What with their low-bid ground crew constantly driving trucks into airplanes, it looked for a moment there like once proud Alaska Airlines was going to the dogs. Apparently not:
Saturday night, just a day after Alaska Airlines increased its monitoring of ramp operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a baggage worker threw a crate containing a border collie into the cargo hold of a plane instead of using a conveyor belt.
The dog’s owner, Lisa Ross of Woodinville, was watching from inside the terminal around 11 p.m. when a ramp worker picked up the crate holding her 40-pound dog, Jace, tipped it at a 45-degree angle and then heaved it over his head into the jet.
Fortunately, her 50-pound Australian shepherd, Tucker, was spared the trauma because the baggage handler couldn’t lift the crate.
Ross complained to an Alaska gate agent, who went down to the tarmac and spoke with the workers. They admitted throwing a dog but said it was a different one, Ross said.
Oh. Well, that’s okay then. I mean, as long as it was a different dog, then no harm done.
An Alaska supervisor told Ross that the airline would pay for any veterinarian bills, according to the Alaska incident report. “I do not know why the ramp agents didn’t use a belt loader when boarding the first dog except they must of [sic] been in a hurry,” the supervisor wrote in the report.
Or perhaps, they just really like throwing dogs.
Last May, Alaska fired its unionized ground crew and replaced them with low-priced contractors from Menzies Aviation. But as long as the Airline can keep its ticket prices down, I’m sure passengers will forgive the occasional dog tossing or sudden decompression at 22,000 feet.
This certainly shows that Radio Talk Show host Dori Monson’s theory that the Union Workers were overpaid for the skill of the job seems to be true. Well, forget about the dangers airlplanes have to live with, and he might be right. I think dog tossings and the occasional decompression at 22,000 feet is not what the passengers sign on for. Horizon has real competition that they cannot get away from on the Seattle-Portland route. They had to institute the express line for those flights through security because Greyhound and Amtrak were offering competitive schedules. Downtown to Downtown in 2-3.5 hours, without the hours-long wait in security at the airport. Just that Greyhound and Amtrak did not have schedules that ran every half-hour.
Now I would like to see Alaska admit they were wrong, and in the interest of safety, bring back the union baggage workers, but that will never happen, and the price would be too high, for both.
I wonder, who is Alaska’s VP of Safety, what were his credentials? I was watching a documentary on the History Channel Saturday, and they included an interview with United’s VP of Safety, and he had four stripes on his shoulders. A pilot who was in charge of Airline Safety at an airline, what a great idea.
WTF? Now look here, Mr. Irrelevant Pinhead. This is what happens when you replace highly skilled unionized workers with cheap labor.
The Wal*Mart model does nothing for the American economy. We’re screwed if things keep trending this way.
…the hell?? Once was an accident, twice coincidence, but what is this, the fourth or fifth incidence this week?
Alaska has joined Delta as airlines where you won’t be finding my silly ass.
The wingnuts will be up soon and all over this… right?
Naaaah. The ones I know use Alaska because they have a smooth accellerated procedure for shipping machine guns, ammo and dynamite to alaska when they head out for a “redneck fishing trip”.
Ah well. My dogs cannot afford to fly anywhere. When I flee the country ahead of the coming theocracy, I will have to walk to Blaine and wait with the rest of the refugees. My Husky is trained to carry a pack.
http://www.elliott.org/vault/critic/1999/wrap.htm
Looks like the union guys hang with the best fuckups…
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0705/245169.html
Ken The depressed guy sez:
“Ah well. My dogs cannot afford to fly anywhere. When I flee the country ahead of the coming theocracy, I will have to walk to Blaine and wait with the rest of the refugees. My Husky is trained to carry a pack.
Comment by Ken In Seattle— 1/10/06 @ 4:59 am”
KLOWNS like you have been threatening to leave our country for decades. Just go already if you must. But your words ring hollow when you “threaten” for 40 years and stay here safe & sound. Typical LEFTIST drivel and hollow promises! And Ken, I doubt you will “walk” to Blaine….most likely you will drive your Hybrid Car while eating “free-range GORP”!
Stop whining and do something you idiot!
