Miami Traveler Allegedly Slaps Air Marshal

[matcom]

<snip>

MIAMI -- A plane passenger slapped a federal air marshal after refusing to sit down and ignoring instructions to end her cellular phone call, which she said would have been "rude," prosecutors said Tuesday.

Lilia Belkova has been jailed since being charged with assaulting a federal officer and interfering with a flight crew last Wednesday as a US Airways flight prepared to take off from Miami to Philadelphia.

A bail hearing was set for Thursday. It was unclear late Tuesday if Belkova, 38, had yet been assigned an attorney.

According to prosecutors, Belkova refused flight attendants' instructions to turn off her cell phone as Flight 26 taxied for takeoff, saying: "It is rude to hang up on people. I don't have to turn my phone off."

http://www.wftv.com/travelgetaways/3397821/detail.html

[TreasonousBastard]

1. It's ruder to hold up a flight...

by being an asshole.

[pretzel4gore]

2. still!

in jail for slapping? seems overly reactionary.....
'repent, conform, obey!' is the bush law summed up

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Basic rule for travelling by air now...

don't do anything to call attention to yourself.

They ain't catching terra'ist one with this crap, but they're sure gonna stop air rage.

[NashVegas]

9. I'm So Sick of People With No Sense of Etiquette on Cell Phones

1. When you're socializing with someone, it's rude to hold conversations that exclude that person (or persons). Doesn't matter if you're with one person and have a cell or you're with a group of two or more and no cell.

2. If you must take it out in public places, keep your voice level DOWN. People on cell phones often speak louder to their absent friend than they do to someone who's standing right next to them. Only aural voyeurs want to listen into your conversations, the rest of us don't give a shit.

[Spinzonner]

3. Ahh, so now terrorist know how to get Air Marshals

to reveal themselves. Just behave rudely to the air crew and use a cell phone unacceptably - for a while.

Good move Mr Marshal, that's a really i9mportant reason to compromise your mission.

[GOPisEvil]

5. I'm sure that seemed like a good idea at the time, Zsa Zsa...

...but for future reference, law enforcement officials don't care much for being slapped.

And, everyone I have ever been on the phone with while on an airplane was very understanding of my need to turn the phone off. Maybe it's you and your clueless friends that need to be slapped.

[AngryAmish]

6. oooh, bad idea

We all know how people at airlines just love those little jokes about bombs and being a terrorist.

[Wickerman]

7. Clueless award winner of the week

slap a cop, go to jail. Cell phones are a menace 4/5's of the time anyway. Nothing I love more than sitting in an airport and listen to someone bark orders at workers, kids, and husbands/wives in a rapid succession of calls. You think they must be traveling to Europe for a month - no, its into Chicago for the day, will be home for dinner. Americans, get over yourselves. When you die there will be someone else taking your place - and they might be nicer.

[izzie]

8. Oh well I am not going to fly any more. I just got sick of it all.

The first time I went any place in a plane was in 1947 to Canada. It was fun and people were nice.

[pagerbear]

10. How do you plan to get to the Costa del Sol?

[Wickerman]

12. I agree

got an extra broom?

:P

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Stupid, Stupid Person

When on a plane, especially in this climate of irrational fear, just do what you're asked.

These "on-plane" cell phone users just have to continue to prove to others just how important they are compared to the rest of us plebians.

It is incredibly rude to carry on a phone conversation in front of everyone on the plane. So, her excuse is useless, since she was already being ruder than she would have been by FOLLOWING THE LAW AND TURNING OFF THE STUPID PHONE!
The Professor

[johnnie]

13. Another idiot

Whe is slapping anyone excusible. Another rule of thumb...don't slap people with a gun and a badge. People can be a bit stupid sometimes.

[put out]

14. That rude air marshall.

I am no fan of the Patriot Act. That said

Turn off your phone, please. You are apparently the center of your own universe, but when you inflict your insipid non-conversation on me, you become the center of mine. And you were not invited, let me tell you.

I do not need to hear stuff like, "O.K. so I'm here? O.K. and so where are you? Still there? I can't hear you too good, can you move, WHAT, WHAT! Wait. O.K. so where are you going? Are you going to be there for a while? O.K. so call me back? O.K. like O.K? Well, wait like O.K? I have to take this call, like O.K? O.K. hello. Oh is this you? Like, where are you? Are you still there? O.K. I like have someone on the other line. O.K. and they want to talk to you, so just wait and I'll put us on three-way, like O.K? O.K. How do I get the three-way? Are you there? O.K. like where are you..."

And on and on and on