Replies

Another problem of this is that if in the future some other person (especially an Arab-American) comes upon some informtation the FBI may be interested in, they will certainly think twice before 'offering' it. After all no one wants to try to be of assistance to his nation, and then those he is providing assistance to turn around and call him (or insinuate) that he/she is a liar and a quack! That is negative reinforcement, and it is one quick way to ensure that people do not provide more information!

Think about it....you discover there is some plot to rob your local Walmart (let's say you overhear it in some way) and then, being a good citizen, you rush off to the police, at your inconvenience, to warn them of the impending heist! And then instead of accolades.....or at the very least a simply thankyou, for your good nature and helpful assistance, they turn around and start saying that you do not know what you are saying/are lying/are misinformed/etc etc! And this information is leaked to the media, painting you as either some attention junkie, a criminal trying to create a diversion, or just someone who wants to lead the authorities on a snipe hunt!

Now my question is this: Why would another person go to the authorities after seeing what happened to you? Human beings by nature do not reward hostility towards them with further assistance.....infact what they do is withdraw. And considering this guy is an Arab-American he has probably undergone enough stress due to the ilk of Usama (since most people cannot differentiate between people that look alike....meaning looking like a terrorist 'makes' you a terrorist). And when he tries to help his country he is labelled a quack!

In my opinion what the FBI should have done is listen to the guy, and then cover up the fact they had the info so that could set up secret stings and traps. Or another option would have been to report this to the media and let people make their own decisions based on the pertinent material.

However trying to 'subtlely insinuate' that the guy is a liar, and making people think his info was worthless or even worse an attempt to create a diversion is plain wrong. Especially when you consider the personal inconvenience this guy went through.

Actually it is also my honest opinion that even if his report was proven to be a TOTAL fabrication the FBI should still have kept it under wraps and arrested him. The reason is devaluing someone on public TV would easily make someone with REAL information to not go to the FBI due to fear! Especially if the informant is Arab-American.

A similar analogy is the Compton police in the mid-nineties where some African-American citizens with valid information on gangbangers would refuse adamantly to go to the cops since they thought doing so would only make them get labelled as gansters by the cops! They did not feel safe going to the precinct with their information.

This scenario is quickly becoming similar! After all why should someone with a good job and stable family risk it all only to get labelled as a liar and potential terrorist, and experience social stigma and the possibility of detention! I knwo several super-patriots who would do it nonetheless....however most people would back away and lay low, even if they ahve viable information.

And honestly i cannot blame them for that...especially when they have their own families to protect.