Shameful

[Derek T.]

In all my life I have never been ashamed to be Scottish, until today...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/sou ... 197370.stm

All I can say is that this makes me feel physically sick and I do not share what are being said to be the "Scottish values" that led to the events of yesterday.

Derek

[Moses Botbol]

Does seem like an odd and unpopular decision.

[Andy Velebil]

It's terribly shameful to release a man like that. A man who helped kill hundreds of people...they should have let him die in prison, a fate far better than those he gave his victims.

Derek,
We know it's not your "Scottish Values", so no worries. But that judge has to be replaced!

What is the reaction from the rest of the Country that you've heard?

[Frederick Blais]

First yes I disagree about releasing such a person, then why spend money on a flight. Are we paying a nice flight to a southern country to every person in the country with terminal cancer? no, then don't do it for a murderer!

[Moses Botbol]

Granted if that terrorist is was locked up in my prison, there would've been an "accident" a long time ago and he would be history.

[Glenn E.]

Granted if that terrorist is was locked up in my prison, there would've been an "accident" a long time ago and he would be history.

It can be surprising just how patriotic prisoners in the US can be... I doubt that guy would have survived a year in a US high-security facility. His fellow inmates would have seen to it.

[Derek T.]

that judge has to be replaced!

What is the reaction from the rest of the Country that you've heard?

I'm not in Scotland right now so it is hard to judge but in England there is complete disbelief that this has happened. The Scottish government are currently in recess (on vacation) but have been called back to investigate this on Monday. The best that can happen from this point is that the ruling party (the Scottish National Party) are thrown out for being incompitent. I doubt that the guy who authorised this will have a job after Monday and hopefull all of the people who have stood behind him will also go.

To respond to Glenn's point - I doubt that the terrorist has seen another inmate in that prison in all the time he has been there. He should have been left to die in his cell.

[Moses Botbol]

There are a lot of people in Europe and beyond that think he is innocent. His guilt was based on leaps of faith and one person's testimony.

[Roy Hersh]

Having my office based at the Pan Am Worldport buliding at JFK during the late 1980s before I was transferred to Washington's Dulles Airport, the tragedy at Lockerbie is something I will never forget and could not understand. I spent so much time reading everything I could find in print at the time, to learn what really happened. Of course we still do not know the FULL truth, as that was kept secret by the US and UK governments and I believe it still is. The odds of this individual or his cohort being behind the bombing never did make sense and still doesn't today.

That said, even if there is a 5% chance that he was really involved, letting him out to be airlifted back to Libya is abhorent behavior ... but not any crazier than what took place by the US government in "negotiations" spawning renewed trade relations (dropping of sanctions against Libya) in return for about $2.2 billion of blood-money from Libya passed to the families of the victims of PA103.

It was just a few days before Christmas when that extraordinarily heinous bombing took place. Considering the people on the ground who perished when the fiery wing section landed on their homes, (nearly a dozen died as innocents, in Lockerbie) I am still in disbelief that this decision was made by an official of Scotland. I would imagine many in that country are distraught by this, while at the very same time ... people in many places probably feel that justice was done by letting this man go back to Libya. I am not taking sides, as I would have been pretty satisfied if he had died in prison, regardless.

Lockerbie/PA103, is a terrible chapter in our history that truly had a major impact on one of the greatest airlines to ever fly the skies of the world. The aftermath and publicity of Pan Am's security company, (ironically named: ALERT) along with the ensuing negative press and lawsuits, was one of the major factors (there were others) which led to Pan Am's bankruptcy and eventual acquisition ... instantly making Delta one of the largest and most significant airlines in the world back then. Very sad for anyone that follows the history of airlines, considering all of what Pan Am introduced to commercial flight.

So many memories flood back from that day at work, when we learned that the flight headed to our terminal would never land. Will we ever really learn the truth? Over 20 years later this type of information should have been made public. Lots of intricate details are known but just as many have never been released. So many questions still remain.

Derek, I understand why you feel the way you do and when those of us working at JFK learned what happened to the people on the ground in Lockerbie, it made the horrific outcome of the flight, even worse! However, at least from my following of that tragedy, I must admit that I've never believed that al-Megrahi was the real terrorist. I hope that in our lifetimes, the truth will be told.

[Derek T.]

Roy,

I have never believed that he was the the main man in this but I have no doubt that he was invloved. Whatever his involvement he deserved his sentence and he should have been made to serve it.

As for the truth, we will probably never know. Given that our respective governments still choose to keep secrets from the various scandals and wars of the past 100 years and beyond it is unlilkely they will release the truth about this in our lifetime.

For me, Lockerbie was one of those "Kennedy moments" where you rememer forever where you were, what you were doing and who you were with when you first heard the news. I know that many in Scotland feel the same as terrorist attacks on or over our home soil are thankfully not something we have had much experience in our history. Like you I am completely bemused as to why a Scottish official would take this decision and can only assume that more sinister forces are behind it.

Derek

[Jonathan S]

Roy,

It goes without saying that I have always enjoyed reading your perspective regarding the wonderful world of Porto. However, I must compliment you for this 5-star post; thanks for sharing your knowledge and perspective on this (continuing) tragedy.

Derek,

Would you believe that I recently wrote a 20-page paper on what you call "Kennedy Moments." In the case that you might have interest in learning more about the topic, do a search for "Flashbulb Memory," a concept that entered the literature of psychology back in 1977. It is truly a fascinating phenomenon!

[Roy Hersh]

Jonathan,

Glad you enjoyed, but after rereading my post, I realize I wasn't clear that I was not employed by Pan Am.

Anyway, it seems the backlash in the press, both in the US and in the UK has quieted very quickly. Shocking!