Barnstable Municipal Airport Manager, Doc Mosby; functional illiterate, or the reincarnate of Idi Amin? OR BOTH?

Yesterday (Thursday, July, 17, 2008) after returning from the Barnstable Airport where I spent an hour observing the infinitesmal number of passengers entering and leaving the airport terminal between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM, I got home to greet the postman who had a certified, return receipt requested letter from the Barnstable Airport Commission.

The letter from Papa Doc Mosby warned me that I could be arrested under the provisions of M.G.L. c. 266. Sec 20, and 49 CFR 1540/1542 for any wanton or willful act of taking photographs of the airport terminal buildings.

Mosby claims all airports throughout the United States have prohibited similar picture takings following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

 

Having flown from a number of major airports since 9/11, I can attest to the fact that no such prohibition is in place anywhere but at the Barnstable Airport.

I called MASSPORT CEO, Tom Kinton, and spoke to one of his aides who told me the ONLY area at Logan where cameras and picture taking is prohibited is in the Immigration area in Terminal E.

He also said that if the airport were to detain the people who take pictures at the airport on a daily basis MASSPORT would have to lease both Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium to hold them all.

I called the Airport Manager at Hanscom, and talked to a Keith, who told me that cameras and picture taking was common place and welcome.

The same story at T. F. Green.

I even called Islip Airport on Long Island, and was assured cameras are welcome.

I then looked up M.G.L c. 266, sec 20 . Stealing in building, ship or railroad car

Section 20. Whoever steals in a building, ship, vessel or railroad car shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than five years or by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment in jail for not more than two years.

Needless to say I can’t see the remotest correlation to stealing and picture taking.

Can you?

Obviously the connection is very clear to Mosby and the Barnstable Airport Commission, John Klimm, and Police Chief, Macdonald, all of whom were cc’d.

Hell, I can’t even see a connection with the airport and a vessel?, a ship?, or a railroad car????

The important thing is that it makes sense to Papa Doc, who earns $100,000+,  and who drives a town-owned vehicle that includes town-paid gasoline, insurance, and repairs.

In my opinion Mosby isn't intelligent enough to get the job of fueling jet aircraft at Barnstable Airport.

Naturally I then had to check 49 CFR 1540/1542, and found nothing remotely connected to airport visitors/cameras/picture taking.

I read through each of the subsets and can tell you that most of the CFR deals with airport personnel, airline personnel, and air cargo personnel security.

Now I hear from Patrick Cassidy, a staff reporter from the Cape Cod Times, that their photographer has been similarly threatened with arrest when trying to take photos of celebrities arriving at the airport.

It's reassuring to hear that Mosby is an equal opportunity tyrant.

Mosby’s letter is very similar to a ploy he used before the Yarmouth Board of Selectmen last year.

It seems Mosby came up with his own plan to handle the Yarmouth BOS’s demand for a Yarmouth airport commissioner with full voting rights.

Mosby asked for an official meeting with the Yarmouth BOS which was granted.

Mosby, and Commissioners Wheatley and Dunning, gave a dog and pony show that featured Mosby citing an FAA regulation that purportedly prohibited airport commissioners from abutting communities from having voting rights.

Yarmouth Executive Director, Bob Lawton, jotted down the FAA regulation number, and checked them later that week.

After finding no connection in the regulations Lawton called Mosby and asked him to verify the regulations.

Mosby told Lawton that he indeed had the correct regulations, and to re-read them.

Lawton scrutinized the regulation and still couldn’t get a connection, so he faxed his copy over to Mosby, and asked him to circle the appropriate paragraph/s.

Shortly after receiving the fax, Mosby called Lawton, and said he misinterpreted the regulation.

We have a similar scenario with Mosby’s letter to me.

My blog is read regularly in Japan.

I have seen many of my posts translated into Japanese.

I will tag this with the word Japanese to insure it will be picked up in that country.

HELLO JAPANESE TOURISTS….

I know that most of you are fond of taking snap shots when traveling to America.

While you can take pictures and your cameras in any airport in America, be warned that you that cameras and picture taking is PROHIBITED at the Barnstable Airport on CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS.

You will be subject to arrest and long imprisonment if you take pictures anywhere on airport property, including outside the airport terminals.

Forewarned is forearmed.

Sayonara.

From the People’s Republic of Barnstable, Massachusetts

By the way during the hour I spent observing activity at the main airport terminal yesterday, I saw three taxis drive up and drop off seven passengers who entered the terminal.

Business is down at the Barnstable Airport.

Prior to my trip to BMA I drove by the Steamship Authority and Hy-Line Ferry to find hundreds of passengers waiting to embark to Nantucket.

The three BMA airlines should make out applications for government assistance that would insure the airlines would get $300 per run.

Instead of a new airport terminal the Airport Commission should look to moving the Tourist Building on Route 6, between Exits 6 and 7, to the airport, because it's plenty big enough to comfortably accommodate passengers at the height of the summer season.

TAGS; Japan, Japanese Tourists, Japanese picture takers

Comments

I'm glad to see that Papa Doc is putting that fancy new All-American stationary to good use.