Oh, this pair. They have the power, and we peons must do as we’re told. Except it doesn’t work that way. Protocols are there for a reason. What this whole thing is about is ridiculous and does remind us of the actual terrible twos. We actually *aren’t* here to serve their every whim. They need to grow up and get over themselves. Thank you, Raw Story:
Additional details have emerged about a mid-flight showdown between Homeland Security advisor Corey Lewandowski that led to a Coast Guard pilot’s firing — and immediate reinstatement. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the purchase of two new Gulfstream jets at a cost of $170 million to replace the Coast Guard aircraft that had been used to ferry her predecessors, a move some Coast Guard officials viewed as unnecessary and expensive. But two DHS officials told NBC News that a senior DHS official instructed military officials to keep their concerns to themselves.
Heh. Noem and Lewandowski are quite the high-and-mighty pair. They have the egos but not the skills to match. We need to pity whoever they have on staff, because they must be a bear to work with and for. It’s surprising we haven’t heard screaming from anyone except the Terrible Two. It’s hard to imagine being in that job and suddenly thinking they are Very Important. Let’s spin the slot machine and watch it come up lemons.
“We were kept completely out of the loop on those Gulfstreams,” said one of those DHS officials. “I wanted to know what money they used for those Gulfstreams. But basically, we were shut down.” Noem clashed last year with Coast Guard staff after the Coast Guard plane she’d been flying on broke down, and she had to use a backup jet to return to Washington, D.C. — an incident that blew up into a major story last week, highlighting concerns about her leadership.
“Typically, government planes that are used for members of the executive branch’s travel are returned to what is called a ‘sterile state‘ after each flight, which includes the removal of all personal items of the individuals who had traveled on it,” a U.S. official told NBC. “But Noem liked the idea of keeping some personal items on board, including a heated blanket, for her convenience, so a storage cabinet on the aircraft was reserved for that purpose in a way that ran counter to typical protocols for most government aircraft.”
Yes, egos. And what money was taken from somewhere else that needed it more than a new plane? Isn’t it possible to do an interior refresh and standard maintenance? They most certainly do not need new Gulfstreams. Plus, how long will it take to build them? Having these fancy new planes for the last couple of months of your term is pointless. No wonder people are unhappy!
Noem realized that she had left behind her personal items, including the blanket, while flying on the backup jet, and Lewandowski berated the flight staff and threatened to fire them for failing to grab them from the broken-down craft, according to NBC’s sources. “The Coast Guard pilot came out of the cockpit to see what was happening,” NBC reported, “and Lewandowski insisted the plane return to where the broken-down jet was located to collect the secretary’s items, the U.S. official, the current Coast Guard official, and the former Coast Guard official said.”
“When the pilot refused, Lewandowski announced the pilot was relieved of duty, according to the U.S. official, the current Coast Guard official, and the former Coast Guard official,” the report added. “The pilot explained that if he were fired, he would need to land the plane immediately while another pilot was found to continue the mission to Washington, the U.S. official, the current Coast Guard official, and the former Coast Guard official said.” Lewandowski ultimately backed down, as the Wall Street Journal reported. A DHS spokesperson did not answer questions about the in-flight confrontation.
Good grief. Petty is an understatement. They really do need to get over themselves. Imagine being one of the people on that plane and having to listen to his horsepucky. It’s impressive that they didn’t just quit on the spot, except for the pilot, because *someone* has to fly. On the other hand, this might be minor compared to everything in basic training. But, nevertheless, the terrible two are in the news, again, and not for a good reason, again. See you soon!
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What a shame the pilot didn’t immediately land the plane at the nearest remote airport and just walk away.
A cool thought and he probably had things like that pop into his head. However unless he was done flying, at least making a living at it doing so would have been career suicide. While it’s arguable that he might have been ‘kidnapping’ them by taking them somewhere remote and dumping them he could legitimately be charged with doing so. Even if he beat the rap he’d have provided (again, legitimate) grounds for the FAA to revoke his commercial pilot’s license. You can be sure had the pilot treated this pair the way they deserved he’d be well and truly screwed.
Well, that’s just depressing. Ah, well, we can dream. I’d like to slap the two of them. A lot.
Yes, and Denis has a good point. But there’s nothing wrong with us *thinking* mean. 😉