Apparently certain employees of the Transportation Security Administration feel that it’s part of their job to include comments in the luggage that they open. See http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/03/15/baggage.inspection.ap/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/03/15/baggage.inspection.ap/index.html.
Sort of like certain former Presidents finding it hard not to comment on current administration policies, smack in the face of long standing tradition. There will always be those with bad judgement out there.
Getting back to the original subject line, I hope we can all agree that flying a Cirrus is more fun than taking the airlines!
-Mike
Happily this whole issue of enhanced passenger screening is getting aired in public. If there are enough letters-to-congresscritters and the like on this subject, I think revisions will be made. The TSA’s reassurances that “no inappropriate use will be made of collected data and no one’s privacy will be violated” ring hollow to me. Even if that is honestly the intended policy (and I believe it is) these reassurances are only as good as the quality of the staff they hire to do this work, and let’s just say I’m sure they’re not all thoroughly schooled on the finer nuances of civil liberties and rights-to-privacy. Nor are they all so well compensated that every last one will be able to resist the temptations of identity theft.
Besides, I wholeheartedly agree that it’s a lot more fun to fly one’s own plane than join the herd on the cattle car with wings.
Sort of like certain former Presidents finding it hard not to comment on current administration policies, smack in the face of long standing tradition. There will always be those with bad judgement out there.
Since I know you keep up with all the news, I’m certain you’re referring to http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,3-605441,00.htmlthis (or http://truthout.org/docs_03/031103D.shtmlthis) news item from last week. [;)]
Cheers,
Roger
In reply to:
Since I know you keep up with all the news, I’m certain you’re referring to this (or this) news item from last week.
I actually saw this in the Times , but knowing how this paper reports editorials as news, I went to the homepage of Tufts University to get the real story. If you’re interested, go ahead and click here [;)]
As you know, I was more concerned about Presidents Carter and Clinton, but its nice to know that Americans trust where President Bush is taking us. http://http:// http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81023,00.html
With all due respect, the reporters that wrote about Bush Sr’s speech (from Roger Freedmans links above) at Tufts got it wrong, with obvious bias against what was actually said.
I am dissapointed that words could be so twisted by a reporter for an organization called Truth Out.
Don’t believe me? Read the news articles from the links that Roger F. provided then read the actual speech (i.e. the actual words spoken) by following this link:
http://enews.tufts.edu/stories/030303BushSpeech.htm
I admit I lean more towards republicans than democrats and I consider myself more conservative than liberal, so my bias needs to be considered… however, I do not draw any of the same conclusions the reporters did after reading the actual speech and find their articles disturbing if not nakedly misleading.
Mark
Ps This has nothing to do with Cirrus and I appologize to those I may have offended. However, I am a seeker of the truth and don’t merely believe what I hear and/or read. I dig deeper on issues I care about and I urge others, including the students I teach economics to as a volunteer, to do the same!!!
The fact that you regard http://homepage.mac.com/leperous/.Pictures/FAUXNews.jpgFox News as a legitimate and objective news source speaks volumes.
Have a nice life.
Instructive that in that poll reported by Fox News half of the respondents had “never heard of” the Presidents of France and Germany.
Cheers
Rick
In reply to:
The fact that you regard Fox News as a legitimate and objective news source speaks volumes.
Have a nice life.
Yes it does speak volumes, and yes I am enjoying life. As far as Fox News goes, they are only one outlet of news that I follow. If I only watched CNN and read the Times , I might think like you! [:)]
In reply to:
Instructive that in that poll reported by Fox News half of the respondents had “never heard of” the Presidents of France and Germany.
I noticed this as well and am embarased at the lack of interest so many Americans take in current events and politics. It’s quite staggering. I often wonder how well informed many of the protesters are, especially when you see so many young (and possibly inexperienced/illinformed) people are part of the demonstrations.
I like Fox as a foil for NPR (sorry Jim) and the Washington Post. I need something to reground myself after a double barrel shot of commentaries from San Shorr and Robert Reich.
