Sunday, October 23, 2011

Week in Review


**Post-Race picture. Recognize the hoodie, Mom? :).
Ran a 5K race in Woodhaven this morning called "The Monster Mash". A lot of people dressed up for it, so it was a fun race. Smaller turnout, which was good for me since they only gave out medals to the first person in each age group, and the age groups were 10 year increments. Anyway, I placed first! :). They accidentally put me in the wrong age group at first, but I actually placed first in both so it was OK. Well, except the girl who got knocked down one in my age group when they fixed it was not happy. Whoops. I would have preferred to stay age 24, but alas, I had to add 10. it's hard for me to figure out what to wear to the races these days, as it is too cold for short sleeves, but I get too hot running with long sleeves about half way through the race. Any runners have any ideas? I don't want to stop and take off layers while running.

Had a crazy busy week this week. One highlight was our friend Steve's retirement party. Steve was a co-worker of kurt's at the IRS back in the day (Kurt's first law job). Steve and his wife, Marilyn, are two of the kewlest people ever. They totally remind me of me and Kurt. They never had kids, and you can tell they truly love and admire one another and enjoy one another's company. they met in law school. Anyway, the turnout was crazy huge. you know someone is a nice guy when he is a lawyer for the government and that many people come out to help him celebrate. Very nice party at a country club in Maumee. Congrats Steve!

Also, had a K-Fass meeting/dinner at la Pita in Dearborn. Yum. Next meeting is Thai food at Bangkok 96 in dearborn, can't wait......

Anyway, besides working 8 million hours, those are about the only updates from the week. Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Trial and The Verdict

Trial for the Underwear Bomber started this week, on Tuesday. Since neither Kurt or I had been contacted about being witnesses or being sequestered from the courtroom, we decided to head down to the trial in the hopes of being able to observe. Seats were reserved for all victims, and we really wanted to be there as much as possible. When going through security on the first floor of the court, we ran into someone who works for Anthony Chambers, who told us a pre-trial Motion had been filed that morning to exclude Kurt and I from being in the courtroom for the trial as we may be potential witnesses. We decided to head up and see what happened anyway, since the Motion was not ExParte and had not yet been granted.

Headed up to Floor 8, where Judge Edmunds is. Had to go through more security and obtain a pass to wear allowing us in the court. Sat down in the spot indicated for victims and waited for things to start. The trial started with the pre-trial motions, which one was filed by the prosecution and two by the defense. The prosecution actually filed a Motion that listed Kurt and I, by name, asking that we not sit in on trial as we may be witnesses for the defense. Judge Edmunds excluded Kurt from the courtroom, but said she was not excluding me since I was not on the witness list. I had to stand, and she told me that she did not want me to discuss anything with Kurt about the trial, which I agreed to.

Kurt left, and the other pre-trial Motions were heard. One Motion was to exclude an Exhibit which was a picture of Umar's genital area and thigh of his burns, and the other Motion was one to stop the prosecution from describing the device Umar had as a bomb or explosive. Both Motions were denied.

After this, there was a sidebar, and a really long meeting was held in a jury room between Chambers and Umar. No idea what was discussed. I could only guess it was about a plea deal or maybe about letting Chambers finally take on the role of his attorney. When they came back, the Judge asked if another sidebar was needed, and Chambers said no, we can proceed. We were all DYING to know what was discussed.



Trial then started with a VERY LONG opening statement by the prosecution (about 1 hour 10 minutes). The opening statement, while very detailed, completely lacked ALL emotion, and I would have approached it differently, but hey, it was not my case to prosecute. The opening statement used the overhead projector and also audio of the pilot calling into the airport during the emergency. SO eerie to hear that, and again, so weird to live through hearing about the incident, once again. Once the opening statement was done, the defense chose to reserve their right to give an opening statement and we moved on to the first witness at about 12:25 PM.

