var json_comments = new Array("
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Mr_D
January 7, 2009 6:57 PM
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Seems like he didn't make a false bomb report, he just made a bad joke. Can you throw people in prison for that now? Bad jokes should be a felony.

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11 replies
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tmed
January 8, 2009 3:01 PM
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@Mr_D: It really is one of those things where there is a pretty clear line drawn. Joke about bombs, flight crew are supposed to have you arrested.

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The_IT_Crone
January 8, 2009 12:00 AM
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@Mr_D: I'm quite sure it's illegal to even UTTER the word \"bomb\" in an airport or on a plane.

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chrisjames
January 7, 2009 9:18 PM
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@Mr_D: The issue with false bomb reports is that it causes hysteria, ties up resources, and, like yelling 'fire', can lead to injuries or death if mishandled and a panic breaks out.

Joking about a bomb on a plane can cause the same effect (people are idiots), so the spirit of the law is that he essentially made a fake threat no matter the context. Imagine the article if he said the same thing, everyone laughed, and the plane exploded on takeoff.

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floraposte
January 7, 2009 8:46 PM
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@Mr_D: Hmm, if you go here [www.myfoxstl.com]
there's a slightly different account of the incident--it says he jokingly claimed that he himself had a shoe bomb, and that he refused to comply with a flight attendant's request to close his laptop.

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Veeber
January 7, 2009 7:50 PM
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@Mr_D: We've got signs all over the airport in Maryland that says even joking about bombs could lead to an arrest.

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LandruBek
January 7, 2009 8:21 PM
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@J. Gov: Pardon my skepticism, but was this correlation measured with respect to any control group?

I think it's a terrible problem today that we trample people's rights in the name of \"just to be on the safe side.\" Probably Dead Wrestlers Society is right that he's an idiot, but I naively think drunken idiots should not be thrown off their planes and into jail for making drunken, idiotic jokes, even if they are about checking for shoe bombs.

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B
January 7, 2009 7:16 PM
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@Mr_D: Where do I petition Dane Cook getting thrown in prison? Or executed?

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wgrune
January 7, 2009 8:14 PM
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@B:


Wow, I almost posted the exact same thing.

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Wormfather is Wormfather
January 7, 2009 7:23 PM
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@B: Seconed! I want to play the most dangerous game with that man...not to be confused with \"the crying game\".


Now, while I understand that joking about a bomb is a bad idea, I dont think \"are you the one who checks for shoe bombs\" should equal three days in jail. Maybe missing your flight.


1st what if she was being a nazi...I've met some flight attendant nazis before.


Second, what if I'm havign a conversation with my wife and the word bomb comes up? Is the content of my conversation going to be judged? The content of my bags, yes, but this is just stupid.


The terrorists have won.

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teh
January 7, 2009 8:09 PM
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@Wormfather is Wormfather: Given the shit that flight attendants have to put up with from drunk passengers, I actually can't blame her for this. Sure, 3 days in jail is a bit excessive, but that was the TSA's decision.

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jdhuck
January 7, 2009 7:42 PM
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@Wormfather is Wormfather: I asked for two waters on a Delta flight (I was in first class and had to run to catch my flight) and the attendant said that she would bring me one, but if I wanted another I would have to get off of the plane to get it. We were in flight.
Definitely a water nazi.

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ludwigk
January 7, 2009 8:30 PM
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@jdhuck: In first class? Wow. I used to ask for 2 waters whenever I got on a plane because they are so damned dry. I've asked for multiple drinks recently on a flight, and I only fly coach!

What a ridiculous thing to say. Did you already have a drink? maybe she was concerned that you were going to stash it and take it with.

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goodpete
January 7, 2009 7:06 PM
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@Mr_D: Yes. Yes, you can.

