Friday, October 27, 2006
(Romulus, MI) Noblesse Oblige?
by Tom Bozzo
But seemingly not all.
It was with some interest during a very long wait for a flight today (**) that I saw a Dassault Falcon 900 in private markings zoom off in the afternoon. Then, after dark, a generically painted Cessna Citation X pulled up to a corner of the former general aviation ramp, possibly disgorged occupants into a convoy of what appeared to be a Crown Victoria and three SUVs, then sodded back off again. The obvious implication is that these represent Official Business of some description. Extraordinary rendition? Whisking Biggus Dickus to the next no-press-allowed fundraiser? Not requiring Tony Snow to endure the general humiliation of air travel and possible mockery from fellow passengers?
I say: Plutocrats, demand your equal access! Stop payment on that check until Kenny Boy convinces Rove to convince the WPE that he should not stay the course.
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(*) If not for the presence of a Legal Sea Foods location at the north end of the new terminal, and of course its wonderful convenience to downtown Washington, it would be Teh SuXX0r for lack of modern travelers' amenities, especially in the sorry A terminal.
(**) Having done my bit to ensure that today's postal rate hearings were conducted with ruthless efficiency, I found that I could not beat my late flight thanks to the Friday get-the-hell-back-home rush.
If there's been one national security issue on which the Bush administration has been astonishingly steadfast, it's been keeping private aircraft away from the airport I'll never call anything other than Washington National Airport. (*) I know this is a great sacrifice, since it exiles their paymasters' jets to Dulles and maybe forces a few flunkies either to fly commercial or fight traffic.
But seemingly not all.
It was with some interest during a very long wait for a flight today (**) that I saw a Dassault Falcon 900 in private markings zoom off in the afternoon. Then, after dark, a generically painted Cessna Citation X pulled up to a corner of the former general aviation ramp, possibly disgorged occupants into a convoy of what appeared to be a Crown Victoria and three SUVs, then sodded back off again. The obvious implication is that these represent Official Business of some description. Extraordinary rendition? Whisking Biggus Dickus to the next no-press-allowed fundraiser? Not requiring Tony Snow to endure the general humiliation of air travel and possible mockery from fellow passengers?
I say: Plutocrats, demand your equal access! Stop payment on that check until Kenny Boy convinces Rove to convince the WPE that he should not stay the course.
----------------------
(*) If not for the presence of a Legal Sea Foods location at the north end of the new terminal, and of course its wonderful convenience to downtown Washington, it would be Teh SuXX0r for lack of modern travelers' amenities, especially in the sorry A terminal.
(**) Having done my bit to ensure that today's postal rate hearings were conducted with ruthless efficiency, I found that I could not beat my late flight thanks to the Friday get-the-hell-back-home rush.
