[PJ] As a June 2, 2015, Wall Street Journal article reported, the Federal Aviation Administration has "quietly moved away from merit-based hiring in order to increase the number of women and minorities who staff airport control towers." Former air traffic controller Willie Shields reveals that "Along with under-reporting system failures, the FAA started conspiring, almost openly, with leftist groups like the Black and Hispanic Controller's Coalition. Gay and lesbian organizations started demanding hiring and promotion slots for their members‐as if one's preference for a particular style of recreational sexual behavior is an indispensable predictor of air traffic control ability." Shields concedes that "The affirmative action angle is only a part of the problem"‐the need to beat the competition, the drive to maximize profit, laziness, and inertia at the top figure prominently‐but equity hiring is a major factor.