I was at a complete loss of words after seeing this story over at CNN:"Fighter jets escorted a diverted London-to-Washington, D.C., flight to Boston's Logan airport Wednesday after a distraught passenger pulled out a screw driver, matches, Vaseline and a note referencing al-Qaeda, an airport spokesman said."
With all of the drama that the airline industry and the Bush Administration has inflicted upon us this week, I can understand why someone might go a little crazy in an airport these days. Especially London. But in the case of a mid-flight fit, what the hell would you do with a screwdriver, matches and vaseline?
VASELINE??
Get ahold of yourself!!
UPDATE:
Okay. So it seems she didn't have a screwdriver, matches, vaseline OR a note referring to Al Qaeda. It seems that she didn't have anything. So what kind of paranoid and hystercial AIRLINE SPOKESPERSON would make up shit like that? Did this so-called 'spokesperson' just imagine all of these items?
"There was speculation in the beginning of all those items, but those have been proven untrue."
No shit? And do tell how one can "speculate" the existence of items which would seemingly possess mass and weight? Did she have them? Or didn't she?
So who's the craziest? The hysterical passenger? Or the delusional "spokesperson"?
I've always hated flying because tight, cramped seats, bitchy flight attendants, screaming kids and long waits have never really appealed to me. Since 9/11, longer waits, strip searches, interogations and no-fly lists can also be added to this list. And in the case of customer service, I sincerely believe that airlines just don't care about it anymore because they know that they can get away with anything under the threat of terrorism.
This week though, I think my loathing for flying has been coupled with a genuine fear. It's not a fear of claustrophia, or heights. It's not even a fear of falling from the sky or mid-flight explosions. It's a fear of the stupid fuckers who operate damn plane!
All of the events over the past week have only proven that the airline industry (and the White House) are still in a reactionary position where terrorism is concerned. We're not any safer. Random screenings and increased security haven't made us any safer because if someone really wants to, they will find a way to blow up a plane. What we have instead is an increase in hysteria and paranoia which is being inflicted on We The People.
The thwarted terrorist plot in London this week has taught me - and many others in the world - that the key to stopping religious wackos from bombing planes is solid intelligence and excellent detectives. But until the airline industry and the federal government learn this, I guess we will all remain potential terrorists.
It turns out that the woman was only experiencing a bit of anxiety and claustrophobia. So until the airline industry (and the White House) scan stop projecting their fears of terrorism onto already frightened passengers, I definitely won't be flying.