Re: What are the little things that would give ETs amongst us away?

Michael Ash wrote:

Nobody knows the motivation of a random stranger sitting in a restaurant either. And in fact it's vastly easier for that random restaurant stranger to kill you than for a random aircraft passenger to do the same. Not only easier, but more likely. So why is it _stupid_ not to become alarmed by such a comment, when the chances of it being a true threat are vastly less than my chances of being hit by lightning?

Given the post-9/11 world that we live in, I suspect someone acting suspiciously and talking about dying in thirty minutes at a restaurant that was overheard would also find themselves in an uncomfortable situation rather quickly.

That airplane security is the biggest hot-button issue doesn't mean that the principle doesn't apply elsewhere.

The current test for free speech in the United States is causing "imminent lawless action". This is why inciting a riot is illegal. I don't know how the theater example would stand. Talking about a bomb (as opposed to encouraging people to set one off) would not be illegal under this test as I understand it.

But apparently the constitution goes out the window when air travel is involved, as I have personally witnessed repeatedly.

Being put into custody and interviewed after doing something suspicious like we're discussing here is not the same thing as being convicted of a crime, so questions of illegality are largely moot. I'm not even talking about people convicted of crimes; I'm talking about people facing unpleasant consequences for their (foolish) actions. If you equate the two things then that _is_ the ultimate example of taking the Constitution to be a suicide pact.

If some jerks are making jokes about dying in thirty minutes on an airplane, they're going to end up having a very bad day. That doesn't mean that they will be convicted of a crime for it.

--
Erik Max Francis && max@xxxxxxxxxxx && http://www.alcyone.com/max/
San Jose, CA, USA && 37 20 N 121 53 W && AIM erikmaxfrancis
Little things / Cut like knives / Hurt and sting
-- Anggun
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