Revolutionary Moderation

Yikes!



I'm leaving the country for a while, departing mid-month - more on that another day - and was therefore thrilled to learn that the route I'll be taking is a good possible departure point for terrorist attacks on the east coast:

...some security experts have pointed to Canada as a possible launch point for other airliner attacks on the United States, with fuel-laden jets regularly departing Canadian cities for U.S. or Caribbean destinations.

Fortunately, as the Yahoo-hosted Reuters story reports, I'll be made to feel safer by the possibility of the presence of an armed Mountie.



Wait a minute! You know how many armed Mounties on an airplane would make me feel safer? Zero! Mounties are good, I'm okay with them as seatmates, but I could do without the sidearm poking me in the ribs. In a non-threatening way, not a stick-'em-up way, but even then.



I really don't think there's much chance of a repeat of September 11, 2001. I've said it before, but I'm pleased to reiterate: hijacked passengers will not sit by, fearful and docile, with an expectation of an unplanned detour to Cuba. They will instead make peace with their personal Almighty, and then act with the expectation that their own lives are already used. And I can't imagine al Quada thinks things would transpire any differently.



I'm sure there will be other terrorist attacks on American citizens, possibly on American soil. I think Canadians have to be part of vigilantly defending against that. But putting weapons on planes seems counterproductive to that vigilance.