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October 08, 2005
(Giving the coverup a sporting chance. . .)
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: Be sure to read the rest, as there's interesting speculation that others may have bought a ticket for Hinrichs. Something like that might indicate a possibility that the bomb was remotely detonated (with or without a timer).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. 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?At least they're making a stab at reporting the story. 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.”I think that there has to be enormous pressure from both sides of the political spectrum, and when this is combined with (and fueled by) the enormous pressure inherent in a $213 billion dollar a year industry, sealing the warrant is quite understandable. So is sealing the entire story, buttoning up the investigation ASAP, and getting back to, um, business as usual. 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.I suspect they'll try to close the entire matter as quickly as they can. Besides, terrorism in Oklahoma died with Timothy McVeigh, and dead men tell no tales. 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.That's a brand new statement, and does not reflect what he said in this widely linked video interview, in which the father denied his son was a "fanatic." Here are his exact words: He's very skeptical. He would become a, an ideological fanatic when pigs fly, or shortly thereafter.That's a far cry from saying he's not Muslim. 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.Had OU officials checked at "THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE OKLAHOMA UNIVERSITY SOONERS," they'd have seen that not only would it would have been possible for Hinrichs to purchase a ticket at the ticket office -- using cash -- but it's the only way to purchase single game tickets at the event: Payment OptionsAm I allowed to ask why bloggers should have to wipe reporters' asses for them, or would that be rude? 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. posted by Eric on 10.08.05 at 12:02 PM
Comments
In a survey, the Sports Business Journal "estimated the sports business industry last year at $213 billion. It is far more than twice the size of the U.S. auto industry and seven times the size of the movie industry." http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.feature&featureId=1492 Eric Scheie · October 9, 2005 08:58 AM Perhaps the local and/or the state cops have zero interest in their investigation being taken over by the Feds? Auto-Fed take over: kidnaping, interstate jazz, terorism ... Uncle Bill · October 9, 2005 09:46 AM Thanks for the roundup of links, Eric. If Hinrichs were truly a lone suicide, he'd be a first, as far as I know, of anyone within the US blowing themselves up as a method of mere suicide. Even those whack jobs who want to take out their bosses and co-workers before killing themselves have never used bombs. I'm not counting that strange case of the handcuffed guy who died by bomb because no one has ever figured out if he WAS a hostage in an attempted robberty or what. The "downplaying" by OU officials is remarkably reminiscent of "Mayor Larry Vaughn" from Jaws babbling about how the town can't afford to lose their "summer season." Darleen · October 9, 2005 01:21 PM |
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"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."
"All the force of America's massed Left are regimented to silence those who would tell America the truth."
-Hillaire du Berrier, Background to Betrayal: The Tragedy of Vietnam