The Flying Curmudgeon's Tribute To a Fighter Pilot, and Other Musings

The Flying Curmudgeon is a bit behind on his posting. A few things have happened in the interim:

- In his quest to lock up the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama seems to be solidifying his lead. Since "Super Tuesday," Hillary is 0-10.

(Never underestimate the Clinton's capacity for dirty tricks. Will the "Super-delegates" defy the will of the people and coronate Hillary? It remains to be seen.)

-John McCain has locked up the Republican nomination, Mike Huckabee's refusal to concede notwithstanding.

(TFC to Mike - do the rest of your fellow conservatives a favor and pull out. Is John McCain TFC's preferred canidate? NO! However, he's all that stands in the way of a Clinton or Obama presidency. It's time, Mike. Maybe you can continue to lobby for the Fair Tax in a cabinet level position.)

- Delta and Northwest airlines have announced they are in merger talks. The only remaining sticking point, aside from gaining Dept. of Justice approval, is for the pilot's union(s) to come to agreement.

(If this merger is successful, stand by for the flood-gates to open. With oil back over $100/barrel, United is looking to merge as well, since their emergence from bankruptcy was predicated on $55/barrel oil. They are clearly in an unsustainable position. Even Southwest's CEO, Gary Kelly has said his airline will not sit on the sidelines if the expected wave of mergers occurs. The bottom line is, with margins so tight, and too many seats chasing too few passengers, industry consolidation is inevitable.)

- Here we are in the middle of February already. Time sure moves quickly, doesn't it?

And with time ticking inexorably away, after much internal debate, TFC has decided to take a chance and post an excerpt or two from a screenplay about an unsung hero from the Vietnam War. Hopefully, the right someone might come along and visit TheFlyingCurmudgeon, read the excerpts, and give it a chance.

The screenplay is called "ROOT BEER 203: A FIGHTER PILOT'S STORY" and is the story of U.S. Navy fighter pilot, CDR O.G. "TEX" ELLIOTT.

While leading an air-strike against an enemy position near Vinh, North Vietnam, during the height of the War, Tex's F-4 PHANTOM is hit by anti-aircraft fire. Turning his aircraft back towards the Tonkin Gulf and going "feet wet," he ejects his RIO (think "Goose" in "TOP GUN") from the aircraft. When he attempts to eject himself, his seat will not fire.

The date is July 24th, 1968.

By this time in the war, a number of F-4 pilots have been killed in this manner, trapped in the front cockpits of their PHANTOMS, after their backseaters have ejected. With this knowledge, after several attempts at escape, Tex hurtles to what he believes is certain death. As he does, his mind begins to flashback through his life.

We are transported back to 1938 East Texas, when he tragically loses his father after an accident. We then follow him through his life as he overcomes the loss of his father.

As a somewhat shy teen, (as a result of his father's death) he discovers football, allowing him to go to college on a scholarship and become a Navy pilot. Cheating death on three other occasions prior to the Central Incident, Tex falls in love, and eventually is returned to where the story began - trapped in the cockpit of his burning F-4, as it hurtles out to sea. How he finally makes his escape involves a twist that has is both satisfying and cathartic.

Set with the end of The Depression, WWII, the Korean War, and the turbulent 1960's as a backdrop, there are a number of especially poignant and funny moments throughout the film. Woven throughout the story line is the THEME OF WATER, and how Tex deals with his fear of it, after being the victim of a near-drowning at the hands of some older boys, on the day of the accident that causes his father's premature death.

Kind of a cross between TOP GUN, FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER, and PLACES IN THE HEART, ROOT BEER 203 has something for everyone and has the potential for box-office success.

Look for the first installment, soon, at TheFlyingCurmudgeon.

As "HOPE" seems to be the buzzword of the moment, here's hoping someone reads the screenplay and likes it enough to want to make the film.

As a special treat, and in tribute to the film's hero, TFC has found a video for a song proposed for the film's soundtrack.

Enjoy.

TFC

John McCain: Hero, Yes, Conservative...?

As Mitt Romney has announced he is withdrawing from the presidential race, barring some unforeseen event, John McCain will be the Republican nominee.

If the loyal reader of TheFlyingCurmudgeon did not catch Gov. Romney's speech yesterday, here is the video:

This is truly a man of class and integrity. Something tells The Flying Curmudgeon that this is not the last we'll see of Mitt Romney.

Now, on to the presumptive nominee.

John McCain is one of those rare individuals who truly is, an American hero.

The courage he displayed while a prisoner of the North Vietnamese needs no further amplification. If the reader has never read Faith of My Fathers, the Flying Curmudgeon highly recommends it. http://www.amazon.com/Faith-My-Fathers-John-Mccain/dp/0375501916

Hero. The word has been so over-used in the past few years, to be nearly robbed of its meaning.

