Citing 'Unrealistic' Security Concerns, Salon's 'Ask a Pilot' Defends 'Pranksters in Dallas'

Citing "Unrealistic" Security Concerns, Salon's "Ask a Pilot" Defends "Pranksters in Dallas"

By Robert Wilonsky Tue., Jun. 21 2011 at 9:11 AM

One week ago today we got our first look at Joe Ayala and Larry Chen's late-night shenanigans at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as documented in the short film Stuck, which, in short order, would become a national story because of security concerns raised by some (including Friend of Unfair Park Betty Culbreath, a DFW board member). And that's just nonsense, writes Patrick Smith on Salon this morning.

Smith's an airline pilot and writer -- a former punk fanzine self-publisher, matter of fact -- who maintains the "Ask a Pilot" website featuring log-rolling raves from the likes of Freakonomics co-author Stephen Dubner and James Fallows of The Atlantic. "Ask a Pilot" is also the name of his Salon column, in which he writes today that Ayala and Chen's hijinks weren't "exactly a threat to national security" or "indicative, as some are claiming it is, of a glaring weakness in the system." Instead, he writes:

In a nation where more than 2 million people fly each day, we cannot expect total invulnerability at airports -- or anywhere else. The idea of absolute, zero-tolerance security is not only impossible but dangerous to the country's fiscal and libertarian (with the small "l" if not the big one) well-being.

Read the whole thing here.

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Chris Danger

I'll give Crazy Betty this: She's helped propel these guys to national fame and sparked interesting conversation, its a positive for everyone all around...So this'll get her off the hook for yelling about random things this one time ;)

Uppercase Matt

I really don't think you should cite Culbreath without liking to her blog, so folks have a better idea of how much weight to give her concerns.

Granny

Thanks for the link. I think. I just read her blog. I think I'll go tattoo myself with a stapler. It would be less painful reading any more of her drivel.

Montemalone

The truly amazing thing is that she holds or has held important positions.And we wonder why our world is crumbling around us.

Wylie H.

Believe it or not, she's actually one of the more competent people the City of Dallas has appointed to that Board (even though she still doesn't realize that all the airline terminals and rental car facility are located in Tarrant County-- which has all sorts of implications when it comes to sales tax allocation, etc.).

One prior DFW Airport Board member appointed to represent Dallas was only sem--literate (I read his application) and appeared to have been constructively unemployed for most of his adult life.

Another guy who currently is supposed to be representing the City of DALLAS is actually a senior executive of a major company in downtown FORT WORTH... lol.....