We now know that a mentally ill pilot murdered 149 innocent people this Tuesday. Investigators have learned he concealed his depression from his employer and coworkers. A doctor declared him unfit for work, and he had a sick note for the day of the crash, but he tore it up. It was found in his household trash.
Germany’s Bild newspaper reported on Friday that Lubitz had suffered from depression during a period when he broke off his training six years ago. It said he spent over a year in psychiatric treatment.
This guy pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes, and got away with it, until it was too late. In that respect, he reminds me a little of my brother, whom everyone thought was a happy-go-lucky guy, the life of the party, until the day he ate the whole bottle of pills all at once. It’s clear he did it intentionally; unlike the Germanwings pilot, my brother left a suicide note. At least he had no desire to hurt others and didn’t take anyone else with him.
It’s probably only a matter of time until some crazy person gets his hands on the nuclear launch codes. You know who I mean, someone who believes a vengeful God is going to cleanse the world of sin with oceans of fire, and is eager to help that process along if he can. There are safeguards, you say; for example, it takes two people turning their keys at the same time to launch the missiles.
Yes, but they’ll follow orders and turn the keys if a launch order comes from above. Don’t doubt that for an instant. And none of the safeguards will work if crazy voters entrust the nuclear codes and launch authority to a crazy leader. So, whether you vote, and who you vote for, is something you should never take lightly.