U.S. Air Marshals Flooding German, British Flights

[sabra]

Source: ABC News Blotter

As many as five or six U.S. air marshals are now assigned to each U.S.-bound flight from airports in Frankfurt, London and Manchester, England, because of fears terrorists might attempt a coordinated series of mid-air explosions, law enforcement officials tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

"We're afraid someone in the back is going to mix something or light something up, so air marshals are being placed strategically through the plane," said one senior law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the stepped-up security.

The stepped-up security on flights out of Britain's Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester airports began about two weeks ago, based on intelligence reports that another al Qaeda hijacking plot was in the making, the officials said.

ABC News reported last Friday that U.S. and German officials fear a new terror attack is in the advanced planning stages.

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/05/us_air_marshals.html

[tsuki]

1. They should be more afraid of the stress and bad air that the

air traffic controller are enduring.

[xchrom]

2. or the bad air passengers breathe. open the vents!

[Alhena]

11. What is your point? Are you saying terrorist threats are overblown?

Did it escape your attention that just last year a terror plot to blow up airlines was discovered in Britain and a dozen or so alleged plotters arrested?

I hope our hatred of Bush and his War on Terror doesn't make us adopt some ostrich-like attitude towards the threat of terrorism. The threat is real, even more so because of Bush's policies. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't take every precaution possible, including the use of sky marshals.

[damntexdem]

14. I'll be happier when the attitude is:

"A few deaths on airliners, and elsewhere, is the price we pay for our freedom."

[Alhena]

15. And what freedom is that exactly?

How does it take away your freedom to have an air marshal quietly sitting in your airplane, causing no trouble? It's no different than a policeman on the beat- it just happens to be in an airplane. I can't recall a single incident in which a gung-ho air marshall abused his power. Assuming it has happened, I expect it happens less frequently than your average racist police officer stops a black person for driving while black. And when that happens, we don't get rid of traffic cops.

[The Stranger]

16. Watch this:

The Power of Nightmares

[tsuki]

20. No, I am saying that Americans need to learn to multi-task. We

have an aging, overloaded system with too few air traffic controllers working too many hours that put air traffic at as much risk as terrorists do. The conair crash, 49 dead, is a perfect example.

[RamboLiberal]

19. And if something did happen ala 9-11 and the threat was ignored

every DU'er who runs to a thread to pooh-pooh it would be the first ones bitching that we had the intelligence and ignored it like * admin did to the 8/6 PDB.

Not all these threats are done by the "Jihad R' Us" clowns like in NJ. There are some real terrorist out there who are capable of doing real mayhem.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

3. I have seen these clowns,

It was pretty easy to pick them out, seeing as they are usually glaring at every person as they board the plane, a flight attendent told me they are also usually serious assholes, no better than mall security guards on a powertrip.

[UnyieldingHierophant]

7. Exactly, oppressive, bully-boy air marshalls...

bastards doing their job. Really, the total contempt for someone doing their job is so well-placed.

:shrug:

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

21. where in their job description is being disrespectful to the crew?

[ellisonz]

17. Totally...

...when you see a 6 ft plus muscular white guy in a navy blue suit cut in line without a word through LAX security you know its an air marshall. They should take away their guns and just give them mace or tasers...that way when the fuck up the whole plane isn't jepordized...but that would be thinking.

[MADem]

22. I know a few, and they aren't 'clowns' at all. They're professionals.

The best flight is one where they remain incognito, as far as they are concerned.

It was only easy to pick them out when DHS was making them adhere to an asshole-ish, "Dragnet" dress code. They've fixed that problem, fortunately...but it took forever.

[whistle]

4. Is this bullshit?

[MADem]

23. Well, who really knows, anymore? We live in "Be VERY Afraid" land, nowadays.

If it were real, you'd think they wouldn't run around TELLING the 'terrists' that we were on to them. I mean, really--if you were a terrists plotting something nefarious on the Manchester to any US city run, wouldn't this kind of ruin your plans?

OTOH, BushCo sure does like to play the fear card, and here it is travel season, so 'tis the season to scare the shit out people again. Also, with all that bad news coming out of the Justice Department, this is as good a 'hard news' story as any when the viewers get tired of Britney and Paris stories...

[hlthe2b]

5. My first thought:

who protects the passengers from the air marshalls?

I know we are supposed to be reassured by this news, but somehow, I'm not sure I am....

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. How many air marshalls have abused their power?

Did I miss something?

I have no problem with this, as long as every air marshall isn't of anglo-American heritage. I think part of our problem is that our law enforcement has too strong an anglo-American perspective. It is a problem for us domestically, as well as internationally.

[hlthe2b]

10. Don't know that any have.... fortunately.... unlike some

civilian law enforcement (think LA County).

[kurth]

6. ONLY five or six per flight? What kind of harebrained scheme is this?

We need at least fifty or sixty marshalls per flight to feel safe. Plus one in front of the cockpit. And two in front of each bathroom.

Oh, and two for each exit door.

[uppityperson]

9. Meanwhile, flights to other destinations lack Marshals?

[Alhena]

12. If I were a terrorist I'd fly from Paris or Amsterdam now

that ABC has shown them where the heaviest security is located.

[MADem]

24. Not all flights have them. It's a random assignment process.

There are 'likely' routes and 'less likely' routes. The idea is you just never know...that's what they're going for...

[damntexdem]

13. Well, after all, they can't flood U.S. domestic flights --

because they're not allowed to carry one more than three ounces of water.

;-)

[youngdem]

18. What a shitty job.

Imagine taking 4-6 international coach flights PER WEEK 50 weeks a year.

:puke:

HOLY SHIT, that would suck.