Latest Story--By Kurt Haskell

-The Man In Orange and the Merry Go Round of Ron Smith/U.S. Customs-

As many of you know, my wife Lori and I were passengers and innocent victims of Northwest Flight 253 (Flight 253). We have repeated our story many times to various reporters, television and radio stations ,both across the country and abroad. Our story has never changed. What I would like to emphasize in this article is that not only did we almost lose our lives in the air, but we also almost lost our lives after our plane landed. Let me explain.

When Flight 253 landed, the passengers were forced to stay on the plane on the runway for 20 minutes. We were forced to do this despite not knowing whether there was a further bomb on our plane held by another passenger, in a carry on bag, or in the cargo hold. This action taken by law enforcement further endangered the lives of every passenger on flight 253.

After we were removed from the plane all of the passengers of flight 253 were taken to an empty baggage claim area of an airport terminal. We all had our carry on bags with us and we stood together for nearly one hour until bomb sniffing dogs arrived. Three dogs arrived, one lab, and two German shepherds. The dogs were split up and one German shepherd sat next to a bag of “the man in orange” who stood 20 feet from me the entire time until he was detained (see my post yesterday for more detail). This man in orange was immediately taken into a room for questioning. He was not handcuffed at this time. After approximately one hour, the man in orange was taken out of that room, handcuffed, and led away. At this exact time, a law enforcement person came up to the group of flight 253 passengers and said the following (approximate quote) “You are all being moved to another area because this are is not safe. You all just saw what happened and I’m sure you are smart enough to read between the lines and figure out what is going on.” We were then escorted out of this baggage claim room and taken to a long narrow hallway. While we were being held in this area, an FBI agent announced the following to us 253 passengers “We have those (Plural) we believe are responsible for this in custody we will now be doing interviews with each of you and then you are free to go.” He went on to state two further references to more than one person, which I cannot specifically quote. I have repeated this exact story hundreds of times since flight 253.

The “official” story regarding the man in orange has now changed numerous times.

Version 1: This was the official story from 12-25-09 to 12-30-09. This version was that only Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was involved or detained.

Version 2: After some of my fellow passengers supported my claim in media accounts, this version 2 was released and became the official story on December 30, 2009.. This version was that, yes, another man was taken into custody, but he was being held indefinitely on “immigration charges”.

Version 3: This version came out late in the day on December 30, 2009. This version provided that yes another man was taken into custody, but he was from another flight. This story was the most ridiculous version to date and made myself write the current article on Mlive.com.

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/12/flight_253_passenger_kurt_hask.html

Let me explain.

Ever since the passengers of flight 253 got off of the plane, we were “quarantined”. By this I mean that nobody was allowed on our floor of the terminal or anywhere near any of us passengers. As a matter of fact, we never saw anyone except law enforcement personnel the entire time we were held by customs (6 hours). To say that the man that was being held was from another flight, and is the same one I saw 20 feet away from me the entire time, defies logic. We were in such tight security that we were not able to drink, eat, use our phones, or go to the bathroom by ourselves (without a law enforcement officer). However, this version tries to make the American public believe that passengers from other flights were by us commingling the entire time. This did not happen. To think that law enforcement would let anyone else near the passengers and crime scene of the biggest terrorist attack in 8 years is simply beyond comprehension. Further, every plane that landed for quite some time after we did, held its passengers on board for a long time. The man in orange was taken away one hour into our detention period (during which, I do not believe any other flights allowed their passengers to get off of). Most certainly however, no other passengers were on the baggage claim floor that we were. When I wrote the above Mlive article I predicted that I would soon see version 4 of the “official story”. I was overwhelmed to find not only a fourth version, but a fifth version.

Version 4: Shortly after 6PM eastern time on December 31, 2009, Ron Smith of U.S. Customs sent an email to various reporters across the country. I received my copy from a reporter that I have been corresponding with. Here is a copy of the email:

All,



Good Evening,



Thank you for your patience and accuracy in reporting the events of December 25 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Everything we have talked about has been accurate concerning these events



That being said I have just received a piece of information that I did not previously have and hope it will clear up this matter.



As I have explained, there were no other passengers from flight 253 arrested or detained. The eyewitness accounts coincided with a separate issue concerning a passenger from a separate flight arriving at the airport. That passenger was escorted from the arriving plane to the CBP area. He was handcuffed at that time and could have been observed by the passengers from flight 253.



This still remains true; however, I now know that a passenger from flight 253 did have a canine alert to his carry on baggage in the baggage area of the CBP facility. He was placed in handcuffs and escorted to an interview room where he was interviewed and searched. There was nothing found during that search. Following the negative search results he received an explanation of why he was searched. He thanked the officers for doing their job and departed the facility along with the other passengers from flight 253.



I can not provide any other information about the individual because again, he was not arrested or detained and we have to protect his privacy.



This information is consistent with the eyewitness accounts.



I accept full responsibility for this information not being made available to you. I did not access the correct report that contained this information. I take pride in providing my media contacts complete, accurate information and I did not accomplish that this time. Please accept my apologies for any difficulties this may create.



I am sending this as an email because I will be traveling this evening and will not be available by phone until first thing in the morning.



Respectfully,



Ronald G Smith

Chief CBP Officer

Public Affairs Liaison

US Customs and Border Protection

Office of Field Operations

Mr. Ron Smith now claims the following:

1. “He just received some information he didn’t previously have”. Seriously.
2. “The eyewitness accounts coincided with a separate issue concerning a passenger from a separate flight arriving at the airport”. Please see above where I explain that we were “quarantined” which makes this statement impossible.
3. “He now knows (as if he didn’t before), that a passenger from flight 253 did have a canine alert to his carry on baggage in the baggage area of the CBP facility. . . There was nothing found during the search”.
First of all, does it seem plausible that Mr. Ron Smith didn’t have and know all of this information before? Also, please see my account of events above, where I explain that the man in orange was taken away not in handcuffs, but was HANDCUFFED AFTER HE WAS QUESTIONED/SEARCHED FOR AN HOUR! Remember, we were then moved to a new “safe” area at this time and damning comments were made by a law enforcement officer(see above).
4. “This information is consistent with eyewitness accounts”. Not mine Mr. Smith.
5. “He accepts full responsibility because he did not access the correct report that contained this information.” Mr. Smith, are you sloppy and incompetent or something else? This is the most important story in 8 years and a spokesperson for U.S. Customs just cannot come out in public and make an incorrect statement of this magnitude.
6. “Please accept my apologies . . . “ Where is my apology Mr. Smith? Oh wait, I don’t get one because the purpose of this bogus story was to discredit me…………….

Version 5: I was pretty shocked to see version 5 come out this morning in The Detroit News. It seems that Mr. Smith works really hard at this. Of course it would be much easier to just put out one correct story.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100101/NATION/1010354/1020/rss09

This is my second favorite version besides version 3. Now Mr. Smith claims the following:

1. “My account is a composite of two events at the airport around the time passengers got off flight 253. Both events were unrelated to the suspected terrorist incident.” One of these events involved a passenger from flight 249. Come on Mr. Smith, we both know that our flight was completely “quarantined”. Please see above for a further explanation.

2. “A sniffer dog reacted to agriculture or food products inside the bag of a third man who was off yet another flight”. OK, passengers from other flights DID NOT COMINGLE WITH OUR FLIGHT!

Funnier yet, Mr. Smith is proposing that a dog sniffing for food from another flight was the same as the dog sniffing for a bomb in the carry on bag carried by the orange dressed man on flight 253, who stood 20 feet away from me the entire time until he was taken away. Oh boy is that ever a stretch.

3. “Officials did attempt to segregate flight 253 passengers but the entire baggage area was not cleared”.

Think about this one for a minute. You have the biggest crime scene in 8 years. You don’t know if there are further bombs. Federal law enforcement is involved. You don’t know if there are accomplices. You need to find evidence Yet Mr. Smith proposes that law enforcement was unable to segregate the passengers of Flight 253 and let others trample through our “quarantine area”. Mr. Smith you should become a comedian.


Please answer a few questions for me Mr. Smith before I accept the apology you have yet to give to the passengers of flight 253:

1. Why were the passengers of flight 253 detained on a plane for 20 minutes not knowing if there was another bomb on the plane, in the cargo hold, or on another passenger after the “terrorist” had admitted that he had an explosive device in his pocket to a flight attendant, tried to detonate it, and set our plane on fire? Was it gross incompetence or something else?

2. Why were the passengers of flight 253 taken WITH their carry on bags and held with them for one hour before bomb sniffing dogs arrived in the baggage claim area of the terminal, all the while not knowing if any of the bags contained a bomb? Was it gross incompetence or something else? Did law enforcement intentionally risk the ENITRE AIRPORT TERMINAL TO AN EXPLOSIVE DEVICE or was it something else?

3. Why did you indicate to a well respected reporter that our carry on bags were searched ON THE PLANE, when in fact they were never searched (except for sniffer dogs), until she told you that my wife and I adamantly disputed your claim? Then you suddenly changed the official position to, yes, the carry on bags were not searched? (This was relayed to me in confidence)

Mr. Smith, I think if you honestly answer the few questions above, we will have our answer as to why the “official” position regarding the man in orange has changed 5 times. I suspect that all of the above is tied in together. Draw your own conclusion.

By the way, I look forward to version six of the official story.

I am not going away.

