Posted on 01/13/2004 9:57:51 AM PST by Theodore R.
I'm With John Madden: No More Commercial Flying For Me
By Chuck Baldwin
Food For Thought From The Chuck Wagon
January 13, 2004 After retiring from coaching, former Oakland Raiders Head Coach and now popular sportscaster John Madden hung up his wings. He had been forced to spend numerous hours flying commercial airliners with his NFL team, but upon retiring he said, "No more flying for me."
When first approached to take a position as a professional sportscaster, Madden said he would only consider the offer if he could travel to games via a bus. The networks agreed, and Madden hasn't flown since. I think Madden has the right idea.
While Madden's decision to stay out of the "friendly" skies was made several years before the terrorist attacks in 2001 and was doubtless made for other, and more personal, reasons, it seems especially sagacious in light of recent decisions by the Bush administration. According to the Washington Post and CBS News, President Bush plans to color code every passenger who flies a commercial airliner.
News reports state that airlines and airline reservation companies would be forced to turn over all passenger records to U.S. government officials. The government would then assign a color code to each passenger, ostensibly determined by the passenger's "threat level."
Passengers would be assigned a red, yellow, or green color. A red coded passenger would be stopped from boarding; yellow would require additional screening at security checkpoints, and green would mean only standard security for boarding. The government plans to implement the new system next month.
Reports also quote Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesmen as saying frequent flyers could receive special passes which would allow faster check-in if they were willing to allow the government to access their personal information. Of course, this information would be entered into a government database.
To any person familiar with the incremental methods used by totalitarian regimes to regulate and control their populations, this latest measure being enacted by President Bush can only be regarded as "scary." By now, it should be obvious to every thinking person that the Bush administration is composed of a bunch of "control freaks" who are attempting to turn America into a police state!
Freedom and independence are extremely fragile commodities. They can only be maintained by an alert and vigilant citizenry. Unless the people of the United States awaken from their obvious passivity, what freedoms we have left will quickly vanish!
It's time to face it: President Bush is no friend of liberty, and neither is he a friend to constitutional government nor national sovereignty. Four more years of a Bush administration could very well mean the death knell of freedom in these United States.
The character and constitutional ignorance of Washington politicians being what they are, the only scenario that offers even a modicum of opportunity for freedom to last a while longer is for one party to occupy the White House while the other party controls Congress. It seems party stalemate is about the only thing that is somewhat favorable to freedom these days.
Obviously, the ideal solution would be for Americans to throw off the current two-party system altogether and elect independent men and women of real honor and character who would have the courage to obey the U.S. Constitution and to restore the principles contained in the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights.
In the meantime, if one wants a foretaste of a burgeoning police state, just try boarding a commercial airline. Of course, once air travel has been completely Gestapoized, it's only a matter of time for ground travel. Until then, however, I think I'll postpone the leap into Big Brother's Brave New World by getting on the bus with John Madden.
© Chuck Baldwin
Evidently you have not considered the possibility that this is because the effeminate, cowardly, women-and-child-killing jihadists are too afraid to try because they are quite certain that the passengers will rip their lungs out.
I'm with you, I refuse to fly again until the hysteria is over with. It was already a massive indignity to be herded like cattle, only to sit in a butt vice of a seat, be fed plastic food, and to put up with crying babies, then came 9/11. Now, everybody gets treated like crap, regardless of their heritage, all for the privilege of traveling.
That said, its possible that this system is a step in the right direction towards quickly certifying those unfortunate souls who have to travel frequently, and are the last possible threat to an airliner they depend on. Me, I fly about once ever five years (last time was a trip to Reno in 99), you could put me on a yellow list, since I don't engage in the practice often. But put the traveling salesperson (poor sod) who has to put up with indignities every week on the "pass 'em through quickly" list, he/she has suffered enough!
Evidently you have not considered the possibility that this is because the effeminate, cowardly, women-and-child-killing jihadists are too afraid to try because they are quite certain that the passengers will rip their lungs out.
Actually, he flew with his team mostly on charters and was able to get up and walk around, which relaxed him a little.
When first approached to take a position as a professional sportscaster, Madden said he would only consider the offer if he could travel to games via a bus. The networks agreed, and Madden hasn't flown since.
This is inaccurate. When first approached, he had to fly, and he did fly. On one flight back from a game to the Bay area, he had a terrible experience and went to his doctor. The next week he flew to his game and had the same experience, but he wasn't concerned because he thought the prescribed medication hadn't taken affect. On the return flight, which stopped in Houston, he had the worst experience of his life and THEN decided to quit flying.
This isn't exactly the inaccuracy of the century, but it is sloppy enough that I don't care to read the rest of the article. What makes it sloppy is that he could have read about a third of a chapter of Madden's first book and gotten the correct information, but instead just made it up.
Probably, but only after the government has acquired a database full of information on them. I'm sure in 2004, that info will simply cover affiliation with Islamic terrorist organizations and things of that nature.
