NBC news stupidity

In article , C J Campbell says...

Why would I believe anything that NBC has to say about a car dealer? These
are the guys who tried to prove that Chevy trucks were dangerous by using
fireworks to cause the gas tanks to explode.

or shoot watermelons with a hand gun with hollow points to show it explode
because the AK with FMJ ammo didn't do anything but produce a puncture hole.
Credibility they got the same credibility as zoom ,jaun and ANN .I don't believe
any of them :-)

See ya

Chuck (gun control is hitting what your aiming at) S

"TaxSrv" wrote in message ...

If media goes undercover to a used car dealer to show how buyers can
get screwed, you'd probably agree with that. If they go undercover to
an FBO under circumstances which were obviously suspicious, what's the
difference? The targeted auto dealer may be known to be sleazy, but
if the FBO had agreed to the charter, what adjective do they deserve?

Fred F.

Didn't the FBO agree to the charter, which is after all one of their sources
of revenue, until they became suspicious of the passengers? Didn't the FBO
continue with the facad to hold the suspects there until the Police/FBI
arrived? What possible parallel can you draw between the FBO and a crooked
car dealer?

If the media engages in a legal activity, e.g. a customer with a hidden
camera to show a crooked car dealership, that is one thing. When then
engage in an illegal activity, e.g. armed terrorist suspects attempting
to bypass airport security, that is another. Illegal is illegal no matter
what the motive. When you factor in the news media's ratings quest, their
Geobel-esk "the truth is what WE make it", and apparent desire to paint GA
as no good and the root of all Al Caida evil, it is outright criminal. They
should receive the same harsh treatement that the college student recieved
who smuggled boxcutters on a plane to demonstrate lapse airport security.

Gary P.

"GaryP" wrote:
...
Didn't the FBO agree to the charter, which is after all one of their
sources
of revenue, until they became suspicious of the passengers? ... What
possible parallel can you draw between the FBO and a crooked car
dealer?

I was implying a case where the FBO went ahead and flew them, without
the security awareness they should have. I don't agree with NBC's
judgment on the potential GA security threat, but this is only what
they were looking for, same as hidden camera looking for cockroaches
in a restaurant kitchen.

When they engage in an illegal activity, e.g. armed terrorist
suspects
attempting to bypass airport security, that is another.

You cited a crime whch doesn't exist, unless local law prohibits
carriage of even a Stanley utility knife onto this airport property.
That's the case if you do that at an air carrier airport, but only
past the security point, under federal law. If thery broke a law,
nothing yet on google news that says which one it was.

Illegal is illegal no matter what the motive.

Believe that's exactly correct. Criminal intent means only that the
person had or should have had knowledge he did something the law
forbids. So in the case of your college kid on a do-good mission, he
can be prosecuted and maybe was. Applies to media too, and they have
been at least arrested once as I recall. But gov't should think hard
about prosecuting media due to the 1st Amendment issue. We've shut
down selected media in Iraq and now are letting the Iraqis do it.
This is not the flower of a Middle East democracy Bush promised, and I
don't think we want to go near that stuff here.

And...if media could get an actual gun onto an airliner, wouldn't you
really want to know that? Gov't knows the small but real probability
it's airport security measures can be breached--they quietly test it.
Prosecuting media who try to find out what they will never tell us
doesn't sound good to me.

F--

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 22:48:41 -0400, "TaxSrv"
wrote:

"Orval Fairbairn" wrote:
I hope that the judge throws the book at them!

I think it's implied they were not arrested. What law did they
violate?

If media goes undercover to a used car dealer to show how buyers can
get screwed, you'd probably agree with that. If they go undercover to
an FBO under circumstances which were obviously suspicious, what's the
difference? The targeted auto dealer may be known to be sleazy, but
if the FBO had agreed to the charter, what adjective do they deserve?

You don't see the difference?

In the first the crew is not trying to break the law, they are
attempting to catch someone else breaking the law.. In the second they
are doing something illegal by carrying box cutters and other weapons
aboard. IOW they carried it too far. OTOH do you think they will give
GA a fair and unbiased report? Aren't they the ones who got caught
rigging the side mounted gas tanks to explode when all other attempts
failed in their "expose" of the "gas tank problem"?

There is nothing against the law attempting to charter the
plane/helicopter in and of itself, but they went beyond the law when
they actually had the weapons.