---A concerned American and a victim on multiple fronts, Kurt Haskell

Remaining Questions

THE REMAINING QUESTIONS FROM FLIGHT 253 AND A DISCUSSION OF THE POSSIBILITIES -by Kurt Haskell


The following questions are those that we do not have adequate information (In my mind) on in order to make a final determination.



1. Who is the Man in Orange?


2. Did Mutallab know the Sharp Dressed Man?


3. Was it intended that the bomb explode?


4. Did the U.S. Government know that Mutallab had a bomb when it allowed him to board Flight 253?

5. Why is the U.S. Government seeking a plea deal for Mutallab?

6. Why did a fellow passenger call me to discuss changing my story?

7. Why are the important questions being ignored by the mainstream media?








1. Who is the Man in Orange?


The story of the Man in Orange has been previously discussed at length, so I will not state it again in this article, but who was he?


The following evidence supports the theory that we know the identity of the Man in Orange:

The Detroit Free Press released an account of Flight 253 passenger Samuel Pappy on January 29, 2010. It stated the following:

"Two bomb-sniffing dogs named Jordi and Brenda checked out hundreds of bags and carry-ons that had been deposited in Customs. They cleared every bag except one: The dogs keyed in on a soft-sided black carry-on belonging to Pappy, the Indian born man who said he helped calm other passengers during the flight.
Pappy, who lives in Georgia, said he was hand cuffed in front of other passengers, which he said he found humiliating. A police report said his bags were searched and cleared. He was released with other passengers later that afternoon".

The Free Press account verifies the following aspects of the Man in Orange:


1. Indian Man
2. Bomb-sniffing dogs were alerted to his carry-on bag and no other bags.
3. He was taken away and questioned.


There is further evidence that Pappy may have been the Man in Orange. When a fellow passenger called me in an apparent attempt to get me to change my story, he did not attempt to change my story in regards to the Man in Orange. He actually concurred with my account.

While the evidence indicates strongly that Pappy was the Man in Orange a few questions are raised in my mind.

The following evidence supports the theory that we still do not know the identity of the Man in Orange:
1. Ron Smith, spokesperson for U.S. Customs, changed the official story of the Man in Orange 5 times. Each story appearing after a public statement from myself, which discredited the official version. Why?
2. My account of the Man in Orange indicated that he was NOT handcuffed when he was taken away, but he was handcuffed after he emerged from questioning. This appears to not correspond with version 6 of the official story, which appeared in the Free Press.
3. As he was exiting Flight 253, Mutallab indicated that another bomb was on the plane.
4. How often do bomb-sniffing dogs indicate a false positive?




2. Did Mutallab know the Sharp Dressed Man?

The story of the Sharp Dressed Man has previously been discussed at length and his identity has been proven(To my satisfaction) as an agent of the U.S. Government. However, did Mutallab know the Sharp Dressed Man?

The following evidence supports the theory that Mutallab did know the Sharp Dressed Man:

1. The two men approached the final ticket gate together.
2. The Sharp Dressed Man did all of the talking.
3. The Sharp Dressed Man indicated that Mutallab was from "Sudan", which was an obvious lie.
4. The Sharp Dressed man advocated for Mutallab to board without showing a passport.
5. The U.S. Government is now admitting that Mutallab may have had help in making sure he did not get cold feet when boarding.



The following evidence supports the theory that Mutallab did not know the Sharp Dressed Man:

1. Mutallab was nervous and fidgety as he stood by the Sharp Dressed Man.
2. The account of Shama Chopra, the Montreal passenger who also saw Mutallab before boarding, also described Mutallab as being very nervous as he went through security.


3. Was it intended that the bomb explode?


The only reason I am here today is that Mutallab's bomb did not explode. We have to ask whether it was ever intended to explode?


The following evidence supports the theory that the bomb was intended to explode:

1. Mutallab went all the way to Yemen to obtain the bomb.
2. It was stitched into his underwear.
3. The quantity of explosive was enough to blow up the plane.
4. Mutallab purchased a one-way ticket without luggage (except for one small carry-on bag).


The following evidence supports the theory that the bomb was not intended to explode:

1. The bomb required a detonator to explode. This bomb did not have (Or had a malfunctioning detonator) a detonator.
2. It is difficult to believe that Mutallab would plan for this event in such great detail, but not assure that it would work.
3. A camera man filmed the entire attack from before it started until after it ended.
4. The U.S. Government allowed Mutallab on the plane in order to track him in the U.S. and catch potential accomplices.



4. Did the U.S. Government know that Mutallab had a bomb when it allowed him to board Flight 253?


This is possibly the most important question to be answered.


The following is evidence that the U.S. Government knew Mutallab had a bomb when he boarded Flight 253:

1. The U.S. Government had pre-purchased body scanning machines.
2. The U.S. Government had already begun bombing Yemen.
3. The camera man on the plane. Although, this would indicate that the U.S. Government knew Mutallab had a defective bomb.
4. The extensive evidence over the months leading up to the flight, which included wire tapped intercepts indicating that someone named "Umar Farouk" would be attempting a terrorist attack.
5. Michael Chertoff's ties to the company that produces the body scanning machines.



The following is evidence that the U.S. Government did not know that Mutallab had a bomb when he boarded Flight 253:

1. It is almost incomprehensible to believe that the U.S. Government would intentionally allow it's citizens to be blown up (Although, this would not be the case if it knew that Mutallab's bomb was defective).
2. The bomb was in Mutallab's underwear and may have been difficult to find.


5. Why is the U.S. Government seeking a plea deal for Mutallab?



One has to wonder why the government wants a plea deal when the U.S. Government has plenty of evidence to convict Mutallab.



The following evidence supports the theory that the U.S. Government has a legitimate reason for seeking a plea deal:
1. To seek additional evidence from Mutallab to catch accomplices.
2. To spare the cost of a trial (However, this trial would be very short and not too costly).



The following evidence supports the theory that the U.S. Government does not have a legitimate reason for seeking a plea deal:

1. There is plenty of evidence to convict Mutallab.
2. His crime was particularly heinous and he does not deserve a lenient sentence.
3. Anything less than a life sentence without the possibility of parole would be ridiculous.
4. Mutallab could have been treated as an enemy combatant and denied a court appointed attorney, which could have had the same result as a plea deal, as far as obtaining additional evidence. The U.S. Government already admitted that Mutallab was telling all until his attorney arrived.
5. The truth of the story would be known when evidence was presented at trial.



6. Why did a fellow passenger call me to discuss changing my story?



Approximately one week after Flight 253, and after I had been telling my story to the media, I received a call from a fellow passenger. The important parts of the conversation were as follows:



1. "Kurt, I think you should stop telling your story about the 'Sharp Dressed Man'. It was an unaccompanied minor that you saw. I am sure of it. He was escorted on the flight by an airline employee. I saw him after we landed with the employee. You will look stupid when the truth comes out".
2. "Remember when we took the buses from the plane to the terminal"?
3. "I thought you were crazy when I heard you in the media, but yesterday(One week after the flight) I had a revelation and remembered what happened".



Lets look at the reason this call was made and the importance of the above statements.



The following evidence indicates that the call was made from a concerned fellow passenger:

1. The caller was pleasant and appeared to be concerned.
2. My wife verified that he was, in fact, on our plane.
3. Maybe he did see something, but was something different than what I saw.
4. He did not say that he saw the Sharp Dressed Man before boarding.
5. He provided, on its face, a seemingly believable story.



The following evidence indicates that the call was made from someone trying to "shut me up".

1. The call was made after the caller had a revelation one week after the flight. This would be a highly unlikely event.
2. I have since discovered that the caller has ties to the U.S. Government.
3. U.S. Customs has indicated that there were no unaccompanied minors on our flight.
4. To have an airline employee as an escort, the minor must be age 11 or younger. Although Mutallab looks young (15 or 16 by my estimation), he does not look 11.
5. Why the call out of the blue to me?
6. The statement that we took buses to the terminal was not true. This statement could have been made in an effort to make me believe that the plane landed far away from the terminal. This, if true, would cover up the post-landing gaffes indicated in the January 29, 2010, Detroit News article.
7. Why indicate that he thought I was crazy? Possibly as a subliminal put down to me to make me not talk to the media.
8. Although I have since spoken to many passengers, none have indicated that they saw an unaccompanied minor either before or after landing. One passenger, however, did indicate to me that she saw Mutallab escorted by another individual to the final ticket counter.
9. The numerous amount of evidence that has since come out and now indicates that the U.S. Government intentionally let Mutallab on Flight 253.
10. The U.S. Government knew at that time, that I could not be intimidated by a government official and knew it had to try an alternative means to stop my story from getting out to the public.
11. The caller has since made the following peculiar statement (Which may not be an exact quote but it is close), which is odd considering that it is coming from a victim of a recent terrorist attack:

"The American public should forget about Flight 253 and focus on health care and the economy".

This statement appears to be a statement more attributable to a government official then a passenger of Flight 253.



7. Why are the important questions being ignored by the main stream media?



It would seem that in a free country the press would be investigative on all important questions, including those that may show corrupt/grossly negligent activities by its own government. However, as often has been the case, the mainstream media is all too quick to put the "official" story out to the public and not ask the difficult questions. As I am finding out, it is very difficult for a normal everyday citizen to have his concerns heard in the media. Any official statement from the government, however, is immediately reported worldwide. One has to wonder whether the ties between the large corporations that run the media and the U.S. Government itself, have become so tight as to jeopardize the freedom and safety of the U.S. citizens. It has come to the point that some are calling my wife and I heroes for insisting on the truthful reporting of this story. That is a very sad statement, because we are not heroes, but only eyewitnesses. The belief that we are heroes, speaks of the current sad state of affairs in this country. Those that have something to say are scared to come forward with the truth. The United States of America is no longer a free country.




