For want of a blanket, a stop in L.A.

On Wednesday, a 66-year-old Hawaiian Airlines passenger — described as “unruly” — reportedly threatened to “take someone to the woodshed” because he asked for a blanket, and was told it would cost $10.

Yes, a $10 blanket might be the sort of thing that causes a beleaguered economy-class flier to snap. But really, the woodshed? According to the Los Angeles Airport Police, it was enough for the pilot to divert the plane to Los Angeles, where the man was escorted off. Eventually, the plane was refueled, re-catered and on its way to Honolulu, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars. An expensive blanket, indeed.

Distracted-walking tickets out of step

We’re all annoyed with the behavior. Even those of us guilty of it ourselves will acknowledge the hazard of distracted pedestrians ambling into crosswalks, their noses in their smart phones. But that doesn’t mean current efforts to regulate it would, or should, succeed.

Often this phenomenon is compared to distracted driving, but the linkage breaks down when one considers: Government licenses people to have the privilege of driving on public roads, and so gets to demand that drivers perform. But nobody needs a license to walk, which puts a crimp in anyone’s desire for control.