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How the New York Times Blew Its Biggest Story
WorldNetDaily ^ | 2/15/2003 | Jack Cashill

Posted on 02/21/2003 1:28:13 AM PST by Swordmaker

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To: arthurus
changing the last"a" in Manhattan made the link work?

LOL
Nothin' gets by you all.

21 posted on 02/21/2003 9:51:42 AM PST by ppaul
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To: null and void
13,800 feet.

An article in The American Spectator quoted a secret CIA report that Flight 800 was at the very extreme limits of a shoulder-fired SAM, and it would have been a very lucky shot. The warhead on a missile like that is very tiny, and is intended to destroy the back end of a jet engine, and not vaporize the whole aircraft.

Also, high-bypass turbofans mix lots of cold air with the exhaust plume, making for a much less intense IR source for a heat seeker. Modern turbofans on airliners have a form of "built-in" IR protection.

But a couple of pound of Semtex, placed on the floor in the right seat row inside the plane, will decapitate it. The 747 is built in pieces, and then joined together. One joint is where the nose/first class section joins the more tubular main part of the body. Aerodynamic forces would instantly finish the job started by the explosion.

We know the crew had no warning of what was happening. Get hit by a SAM, and you at least have enough time to get out a mayday, even if you don't know what's causing all the red lights to appear. But they were flying along fat, dumb, and happy, then the entire front of the plane was sliced off. Even a large SAM can't do that, but properly placed explosives can.

I remember that Algore was talking billions for airport security, paid for by the airlines. Then all of a sudden "center fuel tank explosion" became the official answer, and millions of dollars from the airlines appeared in the DNC bank account.

22 posted on 02/21/2003 9:58:02 AM PST by 300winmag
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To: Arthur Wildfire! March
I believe anybody who believes any conspiracy/cover up story is a raving and certifiable lunatic.
23 posted on 02/21/2003 10:00:44 AM PST by ACross
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To: jpl
Eric DIDN'T do that bombing in Atlanta. He just became a convenient scapegoat to justify whatever secret operations they were conducting in those mountains. And nobody can change my mind on that!
24 posted on 02/21/2003 2:22:41 PM PST by JudyB1938 (It's a wild world. There's a lot of bad and beware.)
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To: big gray tabby
If this plane was at 8,000 feet 24 seconds after an initial explosion, how high was it when it was "hit"? A jet doesn't fly on for 24 seconds after you knock the nose and the first class section off of it, it falls.

So how high was it when it was struck? What kind of missile has a range that high? What kind of flight path has you that high so soon after takeoff? Didn't this leave from JFK?

The initiating event was at 13,800 ft. The altitude of the Massive Fireball Explosion of 8000 ft. is about right for a ballistic fall, given the forward momentum of the remaining aft section of the aircraft. It does NOT allow any time for the CIA's and NTSB's mythical "Zoom climb" of the noseless 747.

The altitude was actually a little lower than normal for that particlular flight path because it had been delayed by traffic above it and placed in a lower altitude for a short time by the controllers. At the time of the incident it had started to climb again.

25 posted on 02/21/2003 6:25:12 PM PST by Swordmaker (Tagline Extermination Services, franchises available, small investment, big profit)
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To: shamusotoole
Some time ago, you posted an article concerning "pellets" that could be considered a missile signature that were found in the wreckage of Flight 800. You concluded, it is possible to thus identify the type of Missile, and I would presume therefore, the country of manufacture. Are you at liberty to share what knowlege you may have on this topic.

I believe that article was posted by John Fiorentino, not me. However, to ascertain the provenance of those "pellets" would require the re-opening of the TWA-800 investigation. The independent investigators do not have possession of the "pellets"... just the reports. Like much of the other evidence from TWA-800 that raises questions of foul-play, it has been swept under the official rug.

26 posted on 02/21/2003 6:30:27 PM PST by Swordmaker (Tagline Extermination Services, franchises available, small investment, big profit)
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To: ACross
"I believe anybody who believes any conspiracy/cover up story is a raving and certifiable lunatic."

I'm one of the many thousands of people who has a little inside info from a family member about one of those 'lunatic conspiracy coverups'. It's nothing that will ever get outside my family. The family member involved would simply deny it. But let's just say he had a complete attitude change ever since it occurred. When something like that affects your family, you start to notice things other people overlook. You start to piece puzzles together.