Chuck–
Your article here is from back when Mt. Olympus Hiker’s “highly skilled” unions workers were fully in charge! Do you think this proves luggage handling has ALWAYS been a problem. Do you think all the stories we are reading now are merely planted by the Unions??????
That’s a Wrap!
The Travel Critic · September 7, 1999
The scene on the tarmac at Miami International Airport looked like something taped by a hidden camera for a TV news magazine: a baggage handler carelessly shot-putting checked-in luggage from a buggy to a conveyor belt.
Inside the American Airlines MD 80, the passengers with window seats watched in disbelief as each bag sailed through the air and landed on the pulley with an audible thud.
“Can you believe that?” an incredulous passenger asked.
“Yes I can,” I replied. “He’s the reason I never check in my luggage anymore.”
The baggage handler stopped for a second, wiped his brow, and looked up at the aircraft. He grimaced and then continued hurtling the bags, one after the other, almost as if to say, “Stop me if you can.”
In Miami, they’re trying. American Airlines, which practically owns MIA, is so concerned about damaged bags that they have hired more than a dozen guards to monitor the handlers. (Apparently that wasn’t enough to stop the drug trafficking for which 30 AA employees – many of them ramp workers – were arrested last month).
He blames the problems on airline employees. “Let’s be realistic. Most of the damage comes from airline employees throwing the luggage around. Most of the theft comes from airline employees pilfering the luggage.”
And, he says, “Our best customers are American Airlines passengers.”
American’s baggage record is less than stellar. The U.S. Department of Transportation recorded a total of 32,584 cases of mishandled (lost or damaged) luggage – almost six reports per thousand passengers – on American Airlines in June (the most recent month for which numbers are available). Only TWA, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines did worse.
This article is from 1999….over 6 years ago. All these “problem” airlines were fully unionized on baggage handling. So much for your comment MOH!!!!! What a putz!
Just had Alaska ship my bag bound for San Fran to Boston. Sure, I can see how the highly trained scabs couldn’t figure out the difference. Switching to United.
LeftTurn—
I fly on Alaska frequently. No problems recently. Only problems were when MOH’s “highly skilled union workers” crushed, ripped or lost ny luggage which happened at least 4 times I can remember. Same with American Airlines.
It’s sheer desperation for the Unions to leak out anecdotal problems in an effort to make their workers look perfect….when the facts tell an entirely different story.
Remember, Greoire recently hired a union leader as her Communications frontman. Coincidence here???
Having a rapid decompression at 22,000 feet is not as serious as having one at 35,000 feet. The time of useful consciousness is much greater at 22,000 thatn at 35,000.
More important is the possiblity of structural damage due to a breach in the aircraft’s skin.
That was hole in plane, obviously the plane was no longer whole. I hate typo and word flips. Dammit, Left Foot, pull yourself together man. I am trying, but Cyniclown made me laugh so hard with his insane “anecdotal” comment that I could not see the screen clearly. Well, try better next time. Maybe Rabbit has some extra carrots for you. OK, voice in my head, I will ask him.
Goldy, why the sympathy for dogs…
We all know you and your gang are at best cat people. And if you had a dog, you’d carry it in one of those little bags onto the plane,
Left Foot in your mouth—-
The article from 1999 sez:
” The U.S. Department of Transportation recorded a total of 32,584 cases of mishandled (lost or damaged) luggage – almost six reports per thousand passengers – on American Airlines in June (the most recent month for which numbers are available). Only TWA, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines did worse.”
That is 32,584 cases IN ONE MONTH ON ONE AIRLINE!!!! And this was while your “highly skilled union workers” were in charge. And back in 1999, Alaska did even WORSE than Americans stats.
Pull you Left Foot out of your mouth dude. The facts don’t support your ranting….no matter how many times you rant!
This is obviously a series of planted Union stories to attempt to gain public sentiment. How many doggies and kitties actually died under the care of skilled baggage handlers dude. Look it up….read & weep fool!
righton–
I’ll bet Goldy carries on a pet Gerbel in his pants to keep him up for the trip!
