Crane's Corner

I’ve been a daily coffee drinker since my college days and if I miss a cup, I get cranky. That's partly the caffeine, but it’s also the ritual of getting the day started with a warm beverage that officially separates you from a night's sleep and directs your brain to move forward. Coffee by itself...not the half soy milk double shot caramel latte with extra whip cream is not only good for clearing the cobwebs, it’s a powerful beverage that has a number of  health benefits. According to WEB MD, “Studies have shown that it may reduce cavities, boost athletic performance, improve moods, and stop headaches — not to mention reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, liver cancer, gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver, and Parkinson’s diseases,” 

According to another web source, the business minded daily report LADDERS, the way you take your morning Joe says a lot about your personality. One study of 2000 coffee drinkers found most who took their coffee on ice were introverts who enjoy traveling. Those of us who take it hot are more outgoing and have a good sense of humor. Which takes its leave when I walk into Starbucks and wait 10 minutes for a simple cup of black coffee because the Latte Ladies and the espresso shot jockeys are keeping Basel the Barista way too busy to just fetch a cup of coffee. 

Starbucks made two marketing decisions which, if it were up to me, would put the ubiquitous chain out of business. They stopped carrying French Roast, my blend of choice and they stopped carrying artificial sweetener, which is my preferred post roast ingredient, Why 86 French Roast but leave Pikes Place, which tastes like the bastard child of Folgers and used Mobil 1. Coffee prices like everything else are heading higher, but coffee is not the place to economize. 

The best bang for the buck and the palate is delivered by a local outfit, Rogers Coffee Company. 2 and a half pounds of whole bean French Roast for about 15 bucks. Used to be a Costco only item, but it’s now offered at the better grocery stores. If I leave California..or should I say when I’ll ask Mr, Rogers to ship it to my new neighborhood, I’m a bit of a coffee snob I suppose. I don’t like a brew that came out of a can and that's served in styrofoam cups, but if I’m not brewing my own, or spending for a premium cup that's what I usually wind up with. 

Drinking that stuff is a last resort, and enough of it can probably cause some of the maladies a good cup of coffee now prevents. Decaf? The beverage equivalent of kissing your sister. As for flavored coffees and lattes, I don’t need an umbrella drink first thing in the morning. Oh, I’m not the only person who takes coffee seriously. Back in the 17th Century, the guy then running the Ottoman Empire would put coffee drinkers to death, believing it was a drug that made people have big ideas, like overthrowing the Emperor. 

Today, coffee is a 2 billion dollar a year commodity, second only to crude oil, although at some greasy spoons and radio newsrooms they are one in the same. Coffee is served in all 50 states, but the coffee bean--which is actually a fruit, is only grown in one--Hawaii, Kona Coffee is pretty good, if you can’t get French Roast.

It was in the spring of 2020 as Covid 19 began hitting America and the world with a vengeance. It soon became clear that the virus--with no vaccine available, was spreading fast, potentially deadly to the elderly, the sick and those with underlying conditions. It also became clear that this was a very unique situation. For one thing, no one could or would agree on the source of human infection for a virus that would soon morph into a pandemic. China, and those it bought off at The World Health Organization ran with the story of bats being sold at a wet market and dismissed with disdain any possibility that Co Vid began it’s world tour be leaking from a government lab in Wuhan China,

Also unique, an inability of the Trump administration to offer reassurances or real leadership; partly because President Trump dismissed Co Vid 19 as your basic asian flu, derisively calling it the  “China virus” and partly because the national media hated Donald Trump, under reporting his positives and over reporting, with snickering commentary anything that didn’t fit the media agenda, which usually had a calendar item called attack Trump.

Quick to make a pandemic political, two loud voices--one on each coast. As democrats Andrew Cuomo and Gavin Newsom were de facto media darlings, with strong party bloodlines. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, the son of the great political orator Mario Cuomo, who was once married to a Kennedy, and in California that liberal stalwart Gavin Newsom, nephew of America’s ten most powerful Democrat Nancy Pelosi Speaker of The House,

Scared and starved for leadership==from any party...constituents on each coast and lots of folks in the middle mistook the pathological need for ego gratification for real leadership. 

