Comments on: Charges dropped against man arrested for wearing an elaborate wristwatch

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:12:00 +0000

terrorists are more likely to scare you until you jump at anything different, thus destroying the very thing that makes us strong.

By: Tynam

Tynam — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:12:00 +0000

(reply to Colin; hit thread limit)

They *could*, but it’s great if they do. If terrorists are going as far as reverse reverse psychology in order to use an especially conspicuous tool when an unremarkable one would do, you’ve already won.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:10:00 +0000

@elusis:disqus – the mistake wasn’t thinking it looked suspicious. The mistake was arresting him after determining it was not a bomb. Pretty sure police make >10 an hour, and made a mistake. My evidence is his being released without charge, but with his watch.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:07:00 +0000

correct, it is the one that looks like a setpiece to a low budget TV melodrama about terrorism.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:06:00 +0000

Perhaps I was talking to kindablue, who states: “TSA arrests him.”

apology accepted.

By: Callie

Callie — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:04:00 +0000

this.

By: Mark Lee McDonald

Mark Lee McDonald — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:53:00 +0000

allenmcbride / acerplatanoides
It’s not that great a cognitive leap — both are instances of abusing ones power over another. At any rate, the point I was getting at was the “blame the victim” mentality reflected by commenters like Jim Saul. But hey, reading comprehension is hard.

By: BlackPanda

BlackPanda — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:25:00 +0000

About a decade ago, I used to work for an insurance company which for some reason received regular bomb threats. If I recall correctly, one of the evacuations I took part in was triggered by someone mailing what I believe turned out to be an otherwise empty box with some trailing wires glued to it, to the post room.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:23:00 +0000

and if -you- read the article, you would see that they determined using their training and equipment that it was not a bomb…..

……before detaining him and then dropping all charges.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:23:00 +0000

Holy crap, your last name is the same as a terrorist.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:21:00 +0000

What kind of ass is the average American today? The only thing this guy did wrong was fail to account for Osama winning.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:20:00 +0000

"It was the Alameda Co Sheriff's office who arrested him, not the TSA." And it was the same department who released him without charge, because he did nothing wrong.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:18:00 +0000

If you found that, say, hooked up to the inside of your mailbox or attached to the gas tank of your car, you wouldn’t think it looked like it might be dangerous?

Your context implies trespass. That’s not what he did. What he did was wear an edgy watch, in a place where he was told it was okay, and get harassed for it .

And no, aside from that, I wouldn’t think it was dangerous per se, no more than an other time I’ve encountered people sabotaging my personal vehicle. Thank you for asking. I guess I’m the sort who notices the sky, is not in fact, falling.

By: Sarah Tillman

Sarah Tillman — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:15:00 +0000

Even if it doesn’t look like a bomb to trained experts, there will be people whose first reaction is to think it’s a bomb. If that watch goes on an airplane and gets spotted by one of those people, panic ensues. Even if the watch is technically harmless, I can see why it might not be such a good idea to bring it on a plane.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:14:00 +0000

Just because it’s equally repellant doesn’t make it the same. Because Hitler.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:12:00 +0000

But he didn’t shout bomb. That’s a seemingly false equivalence, based solely on the evidence of his release without charge.

But, someones amygdala did shout bomb. Probably a lot of people.

When fear overrides reason, that’s no way to run a free country.

Oh, good, they checked. And it was not a bomb. Phew.

But they arrested him ANYWAYS, and then released him.

Is the over-firing of someone elses amygdala now MY sole responsibility? That’s just no way to run a free country.

Also, what @gryphGlyph just said

By: Mark_Frauenfelder

Mark_Frauenfelder — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:08:00 +0000

Was that a non-returnable bond payment? If so, yikes!

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:02:00 +0000

If you had waited to see, what are the chances I would object to you not doing that?

By: Navin_Johnson

Navin_Johnson — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:01:00 +0000

It’s the one at the bottom, not the one with the toys on it, as the UPDATE mentions.

By: scav

scav — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:57:00 +0000

Wait what? Jail time, really? Listen, he wasn’t arrested for attempting to cause a fake bomb scare. He was arrested for possession of materials to make an explosive device. But he wasn’t carrying any explosives, which to my limited engineering knowledge would be the bare minimum for such a plan.

It was fine for them to query it, fine for them to double-check it, fine for them to perhaps refuse that he take it on the plane if they were really scared of it. _Maybe_.

But not fine to ARREST him and JAIL him on a bogus charge that they subsequently dropped after VERY minimal investigation. Because it was clearly bullshit all along.

But yeah, by all means *imagine* if HE had been the one to cause a ridiculous scare and waste everyone’s time. Then he would indeed have been the bad guy here. I just don’t think that “imagining if he did something” is a reasonable substitute for due process.

By: Hamed Abdul

Hamed Abdul — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:31:00 +0000

Holy crap! That looks like a bomb!!!

By: Hanglyman

Hanglyman — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:30:00 +0000

I think with only one or two small modifications (one of which is just changing “TSA” to “police”), my point still stands.

By: Brett Myers

Brett Myers — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:25:00 +0000

Perhaps you think the TSA arrested him?

By: Brett Myers

Brett Myers — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:22:00 +0000

It was the Alameda Co Sheriff’s office who arrested him, not the TSA.

By: Brett Myers

Brett Myers — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:19:00 +0000

I think the police arrested him, not the TSA.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:18:00 +0000

Have you read this thread? WE are out to get US.

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:17:00 +0000

what can we expect for 8.1 billion a year?

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:16:00 +0000

“Do you really think for a moment he didn’t realize that he was pushing things here?”

Wha? No. Nor do I care. It’s his right. That’s not up for popular vote.

By: Brett Myers

Brett Myers — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:14:00 +0000

Not even *remotely* like a dangerous device? If you found that, say, hooked up to the inside of your mailbox or attached to the gas tank of your car, you wouldn’t think it looked like it might be dangerous?

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:13:00 +0000

I’m glad you think I am mighty. It’s a real sign of a good argument when you attack the person holding the opinion. Yeah. ad hominem, google it.

does any action ever rise to the level of “too stupid and what did you think would happen?”

I believe there should be different standards for when the government is involved. Does not mean there ARE such standards, but the idea, as posed by the founders of the nation, is that there would be.

If it seemed I was ignoring your questions it was because I can’t disagree with you about your point, but your point was preeeeeety far away from mine. And not, as far as I can see, related.