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ACTION DETROIT |
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Detroit Metropolitan Airport News ***Page 2 = MARCH 2003============================================
The Detroit Metropolitan Airport News Inc.
Founders
Allison Scott/
Wayne and Marilyn Schriber
Editor Publisher
Patrick Novack
Lead Local Feature Writer
Tom Yates
Life Columnist
Doug Merriman
Entertainment
Susan B.
Motown Moves
K.Loni Yates
Horoscopes
Clara’s House of
Cosmic Energy
Graphic / Comic Artist
Joe Conforti
Ad Sales Representative
Erick Whalin
734-992-2828
734-992-2828
Office
www.dtwnews.com
Email:
editor@dtwnews.com
Location:
10255 Middlebelt
Suite 100
Romulus, Michigan 48174
Deadline is the 25th of every month. Current run of our 4 column tabloid is at
45,000+ Issues
Annual Mailed
Subscription Rate: $39
DMAN is distributed free to the employees of the companies operating at DTW, public travelers and surrounding businesses of the community. DMAN is a independently owned newspaper. It is published in the interest of the DTW airport community and is neither owned nor subsidized by the DTW Airport Board, the airlines or other tenants of DTW Airport. DMAN is supported by its advertisers and its policies are made and maintained solely by its owners. Veiws and/or opinions implied or otherwise expressed are those of the individual writers, columnist or advertisers and not neccisarly that of D.M.A.N., its owners or staff.
DMAN also reserves the right to refuse any advertising.
Proud Member of the Greater Romulus
Today was a proud day and I let everyone know. We produced 45,000 copies of our Jan. and Feb. issues and found ourselves still running out. That makes us the fastest growing free tabloid, newspaper or entertainment magazine in the area.
We had a record 22 new businesses request to be added to our distribution routes through- out January. From Main Street Belleville to Woodward Ave., Downtown Detroit.
While we try to get to all that made requests, we find that we can only grow so fast. We managed to get about half of them new racks. And to those that we were unable to include for this month, we hope to get you added in the months to come.
Oh but hold on, theres more...
I would like to take a moment to thank all of you that have entered the Ultimate Night Out Give-away. We’ll have to chalk that one up as a success. We started receiving entries on February 2nd, one day after we started distribution.
Congratulations to our three winners for this month. You can find them on page 19. And if you weren’t one of this month’s winners, don’t worry, you’ll have a second chance to win on March 20th.
I’m also proud of our web site stats, with 13,358 hits for December of 2002 and 17,554 hits for January 2003. Now I’m honest, so I should mention that I suspect about half of those
Thoughts from the Editor
might be people seeking the airports official web site. (we do have a link).
We will continue to strive to bring to you an interesting and informative publication. Thank you for your patronage.
On another note... I would like to wish Tom Yates the best of wishes and a get well soon. He has been ill this month, hence the absence of his feature story this month. We expect him back for next month’s issue though, so be sure to check in on us.
Patrick Novack
Editor@dtwnews.com
Please Leave Your
Baggage Unlocked
Hey, everybody! Imagine this, if you will: You roll up at DTW early, edgy, ready and raring to go wherever it is your deep discount internet ticket is taking you. You bounce- step to the ticket counter, check-in, identify yourself (with two pieces of I.D., preferably a Driver’s License and a Voter’s Registration Card, or a Passport; if you’re not on any FBI/CIA/INS watch list). As you prepare to check your luggage, things really get interesting. After you wrestle it onto the scale, the ticket agent looks at you, smiles and benignly asks you the cursory safety questions. Then they finish with, “By the way. Please leave your checked baggage unlocked. For safety precautions.” At least that is what they tell you.
Now, I do not know about you, and I do not pretend to even know. But I’m a little pissed at having to leave my checked baggage unlocked, slammed onto a conveyor belt, watch it swallowed up by the Great Conveyor Belt Demon, consigned to the nether regions of the bowels of the airport to land at the feet of an anonymous DTW
employee who has been trusted to go through all of my stuff!! Despite the USA Patriot Act, the personal freedom infringing love child legislation of that idiot John Ashcroft, I find that particular prospect a little disconcerting. No, take that back! I find that a lot disconcerting!!
Whatever happened to those multibillion-dollar super secret x-ray machines that could look into your luggage and tell where you packed your dirty underwear? What is the purpose of having them if a ramp rat is still going to go through my stuff? And without me there? Not only am I having my privacy violated, I’m having it violated under duress of being unpatriotic (whatever the hell that means) if I say, whoa, hey, wait a moment. Leave all of my check-in baggage unlocked? So, it can be checked out of my sight? What moron thought this one up?
I know that there will be folks who will say, “But this is for our own safety?” And (this one is my favorite) “The government knows best.” Really? There are enough safety procedures currently in effect and in place to ensure the safety of everyone who flies either for pleasure or business. Already, the Federal Government requires everything from a passenger with the exception of a DNA sample. And can that be far behind? Why do they need to re-examine my carry-on luggage out of my
presence?
Who know the ultimate consequences of the abuse of that kind of access to your personal property? What will the Ramp personnel or the TSA’s help themselves to? Who knows how much of your stuff will turn up missing? If the government has covertly targeted you as an enemy of the state, what will they put in your luggage (Somehow, I don’t believe the answer, ‘I don’t know how that got in there’ will fly)? How will you be able to dispute the allegation? After all, your check-in luggage was out of your sight. And it was unlocked, your Honor!
Think of the chaos to ensue when you arrive at your destination, only to discover that your carefully stashed porno collection, your blow-up doll and your list of seditious literature have turned up missing. Not to mention the compromising photographs of you and all sorts of unsavory characters that has suddenly appeared next to your shaving gear.
Get the picture? John Ashcroft may be orgasmic about this latest creeping demise of our constitutional right to privacy, but I find the whole thing a despots delight. Do something about it! write your Congressperson or Senator. If they are looking for AlQueda and his buddies, they certainly will not find them hiding in my checked baggage….
In Your Face
with Doug Merriman
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Detroit Metropolitian Airport News, www.ActionDetroit.com
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