The first witness was a passenger on the plane whom neither Kurt or I have ever met. He was sitting about a row back from Umar and witnessed everything, and helped stop him from doing more damage than he did to our plane. He is a grandfather and former military (Army). His testimony was pretty straightforward, just what he witnessed in regards to Umar and the fire. Court then stopped at 1:00 PM for the day.

It was VERY draining for me to be down there. Hearing the witness talk about the incident all over again, and hearing the audio of the call for emergency, exhausted me and took me back to that day all over again. And not bein able to talk to Kurt about anything and rehash it all was KILLING me. :).

Day two of trial, I could not attend first thing in the morning, but, I guess I did not miss much. Apparently, as soon as court was called to session, another long meeting happened between Chambers and Umar until around 10:50 AM. Once they came into the court, the Judge was informed that Umar was going to plead guilty to all 8 charges against him. I got there at 10:10 AM and walked into the overflow courtroom. I sat down, ready to take notes and watch, and heard the Judge say something to the effect "How do you plead to count 2......." and hear Umar say "Guilty". I think I almost fell over in shock at this point. I stepped back and sat down on a bench and after deciphering between calling Kurt and watching, I started to watch. I watched as he pled guilty on all 8 counts. I watched as he gave him statement to the court. I watched as he was taken away again by probation. I heard the Judge schedule a sentencing for January.

I was floored.

I really never thought he would plead to anything. Or if he did, I thought it would be way before this.

I did not even know how I felt about this. All I felt at first was, a sense of total and complete relief, like some huge weight had been lifted off my chest.

I had a very stressful couple days, coupled with the fact that Kurt being named as a defense witness was making me fearful of his and my safety...........

I walked in the hall and sat on a bench and looked at my phone, which had a bunch of calls from the media on it, and I dialed Kurt.

Me: "Did you hear what happened with Umar"
Kurt: "No, what?"
Me: "He pled guilty on all 8 counts?"
Kurt: "WHAT?? Did he get a sweet plea deal or something?"
Me: "No idea, I don't know what the sentence is, that's not until January"

I then realized I was almost crying as this was all really overwhemling me, and I asked Kurt to come over to deal with the media since I knew they would want to talk to us. He could not leave his hearing. I hung up and was immediately approached by the associated press wanting to ask me some questions. Talked to them, and headed outside to the rest of the press. I was bombarded as soon as I walked outside the court, asked questions about my reaction, how it felt, etc. Kurt called and said he was heading over, so once he got there, I let him talk to the media.

So, how do I feel now about this? A variety of emotions, really. Relief is the biggest one. I am glad this guy is permanently off the streets and not able to harm anyone else. I am glad I don't have to go to trial every day for the next month plus. I am glad I don't have to worry about Kurt's safety. I'm also disappointed. I really wanted Kurt to get to testify, however, neither one of us actually thought he ever would be allowed to. Curious--as to "why" he pled guilty, what was really going on behind the scenes that we may never know. I'm also saddened that the general public is never going to see as part of this trial the lies the government told, covered up and participated in. I'm saddened that people like Umar are allowed to travel to this country and put our lives at risk in order to allow the government to further their own personal agendas.

Anyway, wanted to post my thoughts on everything while they were still fresh in my memory. It's so odd this is all complete now.

Saturday, October 08, 2011

Random Updates


Have not posted in forever--been busy, and I always feel weird posting when so many people I don't know personally are visiting the blog to read Kurt's posts about the trial. But, whatevs. This was initially MY blog and was taken over by Kurt, so people can just skip over this, ;).

Trying to think of anything relevant that has happened recently to blog about since my last post, which was San Fran related......

