#Lockerbie

[enriquemzn262]

A horrible fact I wish I didn’t knew is how the remains of Pan Am flight 103, a Boeing 747 destroyed in a terrorist attack over the skies of Lockerbie, Scotland, on the 21 of December 1988, the worst terrorist attack in British history, lay abandoned in a scrapyard next to a go-kart racetrack, because apparently it’s still considered an ongoing investigation, so they cannot be destroyed.

259 souls were onboard that plane, none of them survived, yet somehow the plane’s remains still exist, basically as trash, 35 years after the fact.

It just feels so wrong…

[scotianostra]

On this day in 1988, 259 passengers and crew and 11 townsfolk died when Pan Am flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie.

On December 21, 1988, Flight 103 was en route from Frankfurt, Germany to New York via London's Heathrow Airport. At 7:02 p.m., 27 minutes after leaving London, the plane exploded, raining fragments on the city of Lockerbie. Eleven of the 270 dead were on the ground. The 259 passengers and crew included citizens of 21 countries. Among them were 190 Americans, including 15 active duty US military personnel and 10 IS veterans.

The pic shows The Lockerbie Memorial Cairn in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia and was a gift from Scotland to the United States, in memory of those that died that fateful day.

The blocks of sandstone that comprise the cairn come from Corsehill Quarry near Annan, about eight miles southeast of Lockerbie and below the flight path of Flight 103. . Stones were sourced from Corsehill Quarry in Annan,. (Corsehill is the same quarry that provided the blocks used to build the base of the Statue Of Liberty.)

The following words are engraved on the cairn's base:

"On 21 December 1988, a terrorist bomb destroyed Pan American Airlines Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all on board and 11 on the ground. The 270 Scottish stones which compose this memorial cairn commemorate those who lost their lives in this attack against America."

A bronze plaque on the side of the cairn reads,

"In remembrance of the two hundred seventy people killed in the terrorist bombing of Pan American Airways Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland 21 December 1988. Presented by the Lockerbie Air Disaster Trust to the United States Of America."

The Lockerbie bombing remains one of the deadliest commercial airline attacks and is the deadliest terrorist attack ever in Scotland. Lockerbie: A Search For Truth, a drama based on the 2021 book The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father's Search for Justice by Jim Swire and Peter Biddulph is being aired on Sky and Peacock on January 2nd.

[firthbetterorfirthworse]

I love that they were like - hold up, making Colin Firth get the worst news of his life over a phone call is compelling cinema, let's watch the man have an utter breakdown

In related news, I'm gonna have to watch Lockerbie when it comes out in January

[killieweegie]

In memory of Pan Am Flight 103. 36 years since 270 souls lost their lives over and on the ground in Lockerbie, Scotland. ❤️

[weaversweek]

35 "Indestructible" - Four Tops and Smokey Robinson

written by Michael Price and Bobby Sandstrom

Top of the Pops saved their lives.

Part of the UncoolTwo50 project, marking the best singles from 1977-99.

The Four Tops enjoyed a career swansong in late 1988; they'd recorded the classic throwback "Loco in Acapulco" for the movie Buster, and were promoting their song in London. The week before Christmas, they perform the song on Top of the Pops.

Producer Paul Ciani had put together an episode marking TOTP's 25th anniversary, with some of the massive hits of the quarter-century. One of them: "Reach out, I'll be there". Recording was a bit of a mess, and the band missed their booked flight to New York. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise; the plane was blown up over Lockerbie, all on board died.

"Loco in Acapulco" was also on the group's album, and the title track is amongst their best. The song "Indestructible" felt like it had fallen through a timewarp from twenty years earlier: Levi Stubbs still had those awesome soul vocals, augmented by Smokey Robinson. Two Motown legends for the price of one? We're buying, what's the price!

