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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread: LEO Snakes on A United Plane

Open Thread: LEO Snakes on A United Plane

by Anne Laurie|  April 11, 20179:30 pm| 47 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Shitty Cops, Assholes, Decline and Fall, Ever Get The Feeling You've Been Cheated?, Security Theatre

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I traveled to Minnesota and back with three small children last week and what happened to that guy on United looks pretty relaxing tbh.

— Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) April 10, 2017

@DouthatNYT Did they issue three separate amber alerts or just like a package deal?

— soulkhan (@soulkhan) April 10, 2017

If there’s an opening to defend overzealous enforcement in the service of soulless corporatism, count on Ross Doubthat to rush in. Not that he was alone in his pursuit of the Worst Possible Take…

#BREAKING David Dao, the Elizabethtown doctor yanked from the United flight, has a troubled past in Kentucky https://t.co/pzkLLonJLG pic.twitter.com/FuZYCaLOEl

— Courier-Journal.com (@courierjournal) April 11, 2017

Basically: ‘The re-accommodated United passenger was no angel, recent information indicates …’

So? https://t.co/SCt3JAlJvd

— Greg Greene (@ggreeneva) April 11, 2017

And the Pulitzer for finding some evidence that a non white victim of police overreach somehow had it coming goes to the Courier-Journal.

— Schooley (@Rschooley) April 11, 2017

I’m sure I missed someone but come ON who’s writing about how having federal guns backing your customer service makes you fucking dangerous

— Erin Kissane (@kissane) April 11, 2017

Pepsi: well, that was an epic PR catastrophe that'll never be matched
United: hold my beer
*Sean Spicer enters with entire liquor cabinet*

— (((Danielle Blake))) (@abradacabla) April 11, 2017

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Reader Interactions

47Comments

  1. 1.

    Iowa Old Lady

    April 11, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    “re-accommodated”?

    Where’s George Orwell when we need him?

    ETA: And shoot, that KS race is now down to 51-48 for the Democrat. I know we weren’t supposed to be looking for a win, just an indication of how much Trump backlash there is, but still.

  2. 2.

    Baud

    April 11, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    Looks like Ross is asking for someone to bloody his head…for the relaxation, of course.

  3. 3.

    Beautifulplummage

    April 11, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    I love that United put out a new app yesterday with a drag and drop feature…which should have been renamed the drop and drag feature.

  4. 4.

    TenguPhule

    April 11, 2017 at 9:41 pm

    Ross Doughboy just admitted to being a serial child molester? I can’t find any other rational explanation for why he had 3 small children with him on a plane.

  5. 5.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    April 11, 2017 at 9:41 pm

    Douthat wouldn’t be holding stock in United without disclosing to readers, would he?

  6. 6.

    EBT

    April 11, 2017 at 9:42 pm

    @Iowa Old Lady: Any other year losing by 20 points would be a fantastic showing.

  7. 7.

    efgoldman

    April 11, 2017 at 9:47 pm

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:

    Douthat wouldn’t be holding stock in United

    Oh, no. Never, not ever!

  8. 8.

    Mike in NC

    April 11, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    I’d pay good money to watch Douthat getting worked over by three angry cops.

  9. 9.

    Raoul

    April 11, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    What a supreme dick Douthat is. And he is proud of his dickishness! Pretty much encapsulates the insular and decayed mindset of conservatism.

  10. 10.

    Mnemosyne

    April 11, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    The LA Times story today (which included information about Dr. Dao’s prior legal trouble and mental health issues) said that he’s still in the hospital. I’m sure that United’s lawyers are desperately trying to reach him to get him to settle, but the bad things I read about him made him sound like someone who would refuse to settle just to be an asshole. At least, I hope so.

  11. 11.

    Raoul

    April 11, 2017 at 9:55 pm

    So I’m seeing various info that the nat’l Dems basically ignored Thompson and KS04 till literally a few days ago. WTF, Dems? I know it was a long shot. But millions of people hate Trump. Work it, goddamit.

    The lengthy Perez – Ellison shitshow distracted way too many of the expensive suit class of organizational Dems after Trump’s win. Stupid, stupid.

    Still whatever happens tonight, I’m proud as heck of Thompson. He ran a real campaign, to win, and worked his ass off. I know, I’ve been supporting him since mid-Feb. He’s impressive, and the Dem party needs to back him in the regular, if Thompson wants to run (or is the incumbent! still hoping).

  12. 12.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 11, 2017 at 9:55 pm

    @Beautifulplummage:

    I love that United put out a new app yesterday with a drag and drop feature…which should have been renamed the drop and drag feature.

    WHOA!!

  13. 13.

    mdblanche

    April 11, 2017 at 9:59 pm

    Give the Courier-Journal some time. They have a history of being slow on the uptake.

