Posted on 10/10/2005 5:41:50 PM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia
Has there been more happening at the University of Oklahoma than hazing and all-nighters? The blogosphere, led by Michelle Malkin, has been chronicling the suspicious explosion at the University of Oklahoma just over a week ago, and wondering why the big media doesn’t appear interested.
According to most reports, Joel Hinrichs III was a young man with a history of depression who used a homemade explosive device to commit suicide just 100 yards or so from the school’s football stadium, which was filled with over 80,000 people at the time. Officials were quick to call the incident a suicide, but rumors and reports of Hinrichs’ attempts to buy large quantities of ammonium nitrate and ties to the Muslim community have raised a lot of questions and the answers thus far are not forthcoming.
The Oklahoma Daily, OU’s independent campus paper, lays blame on the FBI today for the confusion:
Remember, the FBI has commandeered this investigation. In doing so and by not telling anyone anything, they are only allowing the events of Oct. 2 to be misinterpreted over and over by people who are firm in believing something that is false and terribly dangerous.
For example, unsubstantiated claims that Hinrichs had been frequenting the Norman mosque have managed to seep onto television news broadcasts even though everyone we have contacted at the mosque says Hinrichs was never seen there.
So who is lying? Inherently, people should perceive the unfounded news broadcasts as the liars, but that doesn’t always happen. And even if only one person sees and believes such a report there or online, word of mouth can transmit that “truth” to hundreds or thousands within a matter of days.
Which is why it is undeniably the duty of the FBI to break its unctuous vow of silence and talk to somebody. The longer the feds delay in doing so, the more they become equally responsible for misinformed social reactions as the hacks who started these rumors in the first place. Many, Malkin included, have wondered where the MSM is on this story. As the Oklahoma Daily editorial notes, local television has covered it and a quick Google search turns up (sometimes conflicting) reports in local and regional newspapers but no major media outlets appear to have picked up the story yet. We asked CBS News national editor Bill Felling, who told us the network is looking into the story. Let’s hope so, it’s one worth airing, whatever the facts are.
Ping!
If cBS did find/make-up info on this, why would anyone believe it is the truth?
I for one am not buying the whole "national security / ongoing investigation" song and dance anymore. There have been far too many amazing coincidences in Oklahoma over the last decade for anyone paying attention to ignore.
"misinformed social reactions"
Hmmm. As opposed to what, informed social inaction? So, the silence was and is motivated by fear of the reaction of the American public.
That, by itself, speaks volumes.
I would like to know if it can be verified that Hinrichs attempted to gain entry to the stadium. That by itself would make this event seem less like a suicide and more like an act of terror or terror/suicide.
If true, then the challenge becomes the determination of what motivated him.
The lame stream press will only report on this if they can determine some means to link it to yet more Bush bashing...
I just can't understand the silence on incident. It's almost as if the authorities are afraid of what they might find if they look too deeply.
Woops, link is:www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=70306
Sorry, ;)
I don't think they're worried about what they'll find. I think they're more worried about what we the people will find out. I don't believe our government is actively trying to get us killed but I suspect they'll leave us exposed to danger to protect their secrets.
""The lame stream press will only report on this if they can determine some means to link it to yet more Bush bashing...""
Agreed, but only in that if they can't nail it on Bush, and they can somehow nail it on a NON-MUSLIM..... then and only then will it be news worthy.
I ment to say a white-non-muslim.
"It's almost as if the authorities are afraid of what they might find if they look too deeply."
If "vigilantism" is what authorities fear, they're certainly not making this sort of "misinformed social reaction" less likely by denying and stonewalling. That worked in the past, with terrorist events that were more abstract, with no surviving firsthand witnesses. This was not a plane crash or explosion, that could have many alternate explanations. The lone, depressed suicide story does not hold up. There are people posting to this board who were there. They're hacks? Only if you want to deny, divert and discredit.
The guards were told to shut up about that, and the University /FBI says no CCTV cameras showed him attempting. Yet the story persists of someone sprinting off when guards asked to inspect his bag. I wish someo Freeper would just go down the the stadium and look for TV cameras at each of the gates and post if all gates are covered. (NOTE: I didn't say to post WHICH gates are covered - not that it matters, because I don't know anyone so dumb that they can't find a CCTV camera with a casual glance around, no secrets being given away here. But the safe way is to not say.)
"I wish someo Freeper would just go down the the stadium and look for TV cameras at each of the gates and post if all gates are covered."
Already been done. Talk to PhiKapMom.
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