BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: DougR
Date: 15 Oct 02 - 07:26 PM

Yep, methings you may have something there, McGrath.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: Ferrara
Date: 15 Oct 02 - 07:42 PM

Here's a quote from today's Washington Post regarding the guy in Baltimore:

"A law enforcement source said, 'We have three or four of these [fruitless tips] a day.' The only difference yesterday was 'you found out about this one.'

"'This is what the police do. They follow up leads like this, and many of them sound promising,' the source said. 'When they say they're making progress, they mean that they're following leads like this every day.'"

They certainly have caused a lot of terror and disruption around here, McGrath, you're quite right.

They are hurting the local economy, too. At my handcrafters' guild meeting, people reported that over the weekend there were a lot of empty booth spaces at the shows; the scheduled crafters had refused to come to the Washington area while this is going on.

Gas stations are seeing a slow down, as are the big strip malls, I suspect. Some gas stations have put up protective barriers to shield their pumps from the street: others have "Guardian Angels" working to pump people's gas so people can stay in their cars.

There are lots of other effects, too. At the "Taste of Bethesda" festival last weekend, which usually draws huge crowds, the MC got a big laugh when he said, "Welcome to Bethesda, all eight of you!" Well, you can imagine how people feel. Fatal auto crashes happen, but they are relatively few and far between -- not 11 people in two weeks. And not in circumstances that have always felt "safe" and now feel threatening.

Well here's me, too, rambling on about this when I ought to be revising and posting the FSGW Getaway program! -- See you later, got to get to work.

Rita F

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: Bobert
Date: 15 Oct 02 - 10:11 PM

You know, I don't like using the term "sniper" for this guy. I might have posted this somewhere and if so ignore this. But "sniper" is a military term and within the military considered to be complimentary.

I'm going to refer to this person as a *murderer* or *shooter* from here on, depriving this nut of anything he or she might find pleasing.

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 10:58 AM

I wonder what the economic effect of the Washington/Virginia/Maryland area has been.

How "sniper" - a sharpshooter who kills at a distance - could be complimentary or uncomplimentary I don't know, by the way.

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: YOR
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 01:07 PM

The local news coverage justs gets worse and worse. Last night Fox was running many commericals building up their excellent "latest" news coverage of the sniper case. Showing so many of these commericals during hours when children are watching is unexceptable. I saw the look on my daughters face and I didn't like it. They are helping to spread fear and hiding behind the "Were just doing our job". BULL!

Roy

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: Fortunato
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 01:13 PM

Turn off the television. Don't let your children watch television. You wouldn't let them poison their bodies would you? Why let them poison their minds? Go the the library, rent acceptable movies, read together, play Parcheesi and make music and sing.

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: DougR
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 02:58 PM

Yep, Fortunato, I agree with you. Watching TV is a matter of choice. Everyone of them things has an on/off switch.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 03:15 PM

Exactly. That's why I don't watch TV. It's a matter of choice. The only disadvantage is that I occasionally miss something interesting, but I can live with that.

I think this is the simple solution that eludes most people, because it never occurred to them...or because they think they just couldn't LIVE without TV. LOL! It's as easy as living without cigarettes.

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: GUEST,Claymore
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 03:22 PM

I , as an ex-cop want to note a few things.

1. The task force has requested,and has been approved for, the use of special military planes, with extra perceptive sensing devices, for use in any pursuit or surviellence purposes by the police task force. While it has not been stated, it's my belief that these choppers will be coming from an experimental program run out of Ft. Belvior, in the southern portion of Fairfax County or a similar program in Texas. I also believe that this is one of those exceptions I wrote about, in the Posse Comitatus Act. There were several "experts" who wrote that it was a law, when I knew it as an enabling regulation, which can be invoked without Congressional permission at any point necessary. Yet the hysterical ones, claimed this was a movement by the Bush Administration to take over the nation. Bet nobody bitches now.

2. The snipers biggest mistake was killing anyone in Virginia (Spotsylvania Co., Fredericksburg, Manassas) but even more so in Fairfax County, which has the deserved reputation of being one of the finest Police Departments in the US. Moreover, the Fairfax Commonwealth Atty's Office is the most succesful in the State at obtaining death penalties, with the State being the second most succesful in actually putting it's criminals to death. If he is caught in Virginia, they will not extradite to Maryland (which has death penalty it has never used, or DC (which has no death penalty). Instead, once convicted, they will steadily march the perpetrator to his date with the needle, and then give the body to Maryland for trial.

