Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Breaking News: The Chemist is cleared - Bush implicated

Al Jazeera reports today that Egyptian agents - after an extremely thorough and comprehensive examination - have been able to determine the chemist orginally suspected of involvement in the London bombings is actually completely innocent.
"Egypt has said that a detained chemist wanted by Britain for questioning over the London bombings has no links to the attacks or to al-Qaida. Government spokesman Magdy Rady was quoted by Egypt's Middle East News agency as saying that a cabinet meeting on Tuesday reviewed an Interior Ministry report that "made clear that there is no link between Egyptian chemist Magdy El-Nashar with al-Qaida or the bombings".
Asked to explain the discrepancy created because exact traces of the explosives used in London were found in the drain assembly of Mr. El-Nashar's bathtub in Leeds, a spokesman for the Egyptian Securities Ministry stated, "We have no need to discuss that. Isn't Leeds north of London? Wasn't George Bush in Scotland when the bombings occurred? And isn't Scotland also north of London. Could not George Bush have had time to "plant" the explosive traces in Mr. El-Nashar's bathtub drain around the time of the bombing? What is there to prove or disprove? George Bush the Liar is the mastermind behind the bombings, and we will have three million witnesses saying that they saw him do it by this time tomorrow."

London authorities in Scotland Yard are now exploring various options as to just how they will be able to criminally charge George Bush for masterminding the bombings.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Tube Terror III

SBC Yahoo News today provided this AP report that tends to confirm my earlier posts speculating on a smallish striker team, with possibly as few as four terrorists directly involved Looks like I was wrong about their home base, too. Leeds over London. But they were all seen together at King's Cross station just 20 minutes before the three blasts.

OK, I was also wrong about discovering who they are/were by one day. This is Tuesday - 5 days - not the four I predicted. And they really aren't 'pinched' yet, but if three of their four bodies are room temperature because of the blasts, we only need to be concerned with the last. Read this entire link from the BBC. Still and all good work by the lads and lassies of the Yard. Particularly since they had to go through at least 2500 video tapes.

And it's looking even more as if the bus blast occurred because #4 had been thwarted in boarding his assigned train only because his colleagues had succeeded in shutting down the entire tube operation before his train could arrive in station, but that - too - needs to be worked out.

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Tube Terror II

I extend my sympathy to Londoners over the increasing body count, up to 49 now, and to the considerable numbers of families still not knowing the whereabouts of loved ones/victims, ala 9/11. They have our prayers and best wishes. Note: in some posts the names and photos of those listed as missing seem to include many that could be Muslim.

OK, the timing of the tube blasts has been changed, and they are now considered to have gone off virtually simultaneously in three diverse underground locations, so either they were manually detonated or set-off by clock mechanisms. May be wrong, but due to the depths I'm ruling out remote-control bursts. This indicates pretty sophisticated coordination. Don't have enough data on the Piccadilly blast to know the actual BP, but if it was exterior of the coaches it could have involved a (former) employee (track worker - lots of them hired from poor neighborhoods). If not, we need to allow for one more wacko on the team.

The other two blasts could have been timed blasts set by one guy, or two. (Guy gets on carrying some bundles at one station before the car fills up, and sits down. One bundle is pushed somewhere under/alongside where it can't be easily seen. Guy gets off, and waits on platform for following train, gets on that one and stands/sits with remaining bundle for next blast. Or other variations.

More and more it looks like home-grown wackos. If that's the case, their photos are on thousands of CCTV tapes and it is only a matter of time. That is if they still exist, and have not assumed room temperature.

Re: the bus blast, that looks like it was a mistake, or possibly there are others that should have gone off, and didn't! Time will tell on this one, too. Have read comments from the driver of the bus, (a Pakastani?) who doesn't know why he wasn't killed. Think I nailed this in my earlier blog. The stairwell assembly - which is reinforced for the steps - shielded his back-side.

Still going with a smallish striker team and early apprehension. Clock is running and only time will tell. Could be wrong on both these speculations.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Tube Terror in London

Just finished going over this BBC story on the blasts. Something seems to me to be significant about the locations of the London tube bombings. What it is I haven’t quite figured out, yet – as if I ever will. But humor me a little. This is based on my limited knowledge of London trains and buses and my previous life's experiences - which are too tame to recall here.

The first blast was on the westbound Circle line, just after the Circle joins the right-of-way of the Hammersmith and City line and turns west toward the west end. The two rights-of-way then run east to west parallel with each other for a few miles, and though I’m not sure of their relative elevations underground, would presume they are close (within 50’) of each other in height, and abut or overlay one another most of that way.
If the bomb had gone off 20 seconds or so earlier it would probably have cleared the other right-of-way, most likely doing a lot less collateral damage – if indeed any at all. So that blast was cutting it pretty close; just a few yards difference in time by being earlier would have significantly increased the tracks’ separation – doing less damage. Was this planning? Or coincidence?

The second blast was five minutes later on an outbound Piccadilly train that had just left Russell Square and was almost half-way to its next stop, King’s Cross. This was the deadliest of the explosions, presumably doing the most damage.
The Piccadilly line does not run next to any other in this area, BUT the next station, King’s Cross, (probably less than 45 seconds away) is a major linkage point for the Hammersmith and City, Circle and Northern lines. They are all at different elevations than Piccadilly, and the Northern is not on the same level as the other two, but they could – or might not – be side by side or one atop the other in the King’s Cross station – I just didn’t look that up yet because that wasn’t as important, I believe. But how significant is the proximity to the Hammersmith and City or Circle lines? Could this location have been picked because it was not the Circle line?

