Tornadoes ravage America's south

The past week has brought hundreds of tornadoes sweeping through the south of the United States. The death toll stands at nearly 250 and continues to grow as the hours go by. Deaths have been reported in Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama. The latter being the hardest hit of them all, Alabama has confirmed more than 160 deaths due to the devastating storm system sweeping through the region.

The tornadoes spared no parts of the state, claiming the lives of 30 people in DeKalb County which is located in the northeast section of the state and another 18 in Franklin County situated in the northwest of the state. An unimaginable 66 tornadoes have been reported in Alabama to the National Weather Service, combined with a total of 137 reports throughout the south.

The National Guard has activated 2,000 troops to help search the devastated areas for the missing and injured. FEMA has responded and Alabama governor Robert Bentley has been engaged in communications with President Obama, who is expected to travel the state on Friday to assess the damage that has taken place.

At this time tornado watches still remain in effect for the country's south.

Obama authorizes use of armed drones in Libya

With it becoming harder by the day to distinguish friend from foe in Libya President Barack Obama today has authorized the use of armed predator drones within the country engulfed in combat. Unrest broke out in Libya two months ago when the people now defined as "rebels" began the overthrow of their much despised leader Muammar Gaddaffi, who has held on to power for an amount of time totaling more than four decades. Last month western allies along with NATO intervened to enforce a no-fly zone to stop the bombings of innocent civilians being perpetrated by the brutal Libyan government in a desperate attempt of clinging to power. Predator drones which have been used by the U.S. in other mid-eastern countries such as Pakistan have been a hot bed of controversy due to claims of civilians being killed and wounded by their attacks.


 The report of drones being issued for use in Libya comes from Defense Secretary Robert Gates who also states "The President has said that where we have some unique capabilities, he is willing to use those,"; prior to this authorization the U.S. had been using drones in Libya for surveillance reasons the difference is now that they are permitted to use deadly force on enemies and their compounds. These compounds include targets such as radar, missile, and air defense sites as wells as troops belonging to Gaddaffi. Predator drones have been a key tool to U.S. military operations since their conception because they allow a wider range of abilities compared to those of larger aircrafts. Gates also went on to say that the use of the drones would be a "modest contribution" to the allies in the fight against Gaddaffi.


 In my own opinion all options should be on the table to bring an end to the blood shed that has been going on since the fighting began. This is without a doubt the harshest and longest uprising that has taken place within the region this year. Unfortunately the actions in Libya may prove to be a diagram for other oppressive regimes that will fight off attempted revolutions by their citizens that grow tired of their way of living as the days go by. To the people of Libya I commend your courage and hope that your wishes are granted throughout the journey for freedom you have embarked on. 


For more on this story click here.

What's going with our nation's air traffic controllers?

Unless you have been living under a rock as of late then you heard all the mishaps of air traffic controllers across the country. In this year alone the FAA has reported seven different cases of a controller falling asleep while on the job. I also read an account of a controller caught watching a movie during their shift. Let's say you work at McDonald's and sneak a quick nap while on the job, what's the worst that could happen? I’d guess a backed up line, coworkers angry with you, and more than likely termination. Air traffic controllers don't flip burgers though; these people are responsible for the safe flight paths of numerous flights taking place simultaneously. Falling asleep on this job is more than just a minor infraction; you put a lot of lives at risk while in dream land. 

 Just recently things got a lot more serious than they already could be. On Monday a plane that First Lady Michelle Obama was on had to abort its landing after according to the NTSB "an air traffic controller had sequenced it too close to another military plane,". Imagine how those in charge were feeling after all this sudden scrutiny they were under, now times it by a thousand. This lapse wasn't just a commercial flight interrupted; we're talking about a flight carrying the leader of the free world's wife. It was also rumored by an unknown source to have as well been carrying Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden. FAA administrator Randy Babbitt appeared to be less than happy when he said "None of us in this business can tolerate any of this,", he described his self as being "infuriated" with the situations taking place as of late. 

 Bob Richards a former controller and author of the book "Secrets From The Tower" has said "I think inside the profession, everybody knows this goes on,” Really? I wish I could work in a "profession" where sleeping and fooling around on the job is considered standard knowledge. Now to be fair I have no experience when it comes to air traffic controlling nor does anyone that I know, but from the outside looking in I'm willing to guess there isn't much hard labor involved. So what causes such fatigue for someone to fall asleep while helping to navigate something as large as a plane? Maybe staring at a screen all day, believe me I know what can do to your eyes. Possibly it could be that it's not uncommon for a controller to work alone during a shift, the lack of another physical person around you could make it easy to doze off. I'm not making any excuses for these people because keep in mind according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the annual pay for an air traffic controller in 2009 was $109,000. That's a nice chunk of change especially when you consider the added perk of being able to take a nap while on duty.

 At the end of the day I'm with the FAA and NTSB on this one. The behavior of these air controllers is nothing short of unacceptable and downright unprofessional. It's good to know there are plans to overhaul how the systems works and make it more automated, which will take some of the load off the air controllers. As of today we are lucky to say this has not turned into a situation with fatal consequences and it very well could have in the blink of an eye. Hopefully those under the microscope right now are able to turn this thing around and get operations running as smooth and flawless as possible.

For more on this story, click here.