Category Archives: Rants and Raves

This morning with my first cup of coffee I was surprised to find my letter to the editor in the Statesman about airport security, along with two other letters offering differing points of view. A nurse takes the position that she will submit to the enhanced pat-down rather than endure a full-body scan because she’s so concerned about the cumulative effects of radiation. Another writer initially appears to be sending TSA fan mail, then seems to flip-flop a couple of times. My wife thinks he might be speaking tongue-in-cheek, but I’m not at all sure I get his point, whatever … Continue reading →

Lo and behold, a bit of calm in the midst of craziness. The TSA, after two years of effort on the part of pilot groups, finally agreed that cockpit crew members are the targets of terror, not the instigators. The TSA wouldn’t have, of course, if the current uproar hadn’t laid bare the idiocy of their power-grab in the name of protecting us from ourselves. So what about flight attendants, who still have to endure being fried in a radiation oven and/or subjected to legalized groping? Their cry of “double standard” rings true in my ears. While most passengers consider … Continue reading →

It appears that the Transportation Security Administration has hit a wasp nest with its big stick. Two recent articles in AVweb have addressed the backlash from the aviation industry and highlight the issues for passengers as well. AVweb: Owen JJ Stone, a radio personality known as Ohdoctah, appeared on the Alex Jones talk show in Austin, Texas, Tuesday and said a TSA airport screener put his hand inside his sweat pants and ran it around the full circumference of his body, pausing at everything along the way. Stone said he was told it was a new rule that applied to … Continue reading →

A sports fan may use the word “accelerate” to describe how a Heisman-contender running back appears to be shot out of a cannon when he punches through the line and into the open. A muscle-car owner will certainly use it to explain how it feels when he stomps on the gas pedal. Or what about the motorcyclist on a “crotch rocket?” Any bugs in the way are doomed. Jet fighter pilots use the term as well, but they have to add another dimension, literally as well as figuratively. In layman’s terms, the principle is that acceleration, an increase in the … Continue reading →

My use of the word schizophrenia refers not to the medical definition, but the meaning more common in general use:  a mentality or approach characterized by inconsistent or contradictory elements. From a variety of news sources over the past few days, clear evidence exists that with regard to America’s role in the Middle East, our actions as a nation are without a doubt schizophrenic. Here’s a slightly edited quote from Colin Clark at dodbuzz.com: “A task force convened by the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations warns that the current Afghan strategy may not succeed and questions whether U.S. interests warrant … Continue reading →

According to Politico’s Morning Defense for Wednesday, November 10, 2010, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that “history is on our side in Afghanistan.” Politico: Just because things ultimately didn’t turn out so well for the British Empire, the Soviet Union or others who have gone into Afghanistan doesn’t mean history will doom the U.S. effort there, Gates told ABC’s Cynthia McFadden. In a wide-ranging dual interview with SecState Clinton, Gates said the American effort is different: “Actually, history isn’t against us. The people who have failed in Afghanistan have invaded Afghanistan. They’ve tried to impose a foreign system … Continue reading →

The aviation news resource AVweb recently published an article titled, “Revenue Down, Salaries Up At AOPA.” For any readers who don’t know, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is “a non-profit political organization whose membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots. AOPA exists to serve the interests of its members as aircraft owners and pilots, and to promote the economy, safety, utility, and popularity of flight in general aviation aircraft.” According to AVweb: “While the aviation industry in general suffered massive layoffs and pay rollbacks in 2009, AOPA’s top managers got an overall 14.5 percent pay increase, according to the … Continue reading →

From Politico’s Morning Defense, we learn about a military official who spoke about the following on condition of anonymity. One need not read very far to know why. In a briefing on new cost and schedule assessments for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), Defense Secretary Robert Gates learned that delivery could be delayed by one to three years and cost $5 billion more than estimated. Ouch. Three versions of the F-35 are being built by Lockheed Martin for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as several foreign militaries. Conceptually, it’s not a bad idea for the … Continue reading →

In case you missed it, Dr. Marc Osman, U.S. Army (Ret.), wrote a letter to the Austin American Statesman that appeared in this morning’s paper. As a follow-up to my previous post titled, “The Cocoon of Self-Indulgence,” this is his letter: “It doesn’t take rocket science to realize that when our brave service people are asked to do five and sometimes more deployments into combat zones, the levels of anxiety and depression that potentially lead to suicide will be high. If we are going to fight extended wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, then we need to bring back the draft. … Continue reading →