Stardate 20011222.1557 (On Screen): One of the big lessons we all learned on September 11 is that in a hijacking the plane is more valuable than the passengers. Until that point, the general policy was to give hijackers whatever they wanted so as to safeguard the lives of the people on the jet. Then we learned that giving them control of the jet not only risked the lives of everyone on board, but also of thousands of people on the ground. Now I think that everyone realizes that the jet itself is the most valuable asset there.
It is reported that an attempted hijacking of a flight from France to the US was foiled today when the passengers on board struggled with the hijacker and confined him. (Two doctors were among those involved, and they drugged him into immobility after he had been physically restrained. I like improvised weapons!) No report of the nationality of the passengers involved, and the point is that it no longer matters. Everyone who has been reading the newspapers now knows the reality: you cannot give in to the demands. You have to assume that a hijacker's intentions are the worst possible. If you placate him you can't assume everything will be OK; you have to assume that everyone on the jet will die and a lot of other people, too. It's good to know that this lesson hasn't worn off. (discuss)
Update: It appears there really was a bomb; it wasn't a false alarm.
