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engaged · 02:34 PM

Linky

The news over here has had this amongst the top stories all day. No sympathy for her from me, she should've known better - she is a student after all, and should be amongst the more intelligent of the general population. She's old enough to remember 9/11, and what that's done to air travel security.

Edited to correct date - thanks, Eriamjh

Eriamjh · Jan 20, 2004, 02:26 PM

7/11? You mean 9/11 (I know, typo).

But seriously. She's a dumba$$ for that. Joking about having a bomb has been a crime for many years, not just since 9/11.

MathiasDK · Jan 20, 2004, 02:31 PM

I think this was a pretty funny joke!

Here in Denmark the guards would have laughed and think that this was a pretty good joke...

In America everyone thinks that everybody is being a terrorist, and that there is a bomb in every bag untill otherwise is proved.
Cut the "code red", and relax!

Just my opinion!

philzilla · Jan 20, 2004, 02:35 PM

Originally posted by MathiasDK:
I think this was a pretty funny joke!

mental note: never board a plane with this person

Timo · Jan 20, 2004, 02:36 PM

That's a hard way to learn a lesson. Hopefully it will get straightened out soon enough so that she can go home.

Hmmm...perhaps I should append:
[/wdlove]

MathiasDK · Jan 20, 2004, 02:41 PM

Maybe its a bae idea to tell the guards that you have bomb in an (American!) airport.

BUT!

When the they found out that there was no bomb in her bag, they could have told her, that this was not the place to be joking!

There is no reason to "Kafka" it all! (if you know what i mean?!)

philzilla · Jan 20, 2004, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by MathiasDK:
There is no reason to "Kafka" it all! (if you know what i mean?!)

it was an airport; not a Castle.

har har.

Powaqqatsi · Jan 20, 2004, 02:57 PM

Originally posted by MathiasDK:
Maybe its a bae idea to tell the guards that you have bomb in an (American!) airport.

BUT!

When the they found out that there was no bomb in her bag, they could have told her, that this was not the place to be joking!

There is no reason to "Kafka" it all! (if you know what i mean?!)

Exactly. They competley overreacted. I know my dad plays this game all the time in France with the security people. Some laugh at it, some don't. They have no reason to put you in jail if you have no bombs with you. It's a perfect example of the police-states our governments have become these days.

gerbnl · Jan 20, 2004, 02:58 PM

Originally posted by philzilla:
mental note: never board a plane with this person

Yeah. mental indeed! very mental...

Wiskedjak · Jan 20, 2004, 02:59 PM

Even BEFORE 9/11 it was never intelligent to joke about having a bomb at an airport.

Eug Wanker · Jan 20, 2004, 03:01 PM

Moron - got what she deserved. Hopefully that will teach her a lesson.

On the bright side, at least she has her 15 minutes of fame now.

waxcrash · Jan 20, 2004, 03:08 PM

Originally posted by MathiasDK:
Here in Denmark the guards would have laughed and think that this was a pretty good joke...

You are full of BS.

cal4ever · Jan 20, 2004, 03:12 PM

Originally posted by MathiasDK:

In America everyone thinks that everybody is being a terrorist, and that there is a bomb in every bag untill otherwise is proved.
Cut the "code red", and relax!

Just my opinion!

It's not that we, Americans, think that everyone is a terrorist. However, authorities have to take these comments seriously from anyone. Imagine, if a Middle Eastern person said the same thing, I'm sure they would be in the same position as this girl. If not worse. Yet, if a person who doesn't appear to be the STEREOTYPICAL terrorist makes comments like these and is only given a warning, or is simply shrugged upon by authorities, then Airport screeners and the Federal government has a huge PR problem on their hands. However, I would assume the PR problem would be last of their worries (i.e. possible racial profiling). So to prevent such things, and to keep flights safe, Airport security has to treat every comment seriously.

Just my opinion.

MathiasDK · Jan 20, 2004, 03:16 PM

Do you think that it is safer to fly NOW than before 11th of septemper?

I don't...

Maybe all the money used on "antiterror" and all that stuff would make a better difference if it was used in (for example) the Middle East to PREVENT these things!

disectamac · Jan 20, 2004, 03:24 PM

If you pull a fire alarm and there is no fire you get fined, arrested, etc. Funny? how about, it costs money to investigate and evacuate. She got what she deserved.

waxcrash · Jan 20, 2004, 03:24 PM

Originally posted by MathiasDK:
Do you think that it is safer to fly NOW than before 11th of septemper?

