Motherhead wrote:

I thought the original point was that terrorists could no longer use a 747 as a serious piece of ordnance. The AWACS and F-16's that still patrol the skies above major metro areas? They are not looking out for Talibani Mirage Jets; they are waiting for the command to obliterate a passenger jet at 18,000 feet.

Yes, say a loaded plane with 250+ people went down, that is bad. Though not as bad as that plane being slammed into a dense population center or targeted structure.

Remember that we are not just talking about airport security; we are talking about the Big Brother Intelligence community that is eyeballing anyone that has even entered a mosque and the even more effective post catastrophe investigation. Moving around your suicidal fags and seeing that whatever compensation needed is provided requires logistics. With a simple flex of imagination one could envision better ways to kill more people with less vulnerability to assets. This is a game concept now.

As for why: Ideology and martyrs are as old as tribal warfare man. The gods, flags and rhetoric changes but the condition is innately human.