Now my favorite: US Airways
 

Six imams removed from a US Airways flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix are calling on Muslims to boycott the airline. If only we could get Muslims to boycott all airlines, we could dispense with airport security altogether.

Witnesses said the imams stood to do their evening prayers in the terminal before boarding, chanting "Allah, Allah, Allah" — coincidentally, the last words heard by hundreds of airline passengers on 9/11 before they died.

Witnesses also said that the imams were talking about Saddam Hussein, and denouncing America and the war in Iraq. About the only scary preflight ritual the imams didn't perform was the signing of last wills and testaments.

After boarding, the imams did not sit together and some asked for seat belt extensions, although none were morbidly obese. Three of the men had one-way tickets and no checked baggage.

Also they were Muslims.

The idea that a Muslim boycott against US Airways would hurt the airline proves that Arabs are utterly tone-deaf. This is roughly the equivalent of Cindy Sheehan taking a vow of silence. How can we hope to deal with people with no sense of irony? The next thing you know, New York City cab drivers will be threatening to bathe.

Come to think of it, the whole affair may have been a madcap advertising scheme cooked up by US Airways.

Cont. @

http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/welcome.cgi

Read that this morning. The most disgusting comment this week is that the other 144 conference attendees should have been arrested and that Muslims should not be allowed to fly. Ugh.

Yeah, they freaked people out, and they probably should have been pulled from that flight, people have gotten in trouble for less (breast-feeding mothers for example), but insinuating that if you're Muslim you don't have the same rights/priviliges as another American (or another immigrant with a different religion). Disgusting.

I totally agree with everything you said.

That said, if I'd been on that plane, and those gentlemen hadn't been asked to leave, I would've gotten off and taken the next flight. Is that racist and intolerant of me? Yeah, probably. But I'd be a living intolerant racist.

Where is this coming from? Since there are no living witnesses to what was the last words these people heard, this is an outlandish statement. The only thing sadder than the real Ann Coulter saying this is this brainless twit claiming to be Ann Coulter.

Question: So do you freak out when you White Christian males in or around federal buildings? What about White Christian males around schools?

She acknowledged that it wasn't a fair thing to do. So why press the point? I probably wouldn't have gotten off the plane, but I would have been uncomfortable and would probably have been making contingency plans (such as what do I have that is stabby... ). Unfortunately chanting Allah Allah Allah is very negatively associated in the minds of your average American. They don't necessarily hate Muslims, but put them into certain situations and they'll freak out.

If I heard Christians praying audibly about how they were going to die for God I'd freak out. The problem is, I don't speak Arabic, so I don't know what the Muslim clerics are saying. I wouldn't freak out, but I wouldn't exactly be sleeping that flight either.

I personally feel our planes are safer now since no one is going to let a hijacker take control of a plane. We no longer assume that it's going to end well.

So you equate white Christian men to a bunch of Arabic speaking Muslims praying to Allah in an airport before they board a plane?? Wonderful.

..............Please tell me you don't.

Well....there were phone calls made from the planes.....so their actions could have easily been described.

please show a difference then, they both use violence to promote religion

The point being made is that you don't assume every white Christian male is Timothy McVeigh, so why assume every Muslim is a hijacker. The answer is because humans aren't completely rational beings. Blame the reptilian hindbrain.

I thought the only calls were from Flight 93... It's still BS though, those weren't the "last words heard" as reported by any news agency. Conspiracy theorists and Ann Coulter do not count.

There were some calls made from the other planes, but it has never been reported that the last thing the passengers heard was "Allah, Allah, Allah". That sounds like dear Annie playing fast and loose with the facts to suit her needs.

Notice that ann.coulter has not responded to any of this.

Ah, was unaware of the other calls, but glad to be backed up on the last words claim. I certainly don't recall any calls being cut off only by the actual crash.

I'd love to know who feels the need to wear the ann coulter sock on their hand.

Yeah... and get those upity Blacks to stop dating White women; or burn out those damned traitorous Papists; or stop those Jews from controlling the media and banks... :rolleyes:

Gee isn't interesting that Ann has moved from nutjob political sreaming, over to bigotry - 'cause her statements and the bigotted ones above are pretty much the same stupid thinking aren't they?

