Dick Cheney Visits Shannon Airport
clare |
anti-war / imperialism |
news report 
Tuesday December 07, 2004 23:11
by SNN Watch
Indymedia Reporter watches the scene....
21:45pm
ATA and North American planes under guard at Shannon Airport....
Comments (44 of 44)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44Army jeeps on the airfield.
Lots of cops and flashing blue lights.
ATA tristar prep to leave.
North American jet parked and guarded at gate 42
[ previous report was at 21:56pm ]
22:06pm
Correction: ATA was not preparing to go, but was moved from centre of airfield to the terminal.
Quite a few APO's about.
Army patroling the perimiter.
22:11pm
ATA Reg is N163AT and North American is N768NA
22:18pm
Cop car and about four cops behind North American
22:20pm
Now Garda van with all lights flashing has gone to rear of ATA
22:25pm
North American 768 preparing to push back and leave
.
22:27pm
North American 768 preparing to push back - Cop vans moving outta there.
22:37pm
Cheney just clear for take off.
Making right turn towards Corrib, climb 23,000
22:46pm
Wait a mo. SAM 8335 inbound.
May be worth the wait.
22:15pm
SAM would be USAF jet.
Its at 13,000 feet heading towards SNN runway two - four.
Still lots of cops waiting.
22:58pm
According to other source SAM 8335 is Cheney's plane.
Its 5 mins from touch down.
go n'eirigh an bothar fuat
23:04pm
ATA troops flight rushing to leave.
Cheney now about 20 miles from touchdown.
23:05pm
make that 8 miles.
Some people they call me Dick
Some people they call me insane
I'm looking for somebody
And I don't even know their name
I might be looking for you
Wherever you may be
For there is something I've got to do to you honey
And it's between you and me
Now you might think it's fun
Or maybe it's a joke
But you've got plenty of reason to worry honey
`Cause you wouldn't stand a hope
There's a killer on the loose again
A killer on the loose
There's a killer on the loose again
A killer on the loose
Now I'm not trying to be nasty
Or I'm not trying to make you scared
But there's a killer on the loose
Or haven't you heard
He'll be walking around this town
Just about midnight
Yes, that's Shannon Town
That's right
That's right
Cheney may have some souvenir orange suited jihadis shackled to the floor hidden onboard - Gards might want to do their job and check, no?
23:09pm
Looks like ATA has decided to wait for other plane to land.
All fire engines have lined up with flashers on.
.
Think the VP is on his way to Afghanistan (see today's Guardian) to inaugarate the franchise holder overseeing the drug lords etc. Expect a bumper crop for Christmas
How many feckin connections do you need to realise how colonised we are?!
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=66007
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23:20pm
VP has landed about 10 past
runway 13
bald head visible
a team member has got close to terminal.
reports to come
23:38pm
Update: Cheney Plane landed 2310
Big USAF jet reg 80002
Did a turn
Waited for ATA troop flight to leave before going to terminal.
Parked parallel to gate 30, rather than nose in.
23:54pm
8 garda / airport police vehicles at plane.
Steps rolled over.
30 old white guys get out.
Enter terminal and ascend escalator toward bar/duty free.
Big limo and pickup delivers Secret Service agents to plane, now surrounded by cars and dudes.
Entire security detail at plane.
Other team member went to terminal, met no security at all.
Info staff said Cheney staying for an hour.
Photo to come later.
00:16am Wednesday
Air Force Two just landed.
Reg 80001
1st plane must be security detail.
[indy note: who was that bald man? body double?]
00:19am
Fuck man. The planes are identical.
One is Cheney's the other is security i guess.
I think latest is Air Force Two.
There's 6 of us on the team here now.
Made in China
of course there had to be a chinese connection
VPOTUS landing on the USS Ireland
00:35am
Correction: 1st USAF plane *was* Cheney's and he's headed to runway now.
.
01:24am
After four hours police finally spotted us.
But not before we rang airport operations to ask if remaining USAF was Rummy or Powell.
They declined to comment.
Just as leaving, TV3 contacted us. Told them we were refused entry as 'airport is closed for security reasons.'
USAF 80001 still on the ground.
We're being shadowed by cops as we leave town.
good night.
What value does a running commentary on the movements of planes around an airport add?
Directed to the author of "So what?"
This brings the immediacy of what this land is tied up in to us. So if that still registers a "So what?" with you so be it, just think about your response to a major event of furtive occupation of our land and infrastructure before you "So what?" such events in the future. The people who spent their time witnessing this tonight are carrying out out a duty on behalf of the rest of us. The particular devils in question already have enough advocates swarming around them. Let's stick to the story.
The media and government's tough talk winter 2001 about possible islamist terrorist "sleeper cells" in Ireland was nothing but racist scare-mongering. If there were so much as a single islamist, or even anyone else prepared to use violence to try and attack the American military at Shannon, they surely would have done it by now. And got away with it.
First two planes were troop carriers. The North American was at the terminal, near the ‘pen’ when we arrived. The ATA Tristar was in the centre of the airfield, away from the terminal and both were under guard.
Irish Army jeeps and Airport Police jeeps were doing joint patrols with (Gardai in passenger seats of APO vans).
We noticed that Aer Lingus planes had been moved from normal places at the terminal to make room for someone. (during Cheney’s visit there were no civilian planes along the terminal –Ryanair got parked around the side)
There was conflicting info coming in. We didn’t think that the North American plane was Cheney’s, but some one else was sure that it was.