I don't...

Maybe all the money used on "antiterror" and all that stuff would make a better difference if it was used in (for example) the Middle East to PREVENT these things!

This has nothing to do with 9/11. It was illegal to make fake bomb threats before 9/11!!!

The Placid Casual · Jan 20, 2004, 03:26 PM

Just heard an interview with the Miami Police Chief about it all...

He confirmed the story.

She is alledged to have said to check-in staff that she had a bomb in her rucksack after they asked her what was in it.

She then REPEATED it as the check-in person didn't hear clearly.

She then repeated it for THIRD time to a security guard!!

Guess she was being sure they all got the joke...

sniffer · Jan 20, 2004, 03:32 PM

Americans, with no sense of humor. *cough cough*

..No really, she was over the edge and acted immature.

A bit harsh reaction there though.

ASIMO · Jan 20, 2004, 03:33 PM

Jail time? That is overly harsh. A big fine, community service, and a flogging would do.

Well, maybe not the flogging.

cal4ever · Jan 20, 2004, 03:35 PM

Originally posted by MathiasDK:
Do you think that it is safer to fly NOW than before 11th of septemper?

I don't...

Maybe all the money used on "antiterror" and all that stuff would make a better difference if it was used in (for example) the Middle East to PREVENT these things!

I don't want to turn this into a political commentary thread, so I'll refrain from speaking my mind

While I agree with you that the US government does seem to overreact at times, it's not without its reasons. (And this is coming from a Liberal Democrat.) The government doesn't just do things to make flying safe. Like what I said in my earlier post, the government has to treat everyone exactly the same. So it leads to things like this, that can be seen as an overreactment by many. However, just think what would have happened if a male of Middle Eastern descent said the same thing this girl did. To prevent PR problems, possible claims of racial profiling and other "no-no's" in our super politically correct world, the government has no choice but to treat everyone who makes comments like these as possible criminals...or idiots.

Also, as a political science major, I know that "preventing" these things is not as easy. The US and other countries can pump in BILLIONS AND BILLIIONS of dollars to the Middle East and other areas of the world that seem to hate the US and everything it stands for, and terrorism will not just stop. It's not that easy, unfortunately. :-/

mitchell_pgh · Jan 20, 2004, 03:43 PM

I don't know about every airport, but at the ones I visit in the United States, they have signs that say "Do not joke about terrorist related activities - Terrorist Threat Level HIGH (or whatever)".

If I had made a joke, and officials approached me, I would apologize and tell them that I was joking". I wouldn't repeat it for crying out loud.

P.S. From what I have heard, NOBODY wants to spend even a second in Dade County Jail.

In my opinion, they should have detained her for one or two days and went over EVERY tiny little thing she did on her trip, fingerprinted her, mug shot, requested information from the UK as to her background, check her background against the FBI data, kept her in a holding sell, and then release her to her parents or a friend.

If she would have said "I was joking" when the police first came over to her, I bet she wouldn't have had such an issue.

mitchell_pgh · Jan 20, 2004, 03:51 PM

Originally posted by MathiasDK:
Do you think that it is safer to fly NOW than before 11th of septemper?

I don't...

Maybe all the money used on "antiterror" and all that stuff would make a better difference if it was used in (for example) the Middle East to PREVENT these things!

Well, I don't think it has gotten any worse.

Before, I probably could have taken a good sized knife on board an airplane.

Now, I can't even bring on fingernail clippers. The odds of someone like myself doing anything bad has been reduced significantly. I also feel like the pilots know that it's better to ditch the aircraft vs. giving it over to terrorists.

In the 1980's, the pilots would give the airplane over and they would say "Take me here or there" Now, if I were the pilot, I'd ditch before giving over control...

brapper · Jan 20, 2004, 03:53 PM

Originally posted by MathiasDK:
I think this was a pretty funny joke!

Here in Denmark the guards would have laughed and think that this was a pretty good joke...

Just my opinion!

'cause denmark had those three terrorist incidents that make that a good comparison...

CharlesS · Jan 20, 2004, 04:58 PM

Sheesh, and I thought that anyone who knows anything about traveling at all knew that the very first rule is never to joke about this stuff with the guards. Bombs on planes are serious business, even before 9-11.

sniffer · Jan 20, 2004, 05:25 PM

Originally posted by CharlesS:
Sheesh, and I thought that anyone who knows anything about traveling at all knew that the very first rule is never to joke about this stuff with the guards. Bombs on planes are serious business, even before 9-11.

