Well, trying to comb through the many varied topics in this thread, I find myself coming to the following conclusions:

1) Society often forces us to defend those elements we can't stand in order to test our commitment to our principles. Let’s take a fraction of time to truly ponder if the type of judgement and actions exercised here was appropriate. What protections of the innocent are in place if a captain can eject a passenger because his FA is “uncomfortable"? What if he/she were “uncomfortable” because I was carrying my medicine and he/she thought it was drugs? What if my missing arm let to discomfort? Or if I was wearing a turban? Or was an African American? Or a Jew?

2) The airlines lost the authority to manage security on the ground because they abused and neglected it. Do we really want the TSA to have their authority extended onto the aircraft because of Pilot / FA abuse and/or neglect? Is it really OK in our mind for a captain to eject a passenger sight unseen on the word of an FA? Have we never seen FA’s that were wrong – sometimes VERY wrong?

3) Gordo is a Liar. (Ok that was a gratuitous given, but this is the CO forum)