Went to Manistee to a wedding in late September, one of my sister's best friend's, Tara, from high school got married. I left work early, around noon, and headed to Manistee. Got stuck in stopped traffic on the Zilwaukee bridge for an hour, which sucked, but got to Manistee around dinner time. Got there and was greeted by baby Nick, who RAN out the door to greet me and hugged me! He kept saying "Hi Aunt Lordie!" Too cute. Quite the difference from the super shy little boy I got to hang with last trip! :). Was so happy to see him. My sister had a rehearsel dinner to get to, so Nick, my Mom and I headed to Ludington to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant and stops at Meijer and Maurices. Ended up buying a cute new pair of jeans at Maurices, and after coupons and sales, I paid a grand total of $11.00. Score. Next morning, headed out for a 5 mile run. LOVE that Manistee has sidewalks (which are lacking in Newport). Did a tiny bit of shopping with my Mom, then headed to the wedding. It was gorgeous and took place in the Ramsdell Theatre, which is a historic theatre in Manistee (i was actually in some plays during junior high and high school while living there). Reception was in the ballroom at the theatre and super fun as well. Nick danced with us the entire night, which was super cute. We left kinda early to get Nick home to bed, and stopped and picked up my fav food in the world, Big Al's breadsticks, on my way home. To die for. I forget all about counting calories when those breadsticks are in the room.......I only get them once or twice a year, so whatever. Sunday, took another run, then stopped at some stores and at a coffee shop with my Mom. Left around 2 to come home. Way too quick of a trip. Wanted to see some other people while there, but there was just not time. Need to plan another trip soon.

Tigers are in the playoffs! Whoot! Kurt and I went to both home games. The first we took the office and their significant others and my Dad, and the second, was just us. Had a blast at game one. Awesome. Game two, not as fun, horrible loss. Have tickets to two games this week, and will get them to game three if it goes that far. Who knows. Was so psyched to eliminate the Yankees, who I hate, and was happy to see the Phillies eliminated since they are so talented. Was thinking about going to Monday night football, but decided no as tickets are crazy expensive, and with the Tigers game, I dont want to put too much on my calendar.



Did one run last weekend called the Red October Run in Wayne, MI. I was set to run my first 10K, but ended up doing a 5K since I had a really bad cold and did not want to overdo it. Boo. My goal was simply to get through the race since I could barely breathe, and I did. I really liked the course. There were a TON of people too, I did not even come close to placing. Which I was OK with since I was sick and it was kinda cold out. So, I got to come straight home and rest up for the work week.



Also, went to Lions opening day! Have not been to a Lions game in forever (since we stopped our season tickets many years back). Had awesome seats on the 45 yard line behind the visitors side, row 4 first level. Seats were amazing. Game was incredible. I don't remember being at a better game ever for the Lions. It was crazy and almost unreal........Loved every second. Except for the reallllllly long lines and security to get in. How obnoxious. They had separate lines for men and women, so Kurt and I totally got separated and ended up just meeting at our seats.

Was so happy for some nice weather this weekend! Went running outside both Friday and Saturday, Saturday at the park since it was still light out when I went. I am still really leery running outside on the street. Every car that goes by, I flinch. Wish I could get over this fear. I still have not taken a bike ride since the accident, but I might try that tomorrow. Am slightly terrified though. Boo.

Anyway, Tigers game coming out of rain delay, so I gotta watch......Night!

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Looks Like I'll Be A Witness For The Defense In The Underwear Bomber Case

