# United Airlines flight diverted to Boston after nutjob pulls a screwdriver, note **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 16, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954 "2006-08-16T15:25:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/61 "2006-08-16T22:49:08Z")
[QUOTE=MLS] Using my imagination, perhaps it was not really Vaseline. Or maybe there was the fear that there was something more sinister concealed within the jar/tube/whatever. Aren’t there actual explosives that are kind of putty-like? I am no bomb or explosives expert, but it seems to me that someone recently was working on combining a couple of otherwise harmless things while on board a plane to make a harmful thing? Yeah, I remember reading that somewhere… [/QUOTE] Well sure…could have been something like that. But reading the initial (erroneous) report, they only said Vaseline…as if this were some kind of sinister compound in and of itself. I would assume had they meant there was a quantity of plastique explosive IN the Vaseline jar they would have said something like that. As for combination…hm, I’d have to think about that. I don’t THINK you could use the chemical compounds in the average jar of Vaseline for anything explosive, but I’m no chemist. I suppose its possible… -XT ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/62 "2006-08-16T22:57:21Z")
[QUOTE=Subway Prophet] Holy shit. Tell me you’re not serious. This has to be the absolutely most callous thing I’ve heard anyone say in a long time. I can understand the frustration, but seriously, this is low. You actually want someone to be ravaged by a panicked mob. Were you always this mean, or did you take classes? [/QUOTE] He (she?) said that when he thought the woman did have notes referencing Al Qaeda. [He retracted it later when he had more facts](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7686184&postcount=15). If there were actually a terrorist trying something nefarious on a plane, I’d like to see them get ravaged by a panicked mob, too. Anyone who carries notes referencing Al Qaeda on a plane these days is at best someone that the Darwin Awards website should be watching as a possible future winner, and at worst is a terrorist. I’m not saying it would be good if something happened to someone because they were stupid enough to take notes mentioning Al Qaeda on a plane these days, but I think it’s not unlikely that that level of idiocy is going to result in something happening to them, especially if it carries over into other areas of their life. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/63 "2006-08-16T22:58:39Z")
[QUOTE=Subway Prophet] Holy shit. Tell me you’re not serious. This has to be the absolutely most callous thing I’ve heard anyone say in a long time. I can understand the frustration, but seriously, this is low. You actually want someone to be ravaged by a panicked mob. Were you always this mean, or did you take classes? [/QUOTE] Christ. Is it “respond without reading the entire thread” day on the SDMB? I know you really wanted to throw out that line, but save it for another thread where you can express your eloquent outrage. Post #15. I’m not even going to bother to link to it, because if you’d read the thread you would have seen it already. Personally, I think the actions of some of the passengers on United 93 saved a lot of lives and put a serious cramp in kooks and terrorists’ plans to hijack planes. Oh, if you think that’s the most callous thing you’ve heard anyone say… stick around! ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/64 "2006-08-16T23:00:22Z")
oh, thanks, **Anne Neville**. You can refer to me as “The Hollow,” or if you’re into pronouns, I guess “he” will do. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/65 "2006-08-16T23:02:20Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] oh, thanks, **Anne Neville**. You can refer to me as “The Hollow,” or if you’re into pronouns, I guess “he” will do. [/QUOTE] I thought you were a dude. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/66 "2006-08-16T23:02:23Z")
[QUOTE=hajario] I can’t let you off so easy. You said, It’s not that you were incorrect about her being Arabic. You insinuated that a whole flock of people were racist because of their actions. That was a nasty cheap shot which had no basis in fact. Who’s the racist here? [/QUOTE] No one has proven the woman _wasn’t_ Middle Eastern. My assumption could still prove to be correct. In fact, I suspect that it will. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/67 "2006-08-16T23:04:20Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] No one has proven the woman _wasn’t_ Middle Eastern. My assumption could still prove to be correct. In fact, I suspect that it will. [/QUOTE] This’ll be interesting. A Vermonter? My money’s on a White lady, personally. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/68 "2006-08-16T23:06:58Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] No one has proven the woman wasn’t Middle Eastern. My assumption could still prove to be correct. In fact, I suspect that it will. [/QUOTE] But your remarks to the effect that there couldn’t possibly be any OTHER reason for such a panic (forgetting I’m sure in the heat of the moment that whole British plot thingy) and that racism was the only motive…well. What say you about that DtC? I’m still unsure why so many want to jump to conclusions in this day and age before all the facts are in…its not like we couldn’t have simply waited half a day and then seen that this whole thing is a non-issue… -XT ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/69 "2006-08-16T23:18:16Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] Well sure…could have been something like that. But reading the initial (erroneous) report, they only said Vaseline…as if this were some kind of sinister compound in and of itself. I would assume had they meant there was a quantity of plastique explosive IN the Vaseline jar they would have said something like that. As for combination…hm, I’d have to think about that. I don’t THINK you could use the chemical compounds in the average jar of Vaseline for anything explosive, but I’m no chemist. I suppose its possible… -XT [/QUOTE] I may not have expressed myself clearly. I meant that it is theoretically possible that someone could conceal a harmful substance inside a container of harmless stuff. Sort of like digging a hole in a jar of peanut butter, stuffing contraband into it, covering it up and then melting the top so it looked undisturbed. I didn’t mean that Vaseline could be used to concoct an explosive. