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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Citizen thwarts potential airport incident |
| 2010-01-17 |
| Kimmy Janke had gone through security. In fact, she was in a secure part of the terminal when she stopped to go to the bathroom before making her connecting flight. That's when she found a loaded handgun. "Panic. I didn't know what to do. I looked at it and was like, wow, that's a gun. We're past security. What do I do? The clip was hanging out about an inch-and-a-half," she described. The gun was traced to a federal customs agent. Customs officials have denied all requests to explain why a highly-trained agent left her gun in the bathroom, claiming there is an internal investigation. Maybe it wasn't a female agent. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #10 I don't get screwed over, Barbara. Possibly because I've lived such a sheltered life that nobody has had the opportunity. But at any rate, I'm glad Ms Janke did, indeed, report the thing, despite the risk. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-01-17 23:39 |
| #9 "I would be very upset to spot a gun or other weapony thing in a supposedly secure area." I'd be more upset at the probability I'd be screwed over by the "authorities" for the next few hours after reporting it, tw. A gun can't get up and hurt you all by itself. (Though it would be a little startling to find one in a secure area, as you said.) |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-01-17 22:46 |
| #8 I'm a sheep. I don't know jack about guns. These are independent sets that may or may not overlap. Sheep, sheepdog, wolf -- those are instinctual responses to the world and the people around. Sheep do their thing, sheepdogs protect the herd, wolves hunt. Among humans, some of each set have guns. Now that we're past that, I would be very upset to spot a gun or other weapony thing in a supposedly secure area. If it looked like it was loaded, I'd be even more upset. I'm awfully glad Ms Janke was clear-minded enough to handle the situation instead of just running away. In the end, she too qualifies as a pack, not a herd. I hope we'll find out if the customs agent is actually a sheep or a wolf, since the behavior doesn't seem sheepdog-like. What say you sheepdogs? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-01-17 21:01 |
| #7 Train her how to put fires out with her hands, and deputize her. Isn't that our new counter-terrorism strategy? |
| Posted by: lex 2010-01-17 18:57 |
| #6 On second thought, nah. That would be almost as stupid as lighting your crotch on fire. |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-01-17 18:36 |
| #5 The gun was traceable. As it is this is a career ender. Under your alternative, it would have meant hard time. You're right ... unless, say, there was a massacre in the terminal, multiple customs agents dead, multiple perps, easy to imagine a female agent* disarmed in the chaos * note: I didn't say a competant female agent ... |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-01-17 18:34 |
| #4 Panic because she's a sheep and sheep don't know jack about handguns. Sheep is not an insult. Most folks are sheep, few are sheepdogs. I share lotp's cynicism: 99% chance of stupidity, 1% chance of skullduggery. So before I ended the agent's career for stupidity, I'd toss her/his file, contacts, records and so on VERY carefully. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-01-17 17:54 |
| #3 Panic about a loaded handgun? |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2010-01-17 17:08 |
| #2 I love it when you are more cynical than me. The gun was traceable. As it is this is a career ender. Under your alternative, it would have meant hard time. Not even a jihadi is that stupid. I hope. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-01-17 16:27 |
| #1 Let's HOPE it was an accident. The alternative is that the gun was left there 'accidently on purpose' for someone else to take on a plan. |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-01-17 16:22 |