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Laser Painting Could Lead to 25-Year Prison Term

lowy writes "According to this USA Today article, a New Jersey man was charged under federal anti-terrorism laws with shining a laser beam at a jet flying over his home. The Feds arrested him after he flashed a police helicopter searching for the source of the beam. He now faces up to 25 years in prison under Patriot Act charges." It seems to be happening around the country, as our earlier post makes clear.

12 of 1,615 comments (clear)

  1. ummm.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    link to the usatoday story, please?

    1. Re:ummm.... by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Note to self: don't try to signal departing rescue craft with laser pointer.

      --
      Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  2. RTFA? by defMan · · Score: 4, Funny

    I know we don't read the articles but to stop linking to them is not making it easier.

  3. RTFA by justforaday · · Score: 3, Funny

    For once, everyone will have an excuse for not RTFA.

    --
    I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
  4. Re:Only 25 years? by jim5272 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think there is a big difference between hitting a plane with an industrial type laser, and screwing around with your laserpointer. Check it out I'm Luke Skywalker .. bbbzzzzzeeeewwww, oh crap was that a POLICE helicopter?

  5. Re:Motive by deadlinegrunt · · Score: 5, Funny

    " I would really like to know what he was thinking."

    I'm pretty sure he wasn't.

    --
    BSD is designed. Linux is grown. C++ libs
  6. "Laser printing could lead to 25-year prison term" by g0at · · Score: 3, Funny

    and I'm thinking wtf, the pro-collusion bent of American law is really getting out of hand here; now they're forcing people to buy overpriced ink cartridges?

    ...oops.

    -b

  7. Re:Only 25 years? by mmkkbb · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, it's certainly hard enough to throw a little girl hard enough to bring down an airplane no matter how strong you are.

    --
    -mkb
  8. Worse still... by SolemnDragon · · Score: 5, Funny

    Worse still, he now has to live with the permanent epithet, "Laser Guy."

    Evildoer 1: I'm the Disgruntled Postman!

    Evildoer 2: Welcome aboard! Meet MurderOne, Manslaughter, Aggravated Assault, and oh- that guy over in the corner is Laser Guy.

    Evildoer 1: THE Laser Guy?

    Laser Guy: Just give me a laser pointer and i'll - (remembers what he's in for and hangs his head in shame) be almost completely ineffective, but not ineffective enough to stay out of PRISON... *curls up in fetal position and sobs*

    Evildoer 2: Yep, that's LaserGuy, all right.

  9. One hell of an aim... by Sliptwixt · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't always hit the toilet from a foot away, how the hell did this guy get a laser in the face of a pilot in a plane hundreds (thousands?) of feet in the air?

  10. Re:Is this a good trend? by oliphaunt · · Score: 4, Funny
    We're basically now arresting and locking up stupid people. Maybe this is a good trend

    Only if we also castrate them so that they can't breed and make MORE stupid people. Locking people up is a bad idea in general, because you have to then worry about feeding them, sheltering them, etc. Wouldn't it be much better to just kill them outright?

    My solution to the prison problem in the US: Stop locking people up locally- instead just put up a big fence around Texas, and let's send all of our criminals there, like the British used to do with Australia. Give them NOTHING. Let them kill each other and steal from each other and defraud each other and shoot lasers at each other as much as they want- I would volunteer to sit on the other side of the fence and shoot anyone who tries to get across. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would proudly serve his country this way.

    And all the people who already live in Texas? Well, life's a bitch sometimes, ain't it? Stay on your side of the fence.

    After several generations, perhaps Texas could transform itself from the barren wasteland and breeding ground of theives and traitors that it is today into a nation of proud citizens, working for the good of the world, just like Australia. And if that doesn't work, we can just salt the earth, pave the whole state and use it as a parking lot for Mexico.

    --




    Humpty Dumpty was pushed.
  11. Re:RTFM by EnronHaliburton2004 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Thanks for the link BTW

    You got that wrong, it's "Thanks for the Fucking Link BTW"... sheesh. Some people.