Posted on 11/13/2001 8:37:15 AM PST by classygreeneyedblonde
Famed firefighter Mike Moran, who dared terrorist Osama bin Laden to come after him at an October 20 benefit concert for the victims of the Twin Towers attacks, lives just one block away from where doomed American Airlines Flt. 587 crashed Monday morning in the Rockaway section of Queens, New York
Moran, who lost a brother in the attacks, gained notoriety when he told the Madison Square Garden crowd:
All I can say, on behalf of my brother John, and the twelve members from Ladder 3 that we've lost.... and all the people from my neighborhood, my hometown, Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York: Our friends, our relatives, our neighbors; they are not gone because they are not forgotten
Then Moran added
And I want to say one more thing. In the spirit of the Irish people - Osama bin Laden, you can kiss my royal Irish a - -. And I live in Rockaway. And this is my face, b - - - h."
Moran's terrorist dare and the fact that he gave out his approximate address in comments televised worldwide set off a firestorm of speculation on Monday, with more than a few wondering whether bin Laden had somehow engineered Flt. 587's crash as an act of revenge
Calls and email speculating about the bin Laden-Flt. 587 theory poured into the nation's most widely listened talk radio broadcast, the Rush Limbaugh Show
Limbaugh took several calls on the topic, replaying Moran's bin Laden dare to set the stage, but ultimately discounted the theory.
If Osama bin Laden plans to take out Mike Moran, he can't possibly know what (airline) departure routes will be taken," the number one talker told his audience. "If he's able toBesides, cautioned Limbaugh, Moran "may not even be in Rockaway today. He may be at the firehouse. It seems like a stretch to me." do that, then we are in trouble."
more than a few wondering whether bin Laden had somehow engineered Flt. 587's crash as an act of revenge
“More than a few” idiots, I presume. Seriously, is there anybody who believes that Osama, from a cave in Afghanistan, can steer a plane with no engines or tail into a guy’s house on the other side of the world?
Real weird coincidence though.
That flight path IS TOTALLY NORMAL.
My friends in the Rockaways are intimate with the sound of almost every aircraft you can think of, and knew the Concorde's schedule cold.
This was simply the damnedest coincidence imaginable. And I was predisposed toward a TWA 800 shoot-down scenario.
(1) Moran told the world he lived in Rockaway.
(2) Pretty much every plane heading toward the Caribbean flies over Rockaway.
(3) An altimeter bomb can be roughly set to detonate on ascent.
Therefore, terrorists can say: "Hmmm . . . it's tough to hijack a plane now, so we can't pinpoint targets. But this Moran guy seems to be a pretty damn popular symbol of American resistance to jihad, and he lives right by the airport. We can't get him exactly, but we can send him and all the Americans he symbolizes a message, by showing that we can hit him where he lives".
A far-fetched theory. Not an insane one.
A far-fetched theory. Not an insane one.
We arguing degrees here.
If Bin Laden could target one spot in America, I really doubt it would be the home of a fireman who disrespected him in a language he doesn’t speak on a show he didn’t watch.
Among those who raced to the scene was Firefighter Michael Moran, who lost his brother John on Sept. 11 and who slammed terror chief Osama bin Laden during last month's televised "Concert for New York" at Madison Square Garden.
"Osama bin Laden, you can kiss my royal Irish ass," Moran told the cheering thousands at the benefit Oct. 20. "I live in Rockaway, and this is my face."
Moran's widowed sister-in-law, Kim, lives just 10 blocks from the crash site.
"There [are] still funerals here . . . This is a beautiful, tight-knit neighborhood and it's just devastating," she said, adding that right after the crash, "I thought of my husband and I thought of his brother. I hope for Michael's sake this wasn't terrorism because he'll feel responsible," she said.
"He lost his brother, I lost my husband. I would hate for this to mean there will be more heartbreak here."
Ask Lee Harvey.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.