by Kurt Haskell

Today was the day for final jury selection in the Underwear Bomber case. I watched some of it on Tuesday and I was interested to see which jurors were picked. The final jury was set to be picked today at 1:30. I adjusted my schedule so that I could be down there at 1:30 today. I had a trial a few blocks away that was due to last until around 1:00 today. My plan was to head over there when I finished my trial. As my trial was ending, I got the following text from my brother "I hear that you will be testifying in the underwear bomber case". This was news to me as my status as a witness was undetermined as of Tuesday. I gave my brother a call and he said he heard on the radio, that stand-by Anthony Chambers said in court this morning that I would be testifying. While walking to Federal Court to watch final jury selection, I ran into someone that works with stand-by attorney Chambers. He told me that final jury selection was done as it didn't take as long as expected. He also told me that it was Umar that said he would call me as a witness, not Chambers. He then said Chambers is right there, go talk to him and he pointed across the street. Chambers was standing on the sidewalk across the street. I talked to Chambers for a minute and we agreed to talk again soon. He said I won't be testifying for approximately another month as the trial is supposed to be lengthy. I then headed back to my office and found out that I had messages from Fox National News and the A.P. I talked to Ed White from the A.P. on Tuesday and he misquoted me in the article he wrote. Specifically, Ed White asked what I though about Umar making outbursts in court. I said the following "I saw him before boarding and he never said anything, I've seen him in court several times, and I even saw him when he lit his fake bomb and his crotch was burning and he never makes a peep. This is totally out of character for him." You can see how Ed White did a cut and paste job of my quote here:

http://www.ydr.com/crime/ci_19035789

Note that Ed White left out that I saw Umar before boarding and that he lit a fake bomb.

I talked to Ed White again today and told him that I would only talk to him if he didn't twist my words around to mean something else. He agreed, but here is the hatchet job Ed White did to my interview with him today. Note that he says I have a "wild theory" among other things:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/05/2666662/final-jury-pool-settled-in-underwear.html

This is the last straw in my discussions with the media. The media is nothing but a 4th branch of the government. I will no longer talk to any of them except the alternative media that has been supportive all along.

Note, however, in the above article, Chambers indicates that I may be the only defense witness called. How ironic is it that I will have Umar's life in my hands just as Umar had my life in his hands (or underwear) on Christmas Day 2009? I will be up to the task. I realize that some may not agree with me and may attempt to harm me. Nevertheless, I will speak the truth and not be intimidated. I will do this for the common good of all of the citizens of the United States. It is not often that I quote a passage from the bible, but I think it is appropriate here:

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Underwear Bomber Jury Selection Hearing October 4, 2011

by Kurt Haskell

Yesterday, I went to the first day of jury selection in the underwear bomber case. I was the only passenger from the flight present. Lori could not attend as she had a hearing in Mt. Clemens that she could not get out of. The process involved picking 40 potential jurors to bring back on October 6, 2011. The selection of the jury will be made that day from the remaining 40 potential jurors. The process I witnessed involved the judge asking questions of each juror, then the prosecution asking questions and finally the defense asking questions. The prosecution and the defense were given 6 minutes each to question each juror. Only one juror was allowed in the courtroom at a time. I was in the courtroom when Umar arrived. When he entered he said "Great Mujahideen, Anwar is alive" referring to Anwar Al Awlaki and his reported recent death. He then said "We will wipe out the U.S., the cancer that is the U.S." Judge Edmunds had not yet arrived. When Judge Edmunds got there, she told Umar he should dress better to make a better impression on the jurors. He was dressed in a white t-shirt as he always is. Umar said "I wanted to wear a Yemeni belt with a dagger, but nobody would let me". Judge Edmunds then said "I don't think you'll be bringing a dagger into my courtroom". Umar then said that he wanted to change and the court went into recess. Umar returned shortly thereafter and was dressed in a tan collared shirt and a black suit coat. When he entered the court this time he said "Allah Akbar Anwar is alive". Judge Edmunds again was not in the courtroom. Jury questioning then began. I stayed for 4 hours and watched 18 jurors get questioned. Of the 18 that were questioned, 5 were sent home and 13 told to come back on October 6, 2011. Judge Edmunds indicated that either Umar or stand-by Attorney Chambers could question the jurors, but only one could question each juror. Umar only questioned one juror. He actually did a good job in questioning the one juror. He sounded intelligent and well spoken. The juror Umar questioned was juror #119, a 60 year old white female who stated that "I am concerned about being attacked after the verdict". That is what Umar questioned her about. He wanted to know if she was concerned about being attacked after a guilty verdict or a not guilty verdict. She stated that she was concerned both ways. This juror was told to come back. What was most interesting to me was the type of questions asked by Judge Edmunds and Chambers. The following questions were asked multiple times with slightly different variations:

1. Do you think after listening to the evidence that you will be able to determine whether the Defendant actually possessed a "bomb"?

