Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 09:34:56 -0400 (EDT)
PART1 OF 2 PARTS
APSA Armed Pilot Update, May, 2002
http://www.secure-skies.org
PLEASE PASS THIS UPDATE ALONG TO ANYONE YOU KNOW
THAT MAY FAVOR ARMING AIRLINE PILOTS!
Overview
Welcome aboard. Many of you are new to our APSA
Updates and ALERTS. We try to send Updates twice
per month, but often events overtake us and our
communication slips. So, we’ll apologize in
advance but you can always check our Website for the
latest happenings. If you are a grizzled veteran
with us, you will note a sharper edge to this
Update. We have been patient for eight months - far
too long to be flying DISARMED AND DEFENSELESS.
It’s past time to get this done; the gloves are
coming off.
Tom Clancy would be envious of the plot since our
last Update. Frankly, for reasons we cannot
discuss, as of a short week ago we believed an
affirmative decision on arming pilots was imminent.
The Bush Administration has again retreated to its
tired, endless and pointless, “We’ll have a
decision in a few weeks” mantra. The most successful
terrorist attacks in human history are now almost
eight months in our past, and President Bush and
Transportation Security Administration boss John
Magaw are still incapable of figuring out whether
airline pilots should be armed. This, while they
simultaneously tell us that American citizens are
on borrowed time for another 9/11 terrorist
attack on U.S. Airliners. Dr. John Lott, celebrated
crime statistician and scholar at the American
Enterprise Institute has told us that while it would
be more difficult for terrorists to hijack
airliners today than on 9/11, the reward to them for
doing so is far greater and so their motivation is
corr
espondingly greater. If Al-Qaeda were
successful in commandeering even one aircraft today, the
airline industry would be devastated.
Since the president is not doing what more than
three-quarters of Americans want and law
enforcement (including his own FBI) recommends, Congress
is going to mandate that the Administration arm
pilots. We think the Bush White House has chosen
the path of least resistance: Bow to pressure
from airline managements, refuse to make a decision
and force Congress to mandate it. He cannot
afford to publicly oppose arming pilots because, in
the words of our friends in Congress, rarely has
there been an issue with such broad and
overwhelming support. Instead he hides behind indecision
and endless analysis.
The major groups that oppose arming airline
pilots are terrorists, airline managements, and some
in the Bush Administration. The opposition works
quietly and in the shadows, those of us in favor
shout from the rooftops. What was that old
axiom your mother used to repeat about things you had
to hide?
Congress Picks Up Administration Slack
On Tuesday, April 30th, Representatives John Mica
(R-FL) and Don Young (R-AK) introduced HR 4536
that will mandate an armed pilots program and also
address airline liability anxieties. Both Mr.
Young and Mr. Mica are enthusiastic supporters of
arming pilots, and APSA thanks them for their
leadership. On Thursday, May 2nd, Chairman Mica held
a hearing in the House on our issue. APSA,
representing ourselves and Allied Pilots’ Association
(American), Southwest Airline Pilots’
Association, Independent Pilots’ Association (UPS), and the
Coalition of Airline Pilots’ Associations
presented the then-current results of our on-line
petition (at that point, 44, 575 signatures - visit
www.secure-skies.org for the present count) to the
Chairman just before the hearing, in a
media-covered event. We are grateful for the vigorous
spirit of cooperation between our groups. Every pilot
represented by these organizations can be proud
of their selfless, a-political involvement.
Separately,
four Senators (see below) are working on similar
legislation. Congressmen in both houses believe
the bills have a good chance of passing. Just
how deeply the ATA has dug into the White House
will be evidenced by the President’s action when
presented with the final bill. The world - and Al
Qaeda - is watching.
Press Conference in Senate Office Building
Following Chairman Mica’s hearing, the above
pilot groups held a packed press conference in the
Senate Russell Office Building. Present also were
two pilots who lost family members on aircraft on
9/11. Senators Bob Smith (R-NH), Zell Miller
(D-GA), Conrad Burns (R-MT), and Frank Murkowski
(R-AK) and Representative John Hostettler (R-IN)
spoke very eloquently in favor of arming pilots, and
we are profoundly thankful for their leadership
and support. Captain Al Aitken, who is
Vice-Chairman of APA’s Committee for Armed Defense of the
Cockpit made excellent and direct opening remarks
for pilots. He and APSA Chairman, Captain Tracy
Price, then fielded questions from reporters.
