AN Australian was barred from a London-Melbourne flight unless he removed a T-shirt depicting George Bush as the world's number one terrorist. Allen Jasson was also prevented from catching a connecting flight within Australia later the same day unless he removed the offending T-shirt. Mr Jasson says Qantas and Virgin Blue were engaging in censorship but the airlines say the T-shirt was a security issue and could affect the sensitivities of other passengers. "The woman at the security check-in (at Heathrow) just said to me, 'You are not wearing that'," Mr Jasson, 55, said yesterday. Mr Jasson, who lives in London and was flying to Australia to visit family on December 2, said he was first told he would need to turn the T-shirt inside-out before he would be allowed to board the Qantas flight. "I told her I had the right to express my opinion," he said. SOURCE Mr Jasson is a classic example of a disingenuous LAME (Look At Me Everybody) person. He is disingenuous because he is actually thrilled that he was banned (while claiming that he is upset). He has succeeded in his one and only aim of having everyone look at him (for his allotted 15 minutes of fame). If he was genuinely concerned about missing his flight, he would have turned his T-shirt inside out, as was suggested by the long-suffering flight attendant. (It is not clear whether Mr Jasson stuck to his guns, or chose to be a piker - some news sources have him missing a flight or flights, others imply that he caved in and reversed his T-shirt.)
I am flying to New Zealand tomorrow for a 40th reunion with former comrades (40 years ago we were brutal and licentious soldiery, today we are kind and restrained). I am packing my "I AM WITH STUPID" T-shirt in my cabin baggage in case I find myself sitting next to a LAME person like Mr Jasson.