This is just like the old adage about not shouting \"fire\" in a crowded theater. It's become a cliche, but just because it's not taken seriously anymore, doesn't mean it's a good idea to do it. If you really did yell \"FIRE\" in a crowded theater and people got hurt, then you really would go to jail. Even if it was a \"bad joke.\"

Likewise, while we may joke about the \"shoe bomber\" and how his stupid plan managed to inconvenience millions of travels, you should not be \"joking\" about bombs in an airport or an airplane. When your job involves hurling through the air at hundreds of miles per hour, miles above the ground, you tend to get a little edgy about the idea of an \"unscheduled\" stop in the side of a mountain.

I don't blame airline personnel for being a bit jumpy when it comes to talk of bombs. Talking about bombs, or even joking about bombs in an airport is serious business these days. Don't do it. You aren't going to get a laugh. You'll be lucky if you don't spend time in jail. Seriously.

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xip
January 7, 2009 7:14 PM
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@plamoni:

This isn't exactly the same as yelling \"fire\" in a crowded theater. This is closer to making a joke about yelling \"fire.\"

It was a dumbass move, but it doesn't deserve 3 days in jail.

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loueloui
January 7, 2009 6:58 PM
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That is unless they are made by muslims. In that case we are racist against the brown people, and have no say whatsoever because they are oppressed, and we are not. Please pick up your check over there.

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JustThatGuy3
January 7, 2009 11:19 PM
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@loueloui:

Well, given that the t-shirt can in no way, shape, or form, be considered a threat, you're comparing apples to giraffes.

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SybilDisobedience
January 7, 2009 7:19 PM
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@loueloui: What? I can't tell if you're making a racist generalization for sure, because you're incomprehensible.

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RandomHookup
January 7, 2009 10:54 PM
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@SybilDisobedience: See earlier thread about the T-shirt with Arabic writing. You can probably click on loueloui's profile to read previous comments.

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starrion
January 7, 2009 6:59 PM
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Not funny.


TSA agents have any remaining shreds of a sense of humor or a sense of proportion surgically removed when hired. Someone who carelessly leaves a 20 oz bottle of water in their bag is just as dangerous as the guy who makes a bad joke in the security line or as the guy smuggling a chainsaw in his carry-on.


They are all breaking the rules.

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varro
January 8, 2009 12:17 AM
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@starrion: I don't know about that....the TSA lady at the front of the line had a good sense of humor about sneezing after looking in my cat-hair decorated carryon...

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Hooray4Zoidberg
January 7, 2009 7:13 PM
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@starrion: Seriously, I thought I was gonna get shot coming back from Las Vegas a few years ago because I forgot I left a cigarette lighter in my carry on. They flipped out and started yelling at me \"what's this!!!!, what's this!!\", like that was the first time anyone had ever forgot about a lighter they had on them.

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burnedout
January 8, 2009 2:59 PM
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@Hooray4Zoidberg: I had a mini bottle of water in the bottom of my shoulder bag (I think it was a week old) and they reacted like I was smuggling acid. Anyway I offered to throw it out but the trash can was kind of far and the line was long, so after 2 minutes consultation they decided to run it through the X Ray and throw it out on the other side. Then I got the \"special\" screening. FUN!

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Difdi
January 8, 2009 6:23 AM
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@Hooray4Zoidberg:

\"what's this!!!!, what's this!!\"


\"Sir, if you truly have no idea what that is, I shudder for the future of travel security.\"

(Hey, if you're going to end up strip-searched anyway, why not have a bit of fun first?)
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SybilDisobedience
January 7, 2009 7:20 PM
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@Hooray4Zoidberg: They did that to me over a pair of nail clippers I'd forgotten about in my purse. I still can't figure out how those are a weapon - they didn't even have the nail file attachment that some do.

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This is me, in a nutshell.
January 7, 2009 8:37 PM
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@SybilDisobedience:

Funny, because they actually SELL nail clippers at the gift stands INSIDE the gate area (past the TSA checkpoint)

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DrGirlfriend
January 7, 2009 9:05 PM
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@Dooley: Yes, but because they are sold inside the gates, they have been terroristproofed. Just like bottled water sold inside the gates has been examined bottle-by-bottle by experts and certified to be explosive-free.

