Who does the Air Force protect ?????

[lanparty]

OK, so Washington air space is buzzed this morning. The Capital is evacuated and NO PLANES ARE SCRAMBLED. On 9/11 no planes were scrambled until it was WAY to late.

But, a little Cessna gets close to the ranch in Crawford and the Air Force is RIGHT ON IT. The G-8 summit in Genoa was ringed with Anti-Aircraft batteries.

Of course, when Payne Stewart's plane went off course, Clinton's Air Force sent up SIX different planes to make sure it wasn't a terrorist attack. And it was flying in the middle of nowhere!!!!!!


Is there a pattern emerging here???? The Air Force under Bush, the Air Force protects the president. It doesn't protect everybody else. It certainly doesn't protect the Capital Dome. Oh my, that would be a COMPLETE SHAME if the Congress and Supreme Court gathered for Reagan's funeral was killed while the president was out of the country. Gee, he'd be a dictator then.

I seriously want that piece of garbage OUT of the White House!!!!!!

[kalian]

1. Well....

was there an airspace intrusion within the the DC area?
Was it confirmed? Were there eye witnesses? Don't jump to conclusions
but...I hear what you're saying.

[Blue Wally]

2. There was an intrusion

It turned out to be a small plane owned by the Kentucky State Police.

[northofdenali]

6. Yes, and it was carrying the Governor of Kentucky

(Repug) to THE funeral........

I'm just glad it wasn't a Dem up there. Can you imagine the outcry?

[Sirveri]

3. Very good points

I especially like how the air traffic controllers called in a hijacking and the Air Force kinda sat around and let the planes wander about for a full half hour. Naw, we're not going to do CAP over obvious terrorist targets. No, we're not going to go up and attempt to intercept these huge slow moving air craft with our Super Sonic Jet Fighters. No, that would make sense to do, so we won't do that.

[lanparty]

5. One has to wonder ...

If a hijacked plane was heading for the elementary school where Bush was doing his PR stunt, if a jet would have been scrambled IMMEDIATELY.

Seriously, I don't know why the Air Force seems to think protecting the PRESIDENT is more important than protecting CONGRESS. CONGRESS IS OUR GOVERNMENT. The President simply follows the laws THEY pass.

[madinmaryland]

4. I think he is a dictator

I think he is a dictator. At least that's what he seems to want. Didn't he say it would be easier to get things done if he was a dictator?

[peacetalksforall]

7. The buzz might have been a tickler...

The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Fear Threshold Maintenance might just be sending us a reminder that we shouldn't forget the war that is going on.

Thanks to creative law where what we're fighting is a war on Wednesdays, but not Thursdays - and - where what we adhere to on Thursdays is the Geneva Convention, but not Fridays.

[lanparty]

8. Kick ...

I think this is a serious topic that deserves discussion. If the President was in Washington on 9/11 would they have scrambled jets to protect the Pentagon????

In other words, would Bush rescind the stand down order?????

[SoonToBeExUSAFGuy]

9. To note...

By the time the intrusion was detected, and with Andrews AFB already busy handling the Reagan funeral, the next closest base would of been Langely, and by the time it would of taken to scramble F-16s, it would of been too late. Although, I do see your point about the apparent lack of a response.

[Redhead488]

10. You're in the AF?

Langely is an F-15 base...

[SoonToBeExUSAFGuy]

11. Actually...

The ANG, who flew most of the CAP routes, flys F-16s out of LAFB.

[lanparty]

12. What does the Reagan funeral have to do with it????

So we stop protecting the Capital because an ex-president is being unloaded. This took up all the runways????

I'm confused.

Seriously, I'm kinda surprised that they don't run patrols 24-hours around Washington DC given it's importance. That is, they should have a couple of air superiority fighters up their 24-hours a day. Just rotate the crews in every 3-4 hours or so.

It may be expensive, but it's becoming increasingly obvious that the Air Force is not protecting congress from attack by jets.