Comment by righton— 1/10/06 @ 8:11 am
“We all know you and your gang are at best cat people. And if you had a dog, you’d carry it in one of those little bags onto the plane”
And his name would be “Mr. Biggles”.
DAY THREE OF GOLDY “OUTING” VIGIL
David Goldstein, a liberal Seattle-based blogger, disagreed. He wrote on his blog, http://www.horsesass.org, that he’d consider outing a specific Republican state senator who opposed the gay rights bill if it would help pass the legislation next session.
That senator “should think twice before casting another hypocritical vote in opposition,” warned Goldstein’s post, which did not name the senator.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/.....1399c.html
Speak now, Goldy, or forever hold your peace.
As for Mr Whimsical, I will hold out here in Seattle as long as the ammunition and wingnut targets do, but once you theocrats finish the takeover of the government, it will be time to flee. I would rather drive my old van but I expect to have used all the gasoline for molotovs by then. What you say? an armed liberal? I am predicting that you will no longer see much interest in gun control from the Dems since we see the rights contempt for the constitution when it is inconvenient. We know it will come down to defending the city from the eastsiders for biblical law in the next 20 years so we are arming ourselves. You wingnuts are in the process of proving that it is all about the party now that the conservatives have been over run by the trotskites and the reconstructionists. If you cannot defend your party from the utopians and the theofascist, we don’t hold out much hope for the conservative minority to put up much of a fight when the theocons start filling the re-education camps.
When the constitution fails it will be because you blustering wingnuts traded it for a temporary illusion of security.
——
“We’ve been attacked by the intelligent, educated segment of the culture.”
—- Ray Mummert, creationist from Dover, Pennsylvania, 2005
“Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose–and you allow him to make war at pleasure.
If, to-day, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada, to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him?
You may say to him, ‘I see no probability of the British invading us’ but he will say to you ‘be silent; I see it, if you don’t.'”
–Abraham Lincoln
“As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight. And it is in such twilight that we all must be aware of change in the air — however slight — lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.” — Justice William O. Douglas, US Supreme Court (1939-75)
“Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again…. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H.L. Hunt…a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or businessman from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.”
–Eisenhower wrote his brother Edgar on May 2, l956:
Richard Pope,
Would you please stay on topic. Are you gay? Why are you worried about this? Are you concerned that more of your kind will be exposed as two faced liars, more concerned with reelection than anything else?
What’s next, dwarf tossing? I understand that’s a big hit in redneck bars. Just grab any passenger undr 4’6″ at the boarding gate and throw him/her like a football, or kick him/her like a soccer ball, to an employee stationed at the plane door. Very entertaining for the crew and other passengers.
LeftFoot makes it sound like the PROFESSIONAL UNION BAGGAGE HANDLERS gently load Fido give him a loving pat and a doggie biscuit. What a fool you are. Pets have died and been injured thousands of times over the years by PROFESSIONAL UNION BAGGAGE HANDLERS.
LeftFoot is indeed a KLOWN to be reconned with!
rightoff @16,
As I type this, I have a cat curled up in my lap, and a 40-pound puppy curled up at my feet.
Richard Pope @20,
That’s right Richard, I said I’d consider outing a legislator if I thought it would help pass the bill. Um… read the headlines: the bill will pass without my help. The Democratic caucus will hold, and Finkbeiner has flipped. We won.
It’s all a part of the BIG PICTURE when the INVISIBLE HAND is allowed to do its magnificent work. Who needs competent union workers around aircraft when you can loot the retirement funds and hire incompetents to work for less? That’s why we need those sharp Republican BUSINESS MINDS in public service. We can get more Brownies and they work for cheap!
Goldy,
Will the passage of this bill mean anything, or is it just some “feel good” legislation? I’m with you in that i think it will pass, but will it do anything?
rightoff @16,
As I type this, I have a cat curled up in my lap, and a 40-pound puppy curled up at my feet.
Comment by Goldy— 1/10/06 @ 9:22 am”
With your zipper down no doubt!
“Government Opens Some Private Mail in Terrorism Fight
“Customs Official Says Practice Is Rare, but Necessary
In other news, a story this morning by Reuters says,
“WASHINGTON (Jan. 10) – U.S. officials can open personal mail arriving from abroad as part of the fight against terrorism, and do so when they deem it necessary to protect the country, a Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman said Monday.
