And what are we to make of this?
Web sites shut downLudicrous? I don't think so.
Soon after Washington announced it had the video, all the Islamic militant Web sites that usually carry statements from al-Qaida went down and were inaccessible, in an unprecedented shutdown.The reason for the shutdown was not immediately known. Evan Kohlmann, an NBC News terrorism expert, said he suspected it was the work of al-Qaida itself, trying to find how the video leaked to U.S. officials.
"For them this is totally disruptive that the U.S. government could have a copy before their targeted audience does," he said. "They could be concerned and trying to plug the leak quickly."
Another possibility is that the U.S. government shut down the sites, but that was unlikely, he said.
"I don't think they would have the legal or technical capability to do so, to collectively shut all these sites at the same time. Also, I don't think the U.S. government is necessarily interested in shutting these sites down, unless there is something so provocative and dangerous in what bin Laden is saying."
"It's pretty remote that the content of his speech is so incendiary that they would shut down all the sites. The idea that they (U.S. government) could totally prevent this from coming out on the Internet is ludicrous," he said.
It's hard to catapult the propaganda if the peasants aren't afraid enough.
Update: BooMan thinks this might not be Osama, too.
Update 9/10: JJ of Unrepentant Old Hippie also is suspicious.
6 comments:
His nose? maybe he got fresh with one of his brothers, or sisters, or their spouses?
I find it difficult to imagine actually shutting down a large number of web sites in other parts of the world without the cooperation of their operators.
On the other hand, it isn't too difficult to imagine blocking access in the U.S. to those same web sites... remember, our dear government has control of the telcos' big switches for wiretapping purposes; surely they have similar access to the big routers on the internet backbone. I wonder if anyone else can "see" those sites from outside the U.S.
(Steve waves his hands in the air, spouting stuff he doesn't understand as well as he would like. Bryan, are you there?)
My money is on the U.S. government for this one. Consider who has the strongest motive here. If indeed Osama criticizes Democrats, on whatever basis, Democrats can claim that the terrorists like Republicans better. I could see the Bushists trying to suppress a message that facilitated such a claim, whether or not the claim is true.
Ran into a door, did he?
Well, he's not looking so good...
And yes, I agree, Steve. The Bush administration doesn't care about actions, it cares only about the message. So shutting down sites is much more the US style.
Hard work catapulting the propaganda if the internetal tubes keep sabotaging your work.
Totally different guy than either of the last two actors they had.
He does look a little ... stiff... Maybe the strange green color comes from being thawed out from the deep freeze, strapped to a dolly and electronically activated.
It's a small world after all.
Oh great. Now I have a mental picture of a bunch of knee-high Osamas whirring and clicking as he sings: It's a small world after all, it's a small world....
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