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Conspiracy or Cockup
Conspiracy or Cockup
Michael Collins
The underpants bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is a curious terrorist. He became disillusioned
with his privileged life as the son of a bank chairman and member of the Nigerian elite, it would seem.
Rather than pursuing his studies in London, he retreated to Yemen to learn the ways of al Qaeda
inspired terrorism.
Farouk was so indiscreet that his father reported him to the U.S. Embassy as a potential terrorist in
November. A month later, he managed to get on a jumbo jet headed for Detroit to complete a terror
mission. Despite his training in engineering at the prestigious London School of Economics, Farouk
failed in his mission. He couldn’t mix his explosives to achieve the desired effect. He apparently
forgot to detonate the explosive device in mid flight, waiting until just before landing in Detroit to start
his task. He retrieved and set off the chemicals to create the explosion in full view of passengers.
What kind of terrorist is this? He doesn’t know when, how or where to conduct his criminal enterprise.
Is this the best al Qaeda can do?
Is this the justification to for a media manufactured scare-a-thon about the danger Farouk poses to our
“freedoms?”
Or is this guy some sort of ringer in yet another moronic master plan ?
Pardon my cynicism about the perpetual power structure but there is a spectacular history of lying by
those in power to further their own endeavors: Operation Northwoods; the Gulf of Tonkin incident; the
perjured testimony about babies thrown out of incubators used to justify Gulf War I; the lies about
WMD before Gulf War II; and so forth.
Few are willing to discuss deep conspiracies either as a real phenomena or as an influence on our
nation’s history. The inquiring mind that wanders into that minefield is labeled a “conspiracy theorist”
and shoved to the sidelines of public discourse.
But Judith Miller changed all that. She was the ultimate bogus conspiracy theorist who was endorsed
and headlined by the New York Times. Who could tell bigger lies better than Miller.
Game on- January 4th
On January 4, 2010, Keith Olbermann ran a segment on Countdown that featured our curious terrorist
and the apparatus that somehow missed him despite his concerned father’s pleadings. After the setup,
current insider in chief and apparent White House spokesman, Richard Wolffe emerged. He provided
some remarkable information from inside the White House deliberations.
“It’s clear the president is still deeply concerned and troubled and even angry at the intelligence
lapses. They see this more as an intelligence lapse more than a situation of airport security
faults. Why didn’t the centralized system of intelligence after 911, why didn’t it work.” Richard
Wolffe, January 4
Wolffe then asked and answered this question:
“Is this conspiracy or cock up?”
“It seems that the president is leaning very much toward this as a systemic failure by
individuals who maybe had an alternative agenda.” Wolffe
“An alternative agenda”– what could that mean?
On the 4th, the answer to the question, “why didn’t it work” was clearly on the side of the “alternative
agenda” explanation. This was extraordinary.
Olbermann was like a dog on point with this question.
“… you suggested in there that the administration is looking into perhaps mixed motives or
misplaced priorities. … Are people thought to have been deliberately withholding information
so the dots cant’ be connected?” Keith Olbermann
Wolffe didn’t waiver and indicated that there was something seriously wrong with the intelligence
process, particularly concerning the November intelligence gathered from Farouk’s father. Watch the
segment starting at 3:50 and decide for yourself.