Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Monday, Oct. 14

Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences | October 14, 2002 | Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences

[Peach]

To avoid multiple vanity threads regarding any news from press confrences, let's keep a live commentary thread going again today.

Note: This is a graphics-free thread. Graphics can be found at "Beltway Sniper Shootings-Graphics Thread".

Please visit the Prayer Thread to leave a prayer for people living in the Beltway area.

[livius]

It certainly could be a home grown nut with a psychotic agenda. But to me, it's looking less and less that way.

The only thing these attacks seem to have in common is that they used the same weapon (or same type, at least), and were committed probably from a truck, in most cases. Remember, after the first shooting, we were looking for two "Hispanic" males.

I don't see any reason that these are necessarily the same two people in all of the attacks. I also read, btw, that they are now looking for a maroon car.

[areafiftyone]

DRAT I gotta get ready for work. Hopefully I can rejoin this thread when I get there. Should be nice in NYC today. Alot of people off of work (but not me) :-) Have a great day everyone and STAY STAFE!!!!

[Sacajaweau]

I agree..The weekends are: change our pattern days....after all the news is in.

Sac

[Jeff Head]

A devout Muslim, who is practising Jihad, can lie, decieve and say or act how he wants to infidels in the course of his "mission".

The perps of 911 did this regularly to fit into the society and look like anything but what they were.

So, we cannot let the Tarot card be the issue that sways us on this. If it is a cell of terrorists, that could easily be a ruse of feint.

Same with the hhite van. The shooter could simply wait until a white van of some sort appears on the scene before taking the shot. In that urban area, they ould not have to ait long. In such a y they could sue our own information against us very effectively. They may have used it to begin with, but no more. If it is terrorists, they probably have (like fir the 911) little or no limit on funds.

The way this sniper has acted has been exceedingly cool and has been exceedingly successful in creating terror. We cannot, we dare not underestimate them. IMHO, it is clearly not some kind of a "whack-job". It is much more like a stone cold professional, not attached emotionally, going about what he/they consider a "job" behind enemy lines. The shoot and scoot, using one shot in an urban environment to insure their own egress and then very cooly walk/drive away and simply blend in.

Whom ever it is is acring much more like a Special Forces group on a mission than any whack-job or serial killer IMHO.

Now it could be a killer with those skills. But the more I hear and see, the more I think not. Partricularly with an accomplice. Just my opinion, and I hope I am wrong ... but if it is a terrorist, I believe they are creating a "play book" for others to use in the future.

I hope and pray I am absolutely wrong.

[Sacajaweau]

One of the group in either the Oregon or NY cell had attended sniper training or similar and was discharged early..by some kind of special discharge..forgot what they called it.

Sac

[mhking]

Do you know anything about the Evening Standard (magazine-newspaper-where published) that MadIvan posted?

The Evening Standard is one of a gaggle of newspapers published in London.

[Sacajaweau]

Don't forget about the sabotage of the parachutes...end of September..Camp Lajeune I think.

St. Michael is the patron of Paratroopers, also.

Sac

[livius]

It was the Oregon cell, I think. I don't believe he went to sniper school, but he did get general American Army weapons training. He wasn't in the service very long, as I recall.

[tomkat]

i just put this on another thread, so excuse the repost, but ...

AG says:
What would you do if you were an Al Qaeda terrorist? Go slinking around the D.C. area trying to make the locals too afraid to pump their own gas, or go blow up the Limelight in New York so that people nationwide are too afraid to step into an entertainment venue... I'm sorry, but Al Qaeda simply has never given the slightest evidence that they think on such a mundane scale.

then tk says:
the pali versions like to make buses go boom,
usually in low to mid income areas ...

btw, given the recent humiliation of Yasshole,
i've not seen anyone mention pali symps as a possibility here.

hmmmm ...
thoughts ?

[Miss Marple]

Ivan says reasonably reliable (the Evening Standard) but he doesn't know anything about the reporter.

[tomkat]

... either way, they're all exhorted to destroy us, by whatever means are available.

[OldEagle]

I think this guy works nights, is probably married possibly has family and the only time he can do the shoots is around his work schedule. He can't do it on weekends because wife and kids would figure it out.

If there are two of them there is at least twice the possibility one will have to brag about it.

[maestro]

Bump!

[harpseal]

From the start there have been just enough incomsistencies with the behavior of a madman thatone must keep the Terrorist hypothesis in play. So far there has been absolutely nothing that rules out the terrorist hypothesis. I note that over the weekend in passing I heard a professor from John Jay college of law state that the terrorist hypothesis does fit the facts as known at least as well as any other hypothesis.

My problem with the two teenagers theory is that it would be highly unlikely that they would be able to keep their both mouths shut as to what was happening as either ther urge to brag or the guilt would induce speech which would get reported,

I admit it could be an adult psycho but the seeming involvemnt of a second or third person in the attacks makes that a highly unlikely situation.

Right now we can not rule anything out. The police are obviously persuing the psycho theory but I question if the terrorist theory is being actively persued.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[DugwayDuke]

One of the Principles of War taught in US Army military schools is Economy of Force. This principle states that you should use the minimum force in most areas allowing one to concentrate the maximum force for use in decisive areas. These attacks could be interpreted as a classic in applying the principle of Economy of Force. That would support your theory that this is a sideshow or diversion. Or it could imply other things too.

Regardless of the shooter's motivation or origin, he is providing a lesson in the use of minimum force to achieve major impact. Perhaps one of the strongest arguments that this is not a terrorist is the fact that these instances are confined to one area. But then, we've had reports of several hundred AlQaeda convicted and deported or confined in the last week or so. Perhaps, these efforts are the reason there are no other instances. Or, perhaps, they are planned sequentially. One terrorist does all he can and persists until neutralized. At that point, another terrorists appears in another area.... In any event, this guy is causing major disruption with minimum commitment of resources.

One wonders how many folks were killed in traffic accidents in the DC area in the last 10 days? Should we close the interstates for that reason?

[Peach]

Thx. Does the Evening Standard have a good reputation?

[Peach]

Thanks. Let's hope for a quiet day today.

[MsLady]

Could it be that there is not just one shooter but, several? And could it be they are going in different auto's everytime? This could go on for a very longtime.

I talked to my sister last night and she said it was hurting the economy there. That people are only going shopping and only getting gas when they absolutely have no other choice. The malls are dead and so are the shopping centers.

[Peach]

Never mind - Miss Marple gave me an answer re the Evening Standard - I just didn't read far enough.

[md2576]

I say he will hit Bowie MD today.