3. Most sensitive comment: I have been concerned for days that no look-out has been issued for the individual. While every action taken by the sniper (long gun, one shot only, from a distance, sometimes from a natural growth position, at night and day, multiple racial targets, multiple locations separated by distance, etc.) has indicated to me that the killer has taken actions which are more likely to be associated with white males, than any other possible group, there has been no look-out for a specific individual. Yet there have been sightings, even from the folks who noted the vehicles involved. Note the tremendous amount of view glass in the windshields. Thus, while keeping all options open, I tend to suspect that the police suspect that this guy is not white, either through preliminary witness identifications, or physical evidence on the scene. While the release of information on unsolved crimes is always touchy, I hope that PC did not get some people killed, for the lack of a good look-out. And my guess (for what it's worth) is that his motivation is some form of the statement "I can do it too", coming back against the internalized feeling that "he is not good enough." [What actually transpires will tell the tale, and I could be all wrong, but there is no point in attempting an educated guess, if you don't do it before the case is solved].

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 03:31 PM

Sniping is a method of killing. The term for someone who kills people in that way is a sniper. The same way that someone who detonates bonbs is a bomber.

I've never heard of any other context where executioners are regarded as heroes. Maybe people to be treated with respect for doing a job that is seen as necessary, "a dirty business, but someone's got to do it".

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: M.Ted
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 03:36 PM

There are two kinds of snipers, ours and theirs--ours are good guys, theirs are not good guys--but they are still snipers, Bobert--

As I mentioned above, I have been reviewing the Army Sniper Manual, with a view toward making my family and myself less eligible targets--while there are some differences, the DC Sniper(s) follows the book in most of the key areas--at least did til Monday nite, when he (or they) broke form--a trained sniper would never have done that--

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: GUEST,Meatrail
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 03:53 PM

The murderer ain't striking on weekends. Ergo s/t/he/m could be doin time on weekends. Does Maryland, Virginia, D.C. law systems allow for the perps to live and work outside duruing the week and spend their jail time on the weekends to the sentence is worked off? I thouhgt this up on accounta thinking about how I used to work with guys who were doin this kind of time alot. I swear I thought a couplea were psycho enouggh to be in a Nightmare on Whazzitname Street movie even if they were just workin off minor drug/traffic/domestic charges or so they bragged.

Just a thought.

Tunney

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: GUEST,Wolfgang
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 10:30 AM

Another one being questioned now.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: catspaw49
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 10:43 AM

Watching on CNN......This one is really bizarre. Whatever is happening, it's not over yet. The police have arrested one man in a have taken another into custody elsewhere. The police state they are "going to respond to a message received," which is very cryptic. The arrest of the one in the gas station was very well orchestrated and the police seemed to be waiting for this individual....very strange.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: Kim C
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 12:41 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/21/sniper.shootings/index.html

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: Wolfgang
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 05:47 AM

Police have arrested the two men they have wanted to talk you urgently:

John Allen Mohammed
John Lee Malvo

I hope these news are as good as they look at the first glance.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: catspaw49
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 08:38 AM

I was wrong....this is an excellent piece of police work! These two look to be the real thing. Looks more promising all the time.....We can only hope.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: Bobert
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 08:44 AM

Great news. Was gettin a tad stuffy under the bed withthe P-Vine, dog and two cats. Jus funnin...

Looks more and more like this sorry episode is coming to a close.

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: Wolfgang
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 08:47 AM

You were not the only who was wrong in this case:

Peg (in the first thread about the sniper):
This is a disgruntled and probably sociopathic (or psychopathic) killer, most likely a relatively young unemployed white guy: 30s, loner,
... There won't be a trial, I feel pretty sure of that (there never is anymore; the gunmen always either commit suicide or get
blown away by the SWAT team)

And I said something like: I bet she's not far off with that description

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: GUEST,Claymore
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 10:35 AM

Ahhh, I still got it... "despite all evidence to the contrary, I tend to suspect the suspect is not white..." (see my post above) 18 years in police work doesn't go away overnight...

Subject: RE: BS: Possible Sniper Being Questioned
From: 53
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 01:53 PM

close this one out now cause I think that they have him in custody.