Are Terrorists Passing Messages Right Under Our Noses?

07/22/2004 | Greywolf

[GreyWolf]

I post this personal encounter to ascertain whether any other Freepers have had similar experiences or have heard of anyone observing such behavior as I describe below.

Last week, my wife and I were driving home from our place of employment in Central Maryland. We always take US 29 N to US 40 E to the outer suburbs of Baltimore. As we passed under the only enclosed footbridge on US 29 at Columbia, I noticed a female Asian or Middle Eastern person on the footbridge appearing to stare South at the traffic passing underneath her. She was not moving but ewas just kneeling there supposedly watching for something. It seemed out of place at the exact instant we passed under her but I quickly dismissed the encounter as merely curious.

As we continued north approximately 2-3 miles, we noticed a bicycle parked on the shoulder ahead. As we drew closer we saw an unmistakable ME type crouched down behind the guardrail also watching traffic approaching from the south. Now they have my attention! I made it a point to continue straight home and upon arrival called the Howard County non-emergency police number to report the observation. They seemed unusually interested asking for descriptions and whether I had seen any cameras or binoculars. After about 10-15 minutes of grilling they thanked me for the information and related that they were going to send a car to "check it out". I hung up feeling a little proud of myself for having done my civic duty and perhaps helping out in the WOT.

Today, exactly one week, almost to the minute, we were driving the same route. I did not notice the footbridge or whether anyone was stationed there but as we proceeded north about 1/2 mile beyond the bridge, the same ME male with the parked bicycle, this time was standing in the shoulder area of the highway except today he was signaling in a manner that I remember from my Navy days when the signalmen used to wig-wag converse with signalmen on other ships. I don't know who he was signaling. It could have been someone again on the footbridge or someone in a vehicle BUT HE WAS DEFINATELY SIGNALING someone.

Now my curiosity is peaked. I am a communications (and software) engineer working for a DoD contractor and I am aware that there are ears listening very closely to every corner of the rf spectrum. My question is this:

1. Are these people likely up to something underhanded and

2. Have they resorted to communicating via non-wired or non-transmitted means in order to avoid detection?

[koolaidsmile]

Uh Dude,

Drive through there all the time. 99/100 chance the guy is a constuction worker waiting for a ride to his jobsite. Although you say he was an "ME type" He was probably hispanic. Big ommunity around here. See them all the time on that stretch of road. If I was waiting out there I would get behind the guardrail too. There's alot of folks around here that are and look like that. Drive up to Lakeforest Mall and you'd be freakin' if you are as xenophically suspicious as you seem. . I guess the imagination can run wild when one suffers from this kind of paranoia. Get some sleep.

[rwfromkansas]

We have a local refinery, and I noticed a very large remote-controlled airplane over the refinery....diving very close to the tanks etc. I called the cops on that one...doubt it was anything suspicious since the airport is next to it, but they should still not allow anybody to fly their toys over the refinery.

[rwfromkansas]

They responded that quick to the online e-mail form?

Wow....I must say I am pleasantly shocked.

I didn't think you would get a call for several days, if that.

[lonewacko_dot_com]

Did he have flags and everything? Speeding by, I doubt whether you could really see whether he was signalling. Perhaps he was doing a survey or learning how to read a topo map or something else. A series of pictures (taken from his back from a distance) would help sway those of us who are skeptical.

[Walkingfeather]

It would be kind of funny if you bought a couple packages of bacon and spread them all around the area where you saw him... and video when he arrives....that would get the message to him.

[Boiler Plate]

I saw these guys about 4:00 PM on a Sunday. I have not noticed them since but I am going to go by at that time tomorrow. What was the exact time you saw this person?

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

FBI Website

FBI Most Wanted Terrorists Page With Pictures

Click Here To Report Suspicious Activity to the FBI

Call the FBI Toll Free at 1-866-483-5137 or your local law enforcement agency
if you see or hear anything that threatens our national security.

