Terrorist plots

[raven]

Jesus. If Easyjet had not buggered up my plans, I would have been flying back into Heathrow today. Or not, as it happens. By all accounts I would have been stranded in Berlin today. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, queues of 500 metres! Queueing for half a kilometre - it boggles the mind. BBC News 24 has been giving us wide-angle shots of Manchester, showing people in the aforementioned queues with everything in clear plastic bags and women with screaming babies being forced to taste their own milk. It is not nice. But the thought of nine aircraft being blown up is not nice either. I'm quite surprised that no one on my flist has been talking about it yet.

I'm worried about my own plans, a little, but not as much as I'm worried about Pedar's - he's going to India this week, for such a short time that if he's delayed more than twenty-four hours it's no longer worth his going - and Scary American Cousin's, who's going home this week and I think Heathrow to New York is one of the flights that was supposed to be blown up. (I can't find an online reference to this, but it was just mentioned on the BBC television news.)

While I'm here, though, here we have John Reid looking serious and bald, and talking about the UK's terror threat level. (I have reservations about the "terror threat level"; it seems to be just an attempt to ape the Americans, because what, exactly, does it achieve? I rather believe that the correct measures would be taken by the appropriate authorities with or without a metereological terror prediction, and can you really say it offers any benefit to the general population? Sorry, Tony, can't come into work today, terror threat too high? Huh.) In addition, you know they're taking things seriously when the Opposition leader can't praise the government enough. Although not so seriously that Tony Blair isn't in the Caribbean sunning himself. Apparently I am not the only person in the country being resolutely strung along by her elected representative.

In the meantime, I am sitting here with the television on because I want to hear what they have to say over at the good old Department of Homeland Security. I remember writing last year how irritating I found them after the attacks on July 7th, but it's only half seven in the morning over there so we shall see.

I have to fly to New York in two weeks, but I suppose things will be back to normal then. None of this, however, stops me being pissed off at Easyjet. Bastards. What if I wanted to be stranded in an airport for hours and hours, huh? I like airports. This may make me unique among humanity, I know. But I do. And in all seriousness, they treated me pretty damn shabbily and terrorist attacks do not change this fact.

(You know, this is why I would suck at writing a real blog. I can't write intelligent commentary, I end up babbling.)

Enough babble for now. I almost wish I had to go into work today - I'm not because of my stupid buggered-up travel plans - rather than sitting here trawling through the various news sites.

Comments

[biascut.livejournal.com]

I can't hear anything about terror threat levels without hearing Tony Blair-as-Rimmer saying, "Go to red alert!" and Kryten saying very seriously, "Are you sure, sir? It does mean changing the bulb."

Also, booooo to you not being Berlin! Queues notwithstanding! You could have stopped around ours for an extra cup of tea!

[pinkishmew.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha! Oh, that's forever in my head now. [applauds]

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Oh, wonderful, yes! I remember that!

And YES: a resounding boooo from this end too. I want to be stranded in Berlin and being fed tea, dammit!

[garnettrees.livejournal.com]

If I hadn't changed my plans, chances are I'd be stuck in Japan right now-- or worse, San Jose. *hugs* We're both lucky we didn't get caught up in this mess.

I got up this morning and saw the chaos-- all I could think was, "Jesus, as if International flights aren't bad enough." I agree with you, lines and annoyance are a small price to pay for airplanes not being blown up, but it's still insane. It's insane that ten or twenty individuals can bring the world to a screeching hault.

I have reservations about the "terror threat level"; it seems to be just an attempt to ape the Americans, because what, exactly, does it achieve? I rather believe that the correct measures would be taken by the appropriate authorities with or without a metereological terror prediction, and can you really say it offers any benefit to the general population?
Preach it, sister. I'm very, very frightened by the terrorists, but sometimes my own government's reaction scares me more. We just seem to love to panic here. Instead of saying, "Wow, what a great job England did catching this mess before it could get off the ground", all the Terror Analysts (what the hell is that, anyway?) are going on and on about how much damage could have been done. Not that we should let our guard down or anything, but you know.

In Japan, the news media's attitude seems to be, "Okay, there's a lot of scary crap going on, but don't panic." Where as in America, it's all "OMG TOTALLY PANIC OVER THE SLIGHTEST THING".

