(U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES – Lorrie Heasley, a 32-year-old lumber saleswoman from Washington, was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Portland, Ore. for wearing a T-shirt. Not just any T-shirt – it had pictures of President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice hovering over the caption “Meet the Fockers.”

No one from Southwest said anything about the shirt while Heasley and her husband were waiting to board the plane. Heasley said she agreed later to cover up the T-shirt with a sweatshirt, but the sweatshirt slipped as she slept. When she refused to turn the shirt inside out, Southwest agents escorted her from the plane during a stopover in Reno, Nev.

Southwest has said that they thought the shirt was offensive and would cause outrage among the other passengers. The spokeswoman added that the incident was about “decency.”

Decency? Since when did decency overrule free speech? Are we living in Victorian England?

And when did Americans lose their sense of humor? Did Southwest honestly think passengers would engage in physical altercations over a debatably hilarious cartooned T-shirt?

The whole situation is ludicrous.

Southwest defended its decision by saying that Federal Aviation Administration contains rules stating that the airline will deny boarding to any customer whose clothing is “lewd, obscene or patently offensive.” Yes, Bush supporters may have found the T-shirt annoying, but removing a passenger from a flight for exercising his or her freedom of opinion, right to peacefully demonstrate and right to free speech is crossing a line far beyond a passenger’s possible mild offense.

Heasley has said she will sue, and for the sake of American rights, she should. Southwest was in the wrong and should apologize and reimburse her immediately.

It’s a sad day in this country when people are not allowed to express their opinions in a public arena. Mild censorship now will lead to a breakdown in civil liberties later.

Staff Editorial

Daily Trojan (USC)