There ought to be a color coded system to measure the paranoia/stupidity

[flordehinojos]

levels that the Bush administration is subjecting this country to.

Screeners at Ft. Lauderdale Airport arrest 79 year old woman
after they find,

"an antique, single-shot handgun, no more than six inches long, with a vanilla-colored handle and a stubby silver barrel. Next to the unloaded gun, on the same red velvet pillow, were seven .22 caliber bullets." (snip)

"Anderson, who had no state criminal record, with carrying a concealed weapon, a third-degree felony. She was booked at the Broward County main jail and released Tuesday afternoon on $1,000 bond." (snip)


"Anderson told deputies and screeners the gun belonged to her late husband, and when she moved to her daughter's house, she forgot she had stuffed it in her tote bag, said Deputy Joy Farrow, who arrested Anderson." (snip)

"There is no tolerance for firearms," Farrow said. "Age doesn't matter."
link to story,

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-sairport24nov24,0,1488208.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[realisticphish]

1. its a perfectly dangerous gun

i see no problem with stopping her. its a gun, thats it, no questions asked. i agree its probably too much, but still, where's the line?

:hippie: The Incorrigbile Democrat

[Journeyman]

2. For security personnel and police, there is no "line". . .

they need to even-handedly enforce the law as they perceive it. Other than treating this woman with as much respect as possible, and making such allowances for her age and health as are needed, law enforcement has to enforce the laws. Compassion and mercy are the province of the courts.

[realisticphish]

3. well said nt

[flordehinojos]

4. one thing is "stopping" her ,,, another thing is ARRESTING HER

which they did ... a woman who has never been in trouble with the law. An antique gun that was owned by her husband (who, i believe, died) and a gun that she forgot was there.

There is such a thing as jumping the gun. There is such a thing as using GOOD JUDGEMENT which would allow people to differentiate between a hardened criminal and a 70 year old woman with no prior criminal record.

When are WE going to hold POPPY BUSH AND JUNIOR ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR CRIMES?

[CrispyQ]

5. Didn't some congressman try to board a plane with a gun in his

briefcase recently? Was he arrested?

[flordehinojos]

6. Good question. I don't know the answer but it sort of rings something in

the back of my head... and also, EDWARD KENNEDY was stopped from boarding a plane BECAUSE HOMELAND SECURITY COULD NOT CONFIRM THAT HE WAS EDWARD KENNEDY!!!!!! Now, that tops the chart of STUPIDITY!

[realisticphish]

10. If we are really

going to take "homeland security" seriously, we have to understand that there can be no exceptions. Of COURSE logic says that she's harmless. But as an immediate action, arrest is the ONLY acceptable action. Dropping charges? I can easily see that. But if you are trying to stop terrorists, you must understand that they will try to not use people who fit into the stereotypes. Age, gender, race, none of it should be used to absolve someone. She broke the law, though of course unintentionally, and that's that. Like I said, i think extremely reduced sentencing, or charge dropping is warented. But I think they took the only correct action they could really take. and antique guns kill jsut as easily as brand new ones

:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[flordehinojos]

11. She is still being scapegoated and we have become a scapegoating

society.

[President Jesus]

7. oh. i thought this was going to be an article about how to many on this..

..board the US = Nazi Germany, and that modern liberals are the equivalent of European Jews in the 30s.

Now that's paranoid and stupid.

[ekhunter]

8. age should not matter. laws need to be followed.

[flordehinojos]

9. why are we then not following the law and indicting the bush goons for

war crimes against humanity, or for stealing our elections X 2? Or, is it that station and power make the difference in whether or not real criminals get prosecuted while little old ladies get SCAPEGOATED UPON?!!!!!!!!

[rustydog]

12. We do, they are called "Red States"