Bomb Threat at Tsawwassen

[Hardy]

Absolutely correct, BW. The biggest victory that 9/11 achieved was making everyone fearful of travelling and disrupting what had become a rote procedure.

Should BCFS and other transit agencies learn from this and implement changes? Yes, undoubtedly. Should we clamp down and search everything? No -- that would be a victory for terror, as we will have changed our way of life.

With regards to a commercial vehicle "bomb", there is really no way to prevent this, as searching each and every one for all the possible combinations is impossible.

I go back to my posts and examples ... to blow up boulders and stumps, took about a 2l bottle worth of fertilizer and diesel. A 1-ton courier van could hold plenty of "capacity" to sink a Spirit class -- for that matter, if you can take a car to the truck deck, a large suitcase sized container of fertilizer parked midline could blow the whole bottom out of the boat as well. Doing anything from an upper car deck may cause more direct and immediate passenger casualties but may not sink the ship outright, as would a device on the main car deck.

We must also remember that North Korea and China have sold conventionally powered submarines to private individuals rather than cutting them up for scrap.

Homebuilt "torpedoes" can also be constructed and launched from as small as a Zodiac.

A diver could sabotage an entire terminal or plant a mine or similar explosive below the WL of any vessel ....

Someone could poison the food delivery .....

Toxic chemicals could also be released onboard a ship thru the various ventilation systems rather than using explosives.

This is all without me firing up my active imagination and concocting exotic scenarios ....

[Scott]

Most of the scenarios mentioned require a lot of planning and preparation. Most wanna-be terrorists get caught by the police in the planning and preparation stages. While a van or truck full of fertilizer is definitely the worst that could happen, it's probably the least likely to happen.

How many times have these large-scale attacks happened in North America? You could count them on one hand. One was Oklahoma City... federal building. One was the World Trade Center (underground parking lot). There may be one or two more I'm not aware of. Of coure it's possible that it could happen here in British Columbia, but I'd say it's so unlikely it's barely worth worrying about. We should be most worried about stopping them before they even get to the ferry terminal.

As for smaller bombs.. like backpacks or suicide bombers. If someone really wanted to do it, it's cheap and easy. But there's probably places on dry land that offer easier access and more potential death and injury than even a crowded ferry.

[Hardy]

John - some excellent points. Very true that smaller bomb-like attacks on ferries are relatively pointless in terms of collateral damage, it is more the psychological effect.

IF I were a terrorist, and my intent was to undermine the travelling public and cause mass hysteria and fear, what would work better? One large bomb, or several (dozens) of 'backpack' bombs at seemingly random locations?

Think of this: In the course of one week, 18-20 small explosions occur on (a) Seabus, (b) various SkyTrain cars, (c) CanadaLine, (d) 6 of the major BC Ferries vessels, (e) 4 city busses, (f) Rocky Mountaineer train, (g) Quick Shuttle bs near YVR, (h) random taxi cabs, (i) HeliJet.

You'd have to get them all off in quick succession before a security clamp down. The average size would have to be around 5kg or less (about the size of a 4 litre of milk) to remain inconspicuous. Assuming that you'd use easily available explosives, that should still yield something resembling a small car bomb. If higher grade black market military grade explosives (RDX, C4, Semtex) were used, a 5kg bomb could be enough to sink a ferry if placed on the car deck. More than enough to blow apart a city bus. Call it 20 units. figure about 30-50 casualties per episode.

Can you even imagine the panic and chaos?

Also, you seem to think that the planning and forethought required is more complex than it is.

As long as purchases are not large (ie: for fertilizer, more than 20-30 20kg bags, or diesel, more than about 200l at a pump) there is no way to track things, and it is relatively easy to amass what you need.

Think of it this way -- any homeowner can go and buy all that is required to make an OK city bomb, with the exception of _1_ single blasting cap. No one would give you a second thought. Then go to Home Depot and pick up a large quantity of roofing nails to load around your "bomb".

If, and again, this is conjecture on my part, you wanted me to build you a bomb of the magnitude of OK City, it would take me all of 72h from the time I started until the time I would be complete, making several smaller scale cash transactions to get the quantities required. Should I wish to make it a suicide episode, I could even use firecrackers (M-80's etc) versus a blasting cap.

