Cool, someone got a tag on here. SDC, challenge stands, if you care to address anything. All else: Apologies for going off here on two different threads now, and for having succumbed to that ‘weird energy’ thing. With this mini-essay I’ll go silent as well until someone else speaks up (aside from roundhead). So I’d been harping on the issue over at
UnloVed Rebel’s thread, hoping to get a good discussion going and see if any rational JREF members would be able to admit there is at least cause for grave concern here. I was frustrated less by the faith-based coincidence theorizing I saw than by the lack of interest – just a few members took the time to even tell me I was wrong. But this old thread contains the battle I missed – it feels like – well, the smoking deck of a warship that’s just seen serious battle. Little wonder so few are eager to revive the discussion. It was more pitched than I’d expect.
Those who argue essentially the Israeli case with at least more than a drive-by one-liner dismissal: Gumboot, Kookbreaker, Dave Rogers, MRC Hans, Doctor Evil, van dutch, SDC, and the rest… wanted to thank everyone who stepped up and added to the discussion. Kudos, some genuine food for thought that the other side might want to go back and reconsider.
Those who can clearly see the implausibility of the accident upon accident story - with their own blinspots, of course: Quicknthedead, fuelair, jmeadors, a unique person, Darth Rotor, Cpt. Fantastic, Magz, and of course Roundhead. Thankfully, not one appearance from D Charmichael. Many of these are not of the standard CT crowd, though my knowledge of each’s posting history is limited. It’s fairly mixed company to be in - I was a little surprised.
But then again, the same basic sentiments can be found stated outside the intertubes by former CIA and NSA directors, CNO/CincPAC/CinCUS/CJCS, State Department, White House, Navy, Airforce, and intelligence people at different levels, pretty unanimously the survivors who were the only ones (on this side) that saw it firsthand, That’s a lot of buzz for something a few erred sailors made up to explain away the horror of friendly fire – some smart people cannot accept that, and it’s reflected here at the forum as well.
Aside from the startling number of intelligent, non-kooky people who side with the Liberty crew, another striking thing is the seriousness with which the “nutters” here take the issue. We see essays rebutted with bumper stickers and links to the same old pro-Israel sites spewing the same slender thread of tired half-truths.
Perhaps most troubling is the polarization of opinions. I’ve seen roughly zero people say “I honestly don’t understand the issue, I’ve heard some evidence that’s troubling, but I can’t see the motive, and I’d like to learn more.” No, everyone who knows enough to say anything seems to have it all figured out. How many members at this forum? That's how many ears and how many fingers plugged in 'em?
I have to say I don’t have it all figured out – like with my Pearl Harbor investigation, I’m finding this case more ambiguous than it at first seemed. There's the evidence, partial tho it is, showing no orders to sink the American ship or anything like that. There's past precedent for friendly fire incidents to call on, and there's the fact that Israel "admitted" to a "mistake" they themselves proposed as an explanation. Oh, and paid someone some money. I’m willing to concede that at least some witness memories may well be warped, and then reinforced into mantras – guys will perhaps clearly recall seeing something they only heard someone else say they saw, and so on… There's the almost over-done ‘under-the-breath’ complaints from Washington insiders, on top of the curious string of American blunders that made the IDF’s blunderkrieg attack possible.
In short, both sides - case not closed. This is not yet 'conspiracy fact,' nor is 'eveything explained.' The ‘conspiracy theory’ just won’t die, some are alarmed to learn. I’m reminded of an old SNL skit with a Condor, IIRC, that smacked into someone’s deck and was injured – mortally, they decided. They decided to be merciful and finish it off with a baseball bat, but the bird just won’t die, with blood everywhere, like 100 blows. It was uncomfortable funny, stuck with me, and pops up here – if the ting just won’t die, shouldn’t you ask yourself whether it should? Do you keep hitting it and trying to ‘’finish it off,’ or stop, wrap it in towels, and get it to the hospital?