I look forward to hearing the responses to this post. I know some of you will feel strongly in support of one side or the other on each of the above questions. However, I take no position on these questions at this time. I also look forward to hearing any other questions anyone would like me to blog about, as this is a very involved story and I acknowledge that I may have missed some further unresolved questions.

AN INTERESTING NOTE TO TODAY'S CNN ARTICLE ON FLIGHT 253

By Kurt Haskell

A few days ago, CNN contacted all of the known flight 253 passengers by email. The email stated that as the Haiti earthquake story had calmed down, CNN wanted to write a new article on flight 253. The email listed a series of questions that CNN wanted the passengers to answer about flight 253. This is the first major media organization to contact Lori and I after the hearings took place in Congress. These hearings provided the statements from Patrick Kennedy and Michael Leiter that led to the obviously conclusion that the Sharp Dressed Man was a U.S. Government agent (Please scroll down below and read previous blog posts if you are not informed as to these comments and this conclusion). Therefore, I expected CNN to address these issues, as they are now, in my opinion, the most important part of the flight 253 story. When I provided my answers, I informed CNN that it could only use my answers if it intended to discuss the Sharp Dressed Man in its article. I heard nothing further from CNN. Lori, however, got another email that said, since we can't use Kurt's answers, can we at least use yours? This was not a surprise to me since it is obvious that the major media is furthering the U.S. governement's flight 253 propaganda. Lori's take on all of this is that we should keep flight 253 in the media no matter what. My take is that it is time for the media to step up to the plate and ask the hard questions. Until that happens, don't bother wasting my time to further the U.S. Government's agenda. You can read the article below as Lori posted a link in her most recent blog entry. Notice that I am not mentioned in the article. At least the media is showing its true colors.

JANET NAPOLITANO: OPEN MOUTH INSERT FOOT--By Kurt Haskell

By Kurt Haskell:

On December 27, 2009, two days after my wife, Lori, and I were innocent victims of Flight 253, our wonderful Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano came out and had the following response to our flight, "the system worked". At a time when many of the flight 253 passengers were very emotionally disturbed due to the terrorist attack on our flight on Christmas Day, Janet Napolitano comes out with this sucker punch to the gut of all of the flight 253 passengers. Oh Janet what are we to do with you?

The system worked only due to a dysfunctional bomb and some heroic passengers on flight 253. Janet, please explain how did the system work?

Yesterday, January 3, 2009, Janet "clarified" her statement through White House aid John Brennan, who appeared on Meet The Press and other television programs. John Brennan now explained that Janet Napolitano was misquoted and actually meant that the system worked "after the plane landed". Seriously Janet, I know that you are trying to save your job, but quit playing the American public for fools.

Let's see if we can clear up how the system worked after we landed.

1. Instead of having an emergency evacuation of the plane, no passengers were let off of flight 253 for appr. 20 minutes after we landed. At this time, nobody knew if any accomplices or further bombs were on board the plane. Instead, the FBI was more concerned with taking the handcuffed terrorist off the plane, before dealing with us. Let's save the TERRORIST from another possible bomb on the plane, SCREW the passengers and crew.

2. The passengers were allowed to leave the plane with their carry on bags, possibly destroying a valuable crime scene (the plane).

3. The passengers were allowed to take their carry on bags into the terminal and the passengers were grouped together for appr. one hour until bomb sniffing dogs arrived. At anytime, a bomb could have exploded from any carry on bag and destroyed the entire terminal.

4. Something was apparently discovered in a carry on bag when a "bomb sniffing" dog detected it in the carry on bag of "the man in orange". He was then questioned and taken away in handcuffs. We were then moved for our safety.

5. For quite some time after we entered the terminal, the officers watching over us had no idea that a bomb was even on our plane, and therefore, had no idea to watch closely for a second bomb.

6. A man videotaped the entire terrorist attack on board the plane, and even though authorities were told in customs the 4 possible seats the "camera man" was in, they took no action to secure the video, and to my knowledge never obtained the video (which could have contained significant evidence).

Thanks Janet for the follow up insulting comment. It's always nice to receive a second sucker punch to the gut a few days after you just received one. Janet, PLEASE STOP VICTIMIZING THE FLIGHT 253 PASSENGERS!

Janet, I'm sure you will soon be joining many of my fellow Mchigan residents in the unemployment line.

Ten days since the terrorist attack and we still don't have the Amsterdam Airport Video. The wait continues........................

Christmas Day One Year Later-The Underwear Bomber-Case Closed

by Kurt Haskell from Thailand

I've been attempting to write this article for the last 36 hours but the internet has been out at our hotel...............

It has been one year since the Underwear Bomber incident that changed my life. I'm not going to rehash the entire story of my account, as that is available here in my past postings on this blog. I just have a few things to say that I've been thinking about as I hike through the jungles of Thailand.

On January 28, 2010 I first posted that the Sharp Dressed Man was a U.S. Government Agent.

http://haskellfamily.blogspot.com/2010/01/truth-about-flight-253-has-been.html

I am now nearly 100% certain that I am correct.

Three days after I wrote the above blog post, I wrote the following post, which discusses what I considered to be the most important remaining questions regarding flight 253.

The third question that I asked, "Was the bomb intended to explode?", to me, is the entire key to the story. I believe it has been answered.

On January 31, 2010 I never would have dreamt of a scenario in which the U.S. Government would ADMIT that it was handing out fake bombs to terrorists, but that has now happened on two occasions that I'm aware of in 2010:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=11684350

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/27/mohamed-osman-mohamud-portland-car-bomb_n_788695.html

Also, if you take a look at this interview with the college kid that sat next to Umar (I refuse to call him a terrorist as he is a mere patsy), you can see that the U.S. Government seized all of his clothes:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123821351

The above three articles when taken together definitively solve the entire underwear bomber episode. The first two represent the modus operandi of the FBI/CIA, which is, if nobody get hurt, fake bombs are o.k. I will discuss that aspect in a minute. When you look deeply at the third article you have to ask the question, why were all of his clothes seized? The bombing substance, allegedly PETN was all over the airplane cabin near Umar's seat. It is not like there was a lack of material to be tested. The truth is that the government seized it all so that nobody could test the real chemical composition to determine that the bomb was indeed a dud. If I would have known that I would be writing this article one year ago, I would have picked up some of the substance as I walked within inches of it.

If you accept that the Underwear Bomber had an intentionally defective bomb /fake bomb, then you need not answer any of the other questions that I posed on January 31, 2010. The answers are either unnecessay or have only one possible explanation.

Before I get into that discussion, let me state that even if you accept that the bomb was fake, it does not mean that the plot didn't have victims. The last 10 minutes on flight 253 were the most terrifying moments of my life. For months I did not sleep, and my doctor diagnosed me with post traumatic stress disorder. It is also likely that without the fast acting efforts of a flight attendant equipped with a fire extinguisher, our plane would have blown up from the fire that resulted from the fake bomb.

Back to why the fake bomb is so important to this story...........

Since it can be almost certainly accepted that the FBI/CIA planted Umar with a fake bomb, we must ask a few more questions. Who was the Sharp Dressed Man? The answer is now certain that it was a U.S. Government agent sent to ensure that Umar boarded the plane. Obviously, the entire fraudulent plot fails if Umar fails to board the plane. Who was the Man in Orage? The answer is not really important anymore. It is likely that he supplied Umar with the dud bomb at Schipol Airport and was taken into custody after the bomb residue was found in his carry on bag. The scenario that he lugged it in his undies from Yemen is simply not plausible. One also has to wonder why the U.S. Government changed its story so many times in relation to this guy. Obviously, he is also a U.S. Government agent. Now we must dig a little deeper and ask how did someone get enough of Umar's trust to set up the plot and give him a fake bomb. One would have to have a deep involvement in a "terrorist group" in Yemen in order to do so. One person likely wouldn't be able to accomplish winning his trust. Two or three would also be unlikely. We must accept that the U.S. Government has planted numerous "Al Qaeda" plants, perhaps even entire terrorist cells, in order to win the trust of someone like Umar. When we accept this fact, one must ask if, without such a large encouraging environment, Umar would have been a "fake terrorist" at all. It has been reported that Umar is not very intelligent. I don't doubt that at all. Is it reasonable to believe that he could have set up this plot, created a bomb (I sure don't know how to) and attacked an airline without the help of the U.S. Government? No it is not. Without the U.S. Government, Umar would remain an unknown Nigerian.

If we accept what I have stated so far, we must dig a little deeper. The U.S. Government has now been shown to be staging "terrorist" plots with individuals who likely would be unknown without its help. We now must go a little further and question whether there have been any legitimate terrorist attacks ever. I am not well informed enough to answer that question, but in pondering that question you must consider, as uncomfortable as it may be, that the U.S. Government also staged the attacks on September 11, 2001. I will not discuss that further in this post other than to say that the only difference between the attacks on September 11, 2001 and flight 253 is a fast acting flight attendant equipped with a fire extinguisher. Without that flight attendant, flight 253 burns to the ground due to a "deranged terrorist from Nigeria."

