While I'm Thinking About It

Because some things should have to go unsaid.

Let us presume, for the moment, that you are in charge of a national airline. This particular airline services an airport in a city that has had severely unusual winter weather that has led to the cancellation of a number of flights over the past week or so. Got all that?

It is now late morning on Christmas Eve. You have a plane loaded with passengers bound for Chicago, at which point several will transfer and continue on to their final destinations. Let's say, for the sake of argument, Whichita. There are people aboard this plane who were supposed to have left Portland days ago, in order to be with their families during the run-up to the Christmas holiday. There is no shame in canceling flights for safety reasons.

THERE IS, HOWEVER, AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF SHAME IN HAVING THE PLANE EMPTIED OF ALL PASSENGERS IN ORDER TO SEND IT, EMPTY, TO SEATTLE!

SHAME ON YOU, UNITED AIRLINES!

Ahem.

Whoever at UNITED AIRLINES was responsible for that decision, know that you kept my sister's husband from getting to see his parents on Christmas. You kept them from seeing their granddaughters. You know, in certain older civilized cultures, when men failed as entirely as you have, they would throw themselves on their swords. Since I do not have one with me, and in fact am not speaking to you directly, all I can do is point to my readership.

Folks, as near as I can tell, there is no reason to ever fly United Airlines again. Still a lot of airlines out there, and a quick check of Travelocity suggests that a lot of them even go the same sorts of places United goes. And, when this boycott starts to have an impact, if I have any fans in the federal government, I would appreciate it an awful lot if they not get a bailout.

And, on that cheerful note, have a very merry Christmas, everyone! I'm deliberately invoking the Midnight Rule for tomorrow, so as to enjoy the day, and as a result the next strip will be up sometime Friday afternoon.