Nathaniel Heatwole, a college student at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., is waiting for a Maryland court to decide whether he will be charged with a felony for smuggling illegal items onto two Southwest Airlines jets last September.
Box cutters, bleach, modeling clay molded to look like explosives, and matches were among the items that Heatwole was able to smuggle aboard jets at Baltimore-Washington and Raleigh-Durham airports in his own experimental test of the nation’s airport security systems.
The bags containing these items also held notes explaining what was in the bags and when they had been carried aboard the cabin. One bag had been smuggled onto a jet on Sept. 12 and the other on Sept. 15, almost two years to the day of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The bags were hidden in compartments in the rear lavatory of the planes.
Heatwole even went as far as to email the Transportation Security Administration, stating that he had information concerning public safety leaks at certain airports. He had gone through normal security checks, and even carried a few of the items as carry-on. The in-depth emails gave location, flight number, and even Heatwole’s name and telephone number.
The student’s actions elicited the search of over 7,000 aircraft. He has not yet been arrested, but may be facing a charge that carries a possible 10-year jail sentence: bringing dangerous weapons onto an aircraft.
“The e-mail author … stated that he was aware his actions were against the law and that he was aware of the potential consequences for his actions, and that his actions were an ‘act of civil disobedience with the aim of improving public safety for the air-traveling public,'” an FBI affidavit said.
Heatwole’s actions may prove to be a driving force in the reform of airport safety. A political science major, Heatwole has gained national attention by making his views on public safety issues public. He may be the wakeup call that our government needs.
The Massachusetts aily Collegian does not advocate that in order gain recognition of personal beliefs, one should consider breaking the law. The Collegian believes that by this demonstration of his beliefs, Heatwole is a motivational hero for our generation. His knowledge and observations of the lacking airport security will help officials close an enormous gap in a country where security checks miss one in four guns brought onto a plane, and have recovered 1.4 million knives and 40,000 box cutters.
Disturbingly, Congress has already pushed for U.S. airports to cut over 6,000 jobs of airport security personnel over the next five months. These cuts would namely affect the staff that does the luggage screening and baggage checks. If the government continues to have its way, only 18 to 20 U.S. airports will receive the phenomenal funds they need to install bomb-detecting machines.
Clearly, if a man like Heatwole can smuggle weapons and “explosives” onto a jet, and even inform the TSA of his intentions without being immediately caught, there is no doubt that anyone – terrorist or not – could sneak dangerous cargo onto a plane at anytime. The end result could have unthinkable repercussions.
Heatwole’s demonstration was not a cry for attention or self-indulgence; it was the act of an American citizen demonstrating his beliefs. His acts demonstrated not only courage, but they portrayed a new version of an American hero. In the war on terrorism, many of the battles will be fought on our own soil. Nathaniel Heatwole is an inspiration here on the home front.
Information for this editorial was used from www.usatoday.com and www.foxnews.com.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of The Massachusetts Daily Collegian Editorial Board.
