Jim joked: (API) NEW YORK CITY- July 4, 2002 - ------------ Shortly after dusk tonight Air Force F-15s "successfully supressed anti-aircraft fire" from a barge in New York harbor and "neutralized the mob of 200,000 providing support for the rocket launchers."
and then explained to Emily: > It started with the premise that the military flying over America is a > bad idea and that they are as likely to kill civilians as they are likely > to kill terrorists. At 600 miles an hour, who can tell anything? Okay rarely do I feel an urge to step back into uniform and turn bellicose about this sort of thing, because goddess knows there are LOTS of idiots in military service. However the big egos of fighter pilots aside, the vast majority of them really do know their shit. And with the sophisticated instrumentation aboard (and well-trained support staff below) youd be amazed at the detail they can see while moving at 600 miles per hour. > The hoax turned out to be a false alarm within a false alarm. Here in > the midwest, it seems ripe for cynicism. Although Shanksville, PA is technically in the East, that little burg is still about as Midwestern in atmosphere and temperament as oh, the Cincinnati area. : ) Do you think many in Shanksville felt cynical? > Now that we've brought it out into the open, do Air Force jets over > the City make you feel more safe or less safe? As the black crow flies, I live less than 12 miles NNW and work less than 7 miles NNW from the White House. The afternoon of 9/11, I went to the post office near my home (which was open, to my surprise). As I exited, a single F-16 zoomed through the sky, heading toward DC. It was one of the most comforting things Ive seen in my entire life. So ... to answer your last question, Jim: More safe. Lori, at work in Bethesda, MD ~ New! SBC Yahoo! Dial - 1st Month Free & unlimited access
