Nathaniel Travis Heatwole smuggled box cutters, bleach, matches and clay, fashioned to look like plastic explosives, past security and onto two Southwest Airlines flights.

The contraband remained hidden in the bathrooms on the planes for five weeks, even though the 20-year-old college junior sent an e-mail message to the Transportation Security Administration telling them his name and what he had done.

In the message, Heatwole told the TSA that the stunt was an act of civil disobedience, done with the hope of improving airport security. How reassuring that it only took 35 days to discover the hidden cache of dangerous items.

Heatwole faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if he is convicted of carrying concealed weapons onto an aircraft.

While most of us are left barefoot, de-belted and desperately hoping that the guard with the gun understands that we said “PalmPilot” and not “Bomb the pilot” when asked about the electronic gizmos in our brief cases, this kid was able to beat the system even after telling the authorities what he had done.

Heatwole knew the consequences of his actions. He should be prosecuted, but it is our hope that judge and jury will take into account the public service he has done when deciding on punishment.

The fact that an amateur sleuth was able to fool our best airport security efforts raises important questions about the showy – and annoying – things the TSA puts us all through and the important things going undone.


A better way


Parents with students at Webster Intermediate School are angry.

Two weeks ago, a gym teacher at the school measured students’ body mass index, which helps identify kids who are underweight, overweight or obese.

While we believe that the tests and their results could have been handled with more sensitivity, the effort to increase awareness about nutrition, proper exercise, eating habits and weight problems should be applauded.

In our “culture of beauty,” even fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders are image aware and concerned about how they look and about what their peers think. Some students came home in tears after the tests, suddenly worried about their weight.

Instead of sending sensitive information home in the hands of students, the school could have pushed an aggressive education program for parents before the tests, including a chance to opt out, and then mailed the results directly to them.

Hopefully, that’s a lesson learned, and the next time the tests are conducted – which they should be – the process will be handled better.

Weight and nutrition are serious issues. A 1997 study showed that 68 percent of the state’s youth did not eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. The Maine Department of Education estimates that 15.5 percent of the state’s children are overweight or obese. As we age, the problem gets worse. Fifty-nine percent of Maine adults are too heavy.

It’s important to teach the proper nutrition and weight management early. We all have a role in the process: parents, schools and the community.


[email protected]