2. Do you realize that sometimes the media does not always report the truth?

Obviously, each of these questions points directly at what I've been saying for months. Umar was given a fake bomb and put on this plane intentionally to stage a false terrorist attack. Also, the question about the media indicates knowledge that the media has been complicit in the lie. I spoke to several reporters once again. They were from Reuters, AP, UPI, CNN, Detroit News, and a couple of others. Also, the Detroit Free Press reporter asked to talk to me and I said "Why? You never actually report anything that I say". Sadly, the AP was the only one to report anything that I said. Here is a link to the article (The AP is used by several media outlets):

http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2011/10/05/news/doc4e8ba1c8dad56858908674.txt

The CNN reporter did indicate that we would continue our interview on October 6, 2011. This time, as opposed to others, it seemed as if the reporters were starting to realize that my theory of events is indeed correct. I had more of them agreeing with me instead of grilling me over the evidence. This had not previously been the case. Also, I am now seeing a change in the language in regards to how this story is reported. Previously, articles would read, Umar is "being charged with attempting to detonate . . ." Now articles are stating that "The government says" Umar intended to blow up the plane . . ." This is a small but significant change. It shows that the media is now reporting that what the government says may not be what really happened. See this story for an example:

http://www.eagletribune.com/worldnational/x597293726/Airline-attack-suspect-starts-trial-with-outburst/print

Note that none of the major media outlets reported anything in reference to the two questions I listed above, however, except for the live blog from the courthouse running on Freep.com, which only indicated the following:

12:17 p.m.
"The media is taking a beating in juror interviews. The 15th person to be questioned for jury duty – a computer analyst for a major retailer -- agreed with Edmunds that the media doesn’t always get it right. It’s the same response Edmunds got from other jurors, several of whom don’t read or listen to the news. But based on what she has seen and heard, she thinks Abdulmutallab is guilty. “I don’t believe that was an innocent act,” she said in response to Chambers’ questions."

You can look at it here for now, but look quick as the Free Press is known for erasing evidence that supports the real story of events from its website:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011111004013

Lastly, I did have a chance to talk to Chamber's associate attorney for a minute and found out that my status as a witness is currently "undetermined". That's an improvement over what I thought it was. We agreed to meet in Chambers office soon. Final jury selection is tomorrow and I will be going down to watch the festivities. Sadly, this is the only way to find out what is really going on.

Sunday, October 02, 2011

A Closer Look at Selected Domestic "Terrorist Attacks" From The Past Decade

by Kurt Haskell

Over the past 21 months, I have come into contact with many people that fail to even consider the possibility that U.S. intelligence agents could have been involved in the underwear bomber plot. It is with these people in mind that I decided to write the following article. I have noticed that recent terrorist attacks within the United States have many similar characteristics. If you look at these plots together as a series of attacks, the modus operandi of U.S. intelligence agencies begins to develop. For this article, I have decided to look at only "terrorist attacks" from January 1, 2002, to the present.

1. Mohamed Mohamud (The Portland Christmas Tree Bomber)
Date Of Incident: November 26, 2010.

The 2010 Portland car bomb plot involved an incident in which Mohamud, a Somali-American student, was arrested in an FBI sting operation, after attempting to set off what he thought was a car bomb at a Christmas tree lighting in Portland, Oregon.
Mohamud had been monitored by the FBI for months. Prior to Mohamud's arrest, an undercover FBI agent, posing as a terrorist, had been in contact with him since June 2010 (A 5 month period). In preparation for the planned bombing of a public gathering, Mohamud and undercover FBI operatives drove to a remote area of Lincoln County, Oregon, where they conducted a test run on November 4, 2010 by detonating a real bomb Mohamud believed to have been hidden inside a backpack. The fake bomb was in a white van that carried six 55-gallon drums with what appeared to be real detonation cords and plastic caps. Mohamud tried to detonate the bomb by dialing a cell phone that was attached to it. When the device failed to explode, the undercover agent suggested he get out of the car to obtain better reception. When he did so, arresting agents moved in. According to the FBI, the device it provided to Mohamud had no explosive components (even the detonating caps were inert) and the public was never in any danger.

