Hopefully before you read this page, you'll read my Rebutting Bigots page so you'll understand the context of this page.  I was pleased to receive such a quick response from American Airlines.  By publishing this information here, maybe I can help them repair some of the damage done to their company's good name by the bigoted tirade discussed on my Rebutting Bigots page. 

=== My Inquiry to American Airlines ===

Reply-To: "Pat Shediack"
From: "Pat Shediack"
To: Investor Relations at American Airlines
Subject: Inquiry From a Potential Investor and Customer
Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2002 16:02:20 -0400
Organization: Bluejeans' Place www.bluejeansplace.com

Good afternoon.

I recently received an invective filled diatribe against Islamic people which is supposedly authorized by an American Airlines pilot named John Maniscalco.  Various news stories noted the Council on American Islamic
Relations asked AA to investigate to determine if this was a real
document written by someone employed by AA or a hoax.  To date, I can
find nothing that says AA ever responded.

As someone who has a decent income and flies more than 70,000 miles a
year, I am both a potential investor and customer.  I would like to know
what AA did in response to the CAIR's request for an inquiry into the
alleged American Airlines connection to this anti-Islamic diatribe.

Thank you.

Patrick D. Shediack
Tipp City OH
___________________________________________

Visit my web site, Bluejeans' Place, today!
www.bluejeansplace.com

A kid-safe site with info on blues music, history,
project management and more!

===  Response From American Airlines  ===

Date: Tue, 01 Oct 2002 16:47:04 -0500
From: "Gus Whitcomb"
To: "Pat Shediack"
Subject: Re: Inquiry From a Potential Investor and Customer

Dear Mr. Shediack,

Thank you for your letter.

American immediately acknowledged CAIR's request and began an internal investigation.

We were able to discover the origin of the letter, which was written by an individual not employed by American, to a Maryland newspaper approximately a month after the Sept. 11th tragedy.  You can visit that site by pointing your browser to http://www.gazette.net/200141/princegeorgescty/letters/75236-1.html

Please be assured that American does not tolerate hatred or discrimination of any kind.  In fact, on Sept. 12, 2001, our Chairman, Mr. Carty, sent a message to all employees stating that creed.  I enclose a copy of his message at the end of this email.

We sincerely hope that this addresses your concerns and that you will
continue to honor us with your business.

Sincerely,

Gus Whitcomb
Managing Director
Strategic Communications
AA Corporate Communications

===  American Airlines CEO Carty's Statement   ===

This is Don Carty with a special hotline for Wednesday, September 12th, 2001

Today, we begin another chapter at American Airlines as we begin to
recover from the darkest day in our company's history. It will be a long
time before any of us forget the enormity of yesterday's horror -- the
hijackings and the human misery they caused.

Today, we'll work to get the airline running again. Our CARE team members will continue helping the families of our customers and co-workers. We'll start the long process of recovery, because we must, both for the traveling public and for ourselves.

It won't be easy, and it will be made harder by the many emotions we'll
feel as more and more human stories of this tragedy emerge. We can expect to feel angry, horrified, grief-stricken, and more than a little violated at the inhuman, contemptible acts that unfolded against our airline, our people and our country yesterday.

There is one emotion, however, that we must avoid at all costs, and I'm
not going to mince words or talk around this issue in politically correct
ways, because I think it's important to be absolutely candid about it.
That emotion is hatred.

It is far too easy in the early days of a tragedy like this to make
assumptions and channel our emotions inappropriately. My fear is that it
will be all too easy to direct our collective grief, anger and shock in
ways that treat our Arab, Muslim and other Middle Eastern employees and customers with less than the absolute courtesy and respect that they
deserve -- because of stereotypes that we know in our heads and hearts are just not true.

We simply cannot do that. Muslims and Arabs are our co-workers and our customers -- and they grieve over this tragedy as well.

We absolutely need to stay together in the days and weeks ahead and rely on each other more than ever. I ask you all to please remember that.

And if you feel that these emotions are overwhelming you, please talk to
someone, a friend, our employee assistance hotline, or an EAP rep
personally. That's why they're here, and it's not a sign of weakness to
want to talk these things out.

* * * * *

(Note from Bluejeans -- I deleted the e-mail addresses involved in the above message traffic to foil spammers)

A wish of "Good blues to ya!"  goes to Mr. Gus Whitcomb at American Airlines for sending me his company's rebuttal of the bigoted tirade.

-- Pat Shediack aka Bluejeans