Alleged Journalist: "Hey, I have no clue what is or isn't a bomb but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have a 9-volt battery attached to it, ergo these cops were totally stupid; especially because like she was a 'free spirit.'"

What planet are you on? I want anyone wearing an unidentified eletronic gadget hooked up to a power source, and handling putty of some sort, to be questioned (which she was) and to be arrested if they turn and walk away without response (which she did).

To imply that because it is reasonable to figure out that she might not have *wanted* to pose a threat (because of her sleeping habits and normal mode of dress), suggests that TSA and cops need to consider (immediately and in a vaccuum) the potential motives of someone carrying what appears to be a bomb, before treating the situation as if the bomb might be real?!!

At best, this girl was an idiot (most of us were at 19), but I expect more from Salon - though maybe I shouldn't as most Salon authors write as if they're 19...

racial profiling

us customs are trained for this to single out the poor guy

they are little impolite ss'rs with their power on the 6square feet they are working on

same goes for the police, look at the lapd brutal reputation tasing a student for asking too many questions

we, from europe know better...

look at us as an sample and dig yr guns... you cowboys

HELLO??? Is anyone sane in Beantown airport? Logan?

I bought a shirt like that for $200.00 in Camden Market London, it is fun to wear. A bomb hoax? What a crock of crap!!!!

Rock stars look twice at me when I wear it as it lights up with music and noise.

GET A LIFE!!! Start should not have ANY TRIAL.

Jan Holmes

Seattle

Who in this day and age is that stupid. She and her family should be thankful she is not dead. WAKE BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, next time you may not be so lucky.

It's populated by so many terrified nitwits afraid of their own shadows, and LEDs. All you people attacking this poor girl and defending the hysterical freakout by these idiot cops need to get therapy for your irrational fears, or at least take a fucking Xanax. Good god. What the hell ever happened to the home of the brave? Oh, right. "9/11, 9/11, 9/11 -- wah, where's my binkie? I'm skeered Daddy George. Protect me by destroying everything that once made America special and unique."

Pathetic.

paranoia is the right word for this

they lost all sence of reality and see after each abormality a tread and reaon to be triiger happy

i think this is part of the american culture

shoot first and kill later

iraq over 40000 were killed due to american greed for oil

shame on y all

the old world

Wasn't this the same police force that mistook advertiser's lite brite toys for bombs?

This might just be another case of stupidity of people in power getting out of hand, but it happens a lot, in myraid ways. The presumption of danger, the assumption that WE are terrorists is mathematically pointless. If the chances of finding a genuinely dangerous person through a general search of people in certain areas were high, we would be searched in subway stations, in banks, on the streets near big buildings. Not only would this idea go against any notion of civil liberties, of civility, it wouldn't prevent bad things from happening.

Fear mongering is a national sport. Trying to find out who makes the security rules is impossible. Enforcment of the rules is a haphazard mash of institutional attitudes and individuals' moods.

The screeners at airports are not hired for their astute judgment. They are hired because they are cheap and will not question authority or rules. Police and security forces should be better trained and less force oriented, but there are too few cops with too much to oversee and way too much pressure to not the one who lets an attack happen.

The determination to exercise power is made by people not equipped to use power well. The determination that inexperienced, unwise people should have those positions, that these positions should exist at all, was made by people who do not have to go through the security gates - politicians who have private jets and those who have a vested interest in keeping up the appearance of protecting us.

I find it hard to believe that this site and many of the posts listed here are taking the position that the State Police over reacted.

Perhaps if the headline read, 3 Dead and 40 injured at Boston Logan you might think differently. The article could continue, the suicide bomber attended MIT and was known for her erratic behavior and skill in electronics. Classmates, who refused to be named, stated that she was depressed lately, "not like that Korean kid at that other school, but depressed anyway. We didn't know that she knew anything about bomb making, but she was really gifted and a bit of an exhibitionist".

Or perhaps she hasn't been to in airport in about 6 years. She didn't think that perhaps her "fun loving art" could possibly be mistaken by an average person to be something of concern.

I travel through Logan every month, and not a single time goes by that I don't remember that 2 of the 3 flights of 9/11 originated here.

Maybe you would prefer the Police don't respond and your dumb ass gets blown to bits. I personally would prefer that the Police take an inconsiderate little flake into custody, then risk killing more people.

If you are looking for someone to blame, then you should be getting involved in politics, that's what they do best....but leave the Police out of it. They are just doing a job that most of us would hate.

I don't know if I should laugh or cry about the fact that our security guards are not able to tell apart a bomb and a circuit board with LEDs and a battery.

It's expected for the media to call this a "fake bomb" because they don't know any better but one would expect security guards to be slightly better educated.