But, by 2010? Perhaps, the feds will then "need" to know:
"How many guns do you own? Do you believe the purpose of the Second Amendment is for hunting only or for "terrorist activities" such as overthrowing a tyrannical government? Do you post on "hate sites" such as Free Republic? Do you listen to "hatred inciting" right-wing extremist talk radio shows? Have you ever called yourself a Dittohead? Do you prefer Fox news over CNN? Who did you vote for in the 2008 election?" and " Have you ever referred to our current president as Hitlerly or Crusty?"
Probably, but only after the government has acquired a database full of information on them. I'm sure in 2004, that info will simply cover affiliation with Islamic terrorist organizations and things of that nature.
But, by 2010? Perhaps, the feds will then "need" to know:
"How many guns do you own? Do you believe the purpose of the Second Amendment is for hunting only or for "terrorist activities" such as overthrowing a tyrannical government? Do you post on "hate sites" such as Free Republic? Do you listen to "hatred inciting" right-wing extremist talk radio shows? Have you ever called yourself a Dittohead? Do you prefer Fox news over CNN? Who did you vote for in the 2008 election?" and " Have you ever referred to our current president as Hitlerly or Crusty?"
Probably, but only after the government has acquired a database full of information on them. I'm sure in 2004, that info will simply cover affiliation with Islamic terrorist organizations and things of that nature.
But, by 2010? Perhaps, the feds will then "need" to know:
"How many guns do you own? Do you believe the purpose of the Second Amendment is for hunting only or for "terrorist activities" such as overthrowing a tyrannical government? Do you post on "hate sites" such as Free Republic? Do you listen to "hatred inciting" right-wing extremist talk radio shows? Have you ever called yourself a Dittohead? Do you prefer Fox news over CNN? Who did you vote for in the 2008 election?" and " Have you ever referred to our current president as Hitlerly or Crusty?"
I like the way you think!!
Below are the effects of increasing BAL. (Blood Alcohol Level )
0.02 - 0.03% Few obvious effects; possible mild light headedness, mild relaxation; automobile accidents are twice as likely to occur.
0.05 - 0.06% Slight sedation; feelings of warmth, relaxation. Driving is risky, accidents are four times as likely to occur, defects in fine motor skills and decreased reaction times begin to appear at this level.
0.08 - 0.09% Feelings of euphoria may occur. Motor skills are clearly impaired, mild speech impairment may become noticeable; balance may be affected; recognition of cognitive and motor deficits is lost, and the drinker believes s/he is functioning better than s/he actually is, depression if present may become more pronounced. feeling "buzzed."
0.10 - 0.12% Euphoria; motor skills are markedly impaired; lack of coordination and balance memory and judgement are markedly impaired; recognition of impairment is lost; people often forget how many drinks that have had; inhibitions are gone; in males, impotence may occur; emotions are exaggerated; increasing belligerence in some; "play" becomes increasingly louder. Legal level of intoxication for DUI in Pennsylvania.
0.14 - 0.17% Major impairment of all mental and physical functions; euphoric (pleasant) feelings are beginning to give way to dysphoric (unpleasant) feelings; difficulties in walking, talking and standing; severe deficits in judgment and perception (hammered).
http://www.studhlth.pitt.edu/studenthealthed_wbpage/Alcohol/links/page5bal.html
Continental has a system where those of us who are frequent flyers have additional lines for security. The only real advantage is that the others in the line with you are all used to the screening and know exactly what to do (or what not to do). Multiple trips though the metal detector or small knives in the bags are rare, so things go a little smoother.
It would be nice if the government did do something for those of us who are consigned to airport hell a couple of times or more per month. I wouldn't object to their doing a cursory background check, they do checks when I work in Federal Buildings anyway, and if they gave me a "Go forth and fly" card that gets me around the lines, I would consider it a good thing. Further, I'm sure that the flight crews would be real happy with a better system.
Whether that is a bad thing, good things, or irrelevant - it is up to everyone to determine their comfort level.
Maybe having your credit card purchases and your level of debt scanned before boarding a plane is a little much for some. I don't know that I could blame them.
And will this info be used for any other reason? Who knows. Jet Blue is already being sued.
I really don't think it is worth it to fly these days. Between having your wife, mother and daughter patted in down in odd ways by people with questionable motives (and background checks themselves), long, long lines, and now a quasi-credit check ... and after all that having your flight most likely not be on time anyway, your luggage probably lost, the bad food, and the rude flight attendants turned hall monitors ...
maybe gassing up the car and getting an early start is looking more attractive to some people.
I didn't particularly like flying in 1999. Flying today makes a trip to the DMV look like a vacation.
True.
Better yet, why not live in a glass house and use only postcards for correspondence?
I mean, if you have nothing to hide, I don't see the problem.
I've always been suspicious of people who use those envelope thingies.
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