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Comment by atlanticus | Hacker News Reader

If you're more concerned about your right to joke about bombing civilian aircraft rather than attend a serious conference then the conference is better off without you.

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I'm not concerned for my own person. I can easily restrict my use of jokes, but I can't support a country that disallows some of the most basic human rights, namely the freedom of speech (which I consider country-wide, not like the American version where you have to stand in a free speech zone to exercise the right). I hope the good people from the developer community in USA will attend the European conferences, so we can still meet and share experiences.

Also, this isn't just jokes as to what you are referring, it's jokes that any way involves security at airports, as I understand it. E.g. "Careful, it might smell" when they pick up your shoe.

So you're claiming that in a European airport I can joke about having a bomb or smuggling heroin and I won't attract any additional attention from the security staff?

Read through my post. It's not about bomb jokes, but innocent jokes about the security procedures, such as them touching you strange places or taking off yor shoes.

I would put even money on such jokes working out for you in Ireland, for what its worth.

If you are more concerned about attending a conference than about the erosion of French Revolution concepts and rights, then Democratic countries are better off without you.

Hint: It's not about the jokes.

This is not about the right to make jokes. Comments about airport security should simply not be grounds for arrest. All this would cause is many innocent people being detained for saying what they think.

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