Althouse: "At one point, the Wisconsin state capitol building in Madison was evacuated as a precaution as the plane flew over the city."

April 7, 2009

"At one point, the Wisconsin state capitol building in Madison was evacuated as a precaution as the plane flew over the city."

I'm just seeing this story. Strange how one can be in a city and have no idea some strange possibly terrorist madness is going on around you.

ADDED: When I was considering buying a condo, I wanted a particular one that looked out directly onto the state capitol building, and I thought about how it could be a terrorist target. I also thought about how it might not be good for the mind to have the government looming so conspicuously and constantly in view.

21 comments:

kentuckyliz said...: I saw it on Instapundit but it wasn't on the news or the news channels. WTF! I suppose after the NORKs were naughty, the Obama koolaid drinkin' MSM doesn't want to air any stories that might make their guy look bad...after promising the world he would bring a knife to a gun fight and his administration's inspiration for peace policy is the Beatles "All You Need Is Love."; 4/7/09, 8:28 AM
Meade said...: "NORAD pilots, once authorized by higher authority, are authorized to use everything within their power to protect U.S. citizens, up to and including lethal force,"

Yes. Let's not let you know who do you know what again.; 4/7/09, 8:30 AM
kjbe said...: Yeah, I see your point - it's a great piece of architecture. To see it, especially lit up, is a treat - but, to see it everyday, might be a bit much.

I also just heard of this and the evac, this morning. I guess there's a lot going on around me that I'm not aware of - and I seem to be doing ok with it.; 4/7/09, 8:39 AM
Peter V. Bella said...: The guy was arrested im Missouri. Supposedly he is a Turkish immigrant who wanted to be shot down; it was allegedly a suicide attempt. Kind of like suicide by cop, but on a grander scale. The investigation goes on.

Oh, for the persnickety here, it is in the Chicago Tribune.; 4/7/09, 8:46 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: It was thought the fighter jets might have to shoot down the aircraft if it showed hostile intent, Kucharek told ABC News.

My understanding is that only Obama can give that order... if awake that is.; 4/7/09, 8:52 AM
garage mahal said...: We should be thankful that Obama has kept us all safe.; 4/7/09, 9:01 AM
Meade said...: "We should be thankful that Obama has kept us all safe"

Now THAT is frontpageable!

With the tag: "Obama is like Bush"; 4/7/09, 10:05 AM
Tibore said...: "Lem said...
It was thought the fighter jets might have to shoot down the aircraft if it showed hostile intent, Kucharek told ABC News.

My understanding is that only Obama can give that order... if awake that is."

Lots of things changed in the wake of 9/11. Given that the plane originated from outside the US borders, I think that actually tripped some rule that allowed US military fighters to respond immediately, rather than wait for local air traffic control to contact regional, regional to contact Washington's FAA, FAA to contact Pentagon, Pentagon to contact local Air Force/Air Nat'l Guard base... yes, it used to be that bad, no joke. And elements of that may still be in place for flights that originate inside US borders; I'll have to look that up. Anyway, I think nowadays authority to respond has been pushed downwards quite a bit, although notification of such a response must still climb the ladder.; 4/7/09, 10:13 AM
Original Mike said...: I'd like to know how close it came to the capitol.; 4/7/09, 10:22 AM
knox said...: What in the world would be the reaction if there were a terrorist attack on Madison, Wisconsin?

Blake, there's an idea for your next novel... surely there's some good sci-fi to cull from that scenario.

*hugs, Madison*; 4/7/09, 10:44 AM
Madison said...: *hugs, knox*; 4/7/09, 10:52 AM
Robert Pearson said...: Methinks the people who occupy the Wisconsin state capitol overestimate their importance in the grand scheme of things just a leetle bit. My U.S. wall map says that maybe the IL, IA, MI, IN and MO capitols should have panicked, too...and what of the schools? Every school along the flight path should have been evacuated immediately! Oh yes, and the police should put plastic handcuffs on all the men, as in Binghampton, NY.; 4/7/09, 2:08 PM
dick said...: Wasn't there already a terrorist attack or at least an attack by the group that was attacking the govt on the University buildings during the late 1960's. I thought they destroyed a chemistry lab building because they thought war research was going on there during the anti-war attacks by the Flower Power groups. I thought it was U of Wisc.; 4/7/09, 2:36 PM
Cedarford said...: A lot of the post-9/11 "Heroes Stand Ready to Protect Helpless Citizens!!" garbage was way over the top.
Purely for show or CYA to show the public how concerned they were or to mobilize the "Heroes who keep Us All Safe".

