Mid-flight sexual play lands US couple afoul of anti-terrorism law

The News International ^ | Nov 14, 2006 | anonymous

[wideawake]

It applies to everything?

Why do people post to me without reading my posts?

Use simple logic.

Just because a law appiles to more than one thing does not mean it applies to all things.

[katielou828]

Are you saying that it is gross for people that are 40ish to have sex? Maybe that should be a law...no sex after 40 because age makes it gross to look at! Not everybody in their 20's are so hot to look at and I wouldn't want to watch that happen in public at any age. Grandma and Grandpa? Please.

[monday]

"To normal people, if a person says to you - angrily - "if you continue doing your job, there will be serious consequences" it's considered a threat. Period."

It is a threat, but not a threat of physical violence. Guess what? Only threats of physical violence are against the law.

"I for one would not stand for this behavior in general and, as a parent, were I accompanied by my children the pervert would desist or I would physically intervene."

This is they type of threat of physical violence that would be against the law if you had made it in person.

[ichabod1]

Hey TNdandelion, guess what! YOUR PARENTS DO IT!!!!! Yeah, they get all sweaty and nasty and they go ungh... ungh... ungh!!! How's THAT for a mental image for ya? hahahahaha

[monday]

"His head was between her legs."

Thats not what the article says. Do you have information not in the article or are you making things up?

[ichabod1]

Well, I used to think "serious consequences" was not such a big threat, but that's what we told Saddam and look what happened to him!

[A. Pole]

Just because a law appiles to more than one thing does not mean it applies to all things.

If it applies beyond original intended limit (do you really believe that it was voted for such cases as one here?), where is the limit defined? If it is not defined then it applies to everything.

[BurbankKarl]

According to court documents, flight attendants saw Persing and Sewell kissing, embracing and "acting in a manner that made other passengers uncomfortable" while the plane was stopped in Phoenix. Persing was observed kissing Sewell near her breast and was also observed with his face pressed against Sewell's lower body.

[mgstarr]

"Now just imagine how Hitlery Klintoon could use the Patriot Act if elected president."

It's amazing that some people are just now starting to wake up to that. Conservatives should have been wary from the start at any giant power grab by the Feds.

[monday]

"Well, I used to think "serious consequences" was not such a big threat, but that's what we told Saddam and look what happened to him!"

lol... yeah I know. "serious consequences" can mean almost anything, it's lawyer speak. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the guy turns out to be a lawyer. One thing for sure, it isn't the type of threat someone who's about to kick your butt makes unless they happen to be a large government with scores of lawyers advising them how to make threats while still keeping all options on the table until the very last minute.

[pandoraou812]

Since there are 2 threads about this or were before with 2 different reasons why he had his head in her lap I will repeat what I said before, the passengers need to come forward with their story. Now to get to what you wrote me...this... Since what they were doing was no danger to anyone on the plane, and not illegal, the flight attendant could have simply left them alone.
If they were engaging in behavior which other passengers took offense at,if indeed it was a sexual act,(I am not saying it was either!) if children were on that plane then yes the flight attendant had reason to ask them to stop that behavior. IF he was sick he should have said so. To tell someone leave me alone or there will be 'serious consequences' is plain stupid over a head being in a lap. I don't know what they were doing and you don't either. But it was annoying others. To be fair all he had to do was remove his head. This is so stupid. I wonder where his good manners were? What was the big deal in removing his head from her lap? If someone threatens me I tend to take it seriously. Don't you? And if someone was on a plane where I was sitting in full view of my 7 yr old daughter having some kind of sex act going on Yes I would complain. I don't think its legal Yet to have sex in front of children is it????

[wideawake]

If it applies beyond original intended limit (do you really believe that it was voted for such cases as one here?), where is the limit defined?

The limit is defined in a court of law, as usual.

As I pointed out above, certain new kinds of money-laundering are outlawed by the Patriot Act.

You cannot argue in court: "I laundered the money your honor, but I was doing it in order to deal heroin, not fund terrorism! Let me get off!"

Likewise, this clown cannot argue: "I threatened a crewmember on a commercial airline, but I was doing it in order to engage in public lewdness, not for terrorism! Let me go scot-free!"

[ichabod1]

Depends on what your definition of "sex" is.

[pandoraou812]

Whats yours?

[monday]

"And if someone was on a plane where I was sitting in full view of my 7 yr old daughter having some kind of sex act going on Yes I would complain. I don't think its legal Yet to have sex in front of children is it????"

No, that would be lewd and obscene behavior, and if that is what they were doing then they should be arrested for that. Since they weren't charged for obscene behavior, I think we can assume what they were doing wasn't obscene.

" If someone threatens me I tend to take it seriously. Don't you?"

Only if I feel I am in physical danger. Do you honestly think the flight attendant thought the man was going to beat him up?

I agree, the whole thing is stupid. Probably both were tired and not in the mood to take any of the BS the other was peddling.

I just think charging them with obstructing a flight attendant is absurd, especially since it carries a penalty of 20 years. Charge them with obscenity if what they were doing was against the law. If not leave them alone. The charge of criminal association is ridiculous too. I assume this is what they charged the woman with since she wasn't involved with the argument.

I guess the patriot Act has now made it a crime to even know someone who has had an argument with a flight attendant? Doesn't anyone else think thats absurd?

[A. Pole]

You cannot argue in court: "I laundered the money your honor, but I was doing it in order to deal heroin, not fund terrorism! Let me get off!"

You assume guilty as charged. Don't you think that Patriot Act sets the unjustly accused at disadvantage?

[Jack Hammer]

Is that a bomb in your pants, or are you just glad to see me?

[pandoraou812]

You know most of this could have been solved with having better manners. If the man was asked politely to remove his head and he did so then this would not be a topic. Now its a crime. I do think the whole thing is absurd. But it gets back to this a flight attendant doesn't have to take a passenger threats. Plain and simple. I think you're right in saying Probably both were tired and not in the mood to take any of the BS the other was peddling. I think all of us have bad days but we don't need to threaten people over it. Look at the rage and killings on highways now. I am forever telling my husband to stop giving the finger when hes mad or we will get shot. Everything is getting absurd.

[wideawake]

You assume guilty as charged.

Wrong. I made the defendant hypothetically guilty to demonstrate why it is silly to complain about what the name of the law you are charged under is.

Don't you think that Patriot Act sets the unjustly accused at disadvantage?

Of course not. To claim that it does is a typical trope of the terrorism-coddling left.

An accusation of rape sets an unjustly accused defendant at a disadvantage as well, but no one's calling for a scrapping of anti-rape statutes.

[GretchenM]

"Typical misleading MSM headline.

"Sexual play" did not get them in trouble with the law - threatening a crewmember did."


Thank you, wideawake. That needed to be trumpeted.