America's Most Wanted Website

How YOU can assist fighting terrorist cells in the United Sates.
17yrs old and up, no upper age limit. Something for everyone to do

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

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Waterway Watch is the initial and primary Coast Guard Auxiliary program launched as a component of  Operation Patriot Readiness,
and is a major part of the Coast Guard's maritime security initiative.

Waterway Watch promotes public awareness and involvement in Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA)
and Maritime Homeland Security (MHLS) activities.

Waterway Watch involves all Auxiliarists, both those performing direct operational missions
and those involved in Recreational Safe Boating operational support activities.

CLICK ON THE GRAPHIC BELOW TO WATCH
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Or copy and paste this url
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in your Windows Media Player
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[kyguy]

When I was in high school, I took a couple years of German. The Wall was still up and I remember our teacher talking about East Germany. One of the things that suprised me was that if you were in East Germany, you had to be extremely careful about where you pointed your camera, since you stood a good chance of being accused of espionage and locked up Top Secret-style, if not executed. How wonderful it was, I thought, to be blessed enough to live in a country where simply photographing or taking interest in your surroundings wasn't something that would get you into jail.

Imagine my suprise, then, when I was in New York City about a year ago (the first and only time I've been post-11SEP) and saw huge (hugh?) signs around one of the tunnels our bus went through proclaiming that it was illegal to take photographs! And now, to see so many folks ready to call the police should I give more than a passing glance to anything. If I find the comings-and-goings of ships in a harbor fascinating, and wish to watch them, should I have to go through a background check? I love to sit on the Covington side of the Ohio river and watch the traffic going over the bridges. Do I not have the freedom to do that? I've timed how long it takes barges to get from one bridge to another on the river all the time. Why am I doing that? Quite frankly, that's my business, not the government's, and certainly not the business of some busy-body that wishes to interrupt my mid-cigar entertainment with an interrogation. I like to look at power plants, dams, manufacturing facilities, bridges, highways, planes, trains, and automobiles. Those marvels of modern engineering fascinate me. I always felt sorry for the East Germans who would have their motives questioned for taking an interest in the world around them, never thinking that someday, that might be me, too!

And, no, I'm not of middle eastern descent, so, you might argue, noone would think twice about me. But, with the reports of the terrorists trying to recruit non-Arabs, how long until that doesn't matter anymore?

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Boiler Plate]

K,
I have lived in MD for 35 of my 44 years. I have lived within 4 miles of this overpass all of that time. I have never until this time seen anyone just stand and watch traffic on this overpass problably because it is heavily trafficked. That was strange enough, but when there is a second person on the next bridge doing the same thing and they are both Middle Eastern, you know what? THey are doing something no good. Sorry pal, this may be America, but some people living want that to change in a whole lot worse ways than simply not allowing photos.

Regards,
Boiler Plate

P.S.
Less than 5 minutes drive from where Wolfe saw his guy lies the home of the NSA and I am willing to bet that if there are people doing something funny on I270 and Rte 29, they are problably doing the same thing on I95 and the BW Pkwy which run on either side of NSA.

[neutrino]

A message? You mean, perhaps, like this?

-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----
Version: PGP 8.1 - not licensed for commercial use: www.pgp.com

