From: Adam Flinton 

John Beamish wrote:

Says it all:

"and he was alarmed by us asking how to fly airplanes and said that
was against the law,"


Adam

> It's true!
> http://www.recorder.com/Headlines/tuesday_basic.htm
>
> Question about flight simulator brings visit from police
>
> By VIRGINIA RAY
> Recorder Staff
>
> COLRAIN - An innocent inquiry to a Staples store clerk about a computer
> software program that teaches how to fly an airplane by instrumentation
> brought a surprise visit this holiday season to a local family from the
> state police.
>
> "At first, I felt a little angry and violated" about someone telling
> authorities about her inquiry, said Julie Olearcek, a 15-year Air Force
> Reserve pilot. "But now that time has gone by, I realize it may
take someone
> like that, who's a little nervous, who may save the day." Olearcek's
> husband, Henry, is also a flier, currently on active duty, and frequently
> away from home these days.
>
> About a week before Christmas, Olearcek said the couple's 10-year-old son,
> who has flight simulation software and is keenly interested in learning to
> fly like his parents, commented that he'd have to wait until his dad retired
> to learn to fly by instruments. She went to Staples soon after and took her
> son to the office supply store, where he looked through the available
> software.
>
> "He was disappointed because there was military stuff, but it was all
> fighting stuff, so I asked the clerk, and he was alarmed by us asking how to
> fly airplanes and said that was against the law," Olearcek said.
"I said I
> couldn't imagine that, but, because (the clerk) was a little on edge ... I
> left." But "what saves us, is people are paying
attention," she said.
>
> Olearcek said she and her husband both were well aware that the Office of
> Homeland Security had raised the threat level during the holiday and of the
> generally increased terrorism alert following the Sept. 11 plane attacks.
>
> "And rightly so, this puts people on edge," she said.
>
> But she was taken aback by what happened next.
>
> "By 8 p.m., a state trooper was at my house," she said.
"At first, it was a
> little unnerving because it was pouring rain and my husband had just left
> .... My son said he heard someone walking around outside and it startled him.
> We had put our Christmas tree in front of a sliding glass door and the
> trooper ended up tapping on the glass of that door and putting a flashlight
> in and it scared us."
>
> But Olearcek said she doesn't believe the trooper was intentionally trying
> to frighten her family. Nor does she blame the clerk for erring on the side
> of caution.
>
> "We all have to be aware," she said, not really even wanting
to speak of the
> incident on the record, but wanting to keep the record straight. "It's not
> just the people in uniform who have to be looking after this country. So
> when people see something out the ordinary, they pay attention. Maybe by the
> way we worded the question - who knows? - it triggered the individual.
> Still, if they had done their homework (at Staples) they would see I home
> school my children and am a frequent customer and have a teacher's ID on
> file."
>
> Olearcek said the trooper asked her if she had inquired about the software,
> and she said she had and showed him her military identification.
>
> "He was totally understanding, but protocol means he has to
follow through,"
> Olearcek said. "I immediately gave him my military ID and I had no problem
> giving it to him. At first I felt like, 'Wait a minute, this is America.'
> But we also have to understand it takes everybody to pay attention. At first
> I was a little frazzled with someone knocking on my window at 8:30 at night,
> but the bottom line is this is a civilian who has tried to do his best."
>
> Sgt. Donald Charpentier of the Shelburne Falls State Police barracks said
> police received a telephone call from the Staples manager "that a
person had
> been looking for instructional videos regarding flying planes."
>
> "Those programs are quite common for entertainment and training,
but he felt
> it was suspicious enough to warrant a call," Charpentier said. "We
> responded, and it turned out to be innocent enough; a person looking to buy
> a Christmas gift."
>
> Staples' spokesperson Sharyn Frankel said the employees were doing what they
> have been told to do.
>
> "After 9/11, our store associates were instructed that if they
see something
> suspicious or out of the ordinary, they're to contact their managers and
> local authorities," Frankel said. "It's all about keeping
our associates and
> customers safe and this was out of the ordinary and kind of raised a red
> flag and they did what they thought was right."
>
> "Bottom line is we've all got to look out for each other, and I wasn't
> harmed," summed up Olearcek. "And what if it were the other
way around? It's
> going to take everyone in each town to look after one another."
>
>
>
>
> "Adam Flinton"  wrote in message
> news:3ffebe8f{at}w3.nls.net...
>
>>http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/28/34776.html
>>
>>"A mother's enquiry about buying Microsoft Flight Simulator for her
>>ten-year-old son prompted a night-time visit to her home from a state
>>trooper.
>
>
>

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