*sigh* I watched about two hours of the news and decided I just couldn't take any more. My brother calls me with important updates. X_x;;;
*hugs*
-Meredith

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

It's insane that ten or twenty individuals can bring the world to a screeching hault.

My thought exactly. Even though the bombs haven't gone off, they still win, because look at us running around like headless chickens.

We just seem to love to panic here

I think we're slightly better in that regard over here - but after today, we may swing towards the American direction. I'm hoping not, but it probably will happen. That said, the attitude here is don't panic, it will be fine, and people don't seem to be panicking - the BBC describes them as "dazed and confused" rather than scared.

[pinkishmew.livejournal.com]

I don't see why the 'Terror Level Threats' are at all useful. I don't ever get scared or worried because I live in the countryside, and who's going to attack there? It does help perhaps not to become complacent, but how does knowing that there are people trying to kill us really ... help? At all? "Oh great. Lovely. Thanks for that." BBC I expect had rolling news on the subject all morning, and it's just so tedious to watch. "Something was going to happen. It didn't. [pats police officers on the back] Well done England, we saved people." Great, actually. Good. But OH SHUT UP about it.

And this is why I don't write about it in my blog, because I babble. Yay babbling!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I have to say I like the BBC's rolling news reports. They're unbiased - usually - with high quality analysis, and they don't let you miss things like the Homeland Security statement I was after above.

how does knowing that there are people trying to kill us really ... help? At all?

Isn't it vital to know this sort of thing? In a more general sense, too - it's why I read news headlines every day, because I like to know what's going on in the world around me.

[dougs.livejournal.com]

> I'm quite surprised that no one on my flist has been talking about it yet.

By contrast, my friends list is full of it -- here (http://currahee.livejournal.com/1088585.html), here (http://pinkdormouse.livejournal.com/496893.html), here (http://ang-grrr.livejournal.com/746781.html), here (http://purpletigron.livejournal.com/445203.html), here (http://nhw.livejournal.com/700108.html), here (http://purpletigron.livejournal.com/445661.html), here (http://daveon.livejournal.com/231811.html), here (http://pigeonhed.livejournal.com/69950.html), here (http://karohemd.livejournal.com/1084191.html), here (http://currahee.livejournal.com/1088930.html), here (http://daveon.livejournal.com/231996.html), here (http://dougs.livejournal.com/581021.html) and here (http://vatoengland.livejournal.com/650611.html), and that's leaving out the friends-locked posts... but by far the best contribution has been this one (http://gerald-duck.livejournal.com/283547.html).

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks for those. I think my flist are mostly not British, so there's not the same focus there.

help no I had a beautiful comment all written out, before LJ ate it

[me-ves-y-sufres.livejournal.com]

The "terror alert"- and I refuse to use this term in anything other than inverted commas, not for ideological reasons but aesthetic ones (it's a hideously ugly phrase: what's wrong with the term "terrorism alert", huh? Are the extra three letters too complicated all of a sudden?)- actually prompted a brief political discussion between my mother and I, which served more than anything to demonstrate why politics is not a suitable topic for debate in our house.

"I blame that Mr Blair for dragging us into this whole mess behind the Americans," she said, causing me to wonder if she'd been reading my copy of The Guardian, and then followed that with "you know, Thatcher wouldn't have stood for this. We need a strong leader like her again."

At which point the conversation ceased because my BRAIN started BUBBLING OUT OF MY EARS as I wondered how we could possibly share DNA.

Re: help no I had a beautiful comment all written out, before LJ ate it

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Yes! Terrorism is the noun form! Standards are slipping!

And oh, oh, you poor thing. I have that problem with certain members of my family. You have to laugh, otherwise you'd cry. *g*

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

Although not so seriously that Tony Blair isn't in the Caribbean sunning himself.

Meanwhile, Bush is at the ranch. Again.

*hits head against wall, repeatedly*

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Seriously? Siiiiigh. I thought the lack of response from that end was solely due to the very early hour, but hell, you're on the west coast and you're up. *g*

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

yeah. and I should've left for work twenty minutes ago. oops.

News happened! I got distracted!

At the ranch again

[just-the-ash.livejournal.com]

Yet another point of terrifying resemblance between this presidency and that of Ronald Reagan. Egad.

