Fun and Games are Over...
Posted on 10/04/2001 8:54:19 AM PDT by jalisco555
CHARLOTTETOWN -- An 81-year-old man is facing a criminal charge and has been banned from flying with Air Canada for life after asking a baggage handler in Charlottetown whether she was looking for a bomb in his wife's change purse.
Elmer Blanchard, a frail Second World War veteran, thought it was an innocent question. He was wrong.
Minutes later, he was arrested by Charlottetown city police, charged with uttering bomb threats and taken to the police station, photographed and fingerprinted.
His wife, Albina, was hauled into a separate room, questioned and informed that her husband was being charged under the Criminal Code and that neither of them would be allowed to fly with Air Canada again.
Mrs. Blanchard said she's shocked, and now worried about her husband's health.
Since the incident Monday, she said, her husband won't eat, has stopped talking and just lies there -- sometimes with tears in his eyes.
The decorated veteran had never been in trouble with the law. Now, he faces a court hearing in Charlottetown next month. The maximum penalty for a conviction on the offence is two years in jail.
"I'm telling you, I don't know if I can go through this," Mrs. Blanchard said, choking back tears.
"He didn't mean it. He just said it as a matter of speech. She was looking through this little bag of mine. There was jewellery in there and there was money in there . . . and Elmer was right behind me, and he said 'Are you looking for a bomb?' "
The Blanchards summer in their hometown of Tignish, PEI, and spend the winters in Dundas, Ont.
After being released from police custody, the Blanchards booked a flight on Canada 3000 out of Moncton.
Their daughter, Gail McMillan, who lives in Paris, Ont., said she believes that security officials overreacted.
Ms. McMillan was supposed to pick up her parents at the airport in Toronto when she received a call saying that they were not on board the plane.
"All the man said -- and I shouldn't say 'all' because he shouldn't have said it -- but all he said was 'Are you looking for a bomb?' " Ms. McMillan said. "He's an 81-year-old man who has never, ever, ever had a brush with the law, who was in the war for five years. He's in shock. He just can't believe that he could be in so much trouble for making that comment."
Charlottetown Police Constable Gary Clow said that in light of what happened in the United States, the police department couldn't take any chances. But he said any time such a statement is made, the police are called.
Mike Campbell, general manager of the Charlottetown Airport Authority, said the matter is out of his hands. He did say that such incidents are "very, very rare" for the Island's main airport.
Mr. Campbell said the airport's security measures were in place well before the terrorist attacks and have not been changed.
Mrs. Blanchard said she's trying to find a lawyer and figure out how they can get back to the Island for the court appearance. Air Canada is the only airline to fly into Prince Edward Island regularly.
If the man were a New Yorker, I would assume that the question was asked with a tone of sarcasm (as in "How exactly are we going to fit a bomb in a 2" by 3" purse, and why are you snooping through my wife's change?") On the basis of his reaction, however, it appears that he was asking an entirely innocuous question about security procedures, or perhaps trying to make a joke. Unfortunately, no one takes himself quite so seriously as a petty bureaucrat. What a power rush these minimum wage cretins must get from being able to order the arrest of their betters.
Zero Tolerance (aka Zero Common Sense) rears its ugly head once more.
Another addition for the absurdity file.
Criminally stupid? An 81 year old man probably doesn't even know that there are now english words that are politically incorrect. The only criminally stupid individuals here are the supposed security proffesional that couldn't tell their butt from their elbow, let alone find a bomb.
Well said my friend. Excellent profile also :)
I, for one, refuse to be forced into always having to say ".. a really, really, really lousy movie."
Can we coin a new phrase since "bomb" has been outlawed?
South Park is no joke, when the cop walks around without pants and says sorry when he bumps into a criminal beating on grandma to death on the street, we have a real representation of how retarded the world has become. The so called elite finds even value in Larry Flint ... so go figure where reality is in those people's minds. They are like retards.
'Retard' is also on the PC list of sacred "Evil" utterances.
I believe the correct term is 'Mentally Disabled',
No..it's 'Mentally Challenged'...no,
Hmmm...'Special', that's it 'Special'.
I also feel "safer" knowing that we are protected by these 'Special' folk.
I believe the proper term is "differently abled".
"I feel "safer" knowing that we are protected by these 'differently abled' folk."
I have updated my list of sacred "Evil" utterances to reflect the latest changes.
My Dad is 80 years old and a WWII Vet. he still calls fly spray "bug bomb" or just "bomb" (An expression from WWII). I'm glad he doesen't fly much anymore (he used to carry fly spray in his luggage when he went to Florida)
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