Ordinary people in the legal crosshairs

You’ve probably heard that the Flying Imams are going after US Airways for refusing to let them fly after they made a loud, scary spectacle of themselves, that seemed intentionally to mimic the behavior in which the 9/11 murders engaged. (Bravo, US Air!). What you didn’t know is that the Imams are also going after passengers who reported this loud, scary spectacle. I can’t imagine what cause of action the Imams could have against these citizens, but the mere thought of being dragged into court is going to be enough to deter ordinary people from relying on their good sense when they see something threatening for fear of being dragged into costly and humiliating litigation.

This puts me in a mind of a book I read about 15 years ago regarding personal safety. It’s called the Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence , by Gavin De Becker, a well-known personal security expert. As you’ve probably guessed from the book’s title, his point is that women should trust their instincts. If they feel that someone is following them, pressing them too heard, or otherwise threatening them, they should go with those instincts, rather than keeping quiet so as not to make a scene or humiliate someone. De Becker says that he’s interviewed hundreds of men who have assaulted women (whether to rob or rape them), and they’re uniform in saying that their best weapon is women’s fear of causing a scene.

I guess that the Imams and their cadre are working to make sure that one of their best weapons is people’s fear of being dragged into court.

Hat tip: Power Line

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