  14. 14.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 11, 2017 at 10:01 pm

    @Raoul:

    Reposting from a couple of threads down because it seems relevant to your comment:

    in all candor the Ga Dems need to get their act together. Now less than a week out, and they haven’t yet (a) scheduled poll-watcher training sessions, (b) told us where/when to pick up our poll-watching credentials, or (c) given any assignments for next Tuesday. Frankly, I’m kind of pissed off.

    No worries, I’ll train when I’m told, pick up my credentials where- and whenever they are available, and get to whatever polling location(s) they assign me to. But they’ve been much better in the past, and I’m kind of worried that they’re blowing some of their marginal support here when they need every voter and volunteer they can get.

  15. 15.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 11, 2017 at 10:04 pm

    @mdblanche:

    That’s pretty amazing even for a racist Southern newspaper.

  16. 16.

    Raoul

    April 11, 2017 at 10:04 pm

    @Raoul: I suppose one could make an argument that too much DCCC money early woulda pushed a ton of GOP money to Estes. I dunno, I just hope the Dems realize that Trump rearranges priorities all over the map in coming months and years!

  17. 17.

    Sab

    April 11, 2017 at 10:08 pm

    @Beautifulplummage: My local NPR station burbled something during their last pledge drive about some new app they had. In my bleary morning commute I always heard their “drop n drag “as “droppin dragon” and I could never figure out why anyone would want to drop a dragon, and even if they wanted to what is the point since dragons can’t fly. As my spouse always points out to me “You know dragons aren’t real”. Yes, but that’s so much less reason to want to drop and drag them

  18. 18.

    Beautifulplummage

    April 11, 2017 at 10:10 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: saw the twitter post but not good at linking on my phone; it was under #newunitedairlinesmottos

  19. 19.

    amk

    April 11, 2017 at 10:11 pm

    the best response to ross douchebag.

    @DouthatNYT hey @united we found a volunteer who's down af to be dragged like a sack of garbage— Gene Park (@GenePark) April 10, 2017

  20. 20.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    April 11, 2017 at 10:16 pm

    Look – Dao did have a past, but has worked his way out of it.

    As it turns out, one of my current officemates was on the team that prosecuted him and still had some of the pleadings that he shared with me – it is pretty sad, pathetic and heartbreaking.

    If Christards have an iota of claimed mercy, this guy deserves it.

  21. 21.

    Corner Stone

    April 11, 2017 at 10:17 pm

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Look – Dao did have a past, but has worked his way out of it.

    Who gives a shit?

  22. 22.

    mdblanche

    April 11, 2017 at 10:18 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Actually, they were pretty much in line with everybody else.

  23. 23.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    April 11, 2017 at 10:18 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    Thank you – even if he were a current rat bastard, he didn’t deserve that treatment.

  24. 24.

    Mnemosyne

    April 11, 2017 at 10:22 pm

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Yep — the stories I read said that he had some pretty serious legal issues that got his license suspended, but that he worked hard to get it reinstated and did everything he was supposed to do.

    He paid his debt to society and now asshole reporters decided to drag it all back up again.

  25. 25.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    April 11, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: The linked article notes that the FNYT kept using Clay just as long; the excuse an editor offered was that the paper uses a birth name until it’s legally “changed in a court of law.” NYC racist newspaper.

  26. 26.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 11, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    OK, I saw a different version of this:

    Pepsi: well, that was an epic PR catastrophe that’ll never be matched
    United: hold my beer
    Sean Spicer: LEEEEEEERRRRROOOOY JENKINS!

  27. 27.

    Lyrebird

    April 11, 2017 at 10:26 pm

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: If anyone at that paper had some compassion it might’ve occurred to them that such a run-in might explain why he was quick to shout when menaced.

    May he gain peace of mind as he watches the massive PR loss United has incurred for being so beastly…

  28. 28.

    Corner Stone

    April 11, 2017 at 10:31 pm

    @Lyrebird:

    May he gain peace of mind as he watches the massive PR loss United has incurred pallets of cash being trucked to his house for UAL being so beastly…

  29. 29.

    EriktheRed

    April 11, 2017 at 10:32 pm

    As disgusted as i am by this incident, I really don’t wish to see United go under, either. I have a relative who works for them who just had a baby.

  30. 30.

    Lyrebird

    April 11, 2017 at 10:35 pm

    @Corner Stone: From your lips to G0d’s ears. SERIOUSLY.

  31. 31.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 11, 2017 at 10:35 pm

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: They are not Christians. They’re Mammonists.

  32. 32.

    Barbara

    April 11, 2017 at 10:39 pm

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I think I knew Dr. Dao in what I can only call a prior life, around the time when Dr. Dao was a young intern. I am not going to say anything, other than, in a setting and at a time when I was pretty much lost, he was exceptionally kind to me. What angers me most about these situations is that airline personnel have no idea what a person is going through — a difficult divorce, a family crisis, depression, or just trying to navigate a complex highwire family schedule involving minor children. So a flight out of Louisville might have had to be cancelled. What about the people trying to get to Louisville?