Congressional staffers told us this was the “mother
of all press conferences” in that EVERY question
was hit clear-outta-the-park.
Media Coverage
APSA Board members are increasing tapped for
media appearances. APSA Chairman Capt. Tracy Price
has been a regular guest on the Chris Core radio
show on WMAL in Washington, DC, was interviewed by
KSAT radio in San Antonio and KSFO radio in San
Francisco. Tracy was also a guest on MSNBC. Al
Aitken and Tracy appeared together on Fox News.
Tracy was a featured guest Sunday the 5th on
CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer in a live debate
with former Northwest Airlines security boss
Douglas Laird. APSA Board member Bob Lambert has
been regularly interviewed on television and radio
in Pittsburgh. APSA Board member Scott Lewis was
on the G. Gordon Liddy show two more times for a
total of nearly an hour. Following the May 2nd
press conference, Scott was on MSNBC’s Dan Abrams
Show, debating an “aviation expert” who also
failed to verbalize any coherent reason for opposing
armed airline pilots. Finally, in what is the
Media Homerun of the Month, APSA Board member Joe
Gennaro w
as interviewed on the revered BBC—yep, THAT BBC,
worldwide. Now we have to walk three steps
behind him and to the right (or is it left in
England?).
Liability—the Passion is Gone
APSA and other pilot groups, most particularly
our good friends at the Allied Pilots’ Association,
have worked hard to make certain that an
arming-pilots program addresses managements’ liability
(read money) worries. For our time, energy, and
financial investment for the sake of the airlines,
some airlines, along with the ATA, have thanked
us with relentless, staunch obstruction. We know
that their resistance has iceberg-like
proportions: what can’t be seen is a lot more significant
that what is above the surface. We have
abandoned our hope of showing the ATA where they can
benefit from our program for arming pilots and how
they can easily solve their liability problems.
Let the airline managements fret about liability.
They have put profits ahead of people’s lives;
we’re asking to protect our passengers and crew
without any additional compensation.
=blue]all[/COLOR]
PART1 OF 2 PARTS
APSA Armed Pilot Update, May, 2002
http://www.secure-skies.org
PLEASE PASS THIS UPDATE ALONG TO ANYONE YOU KNOW
THAT MAY FAVOR ARMING AIRLINE PILOTS!
Overview
Welcome aboard. Many of you are new to our APSA
Updates and ALERTS. We try to send Updates twice
per month, but often events overtake us and our
communication slips. So, we’ll apologize in
advance but you can always check our Website for the
latest happenings. If you are a grizzled veteran
with us, you will note a sharper edge to this
Update. We have been patient for eight months - far
too long to be flying DISARMED AND DEFENSELESS.
It’s past time to get this done; the gloves are
coming off.
Tom Clancy would be envious of the plot since our
last Update. Frankly, for reasons we cannot
discuss, as of a short week ago we believed an
affirmative decision on arming pilots was imminent.
The Bush Administration has again retreated to its
tired, endless and pointless, “We’ll have a
decision in a few weeks” mantra. The most successful
terrorist attacks in human history are now almost
eight months in our past, and President Bush and
Transportation Security Administration boss John
Magaw are still incapable of figuring out whether
airline pilots should be armed. This, while they
simultaneously tell us that American citizens are
on borrowed time for another 9/11 terrorist
attack on U.S. Airliners. Dr. John Lott, celebrated
crime statistician and scholar at the American
Enterprise Institute has told us that while it would
be more difficult for terrorists to hijack
airliners today than on 9/11, the reward to them for
doing so is far greater and so their motivation is
corr
espondingly greater. If Al-Qaeda were
successful in commandeering even one aircraft today, the
airline industry would be devastated.
Since the president is not doing what more than
three-quarters of Americans want and law
enforcement (including his own FBI) recommends, Congress
is going to mandate that the Administration arm
pilots. We think the Bush White House has chosen
the path of least resistance: Bow to pressure
from airline managements, refuse to make a decision
and force Congress to mandate it. He cannot
afford to publicly oppose arming pilots because, in
the words of our friends in Congress, rarely has
there been an issue with such broad and
overwhelming support. Instead he hides behind indecision
and endless analysis.
