Officials Say Air Marshals Did Right Thing

AP on Yahoo ^ | 12/8/05 | John Pain - ap

[Spok]

In other news, the Miami airport was overwhelmed by unprecedented passenger traffic as trial lawyers poured in from all over the country to represent the bereaved widow.

[NormsRevenge]

Witnesses said Alpizar's wife, Anne, tried to explain he was bipolar, a mental illness also known as manic-depression.

"She said it was her fault, that he was bipolar," said Mike Beshears, who was on the flight and works for a vacation club in Orlando. "He was sick and she had convinced him to get on the plane."



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How do you train Air Marshals to handle this situation?

A bipolar paint store worker returning from a missionary trip.

Another victim of the GWOT?

[conservatrice]

"She said it was her fault, that he was bipolar," said Mike Beshears, who was on the flight and works for a vacation club in Orlando. "He was sick and she had convinced him to get on the plane."

My heart really breaks for this woman. What a horrible situation, and she's going to probably feel guilty for the rest of her life.

But... I do believe that the agents did what they had to do.

[MizSterious]

The shame of it is that the marshal should require defending. He did the absolute right thing. Even without a bomb, this guy could have done harm--but no one could possibly tell whether he actually had one or not.

[peyton randolph]

Damned if you shoot, damned if you don't. All Bush's fault. Then again, if there had been a bomb that exploded, it would have been Bush's fault if the marshals hadn't shot to prevent it.

[SevenMinusOne]

FAM in the past had some the strictest requirements. These guys are pro's - I'm sure they acted accordingly -

[TheDon]

"She said it was her fault, that he was bipolar," said Mike Beshears, who was on the flight and works for a vacation club in Orlando. "He was sick and she had convinced him to get on the plane."

I wonder if she bought any life insurance on him for the flight? Sorry...couldn't resist. If it is as it appears, she will need help dealing with her guilt.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

My thought too. What a strange set up that would be. I think we have been watching too much CSI.ha.

[NormsRevenge]

A sad situation all the way around and for all involved.

[wyattearp]

In other news, the Miami airport was overwhelmed by unprecedented passenger traffic as trial lawyers poured in from all over the country to represent the bereaved widow.

If I was a passenger on the plane, I would be suing the bereaved widow.

[Fedupwithit]

And in other news....

Time magazine has found a "15 minutes of fame" passenger on the flight who never heard this guy say the word bomb.

Let's see how many other Andy Warhol clock-tickers come out with this little "revelation" to get their 15 minutes too..

[vigilante2]

I heard on talk radio this morning, the wife claims he was sick and said "vomito"

[GSlob]

"wife claims he was sick and said "vomito""
And what then has happened to the barf bags normally found in the back of the seat ahead? Speak of the terminal stupidity.

[ArtyFO]

"If he only had a pair of scissors or screwdriver we would have let him go, but the new objective is stopping the guys who wear their backpacks in the front and claim they have bombs."

[vigilante2]

apparently they had already exited the plane

[GSlob]

He was running while still inside the plane. Thus if he felt queasy, the bags were still available. They merely shot him outside the plane, where the chance of hitting others was lower.

[AlexandriaDuke]

It appears everything was done properly. But, I remember the BS we were fed when those trigger-happy Brits slaughtered that South American kid last summer. The initial reports were full of lies.

Remember conservatives: Federal Air Marshals are yet another unconstitutional federal bureaucracy. I hope everything is as we've been told. But, I'll withhold judgment for awhile.

[jimboster]

Actually, when you think about it, his wife might have made things worse. The guy's running up and down the aisle screaming, "I've got a bomb," and the wife screams, "He's mentally ill!" I wonder what a guy who's crazy might do if he had a bomb?

[billorites]

If someone was arbitrarily hauled off and shot on every airplane, it would go a long way towards changing in flight decorum.