“News of the little-known practice follows revelations that the government approved eavesdropping on U.S. citizens without judicial oversight after the Sept. 11 attacks, which sparked concern from civil liberties advocates and some lawmakers who called for congressional hearings.
…
“Customs and Border Protection’s Web site notes that ‘all mail originating outside United States Customs territory that is to be delivered inside U.S. Customs territory is subject to Customs examination.'”
http://articles.news.aol.com/n.....&cid=
This is one time I agree with the policy. I’m not sure what the law is — obviously the Customs Service shouldn’t open mail illegally — and until I know differently, I’m assuming a federal statute authorizes the practice.
We’re not talking about phone calls or electronic messages here. These are physical letters and parcels capable of containing not only terrorist messages, but also weapons or contraband such as drugs; anthrax, smallpox, or other biological agents; and letter bombs. Our customs laws are as old as the Constitution; since the founding of the Republic, goods and parcels coming into the country from abroad have been subject to inspection and being opened. Due to history, tradition, practice, and practical necessity, there simply is not the same expectation of privacy there, as there is with domestic mail, or voice and electronic communications. And it isn’t secret like Bush’s illicit domestic eavesdropping program; the Customs Service warns people of what has been common knowledge for over 200 years.
There’s nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
Headless Winston–
I think trying to make some big stand on the PROFESSIONAL UNION BAGGAGE HANDLER issue is stupid. There have always been problems in this profession….killing & maming animals has happened thousands of times before while the real PRO’S were in charge.
Headless should be more outraged at Clinton who signed NAFTA and GAT and the many Dmes who supported both….allowing the “real jobs” to leave where highly skilled workers are needed and the Unions did have something to bring to the table. My dad was a blue collar union guy who loved Patrick Buchanan because it was Buchanan who eloquently explained the horrors of NAFTA and GAT. The LEFTIST PINHEADS would not listen because they automatically labeled Buchanan a NEOCON. You KLOWNS were dead wrong. Now you are reaping what you have sown by your blind partisanship. Clinton is your HERO??????? My gosh…….
So now you are trying to make some big stand around PROFESSIONAL UNION BAGGAGE HANDLERS????????????
Foolishness.
Cyniclown, WTF is “reconned with”? Did you mean “reckoned with”?
What kind of reckoning did you have in mind.
So because lots of dogs die and lots of baggage is mishandled, that makes it OK? Your logic escapes me….because it makes no fucking sense. You spend hours on the internet looking up fancy statistics and when they are shoved down your throat, you have no response but to state them in another way.
My dog, like Goldy’s, is curled next to me on the couch. He is my friend and companion. If I am looking out a window at Sea-Tac and someone tosses, heaves or throws Elvis Pupsley, they will have much more to deal with than a supervisor asking questions. You are such an asshole, Cyniclown. What’s the matter with you anyway, did you your mom have to tie a bone around your neck to get your dog to play with you? You are a bitter son-of-a-bitch. How sad.
From the Seattle Times “Rant & Rave” Column, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006, page Northwest Life 13:
“A rant to the grinch in the Redmond Police Department who wrote me a $400 ticket two days before Christmas for crossing the yellow line into the median strip on Redmond Way to go around a stopped vehicle.”
Uh, okay, let’s try to visualize this. Redmond Way is a busy undivided arterial with two lanes in each direction. The yellow media line separates the oncoming traffic in the two inside (left) lanes.
I imagine what happened here is the traffic was fairly heavy and the stalled vehicle, which must have been in the left lane, was creating a bottleneck and slowdown. So, being in a hurry and unwilling to crawl through the congestion point like everyone else in front of you, you crossed the median line and drove against oncoming traffic risking a head-on collision in order to get wherever you were going 90 seconds sooner. And you’re bitching about a $400 fine? You oughta be in jail, asshole.
