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OT RE: plane crash

From:The Gray Wizard <dbell@...>
Date:Tuesday, November 13, 2001, 12:41
> From: David William McKay > > Sorry. I failed to edit your message. > > The bit about airlines censoring your access to information. It > used to be > that making a joke about bombing an airport and being overheard > would ground > your plane and get you a prison sentence. Warnings to that > effect were posted > in the airports. Then things got lax. Now they're tight again. > > We do not have freedom of information. That simple. > > And in your particular case for fairly good reason. If the plane > going down was > terrorist then announcing it in the airports could trigger > another phase. At > the very least it could create panic in the airports. (and loss > of airline > ticket sales)
I was surprised that after September 11th, airlines were less concerned with passenger safety than with profit. I was surprised that CNN, which has a responsibility to report the news, would collude in the deliberate withholding of news. I was surprised that after September 11th that the airport, while increasing security procedures in the name of passenger safety, would feel no responsibility to reveal information that could effect that safety. All New York Area Airports (JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark) were immediately closed as were bridges and tunnels in and out of the city without fear of "triggering another phase" or "creating panic in the airports" This argument simply does not hold water. Moreover, in an age of cell phones and instant communication, any attempt to withhold this information was bound to fail and left many partially informed passengers to panic based on misinformation. I was able to determine via cell phone that the crash was very probably accidental and made my decision based on that information. Many of my fellow passengers heard only that a plane had crashed and airports in New York were closing. Responsible information is always preferable to irresponsible misinformation. How can our Attorney-General announce general warnings about non-specific threats on national television, warnings that none of us could act upon, while withholding specific information about a possible threat that we could have acted upon, i.e. making a personal decision to fly or not. Your willingness to accept that "We do not have freedom of information." and that airlines seem to have some right to profit over safety also surprises and disappoints me after September 11th. Stay curious, David David E. Bell The Gray Wizard i guronar demith ir gonar amis www.graywizard.net Wisdom begins in wonder. elivas en ishron ordelmar cotronian istran yani godran udhelfas