Next, I would like to address why the U.S. Government would continue to stage such plots. There may be numerous answers to this question. The answer regarding flight 253, was that the Patriot Act needed to be renewed and body scanners needed to be placed in the airports. What a perfect way to bring body scanners to the airports: stage a fake terrorist bombing when the bomb is in the bomber's clothes. You see, if the plot was merely to catch Umar in the act, then he could have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, which could have resulted in a life sentence. There was no need to allow Umar to light the fake bomb on the plane, unless a propaganda campaign was being staged. Not surprisingly, Umar lit the bomb in full view of everyone and not in the bathroom where it would have fizzled, as duds do, and not caused any kind of stir. Allowing Umar to light the dud bomb on the plane served the ultimate plot of the U.S. Government, which was to renew the Patriot Act and get body scanners in the airports. It is too obvious. Why the U.S. Government is attempting to raid the treasury of funds and take away our Constitutional rights is unclear. There are many possibilities and I will not discuss them here. What can't be argued is that the U.S. Government is in fact engaging in such a propaganda campaign. I suspect in 2011 we will see more fake terrorist attacks targeted to take away specific rights of U.S. citizens. Fake plots that come to mind are: bombings of malls, trains, boats, universities and sporting events (Likely by U.S. citizens this time). Of course, each plot will be followed by a security solution that will involve the loss of rights and drain the treasury further. Stay tuned.

It is unfortunate that the USA has become what it has, which is the true global terrorist. This is no longer your grandmother's red, white and blue U.S.A. My support for my government due to this incident has become nil. When I tried to help in the investigation, the government lied. It put out false propaganda stating: "We've seen nothing in 200 hours of video", "No man in orange", "No sharp dressed man" and even stooped so low as to have another passenger call me to try and tell me I didn't see what I did. Unbelievable. Further, I watched as pictures of Umar's underwear and passport were shown on t.v. I have figured out that with the U.S. Government, what's up is down and what's down is up. The release of those photos told me that they were fake. Meanwhile, the Schipol Airport video that would reveal the truth remains hidden. Call me what you will, but my beliefs are entirely justified.

What also is entirely disturbing to me, is that the media does not do any investigative journalism. My claims have not been followed up on. I have discoverd that the media is nothing but a mouthpiece for the U.S Government. I saw a "documentary" put out by the BBC that showed Umar walking through security and showing his passport. Come on. When it is said that a picture speaks a thousand words it certainly does. That reinforcement made many more people believe in the official story.

Lastly, I must comment on the recent conspiracy charges that have been brought against Umar:

http://detnews.com/article/20101217/METRO/12170394/Suspected-%E2%80%98underwear-bomber%E2%80%99-arraigned-on-terror-conspiracy-charges


I have to ask why these charges have been brought so late in the game. To me the answer is clear. Only when negotiations on a plea deal broke down were these charges brought. Why? They are being used as a hammer to force a plea deal. The U.S. Government DOES NOT WANT to go to trial with Umar(who now knows that he was duped), representing himself. I blogged previously on why I thought that this scenario would be one of the greatest events in the history of the U.S. More importantly, the new charge is one of conspiracy. A conspiracy requires an agreement between at least two individuals. It is obvious that the failure to bring this charge until one year later shows that the U.S. Government did not want to admit that a conspiracy occurred. The indictment reads that Umar conspired with "persons known and unknown". We have to ask that if conspirators are known, why are their names not in the indictment? Why are they not being charged? Why are they not on the FBI's 10 most wanted list? The answer could not be more clear: The conspirators are agents of the U.S .Government. Hence, the reluctancy to bring this charge. I remain sceptical that this matter will ever proceed to trial. The trial would be too damaging to the propaganda campaign of the U.S. Government. If somehow it does happen, I will be there everyday, front row center and I will make a victim impact statement.

As I indicated on January 28, 2010, the Sharp Dressed Man was indeed a U.S. Government agent. To those of you that supported me over the last year, I thank you. God knows that there were times when I needed it. To those of you who doubted me, it's time for your Christmas dinner and crow is being served.

THE TRUTH ABOUT FLIGHT 253 HAS BEEN REVEALED- By Kurt Haskell

Edited January 29, 2009

***Please note that in the article that follows, I am not claiming that the U.S. Government knew Mutallab had a bomb or intended to hurt anyone on Flight 253 when the U.S. Government let him board.

THE SHARP DRESSED MAN WHO AIDED MUTALLAB ONTO FLIGHT 253 WAS A U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENT.

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:

http://detnews.com/article/20100127/NATION/1270405/Terror-suspect-kept-visa-to-avoid-tipping-off-larger-investigation

Let me quote from the article:



"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-Qaeda threats against the United States.

"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."'



Now it all becomes apparent. Let me detail everything we know about the "Sharp Dressed Man" (SDM).
1. While being held in Customs on Christmas Day, I first told the story of the SDM.
2. My story has never changed.
3. The FBI visited my office on December 29, 2009, and showed me a series of approximately 10 photographs. None were of the SDM. I asked the FBI if they brought the Amsterdam security video to help me identify the SDM, but they acted as though my request was ridiculous. The FBI asked me what accent the SDM spoke in and I indicated that he had an American accent similar to my own. I further indicated that he wore a tan suit without a tie, was Indian looking, around age 50, 6'0" tall and 250-260 lbs. I further indicated that I did not believe that he was an airline employee and that he was not on our flight.
4. During the first week of January, 2010, Dutch Military Police and the FBI indicated that over "200 Hours" of Amsterdam airport security video had been reviewed and it "Shows Nothing".
5. The mainstream media picked up the "Shows nothing" story, which slanders my story. After visiting my office twice for a flight 253 special, Dateline NBC and Chris Hanson indicated that my story was "Unsubstantiated rumor dispelled as myth" and our story did not air during the tv special.
6. On January 2, 2010, I receive a call from a flight 253 passenger who indicated to me that it may be in my best interest to stop talking publicly about the SDM because he believes I am "wrong" in what I saw. He did not make any claim that he saw the SDM boarding gate incident at all. This call was made out of the blue after he made a "revelation" of this event on January 1, 2010. I later discover that this caller has ties to the U.S. Government.
7. On January 20, 2010, current Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), Michael E. Leiter, made a startling admission. Leiter indicated that: "I will tell you, that when people come to the country and they are on the watch list, it is because we have generally made the choice that we want them here in the country for some reason or another."
8. On January 22, 2010, CongressDaily reported that intelligence officials "have acknowledged the government knowingly allows foreigners whose names are on terrorist watch lists to enter the country in order to track their movement and activities."

CongressDaily also reported, citing an unnamed "intelligence official" that Michael E. Leiter's statement on January 20, 2010, reflected government policy and told the publication, "in certain situations it's to our advantage to be able to track individuals who might be on a terrorist watch list because you can learn something from their activities and their contacts."
9. On January 22, 2010, ABC News published an article that showed a change of position in the government's official story. Please see the following blog post for more information:

http://haskellfamily.blogspot.com/2010/01/initially-discounted.html

The U.S. government provided no explanation for the reason my story was initially discounted.
10. The SDM could not be from Al Qaeda. When speaking at the counter in Amsterdam, the SDM said the following "He is from Sudan, we do this all the time". Who is "we"? If it is Al Qaeda, you surely don't make such a statement to an airport security official.
11. The SDM could not be from airport security. The SDM did not dress in any security uniform and did not appear to have any security badge. The SDM did not speak with a Dutch accent. The SDM dressed in a suit coat and pants. If the SDM was a higher up security official, he would not have to convince the ticket agent to let Mutallab on the plane without a valid passport. Instead, he would just order her to do it.
12. Could the SDM have been a U.S. Government official? He dressed in a suit and not a security uniform. Check. He indicated we do this all the time. Could "we" be the U.S. Government? Check. He spoke Enlish with an American accent. Check. Would he need to convince the ticket agent that this was a normal procedure to allow boarding without a passport? Check. Would he have the ability to obtain such clearance? Check. Could he enter this security area even though he wasn't a passenger? Check. Would the ticket agent likely refer this request to a manager? Check. Would the U.S. Government not want this information public and try to hide it? Check.
13. The Amsterdam security video has not been released. A much more minor airport security violation occurred at the Newark New Jersey airport several days after the flight 253 incident. That video was released shortly thereafter.
14. Senators Levin and Stabenow, as well as Congressman Dingle, all refuse to discuss the matter with me.

With the information we already knew and the admission from the above referenced Detroit News article, we have evidence and claims made by government officials that the U.S. Government wanted Mutallab to proceed into the U.S. in order to obtain information on other terrorists involved with him. Once we take this statement and add it to my eyewitness account of a "Sharp Dressed Man" escorting Mutallab through the boarding process and allowing him to board without a valid passport we can make the connection that the "Sharp Dressed Man" was a U.S. Government official/agent.

The reasoning behind the following events now becomes very clear:

1. The reason Mutallab got through security despite the numerous warnings for months before our flight.
2. The reason why there have been so many lies from the U.S. Government attempting to discredit my eyewitness account.
3. The reason why the Amsterdam airport security video is being hidden from the public.
4. The reason why the government is proposing a "Failed to Connect the Dots" account of the failure. The truth is too damning.
5. The reason why Mr. Wolf of the Obama administration indicated on the Keith Olberman Show that the White House was investigating a possible "intentional act" from within the U.S. Government as the reason for the Christmas Day attack.
6. The explanation for the cameraman and why he hasn't been identified (Obviously, he was another U.S. Government agent) whose job was to film Mutallab for some governmental purpose.
7. The reason for the lax security after landing, which can be attributed to foreknowledge of the possible suspects involved.
8. The reason for the failure to search or secure the plane and passengers after landing, which can also be attributed to foreknowledge of the possible suspects involved.
9. The corporate media's attempt to bury my eyewitness account.
10. Carl Levin's, Debbie Stabenow's and John Dingle's intentional avoidance of my story and failure to return my calls/emails.
11. Janet Napolitano's statement that "The System Worked". From her point of view it probably did as this WAS PART OF THE SYSTEM!