Thus DC Government let 200,000 panicked apparachniks flood into the street when some rookie pilot in a Piper Cub didn't know he couldn't fly over DC on his way to a golf course. Or when some disgruntled nut parked a John Deere tractor in Tidal Basin muck and refused to move, "Heroes in Charge" shut down 4 of 6 DC West and South traffic arteries "Because the tractor might have a bomb on it, and you cant be too safe!!".

When they evacuated Madison, they didn't even know the nutball from Canada was an Islamazoid. You just know, somewhere, in the regions of High Gov't policy - some group said you "just can't be too safe about these things!"

Yes, a Cessena weighs less than a subcompact car. But it could be carrying deadly Canadian anthrax, a stolen miniaturized Canadian nuke, or it could smack, weaponless, into a small room filled with Very Important state government fuctionaries...some even engaged in battling the peanut and pistachio menace!
_____________
PS, Tibore is right. America made a bad mistake in passing the buck for hundreds of decisions upwards to "Only Our President Can Decide!" status. A lot of that has properly been delegated down, but mass media entertainment perpetuates the "only the President can..." nonsense for dramatic purposes. Show has PC-compliant white neo-nazis seizing a hospital...ergo...only the President can authorize a rescue op..
Of course, it's bad when it becomes public expectation that your highest executive decision maker must be intimately involved in minutea and in every public ceremony. Bush probably spent 20 times the amount of time and attention he spent on the economy in his time in office - honoring 9/11 Victims or his constant ceremonies regarding the Fallen Heroes of his two small wars instead.; 4/7/09, 2:44 PM
Cedarford said...: Wahrheit - Oh yes, and the police should put plastic handcuffs on all the men, as in Binghampton, NY.

Well, it would have been a feather in the caps of the Heroes Who Keep Us All Safe if they did handcuff all the men in Wisconsin not wearing official government employee hero uniforms , because the pilot could possibly have confederates on the ground who could direct the plane right into a luncheon of government lawyers and lobbyists.

In the case of Binghampton? Absolutely, because even if they waited 60 minutes after the shooting had stopped before entering - (you can't be too safe if you are a cop) - heroes don't tread lightly where danger awaits. You are paid to be a law enforcer, not a rescuer. Besides, we all know that women cannot shoot a gun...And if reports said the shooter was an Asian man, best handcuff all the white and black guys at the scene so no one can accuse you of racism.; 4/7/09, 2:52 PM
MadisonMan said...: It would be dreadful if the State Capitol were destroyed -- it's an extremely attractive building, and the State spend much money on it in the past 10 years rehabbing it. I'm sure a replacement would be a hideous low-bid monstrosity.; 4/7/09, 4:01 PM
Sofa King said...: It would be dreadful if the State Capitol were destroyed -- it's an extremely attractive building, and the State spend much money on it in the past 10 years rehabbing it. I'm sure a replacement would be a hideous low-bid monstrosity.

Seriously. I keep waiting for a beaux-arts revival, and it keeps not happening. Bummer.; 4/7/09, 4:16 PM
Original Mike said...: I also thought about how it might not be good for the mind to have the government looming so conspicuously and constantly in view.

I wouldn't mind it a bit. I love that building. And it's not its fault its occupants are such low lifes.; 4/7/09, 4:32 PM
kentuckyliz said...: You should have taken the apartment, so you can gaze upon those who take 6.75% of your every paycheck. Might as well be able to look at a pretty building for your trouble.; 4/7/09, 6:08 PM
rhhardin said...: Bureaucratic ass-covering. If something happened, the guy whose job it is to sound the alarm loses his job.

The reverse error is free because government jobs don't bankrupt themselves into oblivion when they're stupid.

So stupid is what you get.; 4/8/09, 6:35 AM
Laura(southernxyl) said...: "Or when some disgruntled nut parked a John Deere tractor in Tidal Basin muck and refused to move, "Heroes in Charge" shut down 4 of 6 DC West and South traffic arteries "Because the tractor might have a bomb on it, and you cant be too safe!!"."

Yeah. Next thing you know, they'll claim somebody might get a hair up his nose about the ATF and put, I don't know, some fertilizer and diesel in a truck and park it in front of a government building in some random place like Oklahoma and blow it up. Like that could ever, ever happen.; 4/8/09, 11:01 AM