Terrorism and the Crash of Flight 103
The Republican Administration is no more than an appendage of major business entities, and the failure to warn the general public of the bomb threat against Pan Am should dispel any lingering doubts as to the truth of this fact. President-elect George Bush’s statement that all transportation would be paralyzed if such threats were relayed, can be loosely translated to “decreased profits.†The general public has the right to be advised of all such threats and to make individual decisions as how to act upon such information.
Pan Am, like other airlines, will gamble with lives regularly rather than lose revenue. If they have failed to curtail flights because of tangible problems such as structural cracks in the 747s, they certainly are not going to lose money over something as nebulous as a bomb threat. (Of course, pinpointing the airline, travel route, and time frame, can hardly be called vague).
We are told that various terrorist organizations “claimed responsibility†for the bombing of Flight 103. The State Department and Pan Am must share culpability for the loss of nearly 300 lives.
ARLINE SPINDELL
Woodland Hills
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