This article is the big center piece of the puzzle that has been missing and was needed to finish the entire puzzle.

A LETTER FROM JOHN DINGELL

By Kurt Haskell

As I previously indicated, I contacted my political representatives early in January regarding my concerns over the Flight 253 matter. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin have to date, failed to respond to me in any way. John Dingell, however, did recently send me a letter. The letter, dated January 25, 2010, was received by me on February 26, 2010. What follows is a word for word transcript of the letter:


January 25, 2010

Dear Mr. Haskell:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the need to protect our country against terrorism. I understand your concern and appreciate your comments.

As you may know, Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was a passenger flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Michigan on December 25, 2009. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian Passenger aboard the flight, attempted to set off plastic explosives sewn to his underwear as the plane reached its final descent. The plastic explosives failed to detonate properly, resulting only in flames and popping sounds. A Dutch passenger, Jasper Schuringa, tackled and restrained him as others put out the fire.

On January 6, 2010, a federal grand jury indicted Abdulmutallab on six criminal charges, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder. If convicted, he faces a sentence of life in prison plus 90 years. The next day, President Obama released the "White House Review Summary Regarding 12/25/2009 Attempted Terrorist Attack," which can be found online at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/white-house-review-summary-regarding-12252009-attempted-terrorist-attack. Disturbing preliminary reports indicate U.S. intelligence agencies had sufficient information to have uncovered and potentially disrupted the December 25th attack.

A complete investigation into the attack is being conducted by the Detroit Joint Terrorist Task Force which is led by the FBI and includes U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and other law enforcement agencies. Attorney General Eric Holder has claimed, "this invesitgation is fast paced, global and ongoing, and it has already yielded valuable intelligence that we will follow wherever it leads. Anyone we find responsible for this alleged attack will be brought to justice using every tool- military or judicial-available to our government."

I am committed to ensuring that our nation is safe from terrorist attacks. I am greatly concerned that Abdulmutallab was allowed to board the plane and enter U.S. airspace despite being flagged in at least one U.S. intelligence database of potential terrorism threats. I agree with President Obama on the necessity of a through investigation into this incident. Serious questions remain about the miscommunication between our various intelligence agencies and whether information sharing between them is effective. Although Abdulmutallab was unsuccessful in his attempt, without better precautions, our country will be vulnerable to future attempts . The proper Congressional Committees must exert their oversight authority and hold thorough investigations into this attempted attack and the systemic problems within our intelligence community. Rest assured I will continue to monitor the situation closely and will work with my colleagues to protect American citizens from extremist threats.

Again, thank you for being in touch. For news on current federal legislative issues, please visit my website at www.house.gov/dingell; you can also sign up there to receive my e-newsletter. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me again if I may be of assistance with this or any other matter of concern.

With every good wish,

John Dingell

ABDULMUTALLAB'S BOMB NOT ENOUGH TO BRING DOWN FLIGHT 253

by Kurt Haskell

I found this interesting article yesterday:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1255722/Test-explosion-shows-Christmas-Day-flight-landed-bomb-detonated.html#comments


Apparently, Dr. John Wyatt, an international terrorism and explosives expert replicated the flight 253 attack with the explosive fully detonating. The result was that the passengers would have been sprayed with body parts of Abdulmutallab and may have had burst eardrums, but the flight would have landed safely. Seems like a strange result considering Abdulmutallab went through such trouble to obtain the bomb in Yemen and sew it in his underwear. It seems likely that he would have made sure that his bomb would have downed the plane. Several of you that have contacted me have indicated that he in fact, achieved his designated goal and that his bomb was only intended to scare us and be caught on film in order to achieve certain U.S. Government policies. Hence, the reason he was intentionally let on the plane. This article would lend credence to that theory. I take no position on this theory. Please note that the following videos also support Dr. Wyatt's theory:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZENvUVG6TE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbPeaBb0QT0&feature=fvw

U.S.-Israeli Complicity in Terror Plot, FBI, Media Cover-Up Flight 253 Assistance (UPDATES)

U.S.-Israeli Complicity in Terror Plot, FBI, Media Cover-Up Flight 253 Assistance (UPDATES)

THE ANNOUNCEMENT WE HAVE BEEN EXPECTING

By Kurt Haskell



Over the past week, Lori and I have been expecting an announcement by authorities that they have reviewed the Amsterdam airport security footage and found nothing. Well, today we got that announcement.



http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9D1OPVO0&show_article=1



We never once thought that we would see an accurate unedited version of the 2-3 minute clip of the terrorist with the "sharp dressed man". Even though Dutch officials have had the video for 11 days, it apparently took them that long to review the 2-3 minute clip. According to Dutch authorities, they have reviewed 200 hours of video. Why? What video is so lenghty? Sure sounds like Dutch authorities are doing a thorough investigation , or maybe they want the public to think that they are doing a thorough investigation. Seriously, I cannot believe that 200 hours of video exists. Of course, it was too much work to show the 2-3 minute clip to the flight 253 passengers and the rest of the world. Apparently, it is much easier to say nothing was on the video then to attempt to disprove my story. I guess another possibility is that the Dutch authorities just need more time to edit out the relevant portion of the video. LOL.



Over and over again the American public is being spoon fed conclusions by the Federal government and then spoon fed "The Fix to the Problem". At what point is the government going to give the American citizens proof that supports their ultimate conclusion(s)? I am beginning to think never. Please don't forget that the authorities work for the American people, not the other way around. The American public is getting pretty tired of hearing conclusions wihtout proof. This sort of behavior by the federal government breeds a very strong distrust from the American people. I fear a storm is brewing unless we see substantial change in the near future.



Very curious that an article of mine regarding flight 253 was removed from the Drudgereport not once, but twice this week. What is going on?



A good look at the unedited security video would make me feel a lot better, but the government apparently has more important things to do.

Forged Passport In Underwear Bomber Case?

by Kurt Haskell

I spent much of this evening reading court documents from the underwear bomber (Umar) case. For those that are interested, you can read them at:

http://www.mied.uscourts.gov/hpc/

There are many gems in the documents, but I'll only focus on one of them tonight.
While reading the documents, I found what I believe to be another smoking gun. Since day one when Lori and I exited flight 253, I've maintained that Umar boarded flight 253 with the help of a sharp dressed man and WITHOUT A PASSPORT. Early on in this case, Judge Edmunds issued a protective order forbidding either side from discussing any of the evidence in the case. However, that didn't stop the U.S. Government from releasing propaganda pictures into the media. The most famous picture is a picture of Umar with law enforcement on the plane. The two that were the most obvious frauds were the picture of Umar's minimally damaged underwear and the picture of Umar's passport. The passport picture was released for no other reason then to attempt to discredit my eyewitness testimony. In no other case (to my knowledge) has the government released a picture of some one's passport to the media. I have taken great offense to the release of the passport and it is with great pleasure that I now believe I can show it was a fake. Interestingly enough, stand-by attorney Chambers indicated at the July 7, 2011 hearing that he had just received a copy of Umar's passport. Chambers referred to this (and some other evidence) document as "significant evidence". We must now ask why it is considered "significant evidence" by Chambers. I also have to wonder why such a seemingly insignificant document like a passport was withheld for 18 months from the defense (Maybe it took that long to create a good fake?).

When I looked for the picture of Umar's passport tonight, it was not easy to find. I did however, manage to find a copy of it here:

http://www.911oz.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=6651

I encourage everyone to take a very good look at Umar's signature, particularly the "m" and the "a" in Umar. Also note that it doesn't include his last name. Further, the picture doesn't particularly look like Umar and seems to show a man with a receding hairline. At this time, I will leave a discussion of the picture for another day.

Now take a look at this document filed by Umar and written in his own handwriting:

http://www.mied.uscourts.gov/hpc/docs/10.Defendant_Motion_for_Detention_Hearing.pdf

Note that the "a's" are completely different in that the "a" in the passport photo has a closed loop while in the court document, the "a's" are open at the top. Further, note that Umar's "m" is significantly larger than the "a" is in the passport photo. Also, note that the "m's" in the court document look significantly different then the "m" in the passport. Specifically, the "m's" in the court document are the same size as the "a's" are and are significantly more slanted and pointed then the "m's" in the passport. In the court document, you can also see that most of the "m's" contain a side arm while the "m" in the passport photo does not. Lastly, note that the passport appears to have very neat handwriting while the court document has very sloppy handwriting.

Of course, the conclusion is that one of the documents is a fake. It is much more likely that the passport photo is a fake as there would be no legitimate reason to fake the court document. If the passport photo, is in fact a fake, we must ask why the government would release a fake passport photo. The only logical explanation is that a real passport did not exist. Obviously, the U.S. Government felt a need early on to release a fraudulent passport to discredit my eyewitness account. The reason for the attempt to discredit me is obvious and points directly at my theory in this case.

Umar was escorted through security without a passport and with an intentionally defective bomb in order to stage a false flag terrorist attack.

