The Pink Flamingo :: Fire in a Crowded Theater or Freedom of Expression or Publicity Stunt?

Is it an example of screaming fire in a crowded theater or an exercise in free speech? Did Star Simpson know what she was doing when she wore her ‘artistic’ sweat shirt to Logan International or did cops over-react? Is the conservative blog world over-reacting? (as usual)

Definitely!

A GREAT BIG RANT
Yikes!

When did we lose our sense of humor? If our sense of humor and what is acceptable in the world has changed since 9/11 then Al Qaeda truly won and our culture has truly declined for the worst. First, from the limited amount of what I can see of the offensive sweat shirt in question, it is obviously NOT a bomb. Have you read some of the comments about the young woman? When did it become acceptable for cops to shoot a kid on sight?

Sorry, 9/11 and the War on Terror is no excuse. Have we indeed turned into a police state or is this just something endemic of airports in general. (Another reason I REFUSE to fly).

First, you need to know that she usually wears a sweat-shirt like this., so don’t go screaming that she was acting out of character. She is from Hawaii. Isn’t it possible, considering she was at Logan fairly early in the morning that she was C – 0 – L- D? It’s nearly Fall. Weather gets a little chilly. The offensive offender is from Hawaii. Big difference in climate. Sure she’s been in Mass. for a couple of years, but give it a break.

Evidently this is also a very creative person. The offensive sweat shirt in question isn’t that different from others she has designed. Was she showing off? Could be. Was she looking for attention? Considering the other photos I’ve seen of her, probably.

Was she testing the terror structure at Logan? Yea, right.

Was she thoughtless? That’s not for me to answer.

What I can answer is this. Who on earth has given us the right to be so darn self-righteous about something like this. I don’t care if it was Logan or Ruidoso, we need to lighten up and regain a sense of humor and put things into the proper perspective.

To me this whole incident is a statement about what we have truly lost since 9/11. We have given up a right to express our-selves. We have surrendered the right to walk through an airport and not be assaulted by half-brain-dead thugs masquerading as cops and TSA personnel. We accept any indignity for security. We are willing to give up any freedom for security, therefore, to paraphrase Ben Franklin we deserve neither.

Then, for people to comment that the cops should have shot and killed this young woman for daring to wear something a little creative into a no-nonsense, police—state zone is beyond the pale.

She’s 19 years old. Give her a break. Kids her age DO NOT THINK. Trust me, I’ve seen no brains here actions from my niece and nephew at that age.

Frankly, I don’t like the way people in this country are starting to think and act. If we do not regain our national sense of humor and learn to laugh at ourselves and the world around us, to thumb our nose in the face of ‘terror’ and tell the enemy to go to ‘h-e-double toothpick’ then we’ve lost what makes America truly great. It looks like Al Qaeda has won the first round by stripping us of our freedom of expression, freedom of movement, and freedom to be unique and individual creative beings.

No longer is a person allowed to walk into an airport, let alone any other ‘public’ location without being viewed as a potential enemy. We are suspicious of everyone. Kids can do nothing but march, goose-step with what authorities want them to do, to keep them safe. One of these days one great big rebellion is going to take place that will make the Hippie years look like a skip through a field of daisies. They are being robbed of the very ability to express their individualism that makes each subsequent generation of Americans into the most remarkable and outlandish people in the world.

Oh, what the heck, just start tossing burkas on every woman and make us march in formation. Suck all the creativity and uniqueness out of our culture. Then, we can really let Islamic extremism take over, why not. There will be nothing left to defend.

The thing that makes America great are the Star Simpsons who dare to flaunt convention and dare to be different. To take this away from us at police gun point is nothing less than something out of a Marxist, Fascist, or Totalitarian Police State.

This was once a free country, before September 11, 2001. Something nasty is destroying this nation from within and it isn’t Islam. It may as well be. One form of subjugation and domination is no different from another.

Ever heard of the First Amendment? This week CONSERVATIVES have done more to assault it than any liberal ever dared.

There's one other little thing. This kid is so smart she can thing rings around the rent-a-cops who are armed to the teeth, expecting the end of the world at any moment. If they had more brains than bullets they would have been able to tell she wasn't wearing a real 'bomb'. Besides - did any alarms or sensors go off? Any dogs detect explosives? Nooooo!

THE STORY

The Fox version. They ask, “You wonder why anyone would do this at this time in this nation’s history.” My answer - it doesn't matter.

ANOTHER RANT
Give me a break. Lighten up. If you read the statistics on being killed by terror in this country, you would be as angry as I am.

“…For example, in 2003 about 45,000 Americans died in motor accidents out of population of 291,000,000. So, according to the National Safety Council this means your one-year odds of dying in a car accident is about one out of 6500. Therefore your lifetime probability (6500 ÷ 78 years life expectancy) of dying in a motor accident are about one in 83.

