Thanks for the Legacy - President George W. Bush is making his push to preserve his legacy. Followers of this blog know my view (the Lunacy). George's own is a little different. His main proof of success in the 'War on Terror' is that no major attacks have occurred in the US since 9/11. That's no proof! The terrorists have been working overtime in all the places we've opened up for them, like Iraq and Afghanistan, and by association Pakistan and India. Why would they come all the way over here to fight us when they have plenty of opportunity in their own backyard? Hmm, maybe that was Bush's idea all along? Clever, then.
Alan Greenspan, where are you? - With the economy on buttered skids and heading ever more quickly down-slope to ruin, the best and brightest economic minds - gathered from both the present AND future administrations, can't seem to do anything effective to stop the slide. I would have never believed it, but I miss Alan Greenspan. Oh, what I wouldn't give to hear him warn us of 'irrational exuberance' again. . .
Peace or Pieces? - The news this morning included word that Israel might be close to a cease fire agreement with Hamas, brokered through Egypt. That's encouraging, although believing it would definitely be a case of seeing it. Some believe Israel's leaders want to wrap things up before Barack Obama's inauguration - sort of like a gift, or maybe an offering of peace, to sweeten the new President's 'honeymoon' period. Or maybe they've already accomplished their objectives and really do want to bring the offensive to an end. Either way, the lives of many Palestinians in Gaza are now in pieces - or gone completely.
Welcome aboard! - I'll bet that none of the passengers of US Airways flight 1549 expected a cruise as part of the package. But on a boat (or three), plying the Hudson river, is exactly where the 155 passengers and crew ended their trip. FAA accident teams are still determining whether a bird strike brought the jet down, or whether it's pilot had a minor stroke and thought he was commanding Pan Am's China Clipper. Either way it was a phenomenal display of flying/sailing ...
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No attacks after 9/11? - That was me. I covered that; can't tell you how though ;)
Alan Greenspan was the man until the entire Objectivist house-of-cards done got blowed away.
Hey, I checked - Ayn Rand is still dead. Let's get on with reviving the FDR regulation packages.
Yes - great flying. Yet not so much a miracle as a display of proper systems engineering. The planes are designed with a 20:1 glide slope, the ship is built to get the souls off in 90 seconds and the crews are trained to make it so. Even the ferry crews. A powerful refutation of the notion that government is the problem. Here government - the extension of our political freedom and will - set standards and made sure they were met.
This Miracle Brought to You by America's Unions
by emptywheel
Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 08:17:01 AM PST
(Cross-posted from emptywheel)
They're calling it a miracle--the successful landing of a US Airways jet in the Hudson and subsequent rescue of all 155 passengers. They're detailing the heroism of all involved, starting with the pilot and including cabin crew, ferry crews, and first responders. What they're not telling you is that just about every single one of these heros is a union member. There's the pilot:
What might have been a catastrophe in New York — one that evoked the feel if not the scale of the Sept. 11 attack — was averted by a pilot's quick thinking and deft maneuvers,
[snip]
On board, the pilot, Chesley B. Sullenberger III, 57, unable to get back to La Guardia, had made a command decision to avoid densely populated areas and try for the Hudson,
[snip]
When all were out, the pilot walked up and down the aisle twice to make sure the plane was empty, officials said.
Sullenberger is a former national committee member and the former safety chairman for the Airline Pilots Association and now represented by US Airline Pilots Association. He--and his union--have fought to ensure pilots get the kind of safety training to pull off what he did yesterday.
Then there are the flight attendants:
One passenger, Elizabeth McHugh, 64, of Charlotte, seated on the aisle near the rear, said flight attendants shouted more instructions: feet flat on the floor, heads down, cover your heads.
They are members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. Yesterday's accident should remind all of us that flight attendants are first and foremost safety professionals--they should not be treated like cocktail waitresses.
There are the air traffic controllers:
The pilot radioed air traffic controllers on Long Island that his plane had sustained a "double bird strike."
They're represented by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Someday, they'll rename National Airport for the work these men and women do to keep us safe in the air.
There are the ferry crews:
As the first ferry nudged up alongside, witnesses said, some passengers were able to leap onto the decks. Others were helped aboard by ferry crews.
They're represented by the Seafarers International Union. They provide safety training to their members so they're prepared for events like yesterday's accident.
There are the cops and firemen:
Helicopters brought wet-suited police divers, who dropped into the water to help with the rescues.
They're represented by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and the Uniformed Firefighters Association and Uniformed Fire Officers Association.They're the men and women who performed so heroically on 9/11--and they've been fighting to make sure first responders get the equipment to do this kind of thing.
Bob Corker and Richard Shelby like to claim that union labor is a failed business model.
But I haven't heard much about Bob Corker and Richard Shelby saving 155 people's lives.
Whew! One more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236
This ship ran out of fuel and the plane coasted 100 miles to a hard landing on the Azores.
[Great comments, oldiron -interesting and thought-provoking...]
Whether or not the positive influence of unions and firmly-enforced standards had a hand, the passengers on that US Airways jet were charmed - at least they were at every moment after the very unlucky bird strikes. It almost seemed like one of those old twilight zone plots in reverse, with a happy ending. And they only had a few minutes of terror to bear - unlike flight 236 (shudder)!
And thanks for covering us post 9/11. No need to tell how - I am guessing if you did you'd have to kill me...
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