aka Die Hard Like It’s 2009!
Essay – ↓ Assumptions – ↓ Data Dump – ↓ Stocks
A couple days after Christmas, a loved one asked me if my gut said this terrorist attempt was a false flag event or other not as officially covered. My reply was yes, but that much more research was needed for a more serious response. So the primary goal of this narrative case study is to clarify the kind of research and mental processes many alternative media followers and researchers use to read between the lines of mass media. This is always research in progress, and there is not yet any specific group(s) to blame beyond the obvious, but we can at least trace some indicators we see in many other narratives, past and present…
Essay – ↓ Assumptions – ↓ Data Dump – ↓ Stocks
A couple days after Christmas, a loved one asked me if my gut said this terrorist attempt was a false flag event or other not as officially covered. My reply was yes, but that much more research was needed for a more serious response. So the primary goal of this narrative case study is to clarify the kind of research and mental processes many alternative media followers and researchers use to read between the lines of mass media. This is always research in progress, and there is not yet any specific group(s) to blame beyond the obvious, but we can at least trace some indicators we see in many other narratives, past and present…
- Early planning and implementation stages of research, function and integration of new ‘security’ technologies
- Security versus privacy discussions with slow, gradual mental conditioning of the masses to accept the desired changes, whether or not the propaganda succeeds
- Testing implementation of technology and related propaganda in small locals long before creating a nationwide policy (no, there’s nothing inherently wrong with this process, but it does point to some level of conscious intent)
- The rarity of alternative analysis evidence breaking out for a full news cycle in the mainstream discussion, reaching echo chamber status and becoming a ‘valid’ talking point (all these seem to be relative whitewash in this case study)
- Parallel implementation, media spin and narratives in other ‘developed’ countries
- Sometimes finding the key differences in the coverage between the different ‘developed’ countries expand perspective on an issue ten-fold (nothing big in this case study)
Full disclosure: immediately after learning of these impressive naked x-ray body scanners in December, i fundamentally disagreed with widespread use of this new technology on moral and privacy grounds. As a Burner who does get nude when the time and place is right, it would surely be a different discussion if public nudity was not so taboo. But with today’s social norms it is definitely unreasonable (Fourth Amendment style) to perform any equivalence of a strip search on everyone boarding every plane, and it seems high standards of reasonable, documented suspicion should be required for boarding any plane or even passing through Customs.
Comparison of international media coverage before, during and after the event often teaches new facts and shines light if any narratives are being sold at home. This particular narrative is part of a 10 YEAR documented effort to trade new specific privacy concessions for new false senses of security when boarding planes. Testing in a few airports in a country at a time, [AP, 1999] we have gradually been prepared for this. They have used this time to hone their messaging and propaganda arguments for the inevitable nationwide discussion on whether the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) should even be using these. In different local trials, results are always promoted as very favorable. [London Guardian, Independent, CSMonitor] Manufacturers would also simultaneously discuss both how high-resolution details were required in order for the machines to be effective [Washington Times] and how they blur the images for privacy (presumably reducing their effectiveness). [UK Daily Mail] The manufacturers have gone through countless difference animation styles in search for the proper balance of security and privacy, [Global Security, London Telegraph] but either way, England has drawn a line where they consider its use child porn. [The Register, London Guardian] Promoters of the technology have always insisted that all the images captured are immediately destroyed, [CNN] like the London Evening Standard just days before a Bollywood superstar autographed print-outs for girls running his naked body scan in February. [ACLU]
To this day, naked x-ray scanning is voluntary in the places the machines are installed, and “more intense” pat-down searches are offered as the alternative, [AP] but given the decade of novel infringements of our rights, we cannot afford to give up any more fundamental ground we are pushed toward raising the bar yet another notch. [Chicago Tribune, BBC] A few years ago, the UK started the discussion of also adding similar x-ray scanners into their jaw-dropping arsenals of cameras on city streets! [BBC] The mainstream media is already starting to line up the next manufactured security need, as real terrorists can still take their cause one step forward by putting explosives in a body cavity. [UK Daily Mail, New York Post]
If they are implemented on a larger scale as an optional choice to a pat-down, then they can be avoided and are logically useless. Some experts have even demonstrated how these machines might be worked around by hypothetical terrorists. [The Register] If they will be required for all searches of that level, then would they want to use a virtual strip search to search many more people who they wouldn’t regularly strip search? So what, other than pure profit-maximizing greed, could the real motive of advance this security arms race? This seems at best a modest transfer of wealth, and at worst a self-fulfilling prophecy for increased terrorism and erosion of constitutional rights.
