[t888]

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-200 ... 14247.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-gove ... ony-2009-4
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30434584/

Breaking news.. April 27 2009..

The decision to secretly authorize a military owned converted Boeing 747 and a F-16 fighter jet to perform a low-level stunt action fly-by that sent New Yorkers and office workers in Jersey City fleeing for their lives may be a felony under New Jersey law.

After circling above the Hudson River, the planes made a terrifying turn toward the tower that houses offices of Goldman Sachs, according to eyewitnesses. Office workers in New Jersey's Jersey City literally sprinted away from windows, fearing the plane would ram their building.

New Jersey law makes "terroristic threats" a felony. In the circumstances described above, the plane's flight may be a third-degree felony.

"A person is guilty of a crime of the third degree if he threatens to kill another with the purpose to put him in imminent fear of death under circumstances reasonably causing the victim to believe the immediacy of the threat and the likelihood that it will be carried out."

Courts use three material elements when evaluating a terroristic threats charge in New Jersey: (1) the accused made a threat; (2) the threat was to commit an offense of violence; and (3) the threat was made with the purpose of terrorizing or acted with reckless disregard of the risk that third parties would react in this manner.

The key here is that there doesn't actually have to be a specific intent to terrorize. Just a reckless disregard that others would be terrorized. We have no doubt that a jury could easily find that the plane's flight plan amounted to reckless disregard that office workers would perceive a terrorist threat of death.

Just imagine what would happen to any private citizen who carried out this kind of fly-by. This isn't just a matter of finding out who should be fired for today's insane debacle. The question is who should be prosecuted.

---

A Boeing airplane escorted by a military jet flew low over lower Manhattan on Monday, frightening office workers and spurring evacuations in what turned out to be a U.S. government-approved publicity operation.

The maneuvering of the 747, which circled around some skyscrapers, recalled memories of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which resulted in the deaths of thousands after two hijacked commercial airplanes rammed into the World Trade Center. Onlookers and evacuated workers said they were incredulous that government agencies didn't issue an advisory to alert a public still scarred from 9/11.


Anyone else think someone called off new inside job at the last minute? Or are they just preparing the public for the "next real deal" and desensitizing them so that next time the public will mistakenly think its another "cry wolf" or drill and not be on guard or alert?

Update:

[url]NYPD directed not to divulge information about low-flying plane over Staten Island and New York Harbor[/url]http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/nypd_directed_not_to_divulge_i.html

[the48thronin]

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/nypd_directed_not_to_divulge_i.html

[TheDude]

The Associated Press: White House: No info on Air Force 1 photo-op

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')ASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says it doesn't have any information about the Boeing 747's flying photo op over lower Manhattan that sent Manhattan into a panic. The plane is a version of the 747 that's called Air Force One when the president is aboard.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday that he doesn't have time to keep track of the planes used as Air Force One. He says he didn't have any information about why the presidential aircraft and its Air Force fighter jet escort were flying near the Statue of Liberty.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Air Force say the flight was a government photo opportunity and training mission involving a presidential plane.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg blasted the move near the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which crashed two jets into the World Trade Center. He says the photo-op showed "poor judgment" and was insensitive.

[dunewalker]

delete

[coyote]

The weirdest news on a day of weird news.

Nice pic, Dude...

[mos6507]

The only thing stupider than a conspiracy theory about blowing up the twin towers is the insinuation that we were going to blow up another skyscraper--with an empty air force one at that--but that we called it off last minute, only to get all the tinfoilers posting about it here at peakoil.com.

[goodbye_bluesky]

They were just testing for the up coming plan of dropping money over Wall Street

[Schmuto]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', 'T')he only thing stupider than a conspiracy theory about blowing up the twin towers is . . .

[POAlex]

Very strange.

Alex

[RonMN]

And nobody dares breathe a word against saint obama.

Can you imagine the threads right now if dubya was still prez.?

Yes, obama "made the call" when the mission was a success (ie., somali pirates)...but where is he when this sh!t happens?

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', 'T')he only thing stupider than a conspiracy theory ....

[OutOfGas]

I cannot belive this was done without President for life Obama's approval.

Probably photos for his reelection campaign.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')lane stupid: Mayor Bloomberg outraged over military photo-op involving low-flying presidential jet

The White House apologized late Monday after the U.S. military - without public warning - buzzed New York City with one of the presidential planes trailed by an F-16 fighter jet.

Not even Mayor Bloomberg knew they were coming.
Flying in as low as 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet above New York City and taking photographs along the way, the planes circled the Statue of Liberty and flew over Manhattan, Staten Island, and New Jersey - then vanished.

Before they were gone, hundreds of frightened people had jammed the emergency lines, thousands of terrified people evacuated from buildings in the city and across the river in Jersey, and many New Yorkers had flashbacks to the 9/11 attacks.

"I approved a mission over New York," Louis Caldera, director of the White House military office, said in a hastilly-prepared statement. "I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused."

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', ' ')Probably they wanted to test onboard defensive systems while flying low in urban environment.

[jasonraymondson]

Yep, that is officially is biggest bone head move to date

[Jotapay]

We have extremely intelligent people running our government. The best of the best. So intelligent that I very much trust them to handle the current economic and energy crisis well so that it works out well for all of us. I totally trust them based on past actions. Totally.

[kpeavey]

Let's say their story is true-that this was just a photo shoot. How much did that cost the taxpayer and what is the benefit when photoshop is so versatile?

I'm with sixstrings on this one. They were up to something.
Don;t trust anything a government official says, not even Hello.

[Micki]

A good reminder for people to continue support the war on terror.
Support...or we'll slam another plane into the city

Seriosly, if they want a nice shot...haven't they heard about photoshop?

[Tyler_JC]

I think we need to wait for more information to figure out what the heck was going on.

Until then, I'll just assume someone was making some rather questionable decisions.

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'I') think we need to wait for more information to figure out what the heck was going on.