AMERICA'S UNFRIENDLY SKIES

   As we all heard from the Corporate Media, another of our politically-corrected Pentagon's members went berserk in a Florida airport; killing and maiming dozens of innocent people. The suspect was known to the FBI; which was too busy investigating alleged Russian e-mail hacking to do anything. The suspect allegedly took a gun from his baggage and began randomly shooting; unnoticed by the TSA who were, no doubt, busily strip-searching attractive young boys in town for Pride Week. And the Corporate Media and Liberal politicians assure us all that allowing known violent madmen to roam the streets at will poses no danger to society; while carrying firearms for self-defense, does.

     There was, however, some better aviation news today. SANA reported that the first successful test-flight from Aleppo International Airport took off today. This was the first flight since 2013, when US-backed terrorist forces took over the city. The newly-liberated citizens of Aleppo gathered to watch the feat; and were addressed by Syria's Minister of Transportation who stated that commercial flights could be opened in Aleppo again as early as next month.

    This was quite a triumph for Syria. Aleppo was formerly the country's largest airhub. Allied Forces captured the airport a little over two weeks ago and it is now almost fully operational. Contrast that scenario with exceptionalist America---where even building a new runway can take several years.

    The condition of US Airports is so bad that the American Society of Civil Engineers rated our system as 'poor' in its 2016 Annual Infrastructure Report. The report concluded that "An aviation system that was once the envy of the world is being overtaken by countries with ambitious investment programs for developments of dozens of modern airports. US airports are no longer ranked among the world's best by air travelers. General reports to the National Plan for an Integrated Airport System (NPIAS) continue to be at risk; as funding for upkeep and improvements remains limited."

   The ASCE reported that, by many reliable estimates, the congestion and delays at US airports costs the commercial sector over $22 billion in lost revenue annually; and estimates that this figure will rise to $34 billion by the next decade. This is not even counting lost tourism and domestic travel revenue. This figure has been down since the TSA was established in 2001---for reasons well-known to every American traveler.

    The report especially cited the failure to implement modern air traffic control technology. In 2003, President Bush authorized a upgraded high-tech system, which hasn't been acted upon since. Most airports are using obsolete radar-technologies which were approved by the Johnson Administration in the 1960s. Modern foreign airports employ GPS-satellite technologies. Not surprisingly, aircraft failures have also increased, with inspections increasingly underfunded.

    The most recent data shows that US airports maintain a pathetic 79% on-time rate for airliners. Aviation's total economic impact has been steadily declining for almost two decades, with high fuel prices, security delays, and traffic congestion cited as the main reasons.

     Maybe the US Media and political leaders should pay a little more attention to the overall condition of our airways before they start spouting off about gun control and other bogus 'security' harassment---none of which have achieved anything since 2001.

    But what most likely will happen is that the public will continue dropping Prozac and listening to the Corporate Media. Airport shootings---like school and church shootings---can be just another 'New Normal' as degrading airport security measures and low-quality, overpriced airline service already has.