I get it's offensive to joke (albeit a bad one in this case) about these things in front of a guard, but does everyone assume making jokes on a airport is a typical terrorist behavior or something? Just asking.

CharlesS · Jan 20, 2004, 05:47 PM

Originally posted by sniffer:
I get it's offensive to joke (albeit a bad one in this case) about these things in front of a guard, but does everyone assume making jokes on a airport is a typical terrorist behavior or something? Just asking.

Those guards can't take the chance that you really are joking and not just insane. If someone brought a bomb on board, was stupid enough to tell the guards, and they thought it was a joke and laughed it off, well, lots of people would die and it would be the guards' fault! Do you think they want that?

These people don't take any chances. So just don't do this! It's basic common sense.

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Jan 20, 2004, 05:51 PM

Stupid assed woman, I hope she has to do a ton of community service.

beni · Jan 20, 2004, 06:19 PM

What has this got to do with 9/11? I could see the similarity if she had joked about carrying a box cutter.

Yose · Jan 20, 2004, 06:26 PM

Probably the best punishment would be to expel her from the country for 5 years or whatever. She is obviously not a terrorist, nor a citizen of the US... so just boot her out.

Myrkridia · Jan 20, 2004, 06:29 PM

I agree totally that what she did was completely..just.. God awfully stupid! I mean 21 years old, you'd think she'd know better.
I don't like the 15 year prison sentence that she could get if convicted. I know there are consequences for lying to the police, or crying "wolf!" But I don't think it's fair to take away a fourth of her life for her own stupidity, seeing how it didn't have any malicious intent. There are A LOT more dangerous (and smarter) criminals who deserve that kind of time more than she does.

It's just so...DUMB!

I mean...GOD!!

sniffer · 07:12 PM

Originally posted by CharlesS:
Those guards can't take the chance that you really are joking and not just insane. If someone brought a bomb on board, was stupid enough to tell the guards, and they thought it was a joke and laughed it off, well, lots of people would die and it would be the guards' fault! Do you think they want that?

These people don't take any chances. So just don't do this! It's basic common sense.

I know, I was just teasing a little. Not speaking about the states, but I find it ironic to visit my mothers hometown middle of nowhere at the edge of Europe and track shadows of the same awareness that you guys might be used to. I got taken to the side ones, and the dude decided to go into every pocket in my backpack. And of course I had my iBook with me, and the dude didn't let me go until I turn the thing on to prove that it was a real machine. I don't know what to compare the bizarre situation with, but it could probably be compared with living in Alaska and getting the red terrorist alert while standing on the airport. Just that the guards just picked me for some reason.

As again, not speaking about the states, but I find a degree of paranoia around here, not always common sense. The planes here probably fall down by there own before a terrorist finds them. Lol.

- - e r i k - - · Jan 20, 2004, 06:42 PM

I pulled this once when I was younger. My dad laughed, but I got a scolding from the security guards. I guessed they were more tired of all the jokes about it more than it being a concern that a 13 year old could possibly conceal a hand grenade, smile and joke about it.

mike one · Jan 20, 2004, 06:59 PM

her punishment:
never getting to see her BF on american soil again....

Jansar · Jan 20, 2004, 07:07 PM

DUMBASS!!!

Beewee · Jan 20, 2004, 08:26 PM

Originally posted by MathiasDK:
I think this was a pretty funny joke!

Here in Denmark the guards would have laughed and think that this was a pretty good joke...

In America everyone thinks that everybody is being a terrorist, and that there is a bomb in every bag untill otherwise is proved.
Cut the "code red", and relax!

Just my opinion!

Actually...

xenu · Jan 20, 2004, 09:27 PM

Dilbert

sniffer · Jan 20, 2004, 09:29 PM

You guys crack me up. Lol!!

Rain · Jan 20, 2004, 09:31 PM

Originally posted by Jansar:
DUMBASS!!!

She deserved it for wasting everyone's time! And for being stupid. Does she not know the security people at the airport have no sense of humour??

quandarry · Jan 20, 2004, 09:56 PM

i've read about several of these kinds of incidence over the last cupla years. apparently it is common and not just among your normal kind of idiot...i think i remember even a pilot joked about a bomb and was yanked...i dunno if he was drunk at the time...heh.

i guess they have zero tolerance for stupidity.

maybe they should bring in summary execution right there on the spot.