The Brothers didn't do it.

and don't forget the janitor at the World Trade Center felt explosions days before the buildings dropped .... oh yeh, the 9/11 planes only had dead bodies on board and everything was done by remote control ....

if you haven't figured it out yet .... nobody planted the Boston bombs ... the CIA "beamed" them into place .....

 

And sometimes, it is what it is. An overabundance of information available on the internet, a mistrust (generally deserved) of the government's motives, and a majority of the American public feeling that they are not in control of their own lives and future; generates a whole lot of conspiracy theory fodder. The biggest problem with intelligence agencies' data mining efforts is that if you collect enough information, and you have a preconceived hypothesis (which I believe is a requirement in developing such programs), you can make a case against almost anyone.

The hypothesis - "There are AlQaieda sleeper agents active in America."
The data - Suspect A is from the Middle East. Suspect A is a Muslim. Suspect A is angry about American military actions abroad. Suspect A has family members who associate with known or suspected members of AlQaieda. Suspect A has access to materials which could be used to construct an IED. Suspect A traveled to the Middle East six months ago.
Ergo - Suspect A is an AlQaieda sleeper agent.

No, not Ergo. Has Suspect A actually committed a crime? No. He is no different than the two and a half million other Muslims who live in the United States.

I'd hate to see the hypothetical case that could be constructed against me, or any other monkey on this site, based on what is on our computers, on our bookshelves, in our pantries, cars, closets, gun safes, and hidden locations.

The internet is a wonderful conduit, and reservoir, of information; but all that information can cloud our common sense at times too. For me, most conspiracy theories fall apart when I back up and ask myself - "who profits?" and "how many people would have to be complicit in this conspiracy?"

It's hard enough to keep a secret between two people. Twenty thousand people? Really?

I've been in the military. I've been in intelligence. I've been a member of so called "secret societies." Sorry, but the myth is way more interesting than the truth. All of those groups are formed of people not that different than you and I, as are the police forces. "They" are not some evil empire, and there is no dark Sith Lord pulling all the strings.

Are there dirt bags in our government? Sure. Are there self absorbed, ego-centric, greedy idiots in our government, in our police, in our intelligence agencies? Sure there are, because they are drawn from our society. Go to Walmart. How many of the people around you are not self absorbed, ego-centric, greedy idiots?

There were a lot of backpacks at the Boston Marathon. There should have been. Anyone with a thread of common sense, out in that crowd, standing for hours on end, would have had a backpack. Were many of them black? Yes they were. What color are most of the back packs that we have? Were there security forces (be they, FBI, military, DHS, or police) dressed just alike in matching desert boots, tan trousers, black jackets, carrying black back packs, and wearing cool wrap around shades? Yes! Did they stand out like a sore thumb? Yes!

Conspiracy theories are fun. They are puzzles with endless pieces, which can forever be shaped and reshaped to fit the holes that we're trying to fill. They are also sometimes an impediment to understanding. Just my forever boring two cents.

 

Bare with me. This post might be a little long.

I believe the overabundance of information is intentional. I believe they feed us small bits of believable information. However when you put all the information together it's completely unbelievable. Sadly, not too many people put it together.

For instance:

Two brothers carry AK47 each... believable

Two brothers carry three pressure cooker bombs after the bombing. ..believable

Two brothers carry enough ammo to fend off DHS and the entire Boston police long enough for one to get away. ..believable

Two brothers carjack a car. .believable

Two brothers brag about being the bombers to the person they took the car from.... believable



NOW LET'S PUT IT ALL TOGETHER.

Two brothers carrying two AK47, three pressure cookers, and enough ammo to fend off DHS and the entire Boston police department approach a car and the driver does not speed off in the middle of a state of emergency. The two highly violent men who have already killed others brag about being the bombers. They then kindly let the driver go without a scratch on him after bragging about being the bombers so he can call and tip off the police.
Finally when running from the police they say "oh shoot we brought these bombs with us and they look incriminating. We have been trained on how to explode them and know throwing them out the Window won't explode them, but let's ditch them anyway"


How about that? Does that sound believable?

 

All seriousness aside

 

I hope all you folks talking about black backpacks are ready to be called RACIST!!! There were all colors of backpacks there. The ones the accused appeared to have were color negative, to be PC.

*sarcasm* LOL

Kajun

 

No. They each had a bag. Each bag had a pressure cooker. Unless this report is them, or is it?

Deadly bombs rock Boston marathon - CBS News

But then there were statements like this early in the investigation:

Boston Marathon explosions: Deaths, injuries reported - Chicago Tribune

So do we have a sleeper cell or what. I do believe the brothers had a hand in this. But I also believe they were not alone.

 

Trust me, as someone who dealt with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) for an entire career, I know the definition of "compartmentalization." I also understand the basics of analysis, and I can tell the difference between rational analysis and spurious analysis. I taught intelligence analysts for quite a while.

