It is odd that you have chosen to focus on the comment from her son that 'he knew they were joking' ... I have a son and if I thought there was any chance of the threat being real, I wouldn't back off just because my son was convinced there was a joke in play, because I won't weigh my son's judgement (which might be colored by 'just don't get involved' or 'why bother', except my son is even more on the alert than I am since he works in a military instillation) against the possible consequences of not acting, not reporting the possibility to the authorities.
I sure hope and pray there are fifty-thousand Eunices to every one of your ilk. Personally, I'm now profiling and keeping my eyes and ears open. Thank you, Eunice!
I have a son and if I thought there was any chance of the threat being real, I wouldn't back off just because my son was convinced there was a joke in play, because I won't weigh my son's judgement (which might be colored by 'just don't get involved' or 'why bother', except my son is even more on the alert than I am since he works in a military instillation) against the possible consequences of not acting, not reporting the possibility to the authorities. My personal opinion is that Osama Bin Laden has achieved far more than he ever dreamed possible--he's got half the country jumping at shadows and the rest of us informing on our neighbors. Some people even applauded the idea of having mailmen and cable installers spying on their customers. I must say I don't think the people who wrote the Bill of Rights would be very impressed.