BTW, did you laugh at the Tainted Blood coverup? I correspond with a mother of one of the victims. Did you laugh at the Echelon program? That was proven to be correct. Did you laugh at the Waco conspiracy? That conspiracy theory has many congress members convinced. What about the Old Left media's conspiracy to hide most of Clinton's past? Such his full and complete pardon of a drug dealer. You think it's lunatic to believe he did that as governor? Did you laugh at peoples' paranoia regarding the IRS? Gee, that was proven to be accurate as well. What did you think when J. Edgar Hoover said there was no such thing as a mafia? And when Jerry Luther Parks said he was going to be 'killed next' when he heard about Foster's alleged suicide, that was just a paranoid raving, right?

When people on the right said that Clinton was committing nuclear treason, that was just lunatic, right? Regarding, Monicagate, when Betty Currie's brother was beaten the day before she was scheduled to testify, and then he was run over by two trucks the day before her next scheduled day of testimony, that was just a coincidence.

When people talked about FBI Filegate, oh that's just paranoid rantings, right?

Yes, I can understand your belief that this is all looney tunes. I think you belong back in the 50s. You will not be able to handle all that will be coming out.
27 posted on 02/22/2003 5:07:55 AM PST by Arthur Wildfire! March (LIBERTY or DEATH!)
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To: 300winmag
"Get hit by a SAM, and you at least have enough time to get out a mayday, even if you don't know what's causing all the red lights to appear."

Interesting. But what about the hundred or so witnesses who made accounts that the FBI was able to triangulate? The witnesses saw something fly up into TWA 800 from many different viewpoints at the same time.
28 posted on 02/22/2003 5:15:27 AM PST by Arthur Wildfire! March (LIBERTY or DEATH!)
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To: ACross
I believe anybody who believes any conspiracy/cover up story is a raving and certifiable lunatic.

Where were you during the eight years of deception? I'd put absolutely NOTHING past those people, but proof is hard to come by.

29 posted on 02/22/2003 5:40:19 AM PST by JimRed
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To: Arthur Wildfire! March
Interesting. But what about the hundred or so witnesses who made accounts that the FBI was able to triangulate? The witnesses saw something fly up into TWA 800 from many different viewpoints at the same time.

I can't say for certain, but I suspect self-deception on the part of many of the witnesses. Unless they sequestered themselves immediately, and wrote down their impressions, they're vulnerable to re-interpreting what they saw in light of further news/conversations, and even re-thinking the event. And it was a horrific event that would obviously be etched in their minds. Rush recently mentioned a study that showed how a large portion of test subjects were easily convinced that they remembered Daffy Duck at Disneyland when they were kids.

A shoulder-fired SAM is a tiny missile, with a small flame, and a thin column of white smoke. Depending on how far the witnesses were from the probable launch site, it might be too faint to really be seen. Also, why were these people looking at that spot in the sky anyway? The plane itself was unremarkable.

It would take at least 15 seconds for even a supersonic SAM to reach that altitude. How many people were watching that entire time? And if they weren't watching from the start, what caused them to switch to the scene? My own theory is that they saw the breakup and explosion of the main explosion of the plane, which was shooting upwards, trailing fire and debris. The human mind then provides the "reasonable" explanation, a fire trail from the ground to what they saw in the sky.

I'm not saying these people lied, but there are plenty of opportunities here for honest self-deception. From what I've read about missile hits, only a powerful bomb placed at the right location in the aircraft structure could produce the type of damaged indicated.

It would be bad enough for 800 to be taken down with a SAM. But even worse if a bomb, produced and placed by someone with expert knowledge, was the real culprit. The klinton regime quickly decided that campaign contributions from the airline industry was far more preferable than telling the American people that we were under terrorist attack. So they produced the "center fuel tank" myth, that merely stated that every 747 has always been a potential flying bomb.

30 posted on 02/22/2003 6:26:14 AM PST by 300winmag
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To: 300winmag
How many people were watching that entire time?

