Posted on 10/17/2005 10:54:26 AM PDT by MizSterious
Not the terrorist you were looking for … move along
Flash! The FBI did not find something. They didn’t. Now will you go away?
This no-shinola news flash was brought to you on the Oct. 5 front page of The Oklahoman following revelations that a guy who was not a suicide bomber appears to have blown himself up on game day at the University of Oklahoma.
The case is that of Joel Henry Hinrichs III, a youth described as a brilliant but apparently-you-better-believe-it troubled young man who took what officials described as a hydrogen peroxide bomb, strapped it to his body, and set it off 100 yards from the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, filled with 84,000 people.
“No terror link seen so far in blast,” the headline read.
What? It’s not terrifying that a guy blew himself up in proximity to Owen Field, filled with players and spectators? It’s not terrifying that they searched his apartment and found a huge cache of explosives?
The story goes on to say for the first two lines that “The FBI has found no evidence so far that a University of Oklahoma student who died in a bombing Saturday night tried to get inside the football stadium or had ties to any terrorist organization,” and that “The FBI also has found no evidence anyone else was involved.”
Now, dear CFN reader, please think about that. The FBI found nothing, and then they also found nothing more. Do we remember that the FBI also didn’t find bombs under Terry Nichols’ house for 10 years? At CFN, we aren’t comforted a bit about what they aren’t finding.
As it turns out, the lead on this story was rewritten from an FBI press release. Shoot, even we can rewrite press releases. Bucky the CFN intern is a bona fide expert — and, apparently, an investigative reporter.
The Oklahoman story followed one “more meaningful” on News 9 which discovered that Hinrichs attempted to buy ammonium nitrate fertilizer at the Ellison Feed and Seed store in Norman. Ammonium nitrate fertilizer was the primary component in the bomb exploded by He-Who-Is-Not-To-Be-Mentioned-For-A-While-If-You-Don’t-Mind, nearly leveling the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
This story was later confirmed by the Norman police, who said an off-duty police officer saw Hinrichs trying to buy the fertilizer. Thus, Channel 9 reported something.
And while we’re at it, look at what the college paper reports.
According to a story in The Oklahoma Daily student newspaper by reporter Scooby Axson (Zoinks!), OU Freshman Drake Melson said he caught a glimpse of the carnage via a video feed near a police van.
“What I saw from the video feed from the bomb robot was pretty graphic. Just imagine someone who was wearing pants and seeing nothing from the waist up. It was really disturbing,” Melson told Scooby.
Hey, Scoob, you deserve a Shaggy-licious snack for reporting some news. (If it weren’t for those meddling kids …)
Jinkies! The troubled young man everyone is talking about apparently didn’t commit suicide either — at least not yet, according to further instructions from OU’s ivory tower.
First, OU President David L. Boren issued a statement saying, “We are apparently dealing with an individual suicide, which is under full investigation.”
Now, The Norman Transcript, in a story by James S. Tyree, is quoting Boren as saying, “I do not say suicide, I say it’s an individual death that we’re dealing with. That’s all we really know.”
Tomato, tumatoh.
This was followed by another Oklahoman story Oct. 7, stating “Investigators are treating the death as a suicide. That story, titled “OU says student wasn’t sold ticket,” goes on to state that University Spokeswoman Catherine Bishop said: “OU officials have reviewed their ticket records and determined that Hinrichs did not buy a football ticket from any university outlet” and that “university officials have heard nothing to indicate Hinrichs attempted to buy a ticket from one of the fans selling tickets outside the stadium.”
Unless you check the scalper-cam, right? (Disclaimer: CFN does not condone the illegal selling and buying of tickets — aka scalping — a practice known to occur on Lindsey Street and Campus Corner.)
In the Tulsa World, Bishop is quoted regarding a story that Hinrichs attempted to enter the stadium. “Bishop said OU officials have ‘been assured that there is no validity to the Gate 6 rumor.’ Bishop said the story has been checked out by the university’s athletic department.” (And we’ll all sleep better knowing the athletic department is on the case. Whew!)
Well, at least we know which gate now. Actually, this quote is shocking to us here at CFN. It means Catherine Bishop might have returned somebody’s call.
If you don’t mind, we at CFN now have to take a break from all this not-news. We have to help our intern, Bucky. He’s still looking for the scalper-cam.
Classic. Someone should ping this.
Right out of the old bill clinton playbook. "There is no evidence." Of course not, when you shred it and order everyone to cover up.
"Nothing to see here folks, move along please" bump.
Great column, and thanks to Nancie Drew for ferreting it out!
I thought the reason that that looey didn't get into the stadium is because he refused to allow a check of his backpack. If the thought he could in in the first place, wouldn't he have had a ticket? And if he had a ticket and wanted to get into the stadium, that makes him an attempted homicide bomber, Islamist or not.
Just Another Isolated Event....
And thank you for posting it!
OK, who wants to start speculating as to whether or not the kid was gay? It might explain some of Boren's bizarre behavior.
I still don't buy this as a suicide. If the bomb had been a dud, the guy might have only succeeded in gutting himself or being paralyzed for the rest of his life. People who really want to do themselves in usually go for the fail-safe.
I don't see how it could be. Too much points in the other direction. It was good to see the folks at the Gazette agree.
Well, how about the ol' Oklahoma Gazette now? For those outside Oklahoma, the Gazette is the local, uh, what is it called these days? Underground rag is so passe...
"Underground rag is so passe..."
Progressive pissoire?
Underground? Hah, we usually refer to it as "throwaway freebie." Glad Nancie found this--I wouldn't have thought to look, as most of their stuff is worth about what the price of the paper is.
Oh, that's priceless! Thanks so much for finding this Nancie, and posting it Miz! (o:
>>links between Boren and the local news media
Guess I missed out on the party and everyone left that thread. Thats what happens when everybody is 3 hours ahead.
I know if any of us look into our congressmen and womens past we'll find more skeletons than we would want to. I expect nothing less from David Boren. I'm researching papers on his past and present actions.
I confronted the Dem leader Palosi in the early 90's, now look at her. Not giving Boren a pass.
bttt
bttt
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