Samantha Marson & America's Blatant Paranoia and Cocksuckery

More story here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/shropshire/3415525.stm

I assume that she won't get jail time, let alone 15 years of it. But she is being made a scaaary example of so's to stop people doing this again.

But then again, what a dumbass for making that kind of a joke.

That said, my brother tried this once when he was about 12. We were coming back from South Africa (you want to talk high security) and they asked him if he had been given anything, and he made a crack about being given an alarm clock by an Arab gentlemen. They hauled him off and searched his bags and nearly made us miss our plane. But he never did it again.

But even at the worst, someone saying something stupid about a bag on a flight to Dublin would never have been in danger of jail sentences?

Not the same nowadays, huh?

Imagine the smartarse that thinks he's funny. And that's the 10th one today.

Now imagine having the powers that Customs people have.

Mmmmmmmm Power corrupts....

There is an apocryphal story abt. what happened to a punka who wore a Dead Kennedys shirt in Logan Airport. It warn't purdy.

CUSTOMS INSPECTOR: Do you have anything to declare?

WILDE: I have nothing to declare but my genius!

CUSTOMS INSPECTOR: This genius you speak of… is it the evil sort that tyrannical dictators possess?

WILDE (amused): The only difference between saints and sinners is that every saint has a past while every sinner has a future.

CUSTOMS INSPECTOR: Imprisonment with hard labour for you, Mr Smartass. Take ’im away, boys!

WILDE: Ugh… not again.

Do US customs really imagine any terrorist worth their salt to blab in front of them? Don’t they know that it is only your true friends that stab you in the front?

I'm actually surprised this response didn't come from Momus.

reputedly when B&S were asked were they carrying any lethal weapons onto a flight to the USA, Chris Geddes replied "Only my bare hands".

They were then cut off.

So then we had to leave security to go to the main terminal and request to be put on standby for the next flight. When we went back through security, I didn't take off my boots because they didn't set off the alarm the first time. They're not allowed to require you to take them off; I looked it up before we left. The security guy stood in front of me and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT I TAKE THEM OFF even after I told him that I knew they wouldn't set them off. No choice about it really, so I have to hold up the line unlacing my boots. Bah. You just can't let it get you down.

now, i just unlace & toss them into the machine beforehand.

shouldnt this be changed to "listen airport security"

She wasn't arrested for satire, she was arrested for threatening terrorism. TSA officials are notoriously literally-minded. Making jokes about carrying bombs onto planes in the US is a famous no-no.

Criminal arrest was disproportionate to the offense, I totally agree, but she's a ninny, not a martyr, self-righteous, ham-fisted harangues notwithstanding.

Not being locked up for no good reason *is* a right though.

This British guy walks into an American bank and approaches the teller. The Brit says "Gimme all the money in the safe; I've got a gun!!" The teller presses the alarm and notifies the police.

Yeah ... it isn't funny. Just get off your fucking highhorse and get on the plane already, hmm? Hate Bush all you want but this situation is so ridiculous...

What kind of retard would say they have a bomb at the airport? They evacuate the LAX terminals for less these days, so it's not exactly a victimless "crime". I'm glad she served the time she did and hope she gets a big fat fine.

The difference here is that Miss Marson, unlike the Brit in your charming anecdote, wasn’t masquerade as a terrorist, per se, as I doubt many terrorists inform customs they’re carrying explosives; instead, she made a sarcastic remark; and also there’s the point that the Brit had a criminal motive for lying: to acquire money illegally, while Marson’s only motive was derision, mockery, contempt.

What kind of retard would say they have a bomb at the airport? They evacuate the LAX terminals for less these days.

I think you must keep in mind that she didn't just say she had a bomb, she joked she had a bomb. There's an intrinsic distinction. I'm not saying she's was right to partake in such a hoax, but it isn’t the word "bomb" that kills people.

Her kind of self-absorbed, inconsiderate and "jokey" stupidity really sets me off. She deserves an eternal dirty look from everyone; making her a pariah and driving her mad.

Joking about weapons at the airport has been a federal crime for many years, long before September 11th. There are big signs at the metal detectors that warn you against it, but maybe this girl couldn't read.

xpost I almost got a little jar of "moonshine jelly" from the airport gift shop but quickly recovered my senses.

