In-flight cell call ban advances in Congress
A bill that would stifle in-flight cellular calls despite emerging technologies that finally make them feasible is headed for the U.S. House of Representatives.
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I'm not sure I understand
I'm not sure I understand how anyone can be for restricting freedom when the only harm is annoyance. Freedom to talk is a right. Freedom from annoyance isn't.An airline could make the choice to restrict talking on phones on their planes, but we really shouldn't want the government to place any restrictions on speech. That's just scary.
Leaving aside the rather
Leaving aside the rather juvenile me-me sentiment of your first paragraph, if you read the report you'll see that they don't want to limit your free speech (which refers to communication over any media) but rather the noise you make when your lips start flapping.Ahh, I understand -- they
Ahh, I understand -- they don't want to "limit your free speech" -- just your ability to actually speak. That's a rather fine hair to split, don't you think? By the same logic, could protesters be permitted to only carry signs, and arrested/fined if they actually said something out loud?It's called good manners.
It's called good manners. I'm only sorry that some people are so full of self-importance that they can't limit their own 'freedoms' for a few hours out of their lives while they are sitting as the guest of their fellow passengers.What is the difference
What is the difference between talking on a cell phone and talking to the person in the seat next to you? By your logic they should be able to limit this as well.The difference is you have a
The difference is you have a conversation with me I can either join in and (one would hope) not be annoyed by it, or I could politely indicate I'm not interested in what you have to say and the conversation draws to a natural close. This is not so on a cell, in fact it is more like being in the middle of three seats while the people on either side of you carry on talking loudly across you.I don't see the need for a law in this matter tho, I think there are already laws on causing disruption by being rude and/or obnoxious on an airplane already. You have the right to talk, I have the right to ask you to shut-up, if you don't think I have this right then why not? Society and civilization is based on give and take, I give you the right to sit within 1inch of me for 5hrs, you take your balls with you when you leave the plane as long as you don't sing along to your Celine Dion cds the whole trip.
Hence limiting the freedom
Hence limiting the freedom of SPEACH to me this bill is unconstitutional not like this Government cares about that silly document anyhowYup. You're right. Say Neal,
Yup. You're right. Say Neal, you like the movies? Me too. Let me know next time you're going so I can sit behind you and make some cell phone calls. Yes, yes, of course a movie theater is somewhat different and it's not a perfect metaphor. What about town noise ordinances? If I have a right to free speech, shouldn't it be anytime / anywhere?But an airplane is worse. You're essentially trapped for hours. Worse, there may be plenty of people who can't quite afford first class, but still have some class. And those folks, often frequent business travelers, will be stuck next to the barely-made-it-on-the-plane-due-to-drunken-behavior moron who'd definitely going to be yelling "Can you hear my fat ass now," for two hours.
Tell you what, let's pass the law and we'll make two exceptions. Family emergencies and some profoundly important political speech that just can't wait 'till the plane lands.
So you see Neal, I DO want the government to place some restrictions on speech. (And please, spare me any slippery slope arguments. Wayyyy tired.)
Scott
You all are missing the
You all are missing the point entirely in your efforts to maintain a trivial and childish debate that ultimately underlies something more serious.What the initial post was trying to say (in my opinion) is that it is NOT the government's place to restrict my freedoms. It is debatable whether cell phones actually cause interference with aviation equipment, but the FCC and FAA have both done studies that say they do, and as such they are allowed to restrict their useage.
But all of a sudden our airlines become strapped for cash and need to overturn this in the name of a little green. So then this is the point in our little story where people take interest in this issue and cry out over the noise they so desparately do not want to hear. Let me surprise you, gentle reader, I don't want to hear it either.
As such, I will be asking the airlines to continue with the ban, but NOT the government. The beautiful thing about our freedoms as the government sees it is that once we give up our rights, little by little, or more and more, we won't be seeing it back. And why should they? They're happy to take the freedoms you are so willing, so blind, to give up.
This is just one of many starting dominos. Take heed, reader, or you might not be able to read this next.
It's called skype. Or AIM or
It's called skype.Or AIM
or MSN
all these have voice technology.
read the second to the last
read the second to the last paragraph again. "American said it doesn't plan to allow voice calls over Gogo and that Aircell will use technical means to prevent them." i take it to mean that they will block communication over whatever the normal ports are for the voicechat parts of those programs are.Peter DeFazio is also the
Peter DeFazio is also the same old man that is constantly yelling at those darn kids to get off his lawn too.I am so glad that Congress
I am so glad that Congress is tackling this extremely serious issue before they left on vacation for a couple months, instead of trivial things like the poor economy, the massive budget deficit, high energy/fuel costs, the Middle East, etc.Well said, Alex. Let the
Well said, Alex. Let the airlines decide if they want to allow cell use, and people can decide if they want to fly an airline that allows them to talk or one that allows them peace and quiet on their flight. This seems like something to distract people from the fact that nothing useful is being done in Congress.So, it bans "voice
So, it bans "voice communication?"It is now official, our
It is now official, our government is retarded. The housing market is crashing, we have nukes in Iran and the Iraqis are kicking us out of their country (which is just sooooo ironic and funny) and our lame politicians are worried about cellphone noise on a plane? This they make a law for? What happens if I use my phone? Do they make an emergency landing and call in the fun police? If it is a problem and customers hate it then they should speak up to the airlines and the airlines can make a business decision. Do I want a cellphone crowd on my plane or a non-cellphone crowd. Kind of like no-smoking sections at restaurants (in the few states left where smoking is still legal. BTW I am a non smoker). This is a waste of time and just goes to show just how damn stupid or government is.replica bags
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