Video: Time for another alarming unannounced flyby of a U.S. city by Air Obama
posted at 5:25 pm on May 22, 2009 by Allahpundit
Nothing too serious this time. Instead of sending people screaming through the streets for fear of an impending terrorist attack, this one had passersby pointing with concern at what they thought was a plane dumping fuel in preparation for a crash landing. It was a DHS test too, not a photo op for Air Force One. The mission? To test anti-missile defenses on commercial jets in case someone else gets the same idea as that NYC terror cell the feds just busted.
Luckily we’ll be closing Guantanamo next year, so that should take care of most jihadists’ anti-American sentiment. Click the image to watch.
Blowback
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capejasmine on May 22, 2009 at 5:29 PM
EPIC LAME.
Why the heck don’t they alert the media in the town an hour before or something, like they do with the air defense warning system thingy?
PattyJ on May 22, 2009 at 5:30 PM
Aren’t they suppose to test these things at a secluded area or air force bases?
Damn Allah, you are on a roll. Good posting this week. Do you get a vacation when Ed gets back?
portlandon on May 22, 2009 at 5:31 PM
To be fair, I’ve always thought a shoulder launched SAM would be a rather effective weapon for terrorists. 20-30 people with them spread out around the county could easily take out 50-60 planes in minutes.
I’m glad they are testing for this sort of thing.
lorien1973 on May 22, 2009 at 5:32 PM
Nice touch using the DHL (Department of Homeland Lobotomies) plane.
WashJeff on May 22, 2009 at 5:32 PM
Thanks. I’ll take one next month, probably. Nowhere to go, though.
Allahpundit on May 22, 2009 at 5:32 PM
I was wondering why my DHL package hasn’t arrived.
txag92 on May 22, 2009 at 5:33 PM
I got countless calls from friends downtown about this. Guess they assume that since I read HotAir every day, surely I must know.
Now I do. Thanks AP.
/it’s still stupid to do it with no warning.
sybilll on May 22, 2009 at 5:34 PM
Thanks. I’ll take one next month, probably. Nowhere to go, though.
Allahpundit on May 22, 2009 at 5:32 PM
That breaks my heart.
txag92 on May 22, 2009 at 5:34 PM
It’s almost like they’re trying to desensitize everyone to the image of surprise low flying planes. Anyone ever read The Boy Who Cried Wolf?
LibTired on May 22, 2009 at 5:34 PM
You should post the humping robot for going a whole week without a palin post that pissed off everyone. At least one that I can remember.
lorien1973 on May 22, 2009 at 5:34 PM
I think AP is going to Niagara Falls next week for a break.
WashJeff on May 22, 2009 at 5:34 PM
And the hoooooooooooooooome of teeeeeeeeeeehh braaaaaaaaaaaaave!
radiofreevillage on May 22, 2009 at 5:34 PM
Hey Arizona is great in June… Do I really need to use the /s?
But the prices do go down.
petunia on May 22, 2009 at 5:35 PM
These guys are doing this just for fun. They get a kick out of scaring civilians … or “peons” as they are known around the White House.
BTW, who was that illiterate who was answering questions?
progressoverpeace on May 22, 2009 at 5:35 PM
allah, you can come to virginia! we’ll be having a hot gubernatorial race;maybe even with terry mcauliffe as the dem candidate.
we have beaches, many wildlife preserves, mountains, fishing, racing, culture & much, much history.
c’mon to virginia!
kelley in virginia on May 22, 2009 at 5:35 PM
A DHL plane? Did the government seize a delivery company and no one told us about it?
Bicyea on May 22, 2009 at 5:35 PM
I hear ya, it gets tedious for sure especially considering all of the “stuck on stupid” things the Obambi administration does daily.
