Mark Steyn -- Mohammed Atta and his federal loan officer

National Post (Toronto) ^ | June 10, 2002 | Mark Steyn

[Travis McGee]

Can a nation this stupid change in time to survive?

I have my doubts.

[xp38]

At least we have Steyn to chronicle it.

[goldstategop]

Mark Steyn is right --- we bent over backwards to be nice to terrorists to show how multicultural and politically correct we are and we don't give it a second thought. The warning signs were there all along and purposely overlooked. And we're surprised to discover 911 followed in its wake. We need to slap ourselves awake and realize the enemy is right here among us and if we're going to make sure another terrorist attack doesn't follow, its time to take the fable of Mohammed Atta and his federal loan officer to heart.

[bloggerjohn]

"In the new motion-picture blockbuster The Sum Of All Fears, the Islamic terrorists of Tom Clancy's novel have been replaced with neo-Nazis "

Well that sucks. In view of recent events, couldn't they just have a preview frame that says something like "This movie says neonazis but we really meant Islamic terrorists."

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

"...Can a nation this stupid change in time to survive?..."

QUESTION ON THE FLOOR!!!!

Does anybody have the courage to pick it up?

"...I have my doubts...."

I'm beyond the doubting stage. I'm afflicted by full-blown certainty.

[maica]

Re Johnelle Bryant

Why does her 'testimony' remind me of the MD diver who lectured a local scuba club on all the details surrounding a fatal diving accident. The perspective of his talk was "If he, as an educated professional could not save the diver, what chance did anyone really have; but he was willing to recount the events, in the hope that some warning flags might be visible to future divers." However, as he told his story, it seemed that mistakes this man, himself, made resulted in the other diver's death; not events beyond anyone's control.

Thank God Atta did not ask for a 'farm' loan. She would have granted it!

[Republic of Texas]

Why NOT get a "loan" if you can? If your enemies are stupid enough to finance their own destruction, (apparently, we are), let them. You think they would've paid the "loan" back?

[Sarah]

2 things:

First, did you all check out this article?

Secondly, I remember hearing a lecture from someone involved in solving the original World Trade Center bombing, and he was incredulous that someone as stupid as the guy who actually went back to the rental agency for his $200 deposit back was the driver of the truck holding all the explosives!

They had found the ID # of the truck with all the explosive residue on it, and he actually went back! And that's how they found him.

His point was that we are extremely vulnerable when such clueless lunatics are able to succeed.

[Pagey]

If half of what she says is true,How can this woman live with herself?Why wouldn't she have tossed the guy out of her officew?He 'threatened her' and she was so compassionate,she laughed him off.I'm in total disbelief.
No American could be this irresponsible,could they?

[Lady Jag]

Psycho morons stymied by a "mere female". Where can we get more of these "mere females"?

Steyn, I love you.

[Lent]

Wow! An inside look at how stupid bureaucrats really are.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

Oh, why did you have to post this...this...document in the ongoing decline and fall of white women? Did anyone have any doubt that this bureaucratic bimbo was a white woman? I'm really really worried about the white race. It appears that the breeding stock of intelligent white women is seriously depleted. What happened to us? My mom, grandma and great-grandma were all really smart. Did a meteorite hit a huge gathering of white women recently and nobody will talk about it?

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

"...Why do I believe that this woman made up huge parts of this story in order to get her 15 minutes?..."

I wish that were true. That's what we're reduced to!! Wishing that this woman was merely a psychotic attention-seeker instead of what, I'm afraid, she probably really is----Employee of the Month at the Department of Agriculture Florida branch.

[dennisw]

Any Johnelles in your fam? And is she white? I haven't seen her on the tube.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

There's a photo of the paleface multiculturalist in post #50. Her visage shows the same rigid set as Mr. Atta's in his photos, by the way. I guess they were made for each other. Maybe she was hoping he would come back to the office, propose marriage and carry her away on his magic carpet. She could always wear a fasionable leather neck harness to keep him from slitting her throat when he was in a bad mood. After all, all relationships have their ups and downs. Who are we to judge?

[harpseal]

If we do not smarten up very quickly the your douts will be confirmed. To make any comment more worthy of the idiocy so expressed will take a better humorist than I. At first I wanted to cry then I started laughing at the idiocy that happened. Somehow I do not think my reaction to someone threating to slit my throat would be "There is no money in the safe." Even in my old age I might say something like feel free to try but "Dying is no way to make a livin." (From the movie The outlaw Josie Wales

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[Travis McGee]

Her responses to Atta reminds me of a Monty Python skit, but in real life.

[FreedomPoster]

Can a nation this stupid change in time to survive?

I have my doubts.

I've been saying for a while now that it will take another 9/11-scale event, or worse, to *really* hurt Political Correctness (it's only been slightly stunned), and spur taking real action. And I'm very afraid "real action" might turn into really yanking rights of Americans to create a really locked-down police state.

We need to crunch the societies and ideology that have allowed this to occur. We need to crunch them like we crunched Germany and Japan (cities in ruins, societies on their knees, evil ideologies erased).

I, too, fear we haven't the will to inflict the required amount of pain in the face of international censure, but it is what is needed. We'll see which direction we're headed after the next 9/11-scale event.

[Travis McGee]

I agree, it'll take another 9-11 or worse.

[habs4ever]

They aren't paid to exercise judgement, but fill quotas and use their budget.How else can people like Ms Bryant have her productivity measured? No different from a welfare case officer.And their superiors will frown on such independent action, so Bryant and her types go through a check list and nothing more.It is clear that inferential thinking has been marginalized in most governmental agencies.