Posted on 03/20/2002 1:38:35 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:39:58 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
WASHINGTON (AP) --
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
(1) "There's a couple of conclusions you may draw," Rosa [Brig. Gen. John Rosa of the Air Force] said when asked the significance of the discovery. "In fact this piece we currently think originated from Somalia will obviously tie -- could obviously tie -- al-Qaida to Somalia."
(2) The actual explanation, officials said later: It belonged to a U.S. soldier who fought against the al-Qaida at the outset of Operation Anaconda, the largest U.S. ground offensive of the war in Afghanistan.
(3) The whole episode had nothing to do with Gary I. Gordon or Somalia or an al-Qaida link to Somalia.
(4) "That product didn't exist in 1993," Garmin spokesman Pete Brumbaugh said in a telephone interview.
Is it any wonder nobody in the world believes anything the US media broadcast?
The scary thing is, I bet this wasn't an attempt at dis-information. I bet this is just a reflection of how stupid the movers & shakers are that we have running this war...
Mark W.
Be sure brain is in gear before engaging mouth.
I guarantee a theater wide directive just went down the line- tonight every swinging Richard is busy dummy cording every sensitive item to his LBV.
This also says something about the awesome effectiveness of the military rumor mill. It was bad enough in past conflicts I suppose, but now we're all hooked in and the internet spreads scuttlebutt at the speed of thought.
I loved the military, but I have to admit- Nobody but Nobody does STUPID like the Army. Nothing can compete.
A quick anecdote:
We had a Drill SGT in basic that had a little fun at out expense once.
We were formed up in 4 ranks.
He ordered the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ranks to bend over and place their hands on their knees (4th rank stand fast).
He then instructed us to:
"Look over your left shoulder at the man behind yewww! Now, I want you to spell the word "RUN" three times out loud"...
(Go on and give it a try if you don't get the joke.)
"Get used to it" he said with a lusty and knowing laugh.
That experience more or less set the tone for the rest of my career...
I incline to the first explanation.
Now I've got to tell johniegrad he was right. I hate when that happens.
You think a "responsible" reporter might check the validity of a story before publishing it.... wait, what am I thinking...validity=facts
Washington Post
Posted on 3/20/02 3:14 PM Eastern by RCW2001
Wednesday, March 20, 2002; Page A15
Senior Bush administration officials yesterday backed off claims that an al Qaeda militant in custody in Sudan is a high-ranking al Qaeda operative on President Bush's list of most-wanted international terrorists.
The officials said the prisoner is not Abu Anas Liby, a close associate of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden who is wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa and a 1995 assassination attempt against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, as reported yesterday by The Washington Post.
I'm not sure I was right about anything, it just seemed odd. Thanks for the bump and explanation however.
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