Update: Oreo, Dog Thrown Off Building, Was Euthanized
Access-A-Ride Renders Bike Lane Inaccessible
The UWS Gets Its Very Own Apple Store
Emily and Sarah Kunstler, Filmmakers
People Wait For Tomorrow's UWS Apple Store Opening
The Daily News and Post both use the alleged JFK Airport terror plot - that would have involved blowing up the airport's fuel oil pipeline - to move papers: The cover of the Daily News teases an interview with a waitress who served an "alleged mastermind" (cover headline: "Evil Ate at Table Eight") while the Post wonders about the whereabouts of one of the alleged plotters (headline: "Invisible Man"). The story doesn't crack the NY Times' front page, though the Times' big story is how the plot was "less than mature" based on the criminal complaint. In fact, apparently two of the plotters were ambivalent, and the retired JFK worker allegedly involved, Russell Defreitas "appeared to possess little money, uncertain training and no known background in planning a terror attack," although he did dream of "of inflicting massive harm."
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, who said of the plot, "Once again, terrorists have plotted against New York. A disaster had been averted," appeared on CBS's Face the Nation. Here's an excerpt of his exchange with Bob Schieffer:
SCHIEFFER: Well, do you believe they had any connection to al-Qaeda, or was this just some sort of homegrown group?A full transcript (PDF) is here. Senator Charles Schumer points out this is why the federal government needs to allocate more anti-terror dollars to NYC: “This group was committed, determined and full of hate. We face a more difficult challenge now. We have to expand our awareness that there is a new type of terror.”Mr. KELLY: Well, al-Qaeda is a philosophy now. They were reaching out to a militant group in Trinidad, they were looking to get money from this group. So we see no direct connection to core al-Qaeda, but clearly, as I say, it's a movement, it's a--it's a philosophy, and they're motivated by the same hatred that motivates al-Qaeda.
SCHIEFFER: Well, I guess the question that I would have, Mr. Commissioner, is was this just a group of sort of malcontents, weirdos who had some fantasy or were they really close to pulling off something very dangerous?
Mr. KELLY: Well, when you say close, it's difficult to say. You're not certain what it's going to morph into. But what they did do is visit Kennedy Airport on several occasions, take films of the airport. This one individual, Russell Defreitas, had in-depth knowledge of the airport. They made trips back and forth to Guyana and to Trinidad. They were meeting with people, discussing a plot. So it was a lot of manifestation of their intention to commit a terrorist act. Did they have explosives in their possession? No. But clearly there were explosives available in Guyana. And as I say, we don't know exactly what this case could have changed into, could have morphed into if they were able to successfully create a partnership with this militant group.
The Daily News looks at how much an attack on JFK International would cost us economically. And the informant who helped the feds? A drug dealer. But we can't blame residents living near the pipeline for being freaked out.
A marker indicating the route of the jet fuel pipeline supplying JFK airport sits near 157 Ave. and 99th St. in the residential neighborhood of Howard Beach, Queens; photograph by Rick Maiman/AP
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
The tanks could have been blown up, but not the pipelines. It's akin to blowing up your stove: the explosion would decimate your stove, but it would not travel along the natural gas line it was connected to. In that respect, the story has been way overblown...
Assuming this gets to a trial, I bet the defendants lawyers point out the "worthiness" of a convicted drug dealer as a witness...
yeah, but if they disrupted the pipelines we'd be in the shit for very different reasons. attacking economic infrastructure makes a lot more sense tactically and strategically than simple murder -- its easier, less controversial, you're really hitting us where it hurts (in our pocketbooks,) and an inability to provide services that we depend upon for our modern lifestyles delegitimizes the state.
Overblown as all hell! The "satellite surveillance" was a google earth map. The best of the 2 or 3 had no training, no money, no experience, no plan, and no connections. The idea was doomed: fuel systems are designed to contain explosions and fires, they do happen by accident, you know.
The hysteria on media, desperate for a story to justify all their TV graphics on home grown terrorism, are ludicrous and the way they take the authorities (also keen to justify their budgets) heavy handed announcements without skepticism, is pathetic.
US citizens are dying by the half-dozen each DAY in Iraq and these idiots with half a dream/nightmare get wall to wall coverage?
I agree, way overblown, but that doesn't change the fact that it was definitely good to have discovered and prevented it.
What I'm wondering is: when somebody going to start ripping to shreds this "we fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here" nonsense that the administration has been throwing at us?
Especially if they're saying al-Qaeda is more of a 'philosophy' and less of an organization. You can't declare war on a philosophy, at least not with machine guns.
I have no doubt there is real stuff going on out there, I am just extremely skeptical of this alleged 'plot'. I fear we will never know about the real stuff going on. The government keeps it from us so we won't be truly alarmed (It was finally revealed that Annie Jacobsen (Terror in the Skies") was correct about her observations of the goings on on NW flight 327, but this is after years of the government trying to keep the information under wraps.) This story is the authorities throwing us a bone. Trust me, the airlines and the government and big business will never in a million years let you know if there was a really, truly serious plot...as you may not fly and spend money on airline tickets. As for the story of these bumbling fools? The authorities know this won't really keep anyone from flying.
nit picker -- al-qaeda used to be much less of a philosophy and more of an organization before we started lighting them up. environmental conditions have forced them into a more loosely connected and less cohesive organizational structure and they are no longer capable of maintaining the same operational tempo against u.s. targets as they were pre 9/11. the current threat is from these hokey mostly home grown groups, but that's mainly because of america's offensive posture, not in spite of it.
What story is the administration using this as a diversion for?
I don't think these guys knew what they were doing, but I am a bit concerned that there could be a copycat crime as a result. There might be someone out there thinking, "Wow, I didn't know about that pipeline - I bet I could blow it up!"
More fear-based mind control courtesy of our government, and the Mass Media gladly eats this stuff up.
Stay home, be afraid, and never question your government.
Stay home, be afraid, and never question your government.
Come again? The last thing government wants, Republicans and Democrats, is people staying home and the economy coming to a standstill. And given how airplanes are packed and airfares are way up I would say that people aren't much afraid of being out and about. As for never questioning your government, I see plenty of it here every day. Perhaps it would be more effective if most of the questioning wasn't people making wild speculation on the internet. Anyway, you know damn well that when the government keeps something from the public that a different batch of crazies comes out of the woodwork to scream we have a "right to know".
Oh come on, as skeptical and disenchanted as I am by government performance, and that of Homeland Security in particular, I'm not going to criticize them from stopping a potential plot to blow up the airport, however implausible it may later prove to be. If they had been this capable in 2001, the WTC attacks might just have been averted. I'm willing to let the administration have its credit where credit is due, as much as those up top may not deserve it. Besides there is so much else wrong with Bush and company, the positive effects of this on their ratings will be but an echo, a drop in a very deep bucket.
As for those who are wary of "more fear-based mind control courtesy of our government:" only the brainless risk allowing this to strike such fear in their hearts that they will surrender control of their lives to the government. The rest of us are glad these people were stopped, and have already moved on. Gimme a break.