Another Terrorist Dry Run: Part II Interview With Witness Dr. Keith Robinson — UPDATED

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Another Terrorist Dry Run: Part II Interview With Witness Dr. Keith Robinson — UPDATED

Written By : Melissa Clouthier

Yesterday, I shared the account given by Tedd Petruna about Air Tran Flight 297 from Atlanta to Houston Hobby. Today, I interviewed Dr. Keith Robinson, Corps Commander of the Houston Regional Community Chaplain Corps, as he actually took the flight, with the Arab men after Tedd and many other passengers got off the plane, once it was clear that both the TSA and Air Tran were going to allow the threatening passengers to stay on the flight.

Over at RedInk Texas, you’ll see how distorted the actual news accounts were of this incident. This incident was not just a matter of an unruly passenger refusing to hang up on a phone call. The whole flight crew refused to fly and had to be replaced.

Air Tran 297 is not the first time this sort of thing has happened. Recall the Flying Imams controversy where the men sued the airlines and passengers and won a settlement from the airlines.

This circumstance occurred shortly after Major Hasan killed twelve soldiers at Fort Hood. The passengers were sensitized to a terrorist threat before the flight.

Dr. Robinson gave his first-hand account [find link here], typing up his impressions during the flight:
The flight crew hurriedly walked past me leaving the plane with their baggage. The flight
attendants were emotionally shaken, red faced, in tears and were sobbing. A new flight crew
was ordered for the flight. All remaining passengers awaited their next crew, unsure of the
ultimate destiny of this flight.

When I boarded the plane the air was tense and filled with emotion. Many of the passengers
were obviously upset and at wits end. Often passengers would look back then forward to

assess any change in the suspicious activities of the 10 hostile Middle Eastern passengers.
Although my seat was 22D I moved to the back of the plane to gain a better view of any actions
that might take place in front of me. Some of the Middle Eastern men were in the Business
Class area and the remainder was seated in the back of the plane. They spoke only Arabic and I
did not understand what they were saying although a strange burst of laughter would erupt as
they spoke.

His conclusion from the plane flight was thus:
Obviously, in Atlanta the officials from Air Tran had been placed in a difficult ethnic position that directly resulted from the inappropriate, threatening actions of these 12 Middle Eastern men. And, obviously vacillating between appropriately removing these men permanently off the plane and sequestering them for the threats they made toward these passengers on the flight…or taking the “politically correct” action of taking them off, questioning them and then putting most of them back on the plane…Air Tran took the easy way out and put most of them back on board. As in most dilemma situations both parties are never equally affected by the resulting action. By putting 10 of the men back on the plane, Air Tran decided that it was better to emotionally traumatize each and every one of the remaining passengers on Air Tran Flight 297 for the remainder of the flight. They had a chance to remove the offenders…but didn’t.

Please listen to the podcast for a 45 minute detailed account. The first many minutes are Dr. Robinson giving his background. He gets into the meat of the experience around the 20 minute mark.

Download MP3

To subscribe on iTunes, just click here!

When Melissa isn’t on the radio, you can find her at melissaclouthier.com and on Twitter. Her username is MelissaTweets.

UPDATED:

Ace has this analysis:

They seemed to make every effort to draw attention to themselves, which makes me think it’s unlikely this is really a terror-deal, or even a dry run for terror. Perhaps “probing,” but again, they seemed to really go out of their way to get some TSA lovin’.

Not necessarily terror, then, but the demonstrations of a thin-skinned bunch determined to fuck with the legitimate fears of infidels. And prove some stupid point. And maybe get a nice fat lawsuit out of it too.

I wrote recently — about the shootings at the Texas army base — that it is the ambiguous and contradictory orders, the confused and deliberately confusing orders from the policymakers and bureaucrats, that force those attempting to execute their intentionally-baffling non-policies to err on the side of not rocking the boat and not getting fired.

I don’t see anything changing this. Even after 14 people were killed at that army base, it’s not going to change.

