Comments on: The FBI Meets the Zabar’s Zeitgeist

By: rverdi

rverdi — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 23:45:50 +0000

Having lived next to JFK airport as teenager, and being a soldier who has trained often at Fort Dix I have more then a passing intrest in these events. There are people whose worldview is so horrendous and hate filled that the idea that there are people or groups that are more of threat then Bush is too tough for them to handle. But that is okay, we live in a nation of 300 million and millions of people have the right to express their crackpot views. Freedom of expression is a powerfull force. Stupidity hate and lies wilt in time. Just believe in the american system and have paitence. Ephron’s post exposes a very real misunderstanding of the world. But don’t get depressed, we are american!

By: scaramouoche

scaramouoche — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 21:57:41 +0000

I understand exactly where Nora is coming from. Back in the day (the day before 9/11, that is) I still viewed events through the Leftist lens. And what I saw was this: once the Nazis had been safely dispatched, the other great totalitarian threat–Communism–had been waaay overblown, resulting in such horrors as that sweaty demagogue Joe McCarthy and Hollywood witch hunts. It was only once I got a clue and began seeing things through a different lens that I could appreciate that A) the Communists did indeed pose a monumental threat and B) I was living in a fool’s paradise which consisted in equal parts of wishful thinking and self-contempt.

Nora is merely a somewhat more erudite Rosie O’Dious, a good liberal who thinks it’s mean (Islamophobic) to speak ill of any aspect of Islam since only a miniscule fringe of Muslims have any interest in blowing up to Kingdom Come, and, in any case, they’re reacting to all the bad stuff we’ve done to them though our “imperialism” and “invasions” and abridging the human rights of those poor “nebachs” in Gitmo.

So Nora is hardly a cipher to me because, not long ago but in a completely different life and time, I was Nora.

By: Mike K

Mike K — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 21:07:11 +0000

“Neither the Saudis nor President Clinton wanted the FBI to investigate the Khobar Towers bombing to its nexus. They did not want to have to confront Tehran with the evidence.”

So why did they give agents access after Bush asked them ? Nice try. Aren’t you tired of defending that old douchbag ?

By: Occam's Beard

Occam's Beard — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 18:25:40 +0000

Nora’s just too smart, and way too progressive, for the boorish rest of us.

Absolutely.

Hollywood high school graduates – is there anything they don’t know?

By: Always right

Always right — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:36:06 +0000

Yes, but CAN we live with another Clinton redux or Clinton-wannabe admin in the near future? How many “events” are we going to read about years after (and hopefully nothing bad happens in-between)?

By: gabriel sutherland

gabriel sutherland — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 14:01:25 +0000

Mike K: President Clinton didn’t make that request because he already knew the path led to Tehran. The Saudis also knew this. Neither the Saudis nor President Clinton wanted the FBI to investigate the Khobar Towers bombing to its nexus. They did not want to have to confront Tehran with the evidence.

By: Mike K

Mike K — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 04:35:33 +0000

FBI agents loved Louis Freeh and they all passed his book around to read. He is a hero to them. The story of Khobar Towers is all you need to know about the Clinton attitude on terrorism. He told Freeh that he would ask the Saudis to let FBI agents interview the bombers. Then he did nothing. Freeh finally asked George Bush I to ask and he did and FBI agents were allowed to interview them. Clinton had lied to Freeh and that was the end of their relationship.

By: dorkafork

dorkafork — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 02:54:09 +0000

They support fighting terrorism with intelligence work and law enforcement, unless of course law enforcement ends up fighting terrorism. Then it’s snark city.

By: ex-democrat

ex-democrat — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:24:05 +0000

ephron is just another tiresome sheep in wolves’ clothing.

By: gabriel sutherland

gabriel sutherland — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 23:25:27 +0000

Mike K: “The Cell” is just the kind of book that one should read to gain some insight into FBI counter-terror operations pre-9/11. “Two Seconds Under the World”, “1000 Years of Revenge”, and “Cover Up”, the latter two written by Peter Lance, are some other good suggestions.

There is a treasure trove of books that can bring one up to speed with the FBI modus operandi relative to organize crime.

I found a lot of the good writing about the deceased former FBI Agent John O’neill to also provide valuable insight. I do need to check out Louis Freeh’s book as well.