Troublemaker

This kid deserves to get prosecuted. There is no doubt that he intentionally placed a weapon on an aircraft, which is against the law. I know that he clearly lacked the intent to hurt anyone, but his antics forced a lot of people to spend a lot of time searching every commercial airliner in the United States, and likely caused significant economic damage by scaring more people out of flying. What’s more, this is at least the second time he’s knowingly broken the law. When he turned 18, he refused to register for the draft. I understand civil disobedience is a form of protest, but its practitioners accept the risk that they’ll be punished. I don’t suggest sending him up to the big house, but getting a felony conviction on his record may deter him and others like him from causing even more trouble.

All in all, its hard for me to disagree with his classmate:

"I don't know him, but I hate him," said Ben Rothenberg, a junior from Potomac, Md.

- posted by Tom Sawyer @ 9:42 AM