Mark Steyn -- Mohammed Atta and his federal loan officer

National Post (Toronto) ^ | June 10, 2002 | Mark Steyn

[Victoria Delsoul]

The good news is we're up against idiots. The bad news is we're also up against the suppler idiocies of current Western orthodoxy.

Bump.

[monday]

"Has anyone determined WHY these guys needed a loan to pull off these schemes? All published reports indicate that money was never a problem."

I think that they just aren't very bright. There was a story awhile back about Osama buying a decomissioned jet plane. He paid thousands of dollars training a pilot to fly it, then over a million dollars for the plane.

His pilot flew the plane over to Sudan where Osama was at the time, but that was the last time it ever flew because Osama was to cheap to pay the pilot a decent wage. The pilot quit and no one else knew how to fly it. These guys just aren't very smart.

[Joan912]

Bravo! A brilliant scenario! LOL!

I cannot figure out why Ms. Bryant did not notify security or her boss or local police or someone who could have at least looked into Atta's background. What a horrendous turn of events...

[jaybee]

I managed a branch bank in Baltimore for 10 years. The arabs were always indignant at having to deal with a woman. The only ones worse were the Nigerians. We had any number of ways to try not to open accounts on "technicalities" of ID. Yes, we were profiling. But half of the accounts were opened to launder money and perform fraudulent wire transfers/kite checks.

The funny thing was that the branch I managed where the Nigerians were hated the most was an all-black (except me) branch.

Anyway, in defense of this woman, this behavior was SO common as to be the subject of jokes, not alarm.

[Stultis]

Wha-ow!

[Travis McGee]

Ping

[Mo1]

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[dead]

bttt

[DallasDeb]

All published reports indicate that money was never a problem.

Why should they use their own money (or Osama-yo-mama's) when our government has so many giveaways?

[DreamWeaver]

This is an outrage to say the least. I cannot even imagine this woman continuing to carry on a conversation after " her throat cut" insinuation... I fear for this country, and have little faith that we are going to get through this the way we are praying for. Not with these dimwits employed, and not with our PC crowd ranting and raving. God help us all !!

[MeekOneGOP]

Bump for later read!

[DallasDeb]

Rowley looks like a guy with long hair and dressed in a (sort of) woman's suit.

[DallasDeb]

We need to slap ourselves awake and realize the enemy is right here among us and if we're going to make sure another terrorist attack doesn't follow . . .

If all of this story is true, the really scary thing is that Atta was so arrogrant and so sure that no one would do anything about what he said, and that he KNEW he could get away with it. Other terrorists I'm sure have the same attitude: that they WILL succeed.

[DallasDeb]

. I cannot even imagine this woman continuing to carry on a conversation after " her throat cut" insinuation

I would bet bureaucrats like her put up with a bunch of verbal abuse. A "throat cut" comment, though, is wayyyy over the edge. Surely there is a law against abuse/threats toward government workers.

[stop_fascism]

Thanks for the picture. When I first read the article I thought Steyn was making it up - not even a government worker could be that stupid. But, there she is.

[jodorowsky]

The good news is we're up against idiots. The bad news is we're also up against the suppler idiocies of current Western orthodoxy.

bump

[Matthew James]

Incredible.

[Travis McGee]

Indeed.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Why do I believe that this woman made up huge parts of this story in order to get her 15 minutes?

What you should be saying is "Our government is a well run and smart government and this story could not possibly be true", right? Isn't the thought that you have to ask whether or not this is a true story disturbing?

I am very concerned.

[dennisw]

Funny...good post.