You know, a Soviet plane gets close to the border, we panic, it gets shot down. Then the Soviets decide to shoot down the next plane that tries that again. Then it escalates from there. Well, folks, have a look at this.

There. Putin just placed some long-range surface-to-air missiles in Syria. The next Turkish F-16 pilot to play Top Gun is going to get a hotfoot he'll never forget. Ok, but let's get back to the Cold War for a second. Can anyone imagine it being 1983 and Reagan giving the okey-dokey to shoot down a Soviet aircraft? Of course not. Not even Reagan was that bonkers. If Turkey had said they were going to do that, they'd have been told in no uncertain terms: Absolutely not. We'd have never allowed a NATO nation to threaten such a thing, much less carry out that threat. They'd have been told to follow the protocols which are to send up planes and escort the aircraft away. That's what NATO has been doing since they provoked the Russians into resuming Bear bomber excursions close to NATO airspace. They escort the planes away. They don't shoot them down, no matter how many bloodthirsty whack-jobs were calling for it.