  33. 33.

    Edmunddantes

    April 11, 2017 at 10:44 pm

    @efgoldman: i@Beautifulplummage: fake news. Someone photoshopped it. I have the previous download and it didn’t show that way in my app history.

    Apple Pay streamline and bugs eliminated. Though bug eliminated might still count.

  34. 34.

    Chet Murthy

    April 11, 2017 at 10:48 pm

    @EriktheRed: They won’t go under. If there were any justice, every stockholder would lose their investment. But that’ll never happen.

    IF that happened regularly, corps would fricken’ behave, directors would exercise oversight (under penalty of penury-producing lawsuits for non-feasance), and we’d all be better-off.

  35. 35.

    Chet Murthy

    April 11, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    @Chet Murthy: I should have added that, via my 401k, I’m sure in the class of such stockholders (of UAL). And I stand by my position, that until corps’s stockholders face complete expropriation (via a corporate death penalty) for these sorts of sins, nothing will change.

  36. 36.

    Mnemosyne

    April 11, 2017 at 11:04 pm

    Since it’s an open thread, I now know for sure that at least some of my migraines are tied into my asthma. I just wish I didn’t have to find that out by getting a frickin’ migraine after having a mild asthma episode (not even an attack) thanks to some highly fragranced ant spray.

  37. 37.

    Cacti

    April 11, 2017 at 11:22 pm

    The blog Very Smart Brothas said that Dr. Dao getting dragged from the plane was the blackest thing that ever happened this week.

    The comment section noted that he got the full black treatment with the oppo dump on his past and the insinuation that we should be thanking United for cracking his skull.

    It’s Trump’s America now. No more “model minority” status for Asian-Americans. If you’re not white, you’re not all right.

  38. 38.

    efgoldman

    April 11, 2017 at 11:26 pm

    @Cacti:

    If you’re not white, you’re not all right.

    You can’t be the wrong type of white, either.

  39. 39.

    Mnemosyne

    April 11, 2017 at 11:29 pm

    @Cacti:

    It’s Trump’s America now. No more “model minority” status for Asian-Americans.

    That’s why I don’t get on board when people tell Schrodinger’s Cat and other Asian-American commenters to stop freaking out. They and their friends and families are being newly targeted by the Trumpistas, so OF COURSE they’re freaking out!

  40. 40.

    Sab

    April 11, 2017 at 11:32 pm

    @Mnemosyne: I am in my sixties with bad knees and some vision issues. I need to be much more grateful for my health, because there are young puppies out there with actual health problems much worse than anything I am dealing with.

  41. 41.

    Mnemosyne

    April 11, 2017 at 11:36 pm

    @Sab:

    And even mine aren’t that bad — I have asthma, but I’ve never had an actual asthma attack. But I am cranky because I’ve had this stupid headache since I woke up this morning, but I had to go to work anyway because I had time-sensitive stuff to do. ?

  42. 42.

    Aleta

    April 12, 2017 at 12:16 am

    andy lassner‏Verified account @andylassner

    Bill O’Reilly told his audience he’s going “on vacation”.
    That’s where parents tell their kids the dog is going before they put him down.

  43. 43.

    seaboogie

    April 12, 2017 at 12:42 am

    Douthat’s comment was mildly more amusing than the typical attempt at humor from Mike Huckabee…these guys are just such mean-spirited douchebags that every attempt at humor is like a clang on a rusty, out of tune bell. Patton Oswalt does a pretty good job of calling out Huckabee, though.

  44. 44.

    Ruckus

    April 12, 2017 at 1:38 am

    @Mnemosyne:
    Riboflavin. Or as it is more well known, B2. Seems that 200 mg twice daily halts a lot of migraines. It has worked amazingly well for me. It doesn’t stop all of them but my recent history had been one to two a week and on B2 I’ve had 2 in just over 60 days. Ask your doc.

  45. 45.

    Mnemosyne

    April 12, 2017 at 1:50 am

    @Ruckus:

    I’m supposed to be taking a B-complex anyway, because my cholesterol is terrible for someone my age.

  46. 46.

    Kenneth Kohl

    April 12, 2017 at 8:26 am

    @Mike in NC:

    I’d pay good money to watch Douthat getting worked over by three angry cops.

    Hell, I’d pay good money to see Douthat get worked over by his three small children

  47. 47.

    S-Curve

    April 12, 2017 at 9:10 am

    I’m seeing a lot of pushback about Dao’s “troubled past,” saying that the Courier-Journal got the wrong David Dao, and that the United passenger has no criminal record. Anybody come across anything reliable on this?

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