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Blueskylaw
January 7, 2009 6:59 PM
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How is that making a false bomb report? He just asked a question.

This reminds me of the freedom of speech case where a judge found it legal to give a cop the middle finger.
Though legal, the judge said if you do it, you can expect a response from the cop.

With that said it's still not a good idea to joke around like that.

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CES.GitEmSteveDave
January 7, 2009 7:30 PM
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@Blueskylaw: Reminds me of the Simpsons.

Homer gets his shirt deep fried.
Homer: And you said they couldn't deep fry my shirt
Marge: I didn't say they couldn't, I said you SHOULDN'T.

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mgy
January 7, 2009 7:02 PM
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The line to enter the Arch in St. Louis has a sign warning more or less about this sort of thing. I found out the hard way by some off-hand remark. Luckily the officer was pretty nice about it. He thought it was silly, but didn't want me to cause problems with others.

It's missing the point however. This is all security theater. No terrorist is going to walk through airports looking sweaty, nervous and joking about shoe bombs. They're going to attempt to blend in and cause the least amount of problems for themselves as possible. But hey, as long as it looks like we're doing something. Right?

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plutonyum
January 7, 2009 11:12 PM
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@mgy: The reason the shoe bomber failed was that he was inept and couldn't figure out how to light the thing, and struggled auspiciously in his seat while trying to light the device. We've been pretty lucky so far that so many terrorist attempts have been easy foil-able, and not like the London bombings where the terrorists just looked and behaved like normal people.

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madanthony
January 7, 2009 10:02 PM
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@mgy:

Here's the thing - there are two kinds of people who would bomb a plane. The first would be organized terrorists,who probably wouldn't make a comment about having a shoe bomb. Then there are your run-of-the-mill nutjobs, who might. They probably figured he was in the latter category.

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J. Gov
January 7, 2009 7:30 PM
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@mgy:


Actually, as I learned in security training for my Federal job, jokes about spying, selling secrets, etc. do correlate with actually doing those things. I'm guessing it's a way of relieving the tension of doing something that could easily cost your job and every serious job you might have afterwards (or life in this case).


I'm not sure what the data would say in this case, but knowing what I do, I'd still pull him aside to be on the safe side. Nobody wants to be the one who missed The Clue.

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NotMe
January 11, 2009 6:57 PM
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@J. Gov:

I don't think there's any correlation between the situation you describe and this particular case.

It's plausible that a person who is being sneaky over a long period of time (such as a spy) might joke about things hoping to avoid suspicion, but this is a story about a drunk guy making off the cuff comments. You're comparing apples to oranges.

By the way, if joking behavior is such a reliable indicator of unlawful activity, why would the government want to train employees (some of whom are active spies) to avoid the activity? Seems a little counterproductive to me. It's a little like teaching a room full of potential bombers how to avoid scrutiny.

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Dead Wrestlers Society
January 7, 2009 7:05 PM
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@mgy: I saw this reported on CNN yesterday. From all accounts, he ssems like an idiot. Maybe they were just doing the other passengers a favor by not having them endure his lame attempts at humor throughout the flight.

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homerjay wants Boston Legal back!
January 7, 2009 7:06 PM
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What a retard. Everyone knows that the appropriate drunken response is \"Are you the stewardess who checks my UNDERWEAR for a bomb?\"

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chris_d
January 7, 2009 7:11 PM
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Yay... security theater. Gotta love it.

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DarkKnightShyamalan
January 7, 2009 7:11 PM
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Look, it was a simple misunderstanding. The guy saw a job listing for \"Deputy Assistant to the Shoe-Bomb Inspector\" and wanted to know whom he should speak with for an interview.

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larrymac808
January 7, 2009 7:13 PM
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\"Jokes\" about bombs and weapons have long been prohibited at the airports; years before 9/11/2001. Circa 1993, I nearly got strip-searched in San Jose because a business travelling companion thought it would be funny to say \"is that the bag with all the contraband?\" as my carry-on went through the x-ray machine.


I hated that guy.

