Unreasonable flight restrictions over presidential vacation spots

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

A security alert that was issued yesterday didn’t really draw much media attention, which is understandable since not all that much unusual activity took place. But it’s still worth a look because it highlights a disturbing trend that we’ve been witnessing for nearly two years now. The event in question involved an incursion into restricted airspace by a small, civilian plane over Lake Tahoe in California Friday morning. Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled in response, along with a Coast Guard helicopter. Flares were fired in the vicinity of the small plane. So why was the airspace restricted? Because Joe Biden and his family were still vacationing there, of course. (Associated Press)

Advertisement

U.S. air defense scrambled fighter jets Friday to wave off a civilian aircraft that had entered temporarily restricted air space near Lake Tahoe, where President Joe Biden and Jill Biden are vacationing.

The crews of two F-16s fired flares to catch the attention of the pilot of the civilian craft and escorted it out of the restricted airspace without further incident, North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said in a statement.

A Coast Guard helicopter also took part in the intercept, which happened Friday morning West Coast time. No information about the civilian aircraft or its pilot was released.

Lake Tahoe is a very popular vacation destination and plenty of private pilots fly around that area either serving tourists or simply for pleasure. Why should the airspace over that resort be shut down for an entire week just so Crooked Joe can sun himself and attempt to drag his beach chair around?

And keep in mind that this happens everywhere the President (or any President) goes. They had to shut down the airspace over Lahaina in Maui this week when Biden showed up for a few hours to deliver his rather offensive remarks in an effort to look empathetic. And that happened when people were desperately trying to fly supplies and rescue personnel into the region. Of course, we probably have to put up with that because it was still technically sort of a “work-related” trip. But Biden has been taking plenty of trips when someone manages to dislodge him from the basement at the White House and the same protocols have to be followed wherever he goes.

Advertisement

This isn’t normally that much of a concern, but when you have a president who is on vacation for more than half of his presidency, it’s an issue. And Joe Biden has literally spent more than 50% of his presidency on vacation. (367 days and counting and he won’t mark the end of his second year in office until January.) What precisely are we paying this guy for? And speaking of which, you are generously paying for almost all of those vacation costs, along with the cost of the security detail that always has to travel with him. What a swell bunch of people you all are.

Look, I understand that we have to keep the airspace around the President secure. We clearly need to do that around the White House and at Biden’s mansions (plural) in Delaware. We can also justify locking down the airspace around Camp David since that is the traditional vacation spot for presidential families. But Joe Biden is pushing this well beyond what should be tolerable limits. He’s jet-setting all over the place and constantly going on vacation. And wherever he goes, we’re shutting down normal operations just so he can get in some extra nap time or bike riding/falling. Where is the mainstream media on this issue? Where is the outrage? Enough is enough.

Advertisement

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Ed Morrissey 10:00 PM | November 22, 2024
Advertisement
Advertisement