Once you stop to analyze how easy it can be, you will almost crap your pants.

Think Hammas middle-eastern style violence here. It _could_ be a harsh reality.

Forget the Olympics for a sec -- those new ferries coming next year are a nice juicy target too ...... just think of the media coverage were one to go boom on it's second day of revenue service.

*** Note: please don't think I am a whack job - I just do my research, and found the ease and simplicity of the OKC and various other terrorist attacks to be frightening and wanted to know WHY and HOW -- I used to ALWAYS have an exacto-knife (Olfa L-1 for those of you that care) in my backpack, which I use daily for work. When I used to fly, that became my carry-on bag for snacks --- I flew with that knife (box cutter) about 100 times; this simple deviceis what hijacked the 3 planes that hit the WTC and Pentagon. The good quality one I use costs $8.99. Dollar store ones can be had for $2 .... *****

[BreannaF]

Why I don't spend a lot of time worrying about this type of thing:

1) If something like this were to happen, it could happen anywhere. Bigger chance of my being hit by a car today than being blown up.

2) Outside of Canada and the US Pacific Northwest, go ask someone to find British Columbia on a map. In the whole scheme of things, BC is probably as far off the radar as anywhere else.

3) Oklahoma City is off the radar, too. But if I spend my life worrying about such things, nothing will ever get done.

4) Typical day: 250 cars on a Route 1 vessel. Everybody has a bit over half a tank of gas, say 30 liters. Do you think I'm stupid enough to get on a ferry that has 7500 liters of gasoline spread out in small containers all over the car deck?!? Well, OK, we all do that.

I guess I'll go worry about something else now......

[ferryrider42]

I think the question isn’t if a bombing is possible, but rather how should Ferries react. As Hardy has emphasized, if someone has the mindset they can certainly cause a great deal of devastation. Instead, I want to focus on how Ferries should react to warnings in the future. Sure the status-quo sounds clear cut enough “You should take any and all bomb threats seriously” right; but why?

Of the people who call in bomb threats to 911, I can imagine two distinct types:
a. those pretending to the terrorist
b. those pretending to be a panicked and concerned individual with helpful information

Now consider this risky move. Ferries publicly announces that all future bomb threats will not be taken seriously unless the caller has some sort of proof, say a description of the item and it’s location. If a real terrorist is having second thoughts, they should know this.

I know it sounds off the wall, but as we have seen people are just take advantage of the company. For whatever zealous reason people are making unnecessary bomb scares, probably to punish the company for what the caller sees as an injustice. Given this is occurring, why not just play the odds. They do of course lean towards there being no real bomb.

[Political Incorrectness]

ferryrider, I must disagree, since 9/11, 100% of phoned in threats have not been real here. All of them have been hoaxes. If history repeats itself, I do not think you will have to worry. If you had your mind set, why would you even make a threat to do it and let them know you are coming? It is the same as giving away the location of a hideaway. I would like you to point to an example in history where a threat phoned in turned into a real one as exactly described after 9/11/01 to prove me wrong if possible.

[Hardy]

Looking at the Middle East again as an example (I hate to stereo-type, but hey ...), the main reason why bombers call in BEFOREHAND is to make the public aware. Their groups or organizations are looking for the publicity.

If publicity is NOT the goal of the bombing, and rather the goal is to inflict mass casualties, then DON'T call it in -- just do it and detonate it and THEN have your press conference or whatever.

9/11 has proved that the threat of an action can have more effect in psychologically impacting a population than the actual act of terrorism itself.

The other side of it, is just people with a cause that want to get some publicity, but have no terror-related motives. These are the ones that should be charged to the fullest extent of the law for uttering false threats and causing public chaos.

[Hardy]

bryank said:

Why I don't spend a lot of time worrying about this type of thing:

....

I guess I'll go worry about something else now......

You are entirely correct, and I have stated this in my past posts as well. The biggest achievement of the terrorists on 9/11 was to make us fearful.

While I am one of the people that know all too well how easy it is to perpetrate a terror attack (and have seen the consequences of blasting stumps and boulders!), I too don't go around every day like Chicken Little "The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling!"

