29 August 2016 - false accusations 2

The airline denouncer who says “That guy might be reading the Koran on his cell phone. I’m scared!” can’t get in trouble. It’s only an amateur observation sent through proper channels. And the police can’t get in trouble for following it up, even harshly; an amateur observation counts as reasonable suspicion. The bigoted system knows how to reinforce itself. But we can solve that with a little more harshness: Take the accuser off the plane too, “to give evidence.” The police will enjoy exercising their power, and the airplane may leave with one fewer dangerous passenger.