but honestly, her actions were no those of the sharpest knife in the box were they.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

Can I come live over there, I really am sick of this bullshit.

I mentioned in another post yesterday that when I was young a friend's brother committed armed robbery of a small store. The police arrived quickly and chased him until he was trapped. He then pulled out the revolver and the police shot him multiple time. He did barely survive. The gun was a toy.

Logan Airport is the scene of where most of the 9/11 hijackers departed. For someone to play a practical joke or make light of the high level of security at that airport is irresponsible and frankly stupid.

The person who said she was lucky to be alive was the commanding officer in charge of security there and he is right. All that was needed was the same quick trigger that was used on my friend's brother and this young lady may not be alive.

Security at airports are a very serious matter and I appreciate these people being vigilant and not taking chances. Particularly since I do travel quite a bit.

Star said to the police that she is an Electrical Engineer and an Artist, and likes breadboards and LEDs. Does she normally wear breadboards attached to her clothes? It is actually not inconceivable as she is an MIT student, and such a thing would not be out of place there. Certainly she is intelligent enough that if she thought about 'airport', 'war-on-terra', and 'jumpy cops' she'd've remembered that some people out there would react poorly to her attire.
The reaction on MIT lists is in part outrage at the ignorance of technology this incident displays. Certainly any realistic view of the world would concede that circuitboards at airports == trouble. Some MIT students are idealistic geeks, at a place where taking geekiness, and freakiness to the extreme is quite normal. They are not happy to admit that some of this is not compatible to the larger reality, as of yet. There has been some bad experiences with the press in the past, and hopefully this will not turn into that.

Though, really?? Would anyone with an actual bomb in fact attach the circuit board to their clothes??? With LEDs? Is that suppose to be some kind of a counter stealth tactic? Wow, I guess the cops are one step ahead on that one!!

And my answer to BJ Lange's remarks:
someone:

Uh huh. Except a black toy gun looks like a real gun, while a breadboard with a battery and LEDs, taped to the outside of a sweatshirt looks nothing like a bomb, and would suggest that the would be bomber is utilizing some kind of advanced "hey, look at me, I have a bomb, so it couldn't really be a bomb, he he" counter stealth strategy. And that seems rather unlikely. The device was small. Could easily have fit into a handbag, even.

Question: If her 'decoration' was less crudely made, say on a PCB, with a nice cover to make it look store bought, would it then be okay for her to wear to the airport? Because, you know, wearable electronics are available. As well as a large variety of battery operated devices. So, is the line here, "it just can't look like you put it together yourself"? Then I guess we are not safe from terrists willing to put even a minimum of effort into presentation.

European police often walk around with submachine guns. The weapons American airport police would most likely use would be pistols loaded with hollow-point ammunition, which tends not to pass through bodies.

My main response to this incident is the same as it was to the taisering of the student at the Kerry event: in both cases, about half the posters on blogs believe the police behaved entirely appropriately! People who think that might as well be citizens of Nazi Germany: they have gone past the point of no return. They no longer have an idea of what a normal country is like.

Something I haven't seen anyone mention is that the MIT student didn't look particularly white. That certainly could have had something to do with it.

This formulation of the police is puzzling:

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

Only an idiot could think she was a real terrorist, whether her actions required intervention or not.  

The real point is that on less than a suspicion, the airport cops were prepared to commit actions that would have slaughtered bystanders--innocent, upstanding American citizens.  

What kind of police would entertain doing this?  

What kind of civic life do we have?  

If certain mid-twentieth century, rogue, totalitarian dictatorships come to mind--well they should.  

We all know how this movie ends.  The ticket is bought, and you do not get to walk out.  Make your preparations for what is coming now.  

And if you don't like excitement, don't fly to or from the US. Make other arrangements.  It has not been safe for years.  

The Fates are kind.