Posted on 12/28/2017 10:04:33 AM PST by Kaslin
We really haven’t invested any virtual ink in the story of Jean-Marie Simon, the United Airlines passenger who was bumped from her first class seat in favor of Texas Democratic congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. After all, terrible things happening to people flying on United are pretty much dog bites man stories these days. But the response of both Jackson Lee and the airline to the kerfuffle is turning it into a bit more of a newsworthy item. The explanation for the alleged “mistake” and lack of a formal apology have resulted in United’s customer service department taking another self-inflicted wound. But Jackson Lee’s claim that the woman was probably a racist really tossed a jerrycan of gasoline on the fire.
I noted that this individual came toward me and took a picture. I heard later that she might have said “I know who she is.” Since this was not any fault of mine, the way the individual continued to act appeared to be, upon reflection, because I was an African American woman,
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
As has already been noted by numerous conservative critics, Sheila Jackson Lee rarely sees anything in this world which can’t be attributed to racism in some fashion, but is that really the case here? Was this some privileged white woman who messed up her own reservation and then became enraged when a black person was given her seat? The Washington Times dug a bit deeper and found that Simon’s background isn’t exactly one which lends itself to KKK membership. In fact, she’s worked for years as a human rights activist in Guatemala.
The woman Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee accused of racism is a celebrated photojournalist who helped document human-rights abuses in war-torn Guatemala during the 1980s.
Jean-Marie Simon, whose first-class seat on a United Airlines flight was given to Ms. Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat, lived and worked in Guatemala during the turbulent decade that saw the military seize control of the government in a coup. Hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans were killed or “disappeared” during the conflict.
Now a teacher, Ms. Simon, 63, is the author of “Guatemala: Eternal Spring Eternal Tyranny.” A 2012 blog post on Amnesty International said Simon donated 1,000 copies of her book to schools and universities in Guatemala “to keep the truth of what happened alive.”
This doesn’t absolutely prove anything since none of us can read the secrets buried in the hearts of men (or women), but Simon seems an unlikely candidate for a racism charge at best. Also, the airline’s explanation of how this all took place is dubious to begin with. Simon was on the final leg of a no doubt exhausting trip from Guatemala back to DC with a flight change in Texas. What possible motivation would she have to suddenly cancel her trip? In fact, other than checking the departure gate and seeing if the flight was on schedule, why would she be messing around with her reservation at all? She’s asked the airline to provide proof that she had inadvertently cancelled her flight, but none has been produced yet. Seems to me that it would have been a relatively easy thing for United to do and they could have put all of this to rest.
Then there’s this tidbit which wasn’t given as much play originally, involving another unnamed member of the Texas congressional delegation. (Emphasis added)
“I was the last passenger on the plane,” Ms. Simon wrote on Facebook. “A Texas congressman, a nice guy, sat down next to me. He said was glad I had made it on the flight. I showed him my boarding pass with my seat, 1A, printed on it. He said, ‘You know what happened, right? Do you know who’s in your seat?’ I said no. He told me that it was Jackson Lee, a fellow U.S. congresswoman who regularly does this, that this was the third time he personally had watched her bump a passenger.”
If this is true, surely we could get confirmation of it. There are only 33 male members of the Texas congressional delegation (Simon specifically said it was a male) and it probably wasn’t a Democrat ratting out their colleague. That narrows it down to 24 men. If one of them actually had this conversation with Simon and is willing to own up to it we’d have some fairly solid confirmation of her story.
Meanwhile, United apparently had some low-level staffer say they were sorry during a phone call and gave Simon a $500 voucher, but as of yesterday, she says that a formal apology hasn’t been forthcoming.
Received UPS receipts for 12/26 delivery of letters to United customer care officer and chief legal counsel. Called United today, left message, since no apology forthcoming yet. @United @AP
— Jean-Marie Simon (@JeanMarieSimon1) December 27, 2017
This entire story really should have been much ado about nothing, but the repeated denials and accusations from Shiela Jackson Lee, combined with the mishandling of a PR disaster by United have turned it into a prolonged problem. Simon isn’t backing down and United really needs to do something to calm the waters.
OOOPS! Race Card declined.................
If anyone is a racist, it’s Sheila Jackson Lee.
Now the human rights activist gets to write about tyranny in America—under the thumb of “her majesty” Sheila Jackson Lee.
(Why does the quote “some pigs are more equal than others” keep coming to mind here?) :-)
Winner of “best imitation of an acorn look”?
Yep, definitely a KKK member... or worse.
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!
“Get that filthy commoner out of my seat!”
SJL decided which seat she wanted to take. She didn't want just any old seat, she didn't want an aisle seat.
Look, she has her drink and her back pillow.
She wanted the seat that would afford her some cozy secreted comfort. Aisle 1- Seat 4.
Houston, can you just retire the bee-yatch already?
I hate it when a complex series of events are tried in the media. We have flight delays, alleged cancellations, actions by two passengers, and actions by United airlines. All the above in a chronological order that matters.
We don’t know the details.
Yet, blame is being doled out.
Now we are reacting to the reactions.
Let’s get the facts, if we need to; or shut up.
And I hate United Airlines, but they make be blameless.
What committee would she get if the Democrats take the House?
Don’t matter. She white.
Shiela Jackson Lee is black, a woman and a democrat...
That means the New York Times, Washington Post, and every bimbo on MSNBC will believe anything she says AND anyone who dares to disagree with her is a racist... or worse.
Period.
Jazz Shaw is the only decent writer left on the Hot Air site.
Starting with a flight from Heathrow to KC that went from thirteen hours to forty-seven hours ten years ago I have had nothing but crap from United. Southwest baby.
Is Lee (terrible name,smacks of the Confederacy) the one who told an Admiral that if we station too many troops on Guam it could tip over? Or is she the one who asked a NASA official where the flag was that our astronauts planted on Mars?
Lee has the power to help shape government policy on air travel...the woman who was bumped doesn't.
Guam was Hank Johnson. Mars is SJL.
I’ve worked hard in the private sector for many years and have never flown first class, yet Congressmen working FOR me and human rights activists are flying first class.....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.