What about your chances of dying in an airplane crash? A one-year risk of one in 400,000 and one in 5,000 lifetime risk. What about walking across the street? A one-year risk of one in 48,500 and a lifetime risk of one in 625. Drowning? A one-year risk of one in 88,000 and a one in 1100 lifetime risk. In a fire? About the same risk as drowning. Murder? A one-year risk of one in 16,500 and a lifetime risk of one in 210. What about falling? Essentially the same as being murdered. And the proverbial being struck by lightning? A one-year risk of one in 6.2 million and a lifetime risk of one in 80,000. And what is the risk that you will die of a catastrophic asteroid strike? In 1994, astronomers calculated that the chance was one in 20,000. However, as they've gathered more data on the orbits of near earth objects, the lifetime risk has been reduced to one in 200,000 or more.

So how do these common risks compare to your risk of dying in a terrorist attack? To try to calculate those odds realistically, Michael Rothschild, a former business professor at the University of Wisconsin, worked out a couple of plausible scenarios. For example, he figured that if terrorists were to destroy entirely one of America's 40,000 shopping malls per week, your chances of being there at the wrong time would be about one in one million or more. Rothschild also estimated that if terrorists hijacked and crashed one of America's 18,000 commercial flights per week that your chance of being on the crashed plane would be one in 135,000.

Even if terrorists were able to pull off one attack per year on the scale of the 9/11 atrocity, that would mean your one-year risk would be one in 100,000 and your lifetime risk would be about one in 1300. (300,000,000 ÷ 3,000 = 100,000 ÷ 78 years = 1282) In other words, your risk of dying in a plausible terrorist attack is much lower than your risk of dying in a car accident, by walking across the street, by drowning, in a fire, by falling, or by being murdered….”

THE STORY

“…Star Simpson, 19, had a white computer circuit board and wiring over a black hooded sweat shirt she was wearing, said State Police Maj. Scott Pare, the commanding officer at the airport.

"She said that it was a piece of art and she wanted to stand out on career day," Pare said at a news conference. "She claims that it was just art, and that she was proud of the art and she wanted to display it."

Simpson was charged with possessing a hoax device. A not guilty plea was entered at her arraignment in East Boston District Court and she was released on $750 bail.

She could face up to five years in prison or a $5,000 fine, if convicted.

"I'm shocked and appalled that somebody would wear this type of device to an airport," Pare said.

Simpson was "extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used," Pare said. "She's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue."

Simpson is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology sophomore from Hawaii.

The battery-powered rectangular device had nine flashing lights, Pare said. Simpson also had Play-Doh in her hands, he said.

The phrases "Socket to me" and "Course VI" were written on the back of her sweat shirt, which authorities displayed to the media. Course VI appears to be a reference to MIT's major of electrical engineering and computer science.

During the hearing, Simpson smiled as she entered wearing a T-shirt and sandals. Prosecutor Wayne Margolis had requested $5,000 bail, saying Simpson showed "a total disregard to understand the context of the situation she is in, which is an airport of post-9/11."…”

If you listen to the arraignment hearing, you will come out with the idea that the cops over-reacted and are now planning to throw the book at this kid to cover their over-reaction. And, just in case any of our precious conservatives want to –over-react more, her boyfriend doesn’t appear to be either Hispanic or Islamic.
Smoking Gun
Britbart

“…Troopers arrested an MIT student at gunpoint Friday after she walked into Logan International Airport wearing a computer circuit board and wiring on her sweatshirt. Authorities call it a fake bomb; she called it art. Star Simpson's attorney said the charges against her were an overreaction, but authorities expressed amazement that someone would wear such a device eight months after a similar scare in Boston, and six years after two of the jets hijacked in the Sept. 11 attacks took off from Logan."I'm shocked and appalled that somebody would wear this type of device to an airport," said State Police Maj. Scott Pare, the airport's commanding officer. The terminal was not evacuated and flights were not affected, airport officials said…"

A MINI RANT
I think this is one of the firs times I’ve disagreed with AJ Strata. Boing Boing has photos of another of her pieces. This is another of her projects. If you see that one, the one she wore to Logan was not much different. This is a kid screaming for attention, but beyond that, the authorities at Logan obviously over-reacted. We’re dealing with a very bright kid who probably isn’t flying with all thrusters in the real world. The authorities went after with a gun like this.
Now, read a little about her.

“…Star was an intern at Squid Labs this summer, and is an all-around awesome geek who loves to build things. FYI, friends at MIT say she wears the hoodie on a regular basis- it's just unfortunate that she had it on while trying to pick a friend up at the airport. MIT students don't really do mornings, or worry about what they're wearing, so I can't imagine she'd even think about her clothes before heading out to pick up a friend at the airport before 8am.
When Star gets out we'll have her do an Instructable on
1) how to get arrested at the airport without being shot, and
2) how to package your homemade electronics to look purchased.

Maybe BB and Instructables should start handing out some official-looking stickers and plastic covers to make breadboards look more commercial -- it will keep our readers away from automatic weapons….”