Air Force One Photo-Op: Low-Flying Jet Over Manhattan Sparks Rage

This is really stupid (for lack of a better word). If you really need that photo (which I'm not convinced you do), we have this cunning invention called Photoshop, with which you can very, very easily get all the planes your heart desires in the same frame as any world landmark you can think of. In fact, for a reasonable fee, I can teach the Air Force how to do it.

No need to waste the resources on a stunt like this, or to terrify half of New York City. Seriously.

"Is this real world or an exercise, repeat - real world or exercise?" ;)

What were they thinking to have set up an aerial photo shoot on a Monday morning, while people were at work around the WTC area without notifying the public?  Even if they wanted photo realism, they could have done that over the weekend with some advanced notices so not to frighten the public.  

Just who is running the show anyway ? Communications breakdown at the highest levels, with the populace on the receiving end. And why are NYC folks even being subjected to this after all their high-alert tactical training following 9-11 ? The NYC authorities who were informed, and aware, had the duty to release this info, which would clearly state whether it was a photo-op or tactical defense maneuver or whatever. That would be a laudable move, and it would help immensely in defense preparation, e.g. in proving the readiness and efficiency of response teams. They certainly were on the ball with the response teams and timing when the hero pilot landed in the Hudson.

From WSJ:

The White House had planned a second photo shoot of a jumbo jet used as Air Force One in Washington D.C next month. The follow-up session would have taken place May 5 or May 6, using the nation's capital as a backdrop, according to two government officials.

One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Washington photo session is being reconsidered, given the reaction to Monday's flight in New York.

While half of me agrees they could have found a MUCH better way to compile photos for whatever they have planned (a "747 over the statue of liberty Christmas card"? What, Hollywood knows how to CGI but Washington doesn't?) I'm going to come out and say it- GET OVER IT, New York!  Let's just egg on our twistedly evil government to continue this bogus war on terrorism until the 22nd century!!  Haven't we lost ENOUGH civil liberties and seen enough draconian and orwellian measures forced upon us without you acting like you're scared of every plane you see?

Let's look at some numbers- 3,000 people were killed in the WTC attacks- TEN TIMES that many die in car accidents every year! Did we get rid of our cars?

Look at the way airports have ridiculously restricted the way we travel, and now we accept RFID chips being embedded in all our passports to give every possible bit of data about us to people at immigration checkpoints in America AND foreign nations we travel through- why? Terrorism? Really? My ass.

In the period from 2004 to 2007, the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration arm files 814,073 criminal cases- nearly a MILLION. Guess how many of them were related to terrorism: Ready?

12.   or less than .0015%.

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/27/homeland.security.record/index.html

And for this TERRIBLE threat we are locked down tight as a drum.

**** you, New York. You used to be tough. Now you're NUTHIN' but a bunch of little girls.

Great article.

Criminally stupid act.  I saw the footage from the safety of my Easyboy.  It immediately brought back memories of seeing the second plane hit the second tower.  For those living and working in NY, the trauma must have been intense.  It would seem that the military is thumbing its collective noses at the civilian govenment here.  When the mayor wasn't asked for permission to pull off this stunt and better yet, the Commander in Chief wasn't informed, what does that say about the control of the military in the USA?

 and better yet, the Commander in Chief wasn't informed, what does that say about the control of the military in the USA?

I don't know about the command of the military thing, but I'd observe (and I mean nothing personal whatsoever) that as in the case of Moore's f 9/11 making much ado about Bush continuing to read for 7 minutes, that some of us don't quite have both feet on the ground if we really expect such micromanagement on the part of the commander in chief. To you and a lot of people who witnessed this it may seem like the end of the world, or at least the biggest thing that will happen around you for months.

Barack Obama should not and does not have his daily thoughts cluttered with exactly where his backup plane is flying on any given day, nor even the activities of the White House media relations people who probably cooked this up not thinking it was that big a deal- and before 9/11 it wasn't.

Where I might fire one across your bow so to speak, is to perhaps ask that you channel your anger not at Americans doing what Americans used to take for granted, but at Osama Bin Laden or whoever (if you like) is responsible for filling us with such trepidation in our daily lives that 8 years later we are still afraid to tell the world our duly elected leader can fly his airplane over the greatest city of freedom and democracy in the world and take pictures for the history books any damn time he wants to, and no angry fundamentalist hiding in a cave is going to scare us into being afraid of letting him do so. 

That's the anger I felt over this story. What have we become that Air Force One escorted by F-16's caused Wall St. to not stand and salute, (even with one finger, if you oppose him) but run in panic?  We probably didn't hear much of it, but I bet the world was embarrassed for us. We're supposed to be a rock they can depend on or a tall tree they gather under for shelter, not a willow bending over in the breeze.

The "terrorist threat" is not nearly as great as some in the government made it out to be to pass their oppressive legislature, but remember terrorists attack the weak because that's who it works best on, and they'll get away with it- if I'm a New Yorker who didn't want another 9/11 me thinks your traditional defiant middle finger is a better defensive posture than on the knees.

Thank you for considering my position.   

This was no accident, from the secrecy, to the planned terror. Neither of the two 'Air Force Ones' ever leave the ground without the president's permission.

cost= $330,000 +!

Obama and his administration are a bunch of idiots and liars.  For all those people that voted for him, sit back and watch him give our country away.