Thanks to rockhead.

He also links to the Canadian Free Press (notice how many stories they’ve been breaking recently?):

On November 17, an incident took place aboard AirTran Flight 297 scheduled to fly from Atlanta Hartsfield Airport to Houston that the media does not want to cover and everyone from the airline to the TSA and other government agencies want to keep very quiet. The reasons, I have been told, is fear of predatory lawsuits, negative publicity from accusations of religious profiling, and the obligatory subjugation to mindless mandatory Muslim sensitivity training that make a mockery of our American system of values. Interestingly, one airline official told me “we don’t want to become another flight 300,” which is a reference to a very similar scenario that took place aboard US Airways Flight 300 exactly three years ago.

I was first contacted about this incident two days after it happened by a passenger who was aboard AirTran Flight 297. Based on the allegations made by this passenger, we conducted additional research, interviews and investigation, all of which takes time to insure accuracy, and are now able to release our report of the incident that took place aboard that aircraft. Be prepared to be shocked, angered, and perhaps saddened by our national and corporate acquiescence to mafia-type tactics by Islamists who are engaged in a full frontal assault, and laughing about it.

It’s also hitting airline industry blogs.

belacuse

To all those libtards who yesterday flatly refused even the possibility of the described event actually occuring, may I be the first to say, “in your face.”
http://www.dragonsbreath.blog-city.com blkdragon

They won’t listen. Their world view is too skewed to admit that there is evil in the world and that America is not the root of all of it.

I predict that if they chose to comment on this thread it will be to twists the facts and attack the credibility of the witness. Nothing more.
http://www.dragonsbreath.blog-city.com blkdragon

That or stick their fingers in their ears and sing La, la, la, la, la.
D-Vega

You guys were right, I concede the point. That’s amazing. It could be a new sort of terror by intimidation.
http://TheNixonTape.Blogspot.Com Dick_Nixon

The airline sounds liable for civil damages for allowing this crap to occurr and continue.
Mike_M

“It could be a new sort of terror by intimidation.”

I think that’s more likely than this being some sort of dry-run. Nothing they did makes much sense in terms of hijacking a plane, but they pushed all the right buttons to get the flight cancelled and disturb the lives of a lot of people.

They’re adapting. If a suicide bomber blows up a McDonalds in New York, there are going to be SEAL Teams dropping into terrorist camps around the world in hours. If they abuse political correctness and the legal system to pull stunts like this (be sure of the coming lawsuits from CAIR), we try to pretend it didn’t happen and just become more compliant next time. It’s worked wonders for them in the UK.
JohnJohn

This may be just me, but given what Mike_M said (pushed all the right buttons), and the fact that they didn’t find any weapons in the search, it kinda seems like maybe they were hoping to get kicked off the plane. There’s a track record of getting a few million bucks in pay-off from airlines if they act offended and call racism…
TheBaud

There’s a track record of getting a few million bucks in pay-off from airlines if they act offended and call racism…
Posted by JohnJohn 2009-12-03 11:14:06

Then it is a win-win for the terrorists, JohnJohn. They get to see what happens when they push certain buttons and how far they can go. It is much like testing a fence systematically for weaknesses. As an added benefit, if the airline reacts to them in any way, they get to sue… with the full backing of the federal government.
whats_up

I would like to read Dr. Robinson’s first hand account, either the link isnt working, or his first hand account is almost word for word with the one yesterday.
http://www.superdickery.com mightysamurai

Posted by D-Vega
2009-12-03 10:54:37

So let me get this straight. One other guy comes forward with a similar story and you instantly believe it? Exactly what makes Dr. Robinson more credible than Mr. Petruna?
http://conservativebootcamp.com martinhale

Probing – this was a classic Cold War era probing exercise. It wasn’t so much a dry run for a planned attack as it was an attempt to gather intelligence and simultaneously see how far they could push the system. Any money from a lawsuit over this would just be windfall for the people who did this.
JohnJohn

Exactly, TheBaud. What a wonderful system we’ve developed…
D-Vega

So let me get this straight. One other guy comes forward with a similar story and you instantly believe it? Exactly what makes Dr. Robinson more credible than Mr. Petruna?