Hypnotized by these two elected charlatans, my former radio colleague who predicted on air on morning  that the 2024 Presidential election was all but oliver--either Cuomo or Newsom would top the ticket, the runner up would be the slotted VP---resulting in a runaway win for the Democrats. Day after day, night after night, there was Cuomo sitting at an expensive desk in Albany clad in either a polo shirt or a nylon golf jacket, both embroidered with the state seal and the name Governor Andrew Cuomo. Like some tinhorn dictator Cuomo would read out daily stats, number of infections, hospitalizations and the all important new rules for coping with a pandemic, like destroying the economy or mixing freshly released covid infected patients into nursing homes contributing directly to the deaths of at least 15 thousand residents. Then there were the draconian shutdowns of bars, restaurants and many businesses state wide, triggering bankruptcy’s vast unemployment and costly migration of New York City residents.

Amazingly Cuomo has been more or less acquitted of this political genocide, instead forced to resign because several women in and out of his administration either didn’t get or refused to agree to an unwritten rule that their bodies were property of the Governor.

But even with his bloodlines, Cuomo’s political career is just like many 2020 NY nursing home patients. Dead.

Here in California, Newsom spared us the stupid momgrammed governor gear, but used what should have been a short emergency declaration as a license to to whatever the hell he wanted. Shutting down an economy, lecturing people to stay home from church, basically treating the bill of rights like a hungry baby treats a diaper.

While we mere peasants were told what to do and when, a maskless non distancing Newsom was wining and dining in close quarters--while a lobbyist picked up the tab at one of the priciest restaurants in the state. Blessed by a boatload of federal dollars, Newsom managed to not just balance the budget but amass a honey of a surplus...more at www.edcranescorner.com/blog-page/

Over the years there have been political hacks, immoral scalliwags and outright thieves leading the 50 states, and outside of waiting till they term out or sadly, political assasination, the way Kentucky Governor Bill Goebel left office, the only way to end their in office tyranny is to recall them,  Not every state has that procedure on the books, and voters in the 20 that do have found breaking up is hard to do. It’s only happened twice. North Dakota voters sent Lynn Frazier packing in 1921 and California showed Gray Davis the door in 2003.

Well shaky as the national recall effort may be, the latest polls show it’s even money that Gavin Newsom’s first agenda item on September 15th is to call Allied Van Lines. A simple majority..anything north of 50 percent of those voting Yes on the question of removing him from office and Gavin goes. Love him or hate him, Newsom has been a political lightning rod, He will tell anyone who will listen, among them Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Newsom’s Auntie the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that the recall effort is nothing but a plot by quote “dangerous” Trump partisans who demonize California's people and values.

Well those so called partisans have convinced at least 2 million of the demonized to sign on to the Get Gavin Out movement. Win or lose the state is spending 276  million dollars on the recall effort. It’s a scandalous amount of money. Or is it? California cons pummeled the EDD out of a billion dollars in benefits under Gavins watch. Without even a text to legislators the Governor ordered massive supplies of masks and other PPE, wiring nearly a billion dollars to a company that made large contributions to his first campaign. He cut 150 million dollars for fire protection while allowing early parole to many of the inmates who would otherwise be on the fire lines this summer. Losing Newsom falls under the heading of addition by subtraction.

The recall is a two part ballot deal. Part 1 should the Governor stay or go. If the yays have it, Gavins is gone and we move on to question 2. If the Nays prevail, Newsom’s our alleged leader at least through 2022.

Should the recall prevail, it gets interesting. Voters will be charged with voting for 1 of 46 candidates. Some have political experience, most don’t. One of the most experienced, ex Congressman Doug Ose left the race after suffering a heart attack. The gubernatorial wannabe’s include a several ex politicians one woman who used to be a man, a bunch of people few voters have ever heard of  who declined to supply their views on any issue and in some cases failed to provide a photo or party affiliation,  and a longtime radio talk show host with no political experience. That would be Larry Elder, a black conservative who is making California’s political and media regulars anywhere from scared to outraged.

Elder’s using what I’ll call the prevent offense. He’s sitting on his lead, knowing as little as ten percent of the vote will be enough to make him Governor Elder, After a couple of brief meetings with the editorial boards of the states major urban newspapers, Larry’s put the lid on. No longer taking questions from reporters and refusing to participate in 4 sanctioned debates that drew many of his opponents,

He’s refused to turn over his tax returns and without giving a number states that his income derives from his own company LAURENCE A ELDER AND ASSOCIATES, which could be a clearing house for his Salem Radio salary, commercial endorsements, speaking fees and who knows what else, Well his CPA probably, but he’s not talking.

