Friday, May 20, 2005

MSM — MIA or AWOL?

 
Barcepundit broke an incredible news story this week.

Quite by happenstance, on May 18th Gates of Vienna was tuned to Lars Larson, a talk show radio host. Larson was interviewing Frank Gaffney about his NRO essay, Spain’s Terrorgate.

Using Barcepundit’s translations of the El Mundo editorial (May 16th), Gaffney exposes a huge new story on 3/11. It is a remarkable tale, composed of a number of stranger-than-fiction elements.

How’s this for starters: ABC — yes, our good old MSM behemoth — staged pictures of the supposed unexploded backpack remaining from the bombing of the train. The police claimed not to have the “real” one available but, hey, offered to use one of the officers’ backpacks since it looked similar. Another example of good journalistic practices, right?

But it gets worse. Gaffney reports:
    El Mundo suggests that, almost immediately after the 12 bombs went off in one of the city’s busiest train stations, some in the Spanish police force fabricated evidence, then swiftly hyped it to the domestic and international press. The object seems to have been to support the oppositions’ claims that Islamists angry over the government’s support for the war in Iraq were responsible for the attacks.
As Gaffney says, one could reasonably infer that if this report is true, then Tedax, the Spanish police bomb squad was, at worst, involved in the bombing itself.

There was a real backpack. What the police did was to hide from the investigating judge an xray of its contents. “Backpack 13” could never have exploded. The cables connecting the cell phone to the explosive were never connected. An interesting lapse when you consider these terrorists were “experts.”

We’re spiraling downward here in this stranger-than-fiction recount. Carmen Toro alledgedly supplied explosives for the bombings. And in Mr. Toro’s personal phonebook was the cellphone number for the chief of Tedax (the above mentioned Spanish bomb squad). When the investigating judge called the number, it turned out that a member of the bomb squad answered the phone. Creepy, no?

Here’s the order of creepiness:

  • The Aznar (conservative) government had sent Spanish troops to Iraq.
  • The opposition (socialist) party promised to reverse that policy should it be voted in.
  • On 3/11, the bombings in Madrid assured the turnover in government.
  • The Aznar government blamed the bombing on ETA (a separatist Basque movement) because of the nature of the explosive and because of the setup with the cellphone trigger. This was denied by the opposition, who claimed the death and destruciton of Spaniards in the days before the election was due to the country’s support of the USA in Iraq.
There is no way to know what kind of explosive was used in the train bombing since the explosions eliminated any forensic evidence. All that remained was the contents of Backpack #13, curiously undetonated and waiting for conclusions to be drawn about its provenance.

The cellphones used in the attack were from a phone shop owned by a Spanish police officer… a police officer named Maussili Kalaji. Officer Kalaji was born in Syria. In addition to being a member of Al Fatah, his resume included a stint as an agent for Soviet Intelligence. Nice fellow.

Next we come to his sister. She worked for the police also, translating the wiretapped conversations among the (alledged) Madrid bombers prior to 3/11...

So: Starting with ABC’s faked photo and ending up with a suspicious translator, this is a story begging for investigation.

Calling the MSM, calling the MSM. Hello? Anyone there?

Are you all still flushing Korans in Gitmo?

Or maybe interviewing deserters from the Navy?

Anybody home?

11 comments:

Jude the Obscure said...

Dymphna: I would like you to go to http://www.ekklesia.co.uk 'Are Immigration Controls Moral?' by Vaughan (singin' hymns in the bath) Jones. A member of Praxis, Catholic. A worthy opponent for you.

Greg said...

Nice job. Chester has some nice graphics... check them out.

Dymphna said...

Jude--

I disagree with my worthy opponent. Immigration controls are not only worthy, they are imperative. The examples he gives are outdated and irrelevant. The migrations between/among European borders post WWII were done by peoples with a common heritage. These people did not seek the destruction of the cultures within which they moved.

The huge mass of Muslims who have moved into European countries have made those countries less safe for the average citizen. Read Fjordman, for example. He would give your debater a run for his money.

In our American western states, municipalities are going broke trying to meet the health needs of illegal immigrants. Not to mention the schooling of children whose parents do not contribute to the tax base and yet put terrific strains on the public schools. The crime rates are exploding.

Immigration needs to be limited and deliberate. Those who immigrate must learn the language and mores of the country to which they move. I agree with the Queen of Denmark on that one. And notice that because of Denmark's policies, they don't have the terrific rates of personal, violent crime that are making other Scandanavian countries less livable.

