| #2 From the time I joined the Air Force in 1964 until I retired in 1991, several hundred thousand members of the US military retired or separated every year. Most of those retired or separated military members have some quite legitimate bare-hands combat skills. Almost all of them can handle a knife, and more than half are competent with handguns, rifles, and other weapons. Maybe what the airlines need to do is to offer half-price seats for up to five such men, allow them aboard with openly-visible weapons, and seat them throughout the aircraft cabin. A box-cutter isn't even remotely capable up against a K-bar or .303 Winchester, or against a seat-belt extender. Encourage anyone who is willing to take free training to act as "unofficial," volunteer sky marshals, complete with photo id and black leather jacket, so everyone aboard will know they're there. The ACLU will become apoplectic, but maybe that would be a good thing. Perhaps we could even induce a few non-fatal but career-ending heart attacks... |