Now, when and if they ever air the "expose" of airport security do you
think the fact they were caught the first time they tried it will make
the news. You'd think this would have been turned into a high profile
incident to alert terrorists, "It ain't all that easy" and to ease the
general public's concerns. Instead I have seen no mention of it on
any news even after it was sent out by the AOPA. IOW, The Airport
Watch worked in this case and that to them isn't as newsworthy as
"News crew sneaks weapons aboard easily rented helicopter".

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Fred F.

"Cy Galley" wrote in message news:i1SSc.295339$XM6.210622@attbi_s53...
You might express you outrage to this irresponsible act to
I did. Now to sit back and see their spin on the stupidity.

Cy Galley
Safety Programs Editor
EAA Sport Pilot
----- Original Message -----


snip

There surely must be some crime they can be charged with. Oddly, I
just read a book 'Storming Heaven' by Dale Brown with just this
scenario except they end up getting shot down.

Harry K

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 22:18:54 GMT, "Cy Galley"
wrote:

Maybe, just maybe they will treat them like any one else trying the
same stunt. They had potential weapons and could easily be
infiltrators into the stations.

They should be held with no bail on federal charges, and taken to
court. Let the network defend them and if necessary pay the fines and
let the bosses serve the time as accomplices for planning the jobs.

I agree with the "throw the book at them". They certainly would were
it some student or individual trying to show a weakness in the system.
Besides any terrorist could claim they were just trying to expose any
weaknesses.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Roger Halstead wrote:

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 22:18:54 GMT, "Cy Galley"
wrote:

Maybe, just maybe they will treat them like any one else trying the
same stunt. They had potential weapons and could easily be
infiltrators into the stations.

They should be held with no bail on federal charges, and taken to
court. Let the network defend them and if necessary pay the fines and
let the bosses serve the time as accomplices for planning the jobs.

I agree with the "throw the book at them". They certainly would were
it some student or individual trying to show a weakness in the system.
Besides any terrorist could claim they were just trying to expose any
weaknesses.

Not to mention that dragging them kicking and screaming through the
system would accomplish two important things.

One, it would probably be picked up by OTHER networks, thereby
promoting the reality that the GA industry is watching out for itself,
and two, it would annoy NBC.

Mark Hickey

On Fri, 13 Aug 2004 06:47:17 -0700, Mark Hickey
wrote:

Roger Halstead wrote:

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 22:18:54 GMT, "Cy Galley"
wrote:

Maybe, just maybe they will treat them like any one else trying the
same stunt. They had potential weapons and could easily be
infiltrators into the stations.

They should be held with no bail on federal charges, and taken to
court. Let the network defend them and if necessary pay the fines and
let the bosses serve the time as accomplices for planning the jobs.

I agree with the "throw the book at them". They certainly would were
it some student or individual trying to show a weakness in the system.
Besides any terrorist could claim they were just trying to expose any
weaknesses.

Not to mention that dragging them kicking and screaming through the
system would accomplish two important things.

One, it would probably be picked up by OTHER networks, thereby
promoting the reality that the GA industry is watching out for itself,
and two, it would annoy NBC.

And three it would send a very important message to potential
hijackers of GA aircraft.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Mark Hickey

Yep,

I think dem dar be sum sort of communist sympathizerz. Just Shoot'em.

Seriously, I hope they do through the book at them, and pull their press
passes permanently as a term of probation. A large civil fine would also be
appropriate. I would like to see what NBC does with these guys if we can
put them into a position wherre they can't do their jobs due to court
order. Either NBC is out money to keep them around uselessly, or they fire
them and all the other reporters get the idea that these stupid stunts ARE
stupid.






"Roger Halstead" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 22:18:54 GMT, "Cy Galley"
wrote:

Maybe, just maybe they will treat them like any one else trying the
same stunt. They had potential weapons and could easily be
infiltrators into the stations.

They should be held with no bail on federal charges, and taken to
court. Let the network defend them and if necessary pay the fines and
let the bosses serve the time as accomplices for planning the jobs.

I agree with the "throw the book at them". They certainly would were
it some student or individual trying to show a weakness in the system.
Besides any terrorist could claim they were just trying to expose any
weaknesses.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

"Roger Halstead" wrote in message
...

I agree with the "throw the book at them".

Gitmo??

Rich "Off with their heads!" S.