I hope the government doesn’t shut down; I particularly hope that if there is one, President Obama doesn’t fly anywhere until it is resolved. (An Obama family trip to Colonial Williamsburg may be postponed or canceled by the shutdown.)
High among the reasons for this sentiment is that the Air Force One pilots would not be getting paid until the government reopens. Like all military personnel, they must report for duty, and will be paid for the half of the biweekly pay period that the government is open. But beyond that, they’re left waiting for pay.
“Sorry, Mr. President. We must have hit some turbulence back there. I don’t suppose during all that jostling, you rethought your position on that one-week extension that would fund the Department of Defense for the rest of the year, huh?”
Do you really need to break out Air Force 1 to go to Williamsburg? I mean it's like 150 miles from The White House to Williamsburg. Talk about wasting a whole slew of carbon emissions for nothing - the plane wouldn't even have enough time to get to altitude before landing.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@Jim Geraghty.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe Pilots of Air Force One and the GREAT MAJORITY of the rest of our armed forces are NOT like UNION workers. THEY will perform at their highest level regardless of the POLITICAL situation.
Please reserve your slurs for those who deserve them.
I think you're being a little thin-skinned there Gunny and overreacting to an offhand remark in the original post. I doubt Jim intended to slur anyone - nor do I think most people would have taken it as a slur.
And a union worker wouldn't "hit some turbulence" he'd probably not bother to show up for work at all - and be outside with an army of Trumka goons picketing the White House.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSorry reldim, when military members are listed as being "High among the reasons" that someone hopes that "President Obama doesn’t fly anywhere until it is resolved" and implies they would intentionally deviate from a normal flight profile to discomfort the President, it IS a slur on our forces and their honorable members and their service, intended or not.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't think I'm being thin-skinned on the issue at all.
@ reldim
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSorry, I don't think I'm being thin skinned at all when one implies that a Military Pilot charged with the safety of the President of the United States would intentionally deviate from a normal flight profile in order to cause the POTUS discomfort especially when it would be in regard to, and to send the pilots view on a political issue. It is a slur, intended or not.
I am sorry if you disagree.
I do not view Mr. Geraghty's joke as a slur against the military. Also I do not believe that it is necessary to imply that the pilots were intentionally deviating from a flight plan or faking the turbulence. The humor is that the President is unwilling to pay the military but is relying on professional military services for recreational purposes! It would take something like turbulence for the President to realize how he depends on his services. And of course, the pilots would never say such a thing, but that's not the point of the joke.
Maybe if the President hurts himself playing basketball, the man tending the wound would say to him, "While I am stitching you up here so as not to leave a scar, I thought I would ask on behalf of my fellow corpsmen, when we can expect to receive our paychecks." Did the corpsman bust open the President's nose? No. Is he threatening to do a bad job such that there might be a scar? OK maybe you can read that interpretation here, but are the pilots really doing a shakedown in Jim's joke? I don't think so.
I agree that our military will serve honorably. It's just a joke.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGunny, I think you're being a bit overly sensitive on this.
And for what it's worth, the military couldn't function without a large corps of DoD civilians, the vast majority of whom also do their best.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGunny, while I agree with you that our servicemen would never behave in the fashion that Mr. Geraghty implies, I can easily see them operating in the overly concerned "by the book" slowdown manner. If, as your handle implies, you were a Marine Gunny then I'm sure you recall when unpopular orders were responded to by barracks room lawyer behavior. That overly punctilious, "well the regulations state..." and "Where were we in the safety checks? I don't see that step 5 was completed. We'll have to start from the beginning."
Cause any form of endangerment, never. Irritate the hell out of an unpopular CO, every chance you can.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThanks Gunny for the honorable defense.
Unfortunately, most civilians these days don't seem understand why such slurs on the sacred honor of military servicemembers is offensive. I chalk it up to us being only 1% of the population.
Plus, they're probably more interested in the optics of it, rather than the actual reality of the responsibility those pilots carry.
USAF pilots are responsible for transporting nuclear weapons, as well as the President of the United States of America. Think about the kind of person you'd have to be in order to be trusted with that kind of responsibility.
And, yeah, you just made a politically motivated joke at their expense.
Apparently, that's the kind of person you are.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI agree with Huey on this one. Jim Geraghty and the folks at NRO are the last people on the planet to be disrespectful of our men and women in uniform. The joke is on Obama frankly, who, in spite of being the CIC doesn't really know how a lot of things, maybe most things, actually work. I'm sure he takes Air Force One for granted. It is how liberals think. It is my opinion, but I don't in fact think that Obama, given his credentials, thinks very highly of people in uniform. It wouldn't surprise me to know that he just ignores them...until he needs them, of course.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell, at least we can relax a bit and envision this:
The flight crew on Air Force One comes through the Presidential cabin and says "We'll be selling a selection of snacks for your in-flight enjoyment. That'll be $84 for the made-yesterday-tuna-sandwich, $72 for the re-heated microwave lasagna, and of course for you budget-conscious Executive Branch members who are not allergic to nuts or nut products or plants where nuts are used, the ever-popular mixed peanut-and-cashew sack for a mere $37.50. A selection of beverages is available for what-passes-in-government-as-nominal charges per the menu in your seatback pocket. OH, and you know that famous high-priced toilet seat? We've got 'em! Just slip your Visa or MasterCard into the slot to access the lavatories. And have a great flight and remember--we know you had a choice and thank YOU for choosing Air Shutdown!"
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@USAF Pilot's Wife:
Madam,
I've played enough games of Crud with enough blue suiters to know exactly what kind of person it takes to do what you mention. I align very closely with Army aviation...to the point that they depend on me doing my job to keep them safe and sound.
I say this with every bit of knowledge you think I lack: It was a joke, not some slur on "sacred honor". In the words of everybody's bestest buddy, and new big toe, Sgt. Hulka: Lighten up, Frances.
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