So there’s this airplane. It’s headed for a mountainside and has been on that course for some time. There are two clowns in the cockpit. Each thinks he knows how to fly the plane better so they take turns elbowing each other away from the controls. They’re vaguely aware of the impending disaster but disagree about what to do. Clown A thinks they should increase their airspeed. Clown B is sure they need to decrease their airspeed. They agree on one thing; changing course would upset the passengers and may threaten their position as pilot-clowns, so they determine to never change course.

While Clown A is piloting the plane, Clown B makes frequent announcements about what a lousy job Clown A is doing and promises the flight would be far more enjoyable if Clown B were flying. Clown A does the same thing when Clown B is flying.

There are a few people on the plane who have been in the cockpit, are not clowns, know how to fly the plane, have seen the looming mountain and are willing to take evasive action to avoid it. The two clowns don’t let them anywhere near the controls and try to have them ejected from the flight deck.

Most of the passengers believe the plane is going to the promised destination, at least when their favorite clown is behind the controls, and are actually content either way as long as they get good in-flight movies, snacks and cocktails.

There are some passengers who aren’t watching movies or guzzling cocktails. They’re looking out the window at the rising landscape and nudge the passenger next to them to take a look. They are generally glared at or ignored.

A couple of the passengers know exactly what is coming because they happen to be students of past airline disasters and recognize the signs. They start to make some noise about it. At the request of the pilot-clowns, they are quickly subdued, tied up and thrown into the baggage hold by annoyed passengers and the Federal Air Marshal.

So there’s this airplane. It’s headed for a mountainside and has been on that course for some time.