Quite a few, actually. I spoke personally to Mike Wire, arguablly the witness most believed by the FBI/CIA/NTSB to be credible, judging by the efforts made to distort his account by the production of the infamous series of "cartoons." After speaking to him I have no doubt that he saw exactly what he described. And he did not discribe an airliner climbing and shedding parts. He described a missile.

31 posted on 02/22/2003 11:50:26 AM PST by acehai
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To: 300winmag
I remember an early hearing on C Span. Traficant really stood out, saying, "Something stinks." He payed particular attention to the RDX chemical that was supposedly put there to test bomb sniffing dogs. [They later changed that lie to the lie about an orange glue. And Traficant caved. I think we all know why he caved now.]

Most ofthe congress critters were blaming it on bad wiring, calling for legislation to rewire every US commercial jet! They later backed down on that lie, thank God, before they scrambled the wiring of all our commercial jets and caused more deaths due to that lie.

The investigator that was replaced kept trying to insist that commercial jet fuel is not as dangerous as military grade anymore. The one who replaced him admitted he wasn't as knowledgeable but kept trying to push the military fuel stats on everyone.

What a joke that hearing was. But we are simply nuts, right? Like that other poster said. Believing in this stuff makes us daffy. Well wrap me in tinfoil. I can't stomach all these changing and overlapping lies they spoon fed us.
32 posted on 02/22/2003 12:58:46 PM PST by Arthur Wildfire! March (LIBERTY or DEATH!)
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To: acehai
The triangulation of eye witnesses that was mentioned in that c-span hearing was prety impressive. They considered that it might be 'after the fact,' but the witness accuracy could not be explained away that easilly. But frankly, whether it was a bomb inside the plane or a missile outside the plane is not the primary question. The primary question is, did the US government lie to us? Why did they lie? Do they still lie? And how often?
33 posted on 02/22/2003 1:08:00 PM PST by Arthur Wildfire! March (LIBERTY or DEATH!)
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To: 300winmag
I can't say for certain, but I suspect self-deception on the part of many of the witnesses.

You can't say at all. Why would they delude themselves? Certainly they did not get any accolades for their testimony, no rewards; they got nothing but accusations of being mistaken, drunk or deluded from the investigators.

Rush recently mentioned a study that showed how a large portion of test subjects were easily convinced that they remembered Daffy Duck at Disneyland when they were kids.

Strange you should cite that Rush broadcast... because it somewhat makes your point stronger. Rush actually said "Bugs Bunny" not "Daffy Duck".

A shoulder-fired SAM is a tiny missile, with a small flame, and a thin column of white smoke. Depending on how far the witnesses were from the probable launch site, it might be too faint to really be seen. Also, why were these people looking at that spot in the sky anyway? The plane itself was unremarkable.

The test firing of a MANPADs missile in similar conditions showed that it was indeed visible and matched what many of the witnesses reported. The other point to be made is that it may not have been a "shoulder-fired SAM." A short time before the downing of TWA-800, a tripod mounted anti-aircraft missile was found set-up, ready to fire, on a Long Island road... it would have had greater range and produced a greater explosion. My understanding was that this particular model required two to three men to transport, set-up and fire.

The number of people looking in the right direction to see the event is not surprising. This is one of the most densely populated areas of the United States; to have just 600-700 eyewitnesses is a low number from the millions of potential witnesses in the area. Many people were on the beach, partying on seaside patios, etc.

It would take at least 15 seconds for even a supersonic SAM to reach that altitude. How many people were watching that entire time? And if they weren't watching from the start, what caused them to switch to the scene? My own theory is that they saw the breakup and explosion of the main explosion of the plane, which was shooting upwards, trailing fire and debris. The human mind then provides the "reasonable" explanation, a fire trail from the ground to what they saw in the sky.

Actually, a Mach 2.2 velocity anti-aircraft missile would make the ground to impact in under 10 seconds assuming an arcing trajectory. Actual reports of eyewitnesses put it at about 8 seconds. Many of the eyewitnesses claimed to have noticed a "flare" or "fireworks" like object rising at some point in its flight and then paid attention to the rest of the event.

