February 26, 2005
Pointless StarWars Won't Save Vulnerable Airlines
President George W. Bush is betting billions of dollars – well over $10 billion in FY 05 – that at some point a missile will attack the continental United States. This has not happened yet, nor will the most threatening countries be capable of an attack like this for the better part of a decade. Still, the money and the rhetoric keep pouring in.
However, one very real and pressing missile threat has been largely ignored: shoulder-launched missiles menacing commercial aircraft. Over 700,000 of these missiles, also known as man-portable air defense systems (or MANPADS), litter the globe and are particularly ubiquitous in current or former war zones. These missiles can range up to 15,000 feet in altitude and, as their name implies, can be carried and launched by a single person.
~Everytime I'm ready to think that Republicans in Washington are by and large fiscally responsible, truly favor small government, and are genuinely concerned with security issues, I read something like this.
[rpg photo via google]