Perhaps if I hadn't already seen the entire BBC version (including the sequel "Ashes to Ashes") this tripe would have sufficed for entertainment. But somehow I don't think i could have gotten pass the awful ADR and overly compressed audio. Try harder next time.

I'm not sure why people keep highlighting the fact that Simpson is an MIT comp student. That information only reinforces the notion that one can turn a breadboard and a few LEDs into a deadly bomb. Not to mention the clay she was carrying.

In NC we have a General Statute that says you "cannot go armed to the terror of the public". It basically means that your right to own and carry a gun (any weapon) has some restrictions. Those restrictions are partly determined by the public's perception to and reaction of a person walking around "strapped".

I immediately recognized the device as a breadboard, used for building temporary circuits. However, I couldn't tell you what that circuitry is simply by looking at it. I defy anyone else to either. Nor can one tell what it might be hooked to under her jacket. Add the lump of clay, her reluctance or hesitation to answer questions about the circuit board, and it seems reasonable enough to question the woman. By all accounts the airport staff and cops did their jobs. The woman is alive because of the officers’ professionalism and training.

On another note, the WBZTV reporting of the incident was smarmy.

“The employee questioned her about the device… so Simpson left.”

So Simpson left? That’s an interesting conclusion. And she was definitely getting wet using the words “MP5 machine gun”.

This whole incident is such a nonstarter. The government erosion of civil liberties is a big enough problem without trying to defend every selfish individual’s thoughtless disregard of the public’s fears. I’m all for freedom of artistic expression. But individuals' freedoms and public safety have to be reconciled.

Why oh why is it that Tangerine's short rant blasting Gore's words "universal consensus" is the first editor's choice letter I see? The 88%-92% (Tangerine's numbers) of agreeing scientists make more than a consensus. Perhaps the editor who starred this letter needs to join Paglia and Tangerine in a simple dictionary search of the word.

that nearly half of the early responses support your wife's selfishness. This display of self-centeredness perfectly illustrates the devaluation of marriage in society today. My disappointment in the ill-considered advice offered here is only matched by the hubris of people who suggest you quit your job. Cary very succinctly summarized the matter. And while compromise may be the glue that strengthens relationships, unfortunately, there isn’t much room to concede here. Waiting five years to see if your wife still wishes to follow that dream is tantamount to living with a ticking bomb that you continually throw old blankets upon. The noise may soon fade, but those blankets won’t quell the eventual explosion.

Look at the problem this way. Would your wife allow you two years of voluntary separation? If the answer is yes, then you really need to consider that marriage doesn’t mean the same thing to her as it does to you. If the answer is no, well, that speaks for itself. Either way you have my sympathies. I’ve a dear friend who was taken for the same ride after seven years of marriage and nearly a decade of commitment. The good news is that he’s getting better every day.

peace