Armed Pilots Program National Press Protest, August 26

Airline Pilots' Security Alliance ^ | 21 August 03 | Airline Pilots' Security Alliance

[LTCJ]

National Media Event – Tuesday Morning, August 26, 2003
In light of recent press reports of new threats to airliners and the TSA’s potential security draw downs due to cost overruns, the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, the Coalition of Airline Pilots, the Allied Pilots Association, members of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association and other groups, as well as a large contingent of pilots, and interested political leaders, will hold simultaneous national press conferences on August 26 to protest the hamstringing of the Federal Flight Deck Officer program.

On August 26, at 1100 EDT (1000 CDT, 0900 MDT, 0800 PDT) we will conduct simultaneous press conferences at the airports below, to deliver a unified message, illustrating that professional pilots and pilot unions throughout the United States want the FFDO program fixed. At the same time, we are coordinating a campaign to send our opinion to Washington and galvanize the industry and the public! We intend to use “Shock and Awe” to overwhelm those who would seek to thwart the FFDO program!

We will to need to draw a large contingent of pilots and concerned public to these events in order to be heard!

Please plan to come to one of the following airports to be a part of the solution on Tuesday, August 26. The local team leaders are also listed below:

11:00 am (EDT) Miami International Airport -- Rob Sproc, sprocco@aol.com A Concourse Auditorium (upstairs) Room 1

11:00 am (EDT) Atlanta Airport Hilton – Randy Safewright,jetjocky1@msn.com Virginia Avenue, Ogeechee Conference Room

11:00 am (EDT) Reagan International Airport -- Bob Lambert, lambert@secure-skies.org, Jon Safley, rdleader@aol.com North Terrace, Upper Level

11:00 am (EDT) Senator Jim Bunning & Airline Pilots Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati International Airport -- Leon Laylagian, llaylagian@capapilots.org Terminal 1, Room 2054, 2nd Level

10:00 am (CDT) Chicago O’Hare International Airport SPECIFIC LOCATION NOT CONFIRMED, CHECK WWW.SECURE-SKIES.ORG BEFORE DEPARTING

8:00 am (PDT) Los Angeles International Airport - Terminal 4 - Denny Breslin, dbreslin@cox.net American Airlines terminal on the upper/departure level

10:00 am (Hawaiian Local Time) Inter-Island Terminal -- Linda Pauwels, lindapauwels@cox.net

If you can’t come, letters, calls and visits to Congress, and to President Bush, over the next week, saying it is time to remove roadblocks such as psychological screening, background checks, lockboxes and cargo pilot restrictions, and get pilots armed and credentialed as are other federal officers, would be a great help! The FFDO program's future is in our hands.

Thus far, we achieved an armed pilot program when most initially said it was impossible. It is now time for us to fix this mess! I am confident we will again be successful!

[LTCJ]

Looks like a good opportunity for a syncronized freep on a national scale.

Please ping MinuteFreepers at will.

[LTCJ]

Joe, would you ping out, please?

[LTCJ]

BTTT. It's too bad this had so little lead time. It needed at least three weeks notice. I caught it four days after release - a day before the fact.

Still, if a handful of local Freepers in each area could show up with signage, they'd do us all a service.

[Gritty]

I don't see what their complaint is. After all, the every-efficient Underperformin' Norman and the TSA are already on busily at the task.

To date there are almost 100 pilots who have gone through the program. This program should be completed and the pilots armed in about 270 years, which is about average for a Federal Government program!

[caltrop]

I haven't followed this as closely as I should have (no need to since Bush is so solid on the 2nd Amendment - sarcasm) but I'm unclear on why we aren't pushing Bush to require that all pilots be armed by Executive Order. I believe Carter did away with the requirement that mandated all pilots of aircraft which carried US Mail be armed.

[LTCJ]

A good point regarding Executive Order. But as you point out, Bush's leadership in matters of 2A issues or citizens taking over government "responsibilities" (read: smaller government) has not exactly been awe inspiring. Mix the two - don't hold your breath.

[OldPossum]

If Bush were really supportive of the 2A he would have fired Mineta a long time ago. I am very disappointed in him (and not only on this issue), and somehow I sense that I am not alone.

