Posted on 06/30/2009 7:19:09 PM PDT by DBrow
There is that. Don’t agree, but, there is that.
You got it. There have been very few even attempted hijackings.
In the 60’s-70’s there were planes hijacked to Cuba almost monthly ( maybe a slight exaggeration).
before 9/11 there were many mysterious crashes and some not mysterious at all.
US carriers have few cases of air rage, drunken fights, and other things that other carriers have.
$800 million is not much spread out over all the air tickets sold.
I had forgotten that. Do you have a link to share for that?
Dittos! The problem with getting rid of Air Marshals is, it makes sense and is too simple a solution.
All that has to happen is that I would have to be allowed to carry my knife, my handgun and smoke.
If other passengers don't show up with their knives, handguns and smokes, they should be issued them at the gate and the unused items could be thrown in a bin upon deplaning.
This would save millions of dollars, untold aggravation and would make the air marshals and TSA employees unecessary.
I’d prefer a short-barreled shotgun that fit under the seat.
Plus a good knife.
“too simple a solution.”
What problem is being solved by eliminating armed law enforcement officers?
That's what I was going to say!
You want a waste of money? Here's a MAD idea... Toss out all the life jackets and install .22 caliber pistols under each seat. If ANYONE causes trouble, the rest of the passengers will subdue the rebel and put an end to it.
Besides, those life jackets are just subliminal anyway, right? They're just there to give the illusion of safety at 35,000 feet.
-PJ
air marshals have “a cushy, easy job” that requires little more than sitting on a plane.
Sounds like anybody in Congress...
Or air traffic controllers, they sit and watch a tube all day.
I'm not scared of flight because I don't understand it. I'm scared of flight because I DO!
/johnny
This is Mutually Assured Destruction, but it will take a consensus in the plane.
-PJ
Yeah! At least let them do something worthwhile on the flight, like serve drinks or make change at the pay toilets.
-PJ
Arm the flight attendants!
So do we have a major RINO alert here? I wonder how he will vote on Cap & Trade?
Cap & Trade final reconcilliation? Assuming he voted against orig. bill.
My reply was poorly worded.
There is obviously an $820 annual budget “problem”. The use of air marshals is a waste of taxpayers money, airline seats, and an inefficient use of LEO’s.
The Air Marshal Program is redundant given the intense screening processes in place at airline terminals and the Armed Pilot Program, which despite every effort to deter applicants, has been very successful (there are many armed airline pilots these days, although the fact isn’t advertised).
$860 million a year is insane.
Even cheaper and even less risk of explosive decompression (is that even a risk?).
Congressman Duncan has been one of the most fiscally responsible members of congress since he first got in office. I do not always agree with everything he says but if he were in charge we would be in much better financial shape! I never thought of him as a RINO and that is not a fair characterization. He was my congressman when I lived in East Tennessee.
I tend to agree with his assessment regarding the air marshal program. I would not abolish the program but they could certainly cut back on it with minimal impact. They are not on most flights in the U.S. and they could provide more coverage if they flew solo instead of in pairs.
We have to cut spending and Homeland Security has plenty of bloating like everything else.
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