Outrage in Germany at Threat to Down Hijacked Aircraft

**Midnight Mike** · 09-17-2007, 09:43 PM

Berlin - German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung has provoked outrage by warning that he would be prepared give the order to shoot down a hijacked aircraft if it posed a threat in German airspace. Jung freely acknowledged that there was currently no constitutional backing for an order of this kind and that there was no consensus on the issue within the governing coalition.

But he said in an interview with the magazine Focus he would make use of emergency powers in an exceptional case.

"If there is no other way, I would give the order to shoot down (an aircraft) in order to protect our citizens," the defence minister said.

Dieter Wiefelspuetz, internal affairs spokesman for the Social Democrats (SPD), the junior coalition partner in the government, rejected Jung's remarks outright.

"The defence minister has to respect constitutional law," he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur

**cancidas** · 09-18-2007, 08:59 AM

why would you announce that to the public?! how does that make any sense!?

seriously, shooting down an airplane is a possible solution, but think about collateral damage on the ground. a blown-up airplane is no longer flying but falling in a bunch of burning pieces. he deserves the outrage he caused, that's the dumbest thing you could say!!

**Midnight Mike** · 09-18-2007, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by cancidas

why would you announce that to the public?! how does that make any sense!?

seriously, shooting down an airplane is a possible solution, but think about collateral damage on the ground. a blown-up airplane is no longer flying but falling in a bunch of burning pieces. he deserves the outrage he caused, that's the dumbest thing you could say!!

Collateral damage? Think about the World Trade Center & the Pentagon, shooting down those jets would have saved lives......

**adam613** · 09-18-2007, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by cancidas

why would you announce that to the public?! how does that make any sense!?

Illusion of security. Politicians have an immutable urge to sound like they are DOING something about the problem.

**Matt Molnar** · 09-18-2007, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by Midnight Mike

Collateral damage? Think about the World Trade Center & the Pentagon, shooting down those jets would have saved lives......

Only if they were stopped well before they reached their targets. Shooting down Flight 11 over Midtown, or flight 77 over Dulles could have caused similar loss of life.

**cancidas** · 09-18-2007, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by Midnight Mike

Originally Posted by cancidas

why would you announce that to the public?! how does that make any sense!?

seriously, shooting down an airplane is a possible solution, but think about collateral damage on the ground. a blown-up airplane is no longer flying but falling in a bunch of burning pieces. he deserves the outrage he caused, that's the dumbest thing you could say!!

Collateral damage? Think about the World Trade Center & the Pentagon, shooting down those jets would have saved lives......

think about it. they all flew over populated areas, shooting them down before they hit those buildings might not have caused as large a loss of life but it wouldn't eliminate it. now take a similiar scenario, say over the countryside. a 777 or 330 headed for berlin is destroyed. the initial explosion would scatter the debris over a large area. if you did that over the unpopulated desert it's one thing, but over any populated land is not an answer.

Originally Posted by adam613

Originally Posted by cancidas

why would you announce that to the public?! how does that make any sense!?

Illusion of security. Politicians have an immutable urge to sound like they are DOING something about the problem.

.
they sure fooled me...