The rest of the album is patchy by the group's high standards, though we suspect Alexander O'Neal would have gladly made this LP. Sadly, the single didn't give the group a return to Top of the Pops, just missing the top 20, and they'd not have another big hit here. But for these four minutes, we can remember glories past, and consider those yet to arrive.

Other soul tunes in my UncoolTwo50 shortlist: "Say I'm your number one" by Princess, Macy Gray's "I try", Soul II Soul's "Back to life", and Ten City's "That's the way love is".

[saleintothe90s]

492. Ed's Party in Lockerbie (June 2, 1989)

Sometimes kids have ideas, and they should just stay ideas, you know? Sometimes we shouldn't listen to the kids--but Pan American Airlines did.

Shortly after the December 21st, 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, 14 year old Ed Blaus of New Jersey sent a request to Pan Am to send the children of Lockerbie Christmas presents. Seems weird that a 14 year old would ask an airline to do this, but ok. A small child, maybe, but a fourteen year old?

I'm sure he meant something like a gift drive for the kids in town who lost everything that Christmas. Pan Am would give presents to the kids that following Christmas, right?

No, there was going to be a party for all of Lockerbie, and boy when the victims families found out, they were pissed and were assaulting the airline in the press:

Susan Cohen, of Port Jarvis, N.Y., who lost her 20-year-old daughter Theodora in the bombing, said the party was 'tasteless' and charged it was a publicty stunt by Pan Am 'to polish their tarnished image.'

'We're appalled by it,' Theodora Cohen's father Dan Cohen said of the party. 'Right now the rock band should be playing on the soccer field about a block and a half from where 75 bodies were found -- which is obscene. They should end their mourning but this is ridiculous.' 3

[...]

"I'm outraged," said a tearful Florence Bissett, whose 21-year-old son, Kenneth, was killed in the bombing. "How can they do something like that - picnic where bodies were found?"

Susan Cohen of Port Jervis, N.Y., said, "We feel Pan Am should be putting its money into security, not parties."

Joe Horgan of West Point, Pa., a member of the Victims of Pan Am 103 group, was quoted by the Dumfries and Galloway Standard as saying, "It is good for them to have a party, but Pan Am's involvement is despicable. We see this purely as a public relations exercise on their part." 4

"Having this picnic is cruel . . ." said Lynne Fraidowitz of Staten Island, whose 20-year-old son, Daniel Rosenthal, was killed. "It would have been easier on me if they had just ripped my heart out." 5

From what I've read in the scant articles I've found, Pan Am played a "he said, she said" with Ed and his idea. In one article, the airline stated that Ed conceived and raised money for the party, but also wrote the airline for help. The airline stated that they simply flew Ed and his family to Scotland. 1 However, a resident of Lockerbie said that PanAm had the idea of a "Summer Christmas", but townspeople suggested it be a party instead.2 Originally, Disney was going to send some costumed characters to Scotland, but due to outrage from the families, this was redacted. Hebrew National who was to supply food for the party also backed out. 3 

(Business Insider)

While families picketed outside of the PanAm headquarters in New York City, in Scotland the party went on with a concerts, bagpipes and food. 2 A football coach from Syracuse University (which lost 37 students in the bombing) came to give kids football lessons, which was a peculiar choice. Apparently there was no representation from Pan Am at the actual party.3

I found a Facebook post from the Annandale Herald and Moffat News on the 30th anniversary of the party. Most partygoers who were probably kids at the time, mostly remembered eating pizza.

Kinsey Wilson. 1989. "Kin of Jet Crash Victims Assail Plans for Party in Lockerbie: [NASSAU AND SUFFOLK Edition]." Newsday, May 21, 38. 

Daily Press. “Reaction to Lockerbie Party Mixed.” June 4, 1989.

Deseret News. “CONTROVERSY DIDN’T DASH LOCKERBIE BASH,” June 4, 1989. https://www.deseret.com/1989/6/4/18809762/controversy-didn-t-dash-lockerbie-bash.

