Stay skeptical

[lonestarnot]

by Raul Castro

DRIBBLING DETAILS

Slowly and surely details dribble out to puncture the big fear balloon. According to the New York Times British intelligence was aware of the plot for "AT LEAST SEVERAL MONTHS." They were watching and waiting. There is a suggestion that it was the US which pressed them to act last week. Were there political factors involved? If so, no one is saying.

A CNN interview with the Defense lawyer disclosed a) she wasn't told the charges; b) cold barely see her clients and c) learned that they have been treated miserably as befits the Isles that claim to uphold the best in Western civilization. It is then reported that the arrests were made NOT because the plot was underway but for fear that arrest in Pakistan might lead this group of alleged terror wannabees to disappear. Hence what we seem to have here is more like a case of preventive detention than active crime interruptis.

The British Government is warning the press that the wrong coverage could jeopardize a fair trial:

observer.guardian.co.uk

YES, THERE ARE THREATS AND RISKS

I am perfectly willing to believe there are fanatics out there who would do something as insane as this. I travel a lot and prospects of crimes like these are scary. I am not being dismissive.The 911 Commission warned of more pending attacks. By then you read in the New York Times that aviation authorities have known all about this threat from liquids FOR YEARS but did nothing about it, your eyebrows go up.

Yesterday, these homeland security geniuses added Mascara to the list of carry on no-nos. (IPODS are not yet on the list!) They also eased the rules they instituted in panicked mode. AP reported:

"Air travelers were handed new rules Sunday, given permission to carry small amounts of liquid non-prescription medicine onto a plane and instructed to remove their shoes during security checks."

AIRLINES PISSED

In England, the Observer reported that the airlines are peeved with the folks who run Heathrow Airport and say they overreacted:

"The air travel industry was in fresh turmoil last night as British Airways and Ryanair publicly attacked the owners of Heathrow and other airports for adding to the flight chaos caused by the bomb plot security alert.

BA said it was forced to cancel a quarter of its short-haul flights yesterday and others had to leave before all passengers could board them. Willie Walsh, its chief executive, blamed the firm, BAA, which runs Britain's major airports including Heathrow, for being unable to deal with increased security and baggage checks."

OTHER PLANE INCIDENTS

On Sunday night, CNN recycled a documentary on the TWA 800 crash which as you will recall was officially blamed on a spark setting off a fuel tank. The network reported that promised repairs were not forthcoming ten years on. So who is putting air travelers at risk? And speaking of plane threats, think of the recently reported evidence that US Air Defenses failed horribly on 911 when NORAD was running an "exercise" and unable to respond to a real threat.

THE TERROR POLICE

As it happens I have been reading Lawrence Wright book THE LOOMING TOWER about the back story on Al Qaeda's attack. Wright is no conspiracy theorist. He believes Osama is guilty as charged BUT he also reveals the total failure of our intelligence agencies which could not and did not cooperate with each other even AFTER they know that Al Qaeda operatives were in the US. They even had their names.

This book should be-but won't be-the basis for some indictments for those who did not do the job of protesting this country. Yes, the terrorists were malevolent-but the professional anti-terrorists were, in the end, just as bad.

STAY SKEPTICAL

Which is why it is absolutely essential to remain skeptical about what we are reading and seeing. I agree with Newsday's Les Payne on this point:

"Such "terror plots" call for the media to be ever vigilant against the excesses of the bureaucrat seeking promotion and the elected official seeking votes. Both power centers are capable of exploiting such emergencies. It is the role of the media to eschew propaganda while ferreting out the facts leading toward the truth. A healthy skepticism of authority and politician is in order."

http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-oppay134849022aug13,0,6192627.column?coll=ny-news-columnists