The Poor Second Guy

As is normally the case, it is the second person who throws a punch that gets in trouble. You’ve seen that happen in football games, right? A player gets angry, punches another player, who then retaliates for the punch. The first player rarely gets caught (except on video tape) and the second player almost always gets punished.

Well, it would seem that the US Navy is “that second guy.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) turned down a U.S. Navy request to fly a patrol aircraft past Manhattan on Monday, two weeks after a nerve-racking Air Force photo shoot over the Statue of Liberty caused a brief panic. The agency said it refused clearance for the flight down the Hudson River because the Navy had given it only a few hours notice of its plans.

The P-3 Orion reconnaissance plane from the U.S. Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, was to have flown past the city, then head back north, sometime around 10:30 a.m. FAA officials said the four-engine, turboprop admittedly had a low probability of attracting attention. It was to have flown no lower than 3,000 feet, well above New York's tallest skyscrapers, in an air corridor where planes of a similar size are a common sight.

But after city officials were informed and higher-level FAA officials learned about the request, they declined permission for the flight, saying unannounced military flybys were a bad idea. After the FAA alerted the mayor’s office in the morning that the flight would take place, the city sent out a public notification warning that a military plane would be in the air. Shortly thereafter, the FAA told the Navy the mission was off.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city did not ask for the flight to be canceled. “We did get on the phone with them and said we’d prefer to have had a little more time to notify everybody,” he said. Bloomberg said it was his understanding that the flight was for “some Navy guy who was retiring after many years of service, and they wanted him to take one last flyby.”

Now, of course, the Navy is disputing the Mayor’s claim about honoring someone retiring. I doubt we’ll ever know the real truth. But, this time, the Navy can blame the White House for throwing the first punch (flying Air Force One over the city unannounced) and then them getting punished for actually going through the official process to fly over the city—whether or not the fly was for a good purpose or not, they got punished because they came along second.

Wonder how long the watchful eye of the FAA and media will be watching the skies of New York City?

No Harm No Foul? Right!

White House Military Office Director Louis Caldera apologized for any panic caused by a flight mission and photo op that looked like Air Force One and fighter jets heading toward the New York City skyline Monday morning.

Caldera said he approved the mission last week and that federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey.

But for people who work in the New York financial district, the event brought back nightmares of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Numerous buildings in lower Manhattan evacuated in a panic during this morning's false alarm. (Here's a link to NBC New's coverage of it last night.)

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"It's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused," Caldera said in a White House issued paper statement.

The plane that flew in New York Monday was a version of the Boeing 747 that's called Air Force One when the president is aboard.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg blasted the photo opportunity for being insensitive and showing "poor judgment."

In a brief statement after the flight, the New York Police Department acknowledged it was aware the flight was happening, but claimed the Federal Aviation Administration told them not to talk about it.

"The flight of a VC-25 aircraft and F-16 fighters this morning was authorized by the FAA for the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it but to direct any inquiries to the FAA Air Traffic Security Coordinator," the statement said.

The aircraft involved in this morning's mission, a VC-25, is the military's version of a Boeing 747, with state-of-the-art communication and electronic equipment. It is a backup plane that is sometimes used as Air Force One to carry the President of the United States.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was asked several times about the flight during his daily briefing and promised he would try to get back to reporters with some answers.

So, question. What the heck was the White House staff thinking? Flying very low, toward the New York City skyline with the backup Air Force One? What could be the purpose in doing that? What did they hope to accomplish, having "Air Force One" being tracked by two military jets?

I can't wait to hear what their "explanation" will be. Maybe it will be more convincing than their statement that President Obama didn't bow to the king of Saudi Arabia. The video said differently. Here, the pictures and the near panic say differently.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2009!

I wonder how long it will take me to get used to writing or typing that. Probably a few checks will be discarded before January is over.

The new year began at midnight. A large and expensive ball dropped in an orchestrated manner precisely at midnight in New York City. Millions witnessed it in Times Square. Countless others watched the ball drop from the comfort of their homes.

We did not watch the ball drop. We did not stay awake to witness the clock strike twelve. We didn't stay up to turn the calendar or watch the number 12:01 appear on the microwave or DVD player or computer.

With a soon-to-be 11-month old child, you take advantage of every opportunity to sleep that you can. When he goes to bed, you're tempted to go to bed yourself. Whether that time comes at 5:00 PM or 9:00 PM. Why waste good hours of sleep? You just never know when he might wake up!

So, if you are reading this shortly after midnight, I'm very impressed! Happy New Year to you! Now, got to bed! It'll still be the new year when you wake up!

If you are reading this at any other time, and you didn't stay awake to see the new year arrive, I fully understand and appreciate where you find yourself!

I wish you the same well wishes for the new year. Happy New Year!

I look forward to seeing where God might lead all of us over the days, weeks, month, and year ahead.