FAA Memo: Feds Knew NYC Flyover Would Cause Panic Threatened Federal Sanctions Against NYPD, Secret Service, FBI & Mayor's Office If Secret Ever Got Out Furious Obama Apologizes: "It Will Never Happen Again" A furious President Barack Obama ordered an internal review of Monday's low-flying photo op over the Statue of Liberty. CBS 2 HD has discovered the feds will have plenty to question. Federal officials knew that sending two fighter jets and Air Force One to buzz ground zero and Lady Liberty might set off nightmarish fears of a 9/11 replay, but they still ordered the photo-op kept secret from the public. In a memo obtained by CBS 2 HD the Federal Aviation Administration's James Johnston said the agency was aware of "the possibility of public concern regarding DOD (Department of Defense) aircraft flying at low altitudes" in an around New York City. But they demanded total secrecy from the NYPD, the Secret Service, the FBI and even the mayor's office and threatened federal sanctions if the secret got out. "To say that it should not be made public knowing that it might scare people it's just confounding," Sen. Charles Schumer said. "It's what gives Washington and government a bad name. It's sheer stupidity." The flyover -- apparently ordered by the White House Office of Military Affairs so it would have souvenir photos of Air Force One with the Statue of Liberty in the background -- had President Obama seeing red. He ordered a probe and apologized. "It was a mistake. It will never happen again," President Obama said. The NYPD was so upset about the demand for secrecy that Police Commissioner Ray Kelly vowed never to follow such a directive again and he accused the feds of inciting fears of a 9/11 replay. "Did it show any insensitivity to the psychic wounds New York City has after 9/11? Absolutely. No questions about it. It was quite insensitive." The cost of the frivolous flight was about $60,000 an hour and that was just for Air Force One. That doesn't include the cost of the two F-16s that came along. The mayoral aide who neglected to tell Mayor Michael Bloomberg about it was reprimanded. http://wcbstv.com/topstories/air.force.one.2.996457.html
It seems like there is some type of pulse check going on, with regards to America's crisis handling procedures. They are blowing the swine flu thing out of the water, and the plane thing is absurdly alarming. It's almost like a crisis exercise is going on to see how the American population will conduct itself, once in a state of duress. I do know this: Gov. Schwarzenegger is taking full advantage of the swine flu, and has declared a state of emergency in Caleephoniah. I don't know the laws, but I am almost certain that there are many loopholes a state can exploit when in a state of emergency. I wonder what his (Terminator) angle is. Do they get some type of FEMA subsidy, or other govt. handouts? Just a weird feeling this week.
This falls smack in the middle of the "who gives a shit?" category. If he were to ever only waste $60k/hour it would be heaven... let's see: printing trillions of dollars, screwing old people on fixed incomes, raising the price on being successful in the US, all that's ok. Taking a photo of AF-1 by the Liberty statue; now that's something to be infuriated about...