I woke up this morning at 6:30 AM, only to learn via CBS that several Muslim terrorists were just arrested in the United Kingdom for planning a series of attacks on several commercial flights leaving Heathrow airport en route to the United States. My mind, fuzzy from sleep, completely cleared about 30 seconds into this newscast.
Britain's Home Secretary John Reid told the Associated Press that 21 suspects were arrested in London and its surrounding areas around 4:00 AM today, local time. Apparently, these individuals hoped to board several aircraft bound for popular U.S. tourist destination cities and blow them to smithereens with some liquid-based explosive device mid-flight.
British authorities believe the suspects are “homegrown,” although Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff believes the plan stinks of al-Qaida.
As if the mention of our favorite religious cult didn’t spark enough alarm, a U.S. counterterrorism official told the Associated Press that "[the suspects] were not yet sitting on an airplane, but [they] were very close to traveling[.]”
Most flights coming into and leaving Heathrow have been canceled. As of this writing, Paris has offered its own runways should London elect to divert inbound flights already in transit. Thank goodness we dodged this one — hopefully.
I’m seriously reconsidering my flight to Las Vegas next week. Officials believe many more terrorists are involved in this plot, and we still don’t know how far-reaching it is. Although I’m departing from a rather insignificant airport that routes only domestic flights, I’m plagued with disturbing images of my plane crashing to Earth in a fiery ball of twisted metal and jet fuel. However, I’m trying my best to focus my mind elsewhere; fear is what these would-be “holy” warriors are aiming for. Positive thoughts are the best salve for fear.
The British authorities did a superb job nailing the terrorists before they got the chance to show Allah how wonderful they were. The rest of the world, especially the United States, owes them their gratitude.
We also owe our special thanks to Allah for his grace and divine intervention. I’m sure he smiled down on the arresting officers, breathing a sigh of relief, as they corralled 21 of his problem children. With those nasty little brats out of his hair for now, he can hopefully help us rein in more of his wayward sons.
Article comments
1 - gazelle
whew!
2 - DrPat
I was awakened at 4:30 this morning by a call from my sister, who was sitting, waiting, in a NYC airport lounge, calling everyone on her cell phone to let them know she was okay, but would be delayed getting home to Colorado.
That was the first I heard of this issue. However, I wonder if this is related to warnings of a terror acton to take place around August 22nd, the arrest of the Dearborn Islamists with the IED-essential cell-phone chips, and the missing 11 Egyptian "students". I fear that we will relax, having escaped this time.
And is several flaming airplanes-worth of dead passengers with 300-5000 dead, really worse than hundreds of IEDs exploding in the US to kill the same number of people in widely scattered locations?
3 - Bliffle
"Whew", indeed, gazelle. What are you going to tell us now about Islamic terrorists? That it's just a few bad apples? That they are protesting mistreatment of palestinians? Solidarity with Hezbolah?
4 - Mary K. Williams
May Allah Bless you Bliffie.
5 - gazelle
Did i say anything?
I think you're imagining things. wrong!
whew was an expression of relief that abettors like yourself haven't been successful.
best
6 - Nancy
Allah be damned; as I commented on another thread, the only peaceful Muslim fundie is a dead muslim fundie.
7 - Lady Dragonfyre
I wasn't trying to defend Muslim fundies. I was just trying to point out how ridiculous it is that the said fundies think a book written by a warlord 1500 years ago completely nails down the desires, perspective, and laws of an all-knowing, divine being whose intelligence, logic and knowledge infinitely surpass our own capabilities. As I've said before, these fundies are using religion to justify atrocities. Assuming for the moment that Allah exists, is it his fault that a large number of his followers are brainwashed psychos? Like many other violent criminals in society, Muslim terrorists like to cast "blame" for their crimes on someone or something else. For some criminals, if they aren't blaming their crimes on mental illness or their moms' inadequate parenting skills, they're trying to convince themselves and others that God wanted them to do it. For Muslim terrorists, I imagine having beautiful images of glorifying Allah makes mass murder that much easier to swallow.
I often wonder if there's a moment before death in which a person finds out whether or not their religious views are the truth. If so, I wonder what these Muslim terrorists think and feel during THEIR moments of truth, when they realize they killed and oppressed so many people for a utter lie. If there IS no God, I wonder how they feel when they learn that despite all their personal sacrifices and murders, nothing awaits them on the other side but oblivion. Or, if there IS a God, how would they feel if the said God tells them they were full of shit all along and smites them.
8 - gonzo marx
Lady D in comment #7 sez...
*I was just trying to point out how ridiculous it is that the said fundies think a book written by a warlord 1500 years ago completely nails down the desires, perspective, and laws of an all-knowing, divine being whose intelligence, logic and knowledge infinitely surpass our own capabilities.*
Quoted for Truth
and equally applies to all Literalist interpertations of any kind of "scripture" and the crimes commited in the Name of such
your mileage may vary
Excelsior?
9 - Bliffle
The whole Islamic faith is becoming indefensible.
10 - duane
You mean there are defensible faiths?
11 - gazelle
#7 warlord is not right. it might apply to the blairbush neocons. this is really no improvement. wikipedia.org
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12 - SFC SKI
I wouldn't say that this incident means the whole Islamic faith is indefensible. What is indefensible is that Muslims that do not lean towards extremism are not vocal enough in their opposition, and that some people are not willing to admit that there are Muslim fundamentalist who do mean to do others harm and believe that they can be negotiated with.
13 - ISLAM =PEACE
ALLAH = GOD, THIS IS ARABIC AND THIS IS ENGLISH
14 - ISLAM =PEACE=Love
Allah is the Arabic term for "God" in Abrahamic religions, and is the main term for the deity in Islam.
Most Arabic-speaking Muslims, Christians and Jews (including the Teimanim, several Mizraḥi communities and some Sephardim) use "Allah" as the proper noun for 'God.' "Allah" is found in the Qur'an and in Arabic and Indonesian translations of the Bible. In the Qur'an, it refers to The Only God.
15 - Christopher Rose
It's faith itself that is indefensible. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are corrupt dogmas that work against the best interest of all humanity.