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NotMe
January 11, 2009 7:13 PM
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@larrymac808:
True, the hysteria is nothing new.

I accidently switched airline tickets while traveling with a coworker on a business trip in 1998. When we got to the counter to check in, the ticket guy asked why I had my coworker's ticket and he had mine. I explained that I didn't know, but perhaps we had inadvertently switched them while eating lunch before coming to the ticket counter. He gave me a stern look and told me that the matter was quite serious, and that I shouldn't be joking around.

My coworker and I exchanged puzzled glances, and I asked the ticket guy why he thought I was joking. I told him that I had answered the question to the best of my ability, and that there was no reason to believe that I was joking around, of making light of things. After completing his lecture, he let us go on our way.

To this day, I have no idea why he acted the way he did.

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floraposte
January 7, 2009 8:39 PM
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@larrymac808: It was true back in the hijack-happy era of the 1970s, too. Jokes got a few people yanked off of their planes, and probably a few did a jail spell.

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ThickSkinned
January 7, 2009 7:44 PM
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@larrymac808: I did something similar when crossing the border from Mexico to Texas in 1993. I said something about a friend having crack in his pocket while crossing. This got myself and my 3 friends the chance to have a Mexican border guard search us thoroughly. Not a strip search thankfully, but I never want to have my junk groped while I'm handcuffed again, unless it is something I request.

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SybilDisobedience
January 7, 2009 7:29 PM
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@larrymac808: Ugh. Please tell me you punched him in the face later.

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Ash78 ain't got time to bleed
January 7, 2009 7:15 PM
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@larrymac808: I know of two guys who pulled a bad prank on a third guy:


Cut out the shape of a pistol in aluminum foil and place it in with the mark's work papers or files. He'll never notice. But the 2-dimensional x-ray machines love it.

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Franklin Comes Alive!
January 7, 2009 7:18 PM
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@Ash78:

That sounds like fun for your close friends who can't afford that dreamy trip to jail.

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semanticantics
January 7, 2009 7:14 PM
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I guess the joke bombed. MIRITE?

Ex girlfriend had a friend who made a \"joke\" about a bomb in an airport, pre-9/11. He went to jail.

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Saboth
January 7, 2009 7:17 PM
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I believe the moment you enter an airport, you are stripped of all constitutional rights. At least that's how it felt when I was on my honeymoon in October. Ever seen the prison shows where prisoners are being led back to their cells after being let out in the yard? \"MOVE ALONG! DO NOT STOP! BEHIND THE LINE! QUICKLY PEOPLE!\". You felt like if you sneezed you would be immediately tackled and hauled off to Gitmo.

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nighttrain2007
January 7, 2009 7:40 PM
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@Saboth:

I wear boots. Have one pair of tennis shoes I wear when I exercise. Other than that, boots. When I go through an airport, it is a pain to take them off and then put them back on, so I don't. The guy usually pulls me to the side, scans me and I'm on my way. Last time through I got the type of treatment you mentioned. I refused and came very close to being arrested.

'Homeland Security' has done nothing but put uncontrolled power into the hands of idiots while creating a class of sheep in the people actually paying a private company for a service. It doesn't protect those flying from squat. It's pitiful enough I have to ask some overpaid union worker for the opportunity to scan me like I'm five and playing mother may I?

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varro
January 8, 2009 12:37 AM
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@nighttrain2007: Don't tar unions with being associated with the TSA - Dubya made sure that they were prohibited from unionizing when he created Father, er, Homeland Security.

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concordia
January 7, 2009 7:33 PM
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@Saboth: I won't do business with a company that treats me like a criminal. This is true of software, movies and music and is also true of airlines.

Though I realize that the TSA and the airlines are separate entities, they have a vested interest in making sure that I, a prospective client, am treated well and with courtesy.

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Saboth
January 7, 2009 7:57 PM
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@concordia:

I told my wife I hope she enjoyed the honeymoon, because it will be a LONG time before we fly again!

