Editorials & Other Articles

Last spring in the halls of the Pentagon,
New lasers were more than a slogan.
“Let’s zap cartel drones
Near the border zones,”
Said briefers with charts neatly wove in.

They noted, with bureaucratic flair,
“You’ll need the Federal Aviation Administration’s care.
With Transport to bless it,
Or else they may stress it—
And ground it for safety in air.”

But Steve Feinberg, bold in his seat,
Thought red tape need not mean retreat.
Though some in the room
Recalled hints of a boom,
A spokesman cried, “Fiction! Deceit!”

The mood had been tense in the sky,
Since tragedy months earlier nearby.
By Ronald Reagan National Airport’s domain,
A crash left deep pain—
Sixty-seven souls lost up high.

Then lasers flashed west in the night,
With Homeland Security in sight.
Near El Paso International Airport’s span,
They tested the plan,
And regulators leapt to the fight.

The F.A.A.’s chief, Bryan Bedford, alarmed,
Feared travelers gravely be harmed.
“No clearance was sought—
This risks more than we thought!”
So ten days of closure he farmed.

The White House soon pressed for retreat,
And Bedford rescinded the feat.
While emails laid bare
A “grave risk” in the air,
And finger-pointing wouldn’t cease heat.

Thus lasers and law intertwine,
Where borders and runways align.
When safety’s at stake,
One flash can awake
A clash in the halls of command and design.