Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve Dietrich who wrote (273891)	7/11/2002 10:56:32 PM
From: greenspirit	Respond to of 769670

I can see where you're coming from and I'll give it some consideration. My memory was Tom Ridge expressed the administrations position shortly after 9/11, (based on the reasons I previously described) and the recent position by the FAA was a re-affimation of the original one. But I could be wrong... I do believe you've underestimated "Big Media" hatred for guns and their ability to foment political divisiveness.

To: Steve Dietrich who wrote (273891)	7/11/2002 11:02:53 PM
From: Thomas A Watson	Respond to of 769670

I read Mike's post and it was clear, clean and very logical. I agree 100% with Mike's interpretation. Gun's in the cockpit is a small tangential issue and not revealing one's position until the last is just smart politics and leaves room for compromise. Campaign Finance is a joke issue. I don't like PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH's signing of the bill, but if it leads to compromise and gets a more important bill passed, I leave it to PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH's outstanding judgement overall.

To: Steve Dietrich who wrote (273891)	7/13/2002 11:44:46 AM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

N.Y. Times Tries to Manipulate Public Opinion on Arming Pilots Phil Brennan, NewsMax.com Friday, July 12, 2002 newsmax.com Once again the New York Times is using its news pages to manipulate public opinion – this time using a story about arming pilots in a blatantly obvious attempt to turn Americans against letting pilots have the right to carry guns against hijackers. In a Page One story, the citadel of "mainstream" media once again proved just how biased it can be, especially in pursuit of the liberal agenda. The "news" story was entitled "Armed Pilots? Many Travelers Are Gun-Shy." Reading the Times story, one would be led to believe that most Americans oppose pilots being armed. The Times never mentioned in the extensive article – one filled with shrill, anecdotal worries of fellow liberals – that several scientific polls taken since Sept. 11 show that an overwhelming number of Americans want pilots to be armed. After reporting that on Wednesday the House voted 311-113 to pass a bill backed by Air Line Pilots Association that would allow commercial pilots to be deputized as federal flight deck officers and carry guns during flights, and noting the bill specified that guns were to be used only in the cockpit, the left-wing Times sought to show that the idea is unpopular with Americans. Look Who's 'Extreme' The Times claims that "the idea that those responsible for flying an airplane might also take on crucial security duties struck some travelers today as an extreme response, perhaps foolhardy." Hmm, "some" travelers are opposed; better drop the issue right now. That line gives away the propaganda show to come. "In nearly four dozen interviews in seven major airports, opponents of the idea outnumbered supporters by a ratio of roughly 3 to 2, and expressed deep concern about the consequences of using a gun on an airplane," the Times wrote. "People who favored the plan said the presence of an armed pilot provided an added layer of safety and confidence." Among those quoted by the Times: 'Like Arming a Terrorist' "It's almost like arming a terrorist. I don't think any of them are highly trained in military combat. You're just basically putting a gun in the terrorist's hands," claimed Maryland college student Adam Dutko. Wine salesman Todd Ross of Gilbert, Ariz., featured in the story's first paragraph: "What if the pilot misses the assailant? Anything could happen. I think it's wrong. Absolutely wrong. It's not the way to go. If a pilot had a gun, I don't think I'd feel any safer." "They don't always know how to handle people, how to read people," said a woman who claimed to be a former stewardess but refused to give her name. "I flew for almost 20 years, and learned quickly that they couldn't deal with situations as well as we could." 'I'm Not Fond of Arms Anywhere' "I'm not fond of arms anywhere, so my initial reaction is, there has to be a better way," said Cynthia Shapiro, an eyeglass-frame designer. The paper ran Page One photographs of two of the anti-choice interviewees, complete with large-type quotations. It ran zero pictures of the pro-choicers but on Page A16 offered a photo of pro-choice pilots. The article did include comments from a few people who dissented from the Times' party line. "I would feel more secure if they took a gun into the cockpit," said Elise Pryor of Phoenix. 'Splatter Them' "If you're going to hijack a plane and you know the pilot has a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun, wouldn't that deter you?" asked Frank Nicholson, of Clemmons, N.C. "With a pistol they can miss. But with a 12-gauge, no way. It would splatter them all over the cockpit, and there's no way you can miss, either." So, on the basis of its own interviews, with the anti-gun responses quoted extensively, the Times suggests that arming airline pilots, some of the most responsible human beings in the nation, already charged with safeguarding the lives of hundreds of passengers at a time, is a bad idea rejected by Americans by a 3-to-2 margin. What Legitimate Polls Say But the Times carefully ignored polls that show exactly the opposite – most of which indicate the public is 3 to 1 in favor of the proposal. A Time/CNN poll (two left-leaning outfits) taken just after the Sept. 11 attacks revealed that 61 percent of Americans favored allowing pilots to carry guns. Two polls conducted more recently, one by the Winston Group and another by the Wilson Center, found that level of support had risen to 75 percent. A survey by Allied Pilots Association on Oct. 9-10 found that 75 percent of respondents supported arming pilots. Apparently, those surveyed saw the issue as one of safety, not guns. Of those who advocated "some form of gun control," 77 percent also supported arming pilots, according to Rights Watch International in Raleigh, N.C. Other recent polls found by NewsMax.com indicate that 75 percent of all Americans as well as commercial pilots favor arming pilots. But such statistics are inconvenient for the anti-Second-Amendment-rights New York Times, which not only doesn't want pilots armed, but opposes gun ownership by any and all Americans.