sherpa

You can't simply get them off and get the others on. There are security issues and that takes time and manpower. Again, there was a lot of off schedule stuff there because of severe storms earlier, so the manpower was undoubtedly stressed, limiting who could handle the issue. Regarding the issue of them staying at the airport, that was the only possible solution and although it wasn't mentioned, I guarantee that personnel were in place to watch the situation closely and protect against any other incident. It is simply the best solution. Other proposals would have been far more risky. Those kids were probably provided blankets, pillows and supervision. Yep. If it would have been one two or maybe a few more, that's what would have happened.

The airline is not a law enforcement organization. Are they supposed to sit everyone down and have an illegal hearing? Airport cops are not staffed enough to handle this either. Nor do they want to. Thirty kids to handle and decide who stays and who goes. Way too much work and way too much time and would undoubtedly result in lawsuits. Are they to take statements from the other passengers? "Mommy and Daddy" are not going to come from Boston to Charlotte to pick them up, so do you fly them back to Boston? Not likely, and the lawyers would be overwhelming, because they'd all be individual cases. It would be a legal quagmire. What about the bags? How long would that take to get sorted out? How many people? Charlotte had a very rough weather day that day. The airplane had already been swapped out once and that certainly took some time. How about crew duty time limitations? Probably not an issue, but how about destination curfew issues including customs/immigration and the current presence of Covid screeners? Regarding a previous post about "teaching them a lesson," that is hardly the airlines' task. The point is that it is much more complicated than it was presented in the very limited story published. It's unfortunate that those not involved had to wait until the next morning, but when a group of idiots behaves like this is has effects on others.

Because it's a lot more complicated than that. One, two or three passengers, not that big of a deal. Thirty, and minors is a big deal and presents a very complicated issue that would require a lot of people and a lot of time to sort out.

Simpson and Barry Sanders were the only running backs I ever saw that if you watched the body language of singular open field tackers, you could see they knew they were already beat.

Seriously? Ever been to Texas? Ever eaten BBQ? I slow cook it least six times a year.

Simply a brilliant document. "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

The Navy is well aware of laser caused plasma images in the IR spectrum. They've been working on it for ten years as a missile decoy system. In fact, they have a patent on the technology.

Simpson had this technique that I've not seen anyone else display. He would take the hand off, and if not immediately engaged, he would drop his shoulders to lower his center of mass, enabling him to cut quicker. A kind of "glide" mode, waiting for defenders to commit. Then he would cut and make the defenders miss, coming out of the glide. Of course as an Olympic level sprinter, if he got away from the second level it was al over. Just a special athlete and joy to watch.

Simpson never worried about anybody behind him, and being faster than the guy closest to him didn't much matter either. The guy had a gift. He was simply more in tune with what you could do to him than you were, and he would prevent it. I saw him in practice about five times. He was at another level.

Simpson was a remarkable athlete. Somebody, some time ago, I think it was Sports Illustrated, did a thing about a concept called kinesthetic sense. It discussed the ability to predict what would happen based on looking at what was happening now. In short, in a sports related application, the skill provides one with the ability to foresee what will happen. Kind of boring and complicated, but they talked about the truly great athletes. I remember them mentioning Larry Bird and Juice. Bird could run a fast break, and remember where every single defensive player was, well after the break. Simpson was the same. If you look at videos of him and especially the ones that show his eyes, you can see that he is already not worried about the closest defender, he is setting up the next. Great fighter pilots have that same skill, though it is a lost art. The ability to project kinesthetic sense at a high level is a rare skill. Simpson was like watching someone further evolved.

I heard one of their execs talk about it for about 15 mins last year, and it's quite complicated on a lot of different fronts. Much more involved than I thought.

Nobody said we were going to die if we didn't invade Iraq. Iraq was in gross violation of the 1991 ceasefire agreement. The US was running a no fly zone combat air patrol that was getting shot at, and there was no way that was going to continue. That mission was going to end, one way or another. The US Intel services had nobody on the ground there. They relied too much on defectors that proved to be useless and self serving. Both House and Senate Intel Committees received the exact same intel an judgements from that intel that the White House did. They voted.

No You're safe. Constant Peg was declassified in 2006. When I was in the Pacific Fleet Adversaries, the bad guys, we used to fight the Migs regularly. We were forced to sign agreements that if we ever said anything, they would wipe us and everyone we knew out. Very serious stuff. They kept them in hangars to avoid Soviet recon satellite pics. You'd hold about 15 miles north, then they'd taxi out, takeoff and you'd fight them for about 20 mins. We were told never to try to land there. One day, i was the duty officer at the Adversary Squadron and my CO was over there. The plan was to fight them, then tank, (air to air refuel), then come back. During the tanking, something happened and the tanker sent a bunch of raw fuel into the air. It went own my CO's intake, exploded when it hit the compressor, blew out his right main landing gear doors, and a total hydraulic failure ensued. Losing the flight controls, he had to go in there. No brakes, so he rolls to the end and into the barricade. He wasn't hurt, so they blindfolded him and drove him 90 miles to Naval Air Station Fallon, NV. We wanted to send our maintainers to fix the airplane, but they would hear none of that. The accident report was altered to indicate it happened at Fallon Naval Air Station. They disassembled the airplane, put it on a truck and drove it to Fallon where we got it fixed a month later. Funny times.

