Scott Zacky on Keith Olberman's "Countdown."

Zacky was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight (Oakland-LAX). He boarded the SWA B-737 wearing a t-shirt that said "Good Bush - Bad Bush." The picture of a "good bush" was a crisp, black triangle of female pubic hair. The picture of a "bad Bush" was George W. Bu$h. Who was offended? One of the pilots! Zacky complied with the request that the t-shirt be covered up with an outer shirt. He was kicked off the flight when he asked a flight attendant how to file a complaint.

Fee, fie, foe, fum
I smell a pilot from Christendom

When are these pilots gonna learn? Fly the damn airplane! My rules, as an airline captain, were:

1. During the boarding process, avoid contact with the passengers. If it is not too hot, keep the cockpit door shut. The captain and the first officer have better things to do than deal with passenger problems.

2. Minimize PA announcements. People sleep on airplanes. They don't want Captain DemoTex giving a cross-country travelogue during the movie and/or their siesta.

3. Never, ever, go into the cabin during flight for any kind of disturbance or mis-behavior. An injured pilot constitutes an emergency situation (and the paperwork is awesome!).

4. Stay in the cockpit during the de-planing. Greeting the passengers is an ego trip .. normally done after an exceptionally good landing. All of my landings were perfect (except for that time on runway 27 at BOS in an MD-80 - oh, and the B-737 landing at DCA in a 25 knot crosswind) and I don't need public comment from the passengers.

The Zacky case smacks of an over-zealous pilot. The pilot had been waiting for this. It made his/her (I want to lean toward "his") day.

They know damn well they'd better do a good job flying the plane. 'cause there ain't no "good lord" to bail them them out if they screw up.

Especially on a tight approach in blowing snow in Buffalo. Know what I mean, Vern?

G/P