That guy must be a Republican. Yep, gotta be a Republican. They have a lot of ’em in Redmond. Probably a Rossi voter, too.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he posts in the Sucky Politics threads, too, bitching about Dean Logan “stealing” the election for “Queen Chrissy” and complaining about having to pay taxes for stuff like four-lane arterials, painting median stripes, traffic cops who write well-deserved tickets, etc. ad naus.
Cyniclown,
rightoff @16,
As I type this, I have a cat curled up in my lap, and a 40-pound puppy curled up at my feet.
Comment by Goldy— 1/10/06 @ 9:22 am”
With your zipper down no doubt!
Comment by Mr. Cynical— 1/10/06 @ 9:28 am
This is an impressive post. It exposes a lot about you. Particularly your short commings. Your flaccid mind leave me in a rigid state of laughter. I bet you drive a big, loud four wheel drive truck to compensate for your lack of penile endowment. The benefit is that you get an erection everytime you drive it and no one can see up that high while you, um, deal with your own small stick shift.
That guy has “Republican” written all over him.
Betcha he works for Alaska Airlines, loading dogs on airplanes.
2
“The Wal*Mart model does nothing for the American economy. We’re screwed if things keep trending this way.”
What Republicans haven’t told us yet is, who is going to buy the goods and services they peddle, if they succeed in lowering everyone’s wages to Third World levels?
I don’t think they know. I don’t think they’ve thought that through. In all other things — e.g. Iraq, deficits, bribing congressmen, etc. — they’ve demonstrated that they don’t think ahead of the curve.
Goldy @ 28
And I bet you will consider “outing” this same State Senator in October, if it will help the Democrats take over the seat.
I am going to keep up my “outing” vigil until, let’s say, November 7, 2006. That way, when you finally do your “outing” in late October, it won’t have nearly the impact it would have had otherwise.
5
“When I flee the country ahead of the coming theocracy”
I get soooo tired of hearing my fellow liberals talk about fleeing the country. Useless chickenshits!!!! This is MY country. I was born here, I live here, I fought for her, I’m a citizen here — AND I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!! I’m gonna stay here and FIGHT. They’ll impose a theocratic dictatorship over my dead furry body!!! Win or lose, I will take some of those fuckers with me. Get a spine, bub. And get yourself one of those machine guns, too. Liberals must arm! Consider yourself chewed up by a fellow liberal, and I don’t want to hear any more talk from you or the rest of my liberal pals about going to Canada. Screw that, if they want a shooting civil war, let’s make ’em eat lead!!!!
If they’re in such a big fucking hurry to get to Heaven, let’s help ’em get there. I can’t wait for the Rapture! 144,000 Republicans gone in a flash of light and puff of smoke! It’s not enough, but it’s a start.
Oh you guys did it now. You got Rabbit started. Quick, somebody throw him a carrot and some lettuce. He is tearing up the Rightwingnut garden of “everything is beautiful”. If only they had thought ahead of the curve and put a fence around it to keep Bunny out. Too late now.
Please God, send the Rapture! Send it NOW!!! Please, Lord, please, Lord, I’ve never asked You for anything before, but I’m asking now; puh-leeze send the Rapture immediately … !!!
CARROTS!!! I want my CARROTS!!! I want my carrots NOW!!!
No carrots, Roger. You know what they do to you. They make you hyper, and then no one can stand to be around you, least of all me. Absolutely no carrots today.
CARROTS!!! I DEMAND CARROTS!!! I need a carrot fix!!!
Settle down, Roger, or no sex tonight.
Hmmm … that would be a problem, although not in quite the way she thinks.
Richard Poop,
Let’s Valerie Plame for a Republican legislator? Hmmmmmm, seems fair to me and at least Goldy would be acting legally. And please, try to stay on topic.
LeftFoot makes it sound like the PROFESSIONAL UNION BAGGAGE HANDLERS gently load Fido give him a loving pat and a doggie biscuit. What a fool you are. Pets have died and been injured thousands of times over the years by PROFESSIONAL UNION BAGGAGE HANDLERS.
LeftFoot is indeed a KLOWN to be reckoned with!
It is difficult to stop laughing at the foolishness of unions make a stand on this issue.
B-I-L-L C-L-I-N-T-O-N signed NAFTA and GAT….there was the issue.
