Mother Declared Terrorist Threat After Spanking Children on Airplane

There is growing concern over the use of the Patriot Act against passengers on air flights. In one case, Tamera Jo Freeman was declared a threat to national security and lost custody of her children after she spanked her children on a Frontier Airlines flight.

The incident occurred in 2007 after Freeman’s children began to quarrel on the flight and spilled her Bloody Mary in her lap. She swatted them on their thighs and then reacted badly when a flight attendant intervened by swearing at her and and tossing the remains of a can of tomato juice on the floor. She was arrested and convicted of a federal felony under the terrorism provisions of the Patriot Act. She spent three months in jail and then pleaded guilty.

It is not a unique case where bad conduct is being treated as a terrorist threat under the Patriot Act. It is an area that should be a priority for Congress in reevaluating the draconian laws and policies under the Bush Administration.

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