Ed Rasimus wrote:
Mike Marron wrote:

Jeez Juvat, *that* really helped. I just had my wife read your
response but I'm afraid your "RELAX.......LOTS OF GUYS WITH
GUNS ON US AIRLINERS RIGHT NOW" failed to set her at ease,
if ya' know what I mean.

Lemme see, your wife is one of those who doesn't like good guys with
guns around her, but ignores the fact that the bad guys with guns will
be there regardless?

She doesn't even THINK like that, Ed. Help me out here. Come up
with something other than, "...lots of guys with GUNS on airliners
right now." Thanks!

Well, I didn't say "lots of guys with GUNS...", Juvat did. But as
someone who has carried for the past twenty years (and had a CCW for
the last nine), I'm a strong believer that we are safer with more
honest citizens armed than in those communities that have strong gun
control laws--like NY City, Washington DC, Chicago, LA, etc.

Point taken. Rather than get involved in a gun control debate, all I
will say is that as someone who was raised around guns (from BB
guns on up to 12-guage shotguns and big game rifes w/powerful
scopes) when the term "gun" is mentioned I think back to all the good
times *hunting.*

Now, whether we're any safer these days in the big cities due to
honest citizens like yourself packing heat is debatable. Suffice to
say that I would agree and support your position 1,000,000-percent,
but just watching nutcases like those adolescent punks in Colorado
(pre-Colombine) and also in places like Iraq, Somalia, etc. wildly
emptying their magazines into the air indicates that there is a lot to
be said for promulgating, and more importantly, ENFORCING strict
gun control laws as well.

BTW, 'juvat" means what, no balls or glory or sumpthin like that?

"Fortes fortuna juvat"---Fortune favors the brave.

Ouh Rah! (sp?)

When used in conjunction with an F-4 type (or Vipers now) it refers to
someone from Kunsan Korea. The Juvats are well known as a fighter
squadron.

OK., But just who is this "Juvat" on RAM whose so obsessed with
"exhausting sessions" and "blurting out" and "Victoria's Secret?"

Nevermind Victoria's Secret (who ain't obsessed?) but you get my
drift, no?

Actually no. The creative "you wrote" version as a quote leader
doesn't degrade the message any more than a creative sig. I'm not a
Juvat, but know a lot of them. It took me less than thirty seconds to
find what "juvat" means through Google.

Juvat on RAM is a former AF fighter type now flying with the airlines.
As such I (and you as well) have seen his posts regularly and should
recognize him as one of those who makes a meaningful contribution from
a position of experience.

Again, point taken. Don't take my admittedly playful responses to
Juvat seriously. For the most part, I figure one good turn deserves
another and was just being friendly -- yanking his chain a bit with
regards to his creative "Victoria's Secret" quote leader and his
interesting RAM "callsign."

Please understand, "lots of guys with guns on airliners right now"
sounds well and good to me, but I'm afraid you failed to reassure
my poor wife that she's any safer by your response.

Maybe your wife needs to think through the problem.

If Juvat told your wife that she's safe flying on airliners these
days due to "LOTS OF GUYS WITH GUNS ON US AIRLINERS
RIGHT NOW" would she think through the problem?

Actually, my wife knows a lot of Juvats, a lot of airline pilots, and
a lot of gun carriers. She has thought through the problem. She
understands it quite well. Why do you think she's been able to
tolerate me for the last thirty years?

Heh. Guess ya' have to know my wife. Truth be known, she's really
not acting as paranoid about air travel as I'm making her out to be
here on this happy NG assembled. As an RN, she's pretty much
seen it all and she's also a very brave and patriotic woman. In fact,
it's Christmas day and she's at work right now saving lives and
stomping out disease as we speak! If she had a handgun and knew
how to use it, I think (I hope!) she wouldn't hesitate to pull it out
of her purse and use it on some asshole terrorist (Arab or otherwise)
while flying on an airliner.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8