re: "Flying While Diplomatically Immune"

Jules Crittenden at Forward Movement ("on politics, crime, science, foreign affairs, and maritime and military matters in the United States, Asia, the Balkans and the Middle East") takes a moderate stance.

Money quote(s):

"Waiting for all the usual suspects to denounce the anti-Muslim sentiments inherent in a Qatari diplomat’s sarcastic jokes about lighting his shoes on fire after causing a panic by smoking in an aircraft restroom, mocking the efforts of those tasked with preventing Islamic extremists from blowing planes out of the sky."

Yeah, there's certainly been some of that.

"Sounds more like an irresponsible provocation by someone who apparently doesn’t understand what serious business this is for everyone who flies, including all law-abiding Muslims who don’t care to blow out of the sky and don’t enjoy being subjected to a high degree of official scrutiny any more than the rest of the flying public does."

Just like every American who travels by air, I'm subjected to the same security kabuki a la TSA, the increased restrictions while in the air, and I don't like it much either. But I aim to at least pretend to willing and cheerful compliance. They can't make me act like an idiot child after all, no matter how much they treat us like idiot children.

"(F)rivolous actions of the sort this Qatari diplomat is reported to have engaged in could be damaging to the good relations with Muslims and Muslim nations that our government and institutions have worked hard to maintain in difficult times, going back to George Bush’s remarks in the first days after 9/11. Fortunately, Americans have largely limited themselves to reasonable responses to real threats."

&

"The Qatari diplomat wasn’t being targeted while minding his own business. He was being targeted while reportedly doing the equivalent of shouting fire in a crowded theater."