The major groups that oppose arming airline
pilots are terrorists, airline managements, and some
in the Bush Administration. The opposition works
quietly and in the shadows, those of us in favor
shout from the rooftops. What was that old
axiom your mother used to repeat about things you had
to hide?
Congress Picks Up Administration Slack
On Tuesday, April 30th, Representatives John Mica
(R-FL) and Don Young (R-AK) introduced HR 4536
that will mandate an armed pilots program and also
address airline liability anxieties. Both Mr.
Young and Mr. Mica are enthusiastic supporters of
arming pilots, and APSA thanks them for their
leadership. On Thursday, May 2nd, Chairman Mica held
a hearing in the House on our issue. APSA,
representing ourselves and Allied Pilots’ Association
(American), Southwest Airline Pilots’
Association, Independent Pilots’ Association (UPS), and the
Coalition of Airline Pilots’ Associations
presented the then-current results of our on-line
petition (at that point, 44, 575 signatures - visit
www.secure-skies.org for the present count) to the
Chairman just before the hearing, in a
media-covered event. We are grateful for the vigorous
spirit of cooperation between our groups. Every pilot
represented by these organizations can be proud
of their selfless, a-political involvement.
Separately,
four Senators (see below) are working on similar
legislation. Congressmen in both houses believe
the bills have a good chance of passing. Just
how deeply the ATA has dug into the White House
will be evidenced by the President’s action when
presented with the final bill. The world - and Al
Qaeda - is watching.
Press Conference in Senate Office Building
Following Chairman Mica’s hearing, the above
pilot groups held a packed press conference in the
Senate Russell Office Building. Present also were
two pilots who lost family members on aircraft on
9/11. Senators Bob Smith (R-NH), Zell Miller
(D-GA), Conrad Burns (R-MT), and Frank Murkowski
(R-AK) and Representative John Hostettler (R-IN)
spoke very eloquently in favor of arming pilots, and
we are profoundly thankful for their leadership
and support. Captain Al Aitken, who is
Vice-Chairman of APA’s Committee for Armed Defense of the
Cockpit made excellent and direct opening remarks
for pilots. He and APSA Chairman, Captain Tracy
Price, then fielded questions from reporters.
Congressional staffers told us this was the “mother
of all press conferences” in that EVERY question
was hit clear-outta-the-park.
Media Coverage
APSA Board members are increasing tapped for
media appearances. APSA Chairman Capt. Tracy Price
has been a regular guest on the Chris Core radio
show on WMAL in Washington, DC, was interviewed by
KSAT radio in San Antonio and KSFO radio in San
Francisco. Tracy was also a guest on MSNBC. Al
Aitken and Tracy appeared together on Fox News.
Tracy was a featured guest Sunday the 5th on
CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer in a live debate
with former Northwest Airlines security boss
Douglas Laird. APSA Board member Bob Lambert has
been regularly interviewed on television and radio
in Pittsburgh. APSA Board member Scott Lewis was
on the G. Gordon Liddy show two more times for a
total of nearly an hour. Following the May 2nd
press conference, Scott was on MSNBC’s Dan Abrams
Show, debating an “aviation expert” who also
failed to verbalize any coherent reason for opposing
armed airline pilots. Finally, in what is the
Media Homerun of the Month, APSA Board member Joe
Gennaro w
as interviewed on the revered BBC—yep, THAT BBC,
worldwide. Now we have to walk three steps
behind him and to the right (or is it left in
England?).
Liability—the Passion is Gone
APSA and other pilot groups, most particularly
our good friends at the Allied Pilots’ Association,
have worked hard to make certain that an
arming-pilots program addresses managements’ liability
(read money) worries. For our time, energy, and
financial investment for the sake of the airlines,
some airlines, along with the ATA, have thanked
us with relentless, staunch obstruction. We know
that their resistance has iceberg-like
proportions: what can’t be seen is a lot more significant
that what is above the surface. We have
abandoned our hope of showing the ATA where they can
benefit from our program for arming pilots and how
they can easily solve their liability problems.
Let the airline managements fret about liability.
They have put profits ahead of people’s lives;
we’re asking to protect our passengers and crew
without any additional compensation.
=blue]all[/COLOR]