TSA Comment on FFDO program

[maddog52]

Here is an excerpt from an ALPA release explaining what the TSA has to say about the WT article.

...In stark contrast to an op-ed article in today’s edition (March 17, 2009) of the Washington Times, that claims “…President Obama is quietly ending the federal firearms program, risking public safety on airlines in the name of an anti-gun ideology,” TSA officials reassured ALPA they are committed to the FFDO program and have plans for its expansion.
TSA’s leadership immediately contacted ALPA and requested a meeting to discuss this news report. ALPA representatives met with TSA executives this afternoon and were told that TSA embraces the FFDO program, that there are no plans to reduce or restrict its growth, and that the agency fully intends to grow and expand the program......

Seems like people are "making a mountain out of a mole hill".

 

[ScottM]

Seems like people are "making a mountain out of a mole hill".

I would go so far to say that there was not even a molehill there. The opinion piece in the Washington Times drew conclusion that it did not even try to support in its own text. That is on par of the WT which has a terrible reputation as a reliable news source and is almost universally laughed at. I rank the WT well below the National Enquirer for news accuracy, which at least gets a story right now and then.

Lets be clear the WT piece was an opinion piece. So it was meant to evoke emotion based on innuendo instead of fact. As a general rule whenever I read an opinion piece I treat it as such and will try to substantiate the facts through other independent sources. If all you see in the other sources are things like "The Washington Times stated..." there there probably is not much in the way of fact there. Best to not treat it as a factual piece of reporting. When I Googled that article the only source that could be found was the Washington Times Editorial Board. No one, and I really mean no one else was jumping on that bandwagon.

That ALPA get riled up over it is somewhat disappointing. I would have hoped that they would have verified the piece before raising a ruckus. But then ALPA is made up of pro-pilots. So they probably don't buy many papers and just use what gets left behind from previous visitors to their offices. Some habits are hard to break

Or maybe they just wanted to bypass the idiocy of the Washington Time piece and get the straight scoop from the TSA. It would seem that the straight scoop is that Washington Times got it wrong....again.