“Look honey, it’s a bird, it’s a…oh damn it’s that Obama plane scaring the crap out of people again…”
Good thing there is no WOT just a “overseas contingency” to be concerned about or some people might have reason to panic over a low and erratic flying plane…the
adultsmorons are in charge!Liberty or Death on May 22, 2009 at 5:36 PM
they were in memphis for the ribs.
kelley in virginia on May 22, 2009 at 5:36 PM
I think DHL dumped a bunch of planes after UPS took over a lot of its domestic services last year.
lorien1973 on May 22, 2009 at 5:36 PM
or maybe looking for elvis.
kelley in virginia on May 22, 2009 at 5:37 PM
Allah come out to long island
Go with your buddies to the beach
Hit the bars at night
Meet some women
Or felines since you are a cat
blatantblue on May 22, 2009 at 5:37 PM
If you take a vacation and don’t go anywhere, aren’t you pretty much just being a lazy blogger?
BadgerHawk on May 22, 2009 at 5:38 PM
What’s going on with the feds and low-flying airliners lately?
Do we really have to keep doing this? And with all the bazillions of miles of desert we have, this has to be done right next to densely populated urban areas?
WTF?
12thMonkey on May 22, 2009 at 5:41 PM
The government bought the DHL surplus and is turning them into Acorn Transport planes to drop boots on the ground during future elections.
portlandon on May 22, 2009 at 5:42 PM
” Let’s see who we can f!@# with next!”
thomasaur on May 22, 2009 at 5:43 PM
Yep, the golf rates drop like a rock when the mercury rises here in AZ, although it’s not too hot yet. AP if you come for a visit I would get here before July or wait until the end of October…especially if you’re fair skinned because once July hits it’s “a dry heat” (read hotter than hell’s blast furnace turned up to high) here until the end of October!
Liberty or Death on May 22, 2009 at 5:43 PM
Obama has outsourced our home security training to a German delivery company? Lovely.
Ronnie on May 22, 2009 at 5:44 PM
Contrails? CONTRAILS!!!
Yeah right “Swine Flu”. They are testing antidote.
portlandon on May 22, 2009 at 5:44 PM
I can’t see any other reason to be in Memphis…
ladyingray on May 22, 2009 at 5:47 PM
Thanks for sharing.
Del Dolemonte on May 22, 2009 at 5:47 PM
They picked Memphis because TN only gave Obama about 34% of their votes. The irony is, probably about 75% of the votes for Obama came from W TN.
ladyingray on May 22, 2009 at 5:49 PM
Why the heck don’t they test these things out in the middle of no place? Well I mean at least Detroit, only 20 people left there.
Canon on May 22, 2009 at 5:50 PM
You could go to Memphis! You could get some honest-to-good BBQ and then see Graceland!
btw…I agree. Great job this week. You deserve a break.
ladyingray on May 22, 2009 at 5:50 PM
progressoverpeace
Sadly, that was one of our more well-spoken members of our Chamber. It goes downhill at warp speed after him.
sybilll on May 22, 2009 at 5:51 PM
Come to Shanghai! We can make an alpha male out of you.
DarkCurrent on May 22, 2009 at 5:52 PM
So that’s why they chose Memphis! It wasn’t for the ribs but to stick it to Fed Ex!
Brilliant!
ladyingray on May 22, 2009 at 5:52 PM
DHL plane now owned by DHS.
maverick muse on May 22, 2009 at 5:52 PM
Canadian Rockies?
maverick muse on May 22, 2009 at 5:53 PM
There’s always Azeroth! For the Horde!
Blacklake on May 22, 2009 at 5:56 PM
as well as allahpundit did this week, we posters have done one helluva job ourselves. AP couldn’t do it without us!
kelley in virginia on May 22, 2009 at 5:58 PM
HA! Brilliant!
locomotivebreath1901 on May 22, 2009 at 5:58 PM
Scottsdale isn’t the only “nice” destination.
Visit the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff and Sedona to wave at Meghan.
Just stay away from 36°59′22″N 112°58′41″W
maverick muse on May 22, 2009 at 5:59 PM
They are trying to desensitizing the American people,..part of the psychological war the socialist/commies/terrosit appeasers/liberal/scum are playing w/us since DAY ONE!
christene on May 22, 2009 at 6:04 PM
ooops! TERRORIST!
christene on May 22, 2009 at 6:05 PM
It’s foolish to take anything that Obama’s DHS does at face value anymore.
baldilocks on May 22, 2009 at 6:08 PM
AP, you really need to get out more. Don’t you at least have family you can visit??? I’m sure some HA posters can help you out. Or some of your Twitter lady fans.
