More than forty years ago I thought the advice was funny: When government comes knocking at your door announcing they are there to help you,…run for your life! Unfortunately, personal experiences over the years have taken much of the humor out of that old one-liner for me.
Like virtually everyone else in America, my first reaction to the news that American Airlines Flight 587 had crashed in New York was the terrorists have struck again. As the day passed the details being reported seemed to ease my concerns of a terrorist act. Toward evening, however, an NTSB spokesperson assured America that all evidence gathered so far indicated it was an accident rather than an act of terrorism. Immediately I began to have doubts about the veracity of such a claim.
The government spokesperson was not "telling it like it is!" Indeed, the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 may be due to a catastrophic mechanical failure and have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism. Let's hope so! But the further reality is that nothing in the evidence so far justifies a claim that terrorism was not responsible for the crash of the airliner, or to be more precise, only biased and slanted propaganda can argue it was an accident rather than sabotage that caused the crash. At this point in time it is unknowable what initiated this horrible disaster.
It was clear to me that "government had come knocking at my door," delivering a message they wanted me to believe, even though there was absolutely no way they could support their claim. Suddenly I realized the powerful motivation that both the government, and the airline industry, had in conveying the "accident" message. What was important was not that they themselves believed the message they were delivering to us but, instead, that they convey their message with firm conviction to America so we would believe it.
Ever since the horror of September 11, the government and the mainstream press have been engaged in a massive propaganda campaign to convince airline travelers that only the federal government can provide security to the flying public. Overwhelming public opinion has adopted the statist mentality that future effective security is only possible if provided by the same people who run the post office. Lengthy security measures have already been imposed at airports transforming air travel into an unpleasant and time-wasting experience for passengers. The army is at the gates as little old ladies have their nail files confiscated from them. Every effort is committed to creating the perception that government, and only the federal government, can provide security to air travel. Without question, the government's propaganda and actions have been totally successful in achieving their goal to date.
So just imagine how the possibility of sabotage on Flight 587, rather than a mechanical accident, would undermine these governmental efforts? Up to now everything proposed or discussed about government-provided security has been focused upon baggage handling and passenger loading. The government's attempts to restore passenger confidence have been built entirely upon adopting draconian security measures targeted on the passenger and his luggage. After all, that's how the terrorists struck before and wouldn't that be how they would strike again? But just what if the terrorist's tactics are different the next time? What if a terrorist attack on Flight 587 was mechanical sabotage? Such a disclosure would expose the illusion of government security for all to see.
The carnage of September 11, as well as some disturbing events about Flight 587, makes me question the simple and preferred government answer, "it was a mechanical accident." The timing of the "accident"alone should be enough to give one pause. Of course an accident can occur at any moment, but let's face it, we are today in a moment of high alert for further acts of terrorism. Maybe it's just my natural tendency toward skepticism which begs the question, but could not an act of sabotage explain the crash of Flight 587, and be just as likely, as a catastrophic mechanical failure? Sadly, I believe the answer must be yes.
The cause for my skepticism and harboring such a horrible thought is based on a report almost totally ignored by the press and government spokespersons. I first learned of it from a comment by Mary Schiavo, the former Inspector General of the Department of Transportation. In a television interview she casually mentioned that Flight 587 had gone through an American Airlines A-check maintenance procedure the night before the disastrous flight. If true, this A300 aircraft had American Airlines mechanics crawling all over it performing routine inspections somewhere in a JFK hanger before returning it to service the morning of the flight. We know further that the flight was delayed for over an hour beyond its scheduled departure. I have no idea why, but cannot help but wonder if the delay was in any way related to the A-check maintenance procedure performed the previous night.
To most people, sabotage is perceived as a bomb in someone's luggage or on the person of a terrorist. But what if the sabotage resulted from tampering with the structural integrity of the aircraft by a terrorist disguised as an American Airlines mechanic? And what more opportune time for such a despicable plot than during a routine maintenance procedure at JFK airport just before the departure of the ill-fated flight? Anyone who believes that security in JFK maintenance hangers would make such an encroachment impossible is either very naive, or ignorant of employee working conditions at major airports today.
Of course, going public with such suspicions would instill unnecessary fear unless further evidence evolves to support such a horrible thought. And in the aftermath of the crash an intriguing question still haunts me: How did a virtually intact vertical stabilizer, minus its rudder, end up in Jamaica Bay, far from the crash site? Many such questions will inevitably arise in the days ahead, but the even greater danger is that should sabotage be discovered as the cause of the crash, the government may choose to conceal it "because we are at war." It has happened before and it can happen again. The government in it's futile effort to protect air travelers, will choose to keep America ignorant of the truth. Hopefully such concerns will prove to be an unrealized danger, but we know that the first casualty in war is the truth! So, remain on guard for those who come "knocking at your door," for truth does not always out easily!
November 15, 2001