If we let fear cripple us, then they have won. Vigilance and increased measures to take APPROPRIATE steps is key. Co-operation amongst all major agencies is also key -- example: if someone steals a gasoline tanker, then police should perhaps fax that information and any description they have to BCFS for THEM to be on the lookout for that -- a stolen tanker would make a great weapon. Small example of what I mean, but you get the gist of my co-operation theory.

As far as screening for most of the things that I have mentioned, it is impossible, and that is why they are perfect methods to inflict casualties. Most of these have been utilized before either domestically, or on foreign soil, and hence my background with them.

It does not take very much at all to "put yourself in their shoes" and figure out ways of doing things and plan an attack. To be honest, sometimes it is kind of FUN playing "devil's advocate" -- not quite the same as high school kids building a nuke in their basement "just to see if they could", but near enough to those lines.....

Could anyone ever really safeguard against most of these scenarios WITHOUT totally changing our daily routines? No ... therefore, should we change everything around? No, not necessarily.

Do I or should we fret about things and worry insipidly that they are going to happen? Absolutely not .... no need to obsess on something that we have so little control over.

It would be akin to wandering around EVERY hour of EVERY day worrying about getting struck by Lightening......

[Hardy]

Increased vigilance and some other measures are IMPENDING. And I find nothing wrong with BCFS reaction to the incident. I think that pretty well any mass transportation company worldwide is behooved to ALWAYS act in the best interests of the travelling public that they serve. Whether this means acting on several fake bomb threats, or changing security protocols, that is what has to be done.

Pretty hard to ignore a threat, unless you can be SURE that it is a hoax; you must err on the side of caution and assume that every threat is a live one and that this could be the day that they get carried out.

[Ferry Rider 42]

I suppose my argument is that it’s often in the publics’ best interest for the company to ignore the threats. Considering both the odds of the threat being fake and the inconvenience the traveling public would face while the company ‘deals’ with the possible threat. Granted, it’s a difficult call for any company to make. But consider that it may (oddly) be the decision that's best for it's customers.

[Ferry Rider 42]

I think I just changed my stance slightly...

I agree that Ferries should step up security, may even to the extend of full time bomb sniffing dogs. Furthermore, the suggestion of greater integration with emergency services such as police also sounds reasonable. But why should Ferries take drastic steps from information gathered from anonymous sources that have proven to be unreliable?

If such a call comes in the future, maybe get those dogs working double time. Regardless, I want changes made so that in the future any tips gathered from anonymous callers with bomb threats do not result in the shut down of any route, never mind an entire terminal. Security should step up temporarily, without inconveniencing the public.

[ferryrider42]

Tape of ferry bomb threat being analyzed for clues
Jeff Rud, Times Colonist
Published: Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Delta Police have ordered a forensic analysis of the tape containing the telephoned bomb threat that shut down ferry service between Vancouver Island and Tsawwassen terminal Saturday.

Const. Sharlene Brooks said yesterday that the Delta force has begun its own analysis of the recording and is considering asking the RCMP for assistance.

Brooks said police may also eventually release the tape to media outlets if they think it could help identify and locate the person who made the call.

The 911 call on Saturday afternoon, threatening an outbound ferry from Tsawwassen, caused ferry traffic to be halted for five hours, stalling thousands of passengers.

B.C. Ferries CEO David Hahn told reporters this week that the call came from a man with a Middle Eastern accent but police refused to confirm that. The call came from a pay-phone at a strip mall in Coquitlam.

B.C. Ferries has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Brooks would not elaborate on what the police are hoping to find in their forensic examination of the tape.

"I'm certainly not going to get into any specifics,'' she said. "Those go to police tactics and investigative strategies, so I'm not going to comment on that.''

Brooks said police want to make sure that they have exhausted all other avenues in their investigative strategy before making the tape public.

"It may not be released to the public,'' she said. "However, having said that, if the need arises or the investigators believe that this would further our investigation by making it public that will certainly be a consideration.''

Delta Police's serious crimes section is working the investigation. Brooks said when the incident occurred more than a dozen officers were dispatched although she wouldn't say how many are working the case now.