DC, you owe me a new computer screen! ;-)
conservative pilgrim on May 22, 2009 at 6:12 PM
Memphis has lots to recommend it, actually — except maybe the summer temperatures, which are punishing.
There’s plenty of good food beyond barbecue, too. All kinds. Paulette’s, Huey’s, Sleep Out Louie’s…
DrSteve on May 22, 2009 at 6:12 PM
So they used a DHL plane instead of Scare Force One, so people blame it on a private company, instead of the Government.
But if DHS wanted to test a missile-defense shield, couldn’t they fly a “target” plane over an isolated area of the ocean somewhere, and let a Navy ship fire a missile at it, so that if the test fails, the pilot bails out and the plane crashes into the ocean, instead of downtown Memphis?
It looks like Clueless Cluzeau is in charge of Public Relations for the Obama administration…
Steve Z on May 22, 2009 at 6:15 PM
In eight years of the MSM focusing all its efforts to catch any error by the Bush regime, I never remember reading, seeing, or hearing anything like the Scare Force One incident.
And now we have Janet’s Flight of the Bumbler.
Two incidents in four months of the smartest president in our history.
Do we have any investigative journalists left? What is happening here? Hello!!!!
Loxodonta on May 22, 2009 at 6:18 PM
Isn’t it nice to have such intelligent, reassuring folks in charge of our nation?
/sarc
cs89 on May 22, 2009 at 6:18 PM
Did you get a hold of that DHS spokesman……….?
……… The best and the brightest looking after our National Security.
Seven Percent Solution on May 22, 2009 at 6:18 PM
Wow.
progressoverpeace on May 22, 2009 at 6:27 PM
I am astonished that anyone with a lick of sense would demonstrate classified defense technology on camera. It is like saying, “Hey Terrorists, don’t use missile X because we have a defense against it, use tactic Y.” What is he trying to do, cause a Reichstag fire situation?
GunRunner on May 22, 2009 at 6:38 PM
To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than their own hearts in their closet.
– Charles Caleb Colton
Please continue to be your exceptional self. And no matter where you are, it’s not nowhere, but an exceptionally wonderful place.
Loxodonta on May 22, 2009 at 6:40 PM
Probable Hallmark copyright violation! ;-)
DarkCurrent on May 22, 2009 at 6:42 PM
Don’t ya just love how the Obama Administration’s DHS Spokesman moves to quickly put rest the fears of the public by telling them it was just a test…..
And…. there’s 1000′s of unaccounted for missles out there which are a danger to airlines…..
That should rank right up there with Bozo Joe – Don’t travel on trains, planes, etc – Biden.
jrlingreenbay on May 22, 2009 at 6:43 PM
Just another display of uninhibited arrogance by the thuggish Obama regime. The little people do not need to know what the Dear Leader is up to. Just trust that it is always good, or else…
Zorro on May 22, 2009 at 6:45 PM
My wife and I honeymooned in Colonial Williamsburg.
They’re right, Virginia IS for Lovers. Do it like its 1773.
portlandon on May 22, 2009 at 6:45 PM
Another farce brought to you by the Department of Homeland Stupidity.
Auntie Janet thanks you all for your understanding and cooperation. However. anybody here who is deemed to have made a derogatory comment towards the Government in General or the Department in specific in this thead, will be placed on the Right Wing Extremist Watch List – the RWEWL. Please keep that in mind.
TheBigOldDog on May 22, 2009 at 6:49 PM
Sigh, I had the pleasure of being in SF when the Blue Angels buzzed the city. I was crossing Third Street and a jet flew so low I felt like I could reach up and touch it. Better yet, he was flying upside down! The next day all the biddys complained that they thought we were under attack. Now, this was 20 years before 9/11. The aholes in SF just hated the military and had to ruin it for everyone. A couple of years later, I was on the 15th floor of a building on Parnassus Heights when they flew by several times. Again, they were so close, I could see the guys face and read his name on the side of the jet.
Blake on May 22, 2009 at 6:51 PM
Totally agree, other places like Prescott, Payson, the White Mountains, the Rim NE of Payson are also great places to beat the heat of an Arizona Summer.
