Crash families' voices heard in Washington

   WASHINGTON -- The story of Continental Connection Flight 3407 is slowly being transformed from tragedy into history.

   Both the Federal Aviation Administration and Congress are taking actions that boost airline safety in wake of the Feb. 12 accident in Clarence, which claimed 50 lives.

   It isn't always this way when a plane goes down. About a half-dozen similar regional airline crashes have occurred in the last 15 years, and aviation industry observers said only one -- a 1994 American Eagle crash in Roselawn, Ind. -- drew about as much governmental attention as the Clarence crash.

   And much of the credit for that fact goes to the families of the crash's victims, said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., a lead sponsor of a bipartisan FAA reauthorization bill that a key committee passed on Tuesday with several strong safety provisions stemming from the February mishap.

   "I appreciate them being a voice for passengers and passenger safety in this country," DeMint said.

   Think about that the next time you hear someone say that the government is out of touch or that citizens don't have a voice.

   It's enough to make you wonder if the only reason we often don't seem to have a voice is because we just don't bother to say anything.

   -- Jerry Zremski

Comments

[Shanan]

My sincere condolences to the families.
“They” say, “It’s never too late” to demand safety. As the “investigators have uncovered significant safety lapses”, it will be safe to say that (again) corruption kills. I have been around airplanes and pilots long enough to be able to tell a pilot from a wannabe. During my service at the Air Force, I have lost numerous friends to bad pilots who became “pilots” even though they were not pilot material. They were the sons of… the nephews of… but pilots they were not. Nepotism, favoritism, made them pilots. Nothing less than corruption. Despite complaints to the brass about the none-pilots, no one had listened. I have lost 73 Air Force comrades in my four years of service. I know that if I or anyone else with experience in the Air Force would have come to any of the (now grieving) families, and warn them about “significant safety lapses”, no one would have listened. I know. I have been there, and so did my friends.
For some time now, we have tried to alert “the people” about safety and security breaches, where cops demand monies from crime victims “to investigate” the crimes, cops committing perjury and their fellow officers/detectives, police brass and “judges” cover up these crimes, and even FBI agent take part in the cover ups… and though we have it all on record, no one listens. Recently, alerting police and the FBI to a terroristic plot to murder children and women, and to acts of terrorism (food tainting) taking place at a supermarket catering to thousands of people, put me at odds with these officials, following their demands for money (“$900 in cash”) ‘in order (for them) to investigate”. As alert and as vigilant as I am, since this incident with “those in authorities”, especially when I read lately as to how the mob “buy” police officers/detectives… etc, one doesn’t know whom to trust anymore, and people may lose their lives.
I am sorry to say, but at times, it is not so hard to tell who the enemies are. We have become our own best and greatest enemies, and only after losing loved ones… see the light… maybe.
Just as there are families who lost loved ones in car accidents, construction “accidents”, smoking, crimes… (and the list is just to long), who battle only their specific cause(s), it will be a mistake if the families (here) will focus ONLY around flying “safety lapses”, and ignore the big picture of corruption and its effects on LIFE and the LIVING. Divided we fail, and corruption (death) will prevail.
I thought I had to share my thoughts on the subject, and perhaps save a life.