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JohnDeere
January 7, 2009 7:18 PM
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sounded like a valid question. maybe someone forgot to look at his shoes and he thought she was doing a piss-poor job.

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ringrose
January 7, 2009 7:19 PM
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The TSA is required to take all bomb jokes seriously. It's CYA:

1. Passenger makes a bomb comment.
2. TSA employee thinks it is a joke and lets it pass.
3. Turns out to be real. Bomb goes off.
4. Someone finds out that said TSA employee knew about the bomb.
5. Media circus.

I think the length of time he spent locked up was excessive. But you have some responsibilities too when you're in a heightened security area.

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Wormfather is Wormfather
January 7, 2009 7:29 PM
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Dear First Amendment,


I'm writing this letter as a goodbye. You and I had a lot of great times together. Like when I was in 11th grade and made vagina my answer to every question my English teacher asked*. Or a year ago when I figured out that my wife gets totally uneasy with that word and I started saying it all the time.


I will miss the way I could say what I wanted, I will miss the way I could totally say fuck israel and free palestine without being phone tapped.


What I will miss the most is how you will continue to protect certian peoples and religions while abandoning me. Now all I have is my 'Big Brother\".


Well, goodbye first amendment, maybe we'll meet again one day.


Effectionatly Yours,
Wormfather AKA 001547182

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5 replies
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nevets68
January 7, 2009 9:54 PM
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@Wormfather is Wormfather:

Apparently Big Bro is slacking as your still posting.

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly
January 8, 2009 7:31 AM
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@nevets68: nah, Big Brother just WATCHES you... and puts this down on your permanent record

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ludwigk
January 7, 2009 8:33 PM
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@Wormfather is Wormfather: but, you don't have freedom of speech in the 11th grade. You haven't reached the age of majority. Besides, you were just being a dick.

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RandomHookup
January 8, 2009 1:48 PM
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@ludwigk: It has less to do with age and more to do with the limitation of certain free speech rights while attending school. That's why, for example, schools can punish you for swearing or gossiping or telling off the teacher. Turning 18 as a senior doesn't suddenly give you those rights.

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Difdi
January 8, 2009 6:30 AM
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@ludwigk: All reaching your age of majority really means, constitutionally, is that you can vote and be drafted. All other rights are possessed by citizens from birth onwards.

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Rick Gould
January 7, 2009 7:29 PM
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Ah...you gotta love Bush's America! You better behave for the airport Gestapo or be jailed for as long as we want. Yes Sir! No Sir! How high should I jump Sir!

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nevets68
January 7, 2009 9:56 PM
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@Rick Gould:

I'm fucking sick and tired of the use of the word \"Nazi\" bandied about.

Did the TSA people get people out of their homes @ 2 am?
Did the TSA round up people and execute them?
Did the TSA create concentration camps?

No..they didn't. You might not like their polices but they're not Nazi's.

You however are a putz.

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Saboth
January 7, 2009 10:50 PM
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@nevets68:

1. Yes, due to having to be at the airport 2 hours before a flight leaves, I have to get up at like 2 am!
2. I dunno, we never found the bodies.
3. Yes, the concentration camps are located in the terminals. Horrible places of unspeakable torture, of which there is no escape.

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nevets68
January 8, 2009 3:45 AM
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@Saboth:

Your a real witty one.
Perhaps some lynching humor is next?

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Bladefist
January 7, 2009 10:56 PM
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@Saboth: Yea, compare the people who were starving, freezing, and literally dying, just to wait until they were gassed, to people having to wait in a terminal.

Bunch of wussies.

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geoffhazel
January 7, 2009 8:47 PM
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@Rick Gould: It's gonna be Obama's america soon -- and I'm not holding my breath waiting to see if things at airports change.

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pmr12002
January 7, 2009 9:27 PM
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@geoffhazel: We will see how long after that it takes for another 9/11 to happen.

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pmr12002
January 7, 2009 9:30 PM
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@pmr12002: ( Stupid comments system quit me out) If Obama were to change things.

