Political Quotes

“I wish to speak to this amendment which makes it a Federal criminal offense to target an aircraft with a laser. The prevalence of this activity has increased enormously. According to the FAA, there were 2,836 instances of lasers aimed at airplanes in 2010, which is a ninefold increase over the past 5 years. The consequences of one of these attacks in the cockpit of an aircraft are significant. I am reading from a news report: Glendale, CA, police Sgt. Steve Robertson remembers the first time he encountered a laser strike. He says his helicopter was hit by a powerful beam of green light one night while he was on patrol. 'It immediately [lit] up the whole cockpit and it hit both of my eyes and burned both of my corneas,' said the veteran pilot. 'Instantly, I was blinded. It felt like I was hit in the face with a baseball bat--just an intense, burning pain.' Robertson was momentarily incapacitated and would have crashed if his co-pilot hadn't been able to land the chopper. Thankfully, he recovered from his injuries.”