Ongoing Hunt For the DC "Sniper"

I'm reminded of the whimsical line, "Serpentine, Shelly, Serpentine", espoused by actor Peter Falk who plays a nutty CIA agent in the very funny movie, "The In-Laws" (1979).

In this particular scene, Falk is yelling at co-star Alan Arkin (Shelly, the dentist), already under significant gunfire, and attempting to avoid being shot by running in a zig-zag fashion. Similarly, our government officials are currently advocating that the citizenry walk briskly in a "zig-zag" pattern, in order to elude the bullets of a sniper. Gee, what terrific advice! Excuse me for mocking, but this admonition is just as absurd now, as it was over twenty years ago in the aforementioned comedy. And it's not reassuring to the public at large. I just hope and pray that myriad local, state and federal officials, including those from the FBI, the ATF, and the Secret Service, have the wherewithal to solve this case in a prompt manner.

I've already gone on record, stating that the so-called "DC sniper" shootings likely represent terrorism perpetrated by radical Islamists of the al-Qaeda variety, totally in sync with their current global terrorist campaign as already seen in the Philippines, Indonesia, Yemen and Kuwait. And since effective snipers operate in teams composed of two individuals, I'm of the mind that there is more than one perpetrator in the mix. But the criminal "profilers" out in full-force on television, especially among the cable news channels, claim otherwise. They still cling to the "lone-wolf" nutball theory, rather than giving any serious consideration to the notion of terrorist activity. But, in my estimation, these profilers are rather stilted in their views, and are not evaluating the "DC sniper" phenomenon within the larger warfare landscape.

Corroborating the imminent threat posed by terrorism, CIA Director George Tenet advised the House and Senate Intelligence committees only days ago that America "must make the assumption that al-Qaeda is in an execution phase and intends to strike us both here and overseas. That's unambiguous as far as I'm concerned". Moreover, just a few weeks ago, al-Qaeda put forth the message that their network would be targeting the US economy. And indeed almost all shootings have occurred in and around business establishments, including gas stations, strip malls, and a restaurant (Ashland, Virginia). People are largely opting to stay indoors, avoiding all manner of outdoor activities, which is beginning to take its toll on the local economy. Clearly, fear has taken root, and the local people are hunkered down in their homes.

These profilers on the media circuit are really overrated, continuing to regurgitate the same old trite crap about "spree" and "serial" killers. Virtually all have acknowledged that current circumstances militate against a "serial killer" scenario, indicative of a sex offender, and associated with: a) consistent "victim type" (college girls, young men, etc.), b) taking trophies/mementos such as personal items from victims in order to enhance the perpetrator's ability to fantasize and re-live the crime, and c) "cooling-off" periods between killings that could be weeks, months or even years. Clearly, this is not congruent with the crimes under examination.

However, the concept of the "spree killer" as a "loner" and "loser", overcome by rage, does have some merit if the shootings are all about the thrill of power and control, holding a populace hostage, and garnering media notoriety. "Spree killers" are vengeful malcontents that strike out in one last blaze of glory, killing a number of people in a relatively short period of time, perhaps a week or so, before dying at the hands of police or by suicide when finally cornered. In terms of assessing the current situation, the real rub is that the "spree killer" is generally known for being disorganized, improvising as he moves from murder to murder with little in the way of planning or forethought. And that element does not mesh with the current crimes being investigated. In fact, the "sniper" or "snipers" under discussion are very methodical, very organized, and have demonstrated themselves to be adept planners who clearly surveyed the crime sites ahead of time for a quick getaway. These behaviors are much more consistent with those evidenced by radical Islamists, such as the al-Qaeda bunch who painstakingly orchestrate details, and are thoroughly dedicated to their cause. And given the current backdrop of global al-Qaeda terrorism, and al-Qaeda's recent threat to undermine the US economy, I think they may very well be at the root of the "sniping" activity.

Lastly, officials are clearly downplaying reports of "olive-skin", Middle Eastern or Hispanic men as the perpetrator(s), despite the fact that there were more than a few eyewitness statements being bandied about the media. True, one witness provided a bogus report (and was duly criminally charged); but what about the other witness statements? It's my hunch that our government is concerned about the possibility of vigilantes assailing Muslim communities, and rightfully so, given the highly charged atmosphere. Moreover, local Muslims have been helpful to authorities, notably when they provided salient information that led to the recent arrest of the Jihad cell in Buffalo, New York. Pursuant to their "domestic intelligence" function, FBI authorities will need the goodwill and assistance of Muslim communities in order to effectively fight this "war on terrorism".

The gundeath rate in DC has always been much higher than that in Northern Ireland. Mayor Williams would be overjoyed if that's all it were.

BTW, all but one of the shootings has taken place OUTSIDE of DC.

Allow myself to embaress myself some more.

I believe that there is a terriorst cell bickering among themselves weather to keep this a "strickly" religous jihad or make some money out of this deal.

The note was left near the scene of the last shooting with out the knowledge of ALL the perps imvolved. There may be 4 or more.

The 1 or 2 indeviduals who want to make some money out of this sniping are going to get the WHOLE terriorist cell busted out of greed and stupidity.

This is going to be a comedy as soon as it pans out. Thats why every one is confused at this piont and media speculation is rampant.

The phone number on the note was for that phone booth the cops staked out and busted the nitwits.

Maybe these 2 guys were the greedy ones or the 2 left in the dark by the greedy ones.

Man this is getting interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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