"Lockerbie Party Outrages Bereaved: [Final Edition]." Edmonton Journal, Jun 04, 1989.

Joseph W. Queen. "Party in Lockerbie, Outrage in NY: [NASSAU AND SUFFOLK Edition]." Newsday, Jun 04, 1989, Combined editions.

[afrotumble]

How Freddie McGregor Saved Sly & Robbie, Maxi Priest & Others From Locke...

[strawberryjayne]

BBC News: Lockerbie bombing: The ultimate detective story?

BBC News - Lockerbie bombing: The ultimate detective story?

Hard to believe this is coming up to the 35th Anniversary.

[explorerfloyd]

The Thieving Magpies Performing Live at The Royal Bar Lockerbie

[sublimeobservationarcade]

Is American Culture Too Dishonest?

For better or worse American culture is foisted upon the world. Hollywood and American celebrity churn out product that is distributed globally. Streaming services, Big Tech, and a host of other US corporations do business everywhere they can. The United States is seen as the military and economic superpower. Leadership, however, comes with scrutiny and is American culture too dishonest? Most in your face, of late, is the whole Donald Trump circus and this has done America no favours internationally. The fact that those Americans who voted have opted to return Trump to the Presidency is quite something.

Dishonest Donald Trump

A compulsive liar, cheat, convicted felon and adjudged sex offender in a civil case Donald Trump is not your typical political leader. The most positive thing that could be said about him is that he appears to wear his failings more openly than some. Perhaps, he truly is the President that America deserves. The United States has been a dishonest imperial power for more than a century. It has had its military and the CIA do its dirty bidding in countless conflicts in Central America, the Middle East, South East Asia and Europe. Governments doing the bidding of the private interests of corporations is nothing new for Western powers, however.

