Shoot To Kill? -vs.- Shoot To Wound?

For a period in my Executive life I was on a plane 200 plus days a year. Yep, if you sat in American Airlines seat 4A, you sat in my bed! In fact, I used to travel so much that in order to feel "normal" at dinner I had to sit in a recliner and be served with plastic utensils. So, when I say "I know about flying- I know about flying!"

Now I did MOST of my "stressed out" traveling during my CueCat days, so I also know about TRAVELING+ Being Stressed Out!. And, even though I have never "shot to kill" (unless you count my teen Bambi hunting days), I do know quite ALOT About "Shooting To Wound". The shooting to wound I know of well is what journalists, former employees and pot-shot takers do to me, when they all try to paint me as "CueCat Pitch Man" or the real "Scanner Darkly" (wonder if Keannu Reeves is playing my part?). All these posts and "real looking" news stories are done to "wound" me. So even though it's not a gunshot, I know about someone taking shots at me.

But, man... add up Airline+Post 9/11+Stressed Out Nut+Bomb Threat+New Air Marshals and that EQUALS a very combustible situation!

When on a flight - in uncertain times- your mind can play tricks on you. Let me explain.

In the early 90's I was on a flight from Atlanta to Washington DC. I am sitting in the third row of Delta First Class. So there is one row behind me and two rows in front of me. I happen to be reading Time Magazine about the on going war in the Middle East that George Sr. (President then) had the US engaged in. Reading about War and "potential terrorists" at that time had me a little freaked. Then it happened...

Just about that time a man, wearing very dark sunglasses and a long trench coat (even though it was not cold) boarded and sat in the First Class window seat just ahead of me. He was sweating profusely and sat down in a rush. I initially though he had just run the terminal to make the flight and was worn out. I felt his pain. Then he did something really strange.

He took out a small brown bag which seems to have a box inside of it. He placed it right on the floor underneath his seat and then placed his foot on it - almost in a tip-toe fashion. This began to worry me. Then he began to bite his nails, sweat even more and look out his window onto the tarmac (I could see his face between the back of his seat and his window). His actions really were beginning to stress me out.

Then all of a sudden, a hand was thrust in front of my face, and with a recognizable Southern Drawl, I heard "Shake my hand- I am going to be flying with you today". I looked up and to my amazement it was former President Jimmy Carter. Here we has, in the flesh, shaking my hand. His did the same all throughout the airplane (I was nothing special) and then he came back up front and sat down right behind me with a Secret Service Agent and then another Secret Service Agent sat next to me.

Then we began to taxi down the runway. I noticed the sweating man ahead of me, sweating even more and making sure his package did not slip or rattle about the cabin. I thought to myself "Great he's a mad-man, he has a bomb in that small wrapped brown paper package and he somehow KNEW President Carter was going to be on that plane with us today!" MY MIND WAS RACING!

Now I am thinking to myself, "How do I tell the Secret Service Agent beside me about this man in front of us - who was certainly up to no good- WITHOUT tipping my hand that I had discovered his plot - only to have him trip the bomb as soon as he heard me spill the beans to the Secret Service Agent?" I am sure you could relate to my situation. Just about the time I figured that I COULD tell the Government Agent about this fellows intentions, Mr. Sweaty picked up his package carefully and started to slide out the box as IF was full of Nitro ready to explode. NOW my heart was reaching and I almost blurted out what I was thinking, but my cool James Bond thinking kicked in and I kept it on the down low.

I slid to my right, turned to my left and was now almost square in my seat facing Mr. Secret Service. Ready to spill the beans AND dive across President Carter from over the seat as IF this would save him and for that matter me, from this obvious bomb on the plane. I figured I had to time it right. And with every beat of my heart Mr. Sweaty took another step to detonate his package. Thumb, He slide out a box of some sort. THUMP THUMP, he handles the box carefully and sets it on his tray table. THUMP THUMP THUMP, he starts to open it and set it off. My mouth starts to blab to the AGENT and then WHAM..... we hit turbulence, his package drops and his...... bottle of Jack Daniels goes spilling everywhere and he - Mr. Sweaty - scrambles to recover it and get some ingested before the carpet drinks it all down! I was so embarrassed I just wanted to put the Puke Bag over my head and hide!

Mr. Nervous, strange acting, take special care of the mysterious package, was only coveting his booze and eagerly waiting to be airborne to pull it out and take a swig. THANK GOD, I did not spill the beans and join the P.L.O.- P.W.W.C. T.- Presidential List of Potential Wackos With Conspiracy Theories.

Moral of the story? Air travel causes stress. Weird acting people cause stress. These terroristic times cause stress and when they collide they can add up to trouble. How does this relate to "Shoot To Kill" or "Kill To Wound"?

Well, IF Mr. Sweaty had really had a bomb, I know the only real option would be for Mr. Secret Service to Shoot To Kill - preferably a bullseye headshot, because shooting only to wound would of gave Mr. Sweaty time to find his package on the floor, get under the seat while we all scrambled to get him, and he SURELY could of detonated the bomb! Bye, Bye Plane, Jovan, Secret Service, Mr Sweaty and Mr. President.

So, given a REAL VERBAL BOMB threat and an uncontrollable passenger who would not cooperate - SHOOT TO KILL. The good of 250 other lives on the airplane out weight the one.

TO Mr. American Airlines Air Marshall, You made the right choice for your charge - the passengers of the flight. I pray for your strength as the world puts you on display and the media "Shoots to Wound You", but in the end it's just paper cuts!

God bless America and God Bless YOU!