Comparison of international media coverage before, during and after the event often teaches new facts and shines light if any narratives are being sold at home. This particular narrative is part of a 10 YEAR documented effort to trade new specific privacy concessions for new false senses of security when boarding planes. Testing in a few airports in a country at a time, [AP, 1999] we have gradually been prepared for this. They have used this time to hone their messaging and propaganda arguments for the inevitable nationwide discussion on whether the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) should even be using these. In different local trials, results are always promoted as very favorable. [London Guardian, Independent, CSMonitor] Manufacturers would also simultaneously discuss both how high-resolution details were required in order for the machines to be effective [Washington Times] and how they blur the images for privacy (presumably reducing their effectiveness). [UK Daily Mail] The manufacturers have gone through countless difference animation styles in search for the proper balance of security and privacy, [Global Security, London Telegraph] but either way, England has drawn a line where they consider its use child porn. [The Register, London Guardian] Promoters of the technology have always insisted that all the images captured are immediately destroyed, [CNN] like the London Evening Standard just days before a Bollywood superstar autographed print-outs for girls running his naked body scan in February. [ACLU]
To this day, naked x-ray scanning is voluntary in the places the machines are installed, and “more intense” pat-down searches are offered as the alternative, [AP] but given the decade of novel infringements of our rights, we cannot afford to give up any more fundamental ground we are pushed toward raising the bar yet another notch. [Chicago Tribune, BBC] A few years ago, the UK started the discussion of also adding similar x-ray scanners into their jaw-dropping arsenals of cameras on city streets! [BBC] The mainstream media is already starting to line up the next manufactured security need, as real terrorists can still take their cause one step forward by putting explosives in a body cavity. [UK Daily Mail, New York Post]
If they are implemented on a larger scale as an optional choice to a pat-down, then they can be avoided and are logically useless. Some experts have even demonstrated how these machines might be worked around by hypothetical terrorists. [The Register] If they will be required for all searches of that level, then would they want to use a virtual strip search to search many more people who they wouldn’t regularly strip search? So what, other than pure profit-maximizing greed, could the real motive of advance this security arms race? This seems at best a modest transfer of wealth, and at worst a self-fulfilling prophecy for increased terrorism and erosion of constitutional rights.
These are some examples of the narrative’s red flags of consistent messaging/conditioning. These omissions of certain topics in the mainstream debate increases suspicion that this event was, in some way, staged by some [small] component[s] of the military-intelligence-industrial complex. The primary motives are assumed to at least be what we’ve historically seen: short and/or long-term profit while tip-toeing forward a reduction of individual privacy. It is also interesting that when state legislatures pass pro-active laws to protect from more widespread us of similarly invasive technologies, [Idaho Reporter] they are generally generalized as paranoid nuts or coverage focuses on straw man religious arguments instead of constitutional or law-based arguments. [MSNBC]
Since performing the majority of my historical narrative research on this topic in mid-January, a bit more information has been confirmed which seriously conflict with the official story still being referenced weekly. Alex Jones/Infowars/Prison Planet and his now rapidly increasing ~3 million weekly listeners have become something of a hub in the alternative media world, similar to WikiLeaks. One of his listeners was a lawyer from Michigan named Kurt Haskell was one of the first-hand eye-witnesses on the plan, and his story which after being shared with the Infowars audience was covered locally in Michigan Live on Dec 31, Jan 2 and others, but not picked up at all by any other mainstream media except 5 minutes on NPR. His story includes these highlights:
- There was initially a second man on the plane (his “man in orange”) who was arrested/being held and who allegedly videotaping the incident.
- A sharp dressed “Indian man” attempting to talk a ticket agent into letting a supposed “Sudanese refugee” (Abdulmutallab) onto flight 253 without a passport.
- If his eye witness account is false, it could easily be proven by releasing the Amsterdam airport video tapes showing the “sharp dressed man”.
His story was officially denied by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for about a month, until being confirmed in just a few mainstream places in the next month as the story faded and the presumed truth is used as justification for future measures. The Detroit News, Jan 27 covered some alternate aspect of this event, but has now taken this article down from their own web site, among others, Terror suspect kept visa to avoid tipping off larger investigation:
Patrick F. Kennedy, an undersecretary for management at the State Department, said Abdulmutallab’s visa wasn’t taken away because intelligence officials asked his agency not to deny a visa to the suspected terrorist over concerns that a denial would’ve foiled a larger investigation into al-Qaida threats against the United States.
ABC News, Jan 22 also gave it the final three short paragraphs in a two-page online article with the unrelated headline, Alert: Female Suicide Bombers May Be Heading Here From Yemen:
As part of the additional scrutiny, federal agents are conducting extensive background checks on every passenger who flew to Detroit on the Northwest flight in case one of them might have been sent as a “spotter” on the mission. Federal agents also tell ABCNews.com they are attempting to identify a man who passengers said helped Abdulmutallab change planes for Detroit when he landed in Amsterdam from Lagos, Nigeria. Authorities had initially discounted the passenger accounts, but the agents say there is a growing belief the man have played a role to make sure Abdulmutallab “did not get cold feet.”
