Dear Airlines: An Oped Letter to All Air Carriers

It is abusive to call someone a coward, which you insinuated I was since I wasn't willing to trust my "fellow man". Your analysis that idiots would be less willing to use arms because of the arming of fellow passengers is insipid. Idiots don't use logic.....this is why they are idiots. Idiots use blind emotion to fuel their thought processes. I would be quite happy to see armed Air Marshals on every flight, at least I know which side they are on. Anyone else is subject to scrutiny.......including you.

I notice I haven't suggested you be disarmed. If I offended you by suggesting your position is potentially cowardly, too bad. I reject your suggestion everyone should be left defenseless because some are idiots; I reject the thesis government automatically knows what is good for us just because it's the government, and therefore only government agents can protect us.

If you fear your fellow man when there is overwhelming evidence most people are good and sensible, if you feel you can not trust anyone because some people are bad or worse, you will not be the better for it. Which side are you on, the side of the terrorists? There are now good people who are out on the demonstrably pointy end of life every day, whether they be pilots, flight attendants, or passengers. So far your only argument seems to be the passengers are idiots who can't be trusted. That anyone with a CHL is a potential "clown", and therefore can't be trusted.

"Insipid". Ha. I haven't seen that for a while. If some fool wants to get up and pretend to be a hijacker I expect "insipid" will lead to "evolution in action".

How about a compromise? I will happily support "Sky Marshall" if any CHL can be "deputized" by showing his CHL at the inquest. People from Vermont are automatically deputized by their driver's license....

Lets see....whom would I trust with my safety on a crowded Jetliner?

A. An officer who has had extensive training in disarming and subduing armed suspects.

B. Some punk from Vermont with a drivers license.

Hmmmmmmmm. That's a tough one.

So far your only argument seems to be the passengers are idiots who can't be trusted. That anyone with a CHL is a potential "clown", and therefore can't be trusted.

"Insipid". Ha. I haven't seen that for a while. If some fool wants to get up and pretend to be a hijacker I expect "insipid" will lead to "evolution in action".

No, my argument is that SOME passengers are idiots that can't be trusted. My argument is that SOME people with CHL's are clowns that can't be trusted. I don't want to see passengers get shot because a Saudi is arguing with the Stew about being out of J&B. May I remind you that McVeigh was a dude with some fertilizer that couldn't be trusted and SOME people would use these laws to further their own agendas.

The nearly non-existent airport security has been well known for a long time. The airlines made money from it. Now, we're to feel sorry for the airlines who stash the real profits in the holding companies that we're not supposed to look at?

The holding company makes huge profits, while the illusion is that the airline is losing money - sorry, it's a statistical fake!

Wake up out there!!!

We may discover quite a scam in the proposed bail-out. For starters, the layoffs are roughly equivalent to the Reserve - Guard call-up; and the layoffs were almost automatic.

Further, in the military operation, the airlines fall under the lucrative "Civilian Reserve Air Fleet" program (CRAF), thus they will pick up a tremendous profit from flying the troops they generated.

The airlines created this mess by ignoring airport security standards, with the knowing and willing help of the FAA.

See -

Airline Safety ‘Net

- look to the “Attack on America” link.

I didn't find the original story (Sierra Times pulled it) and I deleted the original email, but I did find this in the site's Mailbag:

Brazilian Airlines Story Hoax
Dear Sirs,
Are you sure about this article? I think someone needs to question the validity of Thomas Buyea ranger116@webtv.net. Only last year, if I remember, Brazil's President pushed through a strict gun-ban like the one that makes Jamaica such a low-crime society (NOT!). A Brazilian judge eventually threw it out, as (a) unconstitutional and (b) unlikely to achieve its ostensible purpose anyway.
It seems highly unlikely they would allow something like this. Did any one at the SierraTimes check this out?
M. R.
I was scanning through this morning (9-17-01) and briefly saw an article about how some of the Brazilian airlines are allowing passengers to carry .38 and under. I'm trying to go back and read the article but can't find it!

Help!!!
M. in Calif.
Sue,
The mistake that was made on the Brazilian story is understandable. It is vary easy to forgive those who printed it because we are all desperately looking for intelligent life among our politicians and it is a scarce commodity. Keep looking though because you might get lucky.
B. B.
To Our Readers: We apologize for publishing the story about the Brazilian Parliament approving the carrying of firearms on airflights by passengers. This story was apparently a hoax. We at Sierra Times have no excuse for believing the story, other than the wishful thinking that some intelligent life might remain on this planet. SierraTimes

You know, I agree with the tone, sentiment and intent of this piece and the letter toward making our skies safer. I also agree that all states should encourage gun ownership as it is a real crime deterrant.

On the other hand, taking this to the skies is another matter. Any sort of shootout in the air is very deadly. I don't think letting anyone carry a gun is a good idea.

I think the cockpit should be trained and armed. I think sky marshalls are a good idea. But let's leave the potential "shootout in the skies" to those that will have special training and bullets for this different "OK corral" than the one on the ground.

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