They can’t even arrange a children’s party that gives them free good PR for an entire weekend.

“And the hospital has no system to cover for an absent doctor?”

Jesus. This whole thing is less well-oiled machine, more greasy Olestra-induced fart.

Judging from what we’ve seen so far I expect it will be Baron, Ivanka’s kids and the other grandchildren with a few WH staffers’ children and grandchildren while children from the community stand outside the fence and watch. And that fence? Will probably be at Mar A Lago because I’m guessing Trump will be golfing so…

Saw someone getting his tweets quoted about how the FBI should round up and incarcerate everyone who recorded the event. Because, as usual, the problems in this country are when bad things are exposed, not when bad things happen.

“there’s no real way around the fact that he escalated the situation and effectively established a scenario where he did force the authorities to drag him off”

“when you buy a ticket you know there’s a chance you will not get on the plane.”

Note also: the merging of state and corporations was a feature of fascism.

Well that is just sad. “...he’s not winning any sympathy chips from me either.” The 69-year-old man who was brutalized, humiliated, and possibly concussed gets my sympathy.

They should’ve done the random computer picking prior to boarding any passengers.

I can only conclude that most people in the US fucking love authoritarians.

The thing that doesn’t have to happen is dragging a 69-year-old man off of the plane and giving him a probable concussion. Also, reports are that he has in-patients, not patients coming in for a well-person check-up or anything. Assaulting an elderly man who assaulted no one and just wanted to use the service he…

And we’re slipping further and further towards a corporate-government future with every day. It has nothing to do with the current climate except that the wealthy have been playing this long-game for three-hundred years at least.

They don’t need to get him off the plane. They (arguably, because it was their own people who needed accommodation) needed someone off the plane. Bodily removing a passenger should not be on the list of options unless the passenger is themselves violent or a danger to others.

I know. I’ve been in a comment war over there. People seem so desperate to blame this guy. I really don’t get it. The issue isn’t that this was united policy- the issue is that a nonviolent man angry about an terrible customer service issue was bloodied and injured. That is insane. I mean, if I try to return a sweater…

He raised his voice while being non-white.

Why the fuck can’t united Airlines just keep have kept upping the reimbursement until people started to volunteer. And offer cash. Who gives a shit any of that would have been better than this.

Honestly, when I first saw a glimpse of the story I rolled my eyes and was like “oh great, another overblown story. There’s always more to it.” Then I actually watched the video. Holy crap. I don’t care if that doctor was screaming obscenities at the flight attendants. You do NOT treat people like that. Ever. It’s…

Remember, being “disruptive and belligerent” is a crime punishable by beating in our police-state.

The comments over on Gizmodo are depressing AF. To paraphrase, the elderly doctor deserved it, should not have raised his voice, should have just used his “cell phone to re-book patients from his hotel room,” and that this whole incident has been entirely blown out of proportion.