Reply #24: again, details [View All]

[ant]

Based on what I heard on NPR earlier, NORAD was prepared to defend against cruise missile attacks from the sea. I think they said that's what some of the scrambled jets were initially thinking about. So what if instead of airplanes there had been surface to air missiles taking out airplanes? What if terrorists arranged for hot air balloon rides where they dispersed deadly chemicals from above? Even if I stick to just apples and apples, there are lots of different ways to defend the skies. It all depends on what you're defending against, and the smart enemy knows what you have and have not prepared for.

Look, all I'm saying is that it's easy to point fingers after the fact, and I'm not even saying that certain fingers shouldn't be pointed. I'm just saying that a certain amount of confusion and chaos is unavoidable, espcially under these types of circumstances, and we have to be able to evaluate those factors the best we can in order to minimize them in the future. We also have to be willing to accept that they can not be completely eliminated. Human beings are not and will never be perfect.