Can someone tell me why books were banned on flights

[Sequoia]

from London to USA? I read about it but there was no explanation. Is it happening on USA flights also?

[Bluebear]

1. There was no time to assemble an "approved reading list"

Coulter, Hannity, etc. . .so they banned all books in the meantime until Lynne Cheney can handpick what reading material will be permitted.

Seriously, I have no idea, it was another enormous overreaction to the whole hoax.

[Sydnie]

2. Books? Are all flights "Boston" now?

Sheesh. They can xray a book and see that it is just paper for goodness sake.

No learning or expanding your mind on the plane, it might be hazardous. :mad:

[meegbear]

3. How else will they get you to read those SkyMall magazines?

[FearofFutility]

5. LOL! n/t

[Initech]

6. Who the hell buys that expensive crap?

I mean really, reading through those things, would one really say "Hey! I could use a $1,000 motorized CD holder!"

[FearofFutility]

4. Because they might contain directions to assemble a bomb

in mid-air?:shrug:

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. A couple of crackpot explanations I will proffer:

The paper could be used a some kind of catalyst in a bomb.

You could hollow out the book, like in the movies, to hide beakers of deadly "liquid explosives" or anthrax.

[warrens]

11. Just soak the pages in the right explosives

Add match. Boom. It ain't THAT easy, but it is possible. They're going to have to stop this nonsense pretty soon...it's like they're trying to kill the airline industry. I would NEVER get on a flight without something to read and listen to. Pretty soon, they'll have to offer free digital radio and video and a full lending-library where you get to keep the book.

[The_Casual_Observer]

12. I don't want any books that have been in the lavatory!

No "bathroom books"

[acmejack]

17. Free? Hah! Surely you jest!

Rent perhaps, for purchase at airline prices, certainly.

[warrens]

23. Yeah, I can see it. $22 per paperback, and you have to leave it behind

They're really getting crazy. The most obvious dangers, like containers and bombs in commercial air shipments, they don't even check. But SHOES? Jesus.

[acmejack]

26. Like Gregg Palast observed, be glad he wasn't the underpants bomber!

[MrPrax]

8. DHS is smart....

Never know what might be in a book... :eyes:

[Freedom_Aflaim]

9. Its a facist habit

Banning books this time was just out of pure habit.

[whistle]

10. No more thinking airline passengers, that's why

[Cha]

13. I googled it and came up

with this..

snip~

"Air travellers leaving the United Kingdom on Thursday faced the strictest security measures in years: iPods, mobile phones, laptops, and even books and magazines were no longer permitted as carry-on items.

In a series of public statements, government officials in London and Washington blamed the new restrictions on a terrorist plot to blow up transatlantic airliners, which has led to at least 24 arrests.

"The terrorists' aim was to smuggle explosives onto aeroplanes in hand luggage and to detonate these in flight," Paul Stephenson, Scotland Yard's deputy commissioner, told reporters."



http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Notebooks_iPods_banned_on_UK_flights/0,2000061744,39266176,00.htm

So, it has to do with not taking ANY Chances!

[hedgehog]

16. Agreed - in the first hours the last thing the British wanted to do

was slip up and let something on board. Books as such weren't banned - everything was. The less people carried on board, the fewer items had to be inspected. Books are allowed now, but I don't think you'll see people carrying on the kitchen sink as in the past any time soon.

[Xenotime]

14. WTF? Thanks to * for creating his own police state.

[jumpoffdaplanet]

15. Maybe they are afraid you'll paper cut someone to death

scary books!

[AZBlue]

18. They weren't.

False rumor that got started. Just like ipods and laptops. I had friends who flew on Friday from London to Phoenix - and brought all three on the plane with them.

[obreaslan]

19. They didn't want to take the chance that you might learn something...

You might catch on and ruin their plans. :shrug:

[Sequoia]

24. I love your wanted poster!

Wow, Woody and Odetta!

[FlavaKreemSnak]

20. I think it is to save time because deciding which books are terrorist

or not is not something that all of the airline employees are going to agree about and even the ones of the government officials who have read some books might not always agree about every one. So this means that a lot of time is taken up trying to decide if the book a person has is terrorist or not and can make the planes late and cost more money because so far none of the security companies have made any equipment that they can just put the book on and have a qualitative readout instead of it being a lot of people having subjective arguments about this or that book.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

21. Books are dangerous.

Just ask your local fireman.

[Sequoia]

25. I can see clearly now! Thank you.

[Nimrod2005]

22. Has to do with shampoo or Gatorade?