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FBI and other(sic) shed light (SPIN ALERT)
The Oklahoma Daily (OU) ^ | October 13, 2005 | OK Daily Editorial Staff

Posted on 10/13/2005 6:27:39 AM PDT by LibertyRocks

OUR VIEW: 10/13 October 13, 2005

The FBI broke its silence Wednesday and announced, among other things, that a press conference summarizing their investigation is on the way.

As of now, they are “more and more convinced” that Joel Hinrichs was acting alone when he blew himself up on the South Oval Oct. 1. They have found no connection between Hinrichs and any terrorist organization, and dispelled rumors that Jihadist materials were found in Hinrichs’ apartment.

Still, we know that some people will put a lot of effort into contradicting the FBI’s analysis, facts be damned.

But U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., confirmed the FBI has told him the same thing.

And OU President David L. Boren sat down with The Daily Wednesday to discuss the situation. He, too, confirmed that it is (and has been) widely believed by the FBI and those closest to the investigation (himself included) that several claims being perpetuated on the Internet and talk radio stations remain unfounded and false.

We agree. We have agreed. Now we know who agrees with us.

The FBI. The president of OU. A U.S. representative.

Of course, they could all be lying. They could be conspiring to set up an elaborate scheme allowing terrorists the chance to escape punishment because ... ummm ... because the last time terrorists attacked the United States it worked out quite poorly for the current administration?

Right.

Unfortunately, there are several things that will never be known about Joel Hinrichs: whether he intended to kill himself on that bench, or whether he was headed somewhere to cause harm.

Causing harm wouldn’t have been difficult. Hours before the game or hours after the game. People were everywhere. But was he trying to? Was he planning to? Did his bomb accidentally go off? We can’t know. No one can.

What we can and do know is what the rumor-mills inherently must ignore for their theories to have any footing at all.

It must be believed Hinrichs tried to enter the stadium. It must be believed Hinrichs possessed Jihadist materials; that he owned a prayer rug, had frequented a local mosque, had all of those evil intentions in his head that can’t be confirmed or denied.

But there is no proof that he had any of those things, and we have put our thoughts about it on paper several times now.

We have provided the public with the information we know. And unless something new develops, this story will slowly fade away, just as it should.

Unfortunately, we are well aware that some people won’t believe the FBI, Boren or Cole. They don’t believe us. For whatever reason, they want to believe these theories, and, with the Internet, anyone can find anything to support what he or she wants to believe.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; US: Oklahoma
KEYWORDS: coverup; fbi; hinrichs; normanbombing; oubombing; spin
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Another horrible example of the kind of journalism being taught at OU. The OU Daily's editors know nothing more than the rest of us yet they are SURE they are correct. So much for being objective and unbiased! Their professors should be ashamed of themselves for allowing such things to be printed in these papers, and the students should be ashamed as well.

The conveniently forget the FACTS that have been reported that don't jive with the official story. One must wonder why the staff at OU is so quick to believe the FBI and their administrators. Doesn't anyone teach them to be questioning?

The interesting things I turned up in my investigations yesterday (which I will repost below) point toward the reason the staff at OU Daily is so intent on participating in this coverup. One must of course - consider the source, and I have a hunch who might be participating in the writing of these editorials...

1 posted on 10/13/2005 6:27:40 AM PDT by LibertyRocks
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To: LibertyRocks
Image hosted by TinyPic.com
2 posted on 10/13/2005 6:32:29 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Never a minigun handy when you need one.)
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To: LibertyRocks

I thin "Spin Alert" is coming to mean "WAAAH this article isn't saying what I want it to" on FR.


3 posted on 10/13/2005 6:35:00 AM PDT by Strategerist
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To: LibertyRocks
Remember Tariq Alzoubi? The student interviewed who said Cheema was an "atheist"? Well the following is copied from my blog and I think it's worth mentioning in response to this editorial...

* Tariq Alzoubi was quoted in another article (article at FR) on 10/09 that he was "not happy, but relieved" when it turned out the victim was white, and not Middle Eastern. He then states, "Then the issue came up that his roommate might be Pakistani."

QUESTION: If he knows Cheema well enough to say he is an atheist, how would he not know where he is from? Alzoubi himself is originally from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He mentions that before 9/11 he knew 30 other Saudis, but afterwards all but 2 left. (Not sure why this is important to the article.)

UPDATE (10/12): I have discovered that Tariq is another "voice of OU".

Who is Tariq Alzoubi?(New on 10/12/05)

This is the student who commented in several articles regarding Hinrichs' roommate Fazal M. Cheema.

I have discovered that Tariq is an opinion column writer at the University of Oklahoma. His column appears every other Wednesday. Hardly what I would call an "objective" voice in all of this. I suspect he is the writer of this column which must contain a "spin alert". [And perhaps the one above?]

Tariq is also listed as the contact for the Arab Student Association at OU.

