Senator Rockefeller (D-WV): Flight cancellations necessary | CNN

[Ediacara]

Senator: Flight cancellations necessary

Sunday, February 1, 2004 Posted: 2:32 PM EST (1932 GMT)


Rockefeller: "You play it safe,
and the plane doesn't fly."

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A key member of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday the United States has no defense against threats to release biological weapons inside airplanes except to cancel suspect flights.

Asked about reports that a biological or chemical agent might be used in an attack on a U.S.-bound airline, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, said the United States would have no way to counter such moves.

"I don't think so, and that's partly the problem of not checking cargo, and it's partly the problem of biological weapons, which nobody has figured out really what to do about yet," Rockefeller told "Fox News Sunday." "Nobody has any idea about what to do about them on an airplane or on the ground."

Outside the network's studios, Rockefeller added, "We don't know how to protect against any biological. ... You play it safe, and the plane doesn't fly, and people are going to have to get used to that, and people are not going to like that, but it's what you've got to do in this era."

More at CNN

[Newsjock]

1. No evidence at all -- don't let this go down the memory hole

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/usworld/news-article.aspx?storyid=14240

From The Associated Press:

... U.S. officials have been concerned for some time that al-Qaida wants to use chemical, biological or radiological weapons aboard an airplane. However, the threat information that led to the canceled flights this weekend did not indicate a specific method to bring down a plane or spread an illness such as smallpox, said a U.S. official speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Instead, the official said intelligence analysts use threat information about the flights, and marry it up to information about types of attacks al Qaida may want to launch, to come up with possible scenarios for an attack at any particular time.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. So in other words

these alerts are based on total bullshit?

Why don't we just hire Madame Cleo to predict terrorist attacks? At least she was entertaining.

[arcane1]

3. fortunately, it doesn't matter- the world is safer now, we caught Saddam!

:eyes:

[Whoa_Nelly]

4. Cargo checking?

"I don't think so, and that's partly the problem of not checking cargo..."

So, if any flights with destinations to the US do not have ALL the cargo checked, is this what will cancel flights in the future?

[daleo]

5. You have to wonder how this is affecting the international economy

There has to be a better way than this on-again, off-again responding to vague threats.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

9. I find it particularly interesting that France and Britain are most...

...most affected by these rather vaque threats.

I guess the NeoCons are still punishing the French for not supporting the Iraqi fiasco, and making sure that Britain understands what's at risk if they break ranks.

[davidinalameda]

6. if I was on one of those flights and I heard about the threats

I would have been glad that they were cancelled

in cases like this, it is better safe than sorry

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. Maybe you shouldn't cross the street anymore

You never know, some terrorist or little old lady might want to run you down?

Please, these threats are not based on credible information. Everytime this happens sources in the CIA and FBI state that they think the threats and the responses are overblown based on the intelligence they have.

All this crap is being manufactured by Ridge & Co. Instead of getting their Intel from the CIA and FBI, they are going to OSP and 'private' sources instead. Some of these 'private' sources are self made terrorists experts who are generating the 'chatter' and posting it all over the internet. Since 9-11 a lucrative market has sprung up for assorted terrorists 'experts' and most of them are full of shit.

The scary part is that while Ridge and the gang are being distracted by all the bogus chatter, they are clueless about the real threats that we face.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. Boo!!...

Did I scare you, too?

[Red State Rebel]

14. I agree, think how people would scream...

if the threats were ignored and something happened? That is exactly what we are beating * over the head for now with 911. We can't have it both ways and I for one would rather have it the safe way.

[CHIMO]

15. But The Logic

Ends in a dead end.

We know they have threatened the west. So do we stop all based on this threat?

[CHIMO]

8. "no defense against threats"

Seems simple enough to me. Don't need a tripartite committee to solve.

Get rid of the threat and it can't happen.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

10. The only "threat" I see at this point is located in Washington, DC.

[if it comes from the whitehouse it must be true]

12. Planes flew five or six days of the world series, superbowl is different??

Am I missing something?????

[Just Me]

13. Tch, tch,...and I thought Rockefellar was smart *EOM*

[Maccagirl]

16. He was so lame on "Fox News Sunday"

I was NOT impressed. Chris Wallace and Trent Lott beat up on him like a red-headed stepchild over the David Kay testimony. He should have been all over it, and he really dropped the ball.