WAR: FBI Charges Laser Suspect Under Patriot Act: Despite Acknowledging Not A Terrorist Act, page 1
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Topic started on 4-1-2005 @ 08:18 PM by FredT
A New Jersey man accused with using a laser to beam pilots of two planes has been charged under the Patriot Act. The FBI has acknowledged that the incident does not have any relation to terrorism. David Banach has admitted that he pointed the laser device at jet and a helicopter that passed over his home. He initially claimed his daughter had used the device.





story.news.yahoo.com
NEWARK, N.J. - Federal authorities Tuesday used the Patriot Act to charge a man with pointing a laser beam at an airplane overhead and temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot.

The FBI acknowledged the incident had no connection to terrorism but called David Banach's actions "foolhardy and negligent."

Banach, 38, of Parsippany admitted to federal agents that he pointed the light beam at a jet and a helicopter over his home near Teterboro Airport last week, authorities said. Initially, he claimed his daughter aimed the device at the helicopter, they said.

He is the first person arrested after a recent rash of reports around the nation of laser beams hitting airplanes.


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.


The article is unclear as to why he was charged under the Patriot Act. Indeed if this act is going to routinely applied to non terrorist incidents I for one am very alarmed by this. The man should be charged and convicted of this stupid crime. However with even the FBI acknowledging that its not terrorism how exactly can they charge him? There no doubt are local and state laws that govern this and they could prosecute them under those. Is the burden of proof a lot less?


reply posted on 4-1-2005 @ 08:47 PM by dubiousone
It was just a matter of time before the Patriot Act was applied to U.S. citizens not associated with terrorists. Now it begins. The slippery slope is a very dangerous one for what this country used to and still does, to some degree, stand for.

Why charge this person, who apparently committed an extremely dangerous and despicable act, under the Patriot Act? The US gov't does not do this without very careful planning. There is an agenda behind this charging decision. What it is will hopefully be revealed through the criminal process in his case.

The state of Washington has statutes which specifically criminalize this type of conduct. I would be very surprised if the state of New Jersey does not have similar criminal statutes. I haven't searched, but I think there is likely already a federal statute that specifically criminalizes this kind of conduct.

So, the question is: Why is the Patriot Act being used to charge this person? You are witnessing a direct frontal assault on civil liberties. Using this suspect who everybody will agree should be punished commensurate with the risk of harm his conduct created, is just the opening salvo. The average citizen will support this governmental decision. Why, because he committed a very bad act. Maybe they have one of those lifetime beds reserved for him at Gitmo. After all, he's the first test case bad guy. That's always where the assault begins, against someone or some group who nobody thinks is worthy of sympathy.

Keep your eyes open and your ears peeled, folks. They're coming for you next if you so much as think a negative thought about the powers that be. Maybe not today. But tomorrow is within sight if this is not brought to an immediate and abrupt halt.

[edit on 4-1-2005 by dubiousone]


reply posted on 4-1-2005 @ 09:09 PM by spacedoubt
I think he was charged, because he lied.
He blamed it on his kid.

As far as the green ones being toys, maybe..150 to 200 hundred dollar toys.

But they are at a wavelength that the human eye is MORE sensitive to.
and they project up to 50 times further.
green laser info

They can cause temporary blindness. And because you can see the beam, as well as the dot, you can track things with them.


I have mixed thoughts about this..I hope they are doing this just to scare the CRAP out of this guy, and any copycats..

[edit on 4-1-2005 by spacedoubt]

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