Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:31:49 -0400
From: "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: [wsfa-forum] NASFiC
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

Keith F. Lynch wrote:

> I was doing pretty well financially in the '90s, and prices were
> lower.  So I attended the '95 Worldcon in Glasgow.  And four years
> later I decided to party like it was you know what, and attended both
> the Anaheim NASFiC and the Melbourne Worldcon (in the same trip).

How did you manage that?  I thought you had an aversion to
government-issued IDs?  That that was why you wouldn't carry a driver's
license.  Wouldn't a passport fall under that restriction?

> At least my dismal finances have coincided with Bush's War on Tourism,
> which Obama shows no sign of ending.  Even if I were a millionaire, I
> wouldn't be traveling overseas, as I really dislike being treated like
> a criminal suspect.

I'm going to visit my dad soon.  Only way to get there is to fly, so
I'll have to put up with poor treatment by the government agents and the
airlines both...but this is the only thing that's gotten me on a plane
since 2000.

I used to fly all the time, but since 9/11 I've flown exactly once.  No
problem with terrorists...I had tickets for 9/14 that year and would
have gotten on a plane without hesitation, if there had been any flying
that day, or any of the next 4 days.  The problem is with the airlines
canceling flights at the last minute, reducing passenger room, charging
by the peanut, and generally treating their customers like
shit...combined with my aversion to being treated like I'm a low grade
moron.  That the government thinks that I'm stupid enough to buy their
story about all the "security" being for my benefit, when it's obviously
just a song and dance routine so they can claim to be "doing something",
is insulting in the extreme.  Combine that with the "your papers
please!" mentality that goes with it, and it's disgusting and
un-American.   I've driven as far as Indianapolis to avoid flying in the
last few years, but if I ever want to see my dad again, I'm going to
have to fly at least this once.  Maybe I should look into flight
training again so I can fly myself...

> If hotels aren't willing to cooperate in keeping prices reasonable,
> perhaps convention fandom should go on hiatus for the duration of
> the recession.

Or hold camp-cons...overnight charges at campgrounds are still pretty
low, and there's plenty of space available...

-- Mike B.