The mainstream media brings up other obvious factors of the investigation related to previous knowledge and information gathering on this alleged terrorist, [ABC] or with his father alerting US officials in advance. [CNN, BBC] But currently, this alternative analysis of events does get a significant mention on Wikipedia, but it is not even being discussed enough to be denied by the mainstream media. It would be more satisfying if some of these harder questions were at least brought up by the US mainstream media, instead of this drum beat to trade more security for privacy. [McClatchy] In this case, and the status quo, the corporate media left and right usually aren’t interested in solve any underlying problems. They enjoyed focusing on things like…
- Whether or not the Obama administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DoJ) properly responded to the terrorist attempt
- Whether or not if he was read his Miranda rights [Democracy Now]
- Politicians running campaigns fear mongering fund-raising [MSNBC]
- His father alerted officials and Abdulmutallab was on intelligence lists before his terrorist attempt (but stop short of investigating intelligence complicity or enabling) [CNN]
Neither side wanted to ask: Should the less ethical parts of our government/security-complex have better planned or enabled this drill/false flag terrorist attempt in advance, for a faster roll-out of these shiny new machines we already budgeted and bought…to save our tax dollars on the psychological warfare convincing us we need all this? (*tongue, cheek*)
Similar to the sting felt every subsequent time the official story of 9/11 is used to justify policy, i will continue to cringe every time this Christmas Day Bombing Attempt is used as an example of recent terrorist attacks on the US which demand forcing solutions of varying oppression/freedom to people around the world.
↑ Essay – Assumptions – ↓ Data Dump – ↓ Stocks
General Background Assumptions
False flags and acts of treason stay quiet longest by requiring as few people involved as possible. So the benefit of the doubt is generally given to the vast majority of the people involved in such a ‘conspiracy,’ as they do not realize any involvement. Following the motive, money, media, name and organization trails, the owners, stakeholders of the suspicious organizations (and their associates who also profit) almost always have the most to gain, but does not make them guilty, even by association. Nonetheless, the question is important: Who has motives enough to justify such costs to innocent life, liberty or justice?
Historically, those most effectively controlling populations almost always use The Hegelian Dialectic, [Wikipedia] aka the Problem Reaction Solution paradigm, to progress their agendas generally in three steps:
1. Create or exploit a problem, blaming it on others
2. The people react by asking for help, and are willing to trade something
3. Offer the solution that was planned long before the crisis
2. The people react by asking for help, and are willing to trade something
3. Offer the solution that was planned long before the crisis
Deconstructing A Narrative: Data Dump
I’ve cataloged over 200 mainstream articles here in my documentation database beyond the highlights in the data dump below:
http://InfoWarDocs.org/?s=x-ray+airports
The media coverage of the privacy debate on these naked x-ray scanners goes back over 10 years. Here is a simplified time line of personal highlights, mingling multiple sides to this narrative with articles in GREEN if they are generally supporting/within the official narrative/discussion, and in RED if they contradict/hurt at least some aspect of the promoted narrative. This is a crude 0/1 spectrum, but also just the first experiment, advice welcome.
Washington PostDec 30, 1999 – 6 international airports in the US start offering naked x-ray scanners as alternative to a pat-down search. The ACLU raises flags immediately. American Science and Engineering Inc was building them.
Seattle TimesOct 23, 2001 – Mentioned, post-9/11, as another security option. ACLU advocates a go-slow approach, “If there is a less-invasive alternative, it should be used.”
Seattle TimesOct 23, 2001 – Mentioned, post-9/11, as another security option. ACLU advocates a go-slow approach, “If there is a less-invasive alternative, it should be used.”
New York TimesAug 8, 2002 – Bob Barr, John Edwards and Charles Schumer request a programming change to blur body parts but still detect weapons.
London TelegraphAug 11, 2002 – First mention found of Rapiscan/OSI Systems building and supplying naked x-ray scanners for TSA. First UK media hit.
Wall Street JournalJuly 3, 2003 – Mission Accomplished a year and a half after Richard Reid’s Shoe bombing attempt… “Ever since Richard Reid was caught on an airliner trying to detonate plastic explosives in one of his shoes, passengers have had to endure occasional footwear inspections in the airport.”
New ScientistJuly 12, 2004 – Announcement that Smiths Detection (of Smiths Group) is starting to work on the naked x-ray scanners, later purchased by TSA.
London TimesNov 7, 2004– First time naked body scanners used in random UK airport security searches in London Heathrow. Default search, with an opt-out for a hand search.
