From: "John Keeney"
Date: 1/8/2004 11:57 PM Central Standard Time
Message-id:


"Mike Marron" wrote in message
.. .
"mg" wrote:

To blame the Air Force is like blaming the fire department for not
stopping
an arsonist.

Poor analogy. The Air Force is not entirely to blame for what happened
to 9/11, but it's not absolutely blameless either.

Actually the fire department likely has a bigger role in stopping arsonist
that the Air Force in investigating potential terrorist threats. In many
areas the fire department is responsible for criminal investigation of
arson and if it is a repeat offender they should have caught him last time.

It was there to put the fire out (endless CAP mission ever since),
but it could not have prevented it.

Given better intelligence, the USAF could have easily prevented it.

Yes, but the Air Force is not tasked with intelligence analyst of
that nature. Rarely they'll be tasked with some of the gathering that
requires their technical assets but in those cases they are more
likely than not to have no idea why they are acquiring it.

Or why not blame the Army for not having a AAA battery stationed in NY or
DC.
Or why not blame the Navy for not having a ship on the Potomac or in NY
harbor that could have prevented it.

Actually, you're absolutely right. Why not blame the Army or Navy?

Because they too, are not very involved in that area.
Well, actually, army & navy special forces might be involved if
requested by civilian agencies.

In what far fetched way could the USAF have prevented 9/11?

A preemptive strike, perhaps? Recall the Israeli attack on the Osiraq
nuclear powerplant near Baghdad back in 1981.

Yes, with better intelligence the USAF could have preemptively targeted
Ossama. But the Air Force would not have gathered the intelligence,
the Air Force would not have analyzed the intelligence and the Air
Force wouldn't have decided it sufficient to act upon.

You are aware that the Army, Navy and Air Force are not allowed
to launch preemptive strikes on their own?

Several of us have attempted to talk rationally to marron.

Several of us have asked him to explain just how the USAF was responsible in
whole or in part for 9/11 or retract the accusation. He refuses to do either.

Dan, U. S. Air Force, retired