Let the American bashing commence

[James Baster]

I normally really dislike american bashing, but I'm sorry - you are all so fucked up. I can not belive there are people in the country who are like that, let alone enought of them that George W is elected.

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/214/m ... bag-.shtml

[s]P.S. In case anyone is confused, I refer to the law and not the teen[/s]

[mirAge]

What bomb threat?! Can the legal "experts" in America even understand English? Then again, I maybe shouldn't be posting something on the sinner with the word bomb on it, who knows how many years I might get for it. (Hello Echelon!)

Good ol' American paranoia strikes again. Marvellous...

[SiouxieSioux]

The trouble is(and I'm trying not to generalize here) many Americans are extremely arrogant and think they are the only ones that matter. What about 'a potential' threat to Britain? Or Austrailia, or Canada? How I laughed when, post 9/11, many stars feared for their lives. I mean, come on, terrorists are interested in far more important people and places.....

[Thackary]

[s]James Baster wrote on 11:20, 5th Aug 2003:
"you are all so fucked up"



Something of a generalisation there, James...

In my opinion, I think the kid was stupid to have put something like that in his bag. Asking for trouble really.

But then, referring to the film "Meet the Parents" - what would security's reaction have been to the kid singing "Blue Moon" - starting off with bomb bababomb babomb babomb bomb blue moon...

[Neferet]

I remember I was watching Airport once (I was bored) and a guy carrying a violin case was asked whether he was ideed carrying a violin case. He smiled and said "no, it's a tommy gun". The woman didn't get it, the police were called and he missed his flight.

Moral of the story: leave your sense of humour behind when you visit an airport folks.

[James Baster]

Isn't that "Airport" as in the fictional film? And hence not real? Wheres as I was in an real airport when a guy took a 6 inch paper knife onto the plane and the laughting staff told him not to hijack it. Guess how many years ago that was? (I'm not sure I want to, I'll feel very old)

And yes it is a generalisation. But at some point you have to start making them. Everyone says to Americans here "oh, we all hate usa, but not you, your nice". Well, at some point the whole prospect of "Collective responsibility" comes into play - yes, a person only has one vote and cant change the world with it: but you cant go forgiving every american you meet but simultanelsly arguing at the american system.

I've meet Americans who have attitudes I dont like; and on occasion I argue back (its always difficult with your hosts brother, he was the one I would really have liked to nail)

And yes, this cuts both ways. Britions are very fond for lambasting America while Briton quietly goes on and does the same things. Here we also are collectively responsible for Blairs actions, and I'm gonna make sure I vote next time so I've at least tried. (I just hope they've found some decent alternatives by then)

And maybe the kid was stupid for leaving that note. I prefer to think of him as standing up against stupid rules in his own small way, in a country where "patriot" is now defined as "you have to agree with George W Bush". The fact he faces 20 years in jail is just ridiculus.

[Neferet]

No it was Airport the programme last year sometime or the year before when the tv schedules were filled with fly on the wall documentaries.

[mossop]

I saw that too, the guy thought it was a really funny joke....I thought it was even more hilarious when he was told he couldn't get on the flight!

People shouldn't joke around about things like that, it's a very serious issue. Could you imagine if he wasn't joking and the woman at the check-in desk hadn't checked up? Wouldn't be very funny then!

[hr]Mossop - http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/tom ... ddlers.htm

[James Baster]

Are you really trying to say it took so long to open a violin case and check it actually contained a violin instead of a tommy gun that the man had to miss his flight? Is it really that hard to tell the difference between a violin and a tommy gun? I agree security is important, but did they really have to call the police?

[Neferet]

Apparently they did. The woman had never seen a a gangster film, she refused to let him open the case and the police therefore had to be called. The guy missed his flight, was given an official warning and had to stay overnight to get a flight out the next day.

Suffice to say he was not amused.

[Thackary]

I'd rather they take every threat seriously, and prevent future problems than just assume that the person was joking.

Situations that cost the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people simply aren't worth the cheap joke.

[McK]

[s]Thackary wrote on 15:22, 5th Aug 2003:
I'd rather they take every threat seriously, and prevent future problems than just assume that the person was joking.