Note that in this court document, Chambers has indicated that U.S. Government agents have given contradictory statements (see item 9):

http://www.mied.uscourts.gov/hpc/docs/05.Motion_for_Disclosure_of_Grand_Jury_Materials.pdf

Surprise, surprise, U.S. Government agents are giving false statements. Why should we be surprised when their employer releases a fraudulent document?


*** I am editing this post this morning (9-28-11) to make one comment about the passport photo. The passport appears to be issued on September 15, 2005. Umar was age 18 on that date. The man in the passport piture clearly has a receding hairline (and to me doesn't look like Umar). The possibility of an 18 year old having a receding hairline is remote at best. It appears that the U.S. Government has once again been exposed in this matter.

*** Second edit: See below for a copy of my fax to Anthony Chambers:

Facsimile Cover Sheet

To: Anthony Chambers, Esq.
Company:
Phone:
Fax: 313-xxx-xxxx
From: Kurt R. Haskell, J.D., L.L.M.
Company: Haskell Law Firm, P.C.
Phone: 734-285-5625
Fax: 734-281-0969
Date: September 28, 2011
Pages including this cover page:
3, RE: Umar Farouk Adbulmutallab

Comments: Tony, I am assuming that since I haven’t heard from you that I will not be testifying. I assume that to mean that Umar has chosen to not use the entrapment/excessive government involvement defense. That is unfortunate and leads me to believe that Umar is complicit with the government for some reason. Nonetheless, I am attaching my recent blog post to make you aware of some passport anomalies. Obviously, I was there when Umar was posed as a Sudanese refugee and boarded without a passport. Thus, I know that he didn’t have a passport. I doubt that you will have enough control in the trial to admit the passport anomalies into evidence. However, I am providing this evidence to you for impeachment purposes on the off chance that you can use it. I know there is a great deal of evidence in this case and I just wanted to make you aware of this information. Good luck with the trial. I am not envious of your position. I will be there whenever my schedule allows.

UPDATE ON FLIGHT 253: A CONVERSATION WITH A FELLOW PASSENGER--By Kurt Haskell

Today I received a phone call from a fellow passenger, Bo Taylor (Bo indicated that I could identify him). This was the first contact I have had with any other passenger (besides Lori) since we left customs on Christmas Day. The conversation was very interesting because we both saw different things and were able to compare notes.

In the interest of obtaining the truth, which has always been my goal, I am posting the following account of Bo Taylor that differs from mine:

"After we landed in Detroit I saw an older looking teenager who was African and looked NEARLY IDENTICAL to the terrorist bomber. Since he was a minor, and travelling alone, he was accompanied by an airport employee at all times. Kurt, this could have been the guy you saw in Amsterdam before we boarded." I have no reason whatsoever to dispute the veracity of Bo's statement. I also have no reason to not believe what I saw.

Two different people can see two different things. However, I am not sure that it matters that much. You see, if Bo is correct, than we have a possible future airline security breach since the teenager was allowed on the plane without a passport(apparently) due to coming from Sudan (apparently). This may be a common airline policy that is potentially problematic. If I am correct, well, we have an entirely different and much larger problem. Either way, there are concerns. Either way we need an open, honest, and thorough investigation. There is one way to conclusively determine who is correct, and that would be for the Amsterdam Airport to RELEASE THE CLOSED CAPTION VIDEO FOOTAGE! Seriously, the attack happened 8 days ago, the relevant video is probably 2-3 minutes in length and has(apparently) already been viewed by airport security personnel. So why hasn't it appeared anywhere? Within 24 hours of any bank robbery or gas station hold up, the video of the perpetrator is played all over the news and posted on the internet. If the video really is not related to the terrorist incident, release it and let us move on. If it is related, release it, place it on the internet and let the world attempt to identify the "sharp dressed man". I suspect that due to the potential problems I indicated above (regardless of which account the video supports) federal law enforcement will likely never release the video.

Bo went on to emphasize the numerous amount of gaffes he saw (Many of which I did too) AFTER our plane landed. Bo cited the following as major problems he saw with how the investigation was handled:

1. We were left on the plane too long after landing, which caused unnecessary risk to the passengers.
2. We should have never been allowed to take our carry on bags into the terminal since they were not searched until we had been held for approximately one hour. This also caused unnecessary risk to the passengers.
3. Even though there was a no cell phone policy, Bo observed many people making cell phone calls and believes this was also an unnecessary risk to the passengers.
4. He was particularly concerned that according to him, "law enforcement in customs was not even notified that there was a bomb on our plane until we had been held for quite awhile". He informed me that an officer he spoke to in customs was clueless that there was even a bomb on our plane. Therefore, law enforcement WAS NOT EVEN AWARE of the risk our carry on bags presented while we were held in customs!
5. He indicated that he informed law enforcement that a man videotaped the entire terrorist incident and he gave the following possible seat numbers for the "camera man", seats 31A, 31B, 32A or 32B. However, law enforcement did not verify who was in such seats. Further, law enforcement could have confiscated each camera, but instead let this lead slip away when they let the passengers leave without ever finding the video.

It was very nice to compare notes with a fellow passenger even if his account was somewhat different than mine. My goal is not to prove that what I saw is correct, but only to pose the questions in order to obtain satisfactory answers. An open, honest, and complete investigation is vitally important to the future of all airline passengers. We must all continue to ask the questions until all of our concerns are satisfied.

By the way, the very important questions I posed at the conclusion of yesterday's post continue to remain unanswered.

Kurt Haskell- A Flight 253 passenger and a concerned American Citizen.

Dutch say failed plane bomber acted alone

**I guess we are always supposed to believe that the authorities are telling us the truth, and always tell us the truth. Notice, no release of the video, nothing. The video of him boarding and such and prior would be so short and easy to show. Not hard at all to release. So odd. And why does the airport have to review 200 hours to see this? The guy was there at a very specific point and this should have been done LONG ago. I don't get the delay. Are they trying to bolster their claims more, by saying they reviews a whole 200 hours?

Even if Kurt is wrong, and what he saw was another individual who looked similar, proper procedures were still not followed in regards to that person. When a refugee gets on a plane, the paperwork is supposed to be set up and done FAR before boarding any plane, not with a supervisor at the airport.

No matter what the case, security and the measures followed before, during and after this event was horrible and needs to be looked into. I hope the governement does not just gloss over this now and say he was a lone crazy person, it won't happen again.......

We actually thought a report like this would come out, ironically.....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100105/ts_nm/us_security_airline

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas acted alone and probably smuggled the explosives from Nigeria, the Dutch public prosecutor said on Tuesday.

The prosecutor's office said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab did not have an accomplice at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, as some other passengers on the flight had alleged.

Abdulmutallab, 23, the son of a prominent banker, flew from Lagos to Amsterdam on a KLM flight, arriving on Christmas Day. Prosecutors said the seats from that plane are still being examined for traces of explosives.

In Amsterdam, Abdulmutallab went through a profile interview and a security check before waiting at the gate for his flight.

He is charged with trying to blow up the flight, Northwest Flight 253, outside of Detroit with a highly explosive substance hidden in his underwear.

Some of the passengers on the plane had said they saw him accompanied at the gate in Amsterdam by an older, well-dressed Indian or Pakistani man. But the review of more than 200 hours of video showed no one with him, the officials said.

(Reporting by Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Jon Boyle)

The Colossal Deceit Known As The Underwear Bomber Case

by Kurt Haskell

With jury selection set to begin in the Underwear Bomber Trial set to begin tomorrow, I've spent the evening reminiscing about Christmas Day 2009 and the 21 months since. The Underwear Bomber attack has fundamentally changed my life. Not in the way most would think, but it has destroyed any faith I've had in the U.S. Government, the media and this country as a whole. To say that I believe the government is corrupt and the media is complicit doesn't fully explain my beliefs. Not only have I come to those conclusions, but I've witnessed that an ordinary person who sees something important can be silenced despite his efforts to spread the truth. Such is the Underwear Bomber case. I can do nothing but laugh at the TSA's new policy of "If you see something say something." That is exactly what I did, and not only did the U.S. Government not want to hear what I had to say, but it actively lied about it, attempted to get me to change my story, and hid, by withholding (secret government) evidence or putting a protective order on the evidence and nearly everything that would support my eyewitness account.

Where are we now? We now have The Underwear Bomber (Umar) representing himself with the help of standby attorney Chambers. Attorney Chambers has indicated to me that if he were Umar's attorney, that the defense would be entrapment and that I would be a key witness. Of course, such a defense would expose the U.S. Government's involvement in the plot. It is much too convenient to have Umar represent himself and be in charge of what the defense will be, what evidence is presented, what witnesses are called and what questions each witness is asked. A trial with Umar representing himself will leave the relevant facts of this case unknown for generations. I can't help but think that Umar fired his attorneys for a reason other than he is a crazy terrorist. It is much too convenient that the entity that staged the event, also controls the evidence, what information is leaked to the media, who the prosecutors are, and the prison where Umar has sbeen staying at for the last 21 months. Let's not overlook the fact that the U.S. Government has admitted to waterboarding and torturing terrorists. Do you see the pieces of the puzzle forming a clear picture yet?

Make no mistake that Umar did in fact attempt to detonate a device (although it was a defective device) on Flight 253. He is not innocent. It remains to be discovered whether my belief that Umar is complicit with the "theatre" going on before our eyes came about before or after the event of Christmas Day 2009. It really is not important except that you must understand that he is now complicit in covering up the true story of Christmas Day 2009. There is no other explanation as to why Umar is representing himself and rejecting the entrapment defense (Which I have discovered he will do).