Boston GlobeDec 28, 2004 – “The technology has proven itself in prisons and among Customs and Border Protection agents who use it to search for drugs, illegal weapons, and contraband.” But what would happen, he wondered, if people began outsmarting the technology? ”It would be easy for people to start wearing clothes that are hard to X-ray. If so, then, what’s the point?”
Baltimore SunDec 31, 2004 – “For most people, even frequent flyers, this low exposure is probably safe – it would take at least 2,500 scans a year to reach the maximum recommended exposure. In fact, it’s less than the background radiation from the cosmic rays that you get from flying cross-country, far less than a dental X-ray, hundreds of thousands of times less than a whole body CT scan and millions and millions of times less than X-rays used to treat, say, prostate cancer.”
The Register (UK) July 11, 2005 – Report says the naked x-ray machines made by QinetiQ in the UK, at the time, would probably not have stopped the 7/7 London Underground bombings.
Washington PostMar 4, 2007 – “When American Science and Engineering, which makes the backscatter machines, introduced the technology in prisons nine years ago, the point was to replace strip searches.” reprints in a few local papers
Technology ReviewOct 30, 2009 – How some of these Terahertz Waves Tear Apart DNA A new model of the way the THz waves interact with DNA explains how the damage is done and why evidence has been so hard to gather.
ATW Dec 14, 2009 (airline industry news outlet) – Transportation Security Administration buy Rapiscan Systems and Smiths Detection machines in the next 30 days, but already had some steps in motion.
Smiths Group Dec 23, 2009! (Press Release) – Pitch for Smiths Medical, but mentions their Smiths Detection branch. This timing is curious, but may be for the ‘coincidence theorists’.
Dec 25, 2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s crotch bombing attempt
London TimesNov 7, 2004– First time naked body scanners used in random UK airport security searches in London Heathrow. Default search, with an opt-out for a hand search.
Boston GlobeDec 28, 2004 – “The technology has proven itself in prisons and among Customs and Border Protection agents who use it to search for drugs, illegal weapons, and contraband.” But what would happen, he wondered, if people began outsmarting the technology? ”It would be easy for people to start wearing clothes that are hard to X-ray. If so, then, what’s the point?”
Baltimore SunDec 31, 2004 – “For most people, even frequent flyers, this low exposure is probably safe – it would take at least 2,500 scans a year to reach the maximum recommended exposure. In fact, it’s less than the background radiation from the cosmic rays that you get from flying cross-country, far less than a dental X-ray, hundreds of thousands of times less than a whole body CT scan and millions and millions of times less than X-rays used to treat, say, prostate cancer.”
The Register (UK) July 11, 2005 – Report says the naked x-ray machines made by QinetiQ in the UK, at the time, would probably not have stopped the 7/7 London Underground bombings.
Washington PostMar 4, 2007 – “When American Science and Engineering, which makes the backscatter machines, introduced the technology in prisons nine years ago, the point was to replace strip searches.” reprints in a few local papers
Technology ReviewOct 30, 2009 – How some of these Terahertz Waves Tear Apart DNA A new model of the way the THz waves interact with DNA explains how the damage is done and why evidence has been so hard to gather.
ATW Dec 14, 2009 (airline industry news outlet) – Transportation Security Administration buy Rapiscan Systems and Smiths Detection machines in the next 30 days, but already had some steps in motion.
Smiths Group Dec 23, 2009! (Press Release) – Pitch for Smiths Medical, but mentions their Smiths Detection branch. This timing is curious, but may be for the ‘coincidence theorists’.
Dec 25, 2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s crotch bombing attempt
CNNDec 26, 2009 – Passenger: Terror suspect seemed ‘stunned’. A man, sitting three or four rows behind Jafry jumped over a group of seats, tackled the suspect and put him in a headlock.
Associated PressDec 26, 2009 – “US officials knew name of terror suspect who tried to blow up airliner in Detroit – King, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said no federal air marshals were on the flights from Nigeria to Amsterdam and from Amsterdam to Detroit. Abdulmutallab did not go through full-body image screening at either airport, the congressman said.”
Michigan LiveDec 26, 2009 – First coverage of Kurt Haskell’s story: Flight 253 passenger: Sharp-dressed man aided terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab onto plane without passport (MLive.com exclusive)…While Mutallab was poorly dressed, his friend was dressed in an expensive suit, Haskell said. He says the suited man asked ticket agents whether Mutallab could board without a passport. “The guy said, ‘He’s from Sudan and we do this all the time.’”
BBCDec 27, 2009 – Summarizes the official corporate media whitewash analysis of this story: “Father alerted US about Nigerian plane bomb suspect.”…”US sources confirm a file was opened, but say the information did not warrant placing the accused on a “no-fly” list. Airports worldwide have increased security after the alleged attack.”
