Posted on 01/09/2004 3:37:55 PM PST by The Magical Mischief Tour
Question about flight simulator brings visit from police By VIRGINIA RAY Recorder Staff
COLRAIN - An innocent inquiry to a Staples store clerk about a computer software program that teaches how to fly an airplane by instrumentation brought a surprise visit this holiday season to a local family from the state police.
"At first, I felt a little angry and violated" about someone telling authorities about her inquiry, said Julie Olearcek, a 15-year Air Force Reserve pilot. "But now that time has gone by, I realize it may take someone like that, who's a little nervous, who may save the day." Olearcek's husband, Henry, is also a flier, currently on active duty, and frequently away from home these days.
About a week before Christmas, Olearcek said the couple's 10-year-old son, who has flight simulation software and is keenly interested in learning to fly like his parents, commented that he'd have to wait until his dad retired to learn to fly by instruments. She went to Staples soon after and took her son to the office supply store, where he looked through the available software.
"He was disappointed because there was military stuff, but it was all fighting stuff, so I asked the clerk, and he was alarmed by us asking how to fly airplanes and said that was against the law," Olearcek said. "I said I couldn't imagine that, but, because (the clerk) was a little on edge ... I left." But "what saves us, is people are paying attention," she said.
Olearcek said she and her husband both were well aware that the Office of Homeland Security had raised the threat level during the holiday and of the generally increased terrorism alert following the Sept. 11 plane attacks.
"And rightly so, this puts people on edge," she said.
But she was taken aback by what happened next.
"By 8 p.m., a state trooper was at my house," she said. "At first, it was a little unnerving because it was pouring rain and my husband had just left ... My son said he heard someone walking around outside and it startled him. We had put our Christmas tree in front of a sliding glass door and the trooper ended up tapping on the glass of that door and putting a flashlight in and it scared us."
But Olearcek said she doesn't believe the trooper was intentionally trying to frighten her family. Nor does she blame the clerk for erring on the side of caution.
"We all have to be aware," she said, not really even wanting to speak of the incident on the record, but wanting to keep the record straight. "It's not just the people in uniform who have to be looking after this country. So when people see something out the ordinary, they pay attention. Maybe by the way we worded the question - who knows? - it triggered the individual. Still, if they had done their homework (at Staples) they would see I home school my children and am a frequent customer and have a teacher's ID on file."
Olearcek said the trooper asked her if she had inquired about the software, and she said she had and showed him her military identification.
"He was totally understanding, but protocol means he has to follow through," Olearcek said. "I immediately gave him my military ID and I had no problem giving it to him. At first I felt like, 'Wait a minute, this is America.' But we also have to understand it takes everybody to pay attention. At first I was a little frazzled with someone knocking on my window at 8:30 at night, but the bottom line is this is a civilian who has tried to do his best."
Sgt. Donald Charpentier of the Shelburne Falls State Police barracks said police received a telephone call from the Staples manager "that a person had been looking for instructional videos regarding flying planes."
"Those programs are quite common for entertainment and training, but he felt it was suspicious enough to warrant a call," Charpentier said. "We responded, and it turned out to be innocent enough; a person looking to buy a Christmas gift."
Staples' spokesperson Sharyn Frankel said the employees were doing what they have been told to do.
"After 9/11, our store associates were instructed that if they see something suspicious or out of the ordinary, they're to contact their managers and local authorities," Frankel said. "It's all about keeping our associates and customers safe and this was out of the ordinary and kind of raised a red flag and they did what they thought was right."
"Bottom line is we've all got to look out for each other, and I wasn't harmed," summed up Olearcek. "And what if it were the other way around? It's going to take everyone in each town to look after one another."
It was kool. We were going on a camping trip in the Glades so I not only had maps, but also lay of the land and how the sloughs were laid out (kept us out of swamps as we were doing long range hiking).
If you "do" gps you may be able to see your own home depending on when it was built and when they last shot your area.
That's exactly the point. We don't know if they were caucasian. We don't know a lot of the circumstances. Hence, I'm willing to give the clerk some slack until I know otherwise.
I repeat what I said earlier -- everybody did the right thing here.
America's Fifth Column ... watch PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
http://12thman.us/media/jihad.rm (Requires RealPlayer)
Another winner of the "I Don't Know What I'm Talking About But I'll Say It Anyway" contest.
Why is a cop, doing his duty, suddenly a "Barney Fife?" Because he shined a light and tapped on glass?
America's Fifth Column ... watch PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
http://12thman.us/media/jihad.rm (Requires RealPlayer)
LOL!
That was a good one!
You're extrapolating your ridiculous position onto a whole state. There are certainly legitimate reasons a policeman or even a concerned citizen might tap on a window and look inside. And I guarantee you the first reaction of the vast majority of Texans would not be to start shooting. To suggest it would be is laughable.
MM
In Texas, it is, essentially, legal to kill anyone on your property uninvited during the hours of darkness.
Police, Repo Men and Process Servers have all been killed without charges being filed. Fortunately few are stupid enough to trespass at night, so it is not a common thing.
So9
Man, her head must be spinning 'round and 'round!
Man, her head must be spining 'round and 'round!
Guess you missed a lot of civics courses in high school...
This insanity, which you seem to support, is worthless. The techniques these people are using wouldn't capture this 10 year old, if he was intent on doing something dirty!
Why would they send a trooper to check it out, rather than the FBI doing a routine check on who this was, making the inquiry? They would have quickly discovered that the parties involved were UNITED STATES MILITARY, and it would have been shelved.
You can post all of the websites, and all of the other BS, that you wish, but we should NOT be lookijng over our shoulders, at every dark shadow. That is no way to live. If you are that afraid, go crawl into a hole! But, to condone thewse tactics, shows that you are totally against what our country is all about. We will never be able to prevent terrorist acts, as long as there are idiots willing to die, for the hope of a few virgins, in the afterlife!
My brother is asst manager of a major international airport, and has repeated said that all of their security is just for eyewash. It will do nothing to prevent another attack on us! He would know! It is done, to make the sheeple feel like something is being done... and to keep the revenues flowing!
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