qANQR1DBwU4DLpcnKTyJU/sQCADinYiz+ShJNVCkIkLd9mtXNfJPmJg8MxvH0aIg
kYQvS2rh5d9rHY2KQgKfVKqknvBSPMqbR7poQYBxFZtCzxC50A9+Z/iCjhBBAJOI
VsxoxT4aIgQEwHw1PsHRJDkoO45UIi4+FitdjoEx44uihr6PgrqEEabHENYBTCFl
4+bzHLiNYdiKAgsZxnQeW7w1AW3xhBs8b5JcH5D4XbI2VOpni+nvQ1aMjhM0mFNx
2BXA1y6odPKpt7eMoUqvEXNYURnMXhQJcVRiAydurDMUlr+Nfg6H9gvEEB4D7dKH
0P6q81mW1byxX4mtShem7yP7xtsmhVi8mKzmK75tHopfir6bB/98B0T/+8D5cSR2
uhLJkb6AqyhihaE6hT00nzB+7xC2DI9wZcKefIHiroFYDc5W7nHDJ1J8Tvm4Bd+i
4I67aSTSy5we1yTe5noTzkPHicxFBweuLxpon/7pc+FmoMwp4W4gAUjzPI+lN/gT
zhRTNP9ObzhBlAqOtUAP+HLM4t/FSKhUuwQ1HGJIHJc27sAJgsT6L8hreJ7/DKtP
vdNIK7eMlNzOKjBgJXuojQM0DjQodD0tnN8fJFfmb3C69QtwaUPmEGDXGH/+INVn
LbFbIONzo2yFwrA993LfI9gDNo8IcUIneWe16iNhXT1N84WgutRdfnqFJC875fX3
sT/7Fv8O0k0B0HHlYfCDWzoWrpkUxc6hk7y8cNog+/NsK2ZazSWGMRhJH0hGP9/Y
QPIBbGr/XAJ78ubA3ZRzgFQ8sXKD7cSrHVEW21MNhdKrAAqyXw==
=7aLy
-----END PGP MESSAGE-----

There are lots of such messages in the test groups. Gee, I wonder what they say.

[Boazo]

[kyguy]

That was strange enough, but when there is a second person on the next bridge doing the same thing and they are both Middle Eastern, you know what? THey are doing something no good. Sorry pal, this may be America, but some people living want that to change in a whole lot worse ways than simply not allowing photos.

---

There is a point where we have to say that we have balanced our essential liberties with our temporary security. In air travel there is only so much security we can have on our planes when passengers are not shackled and handcuffed to their seats for the duration of the flight while all their luggage is shipped seperately. In everyday life, there is only so much security we can have as long as people are allowed to walk or drive where and when they please and look at whatever they wish to see. Do you propose that every person walking the streets should be interrogated by a police officer as to from where they came and to where they are going? Should I have to have a signed and notarized document from my employer stating that I have a need to travel interstate 75 northbound between 0800 and 0830 mondays through fridays, and southbound between 1600 and 1630? Should I have to provide evidence that I have membership in the church down the road and that I have been cleared by the city government to walk from my house to the service and back, between certain hours on Sunday? Do I need to call the state police and get their permission to park my motorcycle at a rest stop, sit under a tree, and smoke a cigar while watching the trucks go by on the interstate? If I should want to have a picture of the Roebling suspension bridge to keep at my desk, or use as a Windows wallpaper, should I have to submit to a full background check first, and then call to get your approval? Is it okay with you that I've spent an hour or two very day standing on the balcony of my hotel room watching the container ships and the fishing vessels move in and out of the port?

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be on the lookout for those on the 'most wanted' lists. And I'm not saying that anything short of immediate detention of those on the terror watch lists who attempt to cross our borders is unreasonable. But, at some point, you have to ask yourself: where is this leading, and how much freedom am I willing to sacrifice?

[Happy2BMe]

Michael Jackson for president!

[Happy2BMe]

Just curios - what does " Veni • Vidi • Vino •" mean, anyways?

[SuziQ]

Since you know the stretch of road he's usually on, is there any place you can pull over, just before where he is, then use your cell phone to call the FBI to let them know he's there again? You could have your camera handy and surreptitiously take his picture while you're talking on the phone. You don't have to look at him; make him think you don't even realize he's there. Then, just take off and go home. Maybe the Feds could get out there in time to question him AFTER you leave.

[SuziQ]

Just curios - what does " Veni • Vidi • Vino •" mean, anyways?

I came, I saw, I had a glass of wine?
You might also like "Veni, Vedi, Vegi"; I came, I saw, I had a salad.

[Boiler Plate]

KY,
Let me simply ask this. Why were two Middle Eastern men standing on two consecutive bridges facing the same way looking at the same side of traffic on the busiest road in and out of DC at the exact same time?
Regards,
Boiler Plate

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

I printed these out about 2 weeks ago and took them to work eveyone there knows what they look like we use it for a lunchroom tabletop book !