TimeDec 28, 2009 – This really shows the system worked because he had to smuggle a bomb that was so difficult to ignite.
National Public RadioDec 28, 2009 – NPR Interviews Mark Haskell! “Did someone help Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab get onboard the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit? Well, according to two American passengers on Flight 253, an older man – tall and elegantly dressed – accompanied the young Nigerian to a counter before boarding. And they say the older man explained to a woman at the counter that the younger man had no passport.”
Michigan LiveDec 29, 2009 – Kurt and Lori Haskell talk Flight 253, passport ‘accomplice’ and FBI questioning – This week, he and his wife shared their story with several national media outlets.
The Detroit NewsDec 30, 2009 – One of a few mainstream acknowledgments of Kurt Haskell’s account: ‘Ron Smith, chief Customs and Border Protection officer in the Detroit field office, said passengers from Flight 253 are likely giving accurate accounts when they say they saw dogs sniffing bags in the luggage area and a man led away in handcuffs shortly after they got off their Christmas Day flight on which a man created a small fire while trying to detonate explosive chemicals hidden under his clothes. ‘There was a second person taken into custody, but it had nothing to do with Flight 253,’ Smith said. ‘They did see dogs, but again, it was a totally different incident.'”
— I am also very pleased to announce that it is the first interesting article quickly removed by a mainstream news source which my InfoWarDocs database has been able to archived here via its automated backup. My crude script often gives this very rough layout, but all the original text content has been preserved.
Xinhuanet (China) Dec 30, 2009 – One of only a few articles found mentioning the stocks of any related companies, who benefits. Almost only in international news, and Business Week. Thanks China.
Democracy NowDec 30, 2009 – A Look at Obama’s Handling of the Case and the Media’s Coverage. President Obama has acknowledged that a “systemic failure” of the nation’s intelligence and security measures paved the way for last week’s aborted bomb attack on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
Boston GlobeJan 2, 2010 – A more heavily covered aspect: The Chertoff Group, Michael Chertoff’s security consulting agency, includes a client that manufactures the machines. In the summer, TSA purchased 150 more machines from Rapiscan with $25 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
HomelandDefenseStocks.comJan 4, 2010 – American Science and Engineering announces $39 million dollar govt contract for cargo x-ray machines.
St Petersburg TimesJan 5, 2010 – The Transportation Security Administration last week awarded a contract to L-3 Communications to buy up to $165 million worth of its ProVision scanners. The TSA recently said it ordered 150 Rapiscan scanners to be installed this year and had funding for an additional 300 from an unidentified source.
MSNBCJan 5, 2010 – Olbermann – Detroit bomber intel failure: ‘Conspiracy or cock up?’ “That has got to be an area that the White House is looking into and, you know, motives can be hard to assess because it’s not clear that this person was easily identified as a terrorist. Even with the father coming forward saying they had concerns, was that more of a family concern or were there enough fingerprints here about the radicalization of this individual to suggest that it should have been taken to a different level – at the very least a security level beyond more than a nominal sharing of information. That’s where this inquiry, this internal inquiry, for the moment, has to go.”
Toledo BladeJan 8, 2010 – Obama orders $1B spent in advanced-technology equipment, including body scanners, for screening passengers at airports.
McClatchyJan 12, 2010 – Poll: Most Americans would trim liberties to be safer – The survey found 51 percent of Americans agreeing that “it is necessary to give up some civil liberties in order to make the country safe from terrorism.” At the same time, 36 percent agreed that “some of the government’s proposals will go too far in restricting the public’s civil liberties.”
CNNJan 22, 2010– Authorities were watching different Nigerian on Christmas Day flight – Emmanuel Chukwu shared the same travel itinerary with Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the suspect in the unsuccessful attempt to blow up the Amsterdam, Netherlands-to-Detroit flight. Both men were originally from Nigeria and had studied as engineers. – Federal agents pulled Chukwu aside for several hours of intense screening when Northwest 253 landed in Detroit, shortly after authorities say AbdulMutallab tried to set off an explosive device concealed in his underwear.
London GuardianJan 26, 2010 – UK goes ahead and announced the pat-down will NOT be an alternative to the naked x-ray when it goes on trial a week from now in Heathrow airport.
Xinhuanet (China) Dec 30, 2009 – One of only a few articles found mentioning the stocks of any related companies, who benefits. Almost only in international news, and Business Week. Thanks China.
