Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter
#488........................................................................July
6, 2008 Past newsletters can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm
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newsletter sent to you every week, sign up to AviationWatch. Bill Mulcahy
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graphic (website) version of this newsletter can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/newsletter488.htm
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Quote of the Week: ""We will fight like hell on behalf of your
interests,"
said Connecticut's Senator Christopher Dodd in a
story this week to the 80 people who came to the Alliance for Sensible
Airspace Planning's meeting at Norwalk City Hall
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More Politicians Joining Anti-Noise Fight!!!
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As Bill Sees It (Editorial): Will Politicians Really Stop The FAA's
Airspace
Redesign Scheme? It was nice to see Connecticut's Senator Dodd take such
a
strong stance against the FAA and their plan to dump more aviation noise
on
more Americans. However, I couldn't help but wonder where is Connecticut's
other senator, the Independent Joe Lieberman. I would guess "Joe" isn't
all
that independent when it comes to the FAA and aviation noise. Could that
be
because he has, like Senator Chuck Schumer, have been wheeling and dealing
with the FAA for years and are not about to disrupt the cozy relation****p?
Maybe, like Schumer, Lieberman has many communities that are on the FAA's
"noise sensitive" list and doesn't want to anger the FAA boss rats.
Connecticut communities soon to be blasted by increased day and night
noise
when the Airspace Redesign starts should demand that Lieberman speak out
against the FAA plan.
London's Heathrow Air****t Protesters Use Paper Planes To Attack
Government!!! It seems only fair that aviation's victims respond to
aviation's assault on them by an assault of their own. In England, anti
air****t expansion groups continue to use creative tactics to battle the
Aviation Cabal's effort to expand Heathrow Air****t and bring air****t noise
and air pollution to formerly quiet areas. Their latest tactic is to use a
thing called a "flash mob" where demonstrators wear red T-****rts and
gather
at a certain spot and perform a theatrical skit for the media. In this
case
they met at the home and office of Britain's trans****tation minister, Ruth
Kelly, and bombarded the buildings with paper planes. This the kind of
protest that American anti air****t activists could learn from. Instead of
depending on politicians who are sometimes only interested in getting
reelected and not alienating voters...and the FAA who they have been
making
deals with for years.
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Protestors Attack British Government With Their Own Planes!!! Protesters
have thrown paper planes at the Department for Trans****t's headquarters in
a
demonstration against the expansion of Heathrow Air****t. The Heathrow
Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (Hacan) have been
demonstrating against a planned third runway and a sixth terminal. Earlier
another group played aircraft noise through the east London letterbox of
Trans****t Secretary Ruth Kelly. A government decision on the air****t plans
is due later this year. The demonstrators s****ting red T-****rts - carrying
the message "No Air****t Expansion" - protested outside the department's
building in Westminster in central London.
http://www.worthingherald.co.uk/latest-london-news/Paper-planes-thrown-in-air****t.4253288.jp
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/day-out-at-the-department-of-trans****t20080704
Dept. Of Trans****tation Criticizes FAA (Again) On Safety Lapses!!!
WA****NGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration is resisting two
recommendations that the Trans****tation Department's inspector general
says
are "fundamental" to improving the agency's oversight of the airline
industry. Inspector General Calvin L. Scovel III, in a re****t released
Wednesday, outlined an eight-point plan to help the FAA strengthen its
enforcement of air safety. The recommendations stem from allegations of
safety lapses this year involving Southwest Airlines and FAA officials in
North Texas. FAA officials agreed to implement six of the recommendations
but balked at Scovel's proposals that the FAA periodically rotate
supervisory personnel and establish an independent organization to
investigate safety issues identified by employees. "Given the seriousness
of
the issues these recommendations were intended to address, we believe the
FAA needs to reconsider its position," Scovel said. Congressional
inquiries
and previous investigations by Scovel's office concluded that midlevel FAA
supervisors allowed Southwest to continue flying aircraft that should have
been inspected for cracks. Two FAA inspectors, testifying as government
whistle-blowers, said they were effectively muzzled when they tried to
expose the problems to superiors.
http://www.star-telegram.com/national_news/story/738937.html
@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Plane Stupid vs. Heathrow: They Got It Going On
Thursday, July 03 2008 @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
04:47 PM CDT
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=2008070316472469
Contributed by: Oread Daily
Views: 128 A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly
in
a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly
disperse. Well, the people who assembled yesterday were called together by
the group Plane Stupid, the public places they arrived at were the Bolton
and London homes of British MP, Ruth Kelly, and the unusual action was
taken
to protest the governments planned (and unpopular) expansion of Heathrow
Air****t.
PLANE STUPID VS HEATHROW: THEY GOT IT GOING ON
A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public
place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse.
Well, the people who assembled yesterday were called together by the group
Plane Stupid, the public places they arrived at were the Bolton and London
homes of British MP, Ruth Kelly, and the unusual action was taken to
protest
the governments planned (and unpopular) expansion of Heathrow Air****t.