American Judicial Culture Unethical

Is American culture too dishonest? The machination of Trump and his MAGA movement have been shocking to behold. Even more shocking has been the complete failure of the American justice system to hold him to account. The captive Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has been gobsmackingly shocking. To see the truism about how rich folk in America can buy justice confirmed so blatantly has been depressing. The endemic institutional racism in the police and justice systems remains there for all to see. The economic effects of centuries of racism denying opportunities for African Americans has been devastating. The dishonesty among Republicans in positions of authority over decades is unforgivable. Partisan politics bedevils the judicial system and makes a mockery of such things as fairness and impartiality. Exploiting Profits From Patients In Despair The dishonesty within American culture goes way beyond the institutions of government and the law courts. The recent gun murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson highlighted the blatant greed of ‘for profit’ corporations and their take over of the health sector. Hospitals and health insurance used to be run by ‘not for profit’ organisations up until the 1990s. Now, you have companies like United Healthcare generating annual revenue in the hundreds of billions of dollars. They do this by putting profit concerns over that of the patients they are supposed to represent. This is dishonesty of a particular sickening variety and people from other countries look at Americans involved in this kind of thing with revulsion. This includes those who are investors in these companies and their bankers. (200907200070HQ)Google Moon Press Conference by NASA HQ PHOTO is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 The Dishonest Teaching Of American History Is American culture too dishonest? History and how American history is taught to its young people is another example of its fraudulent nature. The great majority of Americans grow up and go to school unaware of swathes of defining historical events. Many of these involved massacres of people and are inconvenient truths for the ruling classes. The education departments seem to have big erasers with which to rub out parts of the nation’s history. Out of sight is out of mind. “Here is a list of some of the countless massacres in the history of the United States. Most of these massacres were designed to suppress voting rights, land ownership, economic advancement, education, freedom of the press, religion, LGBTQ rights, and/or labor rights of African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians, and immigrants. While often referred to as “race riots,” they were massacres to maintain white supremacy.” - Wilmington Massacre 10th Nov 1898 - Battle of Virden 12th Oct 1898 - Lattimer Massacre 10th Sept 1897 - Polk County Massacre 5th Aug 1896 - Wounded Knee Massacre 29th Dec 1890 - Thibodaux Massacre 23rd Nov 1887 - Massacre at Hells Canyon 27th May 1887 - Carroll County Courthouse Massacre 17th March 1886 - Rock Springs Massacre 2nd Sept 1885 - Danville Riot 3rd Nov 1883 - Hamburg Massacre 8th July 1876 - Clinton, Mississippi Massacre 4th Sept 1875 - Vicksburg Massacre 7th Dec 1874 - White League Attacks Black Voters 3rd Nov 1874 - Colfax Massacre 13th April 1873 - Skeleton Cave Massacre 28th Dec 1872 - Los Angeles Chinatown Massacre 24th Oct 1871 - St. Bernard Parish Massacre 25th Oct 1868 - Opelousas Massacre 28th Sept 1868 - Camilla Massacre 19th Sept 1866 - New Orleans Massacre 30th July 1866 - Memphis Massacre 1-3 May 1866 - Ebenezer Creek Massacre 9th Dec 1864 - Sand Creek Massacre 29th Nov 1864 - Union Soldiers Massacred at Fort Pillow 12th April 1864 Continued on at https://www.zinnedproject.org/collection/massacres-us/page/3/ There are another 2 pages of this list and many of these would be unfamiliar to most Americans as being crucial parts of their history. All of these many massacres have a racial element and it is usually the dominant white cohort massacring people of colour. Downplaying these numerous events in history and in most instances consigning them to the forgotten bin is not done accidentally. It is a violent and dishonest people whitewashing their history for future generations. The Lies Americans Are Told Out of this dishonest teaching of American history grows a culture brought up on lies. Americans are continually lied to about their country and culture. They are told that they live in the land of the free. Free to what? Free to endlessly pay for everything? ‘User pays’ is the great neoliberal credo. Medicines and medical treatment are more expensive in the United States than most other Western nations. Drugs are way cheaper in Canada. It is a rort designed to make investors in the companies rich at the expense of sick people. They live in a gun culture, where gun manufacturers make huge revenues at the expense of the safety of ordinary Americans. Photo by Carlos Herrero on Pexels.com Nothing Is Free In America Higher education costs in America: - The average cost of attendance for a student living on campus at an in-state public 4-year institution is $27,146 per year or $108,584 over 4 years. - Out-of-state students pay $45,708 per year or $182,832 over 4 years. - Private, nonprofit university students pay $58,628 per year or $234,512 over 4 years. - While 4 years is the traditional period to earn a bachelor’s degree, just 42.0% of bachelor’s degree-seeking students graduate within that time. - 97% of confirmed bachelor’s degree earners graduate within 6 years; the 6-year average cost of attendance is $229,620. - Students unable to work full-time stand to lose a median annual income of $46,748. - Student borrowers pay an average of $2,636 in interest each year, and the average student borrower spends roughly 20 years paying off their loans. - Considering lost income and loan interest, the ultimate price of a typical bachelor’s degree may be as high as $562,868. “ - (https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college) “Americans owe about $1.6 trillion in student loans as of June 2024 – 42% more