Washington Post Article
Doug Hughes appears to be either a genius, a maniac, or both. Wednesday he pulled off a stunt that could have gotten him shot straight out of the sky: flying a gyro-copter through restricted airspace and onto the Capital's east lawn, carrying with him a cargo of roughly five-hundred letters each addressed to various Congress and House members, asking for reform.
The guy definitely has a crazy or dangerous side, considering the amount of risk it would be to fly an aircraft that weighs barely over 200 lbs into one of the most well-protected airspace in the world. Despite his warnings beforehand, he could have easily been mistaken for a militant or terrorist of some sort, and then gunned down before he could even get a chance to deliver his message...
Which is really the genius part. Hughes wanted to make a statement, a bold one, that he believed would change our country for the better, but he knew he alone couldn't do much to get the public's and the government's attention, unless he did something dangerous. Something outrageous. Our media today covers only the most phenomenal of news, the most morbid, and pulling off a stunt like this would certainly achieve the desired effect.
I personally think it was noble, and courageous for him to do something like this, basically a glorified protest. My only worry would be that it would end there: that it would be viewed as simply a gutsy stunt, that the news coverage will end with the verdict of his trial.
Unfortunately, I honestly wouldn't be surprised.
This was something new for me that I learned about our government this is a really good article and a very interesting read.
ReplyDeleteWow, this guy has guts, we have to give him that! Even though I think he could have gone about the protest in a better way, it's good to see that our government is finally going to be under more pressure to actually do something.
ReplyDeleteAlthough he pulled off his stunt successfully, I think it's alarming on how he was able to fly for so long and land successful in one of the most protected airspaces in America. I think it's a sign for America to reevaluate their security issues.
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