I’ve said this before when one of these stories popped up: How is holding someone in an enclosed airplaine on a tarmac with no circulating air and little food or water against their will for nine hours not unlawful imprisonment? When you buy a ticket for a 4.5 hour flight, are you implicitly agreeing that you may well be held captive for 15 hours or more? If there’s a delay of more than an hour or two, you should be permitted get off the plane.
High school Students Against Drunk Driving group throws boozy party, trashes local event hall.
Utah lawmaker pushing legislation to persuade retailers to say “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays.”
Chambliss wins. GOP will have at least a filibuster-able minority. That’s a good thing. I just wish it had been someone else whose win cemented them at 41.
“Stimulate me, too, Mr. Obama!” And no, I’m not talking about Chris Matthews.
Here’s a pretty incredible op-ed by a former military interrogator in Iraq. His own story and stand on principle is moving. The reaction from the government is depressing.
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Between Too Stupid for Arby’s and the way airlines treat passengers like cattle (including restraints and cattle prods aka tasers) it’s a wonder that there are any airlines not filing for some sort of financial protection from the courts.
Given a choice between flying and walking, I’ll walk. And I don’t believe O’Bastard will make things any better.
I agree with you RE the plane debacle. I think this case was more exotic legally however, because it was an international flight bound to Canada, which was not going to stop in the U.S. Letting people off at LAX would have been a customs nightmare if it were a temporary layover.
The post opinion piece was pretty amazing, but I couldn’t help but think that someone’s going to say that he only got results because other interrogators were using torture.
Attention Utah voters, please remember the name of busy-body Chris Buttars and do not vote for him ever again. Seriously, what possible justification could he have for trying to legislate “Merry Christmas”?
RE #2
The plane was stopped over in the city of Ontario California, not in the province of Ontario Canada. Why not clear them through customs while waiting 9 hours? Would have saved them time at LAX.
Torture is wrong? Now how could we possibly have known this? Turning off the sarcasm, I’m glad this op-ed piece got written.
A good hint that you’re country is at least partly fascist: they torture people while citizens defend it.
Again, none of this would have happened if more people would ask “WWJRD?” (”What Would Jah Rastafari Do?”).
Re: The Chambliss victory: “[The] GOP will have at least a filibuster-able minority. That’s a good thing. I just wish it had been someone else whose win cemented them at 41.”
Yes, and yes.
The damage to the building in that SADD party article wasn’t caused by the students, it was caused by an epic overflow of AWESOME.
I’ve wondered what I would do if stuck on a plane like that. If you cause enough ruckus to get them to let you off, the FBI will be waiting for you. I wonder if faking a seizure would work?
WWJRD
I think I’ll go ask right now.
I think Utah just passed Florida as the state with the most hammerheads in state govt…
Watching neo-MADD and it’s affiliate groups self-destruct pleases me to no end. Damn, and all this time, I thought underage drinking was against the law.
When I was in high school, the “Just Say No” club president went to a party, huffed Freon out of a sandwich baggie, froze her lungs, and died. She was slated to be one of the top three graduates of that class. It goes to show:
1) Those clubs are nothing more than a resume spot for those striving for Ivy-league level schools and
2) If she was truly educated about drugs, she would have probably puffed on a joint instead of huffing Freon…
Just a hunch but torturing people is probably lousy pr and may not endear them to you. Also, since some would say anything to make torture stop, I’m not sure it’s all that reliable.
Can we try it on Mr. Butters?
I was only skimming the 4th story when I saw
But there is an answer — one that would protect schoolchildren in Beltsville and help get the world economy growing again. That is to focus a big part of the fiscal stimulus package being planned by President-elect Barack Obama on aid to
I honestly thought the next word was going to be “Beltsville.”
And yes, that IS a commentary on how silly this whole bailout thing has gotten.
I can see Prince Georges County becoming safer already, particularly if he pulls guys off the swat team for this duty.
