Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Flying and a MUST read for all 3rd Worlders!

Northwest airlines almost got a clean bill of health from me. Until I missed a connecting flight. I could see it, but the lady had stopped boarding. This didn't make sense to me for several reasons. First, the flight was scheduled to depart its gate at 5:00pm. It was 4:55. I had been waiting at the counter for 2 minutes while she was inside the doors. I don't know how long before she had been in there with a closed door behind her. One might argue that since passengers are supposed to have boarded 15 minutes before, she is within her rights. I disagree. Why? Because I was a connecting flight passenger. My flight had been on the ground for at least 20 minutes, 7 of which we spent parked at our gate while waiting for the doors to be opened so they could let us disembark. So, if anyone had cared about customer care, they would be waiting for me at the counter because they are expecting me, still have time before the flight departs and they're sure the flight is at its gate, so they don't expect random delays by choosing to wait for me. More annoyingly, the connecting flight was only 1 gate away. They weren't concerned about the amount of time it would take me to get to the correct gate.

I'm convinced the fact that this was a flight where I had chosen to upgrade to first class played a role in this. First class space is limited and they are always trying to give these seats away to passengers that want to upgrade using their miles. So I assume that it was a good opportunity to do so. Either that, or flight crew going home also love to use the first class section and would jump at an opportunity to find a suddenly freed up seat. So the lady at the counter tells me my plane has left. I tell her it hasn't, just page the pilot and open the door. She spends a precious 60 seconds arguing and at that moment, the pilot backs off. I waste no more time arguing with her on this one. "get me home, today!" I bark at her. So she gives me some random new path journey that allows for 20 min between connecting flights. I flat out refuse to take it. I guarantee her that would be another opportunity for a missed flight since all their flights have landed and or disembarked late. So I sent her searching again. Eventually, she sends me back on the plane I just came in, back to where I came from. From there I can catch a flight back home. The only good news here is that this flight gets me home 1 hr earlier than her earlier proposed flight plus it gives 45 minutes between flights. Which it turned out I really needed as air traffic slowed us down midair.

I was too angry to sleep despite my very fatigued state. So I started reading. The book is "Confessions of an Economic Hit man" by John Perkins. At first sight this book seemed like a book that might tell me about how the author embezzled dollars or helped finish companies. So I thought I wouldn't be interested. But for no good reason at all, I picked it and read the back and what it was about. Well, it's about how the 4 main companies in America are working "privately" from the government to enrich certain families by economically crippling the targeted countries, the LDCs. This is their lingo, I guess used elsewhere as well for the Less Developed countries.

On September maybe 11, maybe 12, maybe 13, 2001, I was watching Discovery channel when they declared the Mau Mau to be early times Terrorists. I have never bought into the war against terror because of that. I have always wondered what Osama's side of the story was. However, I have always emphasized that his methods are wrong. That he is hurting the innocent, despite whatever provocation he might have. By page 10 of this book, I understood 2 things. I was right, Osama is a counter terrorist, not a terrorist. Additionally, the loss of innocent lives is related to the methods used by the original terrorists. The starving of nations to make them so poor that they can be easily manipulated. It leaves tons to die from hunger and disease. It's the reason why these group of people insist that there are no innocent people standing by their targeted areas. This is not specifically mentioned in the book. But it's easily deducible.

As far as this book goes, this is all I have to say. No one should consider themselves worthy of leading/ruling a 3rd world country without reading it. Additionally, the whole oil drilling situation going on in Kenya now, just as it starts to see the end of its debt plays perfectly into the methods employed by these knucklehead companies and their political counterparts. I would suggest it is stopped immediately.

This book will not be a shocker. Nothing so far fetched that you hadn't thought about before. It's beauty is in how much it seals the cracks in the jigsaw puzzle of manipulation of the 3rd world countries the world has become aware of. This book is also not a new release. Its newer in paperback but it has been out since 2004. I'm not even halfway reading this book but I have such clarity of issues, I'm amazed. The author has also bothered very much to provide reference materials one can look up in libraries and public records.

Pick this book up. read and be bothered. Be very bothered. More importantly be very aware of your actions and comments. Watch what your opinions are and what person from the west implanted them there. Read this book before you next allow yourself to criticize a government that said no to military bases and investment opportunities to the great US of A. Allow yourself to see how you too have already been used. Then edify yourself and become a better citizen.

6 comments:

Trybless said...

Funny I was first about just to comment about northwest airlines (by the way that airline sucks big time) really big time.
Now about that book, I will definately have to read it and I think its interesting to pursue that terminology counterterrorism, Africa is getting such a raw deal am suprised we dont have economical osamas over there. Just look at Zimbabwe

Anonymous said...

my thoughts are terror is terror no need to mix it with other emotions - mau mau were terrorists they terrorised kikuyus more than the whiteman as for the mau mau to this day i have not seen or read any manifesto or plan they had for kenya - the curriculmn in kenya (history esp) was designed to indoctrinate certain ideas in certain ideas. - what we mostly know about mau mau is a myth.

as for flying -- after 911 i hate flying i must be on a govt list somewhere

Anonymous said...

I have never been on northwest...I don't see myself ever using them, this is the second time i'm hearing about their service.

Great book, eye opener...What the 'US'/Company did in South America is vicious. Great read.

@Anon huh?

Anonymous said...

There is no conspiracy. If you are not onboard 15 minutes before the flight, you loose your seat. It has been this way for quite some time. Once they close out the flight and close the doors, you are quite out of luck. It is how their process works.

Anonymous said...

The policy is there to ensure a high on-time departure, and arrival record. The agents are measured by getting the flight out on time (actually before - so the flight can push back on time). It has nothing to do with cheating you out of a first class seat.
However, they should have waited the 2 min it took for you to make your connection.
a NW employee

Mimmz said...

@Msanii. So glad that you've read this book. And yes, to say the least, what they did in South America was just plain evil.

@Anonymous who is NW employee. Thanks for the heads up here. Might I note a very concerning factor here. It seems the goals of teh employees might be set to antagonize the needs of the customers. That would be a real red flag. Especially given that most people connecting with NWA were froever running to catch their connecting flights.

Having said that, on my way to where I was going, I had a connecting flight, was delayed and almost didn't make it. However, the attendant (male)at my connecting flight was waiting for me patiently. He actually said to me that he was glad I had made it and let me know in advance we would wait for 2 other passengers who were already on the ground. The flight eventually pulled out of the gate almost 10 minutes late. I wonder why he could extend us that courtesy given your explanation. And it's because of this previous experience that I was sure my experience on my return flight was completely unnecessary.