Your very own suspected terrorist

"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Criminy -- this "special agent" acted less covertly than I did when I was
looking for dead-beat dads in the inner city. I sure hope his actions
aren't representative of our national security efforts.

Perhaps the agent knew he wasn't going to be interviewing a terrorist
and just did it so the people who tipped him off would see due
diligence on the part of the FBI?

Your tax dollars at work.

Rob

In a previous article, (Michael) said:
office at 8:30 AM either - and eventually got a call back. The
special agaent (what is a special agent, anyway, and how does he
differ from a regular agent?) informed me that he needed to speak with

It's like a student in special class versus one in a regular class.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
10 ways to stop users mistaking you for a normal person (4): When booting
a workstation, shout out all console output 1/2 a second before it
appears. Do this with your eyes closed and fists clenched. -- Steve Mitchell

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:UBfQb.4483$U%5.26339@attbi_s03...
| Seriously, instead of doing a big background check and looking up all
your
| papers, sounds like the agent did the smart thing -- he just asked you.
He
| was able to learn a lot more about you and the issues involved that way.
| They would have noticed if you had tried to flee.
|
| Right. Had he been a real terrorist, Michael would have evaporated into
thin
| air when the doofus FBI agent left his card on his door.
|
| Criminy -- this "special agent" acted less covertly than I did when I was
| looking for dead-beat dads in the inner city. I sure hope his actions
| aren't representative of our national security efforts.
| --

The agent did not seriously believe that Michael was a terrorist and had
reason to believe that we knew enough about him that he was not a terrorist.

He may have told Michael that he had not looked at his INS file and may only
have been pretending to be ignorant of its contents. He might have gotten
more serious if Michael had answered questions contrarily to what the FBI
already knew.

The FBI routinely looks at your checking accounts when they begin an
investigation and would have done this before even contacting Michael. They
would have checked to see whether endorsements on checks deposited in his
account matched other signatures they had of his, for example. They would
also have looked for anomalous disbursements or deposits. This technique has
been so successful at uncovering terrorists that the FBI has not really
changed its methods in 40 years. Originally they started checking bank
accounts at random just to see what would turn up. They found one bank
account that had checks bearing five different signatures all with the same
name. They sent a rookie agent by the name of Jason Moulton out to stake out
the house and he ended up catching Patty Hearst and several other members of
the Symbionese Liberation Army. Not bad for a rookie. He told me that when
he went in through the back door that Patty Hearst was sitting at a kitchen
table, cleaning a disassembled weapon. He was real glad that she was not
armed.

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
| In a previous article, (Michael) said:
| office at 8:30 AM either - and eventually got a call back. The
| special agaent (what is a special agent, anyway, and how does he
| differ from a regular agent?) informed me that he needed to speak with
|
| It's like a student in special class versus one in a regular class.
|

A special agent is one that does investigative work. Most of the people that
you meet in US intelligence agencies are special agents. They are the guys
(and gals) on the front lines.

They found one bank
account that had checks bearing five different signatures all with the
same
name.

Gee, there's a surprise.

It has been my experience, both as a businessman, and as a credit union
board member, that banks will accept ANY signature, even ones with a
different name.

I'll bet you ten bucks right now I could sign "Mickey Mouse" on one of my
checks, and it would be accepted. I've seen it done.

No one looks.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Very good point CJ. I bet he knew the answer to everything he asked. Think
about it. If Michael would have said absolutely anything--ANYTHING-- that
didn't match his records he would have become suspect. Of course the agent
didn't act like he knew anything--he wanted Michael to think he was clueless
about