Sharing our gratitude for Southwest Airlines

And what we have in common

Wearing my ‘We the People’ hat on my American Airlines flight in 2021 when I was arrested for wearing the ‘wrong’ mask probably didn’t help matters any. Shortly thereafter at a health freedom conference in Ramona, California, I was gifted my LOVE hat, and now I don’t fly without it. Let me share with you why.

On March 10, 2021, I had a confirmed (Confirmation #FYXJAC) first class ticket on American Airlines Flight 3067 operated by Skywest Airlines as American Eagle where i was on route to the annual conference of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) where I was to speak on the 13th.  

I arrived at the airport approximately one hour early complying with all airport and airline regulations. I waited in the gate area with a triple layer heavyweight mesh pleated mask.

I boarded the plane second in line past two gate agents who welcomed me on board by name. I returned the greetings and boarded the plane.

The female flight attendant greeted me and offered me a hand sanitizer. I replied “Good morning, No Thank You" and proceeded to seat 2D and loaded my luggage in the overhead rack. The flight attendant followed behind me saying "You cannot wear that mask". I turned and replied that I was wearing an appropriate mask that it was not a mesh mask but a triple layered mesh and silver Mask given to me by my doctor for my lung disease.

The flight attendant grew belligerent and handed me a blue paper surgical mask and demanded that I agree to wear it the entire flight or I would be removed from the flight. I replied that she could not say that and that the she was not a medical professional, nor were any masks approved by the FDA CDC or any other authority. I stated that the airlines and airport as places of public accommodation were in fact in violation of federal and state laws requiring them to offer equal enjoyment of the facilities, services and privileges to all patrons regardless of medical condition, religious beliefs and other state and federal constitutionally protected characteristics. 

I repeatedly demonstrated that mine was not one of the non permitted masks listed on the website or over the loudspeaker. This was evidenced by my passage by TSA and the gate agents. I repeatedly refused to leave the aircraft. At that point, either the pilot or flight attendant called the police.

I refused to leave repeatedly saying I had violated no laws or rules and demanded they call the Sheriff. The police officer became violent at which time I agreed to stand up and unbuckled my seat belt. The officer grabbed my left arm and violently twisted it behind my back and neck pushing me violently up against the window, until I screamed, saw stars and almost passed out.

They handcuffed me with my arm twisted in that position and removed my cell phone from my right hand. Leaving my mask in my handcuffed hands, they walked me up the jet bridge and by the angry passengers misrepresenting the event as me refusing to wear the mask that was in my hands.

People in the gate area shouted obscenities at me and statements such as “throw away the key”.  Some in the gate area filmed me walking past them on their iPhones. I recorded the events inside the plane where there were no witnesses to the excessive force used by these two officers.

Officers walked me to the street to where two police SUVs where waiting and they demanded I sign the citation of criminal trespassing or I would be taken to jail.

I repeatedly refused to sign and demanded again that they call the Sheriff. In great pain from my left arm being twisted in the handcuffs, I under this extreme duress and threat of further harm signed the citation.

My attorney demanded on my behalf that they certify in writing the law(s) that I violated. She also demanded that American Airlines and the Santa Barbara Airport pay damages to me for my time, loss of work and damage to my reputation. 

She demand that American Airlines and the Santa Barbara police give remedy to this situation within the next seventy two hours or I would that I would sue.

And so was my journey on American Airlines with my triple layer heavyweight mesh pleated mask.

I have not flown American Airlines since then.

My next experience getting on a plane was on a Southwest flight, with my new LOVE hat, a very sweet and entire flight’s worth of very salty pistachios (licking the salt off every one!), where I was able to make it from takeoff to landing without putting on my mask once!

What do Southwest and I have in common? We both know that love wins. We both keep moving despite the multiple hacks to ground us and clip our wings.

We both understand the meaning of last minute seating - for them when you board, for me whether or not I’ll arrive where they think I will.

Scott McKay, Patriot Street Fighter, vowed in our interview after the arrest to never stop until Sargent Spurlock, who took great joy in hurting me, is brought to Justice.

Like all of my books which are heavily censored, like the events I speak at where they do their best to thwart the attendance, I keep showing up. And so does Southwest.