In the case of the Arizona senator, its use is altogether appropriate.

However, history has shown us that military success and courage under fire do not automatically translate to political success.

Witness the disastrous Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant.

His support for the war effort notwithstanding, whatever his claims to the contrary, Sen, McCain HAS strayed from his conservative roots. His voting record speaks for itself.

As the alternative to a John McCain Presidency is too horrible to contemplate, TFC will in all likelihood "pull the lever" for the Senator from AZ.

Unlike President Bush and the Congressional Republicans of the last 14 years, let's hope Sen. McCain remembers who brung HIM to the dance.

TFC

Bill Clinton Slams 9/11 Conspiracy Heckler

Yesterday, Bill Clinton was speaking at a Hillary campaign rally, when someone in the audience began shouting at him:


This doesn't happen very often. The Flying Curmudgeon finds himself in the awkward position of having to agree with William Jefferson Clinton.

Way to go, Bill!

Anyone who believes 9/11 was an "inside job" must also believe in the Tooth Fairy.

TFC

The Way (The Clintons) Were?

How young and thin Babs was in this video.

There is no denying her God-given talent. In the immortal words of Linda Richmond: "She's like BUTTAHH!"

This is probably The Flying Curmudgeon's favorite Streisand song. It speaks to a number of common themes: lost love, enduring friendships, what might have been, the melancholy that sometimes comes as we contemplate our own mortality, etc.

What a shame she couldn't confine herself to the singing.

Now, Barack Obama has won in South Carolina.

Even before this latest victory, the Clintons have been "pulling out all the stops," in their efforts to derail Barack Obama's candidacy. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120104819435508233.html

Don't you just love this?

The good Senator is getting a taste of what so many others that have crossed the Clinton's have experienced over the years. If the Clinton's political history is any guide, he's in for a tough year.

Cliff Jackson. Billy Dale. Paul Jones. Linda Tripp. Ken Starr.

The names of people who have had the temerity to cross the Clintons, and have suffered their wrath, is legion.

Somewhat amusingly, former Senator Tom Daschle, among others, worries that Bill Clinton may have harmed his "legacy," with his strident attacks against the "uppi....," er, "upstart" Senator Obama. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/26/politics/main3755521.shtml

"Legacy"? What "legacy"?

If engaging in extra-marital sex, in the Oval Office itself, with an employee young enough to be one's daughter constitutes a "legacy," then Bill Clinton's legacy is intact.

If subborning perjury, in an effort to cover up that illicit sex constitutes a "legacy," then Bubba's place in History is secure.

If failing to do anything to stem the global spread of Islamo-fascism constitutes a "legacy," then the former President has nothing to worry about.

But, if the "legacy" that William Jefferson Clinton so desperately seeks is the kind of legacy that the Great Presidents - Lincoln, Truman, Reagan, and (in TFC's opinion) George W. Bush, (as History will undoubtedly judge President Bush's foreign policy) - are known for, he is sure to be disappointed.

If anyone knows Bill and Hillary Clinton, it's Dick Morris. Having served Bill Clinton for years, as Governor of Arkansas, and as President, Dick Morris knows as much about Bill and Hill as they know of themselves. In his latest e-mail newsletter, Morris provides special insight on Bill Clinton's recent outbursts, having been on the receiving end of his share of red-faced, Clinton rants. http://www.vote.com/mmp_printerfriendly.php?id=694

During the height of the Lewinsky scandal, when polling data indicated the American people would favor his impeachment or resignation if it were proven he lied under oath, Clinton said, "We'll just have to win, then."

As the confirmed Machiavellian that he is, when it comes to helping his wife defeat Barack Obama, Bill Clinton's tactics don't appear to have changed much in the last ten years.

TFC

Is Conservatism Dead?

Well, McCain has won in South Carolina.

The hoped-for "come-from-behind" effort of Sen. Fred Thompson seems to have floundered on the shore of Lake "Too-Little, Too-Late."

Is it possible for Fred Thompson to pull a miracle out of Florida and Super Tuesday?

Who knows? The odds are against it, however.

Maybe someone can finally convince Condi to allow her name to be brought forward at the convention - a la Ike.

If John McCain can run for President at age 71, surely Condi can be convinced to put aside her desire to be NFL Commissioner long enough to save the Republican party, and the Conservative movement within, from the Rockefeller wing of the party.

Well, Condi, how 'bout it?

TFC

On Loss and Liberty

It's funny how the mind can sometimes play tricks.

This is never more true than when one is mentally and/or physically exhausted.

The other night, after having arrived late to his hotel after a long day of flying, The Flying Curmudgeon had a dream about a childhood friend.

