I'm not. We should demand the return of our freedoms. The citizens of this country need to be armed, educated, vigilant, and united rather than disarmed, ignorant, indifferent, and divided, if we intend to secure for our posterity the ideals embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Liberty is paramount. When we exchange Liberty for a false sense of Security, our destruction is assured.

I think that even the most cursory assessment of the general populace will determine that the proportion of terrorists bent on mayhem to the number of responsible, law-abiding citizens is so small as to be almost statistically insignificant--so why do so many people seem to believe that the scare tactics that have been used to usurp the rightful freedoms of the vast majority in the name of "security" are appropriate?

Has any of it made us more "secure"? I submit that the answer is a resounding "NO".

Amper:

I know that the answer to in-air terrorism is mandatory possesion of at least a 4" fixed blade knife (Preferably handed out by the air line at the boarding ramp to every passenger) by everyone on board and a "You're ### is ours!" attitude by every passenger on board toward any idiot who would try to take over the airplane.

Armed pilots with large caliber weapons shooting fragible ammunition and a "Hostages are an obstacle to shoot around if possible, shoot through if necessary", mindset with legal protection for all who attempt to thwart the hijacking.

Masses will overcome individuals or small groups no matter how the small groups are armed.

Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

In general, I agree with the idea. But it isn't guaranteed that
bad guys will be outnumbered by good guys. I know flights are large, but it's probably
possible to have a bad guy majority on a plane. A combination of buying up available
seats (and not using them) and putting your own people on the plane could give you
the advantage.

Maybe the pilot should just have a "knock out gas" button. :-)

Actually, if the media would stop giving terrorist attacks such huge coverage, that'd probably
help a lot. Terrorists are the signal, but the media is the amp and speakers.

Or even that funny gas that the Dentist uses. That would make flying enjoyable and also help those with fear of flying all at the same time. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I just checked the TSA website. They are not banning matches yet, just lighters. You can check it out here:
TSA press release