I suppose it's possible that the authorities fear the light planes might be used in some manner to help terrorists seize control of one of the reactors, rather than being crashed into it. I don't have any particular insight to this potential problem, and I'd rather not let my imagination run wide open in a public forum, but I suppose that the feds want to be ultra-cautious in safeguarding our reactors and prefer to error on that side of the equation.

The two TP bombers represent a small class of people who delight in pulling pranks like this, probably giggling wildly as they engage in what seems to them to be a hilarious coup of comedy.

A little common sense goes a long way in dealing with such episodes. I mean, what terrorist is going to attack a JV football game?

Over the weekend, I visited a do-it-yourself car wash. After I had finished the soap, rinse, wax routine, I pulled my Civic over to one of the drying bays and opened the door, ready to step out and begin drying my vehicle. Directly beneath where I was about to put my foot was a small pile of cream-colored powder in a messy little heap. I froze for a second, then realized the obvious: what in hell would any terrorist be doing attacking a car wash in my little town?

I put my foot on the coffee creamer or whatever it was, and ground it into a less-sinister looking gritty streak, imagining that my foot was really on the moron's head who'd sprinkled the stuff there.

With these and other fools loose in our society, we all need to be on guard, both for real attacks and also for the pranks of imbeciles who apparently see no limits to their pursuit of a few easy giggles.

I would like to see harsh penelties for pranks like these in times like this. Maybe a year of picking up trash from our freeways on weekends, or something of that nature, wearing a bright orange suit with the words MORON in large type on the back.

sp