Scenes from the Culture of Fear: Bagel-wielding professor removed from plane

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Hey, maybe this should be a new series here at The Reaction: Scenes from the Culture of Fear.

They're not really Signs of the Apocalypse, a series we've been doing for years, more signs that society is going crazy as a result of manufactured terror.

Last week I wrote about a model North Carolina high school student suspended for accidentally having a paring knife in her lunchbox, today it's this:

A Florida professor was arrested and removed from a plane Monday after his fellow passengers alerted crew members they thought he had a suspicious package in the overhead compartment.

That "suspicious package" turned out to be keys, a bagel with cream cheese and a hat.

Ognjen Milatovic, 35, was flying from Boston to Washington D.C. on US Airways when he was escorted off the plane for disorderly conduct following the incident.

Monday's incident is another example of other passengers essentially becoming the authority on terrorist activity on planes.

Recently, passenger complaints have resulted authorities taking action against innocent passengers who went to the bathroom too often on a flight and who were just being annoying.

In the hyper-sensitive world of flying, sneezing too often could get you kicked off a flight and questioned by the FBI.

I mean, I can see if it was a Cinnabon or something, or maybe an explosive jelly doughnut, but this is just crazy.

Welcome to the Culture of Fear.