Delta seems to have a ‘not so hot’ reputation. But today, I want to say – Fly Delta! Click here for the story if you haven’t heard about it.
So at first blush – Captain America looks like he falls into all kinds of unpopular categories: bigot, intolerant, & racist… but I have a different take:
Now, let me say first – these two clerics may be the nicest guys in the world – certified U.S. citizens, tax payers, and even dog lovers, and maybe even cat lovers. Maybe they have all of Cat Stevens’ albums, and know all the words to “Wild World”. And they may have felt hurt, humiliated, and hard done-by. I’ll give you all of that. But there’s more to look at here.
I know already that there are currents which will press for discrimination lawsuits, or harassment, or other charges. And they may do that, and perhaps be successful.
But let’s first consider the context. You know, as someone who appreciates music and comedy – I can tell you – timing. is. everything. So look at the timing: Osama bin Laden has JUST been reportedly killed after a decade of war in the name of catching him. The media strongly suggests and the president has urged Americans to recall the way they felt right after the 9/11 attacks when Americans signed their rights and many civil liberties away w/ the Patriot Act, and were ready to bomb the hell out of anyone who they were told was guilty. Further, immediately after the absurdly vindictive ‘celebration’ of OBL’s demise, there has been constant remarks and commentary in the media that Americans can ‘expect reprisals’ or ‘new attacks’ right here in this country.
Now, let’s consider the “culprit” here – the pilot. The captain of the ship. My understanding is, he is the captain – and as captain, what he says goes – even according to FAA rules (there may be more guidelines here, but this is the gist). He gets to make judgment calls. He’s allowed. This is his purview. He has that authority. And he is concerned with the safety of the passengers and his aircraft. This pilot made a call that was in keeping with fulfilling these objectives, in his professional opinion. End of story. Period. Or at least if should be. And in the context – it is perfectly understandable. These imams were dressed in full Islamic regalia. The ‘official story’ is that Islamists hijacked airplanes on 9/11. We are at war in 3 Islamic countries. We are AT WAR. Here is a man who threw political correctness and ‘hurt feelings’ out the window in a judgment call, right or wrong. This was his gut feeling. And he went with it. Like a chef who thinks something is ‘not quite done’ and put’s something back in the oven, or an angler who catches a fish and throws it back b/c it just looks a c-hair too young or small…. this pilot sent these imams back to security. And went about his business – the business of providing a safe, comfortable flight to rest of the passengers. (It is also interesting, btw – though these imams had passed through security – this act sends a strong message, that the pilot does not have complete confidence in the TSA, or the new invasive, abusive screening techniques.)
It sounds callous and hard hearted, but I don’t really care much about these imams feelings. Seriously, I don’t. Well, for clarity, lest you think I’m un-empathetic to some people, let me say it this way: I care about their feelings in direct proportion to the degree they cared about the rest of the passengers’ and flight crew’s feelings. One of them, Mr. Rahman, said,”It’s racism and bias because of our religion and appearance and because of misinformation about our religion. If they understood Islam, they wouldn’t do this.’
Well, I’m here to tell you: it’s true most people don’t understand Islam. But it’s also true, that apparently many Muslims don’t either. Islam is a violent religion, proscribing in its ‘holy’ books to kill the Christian, to kill the Jew, and to kill the unbeliever. There is a principal of interepretation called ‘abrogation’, which means that later texts supercede the earlier texts. And in the Quran, the most violent passages, or calls to violence, are in the later texts. So if you actually DO understand Islam – case closed. Now, there ARE peaceful Muslims… but I’d liken them to luke-warm Christians, who don’t really understand the doctrines of the people they claim to belong to, and the book which they hold as holy and true. They don’t really read it with understanding if they read it at all, and they don’t have any real principals of interpretation. Just like a lot of Christians would renounce their Christianity if they truly knew and beleved what the bible teaches, it’s quite possible if some Muslims truly knew and believed what the Quran teaches, they’d renounce Islam. The fact is, the true Muslim is a jihadist, fighting a ‘holy’ war, in which the goal is to take over the world for Allah, and the methodology is ‘convert or die’. This is true whether 9/11 happened the way the ‘official story’ claims it did, or whether or not bin Laden had anything at all to do with it or not. It’s just a fact, provable by the Quran itself.
There is an admonition in the bible: ‘If it is possible, as far as is in you, being in peace with all men.’ (Rom 12:18) These imams were sporting their Muslim/Arab identity in an obvious way on an airplane, after all the passengers went through the grueling security, in place because of ‘terrorism’. I don’t know if there is a similar admonition in the Quran, and I don’t believe there is – but if there is, they were in violation of their own tenets. If there isn’t, this is a poor and inadequate belief system, and Allah and Muhammed his prophet are simply very rude dogs. They were effectually provoking the other passengers in our American culture, and in the political climate we are in. They in a sense invited mistrust. They were intolerant of the feelings of Americans who have en masse been thrust back in time to feelings and memories of 9/11 just this week. So even if these imams are by and large regular people, since they decided flytime is halloween, and got into costumes that scare people – screw them, the dirty bastards. If they looked funny, gave a sideways glance, or just plain didn’t feel right – they can take a bus. Here’s your money back, and hit the road, jack (or, uh, muhammed). Meanwhile, I’d be proud to fly Delta and with this pilot in particular. I don’t think these imams were really a threat to this flight – but I am glad Captain America had the brass to, in the context of everything, bounce the provacateurs.
addendum:
The timing is curious – even wondering if this is a PR stunt by Delta, to capitalize on the anti-Islamic sentiment in lieu of the ‘victory’ of getting bin Laden. They haven’t released the pilots name yet to my knowledge… so this could all be a stage show.
The Sacred Cowcatcher 
This morning, it was “Seven Soldiers from World War II are on their way home today. They will be buried at Arlington Cemetery….” It was not “the bodies of seven soldiers”…. Unless you had heard that they were going to be buried, you could have easily thought they’d been hanging out in France since the war, and just got on a plane and flew to the States. I don’t think there is a term for it, but it’s like anthropomorphizing- except they are making an inanimate corpse alive again. This is soldier worship – subtle, but purposed nonetheless.
And in the same segment: “Four more New Orleans police officers have been charged in shooting unarmed men on a bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina”… not people – men. Not citizens – men. Not men with names – just men. Just 2 men. To be fair, the online article does refer to them as people. But doubtless the radio is the main forum for NPR, with a vastly greater audience. Yet you have to read a LONG way before you get to their names near the bottom of the full length article – that’s tantamount to a by-word, in my book. Four other citizens were wounded by these same police officers, by the way. Nameless. Shot by police, and not worthy of mention. Actually, the people shot were an unarmed family.
Subtle? Yes. Insignificant? NO. This is conscientious mind control. Day in, day out, when events are characterized this way, the effect on the minds of the people cannot be underestimated.
One of the unarmed citizens killed by U.S. Police was only 17 years old. His name was James Brissette. The other unarmed citizen killed by the U.S. Police was Lance Madison, only 40, who had severe mental disabilities. He was shot in the back as he ran away on the west side of the bridge.