<p>Well, there certainly is some irony here… these two guys were headed to a conference on prejudice against Muslims.</p>
<p>I have issues with the pilot still refusing the fly them “because some passengers were uncomfortable” AFTER they had been removed from the plane and re-searched/re-checked by security personnel. So they had been through three searches, not on anyone’s no fly list, had made no threats. At that point, it is not security, it is prejudice.</p>
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<p>You mean feeling safe :rolleyes:
The TSA is the most bloated, incompetent agency this side of anywhere - they constantly fail tests to detect bombs/weapons.
[TSA</a> tester slips mock bomb past airport security - CNN](<a href=“http://articles.cnn.com/2008-01-28/us/tsa.bombtest_1_airport-screeners-airport-security-fake-bombs?_s=PM:US]TSA”>http://articles.cnn.com/2008-01-28/us/tsa.bombtest_1_airport-screeners-airport-security-fake-bombs?_s=PM:US)
[TSA:</a> Some airports failed all screening tests | abc7.com](<a href=“http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/world_news&id=7848208]TSA:”>http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/world_news&id=7848208)</p>
<p>Perception trumps reality.</p>
<p>“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”</p>
<p>-Benjamin Franklin</p>
<p>I cant believe some of the posts here. Clearly these muslim passengers were being denied flighy due to their religious affliation and yet nothing is done to disipline said pilot. He has clearly flown muslims before and just based on his assumption of their apppearance he can just deny them flight? These scholars passed security and were deemed safe an yet they cant get the service that they paid for without being singled out?</p>
<p>My all-American brother is a 777 captain for a commercial Middle-eastern airline. You would be surprised to know how many Americans are employed as commercial pilots overseas. He has yet to be pulled from flying the plane because he is an “infidel”. This passenger passed all the security check points. The captain refused to fly him based on ignorance, pure and simple.</p>
<p>Memphis residents cleared by TSA and the airline itself to fly denied service because the pilot has some irrational fear? Pilot should lose his job.</p>
<p>Given the pilots actions, maybe he shouldn’t be flying right now, but honestly I totally understand his worry and fear. In case you missed it, we took down one of Al Queda’s most revered figures. In cold blood. And didn’t allow his body to be buried by his followers. A good portion of the world’s extremists in the Middle East would have ANY American’s head on a stick for such actions. Plots have been discovered which targeted Americans at home and abroad…fear is that they will be escalated due to taking down Bin Laden. Last I checked, the majority of terrorists come from that part of the world and subscribe to a variation (radicalized as it is) of Islam, so those who appear to be of M.E. descent, WILL be viewed as potentially dangerous and extra precautions taken. When the bulk of terrorists are white, middle aged school teachers I will FULLY expect to be searched and possibly put on another flight. Fair? No. But keeping the flying public safe may mean that some are inconvenienced. I feel for those who are unfairly judged, but those on the flights which crashed into the twin towers, the pentagon and the field in PA, paid the price for our lax security procedures. Bottom line, when the security of Americans is threatened publicly and frequently by one particular ethnic or religious or racial group, how do you NOT see that being EXTRA cautious with said group is prudent? Calling it racist doesn’t work for me. I call it caution.</p>
<p>I am not condoning his actions, and maybe he should not be flying if he is so uneasy. But just for a minute ask yourself if perhaps you don’t have the whole story. Perhaps the media smelled a story and ran with it without disclosing all of the details. Who knows, maybe these guys were acting odd in the waiting area? Maybe a conversation was overheard by another passenger which indicated something of concern. Just a thought.</p>
<p>
Hell, I have more links to the IRA than this guy has to Al Qaeda. “We just killed a Muslim” does not mean we have to expect an attack from every thrice-searched open Muslim on a plane. What hijacker would even wear traditional Muslim garb at this point?</p>
<h1>21 - spot on. I also agree with Icarus: TSA is run by a bunch of corrupted clowns. We strip search passengers while the only thing that guards the airfields is some old chainlink fencing. Those body scanners do not make me feel any safer (and I’m very comfortable with flying).</h1>
<p>What is the point of screening if a passenger can still be denied flying after passing all sreening several times?!</p>
<p>One pilot from a code-sharing airline does not make Delta “racist”, FYI. The title of this thread is misleading, to say it mildly.</p>
