[Poohbah]

This is either a huge coincidence, or these guys were "pulsing the system," to use a phrase from the Bad Old Days of the Cold War. ("Pulsing the system" involved deliberate overflights of the other side's territory, solely for the purpose of getting the other side to switch on radars, lauch interceptors, et cetera. The plane performing the incursion would then proceed to record the incoming signals.)

[EggsAckley]

Do we know yet the ethnicity of the pilot of that small plane brought down by the f-16s?

[Dead Dog]

This and the minivan busted in New York last Tuesday. I think we are being tested.

Nobody is dumb enough to joke about this in public. They could easily have ended up pavement surfing behind Jethro's pickup.

[Illbay]

That's not the same thing at all. The only "assets" you have to pulse here is the people's willingness to listen and alert authorities.

I don't see how the Jihadis benefit from knowing that we'll do it--maybe if we DON'T respond, I guess.

[Travis McGee]

Good point.

[spunkets]

"pulsing the system,"

I think these guys were yanking it, as in "Animal house".

[nanny]

"This is either a huge coincidence, or these guys were "pulsing the system," to use a phrase from the Bad Old Days of the Cold War. "

I had that same thought. What better way to find out just how prepared we are than to just break a few 'regulations', knowing because they can scream profiling, they will not be prosecuted, but they will know our weaknesses and strengths.

[Lloyd227]

"..."pulsing the system,"

I've been having the same thought, but for several months.

There have been entirely too many 'odd' incidents involving middle eastern men who manage to look suspicious but when questions or searched seem to have nothing out of order.
- 3 men testing out a new video camera from the top of a water tower
- A small plane seen dropping a duffle bag sized package into the local water reservoir
- Half a dozen middle eastern men 'camping' next to a water supply lake, but with no camping gear of any kind and wearing suits no less
- a car full of middle eastern men attempting to gain access to an operating nuclear power plant, then they run when questions but when finally caught, they all have valid visas, no weapons and no indication of anything out of order
and dozens and dozens of similar cases all of which tie up our LEOs and test our ability to respond and investigate.

I realize that the heightened state causes everyone to be more alert, report more incidents which may have gone unnoticed before, and that this type of story is now far more newsworthy than it had ever been but... come on! Something odd has been going on for quite some time and this latest little incident in Florida is NOT isolated.

So what to do about it? Have any of you attempted to catalog these incidents or seen some place on the web that does? Comments?