So, where is the L/L you describe…I can’t put it in Google Earth to find it…
Liberty or Death on May 22, 2009 at 6:51 PM
Why would airplanes need missile defenses in the age of man caused disasters?
tarpon on May 22, 2009 at 6:52 PM
I apologize for being so mushy, but I meant every word.
I identify with Allahpundit, as I live like a hermit. At least I assume he is not misrepresenting his life.
So, I know it’s not an easy life, being odd and living in near complete solitude. But it does have its benefits. And if one can get outside alone with Nature, where it’s quiet enough to listen, even for just a few moments, those moments can be absolute wonder.
Loxodonta on May 22, 2009 at 7:18 PM
I miss that. I aspire to like to live like a hermit when I retire.
DarkCurrent on May 22, 2009 at 7:22 PM
In the meantime, I’m inviting Allah to Shanghai so in just 7 days, WE CAN MAKE HIM A MAN!
DarkCurrent on May 22, 2009 at 7:23 PM
Dumb and Dumber!
And what’s with the DHS Representative guy with the the shuck n’ jive tone saying that there are ‘thousands’ of shoulder launched stinger missles out there ‘unaccounted for on the black market’?
Six months ago the Bush Administration would have been roasted over hot coals for the first flight, then roasted IN the hot coals for this flight, and then plain old blow torched for FEAR MONGERING to justify this flight.
But then again, Bush wasn’t Barackus Casaer, the Messiah, The One.
SilverStar830 on May 22, 2009 at 7:24 PM
Joe Biden must have been in charge today.
Upstater85 on May 22, 2009 at 7:39 PM
one word why not Detroit.
“planejacking”
UNREPENTANT CONSERVATIVE CAPITOLIST on May 22, 2009 at 7:54 PM
Thanks for linky, Allah, and to everyone for stopping by. Have a terrifying holiday weekend!
Cuffy Meigs on May 22, 2009 at 7:56 PM
.
No. Biden my be dumber than a box of rocks, but this has a vindictiveness more in tune with Obama-nation
darktood on May 22, 2009 at 7:58 PM
Yeah, his face was definitely missing something…that spark which indicates that a person is playing with all the cards.
baldilocks on May 22, 2009 at 8:29 PM
Allah
Chicago in June is actually a good place to vacation.
June temps are comfortable, Navy Pier is great, we have TONS of museums and memorials-and history. Maybe you could even go to Wrigley and watch my favorite ball club lose a series.
seriously though-Chicago is nice in the summer-if your near the lake.
annoyinglittletwerp on May 22, 2009 at 8:45 PM
Is there ANYTHING these idiots do that isn’t designed to piss someone off? It’s like long-term consequences don’t exist in their deranged brains, just what kind of stupid reaction they can get TODAY!
The entire administration seems to be suffering from Oppositional Defiant Disorder.
Merovign on May 22, 2009 at 8:48 PM
Good one Allah.
fogw on May 22, 2009 at 9:12 PM
seriously. Why the need to horrify so many people? There is tons of nothing in this country.
ThackerAgency on May 22, 2009 at 9:28 PM
I’m calling bollocks on that explanation. That is the sort of test that gets done over the desert or mountains in an area set aside such as a restricted/no-fly-zone/flight test area. Stuff like that just isn’t done over a city.
Woody
woodcdi on May 22, 2009 at 9:51 PM
Maybe this is what happened
AZfederalist on May 22, 2009 at 10:11 PM
This smells like we’re being prepped.
44Magnum on May 22, 2009 at 10:13 PM
Aiiigght, since we all wanna take Allah for a tour, *raising arm* come to Erie PA!!! There are concerts by the bay, Presque Isle “beaches” since it’s Lake Erie, we get tourists from FL all the way from Canada for shopping, of course. Our dollar sucks so in come the tour buses.
This city is very family-oriented, entertainment for young and adults alike. Tons of hotels, we got the Splash Lagoon indoor water park plus Waldameer. And if you wanna see Steelers for their practice, we can take you there; we went last year it was a blast!
