When I heard about explosives on a Delta flight to Detroit, my first reaction was the same as Thers:
It means Greater Wingnuttia is going to get the very special happy Christmas they most desire, because what they like best of all is to wet their pants in an ecstasy of hysterical screeching;
I noticed the initial blogosphere reactions to the incident were almost all from the Right. I assume they spent yesterday stuffing Christ back into Christmas, but they took time out to comment on the near-atrocity. However, the reaction from the screechers seems to me a tad toned down from what it would have been two or three years ago. So far, for example, Little Lulu has not devoted even one exclamation mark to the story. Maybe she’s run through her yearly quota.
The incident must have been genuinely terrifying for the passengers. On the other hand, if this is the best al Qaeda can do these days (assuming al Qaeda is involved at all, which I think at the moment is only being assumed) I’d say we’re winning the war on weapons of mass destruction-related program activities, although terror itself still has some of us on the ropes.
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) is telling people the man with the explosives has “significant terrorist connections.” This would be great news if it were true; it would tell us that significant terrorists are a pretty lame crew these days.
Maybe Lulu used up the yearly allotment of exclamation points and is waiting for the first of January to comment on the story!!!!!!
Hmmm. The silence from the loonies on the right is amazing.
Maybe there’s a benefit to all of the cable, phone and internet companies trying to control bandwidth. Maybe we missed it and they declared that exclamation points, since there’s that something above the “period,” use up more bandwidth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND THAT ANY BLOG OR POST THAT’S IN ‘ALL CAP’S’ USES TOO MUCH BANDWIDTH AND WOULD BE CHARGED A HIGHER RA…
(We’re sorry, c u n d gulag, but you’ve exceded bandwidth by using too many exclamation points and capitol letters. Please open a “You Better Pay, Pal’ account with us to account for bandwidth over-runs).
Signed,
Your Ginormous Internet Provider
The loonies are quiet because they don’t know what to do. Do they drop the kill the health care bill and go all in for the Obama can’t keep us safe? Sunday talk shows will reveal all and the loonies will get back into screeching mode.
Countdown to the first interview given by Dick Cheney alleging how the Obama administration encourages terrorism…in 5…4…3…2…1…
Oh, there are still plenty of comments attached to the story, showing that the American level of ignorance continues.
I’m SO tired of the wingnut viewpoint that everything that goes wrong is the fault of the Obama administration. Never mind pointing out all the intelligence that was ignored by Bush/Cheney in the run up to 9/11.
Wingnut Version:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/26/hoekstra-airplane-terrorist-plot/
Spinning the news is easy when you can ignore things like facts. Just make things up as you go along. Who’s to know?
Something more likely:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/26/obama-focus-yemen/#comments
Wish me luck – my wife and I are flying home from my in-laws today. I’m expecting very cranky and nervous TSA people, which is never a good combination with clueless holiday-time infrequent flyers. I shudder to think about what the lines at screening will look like. When (if) I get back to Seattle, I’ll let you know how it went.
Good luck, biggerbox! The “liquid bomb” scare of 2006 happened while I was on vacation in Canada, and I spent the eve of return departure pouring shampoo and body wash down the motel sink. So I was kind of greasy and smelly by 5 AM at the Toronto airport… served those nervous nellies right! Anyway, hope you get home with no trouble.
As for the would-be “bomber,” the two most recent things I’ve seen are, first, he’s talking up a storm to the authorities (apparently without the aid of electrodes or buckets of water, which just makes Dick Cheney look lazy), and second, a “Nigerian banker” believes the bomber may be his son. Hmmm… aren’t “Nigerian bankers” the guys who send out those scam emails? Maybe this was a scam gone horribly sideways?
Nah… they’re out to get us; they always are. The voices in Malkin’s head sez so.
Joanr16.. I think they should waterboard this somewhat kinda almost vaguely related to al-Qaida terrorist just so that their enhanced interrogation skills don’t get rusty. Kinda like a training exercise sort of thing.
Wasn’t the TSA set up by, what was the guys name now, Rush….. Lush….. no, Bush, that was it. Reminds me of when I flew with the family five years ago. TSA saw the kids scissors in the scanner. “Searched” the kiddie backpack and found said scissors. Exclaimed in very authoritative voice that they had to confiscate them. Got on the plane and looked through kiddie backpack and found two other pairs of kiddie scissors. Boy did I feel safe.
I think they should waterboard this somewhat kinda almost vaguely related to al-Qaida terrorist just so that their enhanced interrogation skills don’t get rusty.
Also, they may be having an after-Christmas sale on car batteries at Sears, so I guess that would be another opportunity missed, if they fail to use “enhanced” methods…. And the first thing they should get out of the suspect is, what happened to all the money I sent to that Nigerian prince? Where’s my millions?!
Buckyblue, I think you were correct with “Rush and Lush.”
Calling this guy, like Richard “the shoe Bomber” Reid. a terrorist is giving him too much credit. Why not charge them with “severe mental incapicity” and turn them loose, explaining, “they told us everything…”
My fears were unfounded. No one had told the TSA staff in the terminal I was in that they had any reason to be tense, and so they were very friendly and helpful. Perhaps it helped that I was at the ‘orphan airline’ terminal at a major hub, where all the carriers with just one or two gates/flights a day get hidden. I’ve seldom had an easier time flying from a big city.
biggerbox,
Thankfully you’re home safe, and in a reasonable amount of time.