[url]http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,53315,00.html[/url]

Here's the link to Foxnews ... all the news outlets are reporting the latest defacto decision by the Government that Pilots have no right to carry a firearm in the cockpit.

Guess that sums it up ... not even the priveledged have any rights left!

Thoughts?

Ryan

BTT

I think we need a national 'no fly' day to make the point that we want a second chance at life as an airline passenger.  
Right now our second chance is a missle from a military aircraft.[:(!]

The last line is the best:

"If those procedures don't foil a hijacking, military fighters acting on the orders of two Air Force generals can order a plane shot down, the Pentagon has said."

Yeah, it wiould be much worse if the pilot managed to save the plane but shot a passenger accidentaly.  We would rather eliminate that risk and shoot the plane down.

Somehow methinks this poll will be rather one sided.

I also think it quite telling if you look at the major headlines on FoxNews in reverse...

"Greater Vigilance Needed in War Against Terror"
"FBI Director: Suicide Bombings 'Inevitable'"
"Govt: Pilots Can't Have Guns"

And what kind of a message does THAT send? Seems less to me like the Office of Homeland Security is interested in PREVENTING a terrorist attack, more than they are in handling one that will occur. Which means unless you're face down with a body full of shrapnel from a suicide bomber, or calling from a plane that's about to take the final nosedive.....don't bother, you're not their concern...

Well you never know ... someone from DU could showup.

Ryan

I've been in aviation for 18 years and alot of the pilots I know would love a "no fly" day so they can be a little more over paid, under worked. If they get to carry so do I. Before you all tell me how much more important a flying job is than most, spare me. It's a high tech taxi.

You'll get no arguement here.  These guys have skills, but pilots certainly do not qualify has a 'better' class of citizen nor should they have special priviledges that the remainder of the citizenry is denied.  I feel the same way about police officers.



I think this statement was directed at the Airline industry and our National government which keeps proping it up anytime it finds itself in financial difficulties.

Ryan

BTT

This is sooo messed up!
All of their points against guns in the cockpit are weak!!!!

"Pilots have better things to do, like fly the place"

Umm yea, we all know the pilots aren't going to let everyone die on plane just to keep the doors closed! How do you think all the other terrorist made there way into cockpit?

"Sky Marshall's are the only ones that should be armed and also have the skills to confront terrorist"

I've been on many flights, have not seen one sky Marshall, and it would not be possible to have one on every plane, at times there's more then 65,000 planes in the air at one time, there's just no way.

It also seem's that the only MF in the whitehouse that didn't know the 9/11 was going to happen is the president himself, and I bet he knew as well, lets not kid ourselves.

This is SOOOOOOOO FUCKING BACKWORDS!!!!

Sorry for the F word but that's the only way I can let you guys know how mad I am about all of this.

You know, these guys twittle their fucking thumbs while all the reports of terrorists training on our planes, they twittle their thumbs while they should be  getting  more security in the sky's, cause something is going to happen, and they sit on it.

But the decision to keep pilots disarmed, their all over that!!
Not only are they all over that, all their points on that matter are weak and mean nothing.

Is there some better points the Government and the anti's have that maybe I'm not hearing about and the newspapers aren't writing about??
It seems so lopsided!!

If America made a decision to arm pilots, that would send shockwaves to the terrorist to the middleeast and back!!

Well, all I can say is, you're both idiots.

Better for the pilots to be armed than for nobody to be armed.  And while I would expect that pilots who carry would get appropriate ammunition, would you care to tell me when the last time was that you bought Glaser Safety Slugs so that your blasting away on board the jet won't overpenetrate?

Also, how do we -- or anyone else -- know whether you're intending to hijack the plane or just defend yourself?  With the pilots, they already have control of the plane, and there ain't much that anyone can do about it if they decide to pull an EgyptAir.  We HAVE to trust the pilots, but I sure don't want to have to worry about being able to trust you and Cletus and Shakura and Vinnie and Mohammad AS WELL.

[rolleyes] We've heard it from an obvious authority.

OK, here's the real deal on this... The AIRLINES don't want the liability of employing a whole new class of Barney Fifes. This is what it boils down to. Arming pilots is a bad idea no matter how important it would make them feel. Hire more sky marshals, secure cockpit doors, and most importantly, quit strip searching little old ladies and focus on the ARAB threat. PC be danmed!