Airline Boarding, a Pertinent 1897 Poem and Iranian Help in Defeating ISIS

Airline Boarding a Pain

My recent visit up north provided me with a new insight into airline seat selection.  If you feel this will be boring, just skip it.

I am still among those individuals who purchase economy seats (without upgrades) and bring a carry-on bag along with me when I fly.  The cheapest seat on an airliner lands no later than the plane's most luxurious First Class seat.  Since I purchase my tickets long in advance, for my recent trip I was able to select seats midway back in the plane and on the aisle, enabling me to easily get up to take a stroll or visit the restroom.  On both legs of the trip, however, I found that United Airlines positioned me in their Boarding Group 5, the last to be allowed to board, resulting in all of the overhead storage being already filled by the time I got on the plane.

Of course, they didn’t charge me to check my carry-on bag at that point, but on deplaning from both of my flights, I had to experience a delay waiting to recover it from the baggage carousel.  It wasn’t very long at my local airport, Palm Beach International, but it was about twenty-five minutes at my northern destination, Newark Airport.  What puzzled me even further was that I found that the passengers sitting next to me were ticketed in earlier boarding groups and hence, had no problem in storing their carry-on bags overhead.  

Well, it turns out that all airlines don’t board their planes in the same manner.  United Airlines, I ultimately discovered, boards their First Class and Priority passengers first, followed by those traveling with children, the disabled and uniformed military personnel.  Next they board all of their window seat passengers, followed by those in the middle seats and finally, those with seats on the aisle, regardless of what rows they are in.   My tough luck resulted from my selecting an aisle seat.

Regardless of how planes are boarded, those last to board have the greatest chance of not having an overhead space available for their carry-on bag and end up having them checked.  This is something to consider when selecting seats for an upcoming United Airlines flight.  Do you want easy access to the center aisle, or do you want room to store you bag overhead?  Most of the time, you cannot have both.  And if they check your bag, you must pick it up at the baggage carousel.

Generally, most (but not all) other airlines, once their first class customers, disabled, military and those traveling with children are seated, board their passengers in a back to front pattern, so those most likely to be deprived of overhead storage space on a full flight are those in the economy rows closest to the front of the plane.   But don't count on it.  When it comes to boarding, all airlines are not created equal.   
Jack Lippman

                                                           


The White Man's Burden

Back in 1897, British poet Rudyard Kipling wrote a pair of poems in honor of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.  One of them, entitled   “The White Man’s Burden,” wasn’t used for the Jubilee, but instead was sent by the poet to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt as a word of advice concerning America’s having assumed a colonial role in capturing the Philippines in the Spanish-American War. 

Rudyard Kipling

This “politically incorrect” (by today’s standards) poem, which many took as representing Britain’s passing on their imperialistic role to the United States, is reproduced below.  But it also can  be taken to apply to our involvement in the Middle East today.  When  you read this poem, think of that part of the world.  True, we did not "capture"  Afghanistan nor Iraq, but the idea is the same.  Kipling's words are well attuned to our relationship with the people who live there, whom he refers to as "fluttered folk and wild, silent, sullen peoples, half-devil and half-child."  Does this not describe some of the groups we have had to deal with in Iraq and Afghanistan?  I have highlighted some passages and added a few comments in parentheses.

JL

The White Man’s Burden

Rudyard Kipling

Take up the White Man's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed      
Go bind your sons to exile 
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.     (We must send armed troops there)

Take up the White Man's burden--
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain
To seek another's profit,
And work another's gain.

Take up the White Man's burden--
The savage wars of peace--
Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hopes to nought.   (Curing hunger and disease and improving their economy is a waste of time and unappreciated)

Take up the White Man's burden--
No tawdry rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper--
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go mark them with your living,
And mark them with your dead. (we will suffer casualties there)

Take up the White Man's burden--    
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard--
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:--
"Why brought he us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"   (Blame and hatred is to be our reward for trying to better their lives and protect them)

Take up the White Man's burden--
Ye dare not stoop to less--
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloke your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your gods and you.

Take up the White Man's burden--
Have done with childish days--
The lightly proferred laurel,
The easy, ungrudged praise.
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers!

                                                                             

More on Defeating ISIS


The group that calls itself the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) must be defeated.  It poses a threat not only to the rest of the Muslim world of which it proclaims itself the ruler but to the non-Muslim world as well, including the United States.  It is intolerant of any religion other than Islam, and does not recognize other governments because they are not in conformity with Islam, where religious observance and state are one.  It is well-armed and has stolen enough currency and petroleum resources to sustain itself.
 

After our experiences in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, we have learned that we must avoid sending in troops to battle ISIS.  In the preceding posting on this blog, I explained how we must use massive air power to destroy them in Iraq and in Syria as well, and then, aid in mopping up those that survive our aerial attacks.  But that job must not be done by our own troops.  It must be done by the armies of those in the region who stand with us in opposing and destroying ISIS.  And that is where the problem starts.

The Iraqi Army, mostly Shites, has proved worthless against the ISIS forces thus far.  Claiming otherwise is just whistling in the dark. The Saudis, Jordanians and Gulf States seem reluctant to commit their ground forces to fight their fellow Sunnis, which ISIS followers are.  The Egyptians and Turks do not seem ready to battle ISIS in the field right now either.

Syria would be glad to share in defeating ISIS, which has been one of the most effective groups there in attempting to depose Bashir al-Assad, but we ought not accept any of their help because of Assad's close relationship with Russia, Iran and Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon.  In our eyes, he is a bad guy who we do not want to remain in control of Syria. The idea that "the enemy of your enemy is your friend" should not be stretched to the point where Assad becomes an acceptable ally.   Presently, we are seeking out "moderate rebel" forces in Syria to help confront ISIS.  If we can find and arm them, sadly, it is uncertain at whom they would aim their weapons.

But there is another direction in which we might look for support.  The logical place to turn for an ally with a strong army and a deep hatred of ISIS is Iran.  Already, Iran is helping the Iraqi government to build up its forces.  Much of the Iraqi Army is Shia, as are the Iranians. But they are far from ready to confront ISIS forces, even in a mopping up operation, without outside help.

 

Our dilemma today includes getting Iranian forces to assist in mopping up ISIS after we break their backs with air power without turning Iraq, after the dust clears, into an Iranian fiefdom. The Iranian President recently implied that Americans are reluctant to put significant numbers of troops on the ground there because we are unwilling to sacrifice more American lives in Iraq. There is more than a grain of truth in that statement.  But while Iranians cannot be fully trusted, they are people to whom we can talk.  Right now, we are negotiating with them about their nuclear program. Improving our relationship with Iran would be a step forward in permanently getting rid of ISIS, ISIL or whatever you want to call it.  I would not be surprised if “back channel” negotiations with Tehran with that end in mind are taking place even as you read this.

JL 


                                                                          

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