2. Sami Samir Hassoun (Wrigley Field Bomber)
Date of Incident: September 19, 2010

Hassoun placed a backpack authorities say he thought contained a bomb near Chicago's Wrigley Field. The fake but ominous looking device (a paint can fitted with blasting caps and a timer)was given to him by an FBI undercover agent. According to Hassoun's attorney, Hassoun didn't bring anything of his own making to the incident. All materials were given to him by an under cover FBI agent. Hassoun also had no apparent affiliation with extremists. The complaint alleges he raised the specter of terrorist groups only by suggesting it would be helpful to blame them for any attacks he staged. At least two FBI undercover agents got in touch with Hassoun, posing as co-plotters and eventually helped to deliver the bogus bomb.

3. Bronx Terrorism Plot
Date of Incident: May 20, 2009

On May 20, 2009, US law enforcement arrested four black Muslim men in connection with a plot to shoot down military airplanes flying out of an Air National Guard base in Newburgh, New York and blow up two synagogues in the Riverdale community of the Bronx. The events leading up to the attempted attack began in June 2008. Shahed Hussain, an Albany hotel owner and FBI informant, showed up at the Masjid al-Ikhlas mosque under the name "Maqsood", talking of jihad and violence. Hussain, a Pakistani immigrant, agreed to serve as an FBI informant after being arrested in 2002 over a scam involving driver's licenses. Four men expressed interest to Hussain. They planned to both bomb the Riverdale Temple and nearby Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx, and, using Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles, shoot down military planes flying out of a nearby air base. On May 6, 2009, the men traveled to Stamford, Connecticut, to pick up what they believed to be a surface-to-air guided-missile system and three improvised explosive devices, all of which were incapable of actually being used. The men placed fake bombs wired to cell phones in three separate cars outside the Riverdale Temple and nearby Riverdale Jewish Center, both in the Riverdale community of Bronx. The FBI informer also served as the driver of the suspects’ vehicle. Both the car bombs and the missiles were actually fakes given to the plotters with the help of an informant for the FBI. Each of the two homemade bombs was equipped with about 37 pounds of inert material designed to look like C-4 plastic explosive, and "there was no danger to anyone," according to the FBI. The men were returning to their vehicle and heading to attack aircraft at the Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, with the fake Stinger missiles when law enforcement stopped them.

4. Antonio Martinez
Date of Incident: December 8, 2010

Martinez was arrested in an FBI sting after agents said he tried to detonate a phony bomb outside a Maryland military recruitment center. The FBI began investigating Martinez in early October 2010 after an informant pointed out postings on Martinez's Facebook page. Martinez's attorney said the lack of a recording of the informant's initial three conversations with Martinez is a sign the government was trying to obscure its role in developing the plot. It was in those conversations that Martinez first mentioned attacking the recruiting center, according to a criminal complaint. Also according to his attorney, the government "induced him to be involved in an act which was clearly the design of the government and provided Martinez with the fake bomb".

