Tall Tales

Visually, this story had everything.

It had America's tallest
skyscraper...

(...the photos
of which
are still choking
the newswire.)

It had
dark-skinned
perpetrators.

It had the bad guys
on surveillance video.

It had views
of the hideout
through a real
"peephole!"

It had the local media...

and the nation media
on the scene.

It had the Attorney General
assuring us that the day
had been saved.

It had
ABSOLUTELY
everything.

Except a credible threat.

(click pics for larger size)

(image 1:  Jeff Haynes/AFP/File.  April 2005.  Chicago.  Via YahooNews.  image 2: image: AFP/DOJ.  June 23, 2006.  Via YahooNews.  image 3 and 4:  Department of Justice/Handout/Reuters.  Miami.  23, 2006.  Via YahooNews.  image 5: Joe Raedle/AFP/Getty.  Miami.  June 23, 2006.  Via YahooNews.  image 6 and 7: Mitchell Zachs/AP.  Miami. June 22, 2006. Via YahooNews.  image 8: Yuri Gripas/Reuters. Washington June 23, 2006. Via YahooNews.)

Comments

[chad]

i saw this headline in San Diego's main conservative-style newspaper and immediately knew it was fake news. "Sears Tower Terror Attack Foiled?" Just a casual glance at the paper revealed "TERROR" appearing in the two top headlines, as though terror attacks are happening like crazy all over the U.S. (That and all the flagburning and carryin' on and whatnot)

What the hell is wrong with basic news-oriented media that they always play up the idea that our bush-driven government is up to something good?

[Quentin]

You'd think the Bushies would dream up something new to invigorate their 'base'. You might think the media would finally realize that by revealing the duplicity of the Bushies they might make bigger profits. The times change: the incentives change only fluctuate.

[Carl Manaster]

I think there was also a missing missing attractive white woman. ;-)

[Karen]

brilliant. The whole thing is annoying. Hope that isn't a minority sentiment. Bunch of jokers.

[rchsod]

these seven knuckleheads were going to take down the sears tower? l were they even intelligent enough to figure out how to get past security?...... the sears tower? what a joke...

[ummabdulla]

I'm guessing that we'll see more of these in the run-up to the elections. If there are real terrorists making plans, the intelligence community seems poorly equipped to find them. But these guys are right up their alley - they don't have to find translators, or understand another culture, or even understand Muslims, because these guys weren't even Muslim, as far as I can tell. And, most importantly, they don't seem very competent, and could be easily led by an informant.

[EyesOnly]

When I first saw the story break, I thought this was going to go totally in favor of Bush, but then the truth came out that they were AMERICANS. I saw the pendulum swing away from the neocons, as it demolishes the whole "fight them over there" theory. But then the pendulum swung back to the middle when the pictures showed that none of them were white. After all, if they're all brown-skinned, they're still "outsiders" to neocons. It seems like the media doesn't know what to make of this or how to spin it in favor of Bush. If they hype it up too much, people might question Iraq's legitimacy, but if they don't pump it enough, then people won't know of the administration's anti-terror actions.

[black dog barking]

Major conspiracy to topple the Sears Tower rolled up the day after WMDs discovered in Iraq.

These alleged terrorists had no weapons, no bombs, no expertise, and no money. They didn't behave or operate as terrorists. They apparently swore an oath of allegiance to Osama bin Laden, but it now appears possible that the FBI informant who infiltrated the group had suggested the idea.

Presumably no boxcutters either.

Alleged meddling by the FBI informant reminds me of a Vietnam era dissident claiming the FBI surreptitiously paid their cell's phone bill to keep wiretaps alive. No link, could be bullshit. Lot of that going around.

[NrkeyQueer]

"That's exsactly how they attacked,
with a typically dark-skinned disney villain.
Use civillians against civillians and charge the trojan horse into our buildings."

--Sage Francis "Makeshift Patriot" Released Oct. 11, 2001

Sage hit the narrative on the head. They trying the same thing now. Parts of the old narrative fit (dark skinned, trojan horse, they're already here) but others raise more problematic questions (IslamoChristians? WTF? And I thought we'd be fighting 'em in Iraq). The administration continues to run out of new ideas, themes and images. Im not sure if its intellectual laziness or exhaustion or both.

[Tony]

This is ridiculous. Where is Osama? Where are the Anthrax killers? Why aren't these questions being asked?

[Cole...]

I wouldn't belittle the threat to the Sears Tower until there is a thourough check of the support columns to rule out the packing of thermite around them.

A 'premptive' examination of the building specs and the construction inspection reports would be nice.

[Mytwords]

Nice piece...I notice that when this administration thinks they can spin a story to their advantage they don't mind laying out all the info--(like the peep-hole shots) but when they're caught breaking the law spying on us or flying folks off to torture sights, then any revelation is said to ruin their efforts at fighting terrorism.