December 2001

I figure pretty much everyone in the country knows who this is.  But just
in case you don't, his name is Michael Lasseter.  On November 16th, the
aforementioned yo-yo breached security at Atlanta's Hartsfield International
Airport by deliberately running past two guards and going down an up
escalator that normally takes arriving passengers from the secured area
into the main terminal.  In other words, he did the equivalent of running
past the metal detectors without stopping for a proper search.  His action
had far-reaching effects.  The airport was put into a lockdown. 10,000 people
were evacuated out of the airport.

Planes already on the tarmac waiting to take off were immediately grounded.
Inbound flights were diverted to other airports.  Flights around the country
were delayed and cancelled.  The airlines lost millions of dollars.  The roads
to the airport were sealed off, causing unimaginable traffic jams.  I could go
on, but you probably get the picture.  All this, because he ran back to fetch
a camera bag he left behind and didn't want the hassle of going through
security again.

Now, in all fairness, there are some extenuating circumstances that must be
mentioned.  His flight was about to take off and he was afraid he'd miss it.
Not only that, but his son was already on the plane and he didn't want to be
separated from him.  On the other hand, his son was with an Uncle, so I'm
not sure what the big deal was.  Anyway, some people think the lockdown
was overkill, and Lasseter says that it was an unfortunate mistake and that
he's sorry for the inconvenience he's caused, blah blah blah.  Whatever.

I understand that we all suffer momentary lapses in judgment sometimes, and
people make mistakes, and life goes on.  Forgive and forget.  But there's one
thing about this whole incident that really makes it hard for me to swallow
the 'forgive and forget, it was an innocent mistake' line that Lasseter and his
lawyer are busy promoting.  According to reports, Lasseter didn't just run past
the security guards stationed at the top of the escalators -- when one of them
tried to stop him, he shoved him out of the way, and when the guard ordered
him to stop, he shouted "To hell with you!"

Maybe I'm missing something, but physically shoving a security guard and
shouting "To hell with you!" in response to being ordered to stop just doesn't
seem to jive with the 'It was all just an innocent mistake' sales pitch.  To me, 
it seems more like the behavior of a selfish, inconsiderate, and reckless
jackass.  That's just my opinion.

How does all of this tie in with bad traffic, the subject of this site?  I can't help
but suspect that this is type of guy who cuts people off, illegally parks in
spots reserved for the handicapped, hogs the passing lane, drives by himself
in the HOV lanes, turns without signaling, tailgates, etc., etc., etc.  I mean,
obviously his needs come before anyone else's.  To hell with the rest of us,
right?  It kind of reminds me of this idiot I had the displeasure of meeting
earlier this year.  His name was Todd May.  Todd and I met when he came
through an intersection one day right after the light turned red.  He ran the light.
I guess you could say he took a "to hell with you" attitude about it.  I mean, he
actually confessed to an eyewitness at the scene afterwards: "Yeah, I didn't
even try to stop for that light.  I had my foot to the floor trying to beat it."  So
anyway, he slammed into me at about 60 mph.  This is how my car ended up:

(The point of impact is the front passenger side corner at a 90 degree angle)

Of course, I have no idea how Michael Lasseter actually drives.  He could be
the most courteous and considerate driver on the road for all I know.  So it's
not really him who I'm criticizing.  Truth be told, he's probably a pretty nice guy
who just made a really, really, bad mistake.  What I'm criticizing is the reckless
attitude and mentality that he exhibited that fateful day at the airport -- an attitude
and mentality that can be seen all too often on this nation's roads and highways. 
There's a phrase that describes this attitude.  It's called "reckless endangerment."
Lasseter got lucky, in a way: nobody got hurt.  Think about it, 10,000 individuals
stranded outside of the world's busiest airport baking in the sun for over two hours;
it's a small mercy that nobody suffered a heart attack or some other ailment. 
When such recklessness is exhibited on the road, however, the consequences
are often not quite so merciful.  People get injured, and people get killed.  People
lose a lot more than time and money.

On that note, happy holidays!  (And drive safe.)