Democracy NowDec 30, 2009 – A Look at Obama’s Handling of the Case and the Media’s Coverage. President Obama has acknowledged that a “systemic failure” of the nation’s intelligence and security measures paved the way for last week’s aborted bomb attack on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
Boston GlobeJan 2, 2010 – A more heavily covered aspect: The Chertoff Group, Michael Chertoff’s security consulting agency, includes a client that manufactures the machines. In the summer, TSA purchased 150 more machines from Rapiscan with $25 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
HomelandDefenseStocks.comJan 4, 2010 – American Science and Engineering announces $39 million dollar govt contract for cargo x-ray machines.
St Petersburg TimesJan 5, 2010 – The Transportation Security Administration last week awarded a contract to L-3 Communications to buy up to $165 million worth of its ProVision scanners. The TSA recently said it ordered 150 Rapiscan scanners to be installed this year and had funding for an additional 300 from an unidentified source.
MSNBCJan 5, 2010 – Olbermann – Detroit bomber intel failure: ‘Conspiracy or cock up?’ “That has got to be an area that the White House is looking into and, you know, motives can be hard to assess because it’s not clear that this person was easily identified as a terrorist. Even with the father coming forward saying they had concerns, was that more of a family concern or were there enough fingerprints here about the radicalization of this individual to suggest that it should have been taken to a different level – at the very least a security level beyond more than a nominal sharing of information. That’s where this inquiry, this internal inquiry, for the moment, has to go.”
Toledo BladeJan 8, 2010 – Obama orders $1B spent in advanced-technology equipment, including body scanners, for screening passengers at airports.
McClatchyJan 12, 2010 – Poll: Most Americans would trim liberties to be safer – The survey found 51 percent of Americans agreeing that “it is necessary to give up some civil liberties in order to make the country safe from terrorism.” At the same time, 36 percent agreed that “some of the government’s proposals will go too far in restricting the public’s civil liberties.”
CNNJan 22, 2010– Authorities were watching different Nigerian on Christmas Day flight – Emmanuel Chukwu shared the same travel itinerary with Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the suspect in the unsuccessful attempt to blow up the Amsterdam, Netherlands-to-Detroit flight. Both men were originally from Nigeria and had studied as engineers. – Federal agents pulled Chukwu aside for several hours of intense screening when Northwest 253 landed in Detroit, shortly after authorities say AbdulMutallab tried to set off an explosive device concealed in his underwear.
London GuardianJan 26, 2010 – UK goes ahead and announced the pat-down will NOT be an alternative to the naked x-ray when it goes on trial a week from now in Heathrow airport.
The Detroit News Jan 27, 2010 – Admission that AbdulMutallab was more than just on a list, but actively being used in part of a larger project. “Revocation action would’ve disclosed what they were doing,” Kennedy said in testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security. Allowing Adbulmutallab to keep the visa increased chances federal investigators would be able to get closer to apprehending the terror network he is accused of working with, “rather than simply knocking out one solider in that effort.”
Kurt Haskell via Prison PlanetJan 30, 2010 – “Since our flight landed on Christmas Day, Lori and I have been doing everything in our power to uncover the truth about why we were almost blown up in the air over Detroit. The truth is now finally out after the publication of the following Detroit News article”
UK Daily MailJan 30, 2010 – “Terrorists ‘plan attack on Britain with bombs INSIDE their bodies’ to foil new airport scanners”
BBCFeb 1, 2010 – “‘No scan, no flight’ at Heathrow and Manchester”…”It is now compulsory for people selected for a scan to take part, or they will not be allowed to fly. The new security rules have been introduced following the attempt to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day.”
BloombergFeb 5, 2010 – Airport Body Scanning Raises Radiation Exposure, Inter-Agency Committee on Radiation Safety says
Times of IndiaFeb 9, 2010 – Australia to introduce body scanners after failed US attack
IBN LiveFeb 10, 2010 – New 3D scanner at airports not to show body parts – Canada has also ordered installation of 44 scanners at all its important airports.
American Civil Liberties UnionFeb 10, 2010 – Body Scanner = Naked Movie Star Pictures; That Didn’t Take Long – We’re not the type to say “I told you so.” Alright maybe we are. In this case we just couldn’t help ourselves.
NPRFeb 17, 2010 – Accused Christmas Bomber Listened to Music, Slept – “Well, I mean, it was a threat, of course, it was a threat because initially, he was trying to blow up the plane but he didn’t succeed. I mainly treat him this way because of how he reacted towards what he was doing. And what his actions told me on the plane was that he was in over his head, and that he didn’t exactly know what he was doing would entail.”
ReutersMarch 16, 2010 – U.S. air travelers complain about body scans
Chicago TribuneMarch 16, 2010 – Body scans eventually mandatory, TSA official says – Currently, air travelers have the option to submit to a pat-down and metal-detecting wanding. – “We expect at some point all passengers will receive a body scan”
CNNApril 21, 2010 – Groups ask DHS to suspend full-body imagers – More than 30 privacy and civil liberties groups are asking the Department of Homeland Security to suspend the use of full body imagers at airports, saying there is evidence that privacy safeguards don’t work and the devices are not effective.
