Why Johnny Can't Fly

Sun Microsystem's Employee No. 5 John Gilmore strolled to the Southwest Airlines counter at Oakland Airport one day and presented his ticket.

The gate agent asked for his ID.

Gilmore asked her "Why?"

It is the law, was her reply.

Gilmore asked to see the law.

Nobody could produce a copy. To date, nobody has.

This story by Dennis Roddy of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, presents to us how one man is fighting for the freedom to come and go as we please without the interference from Big Brother.

"I will show a passport to travel internationally. I'm not willing to show a passport to travel in my own country," Gilmore said.

At the heart of Gilmore's stubbornness is the worry about the thin line between safety and tyranny.

"Are they just basically saying we just can't travel without identity papers? If that's true, then I'd rather see us go through a real debate that says we want to introduce required identity papers in our society rather than trying to legislate it through the back door through regulations that say there's not any other way to get around," Gilmore said. "Basically what they want is a show of obedience."

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