<p>Don’t know how to quote, but BillyMc, you say:</p>
<p>Hell, I have more links to the IRA than this guy has to Al Qaeda. “We just killed a Muslim” does not mean we have to expect an attack from every thrice-searched open Muslim on a plane. What hijacker would even wear traditional Muslim garb at this point?</p>
<p>Well, I say, if you do have such ties, then YOU should be given special attention as well. </p>
<p>And, we just killed “a” Muslim? Yeah, good old Bin Laden was just “a” Muslim. We took down public enemy number one, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. I’d wager there are more than a few angry terrorists who are ready to seek revenge. </p>
<p>Lastly, who knows what terrorists will wear. Hiding in plain sight seemed to work for Bin Laden, after all. For awhile anyway, until we got smart and got him. </p>
<p>The solution to the US security issues at airports is to adopt the Israeli system. Sadly, it would be very difficult to do in the US given the huge number of airports and travelers. I like that they do it the low tech way…with lots of eye contact, personal interactions, and common sense, in addition the “high” tech way we do it here in the US.</p>
<p>Obviously the vast majority of Muslims are not terrorists. (And I’m willing to bet the vast majority of Delta pilots aren’t racists). But given recent events, why not be careful? Granted, the multiple security checks probably don’t ensure much security whatsoever – but maybe this situation was in the back of the pilot’s mind: </p>
<p>[Ticket</a> agent “embarrassed” about his suspicions of Atta](<a href=“To visit View from the Right, go to”>Ticket agent "embarrassed" about his suspicions of Atta)</p>
<p>In the words of a ticket agent in Portland, ME on the morning of September 11, 2001:</p>
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</p>
<p>I don’t think we should all go around stereotyping everyone, but this quote kind of freaks me out. It makes you realize that a lot of stereotypes were originally based on fact.</p>
<p>I find the analogies to blacks and race completely absurd. First, black crime is usually perpetrated against blacks, and is not typically political terrorism. Second, this is about the radical arm of a major religion and not race.</p>
<p>This is strangely reminiscent of the polital thread that used to be ;)</p>
<p>I don’t agree with the pilot’s response but I just booked a flight on Delta.</p>
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First, do this: [noparse]
[/noparse]</p>
<p>On to the actual discussion. I didn’t mean that I’m a member of the IRA or anything (not that they pose a threat to US air security), I meant that this guy has 0 connection to Al Qaeda. He was searched and passed security. Then he was taken off the plane and searched again, passing. At this point, after his civil rights violation, what is the threat he poses?</p>
<p>Anyone ready to kill Americans after the death of bin Laden was ready to kill Americans before, too. It’s not like terrorists are really going to start targeting us now like they never were.</p>
<p>Bin Laden hid in plain sight… 1.) He wore the same thing as most people in that region. 2.) He hid in a large complex. An Islamic terrorist won’t be dressed like a cleric, they’ll look like me or you.</p>
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I prefer another airline, but I agree, Delta isn’t to blame for his actions. However, I will be offended if they take no action.</p>
<p>This is not about a radical arm of a major religion; this is about two men who happen to belong to a religion. Nothing they did or have done, no actions by them that have been presented here or anywhere, warrant suspicion. The suspicion was purely based on their religion. Which makes it as constitutional an issue as if they had been banned on account of race.</p>
<p>Shellz:
</p>
<p>CUlater2:
</p>
<p>So… these guys WERE taken off the plane and fully searched. After going through security and having an additional patdown on the way through. Why should they have to go on ANOTHER flight after that? What other precautions would you have asked to have taken? What is “more careful”?</p>
<p>I am all for airline security. Even additional searches based on profiling, to be truthful (my biggest concern about that is that it isn’t very effective because terrorists will just find someone who does’t fit the “profile” – look at Tim McVeigh, not all terrorists are Muslim). But there is a limit. And this just stinks of prejudice. “Cautious” and “prejudice” are not the same thing, and once these guys had been thoroughly checked out it is not “cautious” any more.</p>
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<p>But this is wrong. “Right or wrong” doesn’t make it any better.</p>
<p>Well I try and fly Boeing jets when possible- Delta flys Boeing - Alaska is another- I also had booked this last week- so it really wasn’t in response to the article.</p>