Originally Posted by FirstInFlight

The original Marshall program was in response to hijackings in the 60's and 70's. Then hijackings faded and our appetite for the costs diminished and by the mid 80's air marshalls were a memory. Then 9/11 happened. Suddenly we had motivation and we were ready to spend the money necessary to ensure that it could never happen again. But now it's been a while and memories fade....

Do marshalls prevent hijackings - it's hard to prove a negative. But are we willing to spend the money necessary to protect against a tragic event - in hindsight we are. Are we likely to have another take over, can we justify a billion dollar program... the answer may depend on whether you are on the plane when it happens.

A billion dollars is a lot of money. But what are the lives of 200+/- passengers and crew worth? Forty years ago Ford was crucified when they made the decision not to spend the millions it would take to address an issue in the Pinto fuel tank. At one point it seemed like a valid decision but in hindsight it was seen as callous and indifferent.

So we got a rookie Marshall who screwed up. Maybe she gets suspended. Maybe she gets fired. If highly educated surgeons can make mistakes is it really realistic to expect that a cop will never have a mishap? That is not to say that there shouldn't be, or won't be, discipline. The feds are known for taking their time to render disciplinary decisions. She could well work for another month before being disciplined (and the appeal that will surely follow). Mistakes happen - it doesn't mean every air Marshall is bad.

But the program itself - everybody thinks cops are a waste of money until they need one. Our country wastes money on nonsense every day. If some day someone I care about is on a plane that is attacked I hope there is a marshall aboard. That marshall may or may not save the day. But I prefer the odds with a marshall verses without.