Comments on: Artist arrested at Oakland airport for wearing ornate watch

By: Crissa

Crissa — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 23:31:00 +0000

Satire that is indistinguishable from what it is supposedly mocking is not very biting.

By: Crissa

Crissa — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 23:30:00 +0000

Yes, all those plans so far have failed.

The idea of putting more security on airline pilots than those who pay more? Not really a great idea.

By: Guest

Guest — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:12:00 +0000

This whole anti-terrorism business seems to create quite a pressure for conformity in behavior and appearance, if not expression. Duh!

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

How sure are you that you weren’t the only one?

To me it’s not about accidentally offending someone, it’s the minimizing of their opinion thats odious.

Smell it yet?

You’re no andy kauffman,

By: switcha

switcha — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:58:00 +0000

“perennial toolbag”? That judgement pendulum sure swings to the other side easily, doesn’t it.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:56:00 +0000

you’d think. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registered_Traveler

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:42:00 +0000

Jeez, was he wearing it around his thigh? It looks huge.

By: mattdidthat

mattdidthat — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:06:00 +0000

Updates: All the charges have been dropped. The Mercury News has published a photo of the watch in question. McGann's attorney says his client has traveled with the watch before and has never previously been arrested. In fact, Horngrad said the first time McGann traveled with the watch, he showed it to a TSA supervisor at Los Angeles International Airport and the supervisor told him it was OK to wear it on the plane. Sgt. J.D. Nelson, an overwrought and overpaid sheriff's department lackey, said McGann had no explosive material, but Nelson said the items had to be taken seriously, asking in a shaky voice and trembling with terrornoia, "What reasonable person would take those items into an airport in this day and age?"

By: dethbird

dethbird — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:38:00 +0000

It’s the artist’s fault. An artist should be aware of his/her surroundings and thus this one should have known he would be travelling through the manhandling paws of these illiterate oafs with too much authority. The artist should have disguised himself as the perennial toolbag: Dockers, button down, nondescript shoes, and a complete lack of soul as far as you can look into those dead eyes.

By: Dennis Smith

Dennis Smith — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:35:00 +0000

True!

By: Nathan Hornby

Nathan Hornby — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:23:00 +0000

Except for “Fox is not news”.

By: dragonfrog

dragonfrog — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:01:00 +0000

I was able to draw the distinction it just fine. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.

Satire that 100% of the audience understands as satire is generally not very biting satire – it’s better if it’s close enough to the thing it satirizes that a minority of the audience might miss the fact it’s satire.

By: Dennis Smith

Dennis Smith — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:38:00 +0000

Those 2 things are not the same thing. Fox and News cannot appear in the same sentence, just not possible.

By: Crissa

Crissa — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:31:00 +0000

Jokes that are indistinguishable from a common opinion are not jokes.

By: Crissa

Crissa — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:28:00 +0000

It’s stupid. If I wrap my wires nicely, they don’t bother it; if a wrap comes loose, they inspect it.

Apparently this means all bomb makers need to be OCD.

By: Crissa

Crissa — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:27:00 +0000

Not much with the TSA.

By: Crissa

Crissa — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:04:00 +0000

This is another:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bojinka_plot
Still, though, everyone carries watches, phones, etc that could be used to detonate a bomb. It’s as ridiculous as calling water a drug paraphernalia.

By: $8357570

$8357570 — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:55:00 +0000

those evil timing devices! What’s next, showing up at boarding BEFORE it starts? maybe something like *puts pinkey towards lips* 1 million milliseconds before boarding!?
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.

/facepalm

By: zeppelinrider

zeppelinrider — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:08:00 +0000

Until they show us a picture of the watch, there’s no telling what’s going on.

Ill-fitting shoes are common. I’ve known people with shoe fitting issues to customize insoles & shoe padding to deal with conditions like bunions and bone spurs.

The shirt is not that unusual either, I can imagine someone wearing something like that just because they like the way it looks and the price was right at the Army-Navy store.

Suspicious? Maybe. But remember, the charge was having bomb-making materials. That’s not the shirt, that’s not his shoes.

By: Lurking_Grue

Lurking_Grue — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:44:00 +0000

The war on tourism continues.

By: Lurking_Grue

Lurking_Grue — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:43:00 +0000

No shit, What with those little hands and little eyes I bet they walk around tellin’ great big lies.

By: Lurking_Grue

Lurking_Grue — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:41:00 +0000

Never forget.

By: Lurking_Grue

Lurking_Grue — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:39:00 +0000

Hollywood and narrative shorthands.

By: Lurking_Grue

Lurking_Grue — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:38:00 +0000

Yes, but he is rich. That gives him some leeway.

By: Lurking_Grue

Lurking_Grue — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:36:00 +0000

I wonder if it was a nixie tube watch.

By: donovan acree

donovan acree — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:55:00 +0000

^This

By: Dan Huby

Dan Huby — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:43:00 +0000

At there’s least one measured, sensible comment. Everyone else seems too keen to leap to assumptions.

By: Dan Huby

Dan Huby — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:42:00 +0000

Bad summary. It wasn’t just an ornate watch, it was an “ornate watch that had switches, wires and fuses”….i.e. looking rather suspect. Combined with all the in-soles, it looks like he was out to make a statement.

By: DreamboatSkanky

DreamboatSkanky — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:41:00 +0000

Credit where credit is due, now: He didn’t “get the MacGuyver full-series box set.” He made the MacGuyver full-series box set from a pack of bologna, a gem clip, and some toaster scrapings.

By: scav

scav — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:42:00 +0000

Well, he could still be incarcerated IF he is found guilty of an actual crime. That has to get past a judge (who is educated and experienced in the law) and a jury (who know bullshit when they smell it).

No explosives = no “materials for making an explosive device”. Otherwise basically any container or any electronic components whatsoever would have to be illegal as such. That’s absurd and a judge won’t buy it. I don’t even think a prosecutor (or DA or whatever you call them) will.
Sucks to be him though. I don’t think I could rustle up £100,000 for bail if it happened to me.