"Roger Long" om wrote in
message ...
| Yup.
|
| Let's put someone in the White House who can talk sense to the Secret
| Service and homeland security wackos about general aviation.
|

Unfortunately, Mr. Kerry has not shown any tendency to talk sense about
general aviation.

Look, I do not like the Patriot Act, the TFRs, the busybodies who report
pilots to the FBI, Homeland Security, color-coded security levels, or
anything else about our current security stance. I think these things should
be opposed vociferously. Not a single one of the Democratic candidates has
done this. If they have said anything at all, it is that the current
administration's measures are not severe enough. They mumble on about how
the war in Iraq is diverting resources from "fighting terror," meaning more
restrictions at home.

But it helps to keep things in perspective. Even with all these
restrictions, we have a lot more freedom to fly and a lot less government
intrusion than we did during WW II and the years after. The FBI in those
days did not even have to get a court order for a wiretap; they just tapped
the phones of anyone they wanted. No one read criminals their rights; they
instead were taken into back rooms and confessions were beaten out of them.
Even suspected spies (terrorists and saboteurs) have more rights today than
they used to -- even those at Guantanamo. Heck, we don't even shoot
deserters any more.

We are only required to file flight plans before we fly in a couple of
areas. It used to be that a flight plan was mandatory and that much general
aviation was not allowed. For years there was an ADIZ above 10,000 feet that
covered the entire contiguous United States. Thousands of GA airplanes
disappeared in WW II scrap drives. Even if you somehow got permission to
fly, you probably couldn't get fuel. You also could not get tires or rubber
hoses or many other parts needed for maintaining your airplane. We haven't
rounded up all the Moslems and Arabs and put them in internment camps, as we
did the Japanese and threatened to do to Germans and Italians.

When you get right down to it, and I hate to say it, President Bush has not
been nearly as despotic as Franklin Roosevelt was. And yet, his enemies
continually compare him to Adolph Hitler. If Bush was really like Adolph
Hitler, all pilots would be drafted into the Civil Air Patrol and we would
fly 24/7 airspace patrol. The borders would be sealed. The Moslem and Arab
communities would be interned and systematically enslaved and gassed. There
would be no Democratic party. The current Democratic candidates would have
disappeared into the "night and fog" (to quote Hitler) years ago. Movement
from one place to another would be severely restricted. Checkpoints at every
major intersection would be established to check your travel papers.
Everybody would have been LoJacked a long time ago.

And if you think TSA is ridiculous now, imagine if Hitler ran it! "Please
fill out these forms stating your name, race, religion, sexual orientation,
country of origin of your ancestors, height, weight, age, eye color, hair
color, parents' names, race and religion, your current address, reason for
travel, how long you will be gone, your political party or affiliations,
your occupation, your bank account numbers, list of all newspapers,
magazines, and other publications you subscribe to, list of all television
shows you have watched in the last five years, health history (include
copies of all medical records), property you own, a list of all tenants and
guests, etc." "Now, if you will just step into this booth, we will check
your DNA for Moslem or Arab markers. Be sure to leave a urine sample so we
can check you for drugs, explosives, and genetic diseases. You may remove
your clothes for the body cavity search over there. Just get in line with
the rest of the naked people. Your clothes will be burned and you will be
issued your flight jumpsuit as soon as we have analyzed the X-rays. In the
meantime we will scan your computer for encrypted files, pornography, state
secrets and subversive information." "Have you been circumcised? The
in-flight meal will consist of roast pork. You are required to eat it. You
may board as soon as you have stomped on this copy of the Koran."

Does all of that mean that I think the current restrictions are justified?
Heck, no! Nor does it mean that I think that Hitler type restrictions would
not be imposed if politicians of either party thought they could get away
with it. I just want to point out that things could be and have been a lot
worse, and that political affiliation has nothing to do with how nonsensical
these restrictions get.