The third blast was twenty one minutes later and again on the Circle line, just as it was leaving the Edgeware Road station. This blast was so powerful it blew a hole through a wall separating the Circle train from another – most likely a Hammersmith and City. Why was there so much time between blasts two and three? Why not detonate earlier? Was this one timed and unattended?

This ends the blasts on the trains.

The fourth blast took place exactly 30 minutes later aboard a double-decker bus on a surface street that runs north of Russell Square station and was coincidently (?) almost midway between Russell Square and the main road to King’s Cross. Fairly close geographically (but on the surface) to blast two (which was deep underground). There has been some initial speculation this could be the work of a suicide bomber, but time will tell on that issue.
From available photos it looks to me as the bomb site on the bus was near the rear portion of the upper level seating area, which would not be extremely close to the driver. It was one of the new type one-person crew buses (the old “Roadmasters” require a two person crew. a driver forward and a conductor at the rear). On the new buses the stairwell is directly behind and partially above the driver, and would afford a slight amount of blast protection from above and to the rear.
Since reports state the roof of the bus came loose and flew up in the air, it seems most likely to me the bomb was topside. One note: The modern buses all have good multi-camera closed circuit TV monitors feeding into the driver’s compartment, but obviously a back-pack or small bundle could have been stuck down between or under a seat in a location not completely covered by the CCTV view.

Another note: Many London bus riders carry aboard all kinds of packages, including shopping bags, back-packs, luggage, diaper bags, etc., etc. In fact the modern coaches all have built-in luggage storage racks across the aisle from the driver’s window on the lower level (above the left front wheel well). If the blast site were found to be lower level, this would have been my choice of locations, but from photos it looks more like the rear. A blast on the lower level here should not have lifted off the entire roof section, two panels above.

ANALYSIS: The bus bomb was most likely either a ‘left-behind’ or suicide. My vote is ‘left-behind’. If so, it was more of a nuisance or random bomb timed to go off and spread the terror, than an attempt to take out a bunch of riders. Early reports say the body count at the fourth site is two. But time will tell.

This leads back to the other three bombs. It seems to me all three blast sites were on or adjacent to the Hammersmith and City line and/or the adjacent Circle line. Since the bombers at this stage are thought by some to have completely slipped under the radar of the rather excellent UK counter-terrorism force, I would bet they were personally in-country for a very short period of time. Just long enough to learn the lay of the land, strike and hunker down.
Or they were home-grown and a small enough group to keep their assignment bottled up for a brief period.

If it were my call, I’d sure be spending quite a few assets looking for newcomers and discontents in the numerous Muslim enclaves scattered all over London’s west end and north-side and likely convienent to or adjacent to the Hammersmith and City or Circle lines. A review of the ubiquitous traffic, commerce and transport depot CCTV tapes for the past 30 days from these areas would likely be extremely productive.

Further speculation alert. Irrespective of support staff, this could have been a striker team of no more than three madmen - maybe even two.

These people aren’t rocket scientists, even if they’re deadly. I’m betting they will be pinched in less than four days.

Monday, July 04, 2005

Bringing up the rear of the 4th of July Parade

Had forgotten just a little how smallish cities and towns and hamlets celebrate our glorious 'Fourth'. There must be a parade, and everything that isn't permanently painted must be Red, White and Blue.

Had a glorious time this morning in our state's first capitol's version of an annual display of hometown patriotism and pure corn. It was great. Truly rejuvenated the soul. And being unit #97 in a #99 unit parade (where the city streetsweeper is always relegated to be tail-end charley-for extremely good cause-means the wait was just that much more enjoyable. Drove a cart while about 20 kids marched. They had just as much fun as did I, it seemed, and were probably fresher when it was over.

Must make it a note to do this again. God bless America. Maybe the 'blues' aren't as bad as they seem. On days like this I can like them more. But they'll likely assume I'm "phobic" about something or other again in a day or two, and for that bit of logical laziness I'll revert back to calling them mentally disordered.

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Statesman or Politician?

Only one glance is needed to take the full measure of Paul Martin, pm of the near north, if one reads all six points here from Canadi-anna. The shame of our northern cousins is that their msm and libbies know no shame. Stay in power by any trick possible! Canadian governments of the 21st Century shame her noble past. What has happened to her national psyche? One wonders when the formerly-courageous-but-now-sleeping canucks will finally awake?

Quite possibly not until after the Tories learn to keep their mouths shut around traitorous newshounds. Foot-in-mouth disease apparently comes to other species than four-legged.

The ap is at it again

This story was gleaned from the ap and 'rooters' on the battle in a mountainous corner of Kunar province in Afghanistan, and illustrates 'newsthink' in the so-called mainstream media.

(For a much better diagnosis and discussion read Wretchard here under Missing Recon Team).

A missing team of 4 special forces men and the loss of a helicopter with 16 aboard attempting the team's extraction is seen by the newsies as a "stinging loss" to American interests, apparently, and the sense of the story could lead a perceptive reader to expect the Taliban to shortly overthrow the US, Afghan and Pakistani authorities and once more rule their former domain. But don't count on it.

As you read the story pay close attention to the final paragraph. Notice the word "unprecedented"? Is this an appropriate or verifiable use of the word in this story? I don't think so. Now look at the final sentences. Seems to me a body count reflecting a 10 to 1 disparity in losses is much more significant than the deaths reported here. Not less tragic, just more significant.