Passenger exemplifies civil disobedience ethic.

I like to smoke. Cigarettes are wonderful for a number of reasons, most of which outweigh the monstrous risks for me, mostly because I lack any sense of forethought or self-preservation. My libertarian leanings also influence my distaste for smoking bans, which I would oppose even if I were not a smoker. Lastly, Thoreau has instilled in me a love for civil disobedience, for resistance against unjust laws.

Nevertheless, even I cringed a bit when I read this story. A woman on a Jet Blue flight apparently decided that federal bans on smoking in planes are unjust, and so retaliated against the oppression by lighting one up mid-flight. That's cute and all, but she took it a step beyond my Thoreauvian sensibilities when she punched a flight attendant in the jaw, acted hysterical upon attempts at restraint, and repeatedly referred to a flight attendant (whom she had threatened to kill) as a "dumb motherfucker" and a "fucking nigger."

She had allegedly had three vodka drinks over the course of the flight; she dismissed this as a reason, saying that she has a high tolerance for alcohol.