Read Tariq Alzoubi's editorial (originally printed in the OK Daily (OU) Newspaper). It has been posted on the "Friends of Al-Jazeera" website.
"Considering Al-Jazeera: Objectivity and controversy".

Also of interest is a Letter to the Editor of the Arab Times in which he mentions being "pushed around by the West". This letter was apparently sent on Sept. 15, 2005.

Most interesting, is this OU student webpage found on the OU system. It is an overview of political unrest in the Middle East. At the bottom "composer" credit goes to the following people; Tariq Alzoubi, Aaron Harner, Matt Sexauer, Adam Envoldson, Zak Abbott, and MOHAMED JIHAD!?!? Interesting indeed...
4 posted on 10/13/2005 6:35:48 AM PDT by LibertyRocks
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Comment #5 Removed by Moderator

To: Strategerist

Or maybe it's a genuine spin alert. Some folks who were at the game that night, and who live in Norman, know better than you do whether what is being reported is true or not. If you had spent a little time reading PhiKapMom's (and others) posts on this topic, you might recognize this spin for what it is. Then again, it's much easier to come onto a thread and blast people who DO know what's going on, even when you don't.


6 posted on 10/13/2005 6:40:10 AM PDT by MizSterious (Now, if only we could convince them all to put on their bomb-vests and meet in Mecca...)
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To: Strategerist
I thin "Spin Alert" is coming to mean "WAAAH this article isn't saying what I want it to" on FR.

I agree. The paranoid style in American politics hasn't completely shifted over to the left.

7 posted on 10/13/2005 6:40:15 AM PDT by bkepley
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To: cripplecreek

Exactly.


8 posted on 10/13/2005 6:40:28 AM PDT by mtbopfuyn (Legality does not dictate morality... Lavin)
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To: Strategerist
Well you're free to disagree, but IMHO when student journalists produce editorials that completely ignore facts and prefer to simply take for granted that government agencies, and their administrators are telling the truth, then I think we have a problem. Personally I would feel much safer if the FBI and OU could actually be trusted in this case. I suggest you read the summary I've been compiling at my blog if you aren't aware of all the facts that have come to light in this case...

Here's an interesting critique of the last editorial they put out by verteran journalist Mark Tapscott who has been doing his own investigating into this case as well...

Are There Any Real Journalists at OU?
9 posted on 10/13/2005 6:40:28 AM PDT by LibertyRocks (OUBombing summary (UPDATED 10/13) @ http://sweetliberty.alfablog.com/)
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To: mind freaker

You clearly don't know what you're talking about. Been a regular ole civil war around here lately. That means we dont all agree.


10 posted on 10/13/2005 6:40:42 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Never a minigun handy when you need one.)
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To: bkepley

Careful, your ignorance is showing.


11 posted on 10/13/2005 6:42:38 AM PDT by MizSterious (Now, if only we could convince them all to put on their bomb-vests and meet in Mecca...)
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To: PhiKapMom; backhoe; indcons; Rte66; laz; Lizarde; El Gato; Cindy

ping for a new editorial out of OU... (SPIN and PROPAGANDA ALERT)


12 posted on 10/13/2005 6:42:40 AM PDT by LibertyRocks (OUBombing summary (UPDATED 10/13) @ http://sweetliberty.alfablog.com/)
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To: All
Two interesting articles for everyone to read that I found yesterday...

The Muslim Student Association: A Wahabbi Front by Steven Schwartz (a Muslim) - orginally published on NationalReview.com Author Bio: Stephen Schwartz, an author and journalist, is author of The Two Faces of Islam: The House of Sa'ud from Tradition to Terror. A vociferous critic of Wahhabism, Schwartz is a frequent contributor to National Review, The Weekly Standard, and other publications.

How I made "Jihad in America" and lived to tell about it by Steve Emerson - Chapter 1 Online at the AIJAC Emerson is a former staff reporter for CNN... Book Excerpt mentions (among other things) a meeting of the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) that he sat in on back in 1992 in Oklahoma City, OK. Incredible information about the state of terrorists in America. (Thanks to Iris Blog for pointing out this link).
13 posted on 10/13/2005 6:46:50 AM PDT by LibertyRocks (OUBombing summary (UPDATED 10/13) @ http://sweetliberty.alfablog.com/)
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To: mind freaker
The only time Free Republic is free is when you have the same opinion as the makers of the site.

For someone who just signed up today, you sure have made your mind up about Free Republic rather quickly.

14 posted on 10/13/2005 6:57:26 AM PDT by jennyjenny
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To: jennyjenny

And "mind freaker" also got zotted pretty quick too! Kitty Food!


15 posted on 10/13/2005 7:08:30 AM PDT by Hegemony Cricket (19 out of 20 imams declare ramadan (to be) offensive)
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To: LibertyRocks
And OU President David L. Boren sat down with The Daily Wednesday to discuss the situation. He, too, confirmed that it is (and has been) widely believed by the FBI and those closest to the investigation (himself included) that several claims being perpetuated on the Internet and talk radio stations remain unfounded and false.

