The head of the New Mexico Air National Guard says that he wasn’t told that a requested pre Veterans Day flyover by military jets was for the opening of a Roswell car dealership. “I probably made a mistake,” said General Kenny Montoya. “I should have looked a little closer. If it were a car dealership, I would have had second thoughts – there’s no doubt or reservations.”
Montoya says the flyover celebrating the opening of a Roswell Toyota/Scion car dealership was requested by State Representative Dan Foley of Roswell, a former Marine sergeant. Foley says the flyover, which happened on the day before Veterans Day, was appropriate.
The owner of the dealership stands by his event. “If we offended anybody, then they’re unpatriotic,” said Tom Krumland. “That’s who I think we offended.
It’s reassuring to know our government’s definition of “patriotic” extends to every aspect of American commerce.
I wonder how much a flyover costs? Does the organization or person have to pay for it? Or is it free by request. If it’s free, think about all the NASCAR races. Each Nextel Cup race has a flyover of some kind, before the actual event since 9/11.
Thank the good lord that most of those Toyotas are made in the United States.
Uh, Paul. Are you then soliciting funds for the Ken Lay Defense Fund? How long did it take to indict and bring him to trial? Do you think he can’t afford his defense; say, compared to his out-of-work employees who were required to keep their 401K’s in his pocket?
Eh?
Morons….flyovers are training hours for these guys. If they gotta be in the air to train the taxpayers might as well reap some additional benefits from it. Typical media BS.
Steve, You call the current government we have reverse fascist but want to replace it with a Fascist one. “Anti discrimination laws” are not American if you really look at the since it violates my Freedom of Association. I should be free to choice who I work with and hire without government tell me who. Don’t get me wrong I thing discrimination is stupid but it should be my choice to be stupid if I want. “Environmental Protection laws actually helps big business since they’re the only ones that can afford to comply. “Consumer protection laws” should not be made that protect people from being stupid. Label “Do not Iron Clothes while you are wearing them”.
And don’t get me started on OSHA. They have no common sense at all. We got fined at on place for not having Handrails on a movable platform for getting in and out of a trailer. We made because it was a lot safe then climbing in and out of the trailer on a ladder. OSHA even admitted the platform was safer but fined us anyway. They also didn’t get us any time to fix it. Like here are the problems we found you have 30 days to correct, if not we’ll fine you then. Non of the issues were major either. We also got fined for an employee having his own person WD40 can in his personal toolbox and no MSD sheet on it.
I will agrees with you on the DCMA screws the consumer and is stupid.
As for to the main topic, yes this shouldn’t have been done for a car dealership. This is not like a major public event like the NASCAR event someone complained about.
Gomer,
You are correct, most of these flyovers are carried out during training hours. If a community requests a flyover, the unit will check its training schedule, remaining flying hours and fuel costs. If it can be met without additional undue expense the military will normally do it as part of community relations. If the military were to incur additional costs, they might request part of the funds be reimbursed, but most likely, they will request additional flying hours from headquarters.
Something to keep in mind here, though, is that this was a Guard unit performing this at the request of a state senator. This isn’t the active duty Air Force doing it at the request of a US Senator. Regardless whether or not we live in a “reverse fascist state,” you can’t blame the US govt for this one. This was strictly New Mexico doing it to New Mexico.
Jetfire
It sure sounds like you have gotten the raw end of the stick. As for anti-discrimination laws. What the heck is wrong with them? If you want to drink beer after hours with your friends then go for it. If you want to only invite certain people over for a BBQ then great. But a workplace is not your home or a social gathering. Any business that uses the public infrastructure to profit then must be accessible to ALL members of society. It is wrong to discriminate because of what someone is, or their last name, or their breast size and usage, or where they worship, or the amount of sunblock they require. It should even be wrong to discriminate about which firms to award public contracts and on this point I agree discrimination makes it an unlevel playing field.
Consumer Protection Laws? Which Consumer Protection Law require a label stating “Do Not Iron Clothes while Wearing”? There are laws stipulating about the amount of carcinogens in a toddlers teething ring. And the amount of lead allowed in paint. And the safety requirements for child seats, seat belts, and adult seat belts. And there are laws requiring the labeling of food so those with nut allergies can avoid them. And there are laws about the quality of work of the homes we buy. And there are requirements about being electrocuted by that new coffee pot you want. And there are even laws about the flammability requirements about those Christmas Lights that warn you “Not For The Other Use”. But I challenge you to point out ONE “Consumer Law” or Regulation that has not been imposed as the result of a death or serious injury caused by a product.
OSHA? What is wrong with them. If you were fined because an employee had a can of WD-40 then there is something wrong. One, the MSDS is not required if the employee bought the can for his own use from a commercial outlet. Two, the maker of WD-40 must supply an MSDS if asked, even if it is used personally. Only if the product is bought by the company for use by its employees is one required. Why? Because if I buy a can I can decide myself whether or not I want to use it. If the company buys it then as the employee I don’t get that option and may only refuse to use it where I ave reasonable grounds to question its safety. You were fined for not having a hand railing? It is very rare for an Inspector to impose a fine for a minor item UNLESS there has been an accident or the same item has shown up on previous audits. Also OSHA Inspectors are not in the practice of saying one infraction is safer then another infraction. If you used a platform where previously a ladder was used suggests that this is several feet above ground. YOU NEED A RAILING. Do you need an accident for you to get it through your head this is a potentially dangerous situation.
Jetfire, I think you are blowing a lot of wind.
As for the flyover. Bullcrap. Selling foreign made goods is somehow patriotic? How many American jobs were lost because Toyota DOESN’T build there cars here. They import the majority of parts and assemble them here.
The State Representative must be made to answer for misusing his position. The General should be made to answer NOW why he misused tax dollars. The Toyota dealership should be made to pay the costs of the flyover.
Paul Theodoropoulos, I thought you were “done with DU”
Milo
Though I often disagree with paul, I appreciate his comments. Sometimes he appears to be ridiculous and sometimes extremely brilliant. But darn it all, he isn’t boring. I’m just glad it’s someone else going up against him this time.
Flyovers have to be the coolest thing in the world.I bet we Americans were the 1st to do it.Alot of your different replies made me want to respond to everyone by asking you to ask yourselves on this Election Day 2008 “Gee,I wonder why our own government would get us in this econminc mess that we are in?”Guess what all of you stupid idiot’s driving vehicles made by overseas owned manufacturers,the U.S.Government did’nt,YOU DID!!!!!I’ve had BUY AMERICAN stickers on my vehicles since high school,back in 1981.I have worked for one of The Big Three for 20 years,owning my home,doing a ground up restoration of my classic car,driving a new truck every 3 years ,enjoying days on The Great Lakes(born&bred in Detroit)on my 20’boat,(we have many flyovers over all of this water)these idiot’s, these so called” Patriotic People” the ones I give the dirty looks to on the road can’t figure out why I do.