Pilots unions' plea to Bush: Allow guns in cockpit By Blake Morrison, USA TODAY The nation's five largest pilots unions have asked President Bush to=20 intercede personally to let pilots arm themselves aboard commercial jets.=20 The appeal to the president, an unprecedented show of solidarity by unions= =20 representing 114,000 airline pilots, comes after two top Bush officials=20 said they oppose guns in cockpits. The unions say the new Transportation=20 Security Administration (TSA) has not moved fast enough to establish a=20 firearms training program for pilots who want to carry guns. Some aviation safety experts argue guns would create new hazards, from=20 distracting pilots to accidental discharge or theft. The pilots unions=20 contend a training program would address those concerns and that lethal=20 force is the only certain way to stop hijackers. In a Time/CNN poll conducted weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,=20 61% favored allowing pilots to carry guns. Earlier this year, however,=20 Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and Homeland Security Director Tom=20 Ridge each said they oppose arming pilots. An administration spokesman said= =20 Thursday that Bush agrees with Ridge. He said arming pilots is unnecessary= =20 because of improvements in security, such as fortified cockpit doors and=20 better screening. Union leaders question that assessment. "We're seven=20 months since Sept. 11 and ... all the things they're trying to do =97=20 screeners, federal air marshals, bag matching =97 are not up to speed yet= and=20 might never be," said Al Aitken, a leader in the Allied Pilots Association. The request for the president's help came during a meeting Wednesday with=20 administration officials at the White House and in a letter sent to Bush=20 this week. The TSA, which oversees aviation security, has yet to make its=20 recommendation on the issue, but a spokesman says it may come soon. TSA=20 officials met with pilots Thursday. Despite Bush's stance, the unions are=20 undeterred. "We are absolutely intent on establishing a program where the=20 pilots will be armed to defend the American people against acts of=20 terrorism," Aitken said. "We won't stop until we achieve it." Steve Luckey,= =20 chairman of the national security committee for the Air Line Pilots=20 Association, said he's convinced arming pilots is the only way to stop a=20 determined terrorist. "The only assurance," he said, "is to have a lethal=20 threat." The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBSC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeansocabrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (DMPI) http://www.paninstitute.com/ (Diego Martin Pan Institute) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************