29
“It’s all a part of the BIG PICTURE when the INVISIBLE HAND is allowed to do its magnificent work.”
Most of the time, the only thing MTR’s invisible hand produces is 10 seconds of gratification, and the only thing he produces is hot air.
33
“You are such an asshole, Cyniclown. What’s the matter with you anyway, did you your mom have to tie a bone around your neck to get your dog to play with you? You are a bitter son-of-a-bitch. How sad.”
I’ll bet Cynical was one of those mean kids who pull dogs’ tails and ears, and got bit a lot for their effort. He probably hates dogs. He doesn’t seem very fond of cute furry little garden animals, either.
Cyniclown,
I see you corrected your spelling error. Now how do you propose that I be reckoned with? Are you threatening me? Lock me up with other dissidents that you disagree with? Perhaps a public flogging until I submit to your will? Or maybe you would like me to go to Canada in force purging? Well, FUCK YOU. I am not going away. I am going to stand up to you and never back down. I am not afraid. I welcome diversity and freedom. I also am for the safe, ethical (you might want to look up ethical at dictionary.com) treatment of animals handled by airline employees.
37
“This is an impressive post. It exposes a lot about you. Particularly your short commings. Your flaccid mind leave me in a rigid state of laughter. I bet you drive a big, loud four wheel drive truck to compensate for your lack of penile endowment. The benefit is that you get an erection everytime you drive it and no one can see up that high while you, um, deal with your own small stick shift.”
This is where MTR’s invisible hand comes into its own.
It’s finest hour, so to speak, although the “hour” is more like 10 seconds. (Probably 3 seconds in Cynical’s case. He doesn’t seem able to prolong much of anything.)
erratum
That should be “Its” without an apostrophe (although I’m sure my grammatical error was lost upon our illiterate righty friends).
Wow! This thread is already up to 60 comments. Stefan is lucky if he gets 6 comments all day. It’s obvious whose blog is more popular — you don’t even have to ask!
Non-erratum
The preceding comment is an example of where the use of the apostrophe is appropriate and grammatically correct.
56
“Or maybe you would like me to go to Canada in force purging? Well, FUCK YOU. I am not going away.”
Now, that’s what I want to see! A liberal with backbone who will FIGHT. America needs you, my friend. Our finest hour is yet to come.
I typed way too fast in my last post. I apologize for my typos. I am ashamed.
Yes, you SHOULD be ashamed! If I didn’t know better, I’d read your post and assume a wingnut wrote it. (Copious spelling and punctuation errors are normal for them.)
Well, ta-ta, I’m off to the grocery store to get some carrots! Later, guys. Don’t go away, I’ll be baaaaaack. While I’m gone, don’t do anything your mother wouldn’t approve of. (This automatically does not apply to wingnuts, who do not have mothers; they were all raised in caves by wolves.)
I hope the only carrots you find are the little tiny ones in the fancy bags. (wink) Have a good day!
Left foot
Rabbit doesn’t eat carrot’s
Mrs. Rabbit has a strap on Carrot belt that she uses to violate Roger, while pulling his ears and repeatedly saying..
“your my little bitch”
But then again, that is all a day in the life of a Seattle Liberal.
My husband and I have long flown Alaska because of the excellent care they take with his power wheelchair; other airlines have broken it or left it behind. Of course, we haven’t flown since Alaska fired all those excellent baggage handlers and replaced them with a bunch of bozos. If they throw live animals around, what do you think they will do with a piece of $30,000 medical equipment? We travel for work and for fun and have never complained at the extra cost of Alaska flights, because we knew they would take good care of us. If they start to treat everyone like crap then we can just go ahead and start shopping around for the lowest price ticket like everyone else and start a special savings account for wheelchair repairs instead.
I think trying to make some big stand on the PROFESSIONAL UNION BAGGAGE HANDLER issue is stupid. There have always been problems in this profession….killing & maming animals has happened thousands of times before while the real PRO’S were in charge.
