I'm telling you that there is no "there" there.
It usually takes over an hour to arm aircraft. That Langley AFB managed to get their aircraft armed and airborne in less than an hour is very good work on their part.
And what about Bush's trip to Germany prior to 9-11 where they were so concerned there about kamakaze hijackings they had installed AA units on government buildings?
This is the first I've heard of that statement--and I'm starting to wonder if someone is making these things up.
Bottom line is this: The history of feeble and whitewashed congressional investigations has understandably eroded public confidence, and the ever-widening blanket of 'National Security' is sowing distrust. Maybe Joe sixpack is oblivious to this, but people whose concerns involve these areas ARE NOT.
My concerns involve these areas. However, unlike the armchair quarterback crowd, I actually know what I'm talking about. I understand how air ops work, and I understand how intelligence works. You want to know why Vern and Earl get caught trying to bomb the federal building, and Mohammed and Abdul don't get caught? It's simple: Mohammed and Abdul know to keep their silly mouths shut, and Vern and Earl tell half the county what they're planning to do.
Is pretty interesting that I can buy a transponder to prevent the theft of my sportscar yet in a world full of 'threats of hijackings everyday' the planes can turn off thier transponders at will.
Yup. The airline pilots can control all emissions from their aircraft. You don't WANT to have a malfunctioning transponder putting out EMI that screws up other gear--like, f'rinstance, GPS, LORAN, or other navigational aids--and not be able to turn it off.
Lethargy, incompetence and lack of initiative can only excuse so much, thereafter an observer is forced to entertain the potential of nefarious elements.
And those who harp, FROM A POSITION OF ABJECT IGNORANCE OF HOW THESE THINGS WORK IN THE REAL WORLD, on "incompetence" and "the potential nefarious elements" can only excuse their ignorance so much.
Further, when Bush attended the G8 Conference Genoa (summer of 2001), somebody thought to provide anti-aircraft weapons around the buildings. Why, there had been intelligence (airplanes used as weapons) that this sort of attack might happened.
http://montreal.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=4049&group=webcast
Officials said Italy took special precautions during the July Group of Eight summit in Genoa after Rome and Washington were warned of terrorist plans to crash an airliner into the summit site, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Italians closed the airspace over Genoa and positioned anti-aircraft guns at the city's airport, but, according to a U.S. official, U.S. counterintelligence considered the warning "unsubstantiated" (Los Angeles Times, Sept. 27).