POSTED: 11:49 am CDT October 6, 2005 RENO -- A Washington state woman was bounced from a Southwest Airlines flight in Reno for wearing a T-shirt with the pictures of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and the F-word. The shirt was a play on words taken from the movie "Meet the Fockers." It had the title of the movie, with the last word changed to a curse word, according to KRNV-TV in Reno. Lorrie Heasley said she plans to press a civil-rights complaint against the airline over Tuesday's action at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Heasley said the airline offered to let her continue her flight if she were to change her shirt, which she refused to do. "I didn't feel that I should have to change my shirt, because we live in the United States, and it's freedom of speech and it was based on the movie 'The Fockers,' and I didn't think it should have offended anyone," Heasley told KRNV. Southwest officials said other passengers complained about her shirt, and that rules prohibit offensive clothing. But the American Civil Liberties Union said Heasley's T-shirt is "protected" free speech under the Constitution.
I think the airline did the right thing. There is latitude to prevent public profanity, and that t-shirt WOULD offend a lot of people (including people with no political axe to grind).
And to get the story straight, they did not ask me to leave the flight or change my clothes, they told me to either take off my shirt and fly with just my bra...or leave the plane. So my travelling partner PSHP and I decided to leave. (no we are not having a 'thing', we were up there to see the Diana Degarmo show).
Anyway, my shirt did not say "Meet the F_ckers" it said "Meet Bush and Cheney", which I guess nowadays is considered profanity. Who knew?
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