Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt

Re:Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt by mindslight on Wednesday August 22, 2012 @06:10PM (#4419898)

As air travel has matured into infrastructure that is generally depended upon, flying has become a right. Especially a return trip. Failure to see this is a deficiency with the narrow "base primitive" view of rights.

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Re:Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt by robotresearcher on Wednesday August 22, 2012 @06:32PM (#4419988)

Should airline travel be available to all, irrespective of their ability to pay? If not, then it can't be a right, since rights can not be denied based on ability to pay.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt by mindslight on Wednesday August 22, 2012 @06:41PM (#4420014)

Okay, kindly perform whatever formalization is necessary to interpret my statement in your alluded-to framework (factor out payment, s/right/unrestriction/, $whatever), then get back to me.

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Re:Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt by ebrenes on Thursday August 23, 2012 @01:09PM (#4423534)

If I don't pay for food, I die. If I don't pay for medicines, I die.

Does this then imply I don't have a right to live, because "rights cannot be denied based on the ability to pay"? That I don't have a right to property, because if I don't pay my debts my belongings can be confiscated and sold at auction?

I have a right to appoint my own counsel, but the government won't pay for the counsel I appoint. In order to use that right I have to be able to afford the lawyer I want.

US citizens have a right to run for elected office, but clearly that's not provided free of charge!

Rights are not irrespective or independent of my ability to pay. And if something is a right does not mean I get it for free.

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Re:Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt by anigbrowl on Wednesday August 22, 2012 @06:54PM (#4420071)

flying has become a right

I think you need to lay out your argument in greater detail than you have done so far.

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Re:Man kicked off flight by pilot for wearing anti-TSA shirt by mindslight on Wednesday August 22, 2012 @08:17PM (#4420259)

Society has evolved to the point where many people are regularly traveling long distances. Flying itself has become an integral part of this travel, to the point that driving or taking the train across the country is seen as adventurous. Flight transport is a commodity provided by many carriers in a mature market. The economics of and reliance on this market may change in the future, but as it stands, this commodity is relied upon by the modern world.

To say that carriers should be able to selectively revoke this abstraction and deny travel to specific individuals is to give them the power to force arbitrary rules on anyone who relies on this infrastructure. This would make all rights subject to the whims of the airlines.

[ Parent | on HN ]