Kurt Haskell via Prison PlanetJan 30, 2010 – “Since our flight landed on Christmas Day, Lori and I have been doing everything in our power to uncover the truth about why we were almost blown up in the air over Detroit. The truth is now finally out after the publication of the following Detroit News article”
UK Daily MailJan 30, 2010 – “Terrorists ‘plan attack on Britain with bombs INSIDE their bodies’ to foil new airport scanners”
BBCFeb 1, 2010 – “‘No scan, no flight’ at Heathrow and Manchester”…”It is now compulsory for people selected for a scan to take part, or they will not be allowed to fly. The new security rules have been introduced following the attempt to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day.”
BloombergFeb 5, 2010 – Airport Body Scanning Raises Radiation Exposure, Inter-Agency Committee on Radiation Safety says
Times of IndiaFeb 9, 2010 – Australia to introduce body scanners after failed US attack
IBN LiveFeb 10, 2010 – New 3D scanner at airports not to show body parts – Canada has also ordered installation of 44 scanners at all its important airports.
American Civil Liberties UnionFeb 10, 2010 – Body Scanner = Naked Movie Star Pictures; That Didn’t Take Long – We’re not the type to say “I told you so.” Alright maybe we are. In this case we just couldn’t help ourselves.
NPRFeb 17, 2010 – Accused Christmas Bomber Listened to Music, Slept – “Well, I mean, it was a threat, of course, it was a threat because initially, he was trying to blow up the plane but he didn’t succeed. I mainly treat him this way because of how he reacted towards what he was doing. And what his actions told me on the plane was that he was in over his head, and that he didn’t exactly know what he was doing would entail.”
ReutersMarch 16, 2010 – U.S. air travelers complain about body scans
Chicago TribuneMarch 16, 2010 – Body scans eventually mandatory, TSA official says – Currently, air travelers have the option to submit to a pat-down and metal-detecting wanding. – “We expect at some point all passengers will receive a body scan”
CNNApril 21, 2010 – Groups ask DHS to suspend full-body imagers – More than 30 privacy and civil liberties groups are asking the Department of Homeland Security to suspend the use of full body imagers at airports, saying there is evidence that privacy safeguards don’t work and the devices are not effective.
So it was announced on Dec 14th that the companies building and selling the selected machines, Rapiscan Systems (interestingly run by Deepak Chopra) and Smiths Detection (British company), that the TSA would buy their machines in the next 30 days {ATW}, and i performed many thorough Google News searches in January to compile a history of this shorter narrative. Starting with a more general searches like: “X-ray body scanners terrorists“, sorted by date, then start filtering by eye for articles related to this kind of x-ray technology. Google News archive searches were also done, sorted by date, for each of the companies now making the x-ray naked scanning machines for airports, and each of the terrorists.
Though i was later able to find some more articles with different searches, this acted as one benchmark of how likely most people had heard the news on this terrorism narrative around Christmas. Google News, Default (Recent) Searches done in mid-January:
Rapiscan – 13 Pages, but only one article before Christmas, on Dec 14th
Smiths Detection – 6 Pages, about a dozen articles before Christmas mostly on announcement of new VP, earliest was Dec 14th
American Science and Engineering – 4 Pages, all after Christmas, earliest Dec 28, 2009
ICx Technologies – 8 Pages, all after Christmas, earliest Dec 30, 2009
Smiths Detection – 6 Pages, about a dozen articles before Christmas mostly on announcement of new VP, earliest was Dec 14th
American Science and Engineering – 4 Pages, all after Christmas, earliest Dec 28, 2009
ICx Technologies – 8 Pages, all after Christmas, earliest Dec 30, 2009
You might notice how parallel the United Kingdom paths on homeland security and privacy, it’s often described as the Anglo-American Empire, they’re usually a few years ahead of us. Also notice (by article tags) how long the ACLU has been fighting this.
Since Christmas, the media coverage of course skyrockets, but the basic discussion is the same as it has been for 10 years. But now it is in all major headlines everywhere, and not just more local mentions for the areas with airports testing the technology. All the aspects and arguments summarized above were out there, but whichever ones you remember hearing from the mainstream is likely the version of the narrative desired at the top.
From reading through its media history, and reviewing the full time line generated on my database, it seems clear that elements of the military-industrial complex have been building and consistently pushing a wide variety of these naked x-ray scanners. But since such security equipment manufacturing corporations are lawfully required to maximize their profits for their shareholders, can we really even blame them if they did orchestrate this one? Brutal.
