Mentally ill man covered with feces attacks Continental Airlines attendant

This is a sad story.

You may have heard about the Continental Airlines passenger who went into the plane’s bathroom and emerged covered in his own feces. He then assaulted the flight’s sole attendant, pinning him down until several passengers assisted in subduing the confused man. The attendant wisely had the other passengers move to the front of the plane while the man remained in the back row. After the flight landed in Omaha, police boarded the plane and later released the man to mental health professionals at the Iowa center where he reportedly lives.

There are many questions about this incident, and I’m somewhat confused myself. All the news reports I have read about this incident, have included the phrase, “The FBI will investigate how the man was allowed to fly unsupervised” or some variation of same. Apparently, the man was taking a holiday trip from Chicago to Houston to Omaha.

Did he have his doctor’s permission to travel? Must have …

Was he on meds? Most likely. Was he taking his meds? Who knows.

Who took him to the airport, and what was his mental state when they left him there? Good questions.

Now, I’m glad no one was hurt. And the police handled the situation well by recognizing that the man was ill and needed mental health care rather than jail. The part about the FBI investigating how the man was allowed to fly unsupervised troubles me, however. 

Obviously, someone needs to check into this. The center where he lives must have believed he was fit to travel (unless we learn later that he left without permission). The man was not fit to fly, at least not on this flight. But, The FBI? They should be out chasing bad guys, not investigating one man’s mental health crisis.

Yes, I understand the attack occurred on a plane, and these days everyone is a bit touchy–warranted I’ll agree–about disturbances on planes. But at this point let’s look at what the TSA’s impressions were of the man as he went through security. Chances are that even if the man had had an escort, he would have come out covered in feces if he had had a break at that point.

The last time I checked, mentally ill persons are not criminals. Every person with a mental illness does not require an escort.

Get the FBI outta there and place the responsibility where it belongs: back at the care center.

Just my opinion …