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Yeah, I've seen a lot of stupid stuff on this forum too, and I don't go along with it, but I think the truth is that the government simply doesn't know, and they aren't simply willing to state that, and leave it at that. They're trying to reassure people, to get them not to panic, and the more they try to reassure me, the more angry it makes me. I WATCHED Ari Fleischer yesterday-- he was almost AVUNCULAR. I just wish they would stop sending politicians out to talk to us, and send the engineers instead.

Interestingly, neither of you dealt with the logical aspects of my argument. Unarguable, isn't it? Exactly what sorts of assumptions should we start with, in this world, or should we start with ANY assumptions? (BTW, if Ari or anyone else had evidence of mechanical failure, they certainly didn't present it.) It also bothers me that I haven't read anywhere which parts of the plane fell where, and they surely know that by now. So, why the wait? It doesn't require them to draw conclusions-- just to present data. So why don't they? Well, they don't want to WORRY people, to fuel SPECULATION.

Look, I think the Bush people will tell us the truth-- eventually. But I do think they are trying to manage the timing of the process and the message, and I think the American people deserve the straight truth, whatever that is, with no spin. When they know a fact, they should say so. When they don't know, they should likewise say so.

When I stop to think more carefully about WHY they might be managing the message, it pretty clearly looks like a psychological game to me. Why were the attacks of 9/11 so devastating? Because there was no separation time between the impact of the effect and the realization of the cause. On the other hand, had there been any doubt, if it could have been possible that some natural cause, or some mechanical problem happened, the impact on America's psyche would have been muted. With approval ratings for the war running 90%, the only possible impact of more terrorist attacks is purely negative-- for the economy, for public perception of government effectiveness, in every way. So, if the government can leave everyone with an initial impression of "probably an accident", and drag out the investigation for a few months or even weeks, it's a win for them. In fact, in that case, a good portion of the American public will never have a clear idea what caused the crash.

Interestingly, neither of you dealt with the logical aspects of my argument.

Excuse me, but I think I did. You have false assumptions.

Let me quote from a Washington Post article this moring:

"Authorities said early signs pointed to an accident, basing their assessment partly on communications heard on the cockpit voice recorder. But they did not rule out sabotage or other causes."

"We're not going to exclude that possibility until the investigation goes much further than this," George Black, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show."