I find his take naive. What we neeed to be about is helping the countries from which they come assume a structure which allows for more economic liberties for their citizens.

The article on dis-investing from Caterpillar was also naive. This kind of puny, rear-guard action doesn't help the situation. Doesn't hinder it, but is frankly silly.

Again, the economic solution is to tackle the poverty of the third world. Christians ought to be setting up schools, starting micro-credit programs, working in prisons, etc. Not to convert people but to be a living example of a loving response to often insuperable problems.

Disinvest in Caterpillar? Like that's going to change anything. If the Anglican Communion isn't already irrelevant, it's sure working on it. Next step will be cult status. A strange anachronism, that's us.

I recommend to you the Acton Institute instead. Or Grameen.

Dymphna said...

Greg--
I looked at those. Good job...what I can't figure out is why there doesn't seem to be more interest in this story...

Maybe my surprise is simply naivete? Korans in the toilet are definitely more compelling than the possible overturn of governments by police manipulation.

Jude the Obscure said...

Dymphna - I agree with YOU.I guess I wanted someone to demolish Vaughan's reasons. As a Catholic priest, this man has access to a large audience and he is quite plausible. May I copy your reply? I am not so clever at refuting as you, and often meet people of Vaughan's persuasion (not personally but it seems to have grown in the Catholic congregations that we must agree with this mush and think the same) and I can never get my arguments against this type of thinking coherent. There is very little overseas information in the newspapers here and I have only become aware of what is going on in the world since using the internet this year. Yes, I read Fjordman and am aghast at what is happening in that little country and I think now it is starting to happen here.

Dymphna said...

Jude--

Of course. Use what you want. I urge you to investigate the Acton Institute, especially F. Bastiat. He died in 1849 or so, but before his death he went to England (he ws French and a convert to Catholicism -- even then one had to convert) to study the Corn Laws. A great believer in "the transformative power of liberty." Bush used this quote in his convention speech; it's lifted directly from Bastiat.

All Catholic priests should be made to take several courses in market theory in seminary. They have too much libertation theology and not enough liberation economics.

Look, too, for a website that offers a mix of liberation/market theology....google that and you should come up with something...

Anyway, Acton Institute follows Lord Acton's theories. They work out of Detroit and are excellent.

Also, point to the transformation in Ireland when they cut the tax rate. Pure Mundell/Laffer curve theory and it worked. Ireland went from a third world economy to a first world bustling market in no time...

Also check out the decline in Spain since the conservatives lost office -- due probably to the machinations of the police...see Barcepundit.

Quelle messe!

~D

Dymphna said...

For anyone interested in a basic source, use The Way the World Works by Jude Wanniski. He's a social Democrat, but very much a supply side economist. Excellent and accessible.

I give his book to congressmen from our state. Politicians are somewhat less ignorant of economics than ministers, but not much.

Fausta said...

I don't know about the sister, but according to El Mundo,
Su futuro policial cada día es más oscuro. EL MUNDO sabe que está recibiendo presiones de sus antiguos jefes para que no hable con ningún periodista y que ya se han iniciado los trámites administrativos correspondientes para que consiga una jubilación anticipada por su actual situación: estado depresivo.
"His future with the police is not as clear. El Mundo knows he's receiving a pension from his former bosses so he won't talk to any journalist, and that the appropriate adminstrative steps are taken so he can receive early retirement for his current condition: depression."
I translated the articles http://badhairblog.blogspot.com/2005/05/march-11-spanish-terrorist-attack.html http://badhairblog.blogspot.com/2005/05/more-on-spains-311-investigation-frank.html
http://badhairblog.blogspot.com/2005/05/more-baffling-details-on-march-11.html
and will post further translations when El Mundo updates their investigation(s)

Dymphna said...

Thanks very much. I'll go look at the links.

But someone pleeeze tell me why the MSM is so pointedly ignoring this? It's positively creepy.

AlphaPatriot said...

MSM is ignoring it because it is complicated. You can't get the same impact in a 30-second sound bite from a conspiracy theory that you can in screaming Koran flushing.

Baron Bodissey said...

No, AlphaPee, that's 'gurgling' Koran flushing.

The emphases of the MSM of late prove their development delay -- they've moved past the oral stage and are going on to the poop and pee jokes. Underwear, toilets, etc. Time to resurrect "Blazing Saddles."