OT: Stupid. Mindless. Inexcusable. Sanctioned by the US Defense Department.

[Geezil]

And this happened over lower Manhattan on APRIL 27, 2009. Sorry this took so long, but I only found out about the incident this hour (also inexcusable in its own way).

Boeing 747 and F-16 Fighter Jet Buzz Lower Manhattan in the Morning (http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/F-16s-at-Lady-Liberty-Put-City-on-Edge.html)

In two words, I'm livid. And no doubt, having been in the neighborhood on 9/11, I'm far from alone in that.

WTF, Mr. Commander-in-Chief?

Really.

[Chooch]

The US Defense Department didn't protect New Yorkers the 1st time either, did they? At least this time Obama had an F-16 chaperone on it.

Too bad Cheney was in charge on 9/11.

See also:
Pavlov's Dog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_conditioning#Pavlov.27s_experiment)

[Brandon Panther]

As Dogbert, from the Dilbert comic, would say: "Take that, Charles Darwin."

[Thad]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/looneythad/IAREPLANE.jpg

I are flying planes! I are flying pla-yyy-anes!

[Geezil]

Perfect, Thad! Thanks.

[Chow Hound]

Fools. Complete fools.

[cpdavison]

This... is an outrage!!!

http://mediamatters.org/static/images/home/214/limbaugh-20090305.jpg

Not that it makes it OK, but my understanding is that those high-up have admitted their stupidity and have taken responsibility for this (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090428/ap_on_re_us/us_low_flying_plane).

Craig D.

[J Lee]

Underlings in a White House (ANY White House) tend to get so caught up in trying to aggrandize their boss that they tend to not think about the consequences. The picutres/video the wanted could have easily been done in Photoshop and Final Cut Pro without scaring the crap out of everyone.

(On the other hand, what this does show is that -- had this been an actual situation -- all the infighting over the past few years about Gitmo, waterboarding, foriegn phone call wiretaps, etc., would have looked quaint amid the tsunami of finger-pointing that would have erupted on both sides of the aisle over who was responsible for letting this happen again, and what are we going to do to make sure it doesn't happen a third time.)

[frizfrelengfan]

I witnessed the second tower being hit on 9/11, from a nearby building (the building that I am typing this from, and the building that I was in yesterday when the flyover happened). Luckily I didn't see or hear the flyover, and we were notified of it by corporate email 15 minutes after it happened. Otherwise, all those unpleasant feelings might have come back to me.

J Lee has it right that in this day of Photoshop, they could have produced what they wanted on a computer.

In addition to scaring the daylights out of everyone, what a colossal waste of jet fuel.

[Jack G.]

I don't know all the details.

But I think to myself: what were they thinking?

All politics aside- I would of been frightened if I witnessed this in New York.

[ohmahaaha]

WTF, Mr. Commander-in-Chief?

Really.
I understand your outrage, but why are you blaming Obama? Reports are that he was outraged as well.

[Geezil]

I understand your outrage, but why are you blaming Obama? Reports are that he was outraged as well.

Then let's see him get all of his administration's ducks in a row when it comes to accountability. And fast. If anything like this ever gets green-lighted internationally under more veils of secrecy, God help us all.

[Chooch]

Why fuss over a photo op when you can get mucho more paranoid about the globally pandemic swine flu? :ham: :speedy:

[Geezil]

Why fuss over a photo op when you can get mucho more paranoid about the globally pandemic swine flu? :ham: :speedy:

No one's ignoring the swine flu problem either. In fact, I'm scheduled to attend a crowded indoor meeting tomorrow afternoon, and Mrs. Geezil just urged me to either wear a surgical mask or participate by phone.

Yes sir, it's a great big beautiful world out there nowadays. :rolleyes:

[Chooch]

Good thing we live in the home of the free, and the brave.

Holy hamburgers indeed!

[J Lee]

Why fuss over a photo op when you can get mucho more paranoid about the globally pandemic swine flu? :ham: :speedy:

I was in the El Paso area Friday, and came down with a mild sore throat and slight fever on Monday. If I listed to the TV reports I should be freaking out and checking myself into the hospital right now, except for the fact that the spring flu's been going around this area for the past couple of weeks, and Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold seems to be doing a good enough job holding off the dreaded Cerdo Flu -- or whatever the heck it is -- right now.

I would like a little bit of my appetite back, though. :ham:

[Chooch]

Sorry to hear that, Mr. Lee. Maybe you should get one of these....

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/1951/mickeymousemasks.jpg

[Nick]

Sorry to hear that, Mr. Lee. Maybe you should get one of these....

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/1951/mickeymousemasks.jpg
It's too bad they never made any Porky Pig themed gas marks. :shame:

[J Lee]

Sorry to hear that, Mr. Lee. Maybe you should get one of these....

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/1951/mickeymousemasks.jpg

My odds of being quarentined would go up expodentially if I wore that out in public -- and it wouldn't be because of any virus...:eek:

(They did have a young child brought in from Mexico who died in Houston on Tuesday from the swine flu virus, while some school districts have completely cancelled classes and Texas officials have suspended all academic and athletic extracirricular events for the next two weeks, so they are taking it seriously. Whether or not that means you should run screaming from anyone who coughs is another story.)

[Jack]

Why fuss over a photo op when you can get mucho more paranoid about the globally pandemic swine flu? :ham: :speedy:
The elementary school I substitute taught at yesterday just got closed until further notice because of fears over swine flu (along with three others in the school district, including another I was at just this past Friday).

Maybe I should dawn a Mickey Mouse mask.:p :mickey: :p

[Brandon Panther]

The elementary school I substitute taught at yesterday just got closed until further notice because of fears over swine flu (along with three others in the school district, including another I was at just this past Friday).

I saw that on the news this morning. There were a lot of happy children.

[Jack]

I saw that on the news this morning. There were a lot of happy children.I never met a child who didn't like a day off from school.:bosko: A large Catholic school in the same neighborhood has now closed too.

It also gives me a day off. There's now fewer schools in need of substitutes and I'm still fairly new at my job, so I get called last.

[Jack G.]

A couple of schools in my area closed too.

Apparently some people went on a trip to Mexico and
low and behold- look what followed them home.

[Matthew Hunter]

:ham: :speedy:

[larriva9/11]

http://www.nonstick.com/sounds/Porky_Pig/ltpp_004.mp3

[Jack]

:ham: :speedy:Perhaps Speedy is responsible, what with how fast it got to Milwaukee:p . BTW, two more schools closed, one public and one Catholic. All but one of the schools are in the big-time Mexican neighborhood. There must be a bit of a panic going - the Catholic school closed because too many parents kept their kids home.

[angilbas]

A school in Vernon BC was closed after a child tested positive for 2009 A/H1N1, having attended her classes for several days while exhibiting symptoms. Like all 51 confirmed cases in Canada she is not severely ill. Check this story (http://www.theprovince.com/news/Vernon+school+closed+spreads/1551132/story.html), including the comments.



-Tony

[grundle]

I'm the person who started the wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Force_One_photo_op_controversy) about this Air Force One incident, and I wrote about 99% of the article so far.

Regarding the swine flu, please keep in mind that every year in the U.S., 36,000 people die from the regular flu, and yet no one seems to be panicking over that.

[sumnernor]

The beginning of this thread was about the NYC plane incident. The 2nd half about the "pig Flu". Someone from the US asked about how was the problem in Germany! A few years ago, no one asked me about the "Mad Cow" problem!:(