OT RE: plane crash

> 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