Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 16, 2001
The morning after the attack on America, when the nation's airline lawyers lined up, looking for relief from disaster damages and the threat of bankruptcy, Congress responded. Days later, $5-billion without strings and $10-billion in guaranteed loans were awarded to get the American public flying again.
Now, after 30 days of patriotic puffery, an airline safety bill with federalized inspectors (not yet covering Amtrak or other modes of public transportation) passed the Senate, 100-0, leaving final passage in conference up to the House of Representatives. Before responding, House members passed an anti-terrorism bill and took the weekend off.
Once again, safe travel legislation is relegated to the back of the bus, behind antiterrorist wiretapping, e-mail bugging, oil-drilling for energy and an economic stimulus package. The airlines may be back in business, but half their employees are out of work, and the market for the entire transportation sector is riddled with public fear.
In the midst of continuing terrorist threats, family members who must fly great distances to earn their daily keep are back at the check-in lines. Travelers are limited to one carry-on, spot-checked by the same low-paid, poorly trained rent-a-guard screeners, while young men and women with rifles and sidearms stand at parade rest in camouflage fatigues beside them.
Impressive but hardly reassuring when box cutters, utility and plastic knives, scissors, and razor blades easily pass checkpoints in a test by sheriffs deputies and New York Daily News reporters at more than 10 major airports. Mired in recalcitrant partisan politics, Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas pledged to keep airline screeners privately employed, and no wonder. The el-cheapo rent-a-guard companies, subcontracted by the airlines and port authorities, have lobbied hard for the status quo, and DeLay and his followers, supported by the White House, have answered in kind.
They continue to argue hard against "federalized staffing" of security professionals, using the threat of a burgeoning federal payroll and spreading fear of possible strikes and unionized job security, while also insisting that federalizing workers limits the ability to fire poor performers -- a devious argument.
Federal employee unions have a hard enough time maintaining basic job rights for their members, since legislated wages and no-strike clauses prevail throughout their facilities. More important, contractual obligations in an organized workplace spell out immediate removal, reprimand and dismissal for just cause -- particularly where actions endanger public safety.
It is high time we consider "dismissals" of our representatives for the same endangerment.
-- Lou Kiefer, Hernando
A short-term, easily workable solution to the current problems in airport security is to use the same incentive other service-oriented industries use to encourage courteous, professional service: tipping.
Currently, the people manning the gates are undercompensated and overworked. It will take time for the airlines and government to improve this. Meanwhile, you have a group of poorly paid workers with no incentive to do their job well. Let the passengers remedy the situation. If they feel they have been treated courteously, professionally and with concern for their safety, they can demonstrate that by leaving a few dollars in a box for that purpose. If not, they leave nothing. Security stations will be monitored (as I assume they are now) to ensure that inadequate screening isn't being done in the hopes of bigger tips.
In the long run, a system needs to be created in which the people guarding our airplanes are trained, treated and compensated as professionals who are an essential element of our national security.
-- Anne Brennan, St. Petersburg
While destroying Taliban targets and capturing Osama bin Laden might be fine goals, our government needs to understand that this is not the way to eliminate terrorism. Terrorism is a virus, and you don't stamp out a virus with a hammer. Telling the people of Afghanistan that something is better in their future while bombing them does not transmit the message that we are a decent, kind nation with their best interests at heart. In spite of the fact that the Taliban is an oppressive regime, it represents the only sense of order that many of the Afghan people have experienced. They don't know a better life; yet giving them a better life isn't all that difficult.
How's this for a better approach? Instead of spending money on missiles, let's spend money now to work in cooperation with the Northern Alliance to build schools, roads, electric power plants, hospitals, industrial plants and other elements of a full society infrastructure in the northern part of Afghanistan. As soon as the people in the south learn of this effort, they will reject the Taliban and all it represents. Then let's do the same for the Palestinians and let's establish a homeland for them. By the time this effort is well under way, the Iraqis will be clamoring to get rid of Saddam Hussein so they can be helped. All this requires is some dedicated people and probably less funding than the war we are conducting and the further wars that will result. Then perhaps the radical elements will have second thoughts about biting the hand that feeds them.
-- G.W. Cantrell, St. Pete Beach
After America wins its war with foreign terrorists, I hope the enthusiasm continues and our leaders wage war on the domestic front against the element in our society that perpetrates its own brand of terrorism upon its own fellow Americans.