As far as being held hostage on tarmac for 9 hours, I don’t know whether it is legal, but it is certainly actionable (false imprisonment). It has never happened to me, but I know enough civil law to know that I would have to inform the airline or its representative/agent that I no longer wish to be on the plane and I want to be released immediately (airlines can’t force you to use your ticket). I would also mention that the amount of time has been unreasonable and I am revoking any consent that I previously gave to being on the aircraft. Probably a fine line between doing it nicely enough to avoid the FBI and strongly enough to have a civil suit.
Ask the Pilot is a very informative column written by an airline pilot where he discusses numerous air travel related issues. He has some interesting insight on the “Passenger Bill of Rights”.
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2008/11/21/askthepilot299/index.html
“Utah lawmaker pushing legislation to persuade retailers to say ‘Merry Christmas’ instead of ‘Happy Holidays.’”
Haven’t read the article yet, but …
Legislation has nothing to do with persuasion, and has everything to do with force.
“Government is not eloquence, it is not reason — government is force.” George Washington
So, I will now read the article to see what this “legislation” is about.
RE: #3 I think characterizing it as legislation is misleading, given that he is pushing for them to pass a non-binding resolution, not a law. It’s a silly resolution, but I’m all for legislatures spending their time announcing their feelings about things instead of legislating.
Let’s have more resolutions in favor of Merry Christmas, nursing mothers, and butterflies. With many, many hours of floor debate.
Legislative time wasting is a good thing.
the guy that wrote that op-ed was interviewed on democracy now! this morning. great interview. im certainly going to get his book, as well. best thing to do would be to send a copy of his book to each congressman.
Three cheers for Matthew Alexander and writing that article and a book on the dangers of torture. I thought his article was very persuasive. He presented his reasoning well and in a polite manner.
#18 is absolutely right which is just one reason why this bill is so odious. If I want to tell the clerk Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Awesome Kwanzaa or Bah Humbug, I should be allowed to- and she should be allowed to say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or whatever else (or nothing- how cheery can people be working a physically demanding, dead end job for peanuts?) she should be allowed to as well.
Remember, they first came for the cashiers (but I didn’t speak up because I am not a cashier)……
[...] were kept on board the plane for nearly 14 hours on November 30. It was supposed to be 4.5 hours. Radley Balko asks, “How is holding someone in an enclosed airplaine on a tarmac with no circulating air and [...]
High School Students Against Drunk Driving eh?…..I wonder if I can find out when the school’s chapter of “Abstinence Until Marriage” chapter is meeting……
Utah lawmaker: idiot
http://rightklik.blogspot.com/
I have had people say to me ‘Merry Christmas!’ with that I dare you to knock this battery of my shoulder look that I have pretended to be deaf.
[...] by Iraq Interrogator Definitely, worth a read HT RB. Here’s what he said about his struggle to write about his thoughts: When I submitted the [...]
“In contrast, the federal government can and should borrow money to stimulate the economy. That’s how America got out of the Great Depression” (snip).
Really? Doesn’t anybody study history anymore?
Well, at least the drunken students were busy trashing a banquet hall and not driving.
Let’s see — drunken students trash banquet hall, and class president kills herself inhaling freon (or something). Good thing those are “victimless crimes”!
To Z re: #13 –
“Every time [a bell rings] you hear about a ‘reliable but unsubstantiated’ terror threat a[n angel] torturing interrogator gets its wings.”
To ZappaCrappa re: #24 –
Hahahahaha!
“Chambliss wins. GOP will have at least a filibuster-able minority. That’s a good thing. I just wish it had been someone else whose win cemented them at 41. ”
They don´t. Unless Obama does something very dumb that would put even Democrats against him he will face no filibuster. You don´t sustain a filibuster with numbers like that: Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter aren´t going to go along with that.
Even the most liberal judge in the world, if qualified, will be approved by the Senate.
“Buttars, R-West Jordan, wants retailers to embrace Christmas in their promotions, saying the United States is a Christian nation and ought to use the holiday’s name”
Another Republican who appreciates the wonders of the free market. Oh, wonder why he wouldn’t name the co-sponsors of his little bill. Could they be the father, son and holy ghost? Tee hee.