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/70 "2006-08-16T23:21:17Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] This’ll be interesting. A Vermonter? My money’s on a White lady, personally. [/QUOTE] I still don’t think a white lady would have provoked people to start imagining notes about _al Qaeda_. I believe that the reaction of the others on the plane is, in itself, a strong indication that the woman was Middle Eastern. I’ll stand or fall on that assumption pending any verification of her ethnicity. I haven’t been proven wrong yet and such overreactions to Middle Eastern ethnicity have happened before so it’s really not the outrageous assumption that some of you are trying to make it out to be. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/71 "2006-08-16T23:24:43Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] But your remarks to the effect that there couldn’t possibly be any OTHER reason for such a panic (forgetting I’m sure in the heat of the moment that whole British plot thingy) and that racism was the only motive…well. What say you about that DtC? [/quote] Well, so far no other explanation has been forthcoming (there WERE no notes, there WAS no vaseline, there WAS no screwdriver). I think my speculation is quite plausible ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/72 "2006-08-16T23:31:32Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Well, so far no other explanation has been forthcoming (there WERE no notes, there WAS no vaseline, there WAS no screwdriver). I think my speculation is quite plausible [/QUOTE] :smack: .. :smack: :smack: :smack: I GAVE you another plausable reason for the reaction. Perhaps you missed this part of the headline… > [@](#): > > London-to-Washington flight diverted to Boston after outburst The key parts here being ‘London-to-Washington’ with special emphasis on the ‘London’ part. Maybe you didn’t realize this, but London is in fact a rather large British city. Further, maybe you are still failing to make the connection to last weeks block buster story about the British foiling a terrorist plot to fly planes from the UK (maybe, just maybe, a plane from, you know, London!) to the US and blow said planes up? So…seems to me that this alone would be sufficient to make folks a bit twitchy if someone is acting erratic on one of those flights…regardless of if said person is male or female, is white as milk toast or obviously of Arabic decent…or is frigging BLUE for that matter. Couple that with Vaseline, a screwdriver (in the form of liquid refreshments) and a possible inclination to anal enjoyment and what does it add up to DtC??? 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/73 "2006-08-16T23:34:41Z")
Wonkette? ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/74 "2006-08-16T23:42:37Z")
[QUOTE=Mayo Speaks!] I guess this would be a bad time to tell you about the Andorran-Uruguayan Alliance… [/QUOTE] Ha!, laugh now!, but when our trusty allies launch their naval fleet as support for our main attack you´ll tremble yer boots off your feet in fear, fool!!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/75 "2006-08-16T23:52:44Z")
CNN just strongly implied she was white. The white, British-sounding passenger who sat behind the woman say she could have been his grandmother. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/76 "2006-08-17T01:05:46Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] Guess you missed my post [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7686184&postcount=15), champ. I certainly retracted that inflammatory comment, and even in the OP I mentioned that the facts weren’t all in. [/quote] I did, in fact, see your retraction. That’s why i’m somewhat puzzled that you’re still harping on about there being more to this, when multiple government agencies and officials have explicitly stated that this is not the case. Now, i’m all for skepticism regarding government agencies, but it seems to me that, if they had actually foiled a terrorist plot, they would be crowing about it from the rooftops. Also, while i’m not a big fan of profiling, how likely do you think it is that a 60 year old woman would be part of a plot like this? Also, the calculating efficiency of the 9/11 attacks suggests that someone looking to blow up a plane probably won’t start ranting and raving and hyperventilating about it _before_ putting the bomb together. Anyone who wants to damage a plane in flight nowdays would be more likely to keep quiet and do everything possible not to draw attention to him- or herself. Finally, your retraction notwithstanding, your OP still expressed a desire that the woman in question have the shit beaten out of her, even though you already acknowledged that she had been subdued and immobilized. The notion of beating a captive is repugnant, and remains so whether you retract the rest of your OP or not. I just hope you’re not in law enforcement, with that attitude. [QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] You don’t find it a little odd that two F-15 jets were scrambled and followed the plane into Logan? It seems we all had significant misinformation at some point. [/quote] No, i don’t really find it odd. All they knew, as far as we can tell, was that the pilot had radioed that he was diverting due to a problem passenger. Given that these planes are on standby for this sort of stuff all the time, it seems prudent to dispatch them. It’s not the airforce’s fault if the reports from the plane turn out to be exaggerations. ---
