Replies

Thanks for the welcomes! A couple quick replies to some of the comments in this thread, before I slink off to Lurkville for a while and start working on the story again:

Let's not be PC, use Padilla's real name: Abdullah Mujahir

Point well taken. I use Padilla a lot on my site because that was his name in most of the time frame I am writing about. Standard practice dictates that Muhajir is the correct way to refer to him (in news stories anyway).

A single citation on Dec. 28, 1994 ... It need not mean he was spending most of his time in Florida at the time. Are there earlier citations in '94?

There are, in the spring and summer. You're right that the citation doesn't mean he was there the whole time. On the other hand, it seems more productive to me (in the short-term) to investigate more fully on the period between 12/28/94 and 6/09/95, for obvious reasons. If there's evidence that can prove he's NOT John Doe 2, it is necessarily within that time frame.

My question is this. What if tommorrow or next week proof is presented that Padilla was in Florida from 17 April thru 19-April 1995? [--snip--] Why are we looking for another John Doe 2 until after Al-Hussaini is eliminated from the suspect list?

Question one: For me, that's probably the end of the road. I will keep going as long as the Padilla thread is alive.

I have been investigating this at my own expense and full-time, 12-16 hours a day, for a week. If I wanted to delve into OKC in a full investigation, it is very clear I could spend the entire rest of my life doing so. I have other things I want to do with my life.

That said, I also lack the experience, contacts or resources for a full-fledged, no-holds-barred investigation. And since I am not making money off this effort, I will need to refocus my priorities (at least temporarily) on paying the rent in about a month or so.

As far as al Hussaini, see the above answer. I was never looking for JD2 before this. I started examining the story because I thought the pictures raised a question about Padilla.

One reason I am getting traction investigating Padilla's connection is that I am staying very single-mindedly focused on investigating Padilla.

If I don't do that, I will end up running down into a million winding roads, sidetracks and pitfalls in this very complex story and lose track of the intial question that intrigued me in the first place.

I am confident, however, based on the AP story this week, among other things, that the truth about OKC's connection to extremist Islamic terrorists will come out -- regardless of the result of my work on this particular aspect.

One reason I am getting traction investigating Padilla's connection is that I am staying very single-mindedly focused on investigating Padilla.

If I don't do that, I will end up running down into a million winding roads, sidetracks and pitfalls in this very complex story and lose track of the intial question that intrigued me in the first place.

Regardless who John Doe 2 really is, I have nothing but respect for the quality of your research and your dedication to the task of investigating this important story.