Stock Prices: Scratching One More Surface
Given the potential contract with TSA, the high predictability of a rise in the stock price immediately after the bombing attempt is itself an opportunity for anyone with foreknowledge to profit on the short-term. But even if nobody took advantage of their foreknowledge, there’s a clear long-term benefit for shareholders and helping secure their next round of government contracts.
So it was announced on Dec 14th that the companies building and selling the selected machines, Rapiscan Systems (interestingly run by Deepak Chopra) of OSI Systems and Smiths Detection (British company), that the Transportation Security Administration would buy their machines in the next 30 days {ATW}
…without major change in OSI Systems stock price,
…then a negligable rise after a press release from Smiths Group on Dec 23rd
…and finally jumping from 22.02 just before the bombing, to 32.64 by Jan 8th, just shy of a 50% increase, and is the highest point in their 12 year history!
Smiths Detection, part of Smiths Group, is on the British market and while it did have some gains following the attempt, it was no outlier in the big picture of their stock.
Given the way in which this terrorist attempt should help solidify their pending contract with TSA and is likely to continue inflating their stock, i would be completely happy if i at least heard a US mainstream media outlet MENTION this obvious potential motive. But it seems possible that the TIMING of the bombing attempt could not have been any better for Rapiscan and Smiths.
…then a negligable rise after a press release from Smiths Group on Dec 23rd
…and finally jumping from 22.02 just before the bombing, to 32.64 by Jan 8th, just shy of a 50% increase, and is the highest point in their 12 year history!
Smiths Detection, part of Smiths Group, is on the British market and while it did have some gains following the attempt, it was no outlier in the big picture of their stock.
Given the way in which this terrorist attempt should help solidify their pending contract with TSA and is likely to continue inflating their stock, i would be completely happy if i at least heard a US mainstream media outlet MENTION this obvious potential motive. But it seems possible that the TIMING of the bombing attempt could not have been any better for Rapiscan and Smiths.
Another company, though not mentioned as part of this month’s purchase is American Science and Engineering Inc, first mentioned regarding naked x-rays in airports in October 2001, but had been building these devices for PRISONS at least since 1998:
…ASEI had its first big stock doubling immediately after 9/11, with an August high of ~6 and September high of ~15
…with slow decline until the second half of 2004 when it rose to an all-time high in March ’06 of ~93
…waffling until a low of ~58 in March ’09, and rising steadily since then
…Dec 24th closed at 71.70, rising five points alone on the 28th, then announcing another $39 million govt contract for cargo x-ray machines on Jan 4th [HomelandDefenseStocks.com]
…then rising up to 83.53 by Jan 8th.
And the final company, which i learned of at the very end of this phase of the research, ICx Technologies, who makes other security devices:
…with slow decline until the second half of 2004 when it rose to an all-time high in March ’06 of ~93
…waffling until a low of ~58 in March ’09, and rising steadily since then
…Dec 24th closed at 71.70, rising five points alone on the 28th, then announcing another $39 million govt contract for cargo x-ray machines on Jan 4th [HomelandDefenseStocks.com]
…then rising up to 83.53 by Jan 8th.
And the final company, which i learned of at the very end of this phase of the research, ICx Technologies, who makes other security devices:
…while closing it’s first day in Nov ’07 at 12.60, dropping to 4.39 in Mar ’08, rising for a year then sharing ASEI’s Mar ’09 drop bringing them back down to 4.12
…they close at 4.98 on Christmas Eve, and close out 2009 at 9.52, nearly doubling!
Interestingly, the deal merging Northwest Airlines with Delta Airlines had also just been completed and is in the final steps. [ABC] But Delta’s stock appeared unaffected by the incident.
…they close at 4.98 on Christmas Eve, and close out 2009 at 9.52, nearly doubling!
Interestingly, the deal merging Northwest Airlines with Delta Airlines had also just been completed and is in the final steps. [ABC] But Delta’s stock appeared unaffected by the incident.
But again, many defense contractor stocks increased in response to this terrorist attempt, as most such companies and government directly benefit from 9/11. This is just meant to demonstrate how tangible and concrete this motive is, both for these companies and financial speculators with inside information. After all, Wall Street is where the largest sum of wealth and power in world history are currently being consolidated.
Corrections, Additions, Feedback
Open Source Intelligence. I am 100% open to receiving constructive criticisms of this analysis in progress, and will incorporate anything else interesting learned into the essay to keep improving it (maybe until some massive new development in the story). So please teach me more, and add your comments on this essay with help like…
- Other articles or documents deserving highlights in the streamlined data dump, for any side of any sub-topic
- Important sub-topics missing from discussion
- Finding any more info on how the stocks lay over the narrative
- Suggest corrections to clarify phrasing, if mine is ‘fact’ually inaccurate