Over the Road
Posted by TFG on July 14th, 2005
Back from Houston after a three hour “fifty minute flight.” I hate airlines. Hate them with the white hot fury of 10,000 suns. They have no compunction about loading 200 people onto an aluminum tube, only to push back from the gate and cut the engines to ride out the storms. You have to sit there and listen to the corny bullshit from the stews and the pilots while the temp rises and everybody starts sweating. I swear to God, I’m driving to any Texas location from here on out. I would have been home an hour earlier, and I would have been able to
- stop for a cheeseburger
- snarf a few tall-boys
- smoke cigars
- listen to my own tunes
- sing along out loud to myself
- make phone calls to people who need to hear from me
- stop along the road and fire up email
You tell me…any reason to keep flying to Houston, Austin or San Antonio? Absolutely NONE that I can think of. I spend 3 hours minimum flying to or from any of those places anyway, and that’s when everything is smooth as silk, which it just never is anymore, not on a round trip. One leg might be workable and businesslike, max, never two, and just forget a three-legged one. Guaranteed to waste a half a day…guarandamnteed. Plus, with driving, know what you get? NO IDIOTIC GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES! No taking off my shoes, no listening to their stupid kindergarten puns, no having to hear how to get through the security line. Damn, I hate those people. I understand they have to deal with all levels of flying experience, but I’m sick to death of being forced to positively acknowledge that I know that I have to take my laptop out of it’s case. No shit, really? Four years in, and with the entire weight and force of the US Federal Government behind them, the people who built the atomic bomb and put a man on the moon, these assholes still require you to take off your sandals and put your laptop in a dishtub. When did we become so fooking stoopid, anyway? Hell, I’ll add years to my life just by virtue of not having to deal with that kind of mindless idiotic crap on one-half of my bidness trips.
Double-plus, with the new law, I get to carry my .45 in the truck. That always makes me feel better, having firepower to hand.
Gawd, I’m such a hayseed. I’m getting truck seperation anxiety.
July 14th, 2005 at 7:44 pm
Drive Brother! That’s where the adventure is.
July 14th, 2005 at 9:27 pm
But be sure to buckle up!
July 14th, 2005 at 9:45 pm
Rock on!
Drive alive.
__ken__
July 14th, 2005 at 10:22 pm
I realize that saying this might get my IP banned forever, but try to remember that I own Opie CDs. Having gone though the other side of trying to develop a policy that makes government look like it is “doing something” about something it doesn’t have one damn bit of control over is no small feat. That doesn’t make me any happier about having to get my damn shoes scanned while cargo goes through scot free, but I have a little better understanding of the rationale: there isn’t a damn thing they can do to stop a terrorist…not scanning, not stealing my Henckels nail clippers, not sky marshalls…none of it. As we’ve seen recently, for every stupid goofy thing government comes up with to “protect” us, some terrorist will find a novel way to blow folks up that no one could have anticipated. And I suspect that the US government decision makers know that.
July 14th, 2005 at 11:33 pm
makes government look like
Well, I guess that’s my big bitch. It’s all pointless “look like”. “No Lighters” is the latest GD brilliance from how many umpteen bajillion dollars spent. Christ. It’s like the assistant high school principals are running the world.
Better they just put up a big sign on the seat backs that says “There are still terrorists that want to kill you. Be alert, and be ready to die.” Hell, we’re already FLYING! 35000 ft. in the air at 400mph. If you’re not ready for screaming death, you’re a fool.
July 15th, 2005 at 6:37 am
Amen!
July 15th, 2005 at 7:53 am
It’s all pointless “look like”.
That’s the key problem, and why I came to the same decision you did. If anyone had ever hijacked an airliner with nail clippers, I’d be willing to listen.
Although, if anyone hijacked an airliner with nail clippers, I’d blame the passengers for being such wussies.
July 15th, 2005 at 9:23 am
Dude…why you acting like you are poor? I know you have the money to pop for your own private jet.
July 15th, 2005 at 9:53 am
Welcome to my world.You think the passenger side is bad and it is you should try to deal with freight/baggage side.Were they lined up before the damn plane was at the gate? Texas, I’m driving for all the reasons you so perfectly discribed.I feel naked without my .40 cal to.
July 15th, 2005 at 10:29 am
Of course they were. They were lined up 100 deep 30 minutes before the damn plane was on the ground. We are such idiots, I tell you…turning into Europeans.
July 15th, 2005 at 2:01 pm
After dealing with Department of Homeland Security types, it is almost a pleasure to get pulled over by the fine boys at the Texas Department of Public Safety. Fort Worth to Amarillo, horrible drive, but still better than flying.
July 15th, 2005 at 3:23 pm
You wouldn’t be happy if you couldn’t bitch about something, Rash. Loved the rant. Hope all is well. Come see me in Talty some time.
July 15th, 2005 at 3:25 pm
Talk at me soon.
July 18th, 2005 at 10:33 pm
“It’s like the assistant high school principals are running the world.”
Our government in a nutshell, no matter what party’s in charge, they’ve all been smoothed into the Education Department.
As for flying, I can’t think of a single reason to get on a plane. I say passenger planes be abolished and bring back proper trains so travel can be like it used to be — slow, leisurely, and worth the extra money people shelled out. Slow everyone the eff down. Planes are just like big city buses in the air.
July 21st, 2005 at 1:55 am
I know you have the money to pop for your own private jet.
July 21st, 2005 at 8:33 am
“Planes are just like big city buses in the air. “
Probably why they are called “air busses.”
I wish one-tenth the amount of money spent on the highway system could be sent to the railway system for a much needed update. I’d take a train over a plane any day of the week and twice on Sunday if I could. Which I can’t.
And I HATE flying, too.
John