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Hmmm, the law says that an airline can remove passengers when the state of a flight is overbooked.  That flight where Dr. Dao was dragged down the aisle, the one that everyone thought was overbooked?

Er, OOPSIES!

Even The New Yorker, which understood that passengers were bumped for crew members, referred to the problem as an “overbooked” flight, clearly not understanding what overbooked actually means. (The only way the flight could have been overbooked would be if flights always have empty seats for unanticipated crew members to fly for free, which would defeat the purpose of overselling in the first place.)

The fact that the flight was not overbooked may seem trivial, or pedantic, but there is very important legal distinction to be made. There may not be a difference in how an airline (typically) responds when it needs additional seats, such as asking for volunteers who wish to give up their seat for a voucher or cash. But there is a legal difference between bumping a passenger in the instance of overselling a flight versus bumping a passenger to give priority to another passenger.

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This is its second season.  This was built around theme that during a Presidential address to the Congress, terrorists blow it up and just about everyone in the building dies – the Prez, the Veep, Senate and House Leadership and wipes out those institutions.  And thus, the Designated Survivor (a Cabinet member who was in the process of being “eased out”) is hurriedly given the Oath of Office.

It certainly is a novel theme – something rare coming out Hollywood these days that isn’t just some sitcom wound up to wind up and exist to bash Conservatives, especially those concerned with social issues.  It was one of the few (VERY few) network shoes that I would watch; I actually liked it! For a show about politics in DC, it stayed rather un-political. Except starting last week, it went full SJW-auto concerning

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“They said they’d put me in cuffs if they had to.”

“I asked if he’ll ever fly United again….Fearns could only laugh. “Are you kidding?””

Yep, another “United beats its customers” story. I’m quite sure that we’ll be hearing about these stories for a while of paying passengers being hauled off jets for no fault of their own. Look, I know that “stuff happens” and in this case, a late “change of equipment” (i.e., swapping out of a plane, usually from a larger to a smaller one) caused this episode.  I’ve been on segments where because of this, formerly first class passengers went BESERK simply because the First Class cabin lost a good chunk of its seats and they had to sit in economy.  That said, no one was ever hauled off the plane (reformatted, emphasis mine):

Fearns, 59, is president of TriPacific Capital Advisors, an Irvine investment firm that handles more than half a billion dollars in real estate holdings on behalf of public pension funds. He had to fly to Hawaii last week for a business conference. Fearns needed to return early so he paid about $1,000 for a full-fare, first-class ticket to Los Angeles. He boarded the aircraft at Lihue Airport on the island of Kauai, took his seat and enjoyed a complimentary glass of orange juice while awaiting takeoff.

Then, as Fearns tells it, a United employee rushed onto the aircraft and informed him that he had to get off the plane. “I asked why,” he told me. “They said the flight was overfull.”

And then the lie came out.

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“The way the progressive left runs is that if they can’t get it passed, they’re just going to put it in some sort of regulation in an agency. That’s all going to be deconstructed.” – Trump’s strategist, Steve Bannon

My senior US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, is mad as a hornet over this as she sees Government from which “all blessings flow” from the top down instead of letting individuals bless each other freely outside of the constraints of rules and regulations.  Over at Big Government is a list of 20 items that Trump has done to keep his campaign promises.   First, this, which MUST be putting Shaheen on her knees, bawling like a toddler and puddling up the floor:

White House estimates show that the regulations that Trump has already repealed will save approximately $10 billion over the next ten years or $1 billion per regulation.

As Doug used to say, “every dollar is precious” to Progressives and Trump is aiming to take more than $10 billion from her command and clutches.

• In January, Trump signed an executive order that would cut two regulations for every new regulation proposed. Trump stated, “If there’s a new regulation, we have to knock out two.”
• President Trump signed an executive order advancing construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, previously blocked by the Obama administration. Subsequently, the Trump administration approved the construction of both pipelines.
• Trump signed an executive order in February known as “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda.” The order will create regulatory watchdogs that will find new onerous regulations to eliminate. Trump said that “every regulation should have to pass a simple test: Does it make life better or safer for American workers or consumers? If the answer is no, we will be getting rid of it and getting rid of it quickly.”

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I am so tired of hearing the “let them break our immigration law” musty heads mantra on “it is not illegal to be here, it’s only illegal to enter without documentation”.  Well GUESS WHAT!  New US Attorney General Jeff Session has been making that into the dust it always deserved – and now is doubling, TRIPLING down on the Rule of Law and do what the last two Presidents refused to do and actually enforce the law with this:

Sessions Announces Illegal Aliens Who Illegally Re-Enter The U.S. Will Be Charged With a Felony

Well, that pretty much takes that argument away from those that have refused to see that adhering to The Rule of Law is part of the American Exceptionalism philosophy that NO ONE is above or beyond the law. Emphasis mine:

Speaking from the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced major changes to Justice Department protocol when it comes to charging and prosecuting illegal aliens.

“For those that continue to seek improper and illegal entry into this country, be forewarned:  This is a new era.  This is the Trump era.  The lawlessness, the abdication of the duty to enforce our immigration laws and the catch and release practices of old are over,” Sessions said.

Details?  BOOM!

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SHOT: Report: GOP Leaders May Exclude Border Wall Funds In Next Years Budget

The creation of a border wall along our southern border continues to be something president Trump really wants to make happen.

However, a new report indicates that federal funds for Trump’s border wall may not be included in the House GOP’s budget for Fiscal Year 2017-2018. The border wall is estimated to cost upwards of $12 billion, and House Democrats, along with a few House Republicans, are doing everything they can to ensure that funding is not factored into the GOP budget….Ahead of the decision to include the funds or not, House Speaker Paul Ryan indicated that border wall funding would not be included in the GOP budget

CHASER:  Why does the GOP keep giving its base reasons to NOT vote for them?

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