Woman Faces Charges in Flight Scare

[Omaha Steve]

Full story: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060817/D8JIC83G2.html

Woman Faces Charges in Flight Scare
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Aug 17, 3:31 PM (ET)

By MELISSA TRUJILLO

BOSTON (AP) - A woman on a trans-Atlantic flight diverted to Boston for security concerns passed several notes to crew members, urinated on the cabin floor and made comments the crew believed were references to al-Qaida and the Sept. 11 attacks, according to an affidavit filed Thursday.

Catherine C. Mayo, 59, of Braintree, Vt., appeared in federal court Thursday on a charge of interfering with a flight crew on United 923 as it flew from London to Washington, D.C., Wednesday.

She was dressed in a Rolling Stones T-shirt, black pants and socks without shoes for the hearing and was ordered held pending a detention and probable cause hearing next Thursday.


A Massachusetts State Trooper escorts a group of passengers from United Flight 923 to the security checkpoint at Logan International Airport in Boston, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2006. Fighter jets escorted a London-to-Washington, D.C., United Flight 923 to Boston's Logan airport Wednesday after the pilot declared an emergency because an apparently claustrophobic passenger caused a disturbance, a federal official said. The federal security official said there was no indication of terrorism. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)


Her attorney, federal public defender Page Kelley, said Mayo was "just barely lucid" when they spoke. "She's got some very serious mental health problems."

[kurth]

1. This woman needs serious meds

[Robb]

2. "She's got some very serious mental health problems."

What tipped you off, counselor? The Al Q references, or the peeing on the floor? :eyes:

[rodeodance]

3. She needs to be in treatment not jail.

[zreosumgame]

11. perhaps if she had been allowed to use a restroom she would not have peed

on the floor? it is called humiliation, a very common tactic of abusive regimes. Nice to see so many DU'ers make snap judgements on the basis of one side of a story...

[Robb]

14. That's me, king of the snap judgement

Made another one just now. ;)

[slackmaster]

4. Serious mental health problems indeed

No shit, Sherlock.

[saigon68]

5. Pissing on the cabin floor is a sign that the elevator does not go to

the TOP of the shaft.

[koopie57]

6. if she did it on purpose, then I would have to agree

but I also read that they didn't allow her to go to the restroom, which, being an older women myself, I would not judge her so harshly, especially if she was already confused.

I understand all these comments and where they are coming from, but I can't help but feel we need to be a little nicer to one another and take better care of us huddled masses. It is a very scary time and some of us can deal with it better, others are just barely holding things together and then there is people like this lady. I guess we need to stop being so afraid of one another and quick to shame someone when they can't deal with these pressures. I guess I've decided to stop being afraid which is a major deal cuz I am the world's biggest chicken. But my kids are older now and I don't have to hide behind them and making sure they are safe. I don't know, just feel so sad today I guess.

[medeak]

7. her son said she had problems leaving Pakistan and was

overwrought. He said this was totally out of control... Passengers heard her talking about Pakistan and then stewardess wouldn't allow her to use restroom..

am waiting to rush to judgement.

[gratuitous]

12. I'm pretty old myself

And I remember a time when folks in the U.S. had compassion for people, particularly old ladies who are confused or frightened. And in this case, I'm not talking about Ms. Mayo, but the frightened old ladies on the news shows who are practically peeing their pants over every little thing.

I also remember a time when people understood that there aren't any iron-clad guarantees. Somewhere along the line, we got convinced that the Great White Daddy in Washington DC was going to protect us all from all the Bad Stuff in the world.

[saigon68]

17. The sheep want the government and by default the Chimpanzee

To solve all of life's great mysteries, including how many sheets of toilet paper to use when wiping.

[MindPilot]

8. "Hold the Mayo, give me Hamm on five..."

sorry, I couldn't help myself.

[Parche]

10. mayo

That is in the Al-Kida playbook, they pee on the floor first before taking over jets.

[meisje]

9. She's clearly a republican plant to make the peace movement look bad

[hedgehog]

13. I'm wondering if she had some kind of stroke or sudden illness.

Some anti-malarials can cause hallucinations as well.

[Alameda]

15. urinating on cabin floor

This does not say if she tried to use the bathroom and then urinated on the floor. There have been times I just about exploded when made to wait too long.

[struggle4progress]

16. AN AMERICAN IN PAKISTAN: The blue planet (Catherine Mayo)

<Pakistan> Daily Times
Tuesday, March 04, 2003
Catherine Mayo

I used to be a letter writer. I liked writing long newsy letters to my friends. But last year during the anthrax scare I started sending more e-mails. My friends weren’t opening envelopes from me, because they were afraid of anthrax powder ...

My mother told me not to give up my US citizenship as I may need it someday. I don’t know where she got the idea that I would want to give up my citizenship. The blue passport is the only one that can go anywhere it wants to in the world. It is the most valuable piece of property that can be owned on this blue planet. I am wondering if my mother is speaking metaphorically. If I join an anti-war demonstration in Japan or Turkey, is there the danger that my citizenship will be taken from me ...

Fear is the one thing that will destroy this world of ours. Fear causes each of us to act sooner than we need to. Without fear we can think things through, make mistakes, learn from our mistakes. Without fear, we can laugh at ourselves. When we laugh at our own foolishness, other people smile with us. A world of patient fools has a power that we all understand ...

America is the leader of the world. It is in charge of human rights around the world. It is in charge of the ecology of the globe so that a good life can be lived by future generations. It is in charge of the intellectual advances of the human race. Its goal is freedom for all, the freedom of each individual to live the way he chooses inside the universal moral standards of humankind ...

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/print.asp?page=2003%5C03%5C04%5Cstory_4-3-2003_pg3_7

Some bittersweet sentiments, a bit rambly, not very analytical ...

[indepat]

18. Folks, keep this in perspective. F-15s here, none on 9-11 when Rummy,

who reported had authority to scramble jets, reportedly sat in the Pentagon oblivious to what was happening on 9-11 until the Pentagon was hit. Remember, the obviously already crafted so-called Patriot Act and remainder of the neocon PNAC agenda would been hard to get implemented unless some "Pearl Harbor-type" event had occurred.

Edited to add statment regarding the obvious.