Posted on 11/19/2001 11:43:39 AM PST by 11th Earl of Mar
Edited on 09/03/2002 4:49:34 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
ATLANTA -- A man who dashed through a security checkpoint at the nation's busiest airport, forcing officials to halt flights and evacuate passengers, will not face federal charges, prosecutors said Monday.
Michael Lasseter did not violate any federal laws because he did not board an airplane, and because the screening station guards are not federal agents, said Patrick Crosby, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
No thanks. If I beleive that federal regulations were the supreme authority on right and wrong I would be a liberal.
I give a sigh of relief whenever a home invader or stick-up man is killed; it saves us the bother of a trial.Same thing goes for carjackers, hi-jackers, and sea pirates. Since the Sept 11 terrorists wanted , and needed, control of the planes to use them as weapons, it seems to me an armed aircrew could have stopped the event.I have much less problem with sky marshalls than the idea of everyone is a criminal until proven innocent.
Sooner or later, body cavity and strip searches will be "just part of the NORMAL security checks".
Congress cant pass a stupidity law, since too many Presidents and Congressmen would have to be arrested.
:0(
Good example: If you'll note, only the most serious of traffic offenses are actually classified as crime. The specific charge of "failure to follow traffic signs" is one that "speeding" often gets converted to.
To be acting in a "criminal" manner, by traditional definition, one must be doing something that is actually wrong, not merely incorrect.
as for the illegal remark...well, my dad can whip your dad!
Some of the suggestions in the past few months to combat an attack similar to 911 have ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous and have centered on the idea that the same type of attack will be repeated. IMHO, terrorist organizations are successful - in terms of the violence they cause, not they fact that they change anything (they never succeed) - because they do the unexpected. I suspect the next attack will blindside us again, and the only prevention is a heightened state of awareness and sense of urgency by everyone in this free republic.
Typical yuppie attitude....he didn't want to stand in a long line.......he is getting off too easy...and probably will be the subject of a civil suit if he has any assets.....of course with his attitude of entitlement he is probably living beyond his means and everything is on the credit card. Another irresponsible man-child.
You did read the first part...where he'd already been through security?
He'd been through security, and didn't want to go through the hassle again. Actually some of the articles imply that he security people knew whether or not he actually went out to an unsecure area, or whether he just tried to do a U-turn in an exit area to avaoid going through the long lines.
Regardless, sane definitions of "criminal" mean more than simply violating bureaucratic rules. It means doing something that is actually wrong. Smack him for what he did, not for what others did.
1. You misread what I said. I was not citing that regulation as being liberal. I was simply stating that the existence of some regulation does not concern me when debating whether or not the airport response was appropriate. So maybe the did it according to that regulation, fine. Then the regulation stinks. If we proceed the way that we are proceeding, we are doomed. One could never do what he did at Heathrow. If it is important that someone not go in an area, beleive me, you can't get there. Sure, the guy knew he as going the wrong way down an escalator, but that does not mean that he knew he was bypassing security, he probably just thought that the down escalator was someplace else. If the kind of response that happened in Atlanta is nationwide policy, then I will never fly anywhere for fear of being stuck in an airport. And, I'm not the only one. If the airports can be closed down because some guy can go the wrong way down an escalator, then it is hopeless, and the airline industry is dead.
2. Nixon was a liberal. If Clinton did what he did - price controls, expanding welfare, affirmative action - we on FR would be outraged.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.