Living er.. Surviving the 4th of July in LA
We had decided to take the 4th off and kick back around the house. Doug has to work at the hospital this weekend. And as we say around here: "Sick people don't go home." So trying to do The Great LA Holiday Weekend Escape wasn't going to happen for us. Our day was supposed to be one of those kick back days. Go to Lowes pick up a few things and play with some of our toys. It started off smoothly and then...
About 11:45 AM the phone rang. Mike J an old friend who's a real news cameraman up in the high desert called to tell us the scanner was reporting that there had been a shooting at LAX at the El Al Airlines area. LAX has been closed down.
That perked up my ears. Radio and Television didn't report anything for at least 30 minutes. The thought of LAX being closed again is going to create problems.
However the radio is reporting that Saddam Hussein's step-son, who's a pilot with New Zealand Air, had been picked up by INS for trying to enter the country without a proper visa. He'd come into the US yesterday through LAX for more flight training at one of the famous Florida flight training schools.
Amazing. He'd gotten in through LAX and wasn't picked up until he got to Florida. Oops. OR they were keeping an eye on him?
Then Mike called again: "Happy 4th ML! It's been 40 years now, but you've got another plane crash in your backyard-- it's over at Lake Puddingstone. There are a LOT of people injured. The radios are screaming for fire, paramedics and choppers to get the people out. Go see if you can get some footage."
Lovely! Just what I wanted to see on the 4th of July is another major plane crash. I did that 40 years ago in my back yard at home! The lake is less than 3 miles from the house. We go take a look. From the opposite end of the lake, with my big telephoto, I can see a plane down in pieces everywhere amongst the picnic equiptment, several sheets covering bodies. The scanners are telling us the choppers are bringing the divers in to check the lake for bodies. (Not good.) Choppers are also landing to medivac the seriously injured people out. Even with press credientials, they are so limited on space in the area we can't get a decent and consistant set of shots off. Considering my 4th of July Plain Crash Past-- the little voice inside says, "it's time to head home, girlfriend and given 'em what you got shot."
Then over the next couple hours the radio and television reporters in LA turned like a shark on LAX shooting trying to get the story. It wasn't pretty to see the reporters struggling to get a story. Sharpshooters were on every rooftop of every building at LAX. People were outside the terminal. None of the police or LAX PR folks were talking to the press. You could see the newsrooms getting frustrated and churning to get any bit of news. The news finally reported in their little press event that there were 3 dead, several wounded and injured.
Then we had to endure the Over-Politically Correct LA Mayor Jimmy Hahn on the tube calling the shooting an "isolated incident" in his press conference. The LAX PR people are doing their damnest to not inform the public the shooter, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, was an Egyptian. But within minutes it leaked out. Hadayet was married with two children. The family is in Egypt. Hadayet had come to the US in 1992 and had been living in Irvine 2 years while driving a limo.
Interesting. So if he was a terrorist-- he was very well planted. And the family in Egypt? This is similiar to the 9-11 terrorists.
Despite the press briefing, the police and FBI were are all playing it very close to the chest. More info starts to slide out slowly that the shooter was carrying multiple guns, clips and other weapons. We wait for more news. Not much from LAX other than everyone is still outside some four hours after the shooting happened. People do not look happy waiting outside on the sidewalk.
Then Israeli Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Yaffa Ben-Ari says "The terrorists deliberately chose the Fourth of July to carry out their crime on the soil of the United States." Other Israeli officials also called the incident as a "terrorist attack."
Okay, I'll buy that. Why would Hadayet have come to LAX with a 9mm, a .45, several clips of ammo and a 6 inch knife? It sure wasn't to make sure he got paid his limo fares-- or to do his grocery shopping in LA!
News is also rolling that the pilot in the plane crash had just bought the plane about 3 months ago and was an experienced pilot. I can see Doug looking at the Bracket Field layout in regard to the crash site. "He tried to save it by hot dogging it to not stall. He blew it and couldn't handle the plane. It nose dived. I can't understand why the guy didn't dunk it in the lake and avoid the people? Something doesn't make sense."
About this time news reports on the plane crash are telling us that 4 people are dead. Two kids at the family picnic, the pilot and co-pilot. 15 people injured.
It's not a happy day in the park where we go nearly every week.
About this time we head out to Lowes for a little home-improvement entertainment and a snack.
As we're driving home, the local stations break the news that LAX is flying again. The LAX Shooter, the former Mr. Hadayet had painted a little note on the front door of his Irvine residence saying "Read the Koran! Read the Koran!"
Ut-oh! Logic dictates either have an isolated nutcase who decided to take on El Al, which wasn't a good move-- or he was a terrorist. May be he had been isolated from his cell, and decided to take matters into his own hands... make a statement. For some reason I keep remembering the old axiom: "An isolated terrorist is a dangerous terrorist," an old instructor once told me. Unfortunately I suspect we will see more events like this as other terrorists are rounded up and others are seperated from their prime contacts. These folks tend to get nervous and do really stoopid things.
We decided to end the evening with a bang. No not that. We go get a couple coffees and drive the dogs over to the park to see the fireworks show called KABOOM. Jeeze. I'd had enough excitement for a laid back day.
So how was your 4th? Hit the COMMENTS LINK.
4:27:18 AM 
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