Brooks said police are aware of another bomb threat that disrupted ferry service last weekend between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland but that they have decided that the chances of any connection between the incidents are "pretty slim.''

[Ferryman]

With all discussion put aside on this issue for a few seconds, I found this cartoon to be pretty funny.

tinyurl.com/ypqtlw

[Hardy]

Ferry said:

I think I just changed my stance slightly...

I agree that Ferries should step up security, may even to the extend of full time bomb sniffing dogs. Furthermore, the suggestion of greater integration with emergency services such as police also sounds reasonable. But why should Ferries take drastic steps from information gathered from anonymous sources that have proven to be unreliable?

If such a call comes in the future, maybe get those dogs working double time. Regardless, I want changes made so that in the future any tips gathered from anonymous callers with bomb threats do not result in the shut down of any route, never mind an entire terminal. Security should step up temporarily, without inconveniencing the public.

This is a tough call though. Look at how THIS instance panned out -- we had the anonymous tip -- PLUS the unattended backpack that was found. Granted, that by itself, a called in anonymous threat may be discounted if there is no credible evidence ... but add to that an employee finding an unattended backpack ON THAT FERRY THAT WAS MENTIONED IN THE THREAT -- and I do NOT think that BCFS over-reacted. I think that their response was EXACTLY what this situation warranted. Had I been the one in the command chair, I would have made EXACTLY the same decision. The only thing that I would have done differently, would have been to marshal all the folks to keep an eye on them for suspicious behavior BUT keep them informed better as to what was going on. I would also have made better pre-arrangements to clear all the traffic from the terminal, rather than saying NO MORE OUT and then changing my mind after a few hours. I would have diverted inbound to HSB, but would have shoved all the queued traffic out via Tsa, even if it meant sending a Spirit out to Duke to shove all the traffic across. Screw up the schedule as bad as needed, run the OT, just clear the yard.

That being said, I do not think that BCFS did too bad a job "getting it done", but they could use some improvement in contingency planning for major service disruptions such as this. Whether it is calling in extra crews and sailing the Esq from HSB to Victoria, or what have you.

Then again, hind-sight is ALWAYS 20/20 when it comes to these kind of things.

[yvr]

Hardy has pointed out some rather somber facts. Diesel fuel, fertilizer, and a blasting cap can do horrendous damage. Then add in a vehicle deck of autos all carrying gasoline in their tanks. If individuals were into heroics could they storm the bridge and engine room. I wonder if the entrances to these areas are kept locked at all times? With a flow of firearms illegally streaming across the border, and the fact that a lot of undesirables now have them in their possession, should security be on board. Don't forget that numerous flights in the states now carry armed security officers. Some U.S. airline pilots are now carrying pistols while on duty. They were supposedly trained, and personally the thought of arming pilots I find quite scary. With this in mind should BCF bridge officers be trained to carry and use a side arm?

[Northern Exploration]

If I was in BC the threats wouldn't change my patterns of living. I was in NYC staying across the street from the WTC the weekend before 9/11. I flew at the end of September for the first time after the attacks. Flew to YYZ then took the ferry to Victoria for a conference. I returned to NYC in September. When my hotel the Millenium Hilton reopenned almost a year later I was there for their soft openning the week before their official one. For me I thought it was an important gesture to register my vote against what took place to return to NYC immediately and do what I would normally do and not let the terrorists win. I know New Yorkers who avoided downtown and the WTC area for years and even still do until now. So for each their own way of coping. Regardless of what security measure are put in place or what terrorists do, or not do, or even idiots threaten, I will be on a ferry as soon after I land in BC the next time as practical. And if I won the lottery, after doing some important things, on my list of to do's would be to ride every BC Ferry I could, because I have ridden the ferries over the years extensively but not exhaustively and there are some routes I still haven't been on.

[Hardy]

yvr said:

Hardy has pointed out some rather somber facts. Diesel fuel, fertilizer, and a blasting cap can do horrendous damage. Then add in a vehicle deck of autos all carrying gasoline in their tanks. If individuals were into heroics could they storm the bridge and engine room. I wonder if the entrances to these areas are kept locked at all times? With a flow of firearms illegally streaming across the border, and the fact that a lot of undesirables now have them in their possession, should security be on board. Don't forget that numerous flights in the states now carry armed security officers. Some U.S. airline pilots are now carrying pistols while on duty. They were supposedly trained, and personally the thought of arming pilots I find quite scary. With this in mind should BCF bridge officers be trained to carry and use a side arm?