Tipped by one opponent last week that there’s more than one skeleton hanging in the elder closet, I did a little digging. Conclusion? Larry’s playing Rope A Dope...more at www.edcranescorner.com/blog-page/

America has a serious problem. The Problem resides in Delaware but will be spending the next 3 years and a few months in Washington DC, where even though he is a serious problem he somehow managed to get elected President. Every president is a problem to somebody, because administrations policies usually help some group or groups and adversely affect others. So far the problems  policies have confused most of the nation, on the subject of CO Vid 19, they’ve angered the energy industry and it’s workers, as the problem began an offensive away from fossil fuels, just months after President Trump declared America energy  independent.

The problem quickly ended the Keystone Pipeline project, and was amazed months later that gas prices have been skyrocketing on his watch. What did the  problem do--reassess what we need to bring back our energy independence. Nope. He declared America will stop making and selling fossil fuel powered vehicles by 2030, but in the meantime the problem urged OPEC to boost production to bring the price down. That's not likely to happen, as OPEC should never be confused with the United Way, The Make A Wish Foundation or any other good charity.

The problem’s immigration policy, is just this side of chartering Southwest planes to bring anyone who wants in--to get in for free.T he problem should know that the lack of a fair but firm immigration policy is a problem for  his constituents in the southwest, where the Problem’s  letting anyone into the county, regardless of their status. Some may be refugees, some may be criminals, some may just be looking to make better money in the estados unidos, then they’ve been making in Mexico or Honduras or wherever they used to call home, I know, we’re a nation of immigrants, but when Emma Lazarus wrote about the huddled masses yearning to breathe free in 1883, she didn’t factor in the cost  welfare benefits, driver license id cards and the illicit narcotics trade’s infiltration of the U-S..another word a wave of new criminal guest workers. The problem also hasn’t got any points for his economic prowess, inflation is here, co vid shutdowns may turn it south again, and what has the problem done? Manage to come with the democrats 3 trillion dollar Santa list which does provide some money for American Highways, but ear marks the rest for things like preschool and abortion mills in foreign countries and other really non necessary programs.

Until last week, as President, the problem had made some dumb mistakes as I’ve alluded too. But he didn’t become a problem until he decided to end America’s 20 year military presence in Afghanistan in about 20 minutes,

To say the plan was not well thought out is an understatement, Opening a line of SnowMobile Dealerships in Miami would be better thought out.

Chicago Food Banks and Churches passing out AR 15’s to young people over the holidays would be better thought out,

The problem, apparently working on his legacy like the rest of us do a crossword puzzle wants to be The President who got us out of Afghanistan, even though he was on the team that escalated the U-S Presence there,

After 9-11, then President Bush deployed troops to Afghanistan with a very direct mission. Find Bin Laden, architect of the 9-11 attacks, and kill him if possible and while you’re there kick some Taliban butt, so they stop leaving the light on for Al Queda and other muslim militants who hate America,

In about two months we neutralized the Taliban who asked for a peace treaty. We didn’t bomb them back to the stone age..that's about where they live. By 2011 Bin Laden was out of the terror business on account of death. His followers were gone too---so Obama should have declared game over---US wins and brought the troops and equipment home. But no, once again our government decided to go the nation building route...more at www.edcranescorner.com/blog-page/

His name was Don La Fontaine, a professional announcer who made millions cornering the Movie Trailer market some years back. Had he lived, he’d probably be scaring us with this promo:

“Just when you thought it was safe to unmask..to raise a glass on a flight to Cleveland...comes the return of CO VID. It’s no match for bleach, or Trump and probably not Newsom---but now it’s back..and coming soon to a hospital near you..Should you get a booster shot from Pfizer--or throw down 2 or 3 from Jose Cuervo??’

After shutting down much of the world in 2020---despite a vaccine delivered at warp speed----CO VID 19 and it’s viral kinfolk is making a big comeback..shutdowns are back...Dr. Fauci’s Co Vid wisdom is about as reliable as his pitching arm. Joe Biden’s doing his best Wizard of Oz impersonation and Kamala Harris is wishing she was in Kansas or California..anywhere but Texas or DC. Now to be fair I know about as much about globe trotting viruses as fat bar flies who lost a wad on the Raiders on Sunday grasp the nuances of an NFL Defense on Monday morning.

To those who took the shot---yes I did..if Bill Gates did manage to sneak in a tracking chip in that needle I didn’t even feel, well I’ll forgive him for the Windows phone and the Vista Operating system. 

