Regarding the ongoing reporting (particularly non-reporting) of the Norman, Oklahoma bombing matter, Dr. Rusty Shackleford has an interesting take on official statements made by Oklahoma University officials including David Boren:

University spokeswoman Catherine Bishop said OU officials have reviewed their ticket records and determined that Hinrichs did not buy a football ticket from any university outlet.

She said university officials have heard nothing to indicate Hinrichs attempted to buy a ticket from one of the fans selling tickets outside the stadium.

What is interesting about this is that OU is denying allegations that have not been made. I have been following this case rather closely and have seen no one claim that Hinrich bought a ticket to the game that day.

And when are we going to hear the details of the device's construction, anyway?

Likewise, I haven't seen anyone claim that Hinrichs bought a ticket to the game that day. What I did see were reports that Hinrichs tried -- twice -- to enter the stadium, and didn't succeed. Perhaps the reports are wrong, but if they're right, it's possible that he didn't have a ticket, and it's also possible that he did have one but couldn't get past the security measures.

What I find more than a little disturbing about this is that even though there are almost no proven facts, there's a constant attempt to spin this guy as a loner, a suicide, and now, as someone with no intention of entering the stadium.

Why?

Were I paranoid, I'd almost suspect that the officialdom in charge is trying to deny the possibility of a terrorist attack. I'm sure that number of people (for a number of different reasons, including anti-war feelings, multiculturalist fetishism, and in some cases sympathy with Islamists) feel strongly that it's in the best interest of the "little people" to not be told anything which might make them think about the possibility that there's a war being waged in their own home turf.

The bottom line of "let's not start a panic" would seem to be the default position.

But the pragmatist in me always asks who has the most to lose in the short run, and I just don't see the anti-war or multiculturalist left, or even the Islamists as being strong enough to perpetrate an official coverup on such a large scale.

The people I'd suspect as having the most to lose would be the people and companies with money invested in public athletic events.

(I haven't checked the numbers, but I suspect there's an awful lot of money tied up in such ventures....)

UPDATE: Dr. Rusty Shackleford links to an new report that a "review of University of Oklahoma stadium surveillance tapes by the FBI did not spot Joel Henry Hinrichs III trying to get inside."

Three factors come to mind:

There is no assertion that the videos didn't spot Hinrichs; only that the review of the videos didn't spot Hinrichs. I don't see this as conclusive one way or another -- and we are not told whether the entrances where Hinrichs reportedly tried to use were under camera surveillance. If they were not, then (as Dr. Shackleford points out) it would be unreasonable to expect a review to turn up what was never recorded.

Regarding sports and money, Jeff Blanco offers a tantalizing glimpse at the only people behind the only coverage we have:

Why is OKC 9 covering this when no one else will?

Channel 9, The Oklahoman, and OU Daily are in a partnership. The Oklahoman is run by the daughter of Edward Gaylord who was a major donor to The University. The Gaylord College of Journalism is named for him and the stadium is named for the Gaylord Family after the millions and millions of dollars they have donated. His daughter, Christi Gaylord Everett is a member of the OK Board of Regents.

Edward Gaylord wanted a Journalism College that leaned right and turned out honest and ethical journalist -- OU Daily has done a great job on this story and in asking tough questions along with The Oklahoman and Channel 9. Edward Gaylord would be very proud of the legacy he left in more ways than one.

But once again, some things are beyond political considerations -- whether left or right, and I think multiculturalism, anti-war activism, and Islamism may be trumped by moneyism.

Sitcoms come and go. News stories come and go.

But in the MSM, sports rules.

(Uber alles! And uber allah too, baby!)

UPDATE: Mark Tapscott continues to ask excellent questions:

....the U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal court in Oklahoma City to seal the search warrant officials there used to get into the apartment Hinrichs’ shared with three or four students described by neighbors as “Arab-looking men.”

If Hinrichs acted alone and had no links to terrorists’ organizations or activities, why seal the search warrant? What did investigators find in Hinrichs’apartment that they don’t want the public to know?

That’s an especially important question considering what was already known when Justice sealed the warrant. For example, media reports confirmed by Oklahoma law enforcement sources said investigators found bomb-making materials in the 21-year-old University of Oklahoma engineering student’s apartment.

And don't miss Mark Tapscott's letter to OU President David Boren:

I believe the single most striking fact about this tragic event is the short amount of time that elapsed between the detonation of the bomb that killed Hinrichs and your statement that he acted alone, was a troubled young man and intended only to kill himself.

In making that statement, you ask Oklahomans and indeed all Americans to assume that you relied upon concrete and persuasive evidence in reaching your announced conclusion. It seems remarkable that such evidence could be so quickly available to you.

UPDATE: I am getting a bit tired of misleading reports like this, but I'll highlight a few problems anyway.

Hinrichs' father, Joel Hinrichs Jr., said this week his son was skeptical of ideology and was not Muslim.

He's very skeptical. He would become a, an ideological fanatic when pigs fly, or shortly thereafter.

Back to Channel Oklahoma:

Meanwhile, OU officials addressed allegations that Hinrichs had tried to enter the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, which sits about 100 yards from the spot where the explosion happened.

University spokeswoman Catherine Bishop said OU officials reviewed their ticket records and determined that Hinrichs, of Colorado Springs, Colo., didn't purchase a football ticket from any university outlet.

Bishop also said university officials hadn't heard anything to indicate Hinrichs tried to buy a ticket from one of the fans selling them outside the stadium.

Payment Options

Payment for season tickets can be made in cash, by check payable to The University of Oklahoma, or charged to VISA, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover. No refunds or exchanges are made unless an order cannot be filled. Processing fees are not refunded. Single game tickets purchased at the event location must be paid for with cash.

MORE: I guess I should spell this out. Unless cash purchasers are required to show ID to buy tickets (which I doubt), the only way that OU officials could know that Hinrichs "didn't purchase a football ticket from any university outlet" would be if the event had been sold out, the ticket office closed, or if no tickets had been sold for cash (which I also doubt).

AND MORE: The Sooners don't "sell out." They over sell.