Chuck Schumer vs. Flight Attendant

Sometimes, U.S. Senators can think they are pretty special people. And above the law.

Be sure to read www.politicsdaily.com/2009/12/16/chuck-schumer-apologizes-for-insulting-flight-attendant/ about Schumer (I'll leave the "Mr." out) and a US Airways flight over the week-end.

Maybe the captain should have called the tower and taxied back to the terminal. Then he could have announced to all the passengers that he was doing so, because a United States Senator was making a telephone call and refused to hang up. Upon arrival at the terminal, he could have summoned a U.S. Marshal and directed him to arrest Schumer for refusing to comply with directions of a flight attendant. Schumer could have been detained, arrested, taken off the plane in handcuffs, charged, allowed to bond out and then he could have caught another flight.

I mean, why argue? Schumer understands English. He understood the flight attendant's request.

Of course, the captain and the flight attendant might be figuring out where they want to work next. Would US Airways have stood up to the heat that would have been directed at it?

An apology from Schumer's "spokesperson" is not good enough.

I recall a time when I worked at the Sears headquarters and a Senator's office called for personnel records of a retired employee. The woman (more like, girl) got pushy, when I told her no records would be released upon a telephoned request. She was quite impressed with herself and her own employment as an "aide to the Senator". The pushier she got, the more I laughed to myself.

I did tell her that, if she sent a written request accompanied by the former employee's legal release for the records, we'd be happy to comply. Whew! Did she get mad???!!! Too bad, so sad.

It was a good thing that my boss wasn't nearby. He'd probably have had a heart attack at the firm stance I took against the pushy aide. The answer to her request was "No", and it wasn't going to change. I never heard from her again.