The conspiracy theories espoused by people who prefer a Reynolds Wrap baseball hat to reality would be hilarious if the virus wasn’t so damaging. Yes, it's killing people who would rather roll the dice with a nasty pathogen made in China rather than a fairly effective deterrent made in a lab or labs along the East Coast or the U-K.

Don’t look now but the masks are back in a growing number of cities and counties. Things are looking so desperate for Gavin of Newsom, he’s picking his own pocket--ordering the always reliably corrupt and shameful teachers union---to get with the program..bringing a mask along with the revisionist history they dole out to your kids.

I’m more angry with Joe Biden’s billion dollar infrastructure heist than somebody ordering me to wear a mask. It’s no big deal really---and as far as I know neither Batman, Zorro, The Lone Ranger or well known NHL Goalies caught Co Vid--let alone died of it.

Anyone who was there and I was, cannot forget the horrors of 9-11. It was at once, among the most beautiful, crisp fall days one could behold, nice enough to numb New York briefly to the horror that would come.Gotham..at the height of a weekday rush hour is loud; a cacophony of assorted noise--traffic honking horns, a police whistle, pedestrian chatter, the sales pitch of street entrepreneur moving on any given day their allotment of newspapers, umbrellas, counterfeit scarves, watches, and bags and other assorted swag. There is the rumble of the subways and the always changing ethnic soundtrack of the city, salsa on this block, rap around the corner, showtunes down Broadway. Yet on this crisp morning, the noise you expected to hear was shattered by siren, not one or two, but many signaling a disaster in decibels, the alarming noise--seemingly screaming from all directions, would persist as the grimmest of days for New York, America and much of the world unfolded. On that busy morning, 45 hundred jetliners were flying various routes above the US bringing business people together...transporting others to or from a vacation destination---4 of those planes...packed with innocent travelers and suicidal terrorists were unwitting missiles or bombs crashing into the iconic World Trade Center Towers, the pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field. Before morning gave way to noon...some three thousand lives were lost, and the world as we knew...would never quite be the same. The dead, or pieces of them have long been laid to rest, a new larger skyscraper, The Freedom Tower finally filled in the gaping hole in Lower Manhattan, Thousands of family and friends of victims have moved on. Yet at a time when many who were just babies when the planes attacked, yell about defunding the police this is no time for those of who know better to keep quiet.

340 NY City firemen, two paramedics and a department chaplain died on 9-11. 71 uniformed police officers, first responders all died doing their job, trying to save others against all odds. Many of those who didn’t die that day but who worked for weeks on the toxic debris pile, would later pay a terrible price. Cancer and other respiratory ailments are known to have killed scores of police and firefighters, exposure to the poisonous debris is suspected of sickening hundreds of others.

I knew some of them, last night a 20 year old tee shirt brought back memories of one. A man named Terry Farrell. One of the finest and the bravest. Terry, not just content to serve as a U-S Marine served as both a police officer and a firefighter in New York City. I met Terry one Sunday morning in the late 90’s in church. His son TJ and my son Timmy were grade school pals. Terry was built like a college linebacker. His smile could light up a room and his handshake made you wonder if he’s broken a few small bones. Yours,  After 20 years on the job, the decorated NY Police Officer retired and joined the NY City Fire Department, telling his wife Nora, it would be a lot less dangerous. In some houses it probably was, not at Rescue 4, the elite NY City firehouse that got the big jobs, the impossible jobs, the sometimes deadly jobs. The Firehouse that employed the best including Terry Farrell.

A few months before 9-11 Farrell and his Rescue 4 team arrived on the scene of a multi alarm arson fire at a Queens paint factory, It was Fathers Day 2001. Three firefighters died. When Terry came home his wife Nora begged him to quit. He compromised, telling her he would put his papers in at the end of the year.

On Tuesday September 11, 2001, Terry Farrel and his Rescue 4 colleagues got the call and raced across Queens and into the the burning World Trade Center, no one knows how many lives he saved or how many stairs he climbed to help others, what was known later is that Terry Farrel died when the Tower collapsed pinning him and others under tons of fiery debris...more at www.edcranescorner.com/blog-page/

It’s only one poll, but it’s a shocker. A survey of 11 hundred Californians, conducted by Surveys USA and The San Diego Union Tribune shows voters are not only poised to recall Governor Gavin Newsom, but by a wide margin. 49 percent want the Governor to Go, 40 percent want him to stay. That 11 percent of undecided voters could push Newsom out. 