That’s what you call corraboration, sam. That is, someone else with the same first-hand account.

Don’t tell me you need a translator as well…
tblrk2006

So get a couple guys togather and tell the arab dudes to shut their traps and sit quietly for the flight or your going to beat them senseless with a briefcase. I dont see why people are letting these cheese dicks intimidate them. Sure, the flight attendants might lose their jobs, but Id be in their faces.
Mike_M

“Probing – this was a classic Cold War era probing exercise.”

Cold War huh? Who did we fight in that again? Oh the USSR. Good thing they’re not around anymore. Russia is our friend now. Who has Russia been working with recently? Iran? Oh they’re our buddies too. We need to reach out to them. Who runs Russia? Putin…he was in the what? KGB? What did the KGB do during the Cold War? So many letters to keep track of. They were probably the post office or something. Couldn’t provide any insight or advice at all to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Guarding revolutions how silly…what rotates in Iran? Just nuclear centrifuges. Good thing they don’t export terrorism or anything.

Yep, jut 11 guys on a plane trying to get to Atlanta.
http://www.superdickery.com mightysamurai

Posted by whats_up
2009-12-03 11:24:12

Why do you have to lie all the time?

http://espositosmusings.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/air-tran-flight-297-incident1.pdf
http://www.superdickery.com mightysamurai

That’s what you call corraboration, sam.

And the report from AirTran that confirmed all the key details of this story was…what, a mirage? A figment of our collective imaginations?

This thought process of yours is fascinating. One guy says a dozen or so Muslims got on a plane and began acting suspiciously, and you dismiss it as “unproven”. But when two guys say a dozen or so Muslims got on a plane and began acting suspiciously, suddenly the whole story is undeniably and completely true?

Is that the left-wing standard now? A story is only true if two or more people say it’s true?
whats_up

Posted by mightysamurai
2009-12-03 11:36:39

Sam,

Thanks for the link, I wasnt lying, I tried the link posted at the top of this article that states where you can find Mr. Robinsons first hand account and it certainly did not take me to where your link did.

On another point, do you really thing that terrorists who were planning a dry run would blatantly advertise themselves? C’mon people use the intelligence that God gave you.
http://guardian.blogdrive.com/ CavalierX

Exactly what makes Dr. Robinson more credible than Mr. Petruna?

He’s a doctor. You know how Liberals blindly place hteir trust in authority figures.
Mike_M

“On another point, do you really thing that terrorists who were planning a dry run would blatantly advertise themselves?”

You mean like how Hasan’s business card said “Soldier of Allah”, then he shot all those people?
Realpolitik

And the report from AirTran that confirmed all the key details of this story was…
Posted by mightysamurai
2009-12-03 11:41:44

“confirmed all the key details” LOL

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/faa-to-investigate-cell-202143.html
Bill_Dalasio

Posted by D-Vega
2009-12-03 10:54:37

Vega,

Let me congratualate you on this one. You’re showing a clue. Now if you could just convince your compatriots to show the same integrity on this topic.
D-Vega

Thanks, Bill. I still don’t know if this was a “dry run”, but according to these accounts, which now include testimony rom two people which match up plus the airline’s account, it would seem at least that these guys were playing either a cruel joke, or it was a ploy to get reaction for a future lawsuit.

In either case, such behavior is as unacceptable on an airline flight as joking about a bomb, which is something that could land you in jail.

I think these guys should be charged with disrupting a commercial flight. An example needs to be set so there are not future antics. Someone could get hurt, most likely the perpetrators.

Someone could freak out and shove a spork up their arses.
http://www.superdickery.com mightysamurai

I tried the link posted at the top of this article that states where you can find Mr. Robinsons first hand account and it certainly did not take me to where your link did.