Critical spaces are not secured as far as I know. Locks on hatches to engineering spaces are hardly ever locked, and sometimes hatches that are supposed to be kept closed are left open (especially in the summer time, or when there has been a crew change). Access to the bridge is locked, but they are simple locks, which appear to be simple to defeat, should someone want to defeat them. I personally have never tried to open a locked bridge door - I see locks and the NO ENTRY signs -- these doors may NOT EVEN BE LOCKED for all I know. I've just never had enough balls to walk up and try one. As I say, even if they are locked, they are simple locks -- unless there are throwbolts on the inside or something ......

?

As far as arming crew -- no. Emphatically NO. Should the crew be TRAINED on how to deal with an armed threat? YES. Should this include perhaps ballistic vests for bridge crew? Maybe, ok.

It is my personal opinion that this is a very real scenario that should be accounted for and trained around.

[Scott]

I thought masters of ships were premitted to carry a gun? Doesn't mean they do. I wouldn't suggest arming the crew, but maybe the captain.

[BrianWilliams]

Just by chance, we watched the movie "Omagh" last night.

The 2004 film is a reconstruction of the 15 August 1998 renegade bombing in the Ulster town that killed 29 people and injured hundreds. The deadliest single terrorist act in all the decades of Irish conflict.

Pardon while I ramble a bit. We were in Omagh in May 1998. Though our story has little relevance to the BC Ferries' incident last week, our memories of the time re-inforce my belief that total security is not possible.

We enjoyed two weeks of rambling around the Irish Republic. The spirit of peace was everywhere. The Good Friday Accords had been signed before we arrived. The Irish and UK governments had agreed to a full-island referendum -to be held in June- to endorse unification in spirit, and ultimately in fact.

An end to 400 years of murder and strife. No more cause for war.

Banners in Dublin and smaller Irish towns were unanimous: Vote YES. I went to the post office in Kildare to get a referendum package. Impressive. 32 pages of the agreement in full, plus arguments for and against by Sinn Feinn, Ulster Loyalists and the governments. Brave, confident and democratic - the info kit was the same in Ireland and Ulster.

Our confidence was slightly hurt later. I surprised Jeannie when I said, "Let's go to Antrim!" -Where's that?- she asked.

We were in Ballyshannon, county Fermanagh that night, so I explained it was just 60 miles up the road in Ulster.

-Northern Ireland? Bombs, murderers, terrorists! Hell, no.-

"Aww, it's all peace now. You've seen the signs, you've read the papers, we've talked with people in the pubs here. The wars are over. Let's see the Giant's Causeway and the Antrim coast" (a personal motive, too: I wanted to visit Bushmills distillery on the way).

-- a long narrative, pals. If you get tired, just skip to the last paragraph, but you'll miss some fun --

Having done some homework, I was ready with a woman/cultural appeal: "We can cross at Belleek, see the porcelain factory and stop at the outdoor museum in Omagh."

No porcelain. In the midst of peace, the border town of Belleek had been whacked by a couple of mortars at midnight. No injuries, but the roads were closed that morning.

Our welcome to Irish reality was a lone unarmed Garda officer, beefy enough to fill the country road. He waved us to stop a mile short of Belleek. I explained our mission. Gruff but courteous, he checked our passports, examined our Canadian driver's licences and thoroughly searched the rented car.

That done, he lightened up.

"We can't go through Belleek, I understand, but can we go on to Omagh another way?" I asked.

The Garda helped me spread my large map of Tyrone and Antrim on the hood of the Nissan.

-Ah, there! See that little green road? Go back a quarter mile, turn right and yer through to the Omagh road.-

"On this map, it doesn't go anywhere." I said.

