Politically Incorrect Lapel Button Gets Passenger Kicked off Plane

Via Dave Farber’s mail list, John Gilmore tells how British Air took him off a plane for wearing a political button, at least one expressing the wrong sentiments, in the opinion of the staff.

Another victory for Western civilization in the fight against people who, as Bush has put it so well, “hate freedom.”

Comments


Posted by: Jim Hillhouse on July 21, 2003 12:03 PM

Ok, I appreciate the Right of free speech. As a pilot, I also respect the rights of a craft’s captain, which traditionally have been broad. Yes, an airliner may be a common carrier to some extent. But at the end of the day, the command authority of an airline captain is going to rule.

Free speech should be protected. But those who practice it should also work with a bit of common sense. Just as you cannot yell, “Fire!” in a crowded theater, carrying a button that says, “Suspected Terrorist” on an airplane is certainly in bad taste and worse.

Causing the delay of a flight to make a political statement is, to me, rude. If you effect yourself, fine. But when the captain of an airliner give a passenger an order, generally the passenger has to follow it. That’s the way it is on any airplane. If I had a passenger interfering with my duties, they’d be off in a sec. That’s my perogative.

We need in any free society those people who stretch the outer limits of propriety in exercising the rights many of us take for granted. In their course to expand all our rights, sometimes those people are inconvenienced.

P.S. Be glad that the passengers of this flight don’t sue John for impinging on their vacations.


Posted by: Jim Hillhouse on July 21, 2003 12:06 PM

Ok, I appreciate the Right of free speech. As a pilot, I also respect the rights of a craft’s captain, which traditionally have been broad. Yes, an airliner may be a common carrier to some extent. But at the end of the day, the command authority of an airline captain is going to rule.

Free speech should be protected. But those who practice it should also work with a bit of common sense. Just as you cannot yell, “Fire!” in a crowded theater, carrying a button that says, “Suspected Terrorist” on an airplane is certainly in bad taste and worse. And causing the delay of a flight to make a political statement is, to me, a bit on the rude side.

When the captain of an airliner gives a passenger an order on conduct, generally the passenger has to follow. That’s the way it is on any airplane. If I had a passenger interfering with my duties, they’d be off in a second; my perogative.

We need in any free society those people who stretch the outer limits of propriety in exercising the rights many of us take for granted. In their course to expand all our rights, however, sometimes those people are inconvenienced.


Posted by: Hiawatha Bray on July 22, 2003 07:20 AM

I’m not a free-speech absolutist, and I have no trouble at all with what British Airways did here. If Mr. Gilmore wants to have his little joke, he can do it on the ground. Most of us fly to get from point A to point B, not to make political points. If making such points is what really matters to Mr. Gilmore, then congratulations to him. Mission accomplished. Just don’t put him on the same plane with me, okay? Not that there’s much chance they’ll let him aboard until he grows up.

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