I know all the dots can be connected. The problem is that the dots being connected are only the dots which help to complete the picture that the believer has in his or her head. Their belief may be true or false, but in order for the analysis to be rational, all of the dots must be equally considered. We can't just discard dots because they don't fit. We can't decide beforehand that a conspiracy must be afoot, and therefore we must discard the obvious evidence because, "that's what 'they' want us to think." That is called manipulating the evidence. It's also called spurious analysis.

The patronizing position that you are assuming is no different than that taken by true believers throughout the centuries - "If you don't believe as I believe, you obviously don't understand. You poor little blind sheep."

It's a position that has been assumed by some Pagans, some Jews, some Christians of all flavors, and some Muslims alike - "If you don't see the world as I do, you're obviously wrong." "We need an Inquisition, or a Crusade, or a Jihad, to sort it out." "It isn't possible for me to be wrong, and I feel threatened by the fact that they don't agree with me, so I will kill all all the non-believers."

Religious enthusiasts are not the only groups who employ such patronizing thought processes. For the anti-gun crowd, gun lovers "just don't get it." For Conservatives, the liberals "are blind sheeple." For Liberals, the Conservatives "are narrow minded morons." For those who believe there is a conspiracy behind every leaf, the nay-sayers "are naive lemmings, blind to their own destruction."

Just as labels, these patronizing attitudes say far more about those who employ them, than they say about those to whom the labels or attitudes are directed. Just as I accept the expression, "When I hear hoofbeats, I think horses, not zebras;" I accept that the most reasonable explanation is probably the correct one. I don't see the point is constructing the most implausible explanation to every event. As a mental exercise, it's a swell idea. As a world view, hmm.... not so much.

Folks are free to believe whatever they want to believe, but evidence and rational analysis is what forms my opinion. Patronizing comments, condescension, and ill fitting puzzle pieces don't make much of an impact on me. Are some of the claims in this thread theoretically possible? Sure they are. Might I turn out to be a blind lemming? Perhaps. Maybe the movie "Matrix" had the right idea, and none of our "reality" is in fact real.

 

I'm glad you're so understanding.

You seem to be a good guy. You're obviously intelligent and well informed. I enjoy reading your posts, and often agree with them, and often find your perspectives mind-broadening and thought provoking. I don't agree with everything that you say, and I wouldn't expect you to agree with all of my pontificating. But I do have my own opinions. I no more appreciate condescension directed at my opinions than anyone else appreciates it directed at theirs. I don't feel that I need to be silent when I disagree with stated opinions, or risk being labeled simple minded through not so subtle implications.

Admit it; you and I could co-author a book on condescension.

 

You misunderstood. I was speaking about after the bombing. Supposedly they threw three pressure cooker bombs out the Window of the car they carjacked. I am simply saying it is highly unbelievable for me to think that two guys with enough bags to carry three pressure cookers, enough ammo to fend off DHS and BPD and carry two rifles could approach a vehicle without looking suspicious and causing the driver to freak and drive off, nor is it likely that two murders would let the driver walk away Scott free without a scratch so he could immediately call the police.


As far as "conspiracy theories" to me there is nothing conspiracy about it. We all at some point have followed a high profile trial. We all form our own opinions. Unfortunately lately many off us form our opinions based on the highly dramatic media that plays on our emotions. My opinion is just that the brothers didn't do it. If they were involved in anyway it was thinking they were helping the FBI on an "exercise" and wind up being patsies.

I just don't get it. The older brother might have been extreme. The younger one sends tweets about being a patriot and 9/11 being an inside job and now he is a terrorist?
Leaves me thinking "damn I am a patriot and think 9/11 could have been an inside job. . Will I be the next patsy"

Furthermore, I am disgusted by my fellow Americans who think he should have been killed in the boat... There are plenty out there. I actually want to hear what this guy has to say, and the linch mob mentality is not American.

 

where are the guns from the big shootout??? there hasn't been jack in the news about their weapons. no cops holding up weapons,no bullet holes in police cars?

 

Like ghrit, I also applaud this statement. I have heard and read many blood thirsty things of what people want done to this kid. I am shocked at how freely people want to forgo the trial and just put him in the electric chair.

 

Yeah. Everybody knows you need to baste 'em before you cook 'em.

I too would like to hear what he has to say, but I'm afraid his story will be an all too common and mundane one. His life wasn't turning out to expectations, from what I read he was in danger of failing out of school; he came from a strife torn, broken home - his parents divorced, and both returned to Russia, leaving the two brothers in America; he felt abandoned and alone and only had his big brother to turn to.

His big brother, similarly disenchanted with his life, attempted to reinvent himself by turning to religion. Unfortunately, he turned to a bastardized, radical form of his family's religion, and decided that there was more for him in the next world than in this.

Little brother followed older brother on a course that ultimately led to their own destruction, and the loss of life and limb to a lot of innocent people who happened to be in their path. It's not really that different than the stories of most of the school shooters; it just has a religious element. The true motivation is the same though - "Life has hurt me, and I'm going to strike out and hurt someone else."