Friday, December 21, 2007

The public xhimes in

Today I turn over this space to a person who dropped off their feelings about the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to go ahead with flight-path changes at Philly International.

To say the least, it is very interesting. I also think it likely accurately sums up the feelings of many Delco residents. Here it is:


We the People:

There's a street fight in the mix, a donnybrook as my Irish grandfather used to say. Counting our friends from New Jersey and Delaware, our side is way over one million strong, and you'd never know it, not yet anyways. Our oponent is the FAA, an entity that does what it wants, when and where it wants, with total disregard to our quality of life, our investments, our health.

The FAA is biting the hand that feeds it, us, the taxpayers. We own this pit bull, and yet it runs loose threatening our welfare. It's supposed to have out best interest in mind, a wtchdog if you will for excessive noise leels, safety violations, etc. ... and yet, it obviulsy belongs to the airlines and big business lobbyists.

So what do we do about it? Call the SPCA? We did, in the form of our local politicians. United and bipartisan, they boldly fight for us, doing everything they can, and still, our pit bull does what it wants as everything good we stand for cowers at the sight of our rebellious mutt's massive girth, foaming mouth and large yellowish-white fangs.

The FAA, they have a problem, they've allowed the carriers the freedom to book way too many flights. If you're interested, this Friday you can get on one of 38 flights to Fort Lauderdale. Thirty-eight flights? Are they all booked? Flying out half empty? That's only one destination and it's not even a popular business destination.

Throw a little bit of inclement weather into the fray, and voila, delays abound, and the almighty finger appears from a crack in the heavens and points toward airport designs in the mid-Atlantic regin.

"Find a solution. Make a solution," a thunderous, cavernous voice bellows from the sky, and a multi-million dollar, flawed study appears out of desperation to appease the Gods of Thunder and Jet fumes.

I still can't get the number of people out of my head, possibly over a million? As I contemplate the sheer volume of such a great amount of people, I can only wonder where the commnity activists are during all of this? Someone runs over a puppy and smiles about it, thousands would hit the streets to voice their opinions, and yet, when this ogre named FAA threatens to cost us everything we've worked so hard for, deafening silence resonates in the air, that is, until a fully fuled commercial jet banks sharply at 1,000 feet over Chester, or Ridley, or Swarthmore, or Media, or wherever they may roam, and vibrates grandma right out of her rocker, onto her fanny, giving her a premature myocardial infrarction.

Friends, family, fellow citizens of the tri-state area, this is a one-shot deal. We lose it, it's gone forever, FOR-EV-ER!. Black, Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic, whatever ethnic background, whatever your religion, this affects us all. Your quality of life, your health and your property value.

Religious leaders, community leaders, I call on you to unite and let our voices be heard. Make a peaceful demonstration.

Philly International ignores us. I choose to ignore it. I'm flying out of Atlantic City, Allentown, or Baltimore as long as the FAA threatens the health and welfare of my family and friends.

This is about principal and freedom. If you think your decision means nothing? You are only one person? You're wrong. We are an army of one, and we need to unite.

The Quiet Man.

No so quiet anymore. Amen, pal

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