What does everyone think about this? This kid is facing up to ten years in prison for a crime that has no victims except for the pride of the Transportation Security Agency. Look what Stephen McHale of the TSA said:
"Amateur testing of our systems do not show us in any way our flaws," McHale said. "We know where the vulnerabilities are and we are testing them ... This does not help."
Can you believe the nerve of this guy? This kid tries to show the airlines that their security is flawed and they decide to try to throw him in prison and dismiss his efforts as useless? I hate to break it to you guys at the TSA, but you have to test potential users of the system in order to check for security holes. Apparently they seem to think that TSA staff can work out all the bugs when aparently they aren't collectively as creative as a single college student.
I just don't know what to make of this. This kid claims he was comitting "Civil Disobedience", which I guess I can buy seeing as the lives of the people who use airlines are in the hands of our government.
The kid knew those weapons were banned and banned for a reason. Testing or not he deliberately broke the law and now he damn well ought to suffer the full consequences of the law for what he did. It's the same as with so called white hat hackers; they break the law and they suffer the consequences. If the kid was really concerned about it he should have alerted them not pulled this stunt. It's his own fucking fault if he winds up in prisons.
Airline security is a joke, they just don't want you to know that. So it's not suprising that the kid got whacked with charges for doing what he did (which was mighty stupid of the kid BTW). Don't dick with airline security, they're not known for their sense of humour, especially when they get embarrassed as a result. Yes it was a harmless prank and the authorities reacted badly, but what the hell did the kid expect, a fucking medal and $10,000 for a job well done? It doesn't work like that.
aerius: I'll vote for you if you sleep with me. Lusankya: Deal!
Say, do you want it to be a threesome with your wife? Or a foursome with your wife and sister-in-law? I'm up for either.
aerius wrote:Airline security is a joke, they just don't want you to know that. So it's not suprising that the kid got whacked with charges for doing what he did (which was mighty stupid of the kid BTW). Don't dick with airline security, they're not known for their sense of humour, especially when they get embarrassed as a result. Yes it was a harmless prank and the authorities reacted badly, but what the hell did the kid expect, a fucking medal and $10,000 for a job well done? It doesn't work like that.
I think he expected them to be furious with him, but I really doubt that he excpected them to bring him up on charges. He fully coperated with the TSA and told them about the stuff he placed on board. Doesn't it scare anyone that it took them three weeks to even find it?
Stormbringer wrote:
The kid knew those weapons were banned and banned for a reason. Testing or not he deliberately broke the law and now he damn well ought to suffer the full consequences of the law for what he did. It's the same as with so called white hat hackers; they break the law and they suffer the consequences. If the kid was really concerned about it he should have alerted them not pulled this stunt. It's his own fucking fault if he winds up in prisons.
He should have alerted them? By doing what he did he gained worldwide media attention on the security flaws of the system. Do you think a college student could have done so without doing what he did? Not saying he was right, but I understand what he did.
The Kernel wrote:He should have alerted them? By doing what he did he gained worldwide media attention on the security flaws of the system. Do you think a college student could have done so without doing what he did? Not saying he was right, but I understand what he did.
If he wanted to stay out of jail then that's what he should have done; taken it public and pushed the issue if need be.
Instead he took illegal action and now will suffer the consequences. Whatever his motives are he took the actions. Civil disobedience (if that's why he really did it) carries with it a price. The fact is he committed the crime and now he'll do the time.
In cases like this, where it may take an illegal action to bring public notice on such a situation, and you think it's important to do, you should be willing to accept the consequences.
neoolong wrote:In cases like this, where it may take an illegal action to bring public notice on such a situation, and you think it's important to do, you should be willing to accept the consequences.
It said around the end of the article that he knew the consequences of what he was doing, so he must very well have already accepted it.
Here wrote:"The e-mail author also stated that he was aware 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-traveling public,'" the affidavit said.
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season."
neoolong wrote:In cases like this, where it may take an illegal action to bring public notice on such a situation, and you think it's important to do, you should be willing to accept the consequences.
It said around the end of the article that he knew the consequences of what he was doing, so he must very well have already accepted it.
Here wrote:"The e-mail author also stated that he was aware 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-traveling public,'" the affidavit said.
I know. I just meant in general.
In response to those saying that people doing stuff like this expect not to be punished.