Situations that cost the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people simply aren't worth the cheap joke.


Yep, I agree. I think they were right to be concerned about the note in the bag, and it is comforting to know that they do take these things seriously.

[Al]

I get the feeling that the so-called improved security measures are just for show. They wouldn't have prevented the attacks on September 11th. Nor would they have prevented the Lockerbie attack. Terrorists/hijackers are not stupid. Why then do the governments of the US and UK presume that they are?

[hr]"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time".

[stan]

i agree with baster the webmaster on this one, it is time we stoped removing the individual from the the collective as often even tacit support can be constructed into something tangable. go james stick to your guns!

[Mr T needs work]

[s]Thackary wrote on 15:22, 5th Aug 2003:
I'd rather they take every threat seriously, and prevent future problems than just assume that the person was joking.

Situations that cost the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people simply aren't worth the cheap joke.


I completely agree. I'd rather wait a little longer to be checked and cleared (along with all the other passengers) and know that we are all going to be safe. And heightened security like in this case (the article) has probably prevented many real threats, from minor ones to more serious ones.

[Rennie]

The note was a joke, it was not a bomb threat. Going off what it is reported to contain, there is no threat of a bomb being in the bag, in fact, you could argue a much better case about it being a 'non-bomb' threat.

James, you're right, collectivism does come into the situation and there's a point where you see so domn manby idiotic things said and done that you think that everything from the U.S is idiotic. And the leader of their country is a complete fool and laughing stock of the world and so on and so forth.

However, rememeber that more Americans voted for the democrats than his party. America is a country where a lot of stupid, and shit things happen. Some americans are complete c*nts wheather it be their attitude, policies or whatever.

But, I don't feel you can generalize them as a whole. And yes, I have been to america, and I know myself from my own experiences that there are good and bad people - i just think there's too many good intentioned people out there to say that 'you are all fucked up'.

Americans in general seem to be mildly 'brainwashed' - for want of a better word - and I don't think this is their fault. I've known americans who hate Bush get all patriotic when it comes to attacking Iraq or something similarly foolish. And they even refuse to listen when you use logical debates to prove your side of the story!

In short, they are a mixed up, crazy , gun owning bunch of rednecks. But not all of them, and I don't think you can argue a case that they are

As for teh guy in the Airport program, I watched it and I couldn't believe the stupidness of the woman who called the police. Yes, he shouldn't have said it, but the stupid attention seeking bitch knew perfectly what he was getting at (a reference to various gangster films) . She shouldn't have asked such a bloody stupid question anyway, seeing as the violin will get x-rayed about 3 times before he boards the plane. Personally, if she had asked me, I would have thought she was joking initially and cracked a joke myself - like what he did.

[Anon.]

The USA nowadays and Britain 100 years ago have a lot in common.

[Oli]

[s]stan wrote on 16:10, 5th Aug 2003:
... baster the webmaster ...


Oy! (with respect,) James Baster - former webmaster...

[Prophet Tenebrae]

I thought it was a well known fact that - generally, you don't fuck about when matters of public safety and national security were concerned?

It's not big and it's not clever.

[James Baster]

Ok, the phrase "you are all fucked up" was said in the heat of the moment. I apologise.

But not for the rest. Collective responsibility starts to come in somewhere, at some point. Even if its just to say "Jeez, that guy bush/blair is a idiot. Next time the elections roll round, I'mm gonna make damn sure I vote"

And it was over the top. Ok, take security seriously. By all means, take ten seconds, ten mesely seconds to open the case and think "Ooh, musical instrument. unless player really really bad, unlikely to be weapon of mass destruction" Don't call in the god damn police. And by all means, if you read a note like that take ten seconds, ten little seconds, and search the rest of the bag just to be sure. Dont put the guy in court.

You know, if were going to get horribly worked up over something, lets pick something that actually has a decent chance of finshing us off. How many off us here have had deep fried mars bars, or other scottish take away dishes on a regular basis? I know I have. Do you guys have any idea what the heart attack rate is in Scotland? You guys .... are all going to be fucked up.

[s]P.S. I am dropping out of this debate for one day, possibly two due to events in real llife. But I'll be back, dont you worry.[/s]