OPINION:
Illinois state Sen. Donne Trotter, a Democrat, was accused of trying to board a plane headed to Washington with a gun. He pleaded guilty to reckless conduct and avoided felony charges — good for him because a felony conviction could have lost Mr. Trotter his job and pension.
But Mr. Trotter was, in fact, trying to board an aircraft with a weapon. Do you know what else it might have cost? The life of everyone on that airplane. Just so I have the laws correct, one still cannot bring makeup aboard a flight — but knives (similar to the box cutters used in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks) are OK, as is boarding with a gun if you are high-profile enough. Interesting laws seem to abound for Chicago politicians.
JACQUELINE A. POSTAL
Silver Spring, Md.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.