Comments on: “I’m Not a Pessimist. I’m a Realist.” http://patterico.com/2004/07/25/im-not-a-pessimist-im-a-realist/ Harangues that just make sense Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:18:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: L. Barnes http://patterico.com/2004/07/25/im-not-a-pessimist-im-a-realist/#comment-3008 L. Barnes Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=1744#comment-3008 Since you ask, I come down on the side of the FAM officials who, in spite of having perhaps 3% of the marshals necessary to cover all the domestic US flights daily, decided to put "several" marshals on that flight. That fact alone, often overlooked in the debate, indicates that the feds smelled a rat long before that plane took off. Too bad they subsequently felt the need to smear Mrs. Jacobsen as a hysteric, but that tactic may be an attempt to convince the Syrians that no one is interested in them now. I hope the feds are aware of every move and contact those Syrians are making -- wiretaps and listening devices, video, 24 hour tails, the whole bit. I believe they used their cover as musicians to probe airline and airport security at the behest of a terrorist cell. The real issue is profiling. Security people should not be simply allowed to profile -- they should be instructed to. The current federal position on that is insane, as has been pointed out on this blog. We need to demand a change in federal policy. Since you ask, I come down on the side of the FAM officials who, in spite of having perhaps 3% of the marshals necessary to cover all the domestic US flights daily, decided to put “several” marshals on that flight. That fact alone, often overlooked in the debate, indicates that the feds smelled a rat long before that plane took off. Too bad they subsequently felt the need to smear Mrs. Jacobsen as a hysteric, but that tactic may be an attempt to convince the Syrians that no one is interested in them now. I hope the feds are aware of every move and contact those Syrians are making — wiretaps and listening devices, video, 24 hour tails, the whole bit. I believe they used their cover as musicians to probe airline and airport security at the behest of a terrorist cell.

The real issue is profiling. Security people should not be simply allowed to profile — they should be instructed to. The current federal position on that is insane, as has been pointed out on this blog. We need to demand a change in federal policy.

]]> By: Tom http://patterico.com/2004/07/25/im-not-a-pessimist-im-a-realist/#comment-3009 Tom Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=1744#comment-3009 Profiling wouldn't have caught the one guy who actually tried to kill people on a plane since Sept. 11--remember the shoe bomb guy? He was <i>white</i>. And yet...if he had been carrying a butane lighter, two of which are still permitted on board per passenger, the plane would've gone down. Racist Big Brotherisms certainly aren't the only way to go about better airplane security. I know this may seem like a longshot, but it's also possible that the Syrians were, in fact, simply <i>musicians.</i> But that's just based on the silly fact that is <i>absolutely <b>no evidence</b> that anything wrong happened or was going to happen.</i> Oh, but they <i>did</i> have brown skin. And they were acting funny. Guess we'd better give 'em all the chair, just to be safe. For the record, I also don't believe that the number of marshalls on that particular flight proves anything. Neither you nor I have any idea what standard marshalls-on-planes procedures entail, so let's not fantasize that it was such a rare thing for there to be "several" air marshalls on this particular plane, when we have no idea how normal that is. There are way too many variables. Profiling wouldn’t have caught the one guy who actually tried to kill people on a plane since Sept. 11–remember the shoe bomb guy? He was white.

And yet…if he had been carrying a butane lighter, two of which are still permitted on board per passenger, the plane would’ve gone down.

Racist Big Brotherisms certainly aren’t the only way to go about better airplane security.

I know this may seem like a longshot, but it’s also possible that the Syrians were, in fact, simply musicians. But that’s just based on the silly fact that is absolutely no evidence that anything wrong happened or was going to happen.

Oh, but they did have brown skin. And they were acting funny. Guess we’d better give ‘em all the chair, just to be safe.

For the record, I also don’t believe that the number of marshalls on that particular flight proves anything. Neither you nor I have any idea what standard marshalls-on-planes procedures entail, so let’s not fantasize that it was such a rare thing for there to be “several” air marshalls on this particular plane, when we have no idea how normal that is. There are way too many variables.

]]> By: The Politburo Diktat http://patterico.com/2004/07/25/im-not-a-pessimist-im-a-realist/#comment-3010 The Politburo Diktat Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=1744#comment-3010 <strong>More Realism</strong> Patterico casts the Flight 327 debate as between pessimists and optimists, and that those who saw a real danger in that event are "realists." Realism. The war on terror is the real deal. This is serious and will take a long time. It calls for patient, ... More Realism
Patterico casts the Flight 327 debate as between pessimists and optimists, and that those who saw a real danger in that event are “realists.” Realism. The war on terror is the real deal. This is serious and will take a long time. It calls for patient, …

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