Long before foreign terrorists launched their attack on America, our citizens feared walking in the streets of their own neighborhoods for fear of being mugged. Hard-working people were afraid to stop at a traffic light for fear of a fellow American holding a gun to their head to hijack the car they worked to pay for. People were afraid to send their children to school out of fear that a fellow American would enter the grounds and shoot at students and teachers, thereby necessitating the spending of funds to purchase metal detectors and other security devices instead of providing educational materials for our children to learn.
On our highways, we fear other fellow Americans who speed, run through red lights and stop signs, and who display road rage and others who willfully and wantonly drive drunk and cause the death of innocent mothers and fathers on their way to or from work, leaving their children orphans. We fear the American criminal element in our society who break into our homes and places of business to steal and rape, all for a few bucks and a few material possessions. And even when caught in the act, they are let out of prison due to overcrowding, to walk freely among us only to repeat their crimes against decent, civilized, hard-working Americans who feel the justice system has let them down.
Sorry, folks, terrorism is nothing new to America, and just because the last wave was perpetrated by foreigners doesn't make it any worse than the terrorism we have been living with for the last 30 years at the hands of our own fellow Americans. We will never know peace and feel secure until terrorism in all its forms is stamped out and those responsible are held accountable under existing laws.
In conclusion, maybe it's time we allowed God back into our schools and other public places as well as in our personal lives. Maybe then we'll realize the meaning of the adage, "No God, no peace... know God, know peace."
-- Len Vivolo, Clearwater
Re: He seemed like such a nice boy, Oct. 14.
I cannot believe that you published a front-page article all about Ziad Jarrah, who assisted in killing so many in the terrorist attacks. It's like you are making a martyr of this man.
I know he's dead now, but that doesn't take away from the fact that the group he was involved with is most likely jumping around saying, "God Bless Ziad, he allowed us to be headline news!"
You should be ashamed of yourselves for printing such garbage. A true American certainly wouldn't be feeling sorry for an outrage like Ziad. And you did by printing the words "beloved, well-educated son" and "he seemed like such a nice boy." Neighbors said the same thing about Jeffrey Dahmer.
Instead, you could do more stories on the families of the military personnel left behind or on the different ways Americans have pulled together to help each other. A story like that now and then will keep the patriotic feelings strong and alive for a much longer time. Use your talents to help build the spirits of the people of America. Geraldine Miles, Clearwater
--
Something went awry
Re: He seemed like such a nice boy, Oct. 14.
Time and time again, we seem to hear the phrase, "he seemed like such a nice boy." At one time, Ziad Jarrah may well have been a nice boy, until something went awry. He then became a killer. Most killers probably were nice people, before they went astray.
JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater
Re: Fishing for members, Oct. 8.
Kris Hundley did an excellent job with extremely complex information, collected over a full day on the road with a St. Augustine Medicaid salesman. There were a few statements that make us want to clarify our company's position regarding compliance with and attitudes toward Medicaid regulations.
At St. Augustine Medicaid, a division of AvMed, we pride ourselves on demonstrating respect for rules, on ethical behavior and on good management practices. We have a mutually respectful relationship with Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, which administers Medicaid regulations. Every employee knows that ethical behavior is one of our key corporate values. We thoroughly train our staff in Medicaid sales regulations, and we keep written records of the circumstances under which individual sales contacts are made.
The reporter accurately cited many of the regulatory restrictions placed on all Medicaid sales people. These are good regulations that were put in place with the client's best interest in mind. The reporter was initially given this detailed information by the St. Augustine Medicaid salesmen she interviewed.
To be sure that all Medicaid sales people conduct themselves appropriately, the state collects and tracks complaints about the sales practices of health plans. We encourage anyone who believes that he or she has been the victim of questionable Medicaid HMO sales practices by any organization to report this to the state Medicaid Options phone service at (888) 367-6554.
St. Augustine enjoys a good record in this area. We appreciate this opportunity to say we intend to keep it that way.
-- Valerie Rubin, senior director, Public Relations, St. Augustine Medicaid Health Plan, Miami
After looking at all the pictures of the last 30 days, I open up the Taste section on Oct. 10 and see the most beautiful picture: young Cameron Mayhone trying his darndest to pick out his dessert. You could almost read his mind!
I hope his parents cherish that picture for many years.
-- Jack Heinz, Seminole
Letters for publication should be addressed to Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. They can be sent by e-mail to letters@sptimes.com or by fax to 893-8675.
They should be brief and must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.