CNN and the Inauguration

Two quick items that are on my mind now-

First, CNN was rated third amongst networks for their Inauguration coverage. This means that more people watched CNN than CBS for Obama's swearing in ceremony. How sad for the Tiffany Network.

Second, I'm sitting in the airport watching CNN Headline News and they just had a commercial for a CNN branded Obama inauguration T-Shit. How can a news organization pretend to be objective, yet look to cash in on the celebrity of Obama? More on that later.

Hire this guy as Treasury Secretary.

These comments were made in 2006 and 2007. He was laughed at by his colleagues, but as history shows us, he really, truly understood what was going on.

--


--

If I didn't know better, I would have sworn this was edited after the fact, but it really was not. He predicted everything almost right on the nose.

Bush-bashing was overboard...

I was talking to a conservative friend of mine last night and the topic of the inauguration came up. She is a very intelligent (most of the time) person, and recognizes that Barack Obama is the person who Americans elected and that he is the President of the United States. She then went on to say that she would support him just as much as Democrats supported Bush in the past eight years.

She commented that you probably won't see any "There's a village in Chicago that's looking for their Idiot" or any 1/21/2013 stickers on republican cars, saying that they are too classy for such a thing. I got to thinking about it and it wasn't a majority of Democrats that were doing that. I'd go as far as saying that it wasn't happening in the last 8 years. It was more in the last 2-3 years when some of the lies and coverups really came out. I definitely am not sad to see President Bush go, but he did win a majority of the electoral college twice, meaning he deserves the respect of the office.

I would hope that she, and the republicans at least start out by giving the current president the same level of respect that I always gave President Bush- I may not have voted for him, but he's my President. I started to write that I hope that they give him the same support that everyone gave President Bush after September 11th. I then rethought that. No one should have absolute power. I hope that the all parties listen carefully to what is said, and be a concientious objecter and have their points heard.

That is the way that a democracy is supposed to work -- that both sides have a chance to have their voices heard. I hope that President Obama and the democrats do not look for revenge, but rather do what they think, after listening to everything is the best for the country as a whole, and not what was the most politically friendly decision.

In the unlikely event of a water landing...

I can guarantee you that at 3:20 on 1/15/2009 the people no one on flight 1549 actually thought that there was a chance of a water landing. As a veteran of a 150+ flights a year for the past 10 years, I can honestly say the only time I have ever thought a water landing was possible was when flying overseas. That flight has actually changed me-- although in a very small manner. When I fly, I've always taken my shoes off when in the air. It's more comfortable for me. I have always been very mindful of leaving my shoes on until we're in the air, and then remove them. By in the air, I mean wheels up, but pretty much still over the airport property. Now I'll make sure that I leave them on until we reach 10,000 feet.

I join in everyone else in lauding the flight crew, ferry crews and first responders for doing their jobs. I would hope that would cause people to treat flight attendants with more respect showing that they are not there to serve drinks, but for safety. Unfortunately, on my first flight since then, nothing could be further from the truth. Peoples rudeness just amazes me. Now it's not everyone, and not even most people, but just one person is all that it takes.

You may have heard recent news stories that this same aircraft, flying the same route with the same flight number had engine issues just 2 days before. I have to imagine that this aircraft was thoroughly inspected and did fly for two more days before this happened. I can't imagine that anyone employed by an airline would let that go.

I have always appreciated everyone who work at the airlines that make my travel as uneventful as possible. In fact, when departing an aircraft, I always say thank you to the Flight Attendants or other crew members standing at the door to the aircraft, and I really do mean that. It's not just them that I'm thankful for -- Everyone from the flight crews who I see and have direct dealings with to the maintenance workers who I never see, but greatly rely on. This incident only goes to reinforce that appreciation.

To the crew of flight 1549, and everyone involved in air travel, thank you for doing your jobs as well as you do.