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Bladefist
January 7, 2009 8:25 PM
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@Rick Gould: Yes. Bush wrote out a policy that said no making jokes about shoe bombs. Obama plans to reverse it.

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concordia
January 7, 2009 7:30 PM
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It's amazing to me that someone making a joke about a shoe bomb and being subsequently arrested is considered an acceptable outcome by anyone. The very notion that there are \"things one shouldn't say\" in a given situation stands against the very freedoms that the United States was founded upon.

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SJActress
January 11, 2009 8:24 PM
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@concordia:

He wasn't denied his 1st Amendment right, he just didn't like the outcome.

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JustThatGuy3
January 7, 2009 11:22 PM
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@concordia:

The first amendment right isn't an absolute right. you can't shout fire in a crowded theater, you can't slander someone, you can't tell foreign agents the names of all of our spies, etc.

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Anonymous
January 8, 2009 1:56 PM
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@JustThatGuy3: The first amendment is an absolute right and I am absolutely sick and tired of stiff-assed folks who take every single thing anyone might say as an \"offense\" or a \"threat.\" Hell, I've been told that I'm threatening when I complain to a customer service rep and my \"tone of voice\" doesn't match that of Mister Rogers or their former kindergarten teacher.

Undoubtedly what he said was STUPID, but anyone with half of a darn brain could figure that out. The appropriate response would be to take him off the plane and check him out. Sure, he'd miss the flight and have to take the next one.

In jail? In SOLITARY CONFINEMENT? Sorry folks, that's extreme. That's fascism and it is NOT what should even remotely happen in the United States or ANY country that would consider itself civilized.

I am so SICK and TIRED of this wussy hand wringing, nanny state and zero tolerance bullshit where you can be hauled off because some \"decides\" they don't like what you say or that they get a bug up their hind ends and \"decides\" that stupid, innocent comments are cause for incarceration. This boo-hoo PC bullshit could not end soon enough for me.

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JustThatGuy3
January 12, 2009 6:49 PM
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@MurphyMorris:


\"The first amendment is an absolute right\"


You're welcome to believe this. No court in the land would have agreed with you, from the date of the nation's founding up through today. Don't believe me? Ever heard of the Sedition Act of 1798?

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Optimus
January 7, 2009 10:53 PM
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@concordia: Amen!
However, as the current housing crisis proves, such a stable foundation allows for multiple tons of crap to stand strong for decades.

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CES.GitEmSteveDave
January 7, 2009 7:32 PM
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Reminds me of Airplane II when a couple passes a sign saying Hi-Jacking was a federal offense. The wife then notices his friend across the concourse and tells the husband to say hello.

Hi, Jack! the guy says.

Tackling ensues.

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theblackdog
January 7, 2009 8:24 PM
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@concordia: *tries to drink, spills all over self*

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CES.GitEmSteveDave
January 8, 2009 4:21 AM
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@theblackdog: It took ten years before I finally got that joke. I had never took \"drinking problem\" for it's other meaning.

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vladthepaler
January 7, 2009 7:33 PM
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If a false bomb report was made, it was made by the flight attendant. Asking if she checks for shoe bombs is not the same thing as reporting having or having seen a bomb. (Similarly, \"do you sell magazines?\" in no way implies that the speaker has a magazine.)

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Wormfather is Wormfather
January 7, 2009 7:36 PM
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@vladthepaler: I see your point, but, but, but, we're afraid man. I mean real scared here take our liberties but protect us from bad jokes, arabic t-shirts and bottled water.

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Yan Grinshteyn
January 7, 2009 7:38 PM
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this guy is quite a catch. his wife must be a top notch gal.

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Saboth
January 7, 2009 8:33 PM
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@Yan Grinshteyn:

How can you extrapolate that he is a bad guy from what happened? So he had a few too many drinks, probably in celebration of his wedding, and just generally feeling good. He made a joke on a plane that wasn't deragotory or anything. Gestapo swoops in and throws him in solitary confinement.

Sorry, this is still America and you are innocent until proven guilty, and free speech still exists. He never said he had a bomb, or threatened in any way.