The CIA and NTSB cartoons that show the plane "shooting upwards, trailing fire and debris" could not have happened. The radar track, the math, and physics do not support such a scenario. The MOST the plane could have climbed after decapitation of its nose was under 200 feet. Had the plane climbed as depicted in either of those cartoons, it would have taken between 8 and 16 seconds to reach the peak altitudes (NTSB-15,300ft, CIA-17,600ft) the two "official" scenarios propose. The fall from the additional altitude would equal the climb time... and then you add the fall time from the original event altitude. We know WHEN the last radar return showing the wreckage of TWA-800 on the screen occurred. Since there were no further returns after that, the main body of wreckage was in the Atlantic Ocean. IF the plane had climbed at all, there would have been between 3 and 7 ADDITIONAL radar returns in between 16 to 32 seconds additional "flight" time. There WERE NO MORE RADAR RETURNS. Therefore, the "Zoom climb" did not and could not have happened.

In addition to the time, we know the triangulation of the radar returns and therefore know the locations of the last radar return... it is consistent with where the plane splashed down. Had there been an arcing climb as per the CIA/NTSB cartoons then the plane would have splashed down a mile or more farther east than it did.

The radar returns, their positions, and times, the location of the main body of the wreckage, and the time of splashdown are ONLY consistent with a ballistic fall from the initiating event that broke the nose off the plane at 13,800 ft. with little or no climb.

34 posted on 02/22/2003 4:32:01 PM PST by Swordmaker (Tagline Extermination Services, franchises available, small investment, big profit)
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To: 300winmag
That is a possibility, but I think the whole "shoulder-fired SAM" thing is a red herring:

If it was terrorists, they were in a boat.

If they were in a boat, they could carry all but the largest SAMs - no need for it to have been a man-portable missile. Look how much high explosive was used against the Cole.

If it was a larger SAM, issues of range and enough explosive to break a 747 in two are moot.

Terrorists - al Quaida specifically - had access to larger SAMs from Afganistan and possibly Iraq, Iran, North Korea, etc. The main constraint is how self-contained the missile system is: They could probably not use one with complex ground-based radar guidance.
35 posted on 02/24/2003 5:20:59 AM PST by eno_
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To: big gray tabby
Uh, who says it was a missle?

How about a "successful" show bomber? One like....RICHARD REID?

36 posted on 02/24/2003 5:30:03 AM PST by DCPatriot
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To: ACross
I believe anybody who believes any conspiracy/cover up story is a raving and certifiable lunatic.

Whereas someone who believes the party line on TWA 800 is... gullible?

37 posted on 02/24/2003 5:54:40 AM PST by eno_
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To: shamusotoole
There was a published study of these pellets removed from the bodies of victims.

From the description, they are fairly exotic ceramic balls: translucent orange ceramic material containing aluminum and titanium. These kinds of materials are extraodinarily tough and hard. You would only use them in applications where, for example, steel just isn't good enough. Maybe where weight is a concern.

Now it's possible that these were in the sample case of an exotic cermaic materials salesman, and that a bomb or missile warhead exploded near his sample case and turned these things into shrapnel. But more likely they were part of a missile.

Based on other discussions on FR, these are probably not part of the warhead's shrapnel, but, rather, part of the missile's other components.

An interesting speculation was that because these balls are so exotic, they probably did not come from a Soviet (much less North Korean) missile. Which boosts the "friendly fire" theories. On the other hand, governments like Iran, Iraq, etc. could buy European missiles, too.
38 posted on 02/24/2003 6:05:55 AM PST by eno_
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To: Swordmaker
"It shows that almost everything first blown out of the plane came from one area on the right side along the right wing. Two seats on the right side of row 23 had fist-sized holes in the back, and row 24 was missing altogether as was much of the material from rows 20-27. Traces of PETN were also found in this general area."

IMO, this was the most revealing data released during the whole investigation. It has never been logically explained. The fist size holes are a perfect description of the results of a missle warhead detonation damage.

39 posted on 02/24/2003 6:39:45 AM PST by Bryan24
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To: eno_; Swordmaker
My money has always been on the 30-35 Kt. "mystery" track as the source of the "mechanical problem" that doomed all those poor folks. Any idea what happened to the next half- hour of radar tracks? Did it turn back toward the coast or did it continue South-easterly? Or, do you think this is a "red herring?"
40 posted on 02/24/2003 9:26:38 AM PST by shamusotoole
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