They really aren't that secret. They just aren't a passenger airline. They use normal air traffic control freqs. The people who work at the Groom Lake complex, known as Area 51, and the folks who work at Tonopah Test Range, which is about 70 miles further NW from Groom Lake, get shuttled back and forth on a daily basis. Not all, but many. From time to time the Air Force will do it with their own transports, but mostly it's done by Janet 737's. They use to leave from Nellis AFB, but since everyone lives in or near Las Vegas, they operate from McCarran Intl. Airport and save them the drive to Nellis, which isn't that far away. Everybody who operates out of the Nellis complex knows about it, there is just no reason for other folks to. Funny, I haven't talked about the Tonopah Test Range for years, and just yesterday I got an email asking me something about it. We used to operate in the Nellis complex and the restricted area which serves Tonopah Test Range regularly. (See "Operation Constant Peg).

I believe they've said they don't know, and they've never acknowledged the existence of "future tech."

No matter. It should never collapse. Code in place, if abided by, would prevent it. The Miami construction industry is notorious for corruption. The latest terminal at their airport was held up twice as the contracting company refused to bribe the construction group. I have no idea what caused this, but I do know that the building industry in Miami is as corrupt as can be, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was found to not be to code.

Great. Not going there.

The "bibly?" The inhabitants of the planet earth have little to do with the existence of heaven or hell, or what course one takes to experience them. Either way, if you want an accurate representation of earth, use a globe. If you want to navigate it, use a Lambert Conformal, the way the aviation world does.

You are correct that it is very good. There is one better though.....The ceviche at Los Tajibos in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I like it so much that I tried to get the marinade exported to the US for marketing purposes when I retired. My favorite food. Your friend is in for a treat. If your wife has any ceviche secrets, PM me. I love the stuff.

Heaven and hell have nothing to do with the planet earth.

Work related, i travelled all over South America from about 2002 until 2010. It was more difficult to get TV access, but still possible at various bars in the large cities I travelled to. There was always a place, and more options with each passing year. Because of the nature of my job, bars were not a frequent, favorable option. What I would do is listen to the radio broadcast and watch either CBS or ESPN Gametracker in my hotel room. From reading threads on our work related message board, which I still do even though retired, the guys who travel there have no problem finding TV coverage except in places like Bolivia. Speaking of the Miraflores area of Lima.....Great ceviche.

Drew Rosenhaus. 🤪 He was Willis McGahee's agent when he was drafted. He staged a fake scene with him to make it look like NFL teams were talking to him, then after he was drafted said Willis would be fine to play in his rookie year. Known bender of truth.

Maybe because he is a career politician, wherein getting votes trumps ideological belief, when ideological belief might cost votes. It is theologically incongruent to claim to be Catholic and yet support abortion. The two cannot coexist. Biden is, first and foremost, a politician. His Catholic claim is a convenient exercise. You can't have it both ways.

Not sure what your point is here. Forgiveness is based on admitting an activity is sinful, and seeking to eliminate it. The Catholic Church believes that abortion is eliminating human life. Continuing to support it does not meet the requirement for "forgiveness," your term.

My last Blue Angels/football related post, then I'm out. After my second cruise on Kitty Hawk, I joined the Pacific Fleet Adversaries. That is a squadron where you fight others. It's tough to get in, you kind of have to be invited, and you have to kind of prove your mettle when you get in. First week, the squadron is going to play in the annual Fog Bowl, a football game with the A7 replacement training squadron on the same base. Anyone who has lived in the Central Valley of California knows how bad the fog is in the winter. The Adversaries have about 12 pilots. The Fog Bowl is against the A7 replacement squadron, which has about five times more guys. Anyway, I agree to play and attend my first practice. First play, I'm lined up as a corner. I'm pretty sure I can compete, so my plan is to expect an out pattern, (the usual first practice route). My plan is to back pedal enough to bait the throw, then close on it and pick it. Out comes the wide out, one Curt Watson, call sign Griz, short for grizzly bear, because that's what he looked like. About 5'10" and 190. No worries. Play snaps. Griz runs a 7 and then cuts to the sideline. I take one more back pedal, baiting the throw, and I think I got this made. QB, who is another story, and very good, pumps and I jump the route. Griz turns it up and I'm thinking, no problem, I can cover the double move. He can't be that fast. The problem is he is gaining on me. I can't cover the guy. Fortunately the pass is a bit overthrown and hits the dirt, but I was had. At the end of this, I am quite impressed with Griz, being the new guy to the squadron and not knowing anyone, if he has played ball. He says yes, and I ask him where, and he says Green Bay. Turns out he was the leading rusher for Tennessee, and played two years for the Packers. We became fast friends and rented a ski place together in the Sierras before he applied and was accepted in the Blues. By the way, he was the guy that flew Tom Cruise when Cruise decided to do TopGun. Cruise wasn't decided until then, and Griz took him up and that was that.