Poppy

1. What about all the furloughed/retired airline guys who tried to get my job as a corporate pilot. I mean seriously, going straight to my boss, explaining how their airline experience made them better than me and asking for my job? What about that? Can you seriously state that an airline puke can try to take my job, but I can't try to take theirs? BTW, as previously stated, when offered the opportunity to scab, I didn't. Every corporate pilot that I knew from the time could tell you similar stories. So the airline guys get to sanctimoniously wrap themselves in the union flag, but the corporate guys are on their own. Wow, what a concept.

2. I made it all the way to the Captain's board at American in about 1978, and was told by that board that since I wasn't a "fine young military pilot," that I wasn't qualified. What a crock!!!!!! Every corporate pilot that I know can tell similar stories. Yet, I didn't cross.

3. Back in the late 70s and early 80s, if you reached somewhere around 30 without getting hired, too bad so sad, you just happened to reach the magic hiring date range during a lull, so go be a Wall Mart greeter.

You guys either forget, or never knew, that even the slightest physical imperfection, being the wrong age, gender, race, and just about anything else could be unfairly disqualifying.

Oh, don't forget the Braniff guys stiffed by American, and who knows how many other airline guys stiffed by their "brothers." Without the ex Braniff pilots, the CAL strike might not have succeeded. Not picking on Braniff pilots, but in the end, most of us will decide to feed our family.

I know this is not universal, and certainly there are pilots hired at CAL in 1983 and 1984 who are complete disasters. But, there are many who had been unfairly denied the opportunity to pursue their careers, and jumped at the only game in town.

Even though given the opportunity to cross, I didn't. I simply understand the motivations, some of which are good, and some are ugly. I refuse to paint an entire group with the same brush! Those that do are not much above a lynch mob.

You can, of course, continue to wage the war, but I refuse to hate the North because of the, War of Northern Aggression, the Japanese or Germans because of WWII, or the Huns for invading the Sassanid Empire in the first century. I prefer to judge a person by who he is, not who he was. Having said that, there are many scabs who I wouldn't give the time of day. Many others are good friends.