Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2002 [Another Shooting?]

Fox News, CNN, Press Releases | October 22, 2002 | Fox News, CNN, Press Releases

[Peach]

Let's keep a live commentary thread gonig again today.

[yukong]

Just got back from court. (took longer than I had hoped). Have scanned the posts since I left. Major point I see is the threat to kids. I must say, and please hear me out on this..., I am again disappointed in the LEAs. They are again playing into the hands of this sh!t. Reading that part about kids. First off, it would take a real pinhead to not believe that kids, heck anyone is not safe. But now, reading that, is going to create more chaos. As if it wasn't bad enough. Now, the shooter could go for days, weeks, heck, never shoot again, but everyone is still screwed up. Take a deep breath. This doesn't change a thing. Except reinforce to me that the cops are LOST. They are attempting to negotiate with this guy(s). Bad mistake. Just showing our weakness. Just showing we don't know. I go back to an earlier post where I said the cops should keep their mouths shut at the least, or maybe even lie. Make the sick f*ck think that maybe they have something. Bluff if they have to. Make generic statements like, we are making great progress, etc. Make him question himself. Make him start worrying that he has made a mistake. If he is made to believe he made a mistake, it will bug him. It will make him paranoid. And it will make him think he has lost control. IF he gets to that point, he will make a mistake, and we will get him. We are just letting him run the show. We are just letting him see how impotent we really are. It blows my mind.

[X-Servative]

With the Feds knowing this since Saturday, I'm shocked that the FBI has not taken over this investigation.

[Sacajaweau]

My kids would get the flu real quick. They can fail math but I'm not going to fail them.

Sac

[mewzilla]

Did you notice that there was a school bus stop sign near the site of the shooting this morning? I wonder if the shooter was sending another message, and this negotiation is to keep him from making good on his threat. And I think Moose warned the public because we aren't going to give the shooter what he wants.

[Catspaw]

Back to dreaming of a country house atop a hill...

I had one of those, just below the crest of a hill in southwest Wisconsin. When the tornado came though, it took off the south side of the roof of the barn and knocked an oak tree down on my old Ford wagon--and we were the lucky ones. The folks who had the "country house atop [the] hill" lost their house & barn to the twister. It was at that point that country living didn't seem all that attractive.

[Howlin]

Something else is going on here. Yet more we don't know.

[Spirited]

"any other sportsmen feel like meetin' me in dc for some trackin' ?"

I am likely to have more confidence in your effort than I do with the efforts of these book and computer types with all their electronics.

Everything has gotten too impersonal. I think a little eye to eye hardness would frighten the body fluids in these boys.

Wish I could get rid of the concept that the gun is being passed around.

[MTCJK]

Maybe the Feds are too busy getting their families out of Washington

[Neets]

I agree with you...this a$$hole has proven 13 x's over that NO ONE IS safe...at NO TIME...

This is why I don't think this letter is from the sniper...I think someone is trying to capitolize on this situation.

And the LEO's releasing this post script will now put the community into further panic mode.

[Jrabbit]

I saw that interview and thought the same thing.

[bcoffey]

"..anytime, anywhere..."

We are now in a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. If you keep schools open, he goes for the schools. If you close the schools, he goes for daycare, parks, malls, etc.

To me this indicates terrorism. (My $0.02)

[Frapster]

Based on the message 'none of your children are safe' or whatever it is exactly - I am now of the opinion that the citizenry needs to be employed to patrol the neighborhoods. Set up the good ole system where people are driving around 24/7 with flashing lights on their car armed with a spotlight and video camera at the very least and at the most give them machine guns to mount in the back of their pickup trucks.

[yukong]

It is just stupid. They are playing into this guys hand at every turn. They (LEs) have not clue, and have lost total control.

First rule in negotiation, don't let the other side have control. IF you do, you loose.

[Wordsmith]

Moose quoted from the Ponderosa note, a postscript directly threatening children.

[mewzilla]

I think if the cops would tell us what the shooter wants that would tell us a lot. Don't know why the heck they're keeping it quiet.

[Former]

Or perhaps he IS a priest and people know him??

[wewillnotfail]

well I'm with you one the border bit but I somehow missed
the info that the entire lot of them or even one of them
was shooting at anyone?

[ET(end tyranny)]

You can damn well be sure that the President is now being given updates CONSTANTLY.

Is it time for President Bush to address this? Why bother with Iraq at this point in time, when we ARE being attacked right here at home, right now!?

It's high time we stopped worrying about the elephant in the neighbor's back yard, and got the elephant in our house out!

[Peach]

No, you aren't missing anything. Moose is preparing a response and we don't see the response. Maybe it's a phone call Moose makes to someone. Color me completely angry confused.

[mhking]

And I think Moose warned the public because we aren't going to give the shooter what he wants.

Everyone has derided Moose through this, but I've got a new respect for the man. He's tried to tell us through the last few appearances that there is something more afoot than we could hope to know right now. The media has treated him poorly, and he's taken the whipping like a man.

I said all that to say, that I think you might be right. We aren't going to automatically give in. I haven't read this particular script before, but it certainly doesn't end this way.

The games afoot! Let's just hope that Mrs. Peel and James Bond and Columbo and whatever other gumshoes and spies are working on this thing can crack it before anyone else dies.