That's the headline of a story in yesterday's Washington Post about John Perry Barlow's arrest on five counts of misdemeanor drug possession in September of 2003 at San Francisco International Airport.
It seems that Barlow, also a co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a cyber-rights organization, had checked his suitcase, which when X-rayed showed the presence of suspicious-looking wires.
When the screener opened the bag to investigate, further probing found a hypodermic needle, marijuana, and illegal hallucinogenic drugs in a bottle of ibuprofen.
After being told to leave the plane, where he'd already been seated and was waiting to take off, Barlow was arrested and jailed in Redwood City.
He's just lost his motion for dismissal of his case on the grounds that it was an illegal seizure, but plans to appeal.
Barlow contends that the Transportation Safety Administration went beyond its authority because the bottle containing the drugs was located inside a pocket of Barlow's bag that wasn't near the wires that first caused the suspicion.
Well, whatever the merits of Barlow's case, one has to wonder about his common sense.
Who in their right mind would travel on a plane with illegal drugs in the current security climate?
What was he thinking?
What are you thinking if you're doing this sort of thing?
Why would anyone risk the dogs, the machines, the searchers, the whole security apparatus now in place at airports, growing more intense by the day?
Sheesh.
If nothing else, it shows yet another reason you should never, ever check luggage.
That's if the events reported here recently weren't compelling enough to have convinced you.
Remember, Barlow's got a fall-back in case he's placed on the "No-Fly" list: he can easily afford to travel by private jet.
You and I, we're out of luck if we mess up.
So don't.
As I always think to myself when I'm considering doing something dicey in the O.R.: it's so much easier to avoid trouble than to deal with it.
And I'm right every time.
Here's the Post story, by Sara Kehaulani Goo.
- Grateful Dead Songwriter Contests TSA Search
John Perry Barlow, a 56-year-old former songwriter for the Grateful Dead, was settled into his airline seat for departure when a flight attendant asked him to get his belongings and leave the plane immediately.
Airport security workers at San Francisco International Airport had come upon some suspicious-looking wires inside his checked luggage while conducting a routine inspection.
No explosives turned up, but screeners allegedly did find a hypodermic needle in a suitcase along with a small amount of marijuana and illegal hallucinogenic drugs in a bottle of ibuprofen.
Article comments
1 - Mike Kole
There's a fine line between courage and lacking common sense, of course. In my estimation, Barlow was probably looking to provoke arrest in order to create a case to bring to court, and to bring publicity to the issues he wants illuminated.
I'll give him huge credit for his courage.
2 - BOSS
the force is with you barlow, as he himself well knows. ashes ashes ALL FALL DOWN