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Gilmore Loses Airport ID Case

smooth wombat writes "In the final conclusion to John Gilmore's fight to be able to fly on an airplane without providing identification, the United States Supreme Court, without comment, let stand an appeals court ruling which said that Gilmore's rights are not violated by being required to show proof of identity. Gilmore had argued that without being able to see the law which says one must provide identification before being allowed to board a plane, there is no way to know if the regulations call for impermissible searches."

8 of 521 comments (clear)

  1. the inanity of naive privacy idealists by circletimessquare · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    privacy is a very valuable concept in this world

    and, like every other single valuable concept: freedom of expression (shouting fire in a crowded theatre), security (convenience), happiness (responsibilities), etc. it has it's limits

    everything has its limits. every single concept you consider dear and cherished and penultimate. take the most important concept to the functioning of society you can imagine... guess what: it has its limits

    you do not have the right to get in an airplane without someone verifying who you are. why? do you really have to ask in today's world?

    and if you are someone who honestly believes that you should have this right, i'd ask you what you think about a person who innocently or passionately professes to believe they have the right to shout fire in a crowded theatre due to freedom of expression

    exactly my point

    look: there are many dangers in this world. one type of danger in this world some of you may not appreciate is naive idealism. idealism in many respects is a noble concept. it suggests unerring devotion to a high minded ideal. well, there is also such a thing as uneducated idealism: it is easy to profess unerring devotion to an ideal... if you are somewhat clueless about how the real, complex world works!

    uneducated idealism that adheres to a simplisitic understanding of how society works without any understanding and acceptance of limits in human behavior because of complex and overlapping needs and wants in society is, in its own way, a type of danger to us. religious fundamentalism, for example, is a type of uneducated idealism: "what is written in this book trumps all." blind nationalism is also another type of uneducated idealism: "my country can do no wrong"

    many of you can appreciate the folly of these uneducated idealisms. and yet some of you can't appreciate that some people have an equally unhealthy uneducated idealism associated with concepts that are actually important and that we should all hold dear... but with LIMITS. consider: tolerance (we shouldn't tolerate the intolerant), compassion (we shouldn't have compassion for the truly heinous and vile), etc. there is a limit to EVERYTHING. no matter how noble the concept

    "No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill"

    you don't have the right to fly in an airplane you share with other people without some sort of id

    you simply don't

    and if you can't wrap your mind around why this is so, you have a serious problem, you are a clueless naive idealist

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  2. Its all about control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait
    Showing identification at airports has absolutely nothing to do with security, it's all about control. If you are a political activist or Bush detractor, your name is probably on a "do not fly" list somewhere.

    It's just like video camera's in public places, it has nothing to do with fighting crime (even the police will tell you this).

  3. Re:Article summary wrong (surprise) by soft_guy · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    By the way, we do need to prevent things like guns and explosives from getting on the planes themselves - of course, that's another problem entirely and isn't related to ID. I can see why we would want to prevent explosives, but I fail to see why banning guns actually helps us. If the passangers aboard the planes on 9/11 had guns, the attacks could not have happened. The presence of guns by average citizens is often a deterent to certain types of crime.
    --
    Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
  4. Re:Article summary wrong (surprise) by dragonsomnolent · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Crazy, highly trained arabs did not have guns in the attacks on 9/11 (though they did on other hijackings to be sure). And I often said, if someone tried to hijack a plane with a box cutter that I was on, I would have fought back (definately would have gotten wounded, maybe even have died, but hey, someone else could have incapacitated him while he was cutting me. I'm no superman, but neither are they)

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    I got nuthin
  5. Why is there no "Nut-job" moderation? by sweatyboatman · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    np

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    It breaks my pluginses, my precious!
  6. Re:Article summary wrong (surprise) by diablomonic · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    you sir are a moron. enjoy your prison country (while I try to avoid the repercussions from the stupidity of people like you). that is all

    --
    watch "the money masters" on google video
  7. Re:Article summary wrong (surprise) by theJML · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I don't see why this guy thinks that this matters. Security really doesn't have to do with people being sheep as much as it has to do with recognizing that doing certian things costs you... And I'm not talking about money. Sure you had to buy the ticket, but you also have to spend time in line, submit to either a search of person or a search of ID, or both, and all other negatives that go with flight. Do those costs outweigh your need to travel in the first place? Does it "cost" you more to go through the dog and pony show than it's worth it to you to get to the destination, then don't travel. If you think that it "costs" you more to go through the airport screening than the time that flying will save you, then drive, walk, ride a bike, take the train, ride a bus, etc... I'm sure you can find a way that fits what you're willing to pay. You have freedoms... freedom to choose where to go, when to go, and how to get there. Use it.

    I get sick of people who constantly think that being able to fly (read: use someone else's property for your own gain) is a God Given Right. It's not. There are companys that make money off of it and they'll charge you and put you through whatever ringer they feel like putting you through before allowing you on their airplane. Is that wrong? No, it's their aircraft and it's their capitalistic right to charge you whatever fee they deem necessary. In the same sense the airport is the government's property and if you want to use it, you get to go through security checkpoints. That's the price you pay and if you don't like that then find some other way to get to your destination. In the process you might remember that in a capitalistic society, one of the best votes to make is with your wallet.

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    -=JML=-
  8. Re:Article summary wrong (surprise) by pnewhook · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    The core of the matter is that we're allowing our government to assume we are criminals, which is evil and the basis of a police state.

    No, the core of the matter is that paranoid freaks like yourself, and crazy gun nuts like a lot of the posters here think they have the God given right to do as they feel and damn the consequences.

    No one has the right to fly on an airplane. You are a passenger, not the aircraft owner, and as such are subject to the rules set by the airline. Go buy your own plane, get a pilots license and I'm sure that you can carry as many guns on it and fly without id to your hearts content. Jesus, you whiners make me sick. And what a waste of resources and time this stupid lawsuit was. He's obviously got a lot more money than brains or common sense.

    --
    Tesla was a genius. Edison however was a overrated hack who liked to torture puppies.