[walkertxkitty.livejournal.com]

Considering that Europe has been hit by terrorists more often of late, I don't consider the overall security precautions to be extreme. However, I never understood the need to make the women taste their breast milk. There is nothing I know of which could possibly constitute a threat in that format. I'm sorry American stupidity seems to be contageous.

Don't get me started on Homeland Security. It might surprise those living overseas to know that most Americans really, really despise what's been done here with that. Even the title creeped me out because it reminds me just a little too much of a military state.

And none of it helps. We have airport security doing stupid stuff like tagging fat, middle aged women with service animals as suspicious while people are getting on planes with explosive in their shoes. Gah!

Anyhow, I hope you have a safe trip and so do all those you love. It's still a dangerous world out there, stupidity nonewithstanding.

That's why I won't ever fly if I can help it. I was terrified of planes BEFORE all this happened.

[emily-shore.livejournal.com]

However, I never understood the need to make the women taste their breast milk. There is nothing I know of which could possibly constitute a threat in that format.

Apparently the material for the bombs was expected to be in liquid form, so that requirement is actually perfectly logical. Having to taste milk (of any description) is probably the least onerous of all the travel requirements today.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

There was a point this time, as there was reason to believe that liquid explosives (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4780391.stm) were being used. I agree with the whole concept of "Homeland Security"; it's an unsettlinf name for an unsettling department.

I have been "random" checked more times than I can count. I really feel your pain there. *g* Thanks for the good wishes, and I hope you're having a lovely birthday!

[dougs.livejournal.com]

Whereas I haven't been checked at all, except in US airports where they were checking everyone. It must be because you have a beard and I don't.

Oh, wait...

[icepixie]

Well, I haven't said anything because I just got up an hour ago. *g*

Good luck on you and Pedar's flights. I hope you'll be allowed to bring books on by then, because I cannot imagine international flights without a book. OMG. I certainly understand the precautions everyone's taking, but I would go crazy.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Oh my, me too. There was a woman on the news report who was flying eighteen hours with no reading material. I would go rapidly mental.

[sparkly-stuff.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I used to love airports and flying and now it's just ridiculous. I'm sick of every single passenger being treated as a Potential Terrorist and not as a human being...whatever happened to Innocent Until Proven Guilty? I think the US Dept of Homeland Security is a waste of resources for the most part, although I have to point out that the worst airport security experience I ever had was at London's Gatwick airport :/

Anyway, I'm sure everything will be fine when you fly in 2 weeks...what are you coming to NY for?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Gatwick is not my favourite place in the world, it must be said. I like Heathrow, though. I like most airports! You're right; all of this ruins how much fun travelling by air is.

I'll be passing through customs at JFK - fun, fun - but my connecting flight is to Chicago. I'm visiting family and meeting fannish friends, which really should be fun.

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

Gatwick is not my favourite place in the world, it must be said. I like Heathrow, though. I like most airports!

Meanwhile, every European airport I've ever been in has made me a nervous wreck, because what is up with not knowing what gate your plane is going to be at until it arrives? Seriously? On domestic flights over here, you know in advance, and aren't stuck staring at an arrivals board for half an hour, then making a mad dash down the concourse before the plane takes off without you. :)

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

(and clip out the word "domestic" from the above paragraph, because it applies to international too, at least on our end. but anyway. am tired and babbling. :)

[thecapitalc.livejournal.com]

I love airports too! People watching :)

[tau_sigma]

Re: "terror alerts", other than the terrible nomenclature, I know that some civil servants/MoD establishments do have alerts of the black/black special/amber/red vareity, depending on what else is happening around the world, and that it does affect work (amber, check cars for explosives; red, don't go to work! that sort of thing). So it's not entirely apeing of America.

And I don't know whether it's good, bad or indifferent that the main thing to strike me about all this is how bored I'd be on a flight of any length without a book. Though apparently you will be able to take a book, if you buy it after check in and security checks. Or something like that.

Though another thing I've noticed is how accepting most of the public are. Which I'm kind of impressed by. Because most of the people I've seen have said 'yeah, it's a pain, but it's security so we have to put up with it', rather than complaining. (Um, this could be propaganda ... I'm going to ignore that thought because my life is simpler without that paranoia.)