For the past two weeks the media spotlight has been shining on the state of Wisconsin, but not because the Green Bay Packers are having a stellar season (they’re not) and not because a local farmer set a world’s record for his massive pumpkin (he didn’t). Rather, the state is making national headlines for some unfortunate events. First, it was the foiled plot by three teens to blow up a high school 30 minutes from my home. Then, it was yesterday’s tragic school shooting where an allegedly disgruntled student killed his principal.
But, it doesn’t stop there, now a Wisconsin businessman is also making news–garnering national attention for a bizarre move he pulled at a Milwaukee airport. According to various media outlets, Wisconsin businessman Ryan Bird was detained when he tried to go through airport security with a message scrawled on his plastic bag of toiletries. The message read: “Kip Hawley is an Idiot,” and was reportedly aimed at the director of the Transportation Security Administration.
According to sheriff’s deputies, the bag was confiscated and Bird was detained for 25 minutes and quizzed about his actions. Bird told authorities the message was a result of his “frustrations with the TSA’s rules and overbearing security personnel.” He went on to say: “Way too many of the TSA rules are knee-jerk reactions to non-credible threats. Bottled water was never a threat, toothpaste was never a threat.” (Bird was referencing the TSA’s move to ban liquids and gels in carry-on bags that had been in place since August 10th, when British police broke up an alleged plot to blow up airplanes with liquid explosives over the Atlantic. The ban was lifted on Tuesday.)
This entire incident would have likely gone unnoticed by media outlets if it weren’t for the fact that shortly after the incident Bird described the incident on an Internet forum called Flyertalk.com, saying that a TSA supervisor told him he had no free speech rights inside the airport’s security checkpoint. (You can read Bird’s original post on by clicking here.) Now Bird has become something of an Internet celebrity among bloggers with varying views of his actions. Bird’s supporters naturally agree with what he did and echo that they too are also annoyed with airport security. While a smaller number of his detractors say it’s childish to bait screeners and potentially hold up the security line.
In the end, sheriff’s deputies did not arrest Bird and TSA representatives issued a statement saying that Bird was free to express his opinion and there is no prohibition on writing on bags.
So, what do you think? Do you think that this event should have garnered as much attention as it did?