In this 276 million dollar process, a bit less than 6 weeks away, voters are asked two questions. Should Newsom be recalled, and if that carries, who should take his place. Leading the pack of 46 candidates, a late entrant, and a surprising one; Larry Elder, an African American conservative radio talk show host and recurring guest on Fox News. Elder, an ivy league educated native of South Central L-A, says the fact he has no political experience is his strong suit, pointing to another political novice who did well by California, Ronald Reagan, who governed the state before rescuing America from Jimmy Carter and Iranian terrorists in 1980.

Elder has no fantasy of converting the mostly democrat current California government to his conservative agenda, but he believes his ability to veto progressive legislation can help turn California in the direction of common sense. His first priority is also high on the democrat agenda; easing the homeless crisis, Elder has been telling newspaper editorial boards on his first day in office he would declare a homeless emergency and suspend environmental rules to unleash developers to build housing for the displaced wherever it’s needed.

 He wants more charter schools and hopes to weed out lousy teachers through competition. Among the vaccinated,  Elder opposes mask and vaccination mandates saying if people don’t want to take the shot, it’s their right, while noting that if too many Californians don’t get on board, the state will be in the pandemic forever. Elder says the minimum wage should be zero---explaining that business people not only have the right to pay workers what they can afford to, they're smart enough to know labor costs are competitive, and will adjust as a function of the economy. He opposes abortion on demand, but says the question should be left to the states. Surprisingly he believes LBJ’s Great Society, designed to help black Americans out of poverty caused an explosion in welfare and the erosion of the traditional two parent family in the black community, which he sees as a national problem to this day.

If, as polls suggest Newsom’s sent packing and Elder’s the top vote getter will he be Reagan revisited or a non political disappointment like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Time will tell, but in the most expensive state to do business, a state with a failing education system and a draconian government that turns out hundreds of regressive and repressive laws each year, the view here is….let’s give Elder a chance.

Here we go again. 17 months after Co Vid 19 came roaring out of China--reportedly leaked from a lab whose research was partially being funded by the U-S, new cases are rising. Mandatory wearing of masks is coming back in Sacramento and a number of other California counties. The so-called infectious disease experts, who seem to change their view as often as most people change their underwear now warn CO VID 19 could be a constant unless the hordes of unvaccinated get the shots.

In California, 53 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. A bit more than the national average, which is around 50 percent. That number has stubbornly held steady 7 months after the vaccine’s roll out, and a few months after the tiered distribution, based on age and susceptibility to Co Vid have run their course.

To those of us who have been vaccinated, this is frustrating to say the least. As a connoisseur of Common Sense, I’m having a hard time understanding the reasons behind this vexing national problem. Despite 600 thousand reported Co Vid deaths, some Americans aren’t getting the shot because they don’t see the Co Vid threat as real. Others--and I have spoken to some refuse to get the shot because of politics; most, hard core Republicans think the Co Vid crisis was made up by democrats as a Health Crisis coup hatched to remove Donald Trump from office, Others say they’ll be damned if they’re going to get a shot on orders of the government. There’s a minority--but it seems to be growing that either fear the vaccine..developed in record time may have long term side effects, like infertility, Or---and I love this one---the vaccine isn’t really a vaccine at all--but a vehicle to deliver small tracking devices, so Bill Gates and others can track our every move.

Bringing up the rear, poor folks who can’t afford transportation to a drug store, grocery store or clinic that provides free shots; and legion of 20 somethings who can’t be bothered getting the shot because they’re pretty much bullet proof--and even if they did get the virus, it wouldn’t be much worse than a mild case of the flu. They’ve had hangovers that were worse.

It’s hard to argue with a lot of this nonsense. But let’s give it a try. If the democrats and the chinese worked a deal to use a vaccine to oust Donald Trump, it’s tough to believe the conspirators would be so cold blooded to allow the collateral damage. More than half a million deaths in the U-S and 4 million world wide. If the virus doesn’t exist, how come it’s been reported in every country in the globe, no conspiracy has global legs. The Co Vid shot came so fast, there must be something wrong with it? Technology has moved at light speed in a couple of decades. Computers fly commercial jets, in the palm of our hand we have devices that do everything but our laundry--let alone phone calls. Medical science has led to the transplant of organs and machines that literally keep the dead alive until organs or transplanted or grieving family members can say goodbye. Oh yeah--AIDS--the scourge of the 80’s is no longer a death sentence. The list goes on. As for the government can’t make me argue, I liken that to the seat belt mandate. You can’t be forced to buckle up. If the cops catch you driving restraint free, you’ll get a ticket. Big Deal. But you might hurtle through the windshield if there’s a collision. Much bigger deal.