Clearly you didn’t do anything of the kind since the links provided by Melissa DO take you to the link I provided. How on Earth did you think I found that link in the first place? I clicked on “RedInk in Texas” and “[find link here]” and both led to other blogs that linked directly to the statement by Dr. Robinson.

So either you didn’t bother to click any of the links at all, which makes you a liar, or you clicked them but were so lazy you didn’t bother to click any further, which makes you an idiot.
http://www.superdickery.com mightysamurai

“confirmed all the key details”

Yes child, that is what I said. Thank you for repeating it for me and thank you for linking directly to the story that confirms it. You have been very helpful in proving my argument.
http://www.superdickery.com mightysamurai

On another point, do you really thing that terrorists who were planning a dry run would blatantly advertise themselves?

Considering your immediate reaction to the story was to insist it never happened, yeah, I do.
http://PatriotPost.US bthewolf

On another point, do you really thing that terrorists who were planning a dry run would blatantly advertise themselves? C’mon people use the intelligence that God gave you.
Posted by whats_up
2009-12-03 11:48:36

Why not? It’s not like they haven’t been blatantly advertising their religion’s desire to destroy or subjugate every non-believer worldwide for FOURTEEN HUNDRED PLUS YEARS, so why start now right??? I’d tell you to use the YOUR God given intelligence, but I think he played cruel trick on you and gave all yours to Joe Biden.
belacuse

To be fair to Vega, he did say yesterday that he didn’t know one way or the other. However, there were definitely a few liberals *cough* Whats_up *cough* that flatly denied the story could even possibly be true.

Regardless, now that it’s looking extremely likely this story is factual, there is a real story here. Not that terrorists are trying to probe, or conduct dry runs – that is what they do after all – but the airlines response to the incident was practically criminal. Not a month after the Hassan story, with all the details of how he advertised before the act, we have a group of arabs behaving like terrorists on an aircraft and their response is to toe the politically (suicidal) correct line and allow them to continue on their flight?!? At best, that is retardedly naive, at worst, that is criminal negligence and endangering the lives of every other passenger and crewmember on that plane. Talk about lawsuits for the terrorist wanna-bes? How about lawsuits for emotional distress from the other passengers who spent a 2 or so hour flight in terror of that POS arab group leaping to their feet and hijacking the plane? Unbelievable.
http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/genesis/kingbounty/ murray_the_miser

it kinda seems like maybe they were hoping to get kicked off the plane. There’s a track record of getting a few million bucks in pay-off from airlines if they act offended and call racism…

When I first read this one yesterday, I had this gut feeling given the over the top behavior of the lowns in the story that it might have been either a ham handed way to set up a “hate crime hoax” by getting other folks or airline staffers to over-react, an attempt to cash in on the “lawsuit lottery” or both.

And yes it was pretty fucking amusing how our resident lefties automaticly jumped to the conclusion that the story was fake just because the bad actors in it were members of one of their favored victim classes.
Tennwriter

And if in discovery it can be found that the probers/terrorists/lawsuit seekers were being sponsored by another group with deep pockets, then can the airline and the passengers sue this other group as well.

Nothing like making justice profitable after all…
Realpolitik

Yes child, that is what I said.
Posted by mightysamurai
2009-12-03 13:15:06

And now you are wrong twice. Of course, this is not news.
http://guardian.blogdrive.com/ CavalierX

And yes it was pretty fucking amusing how our resident lefties automaticly jumped to the conclusion that the story was fake just because the bad actors in it were members of one of their favored victim classes.

If it had been a group of white guys wearing crosses around their necks muttering angrily about “guv’mint health care” and states’ rights, you bet the Libs would have been screaming bloody murder about them.
http://PatriotPost.US bthewolf

And now you are wrong twice. Of course, this is not news.
Posted by Realpolitik
2009-12-03 14:18:50

Projection again, never-show? What’s next lies and stupidity? Oh wait all of this your norm.