[syndicate] Re: The State of Madness (II)

[Are Flagan]

Re: 8/18/03 11:02, "Ivo Skoric" <ivo at reporters.net>:

> I think that any lawyer will have no troubles fighting that charges.
> Teen's note was clearly protected under the First Amendment, while
> the search of his bag might have been wrong under the Fourth -
> therefore his arrest should be unconstitutional and illegal (I guess
> unconstitutional and illegal is a tautology). Profanity is not a
> felony. Unreasonable search is. The note could not be understood as a
> threat, because it clearly said that there is no bomb to be found.
> This is yet another clear example of the US security apparatus
> chasing after the wrong people. Maybe those who arrested him could be
> charged with wasting the taxpayers money allocated to fight terrorism
> on frivolous arrests?!
> ivo
> 


Ivo,

I trust you caught the story of the Air France co-pilot who (I believe also
at Logan or one of the NY airports), during the pat up-and-down security
search, remarked that he had a bomb in his shoe. He was immediately whisked
off, and was apparently facing up to seven years in prison. The Port
Authority spokesman refused, when asked, to say whether the pilot was
joking. (No bomb was found.)

Problem is that this is not exactly frivolous, but a pattern echoing
throughout the US legal system where the alleged "intent" or "conspiracy,"
or any other word of the kind or to that effect, to commit an act
increasingly is punished as if the act has already been committed. Hence the
death penalty is pursued for the alleged "20th hijacker." And Ashcroft is
even trying to override the constitution in Puerto Rico so he can kill,
kill, kill. And then there's Camp X-Ray. And disappearances in Iraq. And and
and. You see, US justice is already a joke, albeit not very funny, so jokes,
or rather pretty childish pranks, like this one must be taken seriously.
Often deadly so.

Bush is like the comedian who badly bombs and the show is subsequently
propped up by canned laughter, i.e. the media discourse that presents the
Dubya & Co antics and agenda as normal. Let's see if it runs beyond 2004.


-af