Geee... Muslim Imams doing evening prayers before boarding how insidous and suspicious :rolleyes: a) they are Imams so why is it a shock that they'd pray? b) the prayers would involve a prayer mat, which I don't really see them being able to do in-flight; c) but yes you are probably right that a lot of 9/11 passengers heard prayers to Allah before they died - alot of the passengers were praying no doubt.

Shocking; people talking about Saddam Hussein, the war in Iraq, and denouncing America - can't they hold nice Republican approved conversations? Looks like you'll have to remove a hell of a lot of people from flights if this is the benchmark huh? I guess I wasn't aware that free speach had been revoked for the non-Christians...

Hahahahaha... sorry but the obove statement sounds like many of my brothers Vegas trips - spread out seating because hey thats whats available; some who aren't big fans of the tight seatbelts (and may be a little heavy); and shockingly some, like Richie, get one-way tickets and bring no baggage (he'll come back "whenever" and buy what he needs there).

I think you've hammer that point home a number of times... oh wait I think thats really your only point isn't it?

Interesting, the first mention of ethnicity in your entire speel... first it was pretty much "bad Muslims" and now all Arabs too?

Something's got divert attention from the crappy service, and worse food...

Maybe this is what was being referred to? Here are the transcripts from Flight 93:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/september1...753157,00.html

When Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar sounds like Allah Allah Allah, AC might... MIGHT have the tiniest shred of a point. If it wasn't a phrase said multiple times a day by Muslims everywhere...

When stuff like this happens, I am embarassed that I share a nationality with these idiots who got all scared.

1.) When it's your time to go, its your time. You're foolish to think otherwise.

2) The isreali's have been dealing with terrorism for years and cant stop it. Do they stop living their lives, eating out, going to clubs, riding busses, or flying? No. The risk is miniscule. How many airline passengers have been moved since commerical air flight began in the US? Billions. How many have died on airliners because of hijackings? A couple hundred.

3) Do these idiots that were on the flight and got all wigged out really think that the next time it happens, its gonna be done by an arab guy that's holding a Qur'an and looks like OBL? Or that it will be done by a chick in a burka? Come on. The next time islamic fundamantalists try to execute an act of terror, it's gonna be done by someone who looks like the rest of us. Probably a white guy dressed in jeans, flip-flops and a tshirt who happens to be a fundamantalist, or is down on his luck and got paid $2Million to do it.

Seriously, if it does happen again, or is attempted again, its not gonna be the same setup. 5 Arab guys sitting in first class.... come on.

But I do agree that US Airways has the right to refuse service, and no one has a constitutional right to fly. USAir refunded their tickets and asked them to fly another carrier. I think the PR could have been better handeled on US Air's part. They just looked bad. Instead, US Air should have either offered to accomidate the uncomfortable passengers by putting them on another flight/carrier, or removed the 'offending' passengers, put them on a later flight, given 'em an upgrade and blamed the whole mess on the other passengers - who would be long gone in the system at that point. US Air dosent have to defend its other passengers. That's not it's job. Moving people around the country is its job. It was just badly handeled all the way around.

Holy crap, read a book people. McVeigh and Co were not blowing up the building to serve God. They were pissed at the government for Waco.

When did anyone bring up motivations?

Timothy McVeigh acted out of his disapproval for the US Government's handling of the Waco situation.....not as if it were some mission from God. I think that is a poor analogy. Last time I checked....I haven't heard much about white male Christians from the US driving airplanes into sky scrapers and blowing things up in the name of God.

Nah... instead you have a white male christian who blows up countries, all while claiming 'God' talks to him...

Oh ok.......you're an idiot.

I don't necessarily agree with the point, I was just restating it, but the motivation didn't matter, simply the act. There's no rational reason for us to fear flying, but many people do. Driving a car is still less safe, but more people feel safe doing it. We're not always rational so demanding rationality 100% of the time will never work.

Considering the background of the Waco incident as well as McVeigh's survivalist roots, I think you may have the right conclusion via some ironic evidence.

Since we are posting quotes now:

"The beaver, which has come to represent Canada as the eagle does the United States and the lion Britain, is a flat-tailed, slow-witted, toothy rodent known to bite off it's own testicles or to stand under its own falling trees."

:D I always liked that quote by June Callwood, it's carved above the bar that is nearest to my cottage... ummm but I fail to see what that has to do with anything in this thread :confused:

I don't know if this has been addressed or not, but a transcript of one of the black boxes (or something of that nature) was floating around the internet... I read it and to be honest it was very very creepy.