Can’t get a ride to the clinic or drug store. You manage to get groceries and medicine. You could and should find a way.

It’s true that in rare cases, some fully vaccinated Americans have acquired Co Vid and some have died. But the number is less than one percent. Extremely rare--and health officials say, not unexpected. No vaccine is perfect. But Vegas wouldn’t be on Covid at odds that 99 percent of people will be just fine.  ...more at www.edcranescorner.com/blog-page/

I can’t say I rigidly obey every law on the books. Some are dumb. Others, just too tempting to break. Who among us on an empty freeway have defied the 55 mile per hour speed limit and edged up to 60 miles per hour or better? But the one law I don’t mess with is the one that seems to foil me anyway. 

Murphy’s law. Which basically states, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Usually at the worst possible time.  The other night, actually the early hours of the next day, Murphy hit me big time, and I was not alone.

Come think of it, even though I had nothing to do with what unfolded, I probably played right into Murph’s hands.

Last week I got some devastating news that a close family member, my cousin Mike, had died unexpectedly. There was no indecision, I was going to Mike’s hometown for the funeral. But there were a few challenges. Mike’s arrangements called for a viewing Tuesday night and a funeral and burial Wednesday morning. As I live in California and Mike died in Pennsylvania, there were some obvious travel logistics. My schedule, which called for an important commitment to be in Anaheim Thursday night, was another consideration. I thought I had it figured out. A Monday night red eye would get me into Philadelphia, a 90 minute drive from Mike’s hometown, around 9 AM, more than enough time to get there, take a nap and be right on time for the Tuesday night wake. Wednesday after the funeral there would be ample time to get back to the airport, return the rental car and make a 5 PM flight back, which would have me back on the ground at Sac International around 10:30 local time.

The plan did have a few variables out of my control--and as it happened they sent the whole trip out of control.

Monday night, I arrived at the airport just after 8 PM---plenty of time for a 10:08 departure. I had heard something about bad weather delaying some flights, but that was hours ago in Texas and Florida. The weather in California was clear and hot..nothing to delay a jet.

Uh Oh there on the board was the beginning of the end. The flight was delayed until 11. Which meant I would have a dicey connection in Charlotte, more like 45 minutes instead of the planned 2 hours. Well we didn’t board until 11:30 which only made things tricker. I could see gate agents, coming and going, flight attendants whispering, even ramp agents conferring with the cockpit crew. Then came something I’ve never seen in all my years of travel. The Captain said, much as he tried he could not summon two fresh pilots, a problem because he and the First Officer were running out of legal flight time, having been delayed by weather all day. And because they had about two hours of time and the flight to Carolina was 4 hours and change--this flight was cancelled.

Now what. What had begun perfectly last night...believe it or not I was all alone walking through security--was turning into a jet age nightmare. We were told to simultaneously claim our luggage and get in line to be re-booked. By the time I retrieved my bag, I was about number 110 in line to be rebooked. By then there were few options..none of them good that would get me to Philly on time. While on line, I checked out the airlines web site. If I hurried I could make a 12:40 departure for Dallas and a connection to Philly arriving at 3 PM. Not ideal, but better than nothing. Bag in hand, I raced to security..where I was questioned as to why I was going through for the second time in 4 and a half hours...I explained and was waved through..but the bottle of wine I had purchased at a shop past security was seized. It was legal when I bought it--dangerous contraband hours later. I sacrificed the Petite Sirah for the greater good. Racing to the gate I was told I could get a middle seat to Dallas but the second flight to Philly was sold out... more at www.edcranescorner.com/blog-page/

Yes, it really was 25 years ago that flight 800 was literally blown out of the sky.  230 people would perish that fateful day off Long Island and it was a horrific scene for many days.  It would take an additional 4 years to get any sort of conclusive closure, if you believe the final outcome of one of the most laborious tasks of reconstruction of any aviation disaster.  The story is told here with the journalist that spent all four years covering the story to it's end, Pat Milton.  She also authored the book,  "In the Blink of an Eye" which tells her story of covering the crash over the four years it took to come to a final verdict.  For more on Crane's Corner, visit www.edcranescorner.com