Originally Posted by
birdstrike
I believe I was the first to identify Secretary Chertoff with Skeletor. @:-)
When faced with an overarching government agency that abuses the sweeping powers they control, public mockery is indeed an effective channel of protest.
I have no idea if Skeletor is a cunning politician advancing his own personal goals, or a paranoid administrator living in fear of third world terrorists.
In either case, his policies do not serve the interests of this great country, nor that of it's people.
I write to my Congressional representatives and Senators regularly. Nonetheless, I think branding Comrade Chertoff as Skeletor has had more of an effect than any email I have typed.
Whomever came up with Kip Hawley is an Idiot has had far more impact. ^
I don't disagree with your sentiment on what Chertoff's actions have done to the flying community and the effects on society in general.
But to me, things like calling him "Skeletor" might make you feel warm and fuzzy inside and it might score some internet hi-fives, but in the long run they're counterproductive. If I were from the TSA, a reporter, or someone from the outside that just did a Google search and came upon this place littered with "Skeletor" "McDonald's rejects" and other names like that, it would be instant rejection in my mind to the credibility of a lot of what is said in this room.
And how many times has it been said in this forum that (paraphrasing) "only if we could get this known on a wider scale" type talk? Isn't that the purpose of the 527 group and website? And there has been a LOT of good ideas that have been posted in this forum.
Again, I'm not the post police or an FT moderator, so please take it for what it's worth. I'm just putting myself in the shoes of someone who might come into this forum to learn something. It just seems like a waste to see all the good information trumped by some instant self-gratification.