For those that are still skeptical of my claims, please realize that I do not make my claims without a great deal of thought and research. My firm belief is that Umar was escorted around security and given an intentionally defective bomb by a U.S. intelligence agent. The bomb was never intended to detonate, but merely intended to create a "simulated terrorist attack" or a "false flag attack" if you will. In December of 2009, the U.S. Government hadn't seen a terrorist attack in 8 years, It was getting more and more difficult to spend hundreds of billions a year on terrorism and to continue to fight two fraudulent wars based on terrorism. Those making their livings off of the war on terror didn't want to lose their cash cow. Enter Umar the Underwear Bomber. A second benefit of a failed bomb being found in Umar's underwear, was to enable body scanning machines to be placed in every airport. How convenient for Michael Chertoff , a former head of the DHS, to have ties to the body scanning companies. I doubt that this was any coincidence. Once again, billions of dollars would flow from the U.S. Government for body scanning machines that were needed to protect us.

What we are now left with are the bits and pieces of the Underwear Bomber case that can form a clear picture of what happened that day. For those of you attempting to put it all together, please take your time and think about the evidence instead of glossing over it and continuing to remain in denial. The truth is that your U.S. Government staged a false terrorist attack in order to steal your tax dollars and your 4th Amendment Rights to be free of unreasonable searches and seizures. Please thoroughly consider the following with an open mind and think about why this sort of behavior must stop now:

My thoughts on this case and the list of anomalies that differ from the official version of events were made through: (a) numerous discussions with other passengers, (b) my own eyewitness account, (c) discussions with Umar's standby attorney, (d) hundreds of articles on the story (e) evidence provided to me by others "in the know" or just other concerned citizens, and (f) from the official record at hearings I attended.

Anomalies of the case in no particular order:

1. In December 2010, Chambers told the Detroit Free Press that the Government's own explosives experts indicate that the bomb was impossibly defective. The Free Press later erased this article from its online site, but did not erase earlier underwear bomber stories.
2. The FBI has admitted to supplying the Portland Christmas Tree Bomber and the Wrigley Field Bomber with intentionally defective bombs shortly after the underwear bomber event.
3. Janet Napolitano's comment that "the system worked" was a Freudian slip.
4. The plane taxied to the gate. The passengers were not allowed off of the plane for 20-30 minutes (Was the bomb still on the plane?). There was bomb material that was supposedly explosive all over the cabin of the plane. Nobody took any action to make sure the passengers were safe or that the "explosives" were of no danger to the passengers. This is evidence of foreknowledge that there was no danger to the passengers.
5. TSA admitted knowledge of the threat while the flight was over Canada/Atlantic Ocean. No measures were taken to notify the pilot or to divert the flight for an emergency landing elsewhere.
6. My eyewitness account of the sharp dressed man and the related evidence as to this man. There is no other likely explanation for this man except for government involvement. The airport video has never been released and remains under protective order of the court.
7. The government's continued release of Umar's passport picture through the media. This was done for no other reason that to attempt to discredit me. Why such an effort to show a passport picture all over the media? In no other case has a passport picture been shown in the media. A copy of the supposed "passport" of Umar, however, was not released to Chambers until June 2011. The release of the passport to standby defense counsel was delayed 19 months in order to limit the amount of time Chambers would need to have experts verify its authenticity.
8. The explanation for the cameraman is near unbelieveable. He started filming the sky just before the attack started and then he turned to film the entire attack from beginning to end. We all thought we were going to die. The last thing on anyone's mind at that time was to film something.
9. On 1-5-10 Breibart posted an article that indicated the Government had viewed over 200 hours of video from the airport and it showed no evidence of an accomplice. This article is contradicted by the 1-22-10 article of ABC News by Brian Ross that indicated that "The government is looking into the identity of a man that helped Umar at Schiphol." The article fails to mention that this "sharp dressed man" escorted Umar through security without a passpot and instead tries to paint this man as Al Qaeda. The government is contradicting itself in both of these stories and is attemptin weak coverups in each story.
10. Umar is charged with conspiracy. The accomplices names or contributions are never mentioned. They are not listed as wanted and they are never discussed. This is because they are U.S. Intelligence agents.
11. Customs spokeperson Ron Smith changed the official story about the 2nd man taken into custody in Detroit 5 times. Then he sent a half hearted apoogetic email to the media. My story as to this man has never changed. Ron Smith eventually gave up lying and quit talking about this man who was witnessed by nearly all of the passengers.
12. Why were pictures of Umar's underwear constantly released to the media? These pictures show Umar's underwear is largely intact. I have information from a credible source that due to this incident, Umar "Will never have any kids". This fact is not in line with undamaged underwear. The continued release of the underwear was used as a propaganda piece to reinforce the deceit.
13. The prosecution has continued to block evidence from Umar's standby attorney and in some cases, has provided it late. Why? If Umar was a terrorist nut, what is it that the government does not want the defense to see? It seems to me that if the official story is true, then this is an open and shut case. It appears that the government feels a need to insulate itself from civil cases filed by the passengers.
14. Why has Chambers repeatedly indicated that Umar has a very valid defense? The answer is the entrapment defense.
15. Portions of the Patriot Act were set to expire just before Christmas Day 2009. The Congressional vote to extend them was delayed until February. Body scanning machines were already built and sitting in warehouses. Michael Chertoff, the former head of the Department of Homeland Security has ties to the body scanning manufacturers. The U.S. had no terrorist attacks from 2001 until Christmas Day 2009. A new terrorist attack was needed to get the body scanning machines in the airports.
16. If flight 253 had crashed, nobody would know that the bomb was in Umar's underwear. An unsuccesful staged attack was necessary to show where the bomb was held. This was needed to sell the American public that body scanners were needed to prevent similar future attacks.
17. The story of Umar obtaining his bomb in another country and wearing it to Schiphol is not logical. It is much more likely that he was given the defective bomb at or near the airport. It is likely that the second man taken into custody in Detroit gave him the bomb at Schiphol. My theory is that the bomb sniffing dog (which we witnessed) in Detroit sniffed bomb residue in his bag after we landed.
18. Umar could have been stopped in Amsterdam after boarding and been charged with various charges that would have resulted in a life sentence. Instead he was allowed to fly into U.S. airspace and light his bomb there, over Detroit, on Christmas Day in order to make this a MUCH large media story to usher in the body scanners.
19. How did Umar pick his window seat over the gas tank when he paid cash for his ticket? (You must buy your ticket with credit in order to pick your seat).
20. Other terrorist attack videos are released within hours. The relevant video in this case has never been released. Note that Schiphol airport has more cameras than any airport in the world.
21. The bomb was lit in the cabin and not in the bathroom so that it could be filmed and make more of a media event than a dud bomb lit in a bathroom.
22. Obama's "failed to connect the dots speech" is discredited by the Congressional testimony of Patrick Kennedy of the State Department. Kennedy indicated that, in so many words, that the government was tracking Umar and did not revoke his visa in order to track him into the U.S. This is almost, but not quite an admission that he was let into the U.S. on purpose.
23. The Congressional testimony of Michael Leiter indicated that the U.S. Government frequently lets terrorists into the U.S.
24. In early 2010, a Mr. Wolf appeared on the Keith Olberman Show and indicated that the Obama administration was looking into the possibility that this was an intentional plot by a U.S. intelligence agency.
25. Watch the Congressional testimony of Patrick Kennedy (available on the internet) and watch how he does vocabulary gymnastics to avoid saying that this was an intentional plot by U.S. intelligence.
26. Dutch military police initially indicated that Umar did not go through normal security measures. This was only reported once.
27. Why did a passenger call me in early January 2010 and attempt to convince me that I did not see Umar being escorted around security, but I instead witnessed a minor child being taken through security. This was untrue. I later found out that such passenger works for a contractor that receives a great deal of business from the Department of Defense.
28. Why does the mainstream media continue to not investigate this story and continue to not report my eyewitness account?
29. A second passenger contacted me and confirmed my acount of the Sharp Dressed Man. She is scared and refuses to come forward.
30. Why have nearly all of the passengers refused to talk about this case?
31. Why were a great deal of the passengers, military personnel, government workers and government contractors?
32. Why did the prosecution indicate at a recent hearing that it was still withholding some evidence that was deemed to be secret (top seret?). What could be so secret if the government was not involved in the plot?
33. Why has the online Detroit Free Press site erased all underwear bomber articles that support my theory on the case, but retained older articles that support the official story?

It is unfortunate that the upcoming trial will be nothing but a farce and deceitful theatre to imbed lies in the minds of the sheeple.

Article from the LA TIMES

**Strange things being reported, this story just continues to get more weird every day. I am glad our intelligence agencies want to be congratulated for *almost* stopping the bomber. Thank you so much, Ms. Napolitano. I appreciate you almost stopping me from being part of a terrorist attack. Almost does not quite cut it in this case though........

Find this article by clicking here, LA TIMES

U.S. learned intelligence on airline bomb suspect while he was en route
U.S. border enforcement officials came close to stopping the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines jet while the suspect was en route to Detroit on Christmas Day, new data show.

January 6, 2010 5:36 p.m.