-It's an Irish map, son. Go on there, keep on 'til ya pass the abandoned border post and ye'll be on the Omagh highway right after, so.-

The policeman was right. Jeannie was quietly freaking as we drove on the muddy, one lane trail through the forest. The "abandoned border post" was a horror-movie sight even on a sunny spring morning. Rusted corrugated iron, two stories high with old sandbags rotting all around. Eek.

The road suddenly got wider and drier. Though still unpaved, we zoomed down to a major highway.

Oops! A convoy of British Army trucks with a few armoured cars blocked us, as they passed westward to Belleek. I thought someone would question us, popping out of the woods. Nope.

After the Army passed, we drove on to peaceful Omagh. Again, pardon the long story -- we drove down Market Street, parked briefly to ask directions and left for the museum.

I can't help thinking that we stopped very near where the August bomb was detonated. A modest commercial street, busy with families shopping as they were on the horrible day three months later.

The Omagh bomb was ammonium nitrate (fertilizer) soaked in diesel fuel and detonated by a simple blasting cap. A small sedan was big enough to hold the 150 kg in its trunk. The explosion killed 29 people, blew out windows for three blocks and re-terrorized Ireland, north and south.

[Hardy]

brianwilliams said:

The Omagh bomb was ammonium nitrate (fertilizer) soaked in diesel fuel and detonated by a simple blasting cap. A small sedan was big enough to hold the 150 kg in its trunk. The explosion killed 29 people, blew out windows for three blocks and re-terrorized Ireland, north and south.

Thanks for the narrative. I found it interesting to get the insight on a country and region to which I have not been yet.

And as you stated correctly, 340 lbs in the trunk of a small sedan. Park that on the lower (main) vehicle deck and I am pretty sure you'll breach the hull enough to have some significant flooding. Park 2 of these cars on the same vessel on opposite sides or ends, and I think you would have a sinking easily. Double the size of any one bomb, and you'd have the same result.

Remember that ferries, unlike naval warfare vessels are not armoured against any blasts. I would think that a .50 cal would make swiss cheese out of the bulkheads as it is, never mind a bomb. Pack some "ballistic shrapnel material" (roofing nails etc) around it, and you'd really have a lethal flesh shredder. Use larger objects (3/4" nuts etc) for tearing apart metal bulkheads and engineering spaces. A few jugs of camp fuel, methyl hydrate, shellac ... if you want to increase flammability.

[Ferry Rider 42]

I too am in favor of having a good solid lock on bridge and engine room doors if they are already not present. But these are only to keep regular folks out, not anyone who really wants to do any harm.

If someone wants into the bridge, they can still break a one of its windows. Or slip in while someone is entering that bridge door. If those methods fail, any wrong dooer does have approximately 1000 hostages, human nature will take over and they will eventually gain access to that bridge.

Same thing goes for bullet proof vests. Seems a little pointless considering the number of passengers on board without such vests. Executing a hostage would be just as dramatic as a crew member.

As for arming a limited number of officers. This seems a little hysterical. It might help against one lone nut, but that’s not the situation under consideration. If terrorists want to storm the ships, they’ll bring a cube van full of toys. No matter how much you want to arm the crew, any badie who wants control of that boat will simply bring a bigger cube van.

[ferryrider42]

Here is an entry I found on another forum that recalls the experiences of a passenger at Swartz Bay.

Bomb Threat on BC Ferries
by bpither
thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messagepost.cfm?postaction=reply&catid=11&threadid=1431472&messid=12604567&STARTPAGE=1&parentid=0&from=3

Late Saturday Night I arrived at Swartz Bay on V.I. at 18:20 only to find the foot passenger wickets closed and ferry employees under orders not to say why all sailings were temporarily suspended .. well you could guess why if they were that secretive and sure enough a Times Colonist reporter said as much when he asked for an interview. I was amused to watch human nature at work as I observed a rather confused situation unfold, thinking "the best laid plans of mice and men" and thought that whatever contingency emergency plan they've been trained to do then Napoleon said it best when he commented that "battle plans are usually discarded after the first 5 minutes of battle". I sat on a chair fully prepared to set up my tent for the night outside in a grove and waited for something to move. We were told to line up (I continued sitting as the queue went up to the outside door and thought "I'm not going to do that for their estimated time of "at least a 2 hour wait"). Then we were told that those without tickets ( I would think the vast majority) were to go outside and get to Nanaimo (3 hours by car/bus/shuttle?? as the message was a little distorted over the PA and people were talking) for the alternative route to Horseshoe Bay. I still didn't budge (most didn't). Half an hour later (19:50) they suddenly allowed everyone to board (well at least I got on board because I didn't pay attention to their previous instructions but they were counting the number of passengers) and no one bothered asking for a ticket. As I left at Tsawwassen a rather harried BC Ferry employee said it was a nightmare as not many knew what was going on.