In Bolton the "mobbers" played "airplane noise" at 56 decibels - the level
deemed by the Department for Trans****t (DfT) not to be a nuisance to west
Londoners - at 7.30am at the Trans****t Secretary's Docklands address.
A spokeswoman for London's Plane Stupid group, Elizabeth Baines, said:
"It's
incredible. Tucked away in her post London flat I can see now why it is so
easy for Ruth to ignore the concerns of West London - the expansion of
Heathrow won't threaten her quality of life."
She added: "London does not want more noise and air pollution. A decision
in
favour of BAA would be reckless cowardice - the UK can help beat climate
change but not by doubling the capacity of the world's busiest air****t."
In a separate demonstration a flash mob of between 50 and 100 protesters
from anti-expansion group, The Heathrow Association for the Control of
Aircraft Noise (Hacan), threw paper planes bearing a message and Ms
Kelly's
face at the DfT's Westminster headquarters.
Plane Stupid cites ten good reason for their opposition:
Aviation expansion will destroy ancient forests and woodland
Hundreds of acres of ancient oak woodland would have to be destroyed to
make way for the government's expansion plans.
Air****t expansion will destroy im****tant heritage sites
Across the country over one hundred historical buildings are at risk from
air****t expansion.
Aviation creates massive noise pollution
Living under the flight path is like living on a motorway.
Aviation diverts money away from public services
The airlines receive over £10 billion in tax breaks each year because of
tax-free fuel and VAT-free tickets and planes.
Aviation is the fastest growing cause of climate change
Despite myths propagated by the airline industry, aviation already
accounts
for 13% of the UK's contribution to climate change.
Aviation is mostly unnecessary
45% of air journeys in Europe are less than 500km - about the distance
from
London to the Scottish border.
Aviation's contribution to the economy is massively overstated
The aviation industry is only the 26th biggest industry in Britain.
Aviation expansion is wiping established communities off the map
At its seven air****ts across the UK BAA is proposing the biggest single
programme of air****t expansion that the UK has ever seen.
Air****ts cause illegal levels of nitrous oxide pollution
Heathrow air****t is already breaching UK and EU legal limits for the high
levels of nitrogen dioxide and therefore the present growth in the number
of
flights is probably unlawful.
'Cheap' flights are for the priviliged
It's the rich who are really benefiting from the artificially low prices
of
air travel. The average income of people using Stansted Air****t is £47,000
per year - and it's supposed to be a budget air****t!
Plane Stupid describes itself as a network of groups taking action against
air****t expansion and aviation's climate impact. Plane Stupid has no
hierarchy or central leader****p, but is instead made up of small 'affinity
groups' who organise themselves. Inspired by networks like Earth First!
and
the mid-90s anti-roads protests, members take direct action against one of
the root causes of climate change.
The following is from the Bolton News (UK).
Ruth Kelly's home is 'flashmobbed'
ACTIVISTS targeted the Bolton and London homes of MP, Ruth Kelly, to
protest
at the Government's backing of plans to expand Heathrow Air****t.
Aircraft noise was played through the letterbox of her London Docklands
apartment for 15 minutes at 7.30am yesterday until the protestors were
re****tedly chased away by her husband.
And later on, paper planes covered in images of the Trans****t Secretary
and
Bolton West MP's face, were flown into the side of the Department of
Trans****t's headquarters.
Last night, a spokesman for Ms Kelly's department said: "Everyone has the
right to make their views known and to protest, providing they do so
within
the law.
"The Government is currently considering the 70,000 responses to the
Heathrow consultation in which everyone has had the op****tunity to send us
their views on our proposals.
"The Government expects to make a decision later this year after
considering
all the responses it has received to the consultation."
The protest started when six female activists from the Plane Stupid
campaign
group targeted Ms Kelley's London home. The group's Manchester wing also
protested outside her house in Bolton at the same time.
The Flash Mob struck shortly before 11am when they turned up outside the
DTI's headquarters in Westminster wearing red t-****rts emblazoned with the
message No Air****t Expansion'.
One of the organisers, John Stewart, of linked anti-expansion group,
Hacan,
said: "I am very pleased with this demonstration and it shows the strength
of feeling about expansion."
The demonstrations were an attempt to influence Mrs Kelly, who is due to
rule late this year on the building of a third runway at Heathrow Air****t
to
cope with more planes.
They were attended by Liberal Democrat deputy leader Vince Cable, whose
Twickenham constituency is below the flight paths of many Heathrow-bound
planes.
He said: "Expansion would do much harm in terms of noise and emissions."
A spokesman for Plane Stupid said the peaceful demonstrations outside Mrs
Kelly's homes had also gone well.
Elizabeth Baines said the group had left a letter for the MP with her
husband, which read: "We do hope that you will keep this early-morning
wake-up call in mind when you decide the future of Heathrow after summer
recess.
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