The lesson is that lying about what I said is OK, but getting frustrated and pointing that out is being "incivil".
A phrase like "lying about what I said" is an escalation. To escalate less, you could speak in terms of misunderstanding and clarification. Similarly, to escalate more, you could say something like "you're a liar". After all, they said something false, which by definition is a lie, and someone who lies is a liar, so you'd simply be stating a fact, yes? And a liar is a bad thing to be, right? So you could add "you're a bad person" too. This is how we get stuck in opposition and flamewars.
On HN, each of us is responsible for not letting that happen, regardless of how mistaken the other person is or how badly they violated the rules themselves. Acting from the feeling of "they started it" or "they did worse" won't work. Everybody always feels like the other person started it and did worse.
In fairness, you said:
There are well known stories about planes making unscheduled landings in the US (emergency, storm, delays, etc). Cue CBP opening the front doors, walking down the aisle, and pulling one guy off the plane.
I'd also be interested in hearing about these well-known stories if you or someone else wouldn't mind sharing a link or two.
I still stand by my claims that the CPB has the legal power to do this. And that it is very likely they either have used that power in the past, or that they will in the future.
I also find it disappointing that previous comments denied such claims as "FUD", and others outright lied about my position.
The psychology of this is simple: Let's say you have an alcoholic "Uncle Bob" who shows up at every family gathering, gets drunk, gropes people, and passes out after throwing up in public. If you decide that you don't want him at your house next Christmas... it's your fault. You are the bad guy. The entire family will gang up on you, and punish you for bringing the abuse to light.