I wouldn't fly US Airways/America West anyway because their service sucks. :)

Hey...watch who you're saying sucks, they pay my brother's paycheck...oh wait, you're right, the service does suck. Horribly. Never mind, carry on. Either way my bro gets paid! :D

Out of curiosity, link for the transcript?

If only we could get creepy guys who write hazing porn to stop posting stupid shit on GC, we could dispense with moderators altogether.

Centaur...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/september1...753157,00.html

Thanks. It's easy to read it, I just cannot imagine hearing it. That day was screwed up enough for me (dad flew out of Boston on a United flight that same morning...).

This woman (the real one) will say just about anything for attention it seems.

If everyone ignored her, she would probably go away.

That might be true of this poster as well.

hehehee yep at least your bro still gets paid! I've flown on those airlines a few times and I've never had a pleasant experience to date.

Here is the link:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...61hijack1.html

I don't know if that is the specific one I read awhile back, but in skimming it, it looked about the same. Towards the end is when they start chanting something about Allah. It creeped me out just reading it and trying to imagine what was going on...

Omigosh! Talk about scared out of your mind! I have so many strange memories of that day, including when Flight 93 was headed our way, and I said to my mother, "Am I weird in thinking that plane's part of this hot mess?"

As for USAirways, I flown a lot, but they're the only ones who consistently left on time, never lost my luggage, never ruined my luggage (that was fun! :rolleyes: ), and never made me miss a connection. Can't say that for Delta, American, TWA, United, Southwestern, Northwestern, Continental, or any other domestic airlines I've flown.

It gets better...my dad's destination? Atlantic city. Right over NYC. He called around 10:30am to say he was okay and they were renting a car to come home.

Most of the airlines you mentioned are under a big conglomerate so I guess the service is pretty consistent :D Because my bro's a pilot, we fly pretty cheaply. Supposedly Southwest pays the best for its staff because they cheapened everything else down. I'll probably find out if/when my brother switches airlines again. Nothing like the skinny on airlines. For instance, did you know that the pilots get the plane in the air, shove it on autopilot, play sudoku and talk to the passengers and ATC once in awhile? That should instill some faith for you!

I regularly hold my rosary/pray when flying, especially during takeoff/landing. It's calming. I also say it in Latin (call me oldschool). I would be upset if someone would order a Muslim off the plane for holding his prayer beads but leave me to say mine.

One of my sisters is a Syrian Catholic. Because she las fairly light skin for a Syrian person, she gets mistaken for being Italian most of the time. In one of her Criminal Justice classes, they had a debate on racial profiling and whether or not airlines and other places should be allowed to use racial profiling. She was fuming when the guy she liked said that he supports it and is in favor of it. A couple of weeks later, she was flying and ended up sitting a couple seats away from a Muslim man. Despite the fact that her entire family is from the Middle East, she was still uncomfortable with his presence there, and later told me that after that, she realized why her crush supported racial profiling and that now she probably does too.

I figured as much! It's still safer to fly than to drive, for the most part.

PhoenixAzul, I anoint every plane I'm on. A long time ago, I had a dream that I was in a plane crash and survived; I haven't been nervous about flying since. My mother, on the other hand, is the original white knuckle flyer!

I think it's difficult not to at least think of 9/11 when entering an aircraft with several people of what appears to be Mid-East heritage -- no matter how unfair that is.

On the other hand, I was getting on a plane once (I can't remember where) in the days when they were doing random bag checks and searches at the gate, and they chose four young men (three white and one black as I recall) who were traveling together.

Turns out they were all members of the US Army, traveling to a new duty station in civilian clothes.

Every single time I fly I get my bag checked. It's like a running joke in my family. I don't support racial profiling but I understand it. On the other hand, think about the shoe bomber. White male...but no one profiles white males. I mean, yeah, we all have to take our shoes off now, but no one gets nervous when they see a white man get onboard, and it's that kind of false security that almost led to another disaster.
I don't know...it's a diffcult situation. Is racial profiling wrong? yes. However, with al qaeda going after us full tilt, and the ease with which the 9/11 hijackers did get on the flights, it seems like a necessary evil. It's a toughie. We won't talk about pre 9-11 tactics. It'll just get messy.