Videotape of Florida Detainees at Tollboth hits airwaves.

[Stu Cohen]

They just showed the toll booth tapes of the Florida detainees on television.

According to the newscaster, both cars stopped, and paid the attendant. The tapes show them doing exactly this.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but the media is putting the tollbooth tapes into heavy rotation.

[toupsie]

You got that right. How many times has their story changed?

Their story has remained consistent. Its the media that has been feeding misinformation to the public. Majority of what we thought was true on the first day has now found out to be blatant lies by White People (not Arabs) and poor reporting. Just look at the toll booth operator's sworn statement. With the videotape, we know that person lied! I hope they are charged with perjury. This is a sad, sad episode. Trying to railroad three men to jail because of their ethnicity.

[tomkat]

The toll booth issue is nothing but a sideline issue.

bingo

[Betty Jo]

Hopefully all the hearings will be reaired during the weekend,on C-Span and C-Span 2.

[tomkat]

Trying to railroad three men to jail because of their ethnicity.

i suppose it's possible to get through life being that obtuse;
rather sad, but possible ..

[BikerNYC]

The toll booth attendent should be arrested if she told the police and made a false report that the toll was not paid. Any one of us could be charged with making a false police report for falsely claiming someone else committed a crime.

[Brush_Your_Teeth]

It was the cops that said the three were telling a joke at the restaurant. From the absolute moment that they were released from being detained, the three said that they had not been talking about 9/11 at all, whether in seriousness or jest. That this was a "hoax" is an invention of the police and the media.

Drudge had a good story on his site about the misinformation that the media put out even when they knew what they were reporting was wrong.

[Freeper 007]

Why didn't we have have Italian and German internment camps?

[BikerNYC]

Why didn't we have have Italian and German internment camps?

That's *so* easy. Because it would have been harder to figure out who belonged in them.

[Freeper 007]

At best Eunice is lying.

None of us really know, and none of us will probably ever really know, but you have to at least recognize the possibility that she exagerated.

[glorygirl]

For anyone who's interested: CSPAN has been replaying these hearings at around midnight for the last two nights.

The one last night started a little earlier.

THEY ARE DEFINITELY WORTH STAYING UP FOR.

A whole lot more interesting than the Watergate hearings, if you can remember those.

Since the weekend has arrived, maybe more can watch tonight.

[dark_lord]

In my entire life I have had about 5 times where I had direct personal knowledge of a media story/event. Zero times did the media ever get the story correct. Not once.

All of our knowledge about this story has come from that same media that most posters on this forum actively despise.

Are you suprised that this media reporting is all screwed up? Why did ya'll ever believe it hook, line, and sinker in the first place?

[alnick]

Sure it's a possibility. But you have to admit that when one side gives several versions of their side of the story and the other side's story remains consistent, that it's very, very likely that it's the side whose story changed who is lying.

I also think that you would admit that if a person is going to exagerate that it's very likely that their story would be much more dramatic than Eunice's. There's lots of room for embellishment in Eunice's story, yet she didn't go there.

I know that my post contains a misspelling or two, but I'm not interested in cracking the dictionary right now. :-)

[meia]

We need to go back to the statements of the 'detainees' themselves ... after the incident, throughout this last week, they have stated over and over the first car did not pay the toll and the second guy paid for them both.

No, they never said this. This was speculation from the police and the media.

Is it possible the toll booth operator is scamming by telling drivers that the car in front of them did not pay, when in fact they did, in hope the second driver will have a good heart and say, "... well, let me pay for them." She/he could be making an extra 10 bucks an hour in "tips" if this is in fact what they are doing.

I think in this case the operator was extremely nervous and didn't know what the heck she was saying or doing. She had just seen the car come through that the Police told them to be on the lookout for. Then the very next car is also wanted. She didn't know what she was doing at that point. Just very confused.

But, back to the three students ... why are they saying the first car did not pay and blew through the toll and the second car paid when all of this is not true?

Again, they never said that.

[SkyPilot]

I cannot look at these guys and not be reminded of the Arab men I saw at the bars in Bahrain---drinking alcohol with both hands and cheering BayWatch! on the big screen; _{and then calling the women "whores and bitches" (in English).}

I guess I better sign up for my "Diversity" refresher class now....

[meia]

What about their first statement that they were only telling a joke at the restaurant, and then changing their answer later to say that they never said anything about September 11th or 13th? How do you explain this change in statement?

They never said that. That was speculation on the part of the police and the media.

[YaYa123]

I agree twice here:

Eunice had every opportunity to exaggerate,embellish, and she did not. Her story was always consistent, always measured, she even described how she and her son discussed the possibility they were "being played" by the three, and how, even midst those doubts, she felt she had to report what they'd heard to authorities. I've never doubted she was telling the truth, exactly as she and her son lived it.

I think it's obvious now, Eunice and her son "were played". Those three smart ass guys were having some fun with the Shoney's rednecks.

All that's happened afterward should have been predictable. The Georgia cops couldn't find those cars on about 275 miles of inter-state highway, Florida cops were no better, and then came all the misinformation directly from the mouths of Florida law enforcement, amplified by hyper-ventilating media. Late that Friday afternoon, I heard CNN's Judy Woodruff say a waitress in south Florida was the one who called police. That was long after the world knew it wasn't a waitress, who never was in South Florida.

Early reports on breaking news are nearly always wrong, we should take that for granted by now. But in the case of Eunice? I believe every word she's said.

[windchime]

That would be THIS Eleanor J. Hill.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/753887/posts

http://www.insightmag.com/main.cfm/include/detail/storyid/258194.html

http://www.kslaw.com/our_firm/press_releases/pr_05_30_02_2.html

[Eastbound]

"If ALL of you would pay attention to what people say, you would KNOW that the first car ONLY had part of the toll money and paid that...(50 cents I believe)..the second car paid the balance...The 3 suspects were NOT telling a lie..!!!"

I believe that's what I heard them say during their first interview on Larry King Live.

The second car, according to the video, took longer to get through the toll booth, and something was mentioned on the video that alluded to the second car being involved in paying for the toll of the first car, or at least part of the toll. That could account for the short delay.

At any rate, what a heck of a co-incidence these guys fell into. Toll booth fiasco because of the toll amount due; getting stopped because of a license plate deal; the dogs sniffing remnants of explosives in the car. All at the same time and place.

It's still not clear to me if the car was on the hot sheet and was targeted to be stopped because of an all points, regardless of the toll booth problem. If so, the toll booth story is immaterial and just adds noise and detracts from the real issue.

I don't remember hearing, but are these folks all born in the U.S.A.-Citizens, naturalized, or here on visas?

[Gore_ War_ Vet]

The 3 suspects were NOT telling a lie..!!!

Are you refering to the 3 American medical students. Do you realize how many people doctors kill every year in the US (over 100,000) I can't beleive they let them go. They should have just killed them before they could start their reign of terror.

And another thing just because they are US citizens don't mean they have rights, they coulda roughed'em up a little or maybe dragged'em for awhile.