Like TFC, in the dream his friend was an airline pilot. Unlike yours truly, this friend lived in a beach-front home, with his wife and three(?) children. (The Flying Curmudgeon's home is not on the water.)

TFC had not seen his friend in some time. Throughout the dream, the primary theme seemed to be the frustration of not having seen him in a while - and why -and what had happened to the friendship. (As high school classmates, they had been best friends.)

Just as The Flying Curmudgeon was confronting his friend on what had happened to their friendship, he awoke, realized it had all been a dream, and that he was lying in bed in his hotel room. With this, TFC got up, proceeded to his laptop and began to write.

A couple of things about this were odd.

First, TFC rarely remembers dreams, unlike Mrs. TFC, who claims to remember all her dreams. This remarkable gift of recall is not always convenient, when applied to those things that occur during the waking hours.

Second, how real the dream seemed. Upon awakening, it took The Flying Curmudgeon a few seconds to get his bearings and remember he was not standing in his friend's beach-front home, but lying in bed in a hotel room, instead. (And why was his friend's home on the beach?)

The strangest thing about the dream - as of last month, TFC's friend has been dead for 16 years. He died in a military plane crash, shortly before Christmas, a few months shy of his 30th birthday - leaving a wife, an 18-month-old daughter, and the son his wife was carrying that never knew his father.

Waking up angry with a friend who had been dead for 16 years got the wheels in TFC's head turning. With all the things that vy for attention in this world, it had been some time since his friend had crossed TFC's mind.

The sad thing is, this particular person is not the only friend TFC has lost over the years.

Quite a few of The Flying Curmudgeon's friends never lived to see their 30th birthdays - young men all, who gave their lives in service to their country - the majority during times of "Peace."

Friends of the same age, former students, and others, some close, some not so close - all lost in the prime of their lives. Aviation, especially military aviation, can be a very unforgiving business if one is not careful.

Thomas Jefferson once said: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

Although the United States currently finds itself at war, in the quote above, Jefferson does not differentiate between "Peace" and "War."

Freedom is never free, and must be guarded jealously, lest we forget what it cost our nation in blood and treasure to acquire and preserve it.

As we approach the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, and nearly seven years since 9/11, The Flying Curmudgeon remembers those friends who gave their lives in Peace, and those who continue to do so in War.

May we never forget them.

TFC

Linus May Have Been On to Something

In the immortal words of Linus Van Pelt: "I love mankind. It's PEOPLE I can't stand!"

Linus Van Pelt - that blanket-trailing, thumb-sucking, font of pre-school wisdom, from the beloved Charles Schulz comic strip Peanuts.

Linus was wise beyond his years.

Dispensing advice to his long-suffering friend, Charlie Brown, Linus always knew the right thing to say. Whether it was a problem with women (in the person of Peppermint Patty), whether Charlie Brown should trust Lucy, (Linus' sister) to not pull the football away when he tried to kick it, or the deeper, esoteric questions about the nature of Man's existence, Linus had the answer.

C'mon, admit it. You choked up during Linus' soliloquy about the True Meaning of Christmas, in the holiday classic A Charlie Brown Christmas.

No? And you didn't cry during Old Yeller, either. Yeah, right.

It's hard to believe it's been nearly 43 years since A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired.

Since it's debut, the debate over Christmas has changed. It's no longer whether the holiday is too commercialized, but whether the expression "Happy Holidays," or "Merry Christmas" should be used in the marketplace.

Just to be clear where he stands in this debate, during the holiday season, The Flying Curmudgeon is proud to greet his passengers with a hearty "Merry Christmas!"

In his travels, TFC comes into contact with people from all walks of life. Poor people, rich people, the famous and not-so-famous. The overwhelming number conduct themselves with decency and respect.

Occasionally, he has a person get on his aircraft like the "gentleman" who came onboard the other day.

"Did you get over your being drunk last night," he asked TFC upon boarding the aircraft.

"Excuse me, sir? What did you say?"

He repeated, "I said, did you get over being drunk last night?"

Incredulous, TFC responded, "Sir, if you would like to fly to (our destination that day), I would suggest you not say that again."

At that, the man didn't say anything else and proceeded back to his seat. Had he pushed the issue, TFC may have had to delay the flight, in order to have an FAA mandated urinalysis, to prove his sobriety to perform his duties.

It's amazing how presumptuous people have become these days.

Before TFC became a pilot, he would have never dreamed of saying something like this to the captain of a commercial flight he was boarding.

Unfortunately, thanks to the past actions of an irresponsible few, from time to time, the rest of us have to deal with the occasional smart aleck like the man above.

When it comes to folks like him, Linus may have been on to something.

TFC