The man deserves a raise just for clearly mocking the new federal regulations, and at one point the federal government, over the intercom.
Fun fact: In the last hour of the flight, you can’t have anything on your lap and can not get up out of your seat. Cold and need a blanket? Tough. Stomach turns over some turbulence and you need to hit the restroom? Oh well.
Which I wouldn’t mind if the regulation actually provided security. But it doesn’t.
Abdulmuttalab’s intention was to kill 279 passengers and 11 crew members. Under this new regulation he’d still be able to do that, but he’d have a harder time in the last hour of the flight? One hour and ten minutes before landing? He’s good to go.
Also, any passengers who act to stop a terrorist would themselves be breaking the new rule. Which also ignores the fact that jihadis hell-bent on blowing up 290 men, women, and children won’t care about about the little light telling you to sit down.
It seems the federal government’s time would be better spent reviewing active visas to ensure terrorists and their sympathizers don’t have the go-ahead to enter American airspace aboard a plane full of innocent people.
by Stephan Tawney on Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 9:43 pm