He and Karl Rove know, though, that we have nowhere to turn. Maybe in 2008 we will nominate a real conservative.

[caltrop]

Unlike a lot of Freepers, I don't think Perot cost Bush his reelection in '92. Many of those who supported him in '88 simply chose to skip the top of the ballot entirely or voted for other candidates. In my case, I voted Libertarian - the first time since I began voting in the 60s I'd ever voted for anyone other than the Republican candidate for President.

Bush lost the election on his own. Past a certain point, plenty of us think divided government starts to make a lot of sense.

[Mulder]

but I'm unclear on why we aren't pushing Bush to require that all pilots be armed by Executive Order

Bush isn't pushing the issue because he, like all elites, believes that the "ordinary peasants" have no business being armed.

Most so-called "Republicans" aren't pushing the issue because they either believe it's all the fault of Klinton holdovers, or because all they care about is their team winning election.

[Mulder]

He and Karl Rove know, though, that we have nowhere to turn.

I think a lot of folks are either going to sit at home or vote third party.

Maybe in 2008 we will nominate a real conservative.

Don't count on it. If Bush loses in 2004, the statists that run the national GOP will work 24/7 to convince Republicans that the reason Bush lost was that he was "too conservative". Hence the next puppet nominee will be even more statist than Bush.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Plenty of time for freepers to swamp congresscritters' offices with phone calls at 11:00AM Washington D.C. time.

[Joe Brower]

[Imal]

Bush lost the election on his own. Past a certain point, plenty of us think divided government starts to make a lot of sense.

I voted for Reagan twice (my first vote for Reagan was the first vote I ever cast for a presidential candidate, back when I was 19 years old, and I am damn proud of that fact), and never voted for Bush senior. I voted for Harry Browne in '92 (yeah, yeah, I know, I know, save it). After seeing how much worse it could be, I voted for Dole in '96, but the damage was done.

I am a registered Libertarian, but am seriously rethinking that position. In calculating "divided government", I've come to realize that it is essential to include the press in the accounting.

In doing that, I have concluded that even if all officeholders were Republicans, they would still be outnumbered and outgunned by the press, which represents Democrats and Marxism with only lip service paid to objectivity.

Hence my policy of voting straight Republican (and never ever NEVER Democrat, ever), since 1996.

I don't agree with Republicans on everything, but I don't agree with Democrats on anything.

[rellimpank]

--you and I are on the same page. I very simply vote against all Demotraitors and everything they stand for under any and all circumstances. This is usually accomplished by voting Republidum--sometimes holding my nose while voting.

I don't want to contribute to stuff like the three thousand votes wasted on the Libertarian in South Dakota (after he had withdrawn from the election) which could have got Timmy Johnson out of office--

[PhilDragoo]

Set>Things to Do>People to Call>
Tuesday Morning, August 26, 2003
1100 EDT (1000 CDT, 0900 MDT, 0800 PDT)
Call congressional and senate offices.

[kcar]

I agree with you on all points. The only thing I'd add to the power-equation is contingent attorney firms, with their ability to be or to be used as a proxy force to effectively attack a target despite legislative defeat on a policy.

[LTCJ]

Thanks for the mega-ping, Joe.

[caltrop]

I'll have to disagree with you. The Republicans can't take my vote for granted and experience demonstrates that a RINO can lead even conservative legislators in the wrong direction. They have to earn my vote every time and if they don't, they'll do without it. In some cases, where I feel the conservatives in the legislature/Congress will prevent anything unreasonable from happening, I'll consider voting for the Democrat - something I have done.

[Criminal Number 18F]

If Bush were really supportive of the 2A he would have fired Mineta

Mineta was at Oshkosh in early August. Reporters were not allowed to ask him questions; he was surrounded by armed goons, whose orders seemed to be to keep the public away from him. He is looking old, infirm and out of it. It looked like he needed a walker or someone helping him to walk... no pictures of that were allowed. I think he is just hanging on to the end of the 1st term, but he clearly did not have the health or energy to be making policy at DOT.

Which raises the interesting question -- who is?

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Eagle Eye]

Isn't it strange how so many aspects of our government is beginning to resemble the failed USSR?

Unhealthy cabinet ministers shielded by SS agents while policy is made in secret by others isn't supposed to be how the US works.