So, if I shoot at you with a gun, but miss, that makes it OK?
First: This guy, in light of 9/11 and the like, is a complete idiot for doing something like this and thinking that it would not be suspected as terrorism.
Second: This guy certainly has a few screws loose if he has kids and is doing this sort of thing.
Third: you never talk to the feds or the police unless you have an attorney present. To do otherwise is complete foolishness.
Fourth: The patriot act should not apply here. I agree this guy should do some time, but not 25 years. Yes, he could have potentially caused harm, but the fact is that he did not and is clearly not a terrorist. Maybe a nut, but not a terrorist.
Fifth: After Martha Stewart, what was this idiot thinking blaming his daughter?
"So, if I shoot at you with a gun, but miss, that makes it OK?"
Of course not. I wrote:
Certainly aiming a laser beam at a pilot should be punished most harshly
I am simply asking, just asking, about Patriot being used in this case. If the intent was not terror, why is Patriot being used? Can't this guy get punished under other statutes? By the way, pointing a gun at someone and pointing a lasser at a plane full of people is quite different. The latter should be punished more harshly and if Patriot can do that so be it.