5. Rezwan Ferdaus
Date of Incident: September 28, 2011

Federal prosecutors allege in court documents that Rezwan Ferdaus outlined an elaborate plan to undercover FBI agents posing as al-Qaeda operatives that involved the use of three drone aircraft carrying deadly payloads to attack and destroy federal government landmarks. Ferdaus was arrested after allegedly accepting delivery of materials, including three grenades, six Ak-47 assault rifles and a quantity of what he believed to be powerful C-4 explosives. U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said all of the weaponry was in the control of undercover agents who were closely monitoring the plot's developments. She said the public was never in danger.
However, some legal organizations and Muslim groups have questioned whether Ferdaus, whose activities were carried out with two undercover FBI agents posing as terrorists, would have been able to carry out such a sophisticated plot if left to his own devices. In numerous previous cases in the US, the FBI has been accused of over-zealousness in its investigations and of entrapping people into terror plots who might otherwise not have carried out an attack. On April 19, 2011, undercover agents met with Ferdaus and questioned the "feasibility" of his plan. That raises the prospect that the FBI agents were somehow goading Ferdaus into more action.
At the same meeting the undercover agents also gave financial assistance for Ferdaus to travel to Washington on a scouting trip: a fact that raises the question of whether he would have made the trip without that financial help. The undercover agents also supplied thousands of dollars in cash for Ferdaus to buy the F-86 Sabre miniature plane to be used in an attack.


Analysis Of These 5 Attacks:

When looking at these plots, the most obvious connection between them (Other than the Muslim male connection) is that the FBI provided each of these "terrorists" with fake weapons, including fake explosives, to carry out the plots. Also, each of the terrorists attempted to carry out the plots with the aid of undercover FBI agents. It is unclear to what extent the FBI agents came up with the initial idea. However, it certainly is questionable whether any of these attacks would have occurred without the aid of the undercover FBI agents. Before meeting up with the undercover FBI agents, most of these men had little to no criminal record and were guilty of no more than random terroristic thoughts. It is also very apparent that the undercover FBI agents allowed the "terrorists" to conclude a significant portion of the plots including attempting to detonate fake bombs. While researching these and other "terrorist" attacks, I could not help but notice the lack of "terrorist" attacks from 2002-2008. I can't help but question whether the increase in these attacks is related to the term of office of President Obama, which began in January 2009. As I chose to not make this article poilitical, I won't delve into such aspect any further. During this same time period, on December 25, 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,the "Underwear Bomber" attempted to detonate an explosive in his underwear as he sat 8 rows in front of me.

Analysis of the Underwear Bomber Incident:

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab(Umar)allegedly received his bomb from Al Qaeda in Yemen and due to U.S. Intelligence Agencies "failing to connect the dots", was able to board flight 253 with a bomb. The U.S. Intelligence Agencies "failed to connect" the dots despite the fact that they had been warned by Umar's own father several months earlier that Umar was a threat. Further, we are told that it was this "failing to connect the dots" that led to Umar boarding, despite the Congressional testimony of Patrick Kennedy (see his testimony here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN_33ojupTc).
This testimony from Kennedy, the Under Secretary of State, indicated that a yet to be disclosed intelligence agency was tracking Umar, and wanted to track him into the U.S. to catch "bigger fish". Now how would such agency do that if it didn't allow Umar to board a plane heading to the U.S.? What's also troubling is that nearly all of the mainstream U.S. media failed to even report on this Congressional testimony. The one newspaper that did, the Detroit News, has now erased the story from its archives. Of course, I witnessed Umar near the boarding gate of flight 253. He was escorted by a sharp dressed man, that spoke perfect American English without an accent and told the gate agent that Umar didn't have a passport, that he needed to board the plane, that he was from "Sudan, and we do this all the time". My next question is who is the "we" that he was referring to. Obviously, I have to ask what sort of U.S. authority figure in Amsterdam could say that "we" let refugees on planes all of the time without passports and apparently, has the authority to make it happen. It seems that an undercover FBI agent would fit the bill. Although Schiphol Airport has the most security cameras in the world, the airport audio and video remain unreleased under a court protective order. In December 2010, Umar's stand-by attorney, Anthony Chambers reported to the Detroit Free Press that "The Government's own experts have indicated that the bomb was impossibly defective as it lacked a blasting cap". That story has now been erased from the Free Press archives. Although pieces of the bomb laid all over the airline cabin near row 19, law enforcement officers made no effort to remove passengers from such area and passengers trampled through pieces of the bomb as they exited the plane. The NPR interview of Jay Howard, the man who sat next to Umar, is very telling (see below)(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123821351. In this interview, Howard relates that the FBI told him not to talk about what happened and took all of his clothes that were covered with pieces of the bomb. Although the FBI had samples of the bomb all over the airline, it seized all of his clothes to "test the bomb materials". I have to wonder if the FBI actually seized Mr. Howard's clothes in order to not let others test the bomb materials. In his NPR interview, Mr. Howard makes the following curious comment "I don't want to call him a terrorist because he hasn't been treated as a terrorist and it wasn't a national threat". Really Mr. Howard? Why wasn't it a National threat? Is this why the FBI told you not to talk about this too much? Note that I am not saying that Jay Howard was involved in this lot, but only that he knows more than he is letting on. Remember, after we exited the plane, we were taken to a baggage claim area where we stood with our carry on bags for an hour, not knowing if other bombs were located in the carry on bags. Law enforcement was not concerned, however. At this time, Umar had already exited the plane and told officers that "there is another bomb on board". Another man was taken into custody during this time, after a bomb sniffing dog found explosives in his carry on bag. The U.S. Government changed its story on who this man was 5 times before finally deciding to ignore the existence of the man entirely. It's most likely that this man was an FBI undercover agent that provided Umar with his "bomb" and the bomb resideue in his bag alerted the dog. In late 2010, Umar was charged with conspiring with "persons known and unknown" yet none of these persons have ever been named. Their involvement with the plot has never been explained. Shouldn't such persons be on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List? Shouldn't the FBI solicit the public to help identify such individuals, who should be some of the most wanted men in the world? Not if they are FBI agents. There are very few differences between the Underwear Bomber incident and the 5 incidents I listed above. One difference being that this attack occurred on a plane which caused a fire that did indeed threaten lives. The other plots seemingly didn't risk injury to others. We must remember that the U.S. needs legitimate "terrorist attacks" to keep making money for those that benefit from the fraudulent war on terror. Also, a legitimate airline attack was needed to usher in the body scanning machines. Without a failed bomb in a terrorist's clothes, the American public would never stand for the body scanning machines. Lastly, the flight proceeded over Detroit before the "bomb" was lit, on Christmas Day, in order to make the biggest splash in the media. The U.S. Government's modus operandi of setting up these attacks with fake bombs and without risking injury to others was seemingly achieved. This led to Janet Napolitano's explicit comment that "the system worked" when referring to this attack. Janet knows what happened here, and so do I. Hopefully, I have convinced other that read this post that the U.S. Government, via its intelligence agencies, gave Umar a fake bomb and escorted him through security in order to assure a fake "terrorist attack". This "terrorist" attack occurred in order to continue padding the wallets of those that benefit from the war on terror and its repulsive body scanners. Would this plot have happened without the aid of the unnamed U.S. Intelligence Agency that allowed Umar to board, provided Umar with his fake bomb and God knows whatever else? Not a chance. I sit here writing this article a mere 30 minutes from Dearborn, Michigan, which has the largest segment of Muslims in the U.S. I realize that if the U.S. were truly in danger of terrorist attacks from Muslims, this area should be in jeopardy of suicide and car bombings that frequently occur in the middle east. These attacks do not occur here. I know why, and I ask that you also ask yourself why. Those that are hopeful that the upcoming trial will reveal anything of this sort should think again. Umar is representing himself and thereby refusing to let standy-by attorney Chambers use the entrapment defense (that he told me he would) if he was allowed to. This action by Umar is inexplicable, unless of course he is involved in the plot, has been threatened or promised a lenient sentence. I don't know which, but there seemingly is no other explanation. Obviously, there is more to this story than the FBI is telling us.