We agree. We have agreed. Now we know who agrees with us.

The FBI. The president of OU. A U.S. representative.

Of course, they could all be lying. They could be conspiring to set up an elaborate scheme allowing terrorists the chance to escape punishment ...

But wait! This isn't three independent sources: "But U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., confirmed the FBI has told him the same thing."

The "conspiracy" only requires that a single entity lie: the FBI. If the FBI lies to a US Rep, to the President of OU, and directly to the media, that would do it. And we know that the FBI has lied about Waco, OKC, TWA800, and about a host of other matters, so what reason is there to believe the FBI now? They removed the evidence, so it's not like their claim that "no jihadist materials was found" can be independently verified. They made some critical evidence of TWA800 disappear too, and then had the chutzpah to say "there was no evidence of a missile..." and they relabled their own used pyrotechnic smoke grenades as "illegal silencers," so they could both untruthfully deny having used pyro on the Davidians, and so they could add fraudulent allegations of criminal violations of the NFA against them.

16 posted on 10/13/2005 7:14:56 AM PDT by coloradan (Hence, etc.)
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To: jennyjenny
It seems that the factual controversies are:

1. Did the dead student ever attend a mosque? What is the original (hearsay or not) source that he did?

2. Did he try to enter the stadium? What is the original (hearsay or not) source that he did?

3. Who, exactly, was his roomate? What is the source for that?

4. What was in the bomb? Was it "TATP" ? Was it "the same as the shoe bomber material."

5. Were "jihadi materials" found in his apartment? What is the first-hand source for that?

I have read a few of these threads, but have not made a solid chart of everything. My impression, however, was that all of the answers to the above questions were quite third-hand or further. I would be happy to be led to exact sources.

The most solid info was that the FBI had interrogated the roommate and friends, which you would certainly hope that they would, but the fact of interrogation does not mean that the results were startling. The fact that he tried to buy ammonium nitrate also seemed solid, but I haven't checked lately to see if the officer who overheard it has been identified and confirmed his info.

Information is always better than speculation, in either direction.

17 posted on 10/13/2005 7:17:28 AM PDT by BohDaThone
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To: BohDaThone

If you'd have followed these threads, as you claim, you'd know the answers to most of these. Even official sources have stated who his roommate was, and what kind of material was used in his bomb. Those weren't "third-hand" at all. Witnesses saw him trying to enter the stadium three times--he was turned away when they wanted to search his backpack. Perhaps witnesses aren't enough evidence for you.

The only questions that would seem to be open then would be the mosque question and the jihadi materials. Here, we have authorities telling an investigator that both are true, but these same authorities are unwilling to go on the record about it. Those will have to remain "open questions" until they do, although I have reason to believe them.

As to leading you to "exact sources"--please use your search function. Go to the threads (thoughtfully indexed under searchword "OUBombing") and use your browser's editor to "find" the words you seek--"cheema" might turn up the sources for the roommate's name, for instance. "TATP" might reveal the original sources for identifying the bomb material. (This one should be among some of the earliest threads, because they id'ed both the roommmate and the bomb substance right away.)

But please don't ask us to do your legwork for you. I, for one, refuse.


18 posted on 10/13/2005 7:45:45 AM PDT by MizSterious (Now, if only we could convince them all to put on their bomb-vests and meet in Mecca...)
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To: coloradan

You are correct, and the FBI lying about an investigation doesn't neccesarily have to have sinister implications. It may be for PR reasons, but it also could be because they don't want to show their hand in where the investigation is heading. Lots of possibilities.


19 posted on 10/13/2005 7:51:18 AM PDT by Space Wrangler
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To: LibertyRocks
Still, we know that some people will put a lot of effort into contradicting the FBI’s analysis, facts be damned.

This is such an arrogant, condescending statement. Even if I agreed wholeheartedly with the OU admin explanation of the bombing, I think I would still characterize this as blatant spin.

As anybody capable of rational thought knows, just because some newspaper prints it, or because some FBI spokesman says it, that does not necessarily make it so.

The FBI's track record has earned it more than a little bit of skepticism from the public at large, and that skepticism is perfectly valid.

I don't know what happened, and I am still perfectly willing to accept that this kid intended to kill himself and only himself. There are just too many unanswered questions, and a lot of people saying "nothing to see here, move along" rather than providing any real answers.

I don't necessarily think that this is some sinister plot, but I think it is obvious that we are not being told everything that is going on.

If the FBI is keeping everything under wraps for security or investigative purposes, I can accept that.

Just don't call me a conspiracy theorist or a tinfoil-hatter because I have some legitimate questions about holes in the official story. And don't talk down to me like I'm an ignorant fool just because I won't buy hook, line and sinker everything your student newspaper and/or the FBI says.
20 posted on 10/13/2005 8:38:46 AM PDT by Thrusher ("...there is no peace without victory.")
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