Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Wed., Oct. 23,2002

Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences | October 23, 2002 | Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences

[Peach]

Let's keep a live commentary thread going again today. The FBI Tip Line #1-888-324-9800.

All seems quiet since yesterday's news the shooter may target children specifically. It was released on various news outlets the shooter's 3-page letter to police was in broken English and threatened extreme violence. Police announced an electronic transfer of $10m as requested by the shooter was not possible but other options for transfer remain open. No one seriously believes police will actually give the shooter $$, but police are trying to keep a dialogue open with the shooter in an effort to capture this monster.

[stlnative]

Yes... but one man is causing TERROR that is hurting the local economy badly and it will only get worse if it continues. Also the longer it goes on the worse it looks like we cannot solve the problem on our own turf, thus giving our imported in sleeper cells ideas. So bringing in expensive planes now to try to solve the problem that is getting quickly out of hand is a price the goverment is willing to pay even if it is just for one nut job. Not to mention possibly saving more lifes before this one nut job takes more or takes a school full of kids hostage as his final blow before he his shot down.

[Freedom2specul8]

Did you read valleygal's comments about her sis yesterday? Something's going on...

[meowmeow]

Even for a domestic, I don't think 10M is a lot of money - not enough to live a life on the run. Of course I deal with space budgets...$10M is a rounding error.

[Kerberos]

"It's all about dying for allah and getting 7 virgins"

That's 72 virgins these days. You know inflation and everything.

[Freedom2specul8]

What was it they said on the plane? "This is your captain, everything is ok"

[tomkat]

and attributing them to a lone 'nut', as some seem to insist on doing,
blinds us to the very real likelihood that our enemies are here, among us, just like they said they'd be.

count me as among those hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst ...

[Elenya]

Very thoughtful post as usual, MM.

All theses inconsistencies make me believe the snipers might be mercenaries hired by Saddam. As such, it could perhaps explain the terrorism angle and the domestic shooter angle. Plus the fact that children are killed and threatened.

But of course, we don't know enough to make any enlightened speculation. We're all lead by our intuition more than anything else at this point since we only know part of the story and it doesn't match any previous pattern.

[Freedom2specul8]

Ah, I didn't know ME's knew anything about inflation. (/sarcasm off)

[ET(end tyranny)]

Do you mean that Lee Wagner guy?

[mhking]

A ME type would say something like...

Or maybe, "YOU DO NOT TALK THAT WAY! I AM GENERAL YASSIR ARAFAT!"

[stlnative]

Yes... but who is Valleygirl, does she know someone who works for the DC areas LEO's?

[livius]

"Things that indicate a domestic shooter:
Anger and name taking of those who ignored him on the tip line..."

Relating to Atta's rage, does anyone remember the account of Atta's visit to a federal office down here in Florida when he was trying to get a loan to buy a cropduster? He raged at the woman loan officer (after first refusing to even be interviewed by a woman), pointed to a picture of the Washington Monument behind her desk and asked her how she'd feel if it was gone, and then suggested that it would be very easy for him to strangle her. At that point, she informed him that she had a security call button under her desk and terminated the interview, fortunately after having denied his application.

He was a very unstable, hate-crazed man, perfectly open about it, too. And that didn't stop him from being a cold, calculating planner of mass homicide.

[wewillnotfail]

The only thing, in my mind, that is unique about your listings is the 'taking names'. That just does not say terrorist to me. That just reeks of psycopath and has tipped my thinking in that direction.

[slimer]

Good counter point. Now I'm confused?

[DC native]

True, but can't you picture the towelheads sitting around in their cave, chuckling over how they are going to make us finance our own murders...

[jrhepfer]

I thought about the cell-phone traffic. These birds don't have the vaccum cleaner effect like the NSA's big ears do. It can't suck down and analyze all the cell trafic in DC metro by itself. Even if it did, it doesn't have the bandwidth necessary to download that data to a groundstation. That volume of comm can't be processed onboard, payloads of these birds are in the size range of a mid-large prop commuter plane down to a Cessna Cub.

Since a lot about these birds is classified, I only have peripheral knowledge of the systems. It's hard to tell what other kind of CommInt they can do. Radio? Yep! Comm intercept on a particular phone? Could be! To me it just seems like calling in a Dermetologist for a pimple on someone's ass. Overkill? Unless the pimple is more than just a pimple?

[Peach]

Kim, good morning. Thanks for all your links yesterday. Re today's comment about valleygirl - I read what I thought were all of her comments and concerns for her nieces/nephews and sister in the Beltway area. Are you talking about something going on personally or in relation to the shooter? Extra prayers and hugs for her, regardless.

[Freedom2specul8]

I'll try to find the quote from her and repost it..

[Miss Marple]

I did not know about that incident with Atta and the loan officer. I would say that rage itself must be taken off the list, then...except that the expression of rage, as wewillnotfail says, is more American.

These are not hard and fast rules, but only the way I sort the evidence in my own mind. Others may have different criteria.

[Freedom2specul8]

Here it is! (valleygal I hope you don't mind me reposting it)

Posted by valleygal to bcoffey; All
On News/Activism Oct 22 9:52 PM #2,679 of 2,873

I have been on the phone with my sister (not the one that went to Target). I wish I could say more of what she said, oh geez, she won't let me say anything and if arrests are made and she is right I will not have been able to tell you guys before hand what she is telling me. I could SCREAM, I can't share this. But if it pans out, I can tell you later, I promise I will.

I asked her if I could share it and she told me she wouldn't tell me another word and then realized she was on her cell phone telling me this stuff and said she better get off.

Please be in prayer for the people involved.