than what they owed a decade earlier.” - (https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/18/facts-about-student-loans/#:~:text=Americansoweabout1.6trillion,theyowedadecadeearlier.) Yes, there are more companies making profits from the higher education sector in the US. The financialization of everything has occurred in America over the last couple of decades. The nation may have outsourced manufacturing to China and other poorer countries but Wall Street has been busy making life much more expensive for the average American. All the time, folk are assured that neoliberal economics will be more efficient and make stuff cheaper – but it never does. What is does do is make a few much wealthier at the expense of the many in its usual dishonest fashion. Remember the promises of the ‘trickledown effect’? The economics of America are founded on dishonesty and every year they ramp it up even further. Still, Americans vote for Trump and the GOP. Stupid is as stupid does – this should be the real credo for these Americans. Photo by ahmad' s on Pexels.com The Dishonesty On American TV If you watch American network TV there is this air of smugness portrayed in the characters of the shows. You do not get this in, say British TV shows. Storylines in these network dramas are invariably too pat and usually end by reinforcing some obvious ideal of American morality. The message to audiences is that the archetypal American character is supremely confident in his or her lifestyle choices. Most importantly, they consider themselves to be way smarter than the rest. Is this the secret of Donald Trump, reality TV celebrity fake billionaire, and his cult worship by his MAGA fans? The smugness of Donny? Dishonesty about ourselves is, perhaps, the most dangerous of all dishonesties. Jeff Bezos by U.S. Air Force is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0 The Dishonest Viper’s Nest Of Foreign Affairs The most treacherous dishonesty is always displayed by nation states in their dealings with each other. Diplomacy is the art of lying gracefully. The cruellest fate is reserved for those individuals who get tangled up by circumstance in this morass of shite. The Lockerbie bombing is one such example. Here there were glaring inadequacies displayed by the British Department of Transport, which resulted in terrorists putting a bomb on board a Pan Am flight out of Heathrow airport. 270 innocent people died in this horrific incident. The PM Margaret Thatcher refused to hold an independent inquiry in her usual arrogant way. The tangled web of foreign governments involved included the US, Britain, Germany, Iran, Palestine, Libya, Holland, and the list goes on. The lies told by American DOJ, British officials, police, diplomats and secret services turned this tragedy into a football kicked around for decades. Dishonesty in the face of severe personal tragedy shone a bright light on just how governments behave no matter the cost to their own citizens. Both the Clintons, at different times, come out of this looking particularly shabby. “ Lockerbie: A Search for Truth follows Dr Swire and his wife in the wake of the explosion of Pan Am flight 103 from London to New York, over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. Dr Swire's daughter had been travelling to visit her boyfriend in America for Christmas, when she became a victim of the deadliest terror attack in British history. The series sees Dr Swire, who lives in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds, become the nominated spokesperson for the UK victims' families, who united to demand truth and justice.” - (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62310j6r7do) Photo by Isaac Taylor on Pexels.com Exporting Dishonesty The most appalling aspect of America’s culture of dishonesty is its predilection for exporting it to other countries. The publicity departments work overtime to put the most positive spin on everything. Right wing politicians look to Trump as potential role model and inspiration for bringing the toxic concoction to their own neck of the woods. America has brought the world fast food and all those nutritionally bereft gaudy outlets selling their burgers and fried chicken. Streets have become strip malls with neon signs hawking promises of fast, salt and sugar infested high fat foods. In fact, shopping centres now contain the same stores the world over, as accountants and developers have merged and taken over anything independent. These are all Americanisation’s. Globalisation has had a very strong American character to it. American culture on the screen. Social media is an American invention. American culture on the street via those ubiquitous fast food outlets and retail chains. American companies with their hands in your pockets in the form of subscriptions from Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and the list goes on. Our very lives lack meaning outside of some dishonest American cultural invention. Is American culture too dishonest? I ask you? Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump. & Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt & Financial Freedom. ©MidasWord Shop now Read the full article

[dekaohtoura]

[firthbetterorfirthworse]

I was so ready to watch Lockerbie today

but I don't have my partner's most recent password and he's not able to get it to me currently because he actually does like, real work during work

So now I'm just sitting here like

[cavenewstimes]

Lockerbie Bombing: What happened on the day Pan Am Flight 103 exploded?

The lives of 270 people were claimed after a bomb exploded on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland in 1988…Read More

[oconnormusicstudio]

Under His Wings

Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial Cairn On December 21 at 1:30PM, the Pender UMC Choir traditionally sang for the Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie) Memorial Service at Arlington National Cemetery. One of the songs we sang at this service – “Under His Wings” – was composed in memory of the victims.  It can be heard in the videos below. On June 20, 2022, a Memorial Concert was held for long-time choir member,…