Stunningly Stupid, by Carl Bussjaeger

Exclusive to TLE

A host of federal regulations aimed at rendering air travelers helpless succeeded. Horribly so, as we saw on September 11, 2001.

Now we've seen a law meant to turn that around just a little, permitting pilots to be armed. It isn't enough, but it is a good start; really, everyone should always have the option of being armed. But it's a beginning; commercial air pilots are responsible for their own lives, the lives of all their crew, and - depending upon the aircraft - hundreds of passengers.

And 9-11 showed us that these pilots are also responsible for thousands of lives on the ground.

But knowing this, knowing that previous disarmament regulations made the government party to mass murder, terrorism, by providing risk-free killing zones for criminals, what has the Bush administration, most specifically that homicidal maniac Minetta - What else can you call a man who deliberately continues the policies that killed thousands? - what has the administration proposed the pilots do?

The administration wants to deny them proper tools for the defense of thousands of lives.

Minetta wants them to carry stun guns. And the administration definitely doesn't want the pilots - or anyone else not on their payroll (I wonder why; hint, hint) - to have a gun, a real defense.

Tell you what, Mr. Minetta, and especially you, Mr. President: If stun guns are all the defense that pilots require in order to protect thousands of lives, hundreds of times a day, how about you making your Secret Service security details, Sky Marshals, FBI, and the rest of your thugs turn in their firearms and protect you and your families - only a few people, after all - with nothing but stun guns.

Silly, right?

So is denying pilots the proper tools to do their jobs.

Unless they really DO want people to die. Again.

Net Assets -- the science fiction novel What would you do for cheap orbital access available to everyone? "Ad astra per aspera."
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