It got quite an escort out to the runway, about 7 vehicles escorted it.
Luckily, Cheney’s plane came in shortly afterwards, or we might have left before the big show!
80002 was Cheney’s jet. It had the presidential livery on it, and it didn’t come down the taxiway like other planes. When it left the main runway, it turned off to come down the shorter runway (runway one-three) rather than come down a taxiway (the taxiways are closer to the fence).
It parked PARALLEL to the terminal rather than nose-in. This was they save time, and they don’t need to be pushed back for departure. It also means that they’re blocking the apron.
As Air Force Two came to a stop, there were about 6-8 Garda vehicles.
A few airport police vehicles, the FBO van, and unmarked cars to meet it. We could see one of the airport police inspectors upstairs in the terminal with Gardai, overlooking the plane.
The steps got moved over and over 30 guys in long jackets step down from the plane. As they did, more secret service guys arrived in a pick up truck and limo. The plane was surrounded by cars and “dudes-who-don’t-smile-in-pictures”.
The entire airport fire brigade was sitting on standby the whole time, with all their lights flashing, orange and blue. There was an ambulance waiting as well.
We think that the second plane was probably Rumsfeld returning from Kabul. His plane didn’t get the same level of security, but it was parked in the ‘pen’ (the fenced in area at Gate 42, where they close a gate behind the plane after it enters.)
SAM 8335 was the call sign used by Cheney’s plane when it was arriving, but at the same time as the second VIP jet (80001) landed, Cheney’s plane started talking to ground control using call sign Air Force Two. We were wondering for a second if they were using a decoy…
After Cheney left, there was long line of unmarked cars, Garda cars and Garda vans leaving in single file.
We rang Airport Operations to see if they would enlighten us about the second plane.
(Dialled 061-712000 Put the mobile on speaker…)
Friendly female voice:
“Good evening, operations”
Planespotters -
“Hello, I was wondering if you could page a passenger for me?”
Ops lady
“Which flight did they come in on?”
Planespotters -
“80001”
Ops Lady -
“Where’s that flight from?”
Planespotters -
“Kabul”
Ops lady -
“…There’s no flight in from Kabul”
Planespotters -
“Yes there is. It’s the big USAF VIP jet at gate 42, registered 80001. Can you page Rumsfeld for us please? Is he on that jet?”
Ops lady -
“I wouldn’t know. You seem to know more than I do”
Planespotters -
“Must be him, or perhaps Colin Powell? Can you tell us who’s on board please?”
Ops Lady (Getting a bit cagey and less friendly) -
“I wouldn’t know. You know more than I do. You should know”
Planespotters -
“Ah, ya must know. Cheney’s plane just left there a while ago"
Ops Lady -
“Did it? I don’t know”
Planespotters –
“Yes, it was parked up next to gate 30, with loads of security. They must tell you nothing in operations”
Ops Lady –
“I don’t know”
Planespotters –
“So, anyway, we’re just wondering if Rumsfeld’s there in the other plane. Could you ask FBO for us?”
Ops Lady -
“No!”
Planespotters-
“Ah, go on… Please…”
Ops Lady - (becoming more relaxed, realises we’re taking the pi$$)
“I wouldn’t have their number”
Planespotters -
“Airport Operations doesn’t have a number for FBO? You’re kidding me!”
Ops Lady -
“I don’t have it.”
Planespotters -
“Okay. Thanks. Have a nice night.”
Ops Lady -
“Good night”
Arrived at Shannon 'bout 21.30. No Security on perimeter of airport.
Drove up to airport past garda and airport checkpoint, with well-known car and driver, was not stopped, but waved through. Spent almost one hour taking photos near Terminal building and taking photos of ATA and North American troopcarries, including use of Flash camera.
Drove back to industrial estate.
Returned later to airport, past the Garda and airport Checkpoint. was again waved through, just as US vicepresident was landing in Air Force Two. There was no security of any sort in evidence outside the terminal building. I took several photos of tail of plane, but quality was poor due to light problems. Spent 20 minutes within terminal building while Cheney was fifty meters away upstairs. There was only minimal security within the terminal building, and none at all outside of it. I returned to Industrial estate.
As I was taking photos, two suspicious looking women dressed all in black, with black headscarfs approached the termainal building walking very fast with their heads bowed. They were carrying some electronic equipment, which turned out to be portable steroes. They looked like Chechnyan black widows, but turned out to be two Shannon residents out for a fittness walk.
I returned to the Industrial estate again, and
later drove back towards the airport with two others. This third time we were actually stopped at the checkpoint and eventually refused permission to go up to the airport terminal building, when they realised what a "dangerous" person I was.
It was just as well that we are all "peace" activists and had no bad intentions towards those VIPs at the airport.
This is crazy stuff, but its true.
.
Well done all. I just rang the Irish Times newsdesk and a lady with an American accent told me that they have not heard about it. She wanted to know did he just come down for refuelling. I referred her to Indymedia Ireland
.
Have admitted that Cheney was on jet 80002 but won't say who was on 80001.
There was a limo and a pick up truck waiting for him.
So how long were they at Shannon and where were they beforehand?
I knew I smelled something foul blowing in from the West last night!
According to RTE's business news website, FBO Shannon has been bought by a British company. For a while I had the feeling that FBO Shannon was perhaps a US military or security operation, but I guess they were just mercenaries after all.
Dick Cheney: a soul damned to hell. Barring a miracle.
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