Officials weighed shooting down D.C. plane

[liberal N proud]

‘Real finger-biting period’ as officials considered options
The Associated Press
Updated: 3:42 a.m. ET May 13, 2005
WASHINGTON - As a wayward Cessna flew deep in restricted airspace, national security officials were on the phone discussing whether to implement the last line of defense: shooting it down.

The single-engine Cessna that prompted a frenzied evacuation of the White House, Capitol and Supreme Court on Wednesday veered away from downtown landmarks just before that decision needed to be made.

But it was a close call.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7838324/


Is this guy writing a novel or soemthing... But it was a close call, real finger biting period...???

The sensationalism never stops.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. They no longer just report the news.

It is about creating "the compelling narrative". To do that, one must go beyond who, what, when, where, why and how and into the kind of stuff that evokes an emotional response.

Realize that when you read stories that evoke an emotional response in you and you start to realize that news has become marketing.

[patricia92243]

2. Why shoot down the plane - the President was not in danger? The rest of

us don't matter - bitter sarcasm-:sarcasm:

[B Calm]

3. This pilot might have been a lobbyist.. That's probably what saved him,

they didn't know..

[mpanno]

4. I thought only the president

could order a civilian plane to be shot down. He wasn't even informed about the incident until an hour and a half later!! WHO IS IN CHARGE OF AMERICA?!?! Please somebody help me!!! I'm going insane!!!

[liberal N proud]

8. Not this president, that is for sure.

[RC]

5. And they shoot down the plane and they pieces fall

where? And do what kind of damage to what? And kill who on the ground?

[paparush]

6. Right! They Herd all the Working Plebes...

OUTSIDE, into parks, open space, wherever, then shoot the plane down and rain flaming metal debris onto the heads of the innocents.

Sounds very 'Revelations' to me!

[ladjf]

9. The Cessna 152 is a tiny airplane, barely able to carry

two passengers. Had it been hit by an air to air missile, there wouldn't have been any remaining pieces large enough to injure anyone.

[RC]

11. The engine?

[Bridget Burke]

10. The pieces fall on the people told to "run for their lives"....

All out in the street.

[ladjf]

7. The payload of a Cessna 152 is 344 lbs.

Assuming a pilot weighs 165, that would leave 179 lbs. for the weapon of mass destruction. Further, the 152 has a top speed of about 120 mph. The proper intercept vehicle would have been a military jet helicopter rather than the fighter jets that were filmed zooming around the small plane at a couple of hundred knots.

The registration numbers clearly painted all over the intruder would have immediately revealed the owner and base of the plane. One quick call to that airport would have given the identity of the pilot and his intentions.

We have become a nation of field mice. This cowardice is what has allowed the coup to succeed, with our cooperation.