If I went up to a security guard at the airport and asked \"are you guy that arrests terrorists?\" Would that mean I am threatening? Would it mean I WAS a terrorist? Maybe I had seen a terrorist in the bathroom and wanted to report him!

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maztec
January 7, 2009 10:28 PM
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@Saboth: Sorry, but last I checked the American Legal System promotes \"innocent until proven guilty\" but the American Media System and Society promote \"guilty even when proven innocent.\"

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Urgleglurk
January 7, 2009 7:39 PM
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As they said in \"Men in Black,\" The FBI has no sense of humor that we are aware of.\"


The guy is an idiot and deserves what he got.

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Optimus
January 7, 2009 10:57 PM
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@Urgleglurk: If all idiots deserve 3 days in jail for stupid jokes, then you just got yourself 6 days for that comment.

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RurouniX
January 7, 2009 7:40 PM
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The 3 days of jail wasn't for making a bad joke - it was for being stupid.

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concordia
January 7, 2009 7:42 PM
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@RurouniX: Yeah, what a dumbass, thinking he should have the right to say what he'd like.

Whatever you say, battousai.

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lalaland13
January 7, 2009 7:43 PM
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And this is why, when planning a trip to a friend's wedding 750 miles away next summer, I have no desire to fly. As others have said, it just makes me feel like a prisoner. I already tend to get anxious when flying anyway, and I can't see it ending well. Much like the cop who pulled me over for a bullshit reason assumed I was a drug smuggler because I as nervous.

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Trai_Dep
January 7, 2009 9:30 PM
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@lalaland13: \"It just makes me feel like a prisoner.\"
So, it's a warm-up to getting married?

Zing! :D

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lalaland13
January 7, 2009 10:59 PM
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@Trai_Dep: Good one. Although I'm just attending the wedding, I might tell the bride-to-be that. She's never flown, incidentally.

But yes, planes make me feel nervous and powerless. Granted, I'm on Zoloft, but I see no need to chance it by flying unless I can't avoid it.

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moore850
January 7, 2009 7:44 PM
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you can't say the word \"bomb\" or \"explosion\" on a plane or in an airport within earshot of any official employee. Same as shouting \"fire\" in a crowded theater, they have to assume that it's not a joke and arrest you.

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LandruBek
January 7, 2009 8:30 PM
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@moore850: They HAVE to. Ugh.

(I'm not saying you are wrong, I'm saying the policy is wrong. I bet you are right.)

As someone else pointed out, this moronic joke was nothing whatsoever like shouting \"fire\" in a crowded theater. He was not crying wolf. It was more like making a joke about checking for theater fires: not funny, but not worth a Code Purple Freak-Out.)

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RogueSophist
January 7, 2009 7:52 PM
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Honestly, while I have serious reservations about the word \"bomb\" = jail approach, I'm generally in favor of anything that'll keep douchebags like this off the streets for a few days.

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Oranges w/ Cheese
January 7, 2009 7:52 PM
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Dumbass. Never say \"bomb\", \"fire\", or greet your friend Jack in an airport. NEVER.

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alpacalypse
January 7, 2009 7:59 PM
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I don't think I'd ever make the mistake of saying something as stupid as that, but stuff like this is the reason I take the train whenever possible these days. My semi-regular (every few months) trip between pittsburgh and new york is 9 hours by train, or 1.5 hours by plane. When you count security, delays, transport to and from the station/airport, and buffer time, the plane trip takes about 7 hours total and the train about ten.

The train takes 3 more hours, but I don't have to deal with security, can carry three bags (or two bags and a folding bike), it's quieter, I get more space and the freedom to get up and walk around whenever I want (not to mention 30 minutes in Philadelphia to grab a bite to eat), and I don't spend the majority of the trip rushing around, finding gates, etc.

As air travel gets touchier and touchier, and less efficient, the train becomes a more attractive choice daily.

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silver-bolt
January 7, 2009 8:25 PM
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This is not the same as SHOUTING FIRE in a crowded theater. This is more like talking about the huge fire that ripped apart the building in the movie that you just watched.

