Guns or F-16s
So Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta would rather let an F-16 shoot down a hijacked airplane than let pilots carry guns in the cockpit.
That's the inescapable conclusion to be drawn from the Transportation's announcement yesterday that it won't arm pilots. When Congress passed legislation last fall authorizing Transportation to give pilots guns, it probably assumed the decision would be a no-brainer. Instead, John Magaw, director of the Transportation Security Administration, says pilots don't need firearms because federal air marshals will do the job. In fact, the only way an air marshal might foil a hijacking is to be aboard a hijacked flight, an extremely unlikely occurrence since fewer than 1% of flights are protected by marshals.
Congress is already working to override Mr. Mineta's decision. A bill sponsored by Representatives John Mica (R., Florida) and Don Young (R., Alaska) would authorize a firearms program for pilots and exempt airlines from related liability. A similar bill will be introduced in the Senate next week.
Unlikely as a replay of September 11 may be, the message of Mr. Mineta's decision is clear: America still isn't serious about defending itself. If the intelligence failures that led to that tragic day are perhaps understandable, the failure to take obvious steps in its aftermath is not.
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Sadly, even this can be used by the foolish as "evidence" of discrimination. Compare this with the fact that the prison population has such a disproportionate number of African-Americans. This is often cited as proof of a bias, ignoring the reality that they are there because they committed a crime, not that their skin is black.
No new laws are needed. All the government would have to do is deputize all airline pilots and give then the needed training. They would be federal marshals, and as such would relieve the airlines of liability.
We would have Marshals on every plane, not just 1%.
Gasp! I agree with Barney Frank!
Our own incompetence and stupidity are their greatest assests.
Mineta is a moral and ethical midget. This guy has the moral discernment of an SS guard at a nazi concentration camp.
England, as backward as it is, might do something about its border sooner than the U.S. From the Times:
"Secret plan" to deport refugees
Plans to intercept people traffickers and deport failed asylum seekers in RAF transport planes are being considered by the Government. According to The Guardian, a confidential "action plan" to "deliver a radical reduction in the number of unfounded asylum applications" has been drawn up by the Home Office for Prime Minister Tony Blair. A memo which accompanied the plans said: "It has become clear from the Prime Minister's discussions on this issue that concerted action is needed across government if we are to deliver a radical reduction in the numbers."