an entire hemisphere’s people to higher scrutiny by the West.

And also, blame the majority of muslims, who either remain unwilling to condemn unequivocally the terrorism that is committed in the name of their religion.

Silence = assent.

Drifter, have you been treated poorly due to the color of your skin? Or are you just a guilty racist whitey trying to make up for the color of your skin? You proved yesterday with your link to the American taliban that not all jihadist ar “brown” and you weren’t challenged on that fact. You’re way off on this one-this is the world we live in. Get used to it.

Sorry, but given the current climate, anyone of middle eastern, arab, or middle asian background – including Pakistanis and Indians – should be pretty much aware that they need to watch their behavior on planes. Don’t blame white racists…blame the idiot jihadis for screwing an entire hemisphere’s people to higher scrutiny by the West.

I would love to see bin Laden in the dock, or as the president said, “dead or alive”, but apprehended. Unfortunately, he’s in Afghanistan and our efforts are elsewhere.

So in other words, since we can’t get him right now, let’s make it hard for those that are trying to watch out for us (instead of kill us)??

Also, I don’t think OBL is in Afghanistan right now — the little coward ran into Pakistan (most likely).

The people on the flight were responding rationally to behavioral indicators, ethnic precidents, and destination (Mumbai, sight of a massive train bombing in recent weeks).
There is nothing inherently racist about their objections. When groups of white Dutch people start getting arrested for plotting to blow planes out of the sky or bomb public transport Dutch speaking “crackers” will come under the same suspicions when evidencing corollary behaviors to jihadi bombers and jihadi wannabees who got caught before the fact.

We’ve not been had at all. It’s called inconvenience and everyone who flies today suffers it, but some who fly today suffer more than others. I guess this makes them victims, which in the minds of some makes them Holy Martyrs in the War Against Terror Prevention Methods and Techniques That We Personally Disagree With, but that isn’t a fight I’m interested in joining. It seems a bit cartoonish if you ask me. Especially when there are genuine threats to the safety and lives of civilians. Civilians being the prime strategic targets of Jihadi terrorists.

white/Republican fear mongering plot

Who said anything about plots? I said:

Whites get frightened, everyone else suffers.

I think events of the past couple days bears that assessment out, in Europe and everywhere else.

It’s about damn time people start getting pissed off at those that have actually created this climate…

I would love to see bin Laden in the dock, or as the president said, “dead or alive”, but apprehended. Unfortunately, he’s in Afghanistan and our efforts are elsewhere.

Ain’t it, drifter? Just ignore anyone darker than Paris Hilton, regardless of what they’re doing. We can’t risk offending anyone.

Tell me honestly. How would you feel to be hauled off an aircraft at gunpoint, as was the case in Spain, because you’ve irritated someone, or because someone has felt threatened?

Drifter, I don’t care what the hell race, religion, etc. they are — If I’m on a plane with my family, and a group of people start acting strange, after everybody’s been instructed (about electronic devices, etc.) — their “civil liberties” go down the toilet in my book. These are dangerous times Drifter — don’t tell me you think this is just a white/Republican fear mongering plot??

Also, those two guys you mentioned understand the current climate, and didn’t blame anyone for their terrible experience. It’s about damn time people start getting pissed off at those that have actually created this climate of fear instead of at those that are trying to protect us from them.

Tell me honestly. How would you feel to be hauled off an aircraft at gunpoint, as was the case in Spain, because you’ve irritated someone, or because someone has felt threatened?

So-it’s better to be dead, blown into bits by nihilistic jihadi worriors as opposed to risking offending someone’s feelings?

mmmmmmmmmokay

Not sure why you think I’m questioning whether something was going on or not.

I’m not, and I don’t see how you can infer that I was based on my sarcasm.

The Manchester flight involved two guys of unspecified Middle Eastern ethnicity…

I specifically remember seeing a photo that I assumed you linked to, although I could be wrong, maybe it was someone elses link. They were both men of color, a fact that I suspect played a large role in their misfortune. I don’t think it really has to be much more “specific”.

“After the plane took off a mobile phone rang and the men started cheering,” he said. “They kept exchanging plastic bags and looking in them and laughing. Irritating passengers.”

Damn, them Indian fellahs there are irritating me. Lets have the captain call in the F16s.

Tell me honestly. How would you feel to be hauled off an aircraft at gunpoint, as was the case in Spain, because you’ve irritated someone, or because someone has felt threatened? These guys were, as everyone else, screened before boarding the plane. One of their phones rang. They laughed, and looked into plastic bags. I don’t know, but somehow, if they’d all been whites, speaking dutch, I hardly think it would have made the papers.

When someone elses rights are violated, or have had their dignity stripped from them for their color, language or religion, then we’ve all been had. This is a basic principle in a civil rights society. But of course, you know this. Don’t you?

Whites get frightened, everyone else suffers.

You really believe that crap??

Also, if it whites against the world, how come that flight was diverted to Boston last week? The lady who pissed in the aisle was as white as the driven snow.

I also began this post by saying it was a false alarm. Not sure why you think I’m questioning whether something was going on or not.

That brown people shouldn’t fly, it upsets the whites.

“Brown people”? Nothing more specific than that, eh?

The cell phones had nothing to do with it either.