Originally Posted by Bart
The victims on UA flight 93 responded heroically. Had the passengers not reacted, the terrorists certainly would have taken out another target and would have killed more innocent victims located inside the target as well as bystanders within the immediate vicinity. The passengers on UA flight 93 paid the ultimate sacrifice to save lives. I don't think there could have been any other outcome in order to stop the terrorists on that flight.
I don't know if others would do the same thing knowing that they are essentially going to get themselves killed in an effort to prevent others from getting killed. I don't mean this as any sort of affront against the passengers of flight 93. I'm just pointing out that charging a cockpit and either risking that the terrorists may really have a bomb and will detonate it or that the terrorist pilot will deliberately crash the plane or that the plane may end up crashing anyway due to loss of control or other factors, is a helluva decision to make. I personally think that many people are determined to fight back. However, I also think that there are a number of people who might hesitate, thinking that perhaps the terrorist doesn't intend to crash the plane. The real question that comes into play is the combination of mentalities at a given critical moment and who will prevail.
Combat troops who take unusual risks do so without thinking about it. It just seems like the right thing to do at the time. Once they've survived the encounter, perhaps even receiving a medal for their actions, they look back, think about what they did and become a little more careful the next time. It's human nature. There are those who are truly fearless, but for the most part, many will not be so bold the next time around. Many of the troops on D-Day pretty much figured out that they were already dead, and it was just a matter of time before their fate was sealed. There were many extraordinarily brave deeds on that day. Those who survived it suddenly realized that they loved being alive and began to take more precautions on their next combat engagement. Not saying that they lost their nerve. Just saying that the closer they got to the point of realizing that they were indeed going to go back home alive, they became more and more careful. The passengers on UA flight 93 knew their fate was sealed. Not so sure another plane of passengers would take the same action. They may, they may not. There are too many dynamic factors as varied as the different personalities that board any given flight.
As for the rest of your post, you illustrate my point exactly about my criticisms of vigilante passengers. Reid was subdued, restrained and handed over to law enforcement authorities so that he could stand trial for his crime. But you would go the extra step to beat him to a pulp because, after all, he has it coming. You're not interested in justice; you crave the emotional satisfaction of beating someone up to compensate for the fear and terror they instilled in you and others.
Not exactly becoming of someone using the handle of a patriot whose name is associated with the fundamental American principles of rights, due process and fair treatment under the law.
Patrick Henry was not the champion of rights and due process that Jefferson, John Adams (aside from the Alien and Seditition Acts), and especially Madison were. In fact, if memory serves correctly, PH severely criticized Adams for representing soldiers charged with murder in the Boston Massacre.
When dealing with terrorist scum like Richard Reid, fundamental American principles such as rights, due process, and fair treatment under the law should not be a concern, especially considering those concepts have been truncated during the screening of Americans in airports. The Clinton administration made the mistake of applying American law enforcement principles to terrorism. The result was Somalia, WTC I, the U.S.S. Cole, and 9/11.
If terrorist suspects basically caught in the act (i.e. Richard Reid, battlefield combatants) are apprehended alive, I personally have no problem with extremely vigorous interrogation, although we should stop well short of electrical devices and other bona fide methods of torture as an example for the rest of the world. Once such a suspect stops talking, or his information is demonstrated to be false, then two rounds of .45 ACT - splurge and use JHP bullets - should be used to speed the suspect to his rendezvous with the virgins in paradise. Good riddance.