My first line makes no sense any more :(

This reminds me something the much-lamented, great (British comedian, for US-folk) Bob Monkhouse once said:

http://www.dulwich.org.uk/history/images/feat_monkhouse_pic1.jpg

My friends laughed when I said I was going to be a comedian when I grew-up... They’re not laughing now.

Boom-TISH!

xpost On Hooters Air I bet you can.

It will presumably be mandatory soon enough. Shirts are deadly weapons, don’t you know?

WHY WAS I BORN SO LATE

Haha I was thinking about this earlier today, do you know I still remember the first thing you said to me?

I also demand OVERALLS down South.

I thought you meant Dunnville.

We said no.

xpost don't you have something better to do than post 1st semester philosophical Orwellian rantings?

WTF? Then the terrorists will be subjected to the same checks as everyone else, LIKE THEY ARE NOW

Why have three people seperately made the point above? It's not exactly rocket science.

A few years ago an american violinist was detained and questioned at heathrow for 24 hours when he jokingly claimed -once- that his violin case had a sub machine gun in it. I think he was fined.

the fact that this girl said it three times, though? jesus, hard to sympathise, really!

Stupid Joke repeated to three separate people = Off the plane and 3 days in chokey. Sounds fair enough.

Stupid joke to one person retracted immediately = stringent search and funny look but on plane.

SJ 1P xRet = stringent search with body cavity optional extra and off plane.

Right, put it on the statute book.

To me, it's more about the rights of those in authority after TTEOSE over the average citizen; this maybe because there's a good article on this in the current LRB which has put it in my mind.

xpost the instance i was talking about, it was definitely a violinist flying to chicago - I saw it on a reality tv airport show!

it is ART and although the intent of the artist is interesting to know at times, it is ultimately the interpretation of the audience which matters.

Well, that hypothesis isn’t exactly being proven with Miss Marson’s case, is it?… or, indeed, with that violin chap you spoke of. It certainly doesn’t give the impression of being a cause and effect matter.

Stupid Joke repeated to three separate people

You make it sound like she stalked about the airport, a malevolent grin on her face, notifing three entirely unrelated people, “I’ve got a bomb.” This is not how it happened at all. She was merely asked to repeat herself and for some perturbing reason kept up the pretence.

This thread is interesting, albeit a bot bonkers in places. Hatcher refers to "us brits" at least once, but I am a "brit" and I don't feel much common ground w/hatcher's viewpoints as expressed here.

It’s true that I did use that term once, but only in response to a comment made by dean!:

Maybe we should just train our airport staff in appreciating that dry British humor we've all heard so much about...

When dean! later commented that

This was meant to be incredibly sarcastic.

I countered with
Why don’t you leave the sarcasm to us Brits, eh?

making allusion to Miss Marson’s evident sarcasm-fetish. I don’t see how I’m implying I speak for all of Britain with that phrase. I appreciate that we all have differing opinions. Perhaps as a substitute to trying to make me out as some class of British patriot, you could give your own view on the matter?

I’m sorry but of course it matters if she meant her comments as a joke or not. It deems whether she intended to seriously alarm people and cause commotion or not, and thus whether she committed the crime of “false report” or not.

it is ART and although the intent of the artist is interesting to know at times, it is ultimately the interpretation of the audience which matters.

I consider it to be more Miss Marson’s intentions which matter. It is from her intentions that we can determine whether this whole situation was a mix-up or not.

Take him away boys!

According to the BBC, she grew up in Poland. So, it was that legendarily bleak, matter-of-fact Polish sense of humour that got her into trouble.

On what grounds do you derive Mr. Hatcher's having an Englsih accent from his being British? Surely, he could be Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish. Presumptuousness abounds on this thread.

Offical: And what is your occupation, sir?
Izzard: I'm a comedian.
Official: We got ourselves a comedian here. So, what is your actual occupation, sir?
Izzard: I'm a comedian.
Official: We got ourselves a comedian here. So, what is your actual occupation, sir?
Izzard: Fine. I'm a stripper.
Official: Can I touch your boob?

"Ive got a bomb, me like"

and here we go again...

"And next on "I've got a bomb in my luggage, Get me onto the news now" we have...

never drinking again 8<

RIP fattey girl w/hoop earrings and HI-larious, yet inappropriate, sense of humo(u)r