Reporting from Washington - U.S. border security officials learned of intelligence about the alleged extremist links of the suspect in the Christmas Day airline bombing attempt as he was en route to Detroit and had decided to question him when he landed, officials said in new disclosures today.

The new information shows that border enforcement officials came close to uncovering the plot despite previous intelligence failures that were criticized by President Obama this week.

If the intelligence had been discovered sooner, it could have resulted in the interrogation and search of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab before he boarded the Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight, senior law enforcement officials said.

"The people in Detroit were prepared to look at him in secondary inspection," said a senior law enforcement official who requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. "The decision had been made. The . . . database had picked up the State Department concern about this guy, that this guy may have been involved with extremist elements in Yemen. . . . They could have made a decision on whether to stop him from getting on the plane."

Nonetheless, the revelations underscore the complexity of the intelligence and passenger screening systems that are the subject of comprehensive reviews to be revealed by the administration Thursday.

Even if U.S. border enforcement officials had learned of the Nigerian's alleged extremist links in time, it is not clear the intelligence was strong enough to cause Dutch officials to search him or block him from flying, officials said. The threshold for requiring a foreign visitor to undergo special scrutiny upon arrival in the United States is considerably lower than criteria for preventing him from getting on the plane overseas, according to current and former law enforcement officials. That is why border enforcement officials rely heavily on terrorism watch lists, officials said.

"The public isn't aware how many people are allowed to travel through the U.S. who are linked, who intersect with bad guys or alleged bad guys," a national security official said. "It makes sense from an intelligence perspective. If they are not considered dangerous, it provides intelligence on where they go, who they meet with."

Moreover, the window for identifying a passenger as a potential threat before boarding is limited, according to a senior homeland security official. Although U.S. border enforcement officials have access to passenger data based on reservation lists and use them for preliminary assessments, the in-depth vetting by Customs and Border Protection only begins once the flight manifest has been generated, just a few hours before takeoff, and focuses on potential actions to take at the U.S. border, the official said.

As a result, the intelligence about Abdulmutallab was discovered in a database by Customs and Border Protection inspectors based at the National Targeting Center in Washington once the plane was airborne, the other law enforcement officials said. The administration's review of screening now underway includes an effort to make more information accessible to U.S.inspectors further in advance of flights, the senior law enforcement official said.

Customs and Border Protection spokesmen declined to comment because the investigation is still open.

In Detroit today, federal prosecutors filed a six-count indictment charging Abdulmutallab, 23, for his alleged role in the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253. The Nigerian already had been charged in a criminal complaint, and the indictment accuses him of placing a destructive device on an aircraft, attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and other charges that carry a penalty of up to life in prison.

"This investigation is fast-paced, global and ongoing, and it has already yielded valuable intelligence that we will follow wherever it leads," Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. said today. "Anyone we find responsible for this alleged attack will be brought to justice using every tool -- military or judicial -- available to our government."

Abdulmutallab has provided valuable information to the FBI and federal prosecutors about his dealings with extremists in Yemen, where he was allegedly trained and outfitted with the explosive device that he concealed in his underwear during the trip that began in Ghana, according to U.S. law enforcement officials. Abdulmutallab has told interrogators that the plot involved meetings in Yemen with Anwar al Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni cleric suspected of involvement with Al Qaeda. In addition, communications intercepts detected discussions about Awlaki's role in a suspected plot involving a Nigerian, U.S. officials have said.

The investigation has also uncovered communications between Abdulmutallab and Awlaki, a U.S. anti-terrorism official said today.

"He was definitely in communication with Awlaki," said the official. "That's been documented."

Justice Department officials declined to comment on whether Abdulmutallab's cooperation could result in a reduced sentence. But officials familiar with the case have said a plea deal could short-circuit the debate over his being charged in a civilian court.

Some Republican lawmakers and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, have criticized the Obama administration for that decision, saying he should be interrogated and charged as an enemy combatant, without the right to counsel.

Times staff writers Josh Meyer and Christi Parsons contributed to this article.

Seven Things

I've been awarded the Stylish Blogger Award by Nancy at Crazymrsnancy.com!

Rules of the award are as follows:

1. Make this post and link back to the person who gave the award to me.

2. Share 7 things about myself.

3. Award 5 great bloggers.

4. Contact the bloggers to tell them they’ve won!

So, 7 things about me, will try to make them things you may not know yet, although some of you know me so well this may not be possible........

1. I just recently found out what my exact heritage is. I am 50% German, 25% Polish, 12.5% French Canadian, and 12.5% English. I have no idea why I have never known this before. I always knew the German and Polish (HELLO, I have the most complicated maiden name ever), but I did not know the English and French Canadian. Maybe it was the French in me that stupidly made me take French in high school instead of Spanish. I so wish I could go back in time and take Spanish instead of struggling with it now.....

2. I had totally gotten over the post-traumatic stress stuff from Flight 253. We went to a hearing last week for umar, and I had a nightmare that night with flashbacks to the fire on the plane. No more yet, but I am hoping I did not trigger something by seeing Umar again.

3. On that note, we were telling the entire story to a friend of mine last night who did not know we were on the flight. When I was talking about seeing the fire on the plane, the thoughts that went through my head, I almost started crying it upset me so much. I did not realize it all still affected me so much.

4. I am really proud of myself for being a great attorney and being respected by others in the legal field, without having to do the "behind the scenes" stuff that so many lawyers do. I don't hold judge fundraisers, I don't suck up, I don't ask the Judges to lunch. I do my job, I am nice to people, and it gets me the same results as those that try and work the system.

5. I feel like I was put on this Earth to do something in relation to helping animals. I actually like most animals better than most people. I don't know exactly what my purpose in life is yet, but I know it's not divorcing people. Once I retire from this job, I hope to pursue whatever it is I was put on this Earth to do.

6. I am not running for school board again. I feel like I am not making the difference that I used to anymore and I feel like I need to move on. I plan on volunteering at the high school instead, perhaps speaking to kids/classes or mentoring or something of that nature. I want to feel that I am directly helping kids more, vs attending meetings and voting.

7. Unless I know the person personally, I will never vote for either of the two major parties ever again. Which is odd, after a lifetime of voting straight democratic.

OK, so now the tagging. Here goes! Let me know if you post.

1. Colleen at Life Beings at 39 1/2
2. Natalie at Texas Cowleys
3. Emily at Law For a Living
4. Alex at Dirt. Juice. Details
5. Joanna at just A peek.

BRRRRRR

Was so happy Kurt got home! :). The pugs were as well. They seemed shocked when he walked in the door, as that is the longest the pugs and I have been at home without Kurt in 15 years!

Anyway, his trip was very busy, but went well. He got 6 veneers on his top teeth while there, in Tamarindo, at the only place he could find that could do the work that quickly. They turned out gorgeous. But, the main point of the trip was looking at the land in Bijagual. Bijagual is near Jaco, which like I have said before, is my fav city in the world. The piece of land we are looking at is 100 acres. Kurt hiked and saw a lot of it on horseback.



There was a portion of it that had been cleared at one point into 5 lots for houses (I think the owners were hoping to turn it into a small subdivision), and the rest of it is mostly primary and secondary rain forest, with some farm land as well. Which is pretty much what we want. Also, the land is part of some government program where we can have them come in and plant any kind of tree we want if we want to reforest any part of the cleared land. We would like to be somewhat self sufficient, so I would love lots of fruit trees for that purpose. I guess there are waterfalls and a lot of really pretty creeks and stuff on the land as well. Sounds pretty perfect. It is about 15 minutes from the ocean and another 10 minutes to Jaco. we are waiting on some other information on the property from our realtor, but it seems great (we would build a house on it, there is no house). Which is fine with me, since most costa rican houses I see are not really built in the style I would prefer. Jaco was having a huge surfing tourney while Kurt was there, and the reservation I made him at a room was not honored. So, he had to find another place, but found one pretty quickly. All went well with his flights, which I was happy about because I was worried about Kurt flying without me since he hates it. A lot of turbulence on one flight, and one small delay, but other than that, all was good.

We have, of course, been super busy since he got home.

We went today and bought racquets, balls, and goggles for playing racquetball at the gym. We are going to teach ourselves soon. I am hoping its a fun way to get cardio in to mix in with running, jumping rope and biking. I just can't make myself like running outdoors, so I am trying to make working out indoors more interesting. It has been under 30 degrees out here, and is crazy cold.

Friday, a Seattle based documentary writer met up with Kurt for most of the afternoon. I had lunch with him and he was a super nice guy, really interested in everything related to Flight 253 and the aftermath. I am curious to see how the film comes out. Anything we can do to open the American people's eyes to the lies and deceit going on behind the scenes, we will take part in.

I finally found a great red winter coat to buy on ideeli.com. Came in the mail today and thankfully, it fits perfectly. Yay. Marked WAY down too, which makes me happy. Kurt says it makes me look *skinny*, so I was even more happy after that! ;).




Also, got another scarf in the mail this week that I got an AMAZING deal on Shopbop.com this week. Scarf is adorable and super soft. I can tell Im cold lately since I am obsessed with scarves.



I started using the weight room part of the gym today. I have decided I want to tone up my arms more. I already see some muscle tone, but I want everything in my arms, chest, shoulders to be rock hard. So, gotta start lifting more. I am thankful for running though, as that in itself has really started the toning process. I need to buy a one piece swimsuit as well, as I want to start swimming in the pool at the gym, since I want to do a tri next summer.

Am counting down the days to Jamaica!!!!

Hope everyone is well!