EPA Employee Tackled on Plane Previously Stabbed Fellow Staffer (Hire Him as Baggage Screener?)

Washington Times ^ | Nov 16, 2001 | John McCaslin

[Mannaggia l'America]

It turns out Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Democrat, was aboard this week's U.S. Airways Flight 969 from Pittsburgh to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, only to be diverted to Washington Dulles International Airport after a passenger became unruly and was tackled by sky marshals. The passenger, Raho N. Ortiz, was accused of failing to follow commands of the flight crew to remain in his seat as the plane made its final descent into Reagan.

[Mannaggia l'America]

I'm glad we have this type of fine citizen working as a federal employee. It makes me feel much better that we will have federal employees like this doing baggage screening at airports now. The federal hiring process is so much better than the current private companies......

[Rubber Duckie]

Oritz probably heard Stabenow was on the flight and decided he was supposed to "stab her now." Sounds like a real head case.

More on Federal hiring practices . . .

[wienerdog.com]

headed towards what appeared to be the cockpit

Maybe the reporter couldn't tell the cockpit from the restroom?

[Poseidon]

Does it really matter? Let's face it, there's only two directions you can be going on an airplane -- towards the cockpit or towards the tail... So this observation is really kind of pointless unless you're attempting to create an atmosphere of potential danger and, thus, by extension, a pseudo-aura of the heroic in having survived. Typical Deimocrawit

[Waco]

Bet he's got an impressive string of OPRs too.

[Balding_Eagle]

Come on, was it the cockpit or not?

I watched the interview on O"Rielly last night. Senator Stabenow said that she saw the man walking to the front of the plane. She was in row 11. She said he was walking so quickly that she thought he was going to the cockpit, if I remember her words correctly.

I don't know if Stabenow is a Dem or Repub, but she talked like a law and order Repub, as so many do these days. She prasied the Sky Marshalls, and the crew for their professional actions.

[SmartBlonde]

Dem. Lib. from MI. Howsomeever, you are right about her 'on the scene' report. She was very complimentary about the work of the Sky Marshalls. THREE of them on board this flight. I did think that O'Reilly was getting her to say too much. She indicated they were seated one on each side of the aisle in First Class, dressed in jeans and a shirt. The third Marshall was in Tourist class, also dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. She said he was ATF.

[Don Corleone]

headed towards what appeared to be the cockpit

Or was it the forward lavatory? I know that many politians can't tell $..T from Shinola!