the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
February 16, 2026
On the night of February 10, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that El Paso airspace would be closed for 10 days. This would have canceled all flights in and out of this city of 700,000 people.
The day before, the Border Patrol had used a new laser weapon that it had been given by the military. Luckily no planes were nearby, but there had been insufficient tests to see how this laser would affect commercial planes flying nearby—and it was pretty reasonable to think that firing a laser next to an airplane might put passengers in danger!
For months, the FAA had been asking the military to make sure the weapon was safe before firing it. They were ignored. After it was used, the FAA asked the border patrol and military not to fire it again until more tests could be carried out. The military insisted they had the right to use it whenever they wanted. So the FAA chief, responsible for the safety of airline passengers, felt he had to act.
In the end, the FAA agreed to reopen El Paso airspace the next morning, and the new lasers were taken out of commission—for the time being.
What was the Border Patrol in such a rush to shoot down? They claimed at first it was a drone operated by a Mexican cartel bringing drugs into the U.S. But it turned out to be … a party balloon.
You can’t make this stuff up!