Posted on 09/11/2009 7:13:40 AM PDT by TLI
Edited on 09/11/2009 7:47:44 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Coast Guard fired on boat in the Potomac, nothing on the wires yet...
So CH, what you are saying is that you honestly believe the Coast Guard pulled a training exercise, on the Potomac by the bridge just MOMENTS before the President was due to cross it? Seriously?
Why were flights grounded? Why the change in story 8 times within one hour - with several different versions reportedly from the CG itself?
Why did the FBI confirm an incident, and then backtrack on it?
Why the notice to mariners missing that usually accompanies such a training exercise according to one FReeper who was monitoring his radio?
Why the rush of emergency vehicles as reported by folks in the area (along with a very coincidental power outage in a place where it rarely happens)?
I’m sorry, but I don’t believe it... I seriously cannot imagine them pulling a training exercise when the Obama was STILL in the vicinity and they should’ve been PROTECTING the area at that time?
Think about it this way...
Say you’re duty is to make sure the waterway is secure. Are you going to tell me that they would IGNORE their duty and run a training exercise moments before the President crossed the waterway? Surely their duty was to secure the waterway until the President was out of the area and remain on ALERT. Why would they abandon their mission/duty and run a training exercise right before one of their highest alert moments?
Common sense should tell you that this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Maybe it was an idiot who ignored the Coast Guard’s perimeter — it doesn’t mean this was a terrorist action, or even an assasination attempt, or anything of the nature... Could’ve just been a boater who wanted to get close to the memorial or something. [Personal anecdotal story to follow on that point.]
However, the fact remains that there was a very clear lack of communication on the part of the various Federal Agencies that should’ve been “in the know” before hand — ESPECIALLY on the anniversary of 9/11, and especially while the President was in the immediate area.
As for an investigation — your damn right there should be. If this isn’t a cover-up (even though I strongly feel that it is - a cover-up of SOME sort...), then there should be an investigation into the commanding officers of the Coast Guard contingent that was tasked with patrolling the waterways and securing the area for the President. That they technically abandoned their posts and duty to watch for REAL threats to run an exercise BEFORE their job was through is a BIG problem. Surely, you can understand that.
I would like to state that I know there was supposed to be a press conference from the Coast Guard a bit ago, and I haven’t heard what they have said yet. So, my commentary is based on the knowledge I have at the moment...
Personal Anecdotal Story:
It’s very easy to accidentally cause problems when one is unaware that a President is in the immediate area you are...
President Bush was visiting Denver back in late September or October of 2001. The morning he was due to leave my daughter had an appointment at the Children’s Hospital in Denver to take a look at the arm she had broken several weeks before. I was running late to the hospital, and for those who don’t know Denver, there are a LOT of one-way streets in that area...
Anyway, as I tried to approach the hospital I kept running into police cars blocking the area. No matter how I tried to get to the hospital I kept running into blockades. Now, in my mind I was only concerned with getting to the hospital on time and it didn’t occur to me as to why these policemen were blocking some of the roadways (here and there - not ALL).
At one point I did find a “clear street”, and began to proceed (probably a little above the speed limit at this point) to try to cross the street to get to the hospital on the other side. Now, I don’t know why there weren’t police cars blocking this street because as soon as I came to the intersection, I slowed down, but it was more like a roll-through, or a “California Stop” (no offense to Californians!). I almost HIT a motorcycle police officer who was ESCORTING BUSH’S MOTORCADE!!! Obviously at that point, both the police officer and I exchanged glances, and seeing the look on his face and the way they were riding I recognized what was going on.
I’m probably VERY lucky I wasn’t detained or something due to the fact that this was right after 9/11. I saw President Bush’s limo, but only saw the figure of him through the tinted windows - still a thrill.
My point in sharing this is that YES, this could’ve been some idiot (like I was that day) trying to get to where they wanted to go, and completely oblivious to what was going on (not that they announce the route the President will be taking to the air field).
It still remains that if the CG officers decided to run a “training exercise” WHY IN THE HELL did they do it BEFORE the President had left the area, and all was secure???
Right on!
What a sanctimonius puffer Gibbs is.
all flights from reagan natl fly their approaches down the potomac 1 psycho on a boat+stinger=disaster
You may be interested in my post at #441, I’ve laid out some questions that really need to be evaluated in this situation, IMHO. This just doesn’t make much sense to me, even if it really was a “training exercise”...
I think this incident goes along the same vein as the flyover of air force one over New York. Scare the heck out of them!
I'll offer that about a week ago, the CG decided to sink this vessel, the PORTLOCK, using 25MM cannon
I saw this boat up close & personal, myself, two weeks ago, tied to the boards in Ilwaco, WA.
Before that, I saw the boat a few times, (along with at least a hundred other various boats) while tuna fishing off of Oregon & Washington.
I have that strange feeling as well. Just a dread of something “big” about to happen. I’m not the paranoid type.
Do we have a time line on when the training was going on and the President crossing the bridge?Where was there a power outage.Good report LibertyRocks:)
I've said this like 20 times, and I'm done saying it after this.
POTUS had already made his speech and had crossed the bridge and was headed back to the WH when this training scenario occurred. I have said this multiple times. All this POTUS stuff in on a time delay. It always confuses the hell out of the media because they don't know where POTUS is. They do this intentionally to prevent the media from locating him for the benefit of a would-be assassin.
Anyhow, this so called exercise is normal day to day ops, as is the POTUS movements. Nothing happened here except some idiot.....IDIOT!!!! Totally misunderstood what they were hearing on a protected radio freq, or the IDIOT #2 at CNN misreported what they heard from idiot number one.
None of this has anything to do with 9/11, and everything to do with bad reporting....very bad reporting.
No.....And you never will! POTUS has several possible routes. You don't know if, when or what route is in use as they are all protected. He may have choppered in, which would shut down the airport for a short time. It's all misdirection.
It does not matter. CNN and media is trying to cover for bad reporting. Nothing more.
By commander in chief, I meant President B.O.
He’s also the CIC of the Coast Guard, isn’t he?
So the the Coast Guard knew the President had left?
OK.Thanks Cold Heat.
?I watched this go down this AM, and I saw the breathless CNN female listening in her ear to a producer as she related that a report of shooting by the Coast Guard on a pleasure boat that would not stop. The POTUS's location was checked and he was in the WH.
Their were no shots....There was no boat and the camera angle was too far away for them to see what was going on so they started making shit up. I saw and heard it. It was all CNN. FOX later picked up on it but could not verify any of it.
CNN then got FRAN Townsend, the ex GWB security ZAR and she added fuel to the fire with more conjecture.
It was damn funny.
I knew then that in order to extract themselves from this mistake they would have to find a bogeyman. They decided to compare it to the presidential plane incident, but there is no comparison. Even FOX is participating in the blame game.
In the end, The Coasties need not change anything. They might want to use a encoded channel for training, but other than that, this is a bad reporting incident and a media black eye.
God bless our Coast Guard.Tonk -who is gone now.-was a member and they do a wonderful job.
He joined after 9/11. He wanted to go back into the Navy but he was way too old, so he joined the Guard.
Didn’t recognize your non-capitalized version of the CIC designation, sorry.
A shoulder-launched antiaircraft missile fired from the deck of a boat on the Potomac could pick off airliners coming into Reagan Airport like clay pigeons on a skeet range.
A mortar battery mounted on such a boat could lob shells into the White House, Capitol, Marine Barracks, or any of a number of other targets.
And a boat could carry things a great deal worse than these...
“Disperse” means to scatter. “Disburse” means to pay somebody.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.