Headless should be more outraged at Clinton who signed NAFTA and GAT and the many Dmes who supported both….allowing the “real jobs” to leave where highly skilled workers are needed and the Unions did have something to bring to the table. My dad was a blue collar union guy who loved Patrick Buchanan because it was Buchanan who eloquently explained the horrors of NAFTA and GAT. The LEFTIST PINHEADS would not listen because they automatically labeled Buchanan a NEOCON. You KLOWNS were dead wrong. Now you are reaping what you have sown by your blind partisanship. Clinton is your HERO??????? My gosh…….
So now you are trying to make some big stand around PROFESSIONAL UNION BAGGAGE HANDLERS????????????
Foolishness.
LeftFoot sez
“Or maybe you would like me to go to Canada in force purging? Well, FUCK YOU. I am not going away. I am going to stand up to you and never back down. I am not afraid. I welcome diversity and freedom. I also am for the safe, ethical (you might want to look up ethical at dictionary.com) treatment of animals handled by airline employees.
Comment by My Left Foot— 1/10/06 @ 10:10 am”
LeftFoot–
Au contraire….I don’t want you to leave. In fact, I encourage you to keep spewing.
It’s also interesting you ignored the safe, ethical treatment of animals when they were in the hands of PROFESSIONAL UNION BAGGAGE HANDLERS. Why didn’t you criticize them for killing & injuring animals??? Because it is convenient now as part of your ANTI-RIGHT TO WORK agenda??????????
Wrong issue KLOWN. Try again later.
Rabbit sez:
“I’ll bet Cynical was one of those mean kids who pull dogs’ tails and ears, and got bit a lot for their effort. He probably hates dogs. He doesn’t seem very fond of cute furry little garden animals, either.
Comment by Roger Rabbit— 1/10/06 @ 10:10 am”
Rog, I have had several dogs & cats for many years. Great pets. And they were all Conservative Libertarians too!!
Rabbits on the other hand are about as useless as tits on a boar pig! And Roger, it’s time to snap out of your rabbit fantasy. Hopping around outside naked on your hands & knees does not make a grumpy old man a Rabbit!!! And that fur you claim to have is called unsightly back hair!!!
I fly every two weeks back to Seattle and out again to different points in the US. I many times have to take Alaska Airlines as they own most of the flights in and out. I find their fleet of aging 737s extremely uncomfortable and noisy (and now, apparently, damaged). They once lost my luggage a record 4 trips in a row. I much prefer Continentals much newer, more comfortable, and quieter fleet of aircraft. In short, if you don’t HAVE to fly Alaska Airlines, DON’T.
cpf sez:
” Of course, we haven’t flown since Alaska fired all those excellent baggage handlers and replaced them with a bunch of bozos.”
How would you know if those baggage handlers were “excellent” or not???? Based on what criteria?? These PROFESSIONALS had countless mishaps and missteps over the years.
cpf has ZERO basis for that statement. ZERO. Just another Union propogandist. Can you read cpf:
“The article from 1999 sez:
” The U.S. Department of Transportation recorded a total of 32,584 cases of mishandled (lost or damaged) luggage – almost six reports per thousand passengers – on American Airlines in June (the most recent month for which numbers are available). Only TWA, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines did worse.”
That is 32,584 cases IN ONE MONTH ON ONE AIRLINE!!!! And this was while your “highly skilled union workers” were in charge. And back in 1999, Alaska did even WORSE than Americans stats.
Pull you Left Foot out of your mouth dude. The facts don’t support your ranting….no matter how many times you rant!
This is obviously a series of planted Union stories to attempt to gain public sentiment. How many doggies and kitties actually died under the care of skilled baggage handlers dude. Look it up….read & weep fool!
Cyniclown, you have learned well from your handlers, muddle the issue, confuse the audience. The only thing you did not do is scream terrrorist and patriotism. I do speak out. I spent six weeks caring for the animals of hurricane Katrina. I am involved in many issues. My city budget, public safety, water and power, animals, etc etc… I can’t comment on what I don’t know, unlike you who comments on everything whether you know anything about it or not. Usually not.
I don’t have an anti-right to work agenda. My posts, moron boy, never mentioned the union baggage handlers. I mentioned the Alaska employee (Menzies Aviation) throwing a dog in a crate. You brought up the union issue. Get your facts straight. Pull your face out of the Spiderman comic and put your Power Rangers and Transformers down and pay attention, little boy. But then that is what I expect from someone who thinks tossing dogs is just fine.