He should've just brought on modeling clay shaped as plastic explosives (which he did) and/or a piece of plastic cut to the shap of a box cutter etc... not the actual items, that way he achieves the same goal but breaks no rules.
darthdavid wrote:He should've just brought on modeling clay shaped as plastic explosives (which he did) and/or a piece of plastic cut to the shap of a box cutter etc... not the actual items, that way he achieves the same goal but breaks no rules.
That's a good point, though I think it is worth mentioning that he probably wouldn't have gotten caught if he hadn't told the TSA who he was and what he did.
What does everyone think about this? This kid is facing up to ten years in prison for a crime that has no victims except for the pride of the Transportation Security Agency. Look what Stephen McHale of the TSA said:
"Amateur testing of our systems do not show us in any way our flaws," McHale said. "We know where the vulnerabilities are and we are testing them ... This does not help."
Can you believe the nerve of this guy? This kid tries to show the airlines that their security is flawed and they decide to try to throw him in prison and dismiss his efforts as useless? I hate to break it to you guys at the TSA, but you have to test potential users of the system in order to check for security holes. Apparently they seem to think that TSA staff can work out all the bugs when aparently they aren't collectively as creative as a single college student.
I just don't know what to make of this. This kid claims he was comitting "Civil Disobedience", which I guess I can buy seeing as the lives of the people who use airlines are in the hands of our government.
*Sigh*, what do the rest of you think about this?
I'm sorry, but honestly, the kid deserves to be locked up in prison with a big man named Bubba who's idea of a fun time is to play "drop the soap." I mean, sure his asinine actions may have uncovered flaws in airline security to the powers that be, but, let's face it, terrorists watch CNN too.
And really, this kid was operating on one or two neurons short of a full brain. Did he seriously think that the government would give him some sort of reward for making complete asses of them? Oh hell no, the government is going to come down on him like the proverbial ton of bricks.
And really, this kid was operating on one or two neurons short of a full brain. Did he seriously think that the government would give him some sort of reward for making complete asses of them? Oh hell no, the government is going to come down on him like the proverbial ton of bricks.
Didn't you just read the last few posts? He was well aware of the consequences and he knew he was breaking the law.~Jason
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season."
The kid was stupid for revealing his identity. He could have easily sent them a note reporting his actions; how much of a nationwide investigation are they going to put up for a guy who PRETENDED to bring terrorist devices onto a plane, just to see if he could do it?
However, the "throw the book at him" crowd is ignoring the fact that the kid's ill-conceived actions did no objective harm to anyone (and no, I'm not buying the idea that terrorists are taking notes and have become much more dangerous because of this news story, as if they never thought of trying to sneak things onto airplanes until he came along).
Yes, he broke the law, but he did so in a harmless way. This would warrant some kind of suspended sentence, not hard prison time.
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
This kid was dumb for revealing his identity but maybe he did it as a hedge against actually getting caught.
I dont think he should have the "book" thrown at him. Give him 6 months community service.
I almost but not entirely view this kid as a "whistle-blower." Don't we have a right to know our tax dollars doing to homeland security are not just a fucking dog and pony show.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think we should give this guy a medal but what he did was perfectly valid given that realistically no one in the Department of Homeland Security was going to listen to some snot-nosed college kid that found holes in their system.
DW, I don't agree that he was stupid in notifying the authorities as to his actions. He probably saw it as covering his ass against prosecution, I doubt he thought they would actually throw the book at him, and I can't honestly believe that so many people here want to see this kid go to jail for no other reason than finding a hole in the security of the planes that YOU people fly on. Maybe he saved lives by pointing this out to all of America with these actions, maybe it doesn't mean squat.
But either way, can any of you honestly say that this kid did any harm or had bad intentions with his action?
Durandal wrote:You know, there once was a time when whistle-blowing was considered every citizen's duty.
I suppose it would have been a bit much to ask that he merely alert the media or the airport or TSA about the actual flaw in security rather than placing some stuff on the airplane, then foolishly announcing it by himself?
Durandal wrote:You know, there once was a time when whistle-blowing was considered every citizen's duty.
That's socialist thinking, comrade. The needs of the many, the good of society, etc. You have forgotten that all of morality has been distilled down to the protection of individual rights and the defense of the Bush Administration.
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
