Hmm, I'm implying racism? That's an odd comment because, as far as I know, people of the Muslim faith are not necessarily of a different race, simply a different philosophy. I did use the term "bigot" but that doesn't have anything to do with race. Maybe it's telling though that you link philosophical prejudice against Islam with the race issue.

If you'd read my post you'd see that I entertain the notion that these men intentionally created the unease as a political statement. You and I simply don't have the information to make that determination. Just maybe though, if that was the case, they had ample justification. Perhaps these men see daily the prejudice against Muslims that clearly exists in this country in people like you. Maybe they've taken other flights where they were eyed with suspicion and forced to endure nervous whispers of other passengers when they knew in their hearts that they had no ill will towards anyone. I'd love to see you live a few days with that stigma.

If they're simple opportunists without justification then the hell with them. My contention is merely that you have no way of knowing if their removal from the plane was the right thing to do or exactly who was at fault in the incident. And stop with the implication that facts mean nothing to me. Police reports are not facts Tom. They're simply the first stage of an investigation, nothing more. Legally, something doesn't become fact until it's ruled upon in a court of law. Realistically, even a "lawful fact" can still be wrong and subject to interpretation.

In reality, I have my own prejudices against people of religion but I don't stop at Islam. While I certainly can tolerate living amongst people that have beliefs completely different than mine if they don't try to force those ideals on me, there's always the concept that the irrational thought pattern it takes to buy into the dogma of any organized religion allows individuals to rationalize possible harmful behavior against me and my loved ones. When I'm going on a plane, I often view a large percentage of the passengers as potential threats. I just take it with a grain of salt.

Art