This lonely 23yo Nigerian who strapped plastic explosives in his underwear is responsible for all the heighten security mayhem at all US airports for the holidays. Fortunately, this would-be bomber failed on NW Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, Christmas Day. LinkPassengers and crew aboard the plane said Umar Mutallab spent about 20 minutes in the bathroom as it approached Detroit and then covered himself with a blanket after returning to his seat, the Justice Department said. They then heard popping noises and smelled a foul odour and some saw Umar Mutallab’s trouser leg and the wall of the plane on fire, it said. When asked by a flight attendant what he had in his pocket, he replied “explosive device.” The device consisted of a six-inch (15-cm) packet of powder and a syringe containing a liquid, which were sewn into the suspect’s underwear, according to media reports.
Passengers reported smelling smoke and saw that something in his lap was on fire. Fellow passenger Jasper Schuringa, a Dutch film director, jumped on Umar Mutallab, and he and other passengers subdued him as flight attendants used fire extinguishers to douse the flames. At this point, Umar Mutallab was taken toward the front of the airplane cabin, and was seen to have lost his pants due to the fire, and had burns on his legs. After being taken into custody, Umar Mutallab told authorities he had been directed by al Qaeda. He said that the device was obtained in Yemen, along with instructions from al-Qaeda on how to use it. Authorities have not yet confirmed his statements. However, the al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as revenge for the United States' role in a Yemeni military offensive against al Qaeda in that country.
Now comes the aftermath and new restrictions I've heard had been enacted:
- all passengers must be seated 1 hour before landing
- no blankets nor pillows allowed
- no bathroom breaks allowed 1 hour before landing
This is ridiculous - and paranoid.
What about underwear checks? Should all passengers go commando when flying now?
But I digress!
But the most sensationalized reports and reactions I now hear is the blame game. Who is responsible?! Who caused this failure?
Well, the Neo-Conservatives are definitely blaming President Obama! No surprise there!
One comment went even far ahead to say,
Obama should be jailed for his crimes against the American people. After 9/11 Bush created a lockdown on terrorist activity in the states. As soon as he's gone our planes are attacked. Link
Apparently, the creator of this comment conveniently forgotten about Richard Reid - the shoe bomber - aboard AA Flight 63 on Dec 22, 2001. And what about the Anthrax attacks in October 2001?!
These reactions have proven to me that America will be so divided if another terrorist strike occur and succeeds!
Back in 2001, George W. Bush had the highest approval rating ever immediately after 9/11. America was in mourning and we all looked to our President for hope, guidance and strength. Back then, no one dared to speak against or vehemently criticize the Commander-in-Chief. A Conservative friend of mine tells me that America would be united whenever we face a national tragedy!
That will NEVER happen today with President Obama!
There are population of Americans that truly HATE our current President and would wish him failure and death. They hated him before the elections and even more after inauguration. They will ignore every 2 steps forward he brings but harshly vilify him for every one step back. In their minds, patriotism is defined as opposing Obama and his leadership!
Flight 253 did not explode and there were no casualties - but this event had opened up pockets of failure in the system.
Homeland Security and the National Counterterrorism Center has been called upon to find their failures.
They will investigate and hopefully learn from this and beef up security.
