journalist is a security threat for "mixing something"

This week in the War on Terror... Airborne! Not only does it fight colds, it can stop a passenger flight dead in its tracks. Here's a first-hand account from David Ho, a journalist for Cox Newspapers, who was recently suspected of being some sort of security threat on a JetBlue flight out of New York. His crime? Trying to prevent a cold: Reporter: I was a 'security threat' on flight.

A jumpy passenger apparently observed Mr. Ho drop an Airborne tablet—a dissolving, immunity-boosting vitamin supplement—into some water, got paranoid, and alerted authorities. Yup. Saw the Asian guy "mixing something" and got spooked. It's called Airborne, lady. Next time, pay a little attention in the drug store aisle.

Some scary police dudes with automatic rifles showed up and delayed the plane... then plucked David from his seat. The guy, of course, had no idea what he'd done. But I'm guessing he knew it was serious when a police officer grabbed his shirt and shoved him against the jetway wall. I guess vitamin C makes people crazy like that.

It quickly became apparently to the officers that David was not a terrorist, and "Airborne" wasn't actually anything he'd released into the air, nor was it going harm any of the passengers on this flight... except for the delay this woman's paranoia had caused. I have to wonder, as Mr. Ho does, "Would someone paler or older plopping an antacid turn any heads?" I'm going to guess no. But that's just me.