[BrianWilliams]

My rambling Irish story is mostly irrelevant to last week's incident, though it may be an example of how a society deals with 30 years of actual terrorism, with over 2,000 deaths and a constant threat to destabilize any move to peace.

Policemen are vigilant but courteous. Irish cops, whether Garda or RUC, have so many years of experience in knowing suspects from innocent travellers that they do their jobs with friendly efficiency. God help us, we should need their experience here.

We must not over react to 25-cent phone call.

BC Ferries has no deadly enemies.

British Columbia is not the focus of any international terrorists - with the notable exception of Sikh terrorism that we failed to intercept in the 1980's.

British Columbia's RCMP had two years of surveillance and informers' evidence that BC-based fanatics were going to launch an attack against moderate Sikhs here, or against India.

Our cops fiddled and fumbled, even while they watched guys testing bombs in the Vancouver Island forest.

22 June 1985 was the result of their inaction. 329 people, most of them Canadians, died when Air India's flight 182 was destroyed near Ireland. Two Japanese workers were killed by a related bomb in Tokyo.

We Canadians failed, when we had the knowledge to stop the perpetrators months before.

[kylefossett]

was talking to an engineer today about safety and security onboard the ships. he mentioned that with security checks there is still a few ways to take out the vessel and all of its passengers just by using items onboard the vessel. if you have any mechanical or marine knowledge i will leave this for you to figure out. but it was a very interesting conversation.

[BrianWilliams]

Pardon another ramble, closing our Northern Ireland story.

Four days after our back-road entry to UK, we left Lisburne on the M-1 motorway bound for Dublin.

"Hmm, where's the border?" I wondered, as County Down's Mountains of Mourne slipped by on the fast road. We passed an exit for Newry. South Armagh! That was "Apache country" I remembered from 1970's news stories. Also "bloody Armagh" and some more unprintable terms -- but no sign of of the border.

A glimpse on the hills above, where the valley narrowed: a ragged iron fence with guard towers, long abandoned.

"I guess we're back in the Republic" I said to Jeannie.

Maybe, or maybe not. Traffic cones appeared on the shoulder, condensing the broad M-1 to one lane south. Slow to 20 mph. Construction?

Nope. A couple of Gardai waved down traffic, and one officer approached our car.

"Would ya be havin' any ID on ya sir? I'd be pleased ta see it, if ya like."

I fumbled out my passport and drivers' licence. He had a long look.

"Canadian, then? And the lady ... both of ya's step out o' the car, if ya please, while we check her particulars, too. That's right, stand easy, but hands out while we're talking. Very good. You too, ma'am, please stand easy for a minute."

He searched the car thoroughly on the roadside. Trunk, engine compartment, under seats, cubbies, fenders and places I didn't know (thank goodness the previous renter wasn't a bad guy!)

I endured a brief quiz on Canada before he released us.

"Yer Stanley Park is a lovely place in the Rockies, right. Near Lake Louise, I think?"

-No, that's Banff National Park. Stanley Park is in the city of Vancouver 800 miles away- I said.

"Yer address is New Westminster, BC. Sure, ya can see the Rockies from there?"

-No, a long day's drive away- I answered.

"Yer on the Pacific Ocean, then, in New Westminster?"

-No, the Fraser River, but close to the Strait of Georgia. The open ocean is 50 miles away, on the other side of Vancouver Island-

"Oh, Vancouver and Vancouver Island. I never could get that straight. Good trip to ya. Drive carefully, an' thanks for yer time."

We'll never know if the Garda was making conversation or really testing us. I drove off quite happy, but Jeannie didn't settle down for an hour, frightened by the interview.