"Bill Denton" wrote in message
...
Don't know for sure, but it seems like some folks may be getting their
panties in a wad unnecessarily...

Like you I have very limited patience for those who refuse to recognize that
we are living in a new and very uncertain world. Reasonable precautions are
the very least we can do, and even with restrictions we enjoy a freedom of
flight unknown in most other first-world nations.

That being said, I think CJs reaction is more than justified, and I have to
disagree that this is not a battle worth fighting.

Look at the NRA- they vociferously protest *any* restriction on guns of any
kind, even ones a majority of their members find reasonable. Their tactics
seem to have worked quite well, though it bears saying that the NRA's
political clout is enormous and capable of swinging elections at any level.
Forget about the league, AOPA isn't even playing the same sport.

Still, I have a problem with the "save our resources for the big one"
approach for a couple of reasons. First, like all large objects, the federal
government is controlled largely by inertia. If we should ever reach the
point that the TSFAA issues an NPRM establishing an ADIZ covering all Bravo
airspace, it will be too late for our little band of rebels to stop it.
Hell, we haven't even made a dent in the DC ADIZ.

Nor is it clear that this "crying wolf" as you call it will really cost us
anything. My suspicion is that most of the heat we're getting these days is
coming from middle management doing its usual turf-grabbing best. At my home
field all pilots now have to be fingerprinted and badged by the airport
authority at a cost of $75. Neither the President, SecDHS, or the head of
the TSA had anything to do with this. It was the TSA station chief at that
airport (we have a little Part 121 traffic) who told the airport authority,
"you guys need a security program."

AOPA understands the political advocacy game pretty well and I trust them to
work the back channels effectively as these things come up. If we keep the
pressure on all the little things we can hopefully avoid the big ones ever
developing. If those come up, we'll just have to bank on the pilots in
congress to fight on our behalf.

-cwk.