To: Rock_nj who wrote (2357 ) 8/31/2003 10:06:21 PM From: Raymond Duray Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 20039 Rock, Re: Any sane person must ask what do we pay the Secret Service for if they don't even take measures to protect the President when something unprecedented like an attack on our nation's largest building is taking place? I'm not sure I'm following you here. After a scheduled press conference at 9:30 AM on 9/11 in Sarasota, Bush was whisked to Air Force One and then flown to Barksdale AFB and Offutt AFB. It seems to me that the Secret Service did move to protect the President. But NORAD and the USAF seem to have been the groups that stood down at this time. From Mark Elsis' 911 Timeline,911timeline.net we have the following entries: 83) 9:30 a m.: Bush, speaking to the nation from Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, says the country has suffered an "apparent terrorist attack" and "a national tragedy." He would chase down, "those folks who committed this act." Bush also said, "Terrorism against our nation will not stand." It was an echo of "This will not stand," the words his father, George H. W. Bush, had used a few days after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990-in Bush's opinion, one of his father's finest moments. Also, during this address to the country Bush promised a full investigation into the attack. Well here we are one year later and there is still no investigation. Matter of fact he has done everything in his power so there will not be any investigation into 911. Why? This address to the country should have been said at least 15 to 20 minutes earlier. But of course he had much more important business to attend to, he was listening to the Goat Story with the 16 second graders from 9:05 till at least 9:12 and possibly as long as 9:23. Watch the video of Bush addressing the country from Emma E. Booker Elementary School.attackonamerica.net 97) 9:45 a.m.: Bush's motorcade leaves the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida headed for Air Force One at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. 104) 9:55 a.m.: Bush arrives at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and boards Air Force One. 108) 9:59 a.m.: Air Force One Departs Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, Sarasota, Florida bound for Washington D.C. Air Force One departed with no extra military protection, even though 2 of the 7 military air stations we had on full alert to protect the continental United States that day were based in Florida. Homestead Air Station in Homestead is 185 miles and the Tyndall Air Station in Panama City is 235 miles from Sarasota. These two air stations should have been ordered to scramble their fighters at 8:20 or 8:40 or 8:43 or 8:46:26 or 9:02:54 or at the very least, at 9:24. Flying at top speed, both of these air stations fighters could have been in Sarasota in about 20 minutes to protect Air Force One. Where were the fighters from both of these air stations? Did both of these air stations have something better to do that day than protect Air Force One? Please, this just does not happen. Also, is the place to be in the air when there are still hundreds of airliners in the air, and who knew then how many of them were hostile or not? We have captured and saved the video of Bush as he arrives at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, and the take-off of Air Force One. Go to: attackonamerica.net Also, please take a look at the August 30, 2002 BBC article which states: In the immediate aftermath of the terror attacks US fighter planes took to the skies to defend America from any further attacks. Their mission was to protect pResident George W. Bush and to intercept any hijacked aircraft heading to other targets in the US. news.bbc.co.uk