Jet returns to airport as comb spurs jitters
I heard about this one yesterday, and laughed it off as 9.11-induced hysteria, but there it was when I opened my morning Chronk. Thank God our ever-vigilant air marshals were present to prevent another episode of MELMCAC (Middle Eastern-looking man carrying a comb). Lord only KNOWS what diabolical acts might be committed by a fanatic trained in the use of personal hygiene products.
The sight of a folding comb in a passenger's pocket and a testy exchange between a passenger and flight attendant were enough to spark fears of a hijacking attempt on the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The tense situation aboard an American Airlines jet ended peacefully after fighter planes escorted the Dallas-bound flight back to Houston. But the action betrayed the jittery nerves of many people -- particularly airline crews -- on a day filled with vivid memories of the horrors of a year ago.
But despite their disrupted schedules -- not to mention alarm at seeing police board the plane, one with his gun drawn -- many passengers took the experience as a reassuring sign.
"It says they are really watching closely," said Linda Foreman of Houston.
The incident occurred aboard American Airlines Flight 1702, which had left Bush Intercontinental Airport with 50 passengers bound for Dallas at 12:28 p.m.
Passengers said the two men who later were taken off the plane in handcuffs appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, but authorities would neither identify the men nor comment on their ethnicity.
Overactive imaginations and personal grooming supplies- now there is a deadly combination. Don't get me wrong; I'm all for being security-conscious, but at some point that makes the leap from the ridiculous to the sublime. This incident simply points out how few rights a person truly has if he or she wants to fly- particularly if that person is of Middle Eastern descent. When do we stop giving into the paranoia and fear, and start acting like rational, reasonable people again? My guess is that it's going to be awhile....
