Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Tuesday, Oct. 15

Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences | October 15, 2002 | Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences

[Peach]

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

Note: This is the graphics-free thread. Graphics can be found under the thread titled "Beltway Sniper Shootings-Graphics Only"

[aristeides]

Chris Core on WMAL was observing scenes of a Hunter propeller-driven drone flying over the area. The FAA apparently won't let the jet-propelled Predator fly over populated areas.

[Kip Lange]

No, I don't (I have a white prelude, though, does that count? hehe).

Something is wrong with this picture. How did the policeman get there so quickly, and why would he stay there even if he did get there that quickly? He must have heard the shot too. Wouldn't he be looking for the perpetrator?

Just spooky stuff. But I was joking around; I stick to Heinlein's razor (never attribute to human malice what is more easily attribute to human stupidity :p).

--KL

[DugwayDuke]

The Predator is propeller driven. The problem is that it is remotely controlled. Drones have a nasty habit of taking off on their own. Doesn't necessarily happen often, but often enough to question flying around DC or any other major metro area.

[aristeides]

Thanks. I think Chris Core also misunderstood, but maybe I just misunderstood him. Is the Hunter safer, then?

[Mr. K]

THERE IT IS AGAIN! GUN-CONTROL is what the presstitutes are telling us we need to stop this sniper

The presstitutes are slime.

HEY YOU LIBERAL IDIOTS- WHY DONT WE JUST MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO KILL SOMEONE??? (duh....same logic)

[dinasour]

Just curious, as I have no kids, but why would gamers necessarily be "teenagers?" They could be in their 20's/30's. There are grown men who are into competition/internet games.

I'm 48. A few years ago, I got seriously hooked on "first person" shooting games, shooting monsters, not people. I never was as good as my teenage son. It was a phase, and we both got over it. He moved on to girls.

There are all sorts of people involved in these games. Teenagers and young people predominate, I think, because they have much more time waste.

[Kip Lange]

It will never work. Check gun stats in the area (small gun stores). I'll bet my wallet sales are up. This drives liberals nuts. :-) (as do most facts :p)

[dinasour]

I stick to Heinlein's razor (never attribute to human malice what is more easily attribute to human stupidity :p).

I hadn't heard that before. I will will remember it, though.

[dinasour]

will will = will (yuck)

[spycatcher]

I'll bet you a sixpack it's not ME Terrorists. They wouldn't leave the Tarot card with "I am God" scrawled upon it.

Of course, if you want to believe it's ME Terrorists and that the government is covering it up, I suppose you could believe that the card was never actually dropped by the shooter. I go for the simpler view.

You conveniently forgot the "Dear policeman" part of the message in your argument. If this is your typical white American male then he's approx 5 to 8 years old. Or maybe he's over 90 yrs old and thinks he's Shirley Temple. Most likely it's a non-American and English is his second language.

And I never said the government was covering up the truth of the murders (they don't know for sure either), just that the reported skin color is avoided in the press conferences and the media to prevent people from considering terrrorists and make them focus solely on the vehicle -- while of course the media (ABC especially)pushes speculation to white male ex-military.

[DugwayDuke]

I know very little about either drone. However, I did hear on fox this afternoon that there were safety concerns flying drones over DC. These things do crash fairly often.

I did find two links. The first includes some stats on the predator and a photo. The propeller is on the tail. The second is of the hunter and it also appears to be a prop job.

The aircraft shown on fox was a four engine cargo plane also propeller driven. Evidently, it is a special recon type aircraft with a big sensor load. I would expect some IR, low light TV, maybe some electronic surveillence capabilities, and a lot of communication gear. Fox said they were coming from El Paso Texas (Fort Bliss).

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/military_predator.html

http://www.naplesnews.com/special/kosovo/d286439a.htm

[texasbluebell]

I've been thinking it was a cell for the last few days. I can't quite figure out the logic of using the same gun though. Any idea?

Well, when the Lackawanna 6 were busted, for example, it was reported that they had only 2 rifles and one scope. So maybe if this is a cell in MD or VA area, they're in a similar condition.

[OReilly]

400 FBI are tied up with this. What is the first priority of the FBI these days? Wasn't it the prevention of another AL Qaeda Attack?

[valleygal]

Someone may have already mentioned this but last night's victim, Linda Franklin was a 3 year veteran of the FBI, not 20. Worked in the "cyber" division. Not an agent but investigator. I guess there is a difference.

[jacquej]

I have a decade on ya, Dino, and I love the online game "Lineage"... but it is more complex than a shooting game, and has people of all ages enjoying the pursuit of evil monsters for the loot, gems, and other goodies they drop...

Check it out, those of you who have a few hours to while away... It is compatible with Macs as well as PCs, and I play on my iBook, with no "joystick" needed.

A great release from a day spent quilting, baking, and freeping!

[kcat]

Just flipping around the tv and CNN reported that at three different locations witnesses reported a suspect as dark skinned, either middle eastern or hispanic. I guess that was obvious after the State Dept. got involved.

[aristeides]

FBI intelligence analyst working terrorism issues, according to an article on one of the other threads. I wonder if the perps had particular reason to kill her.

[2rightsleftcoast]

I've been thinking about that today too.
Hope the feds etc, are watching their back.
Is this a distraction for something big being
planned?

[aristeides]

That may be evidence that this is another al Qaeda attack.