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/77 "2006-08-17T01:17:19Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] Christ. Is it “respond without reading the entire thread” day on the SDMB? I know you really wanted to throw out that line, but save it for another thread where you can express your eloquent outrage. Post #15. I’m not even going to bother to link to it, because if you’d read the thread you would have seen it already. [/QUOTE] Oh, I saw the retraction. That’s why I didn’t start a new pit thread suggesting someone prison-rape you with a rusty jackhammer. With Ann Coulter in French maid wardrobe tube-feeding you whole cans of spam, and Paris Hilton in a Chewbacca costume doing this thing with a police baton… (Whoa. Gimme a second, I’m making some notes for my next X-Files/Sailor Moon crossover slash fanfic.) No, what bugged me the most was the knee-jerk reaction of “hey, there’s someone who someone said is a terrorist, let’s beat the living shit out of her!” There’s a difference between restraining someone, and almost killing them. I don’t think you have the right to make that call based on hearsay. The instant we surrender to this animalistic paralyzing fear is when we give the terrorists their greatest weapon. You mention United 93, which is fine and dandy, but comparing the two flights is like apples and oranges. One had actual terrorists, actually brandishing weapons and making demands, for one thing. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/78 "2006-08-17T02:10:05Z")
[QUOTE=mhendo] i’m somewhat puzzled that you’re still harping on about there being more to this, when multiple government agencies and officials have explicitly stated that this is not the case. [/QUOTE] Harping? You seem to be insinuating that I’ve got the tin foil hat on. I simply said there might be more going on than a simple panic attack. Not “9/11 part two is here!” Reasonable, given the responses by law enforcement. The story went from breaking news to the bottom of CNN’s page in a day. > [@](#): > > Also, while i’m not a big fan of profiling, how likely do you think it is that a 60 year old woman would be part of a plot like this? Also, the calculating efficiency of the 9/11 attacks suggests that someone looking to blow up a plane probably won’t start ranting and raving and hyperventilating about it _before_ putting the bomb together. Anyone who wants to damage a plane in flight nowdays would be more likely to keep quiet and do everything possible not to draw attention to him- or herself. In a Pit thread earlier this week, I suggested that terrorists might switch things up a bit. At the time we didn’t know the age of the woman, not that it matters. I seem to recall Richard Reid wasn’t exactly trying to secretly light his shoe on fire. People who want to bring down planes don’t strike me as the types to do things half-assed. If the point of terror is not primarily to kill, but to create hysteria and fear, I can’t think of a better way than to find the most mundane, ordinary, innocent-seeming people or events and make that the center of your terrorist campaign. I lived in the UK during the years that the IRA was conducting their campaign of terror, and they were masters of this tactic. > [@](#): > > Finally, your retraction notwithstanding, your OP still expressed a desire that the woman in question have the shit beaten out of her, even though you already acknowledged that she had been subdued and immobilized. The notion of beating a captive is repugnant, and remains so whether you retract the rest of your OP or not. Whatever, dude. If I have to belabor this point, here goes: if in the process of being subdued, someone who had weaponry and was claiming allegiance to an organization responsible for nearly 3,000 deaths on 9/11, as well as the scores in Madrid and other places, gets their ass kicked, I’m not sorry. I’m not suggesting that once this person is safely subdued that it’s time to bring the gimp out. Obviously we all know this wasn’t the case. But CNN reported this was the case around 11:45 am - from an airport spokesperson. Clearly, from what we know, the flight attendants and passengers seemed to handle the situation quite well. Given the fact that the crew radioed in all the info they had and it was deemed prudent to scramble jets, etc. it certainly seems their version of events had this escalated quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Mellivora\_capensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mellivora\_capensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mellivora_capensis)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/79 "2006-08-17T12:19:13Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] (Warning - it’s Maxim’s website, some of the pop-ups might be **NSFW**.) [/QUOTE] New South Fuckin’ Wales? Why do you hate New South Wales? :dubious: 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954/80 "2006-08-17T13:47:57Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] 😛 Because I have an irrational hatred of nations who’s names begin with “A” or “U”. -XT [/QUOTE] But our country’s name begins with T. “The United States of America.” see? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-boston-after-nutjob-pulls-a-screwdriver-note/368954.md?page=5)