NEWS
Monday, October 20, 2003
A college student has been charged for carrying forbidden weapons and materials onto commercial airliners to show how weak the security measures actually are. The box cutters he had left on a Southwest aircraft were discovered nearly five weeks after they were placed there. I think this backs up my theory that most airline security is an elaborate ruse to make us feel safe. This from Reuters:"... Investigators say Heatwole put the items on the planes on September 12 and 14 -- over a month before they were found and just days after the two-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks in which hijackers used box cutters as weapons.
On four earlier occasions he also carried weapons onto planes, an official complaint stated, noting that on two of those occasions he left items on the planes which were found while the other two times he took the items away with him.
An affidavit from FBI bomb technician Eric Morefield suggested Heatwole's personal beliefs were behind his actions. Most Quakers are pacifists and some have been known for their acts of civil disobedience.
"(Heatwole)...stated that he was aware that his actions were against the law and that he was aware of the potential consequences for his actions and that his actions were 'an act of civil disobedience with the aim of improving public safety for the air-travelling public,'" Morefield wrote." ...
Posted by Rob at 9:31 PM