Mount Olympus Hiker
I would like to see the Union Labor brought back, but Alaska has unwittingly given all the negotiating cards to the Union, and their demands will be costly. I hope they at least get back to the negotiating table.
I am still waiting for Roger to explain how a union guarantees more qualified labor.
The company hires and trains the people, not the union.
The union still exists to defend employees who make mistakes nott o penalize them.
So what does a union bring to the table that makes them so good?
Sure, company hired employees would be better then hiring a contract firm, but they can do that without a union.
Please help clarify this Roger.
Sven—
You make an excellent point here.
We are talking about Baggage Handlers here for God’s Sake!!!!
It would be mighty interesting to review all the Union Grievances filed on Baggage Handlers wouldn’t it?
How much drug & alcohol issues have there been?
What other misconduct has the Airline suffered thru???
The Unions don’t add to much to the success of the Baggage Handling Industry that I can see….at least their track record is mighty poor.
Like I said before, Baggage Handling is the WRONG ISSUE for Unions to make some huge stand on.
They should have stood up to CLINTON on NAFTA and GAT.
68
“Mrs. Rabbit has a strap on Carrot belt that she uses to violate Roger, while pulling his ears and repeatedly saying…’your my little bitch’ But then again, that is all a day in the life of a Seattle Liberal.”
Sounds more like something you would do prr, you little pussy! I don’t imagine we’ll be seeing YOU at DL anytime soon. Buh-uhk cluck-cluck-cluk buh-uhk cluck-cluck-cluk
http://www.fotosearch.com/bigc.....234013.jpg
http://www.roysongs.com/sounds/
I know what a Honky Tonk is. I know who Trace adkins is. I love country music. Are you trying to figure out what I like so you can ask me out? I like long walks on the beach, honesty and cuddling.
@80
That was directed at Roger, right? He is such a softy…
Actually it is directed at Cyniclown. He asked on another stream and I wanted to be sure he saw it. Roger is married and Mrs. Rabbit is very jealous.
It would appear that Alaska is rapidly approaching the same sorry state that they reached before Bruce Kennedy came back from China and kicked Ray Vecchi’s sorry ass out the door.
Like many Seattlites, I find this threatening and frustrating. We’ve always viewed Alaska as the “hometown gang”. Many of us have friends and neighbors who work there. They’ve managed to outlast a lot of their competitors and have more flights to where most of us go most often (up and down the Left Coast) than anyone except perhaps “cattle-prods-and peanuts” Southwest. We’re still conditioned to think of them as having better service (probably no longer true, except that everyone elses’ sucks as well) and better drivers (hopefully still true). A lot of us also have a hell of a lot of their frequent-flyer miles. But they’re evidently doing stuff that’s compromising safety just to save a few pennies, and that probably isn’t working anyway. The repairs to those two busted airplanes in the last month probably cost them more than they saved by contracting out their ground services.
The really scary part is that Alaska is in better financial shape than a lot of other carriers. Can you imagine the corner-cutting some of them are doing?
As for tossing a dog into a cargo hold like that, I would be outraged, and am glad the lady who sent the two basenji’s my parents adopted, shipped them via Delta. They got here, pretty much on-time, and it was a last-minute shipment(there is a deadline for moving live animals by air from Florida, as it gets pretty hot in the South). The crates had Live Animals stickers all over them. My parents have horror story with United from a long time ago. They used to show basenjis, and one was being shipped via United coming back from a show, and it got out at the Air Cargo Facility. From what they have told me over the years, My dad was very, very upset with the airline. (The dog wandered into a home a few weeks ago, and the homeowner saw the flyer, and my parents got the dog back, so there was a happy ending). I rarely trust baggage handlers with dogs. We just take ones with sob stories now, and the last one we had before these two, had issues(we got him from the Animal Shelter), would growl at strangers. I do not think he would have taken to kindly to being tossed around like that.(He did not like being picked up)
Oops, I meant the dog wandered into a home a few weeks later. THis story took place around 30 years ago.