After listening to the two sources (and throw in a network news show), I know the truth is somewhere in between, or probably more accurately, I know the whole story is somewhere in between.
Marty
In reply to:
I often wonder how well informed many of the protesters are, especially when you see so many young (and possibly inexperienced/illinformed) people are part of the demonstrations.
Great question! I encourage you to go and ask them.
In my experience working with education non-profits and talking with high school and college students in the San Diego area, apparently the largest military establishment in the world, those who speak up are amazingly well-read and informed from a variety of sources. Sure, there are lots of others with apathetic – even fatalistic – attitudes. But my hope springs up when I hear many of them asking profound questions about the sustainability of life as we are living it.
They sure are a different generation than mine!!!
Cheers
Rick
Rick,
Thanks for the excellent post!
Cheers,
Roger
In reply to:
In my experience working with education non-profits and talking with high school and college students in the San Diego area, apparently the largest military establishment in the world, those who speak up are amazingly well-read and informed from a variety of sources.
Thanks, Rick, for your optimistic view, and I hope you are right. I’m not quite so sure on how well informed they are, however. I’ve seen many interviews of college students who are protesting here locally, and it seems that most just recite ‘talking points’ from literature passed out by event organizers. If the interviewers dig deeper, there doesn’t seem to be much there. Students who are in college today were just six to ten years old when the last Persian Gulf conflict was faught. I hope they had good teachers growing up who encouraged independent study and a look at multiple sources of information. Relying just on textbooks, for example, would be just like relying on Fox News or the New York Times for news information today.
In reply to:
But my hope springs up when I hear many of them asking profound questions about the sustainability of life as we are living it.
Sustainability of our country and our moral values are definitely in question. We have discovered time and again that isolationism as foreign policy does not work (WWI and WWII), unilateralism can work (but has consequences), and that complete consensus rarely ever works. What does work, and what the United States, Great Britain, Spain, Australia, and many other nations in support of our current endeavors in Southwest Asia are demonstrating, is that like minded sovereign nations can, and have the responsibility, to promote peace through force when necessary.
Added after reading other posts: My last post took me a while as I was interupted by phone calls and so many other posts snuck in. I think that we all know that this thread would be political in nature, you can choose not to read it if you desire, but if the Webmaster would prefer that no political threads be discussed by this highly educated, experienced, and diverse group people who share a common passion, I would be happy to shut up! (as I’m sure many of you would like [:)]!
Is this a website where a fellow can go to learn more about the Cirrus experience or a website where one is forced to endure the political perspectives of a few? Nothing wrong with having and expressing one’s opinion but why here?
Please skip the thread if you find it uninteresting; but in times like these the free exchange of ideas - wherever you may find it - must be a good thing.
And now you’ve started another remotely tangential conversation[:)].
In general, you can vote with your feet on this web site as you can with most things in a free society. If you find the thread boring, please don’t feel that anyone is forcing you to endure it.
In general however, the more on topic and technical discussions occur on the “Members Forum” and the “Public Forum” tends to be a bit more off topic and entertaining - at least for some.
Marty
Please skip the thread if you find it uninteresting
That would be a lot easier if people did not change the title in the middle of the thread. This should work like the news groups, change the title then and it becomes a new thread.
There is nothing wrong with the free exchange of ideas. I welcome it. The problems lies in the fact that this exchange occurs EVERYWHERE. We are inundated with opinions from every conceivable source every day. I was naively hoping that I could find sanctuary in my hobby. It is not like there is a lack of internet forums, newsgroups, etc. (devoted to politically oriented topics) to engage in your exchange of ideas.
I am dissapointed that words could be so twisted by a reporter for an organization called Truth Out.
Mark,
If you look again, you’ll find that this article is originally from the Times of London, which has been a rather steady supporter of the Bush-Blair coalition. You’ll find the original article http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,3-605441,00.htmlhere. (The link at truthout.org merely reproduces the piece from the Times.)
As regards the Tufts article, it’s been my experience from years of university employment that university PR offices — especially those at private universities that depend heavily on endowments — seldom write controversial press releases that might upset the big donors.
Cheers,
Roger