On the DHL airplane, why didn’t they borrow a FedEx DC-10, since that’s where the main hub is? Perhaps people would have just kept on going b/c it would have gone unnoticed. Wonder if they still jumpseat; last I know after Sept. 11, the jumpseat perk was eliminated. Too bad for the employees; flying for free IS great, even though it’s an overnighter.
ProudPalinFan on May 22, 2009 at 10:18 PM
++
Two within two weeks.
Coastal Paradise on May 22, 2009 at 10:38 PM
Asia, my friend. Asia.
Asher on May 22, 2009 at 10:59 PM
Oops the Air Force 1 pilot just made a wrong turn and totalled the Sears Tower. Call the MSM and have them blame Dick Cheney.
MaiDee on May 23, 2009 at 4:53 AM
Believe the stupidity of the powers that be in Memphis. That’s why flyfisher and I both escaped across the border to Mississippi. But Memphis is one of the main distribution hubs in America, a prime target for terrorists.
kingsjester on May 23, 2009 at 9:10 AM
Whats he doing? Selling rides?
johnnyU on May 23, 2009 at 9:40 AM
Maybe they have the windows open and they are airing it out. I heard he stinks.
johnnyU on May 23, 2009 at 9:40 AM
Let’s just ask a quick question. Why choose the downtown area of Memphis? A terrorist would choose a site that has a lot of airplanes flying at the altitudes(stinger range) and are normally flying such as an airport or a town close to the approach/departure routes of an airport.
It was obvious the area the plane was flying is not part of the normal flight paths of aircraft. Therefore, the only logical conclusion is that the DHS was testing its ability to shoot down a hijacked flight that was going to pull off a 9/11 type of attack.
It would be interesting to understand that the DHS would shoot down an airplane, killing all on board, and not to mention those on the ground that the wreckage would fall on unsuspecting citizens. Is the DHS admitting that they failed in preventing the bad guys from getting on an aircraft.
They are going to ‘What IF’ themselves into creating a bigger mistake than 9/11, coddling the enemy.
Let’s just identify them and eradicate them. If the enemy does not follow or fight by the rule of law then we do not owe them a trial, that usually results in U.S. taking care of them for the rest of their natural lives in prison, allowing them to become lawyers or teachers of fundamental Jihad to other prisoners that will get out and carry out attacks on U.S..
MSGTAS on May 23, 2009 at 10:57 AM
Do all these tests contrinbute to “The Boy Who Called Wolf“?
Wade on May 23, 2009 at 11:57 AM
This is beyond words. I agree,,, they could do the freaking tests in a secluded region. Just like they test every other kind of defensive measure.
What are they going to do next? Bring tanks rolling into main street, fire a few rounds over our heads and then we’ll watch videos of people fleeing in panic and the MSN coming on saying “There was no need to fear, the DHS was just training to destroy our cities in the event of an emergency.”
This is just plain incompetence. You don’t go freaking circling an airliner around a freaking major city in the US and think no one should be alarmed!! Either that,, or they just do not give a rip if they cause a panic,, or still, someone somewhere is enjoying the thrill.
JellyToast on May 23, 2009 at 1:23 PM
Hey! I went to school in Edinboro and love Erie. Presque Isle is great but the sand on the beach is sort of like fake sand. tiny pebbles. The mall is not so great,, but other parts of Erie are nice. Democrat stronghold, though.
JellyToast on May 23, 2009 at 1:27 PM
Why are we even doing these tests at all? I thought the world was supposed to wub us again after we elected Barack Obama as President? Wasn’t that supposed to usher in the era of love and happiness and unicorns and rainbows? If so, then there are no need for no steenkeeng tests!
In other words, they purposely did it in a very public way in order to make people believe that the Obama Administration is “tough on terror!” and taking these threats seriously. In other words, in my opinion, it was all for show.
Michael in MI on May 23, 2009 at 4:54 PM
Now I figured it out. This test was sponsored by the Post Office. DHL moves letters and packages cheaper than the USPS. Therefore, the USPS was testing stingers, the USPS intercepted being shipped via the U.S. Mail, to see if a delivery person could shoot down the competition.
MSGTAS on May 24, 2009 at 9:30 AM