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floraposte
January 7, 2009 9:06 PM
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@silver-bolt: Except his friend's account has him actually claiming to have a bomb.

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floraposte
January 8, 2009 12:19 AM
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@jdhuck: [www.myfoxstl.com]
According to the friend, \"The stewardess asked him, 'Can I get you anything sir?' And he replied, 'No thanks. I've got my shoe bomb and I'm OK.'\"

Plus, \"The airport says it was more serious. A spokesman says Shafermeyer was also defying orders to put away his laptop.\"

Dunno which, if either, are true, but it does seem possible he was somewhat more challenging than the report here suggests.

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jdhuck
January 7, 2009 8:30 PM
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@silver-bolt: Kind of like being arrested for an anthrax scare when it is just coke.

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picardia
January 7, 2009 8:41 PM
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That lucky girl.


I suspect his being pulled from the flight had more to do with his intoxication than the joke itself. I support the airline pulling a drunk and unruly passenger. If it was just the joke, then that was overkill, IMHO.

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MSUHitman
January 7, 2009 9:12 PM
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Steve Carell is not amused.

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lalaland13
January 7, 2009 11:00 PM
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But if you question the safety of the flight crew's shoes, you will also be kicked off. Especially if you look Muslim-esque.

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The_IT_Crone
January 8, 2009 12:03 AM
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I made the mistake of playing \"Bomberman\" on my DS a few years back. Then absent-mindedly saying that I was \"playing bomberman\" to my traveling partner.

Har-d-har-har. I was fortunately able to talk my way out of that one pretty quick.

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Chris Stone
January 8, 2009 12:38 AM
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Reminds me of breakfast this morning. I went out to eat with someone and I wasn't being observant of something, so I said something about how I was so high on drugs that I didn't know what was going on. Then she pointed out that a few tables away from us were a couple cops.

What I said was just a joke, but when you get in public and joke around when law enforcement is nearby, you better be careful what you say.

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savdavid
January 8, 2009 12:59 AM
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Too bad the airlines, air attendants, pilots, FBI, private security and the government weren't this \"on the case\" on 9/11. Homeland security is a joke. Still level orange (so precious) after what, three years?

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ninjatoddler
January 8, 2009 1:53 AM
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Did he say BOMB or BONG?

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Anonymous
January 8, 2009 6:29 AM
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Sure enough, 3 days is a tad harsh and excessive.Well, this is the US way : love of extremes ...But I can't really feel very sorry for him... Maybe next time he would have stood up and called \"Hi, Jack!\" to any fellow traveller?

Shouldn't the guy have been sober when boarding, to begin with ?

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dubs29
January 8, 2009 11:54 AM
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I love the fact that so many on here keep blaming the TSA for this guys stupidity and his being Locked up.
Glad to know so few people can read a story before jumping to conclusions.
1. IT Was the Flight Attendant that turned the guy in! It is policy to notify the Captain who calls the Airport Ops and has the guy yanked off the plane and arrested.
2. TSA is not even involved and Flight Attendants don't work for TSA Morons!
Glad everyone is SO worried about those civil liberties. To bad your not as worried about Libel, and Defamation when you slam a group not even involved. Mastercard needs to make up a new ad - Reading $1, Understanding what you read - Fricking Priceless!

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10-cent-sucker
January 8, 2009 4:41 PM
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I was a TSA screener(blush) for about a year and there was a guy who joked about a bomb and was arrested on the spot. He was probably in his early twenties, five cops swarmed him and frisked him and the guy was crying like a baby. Then, keeping with the baby theme, the guy shit himself right in front of his girlfriend.
It would have been sad if the guy wasn't such a jerk.

As far as TSA people not having a sense of humor, there was many a laugh had that day.

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banmojo
January 8, 2009 6:11 PM
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this guy was drunk and acting like an asshole. 3 days in jail apparently weren't even enough. 500 hours of community service would have been a better punishment methinks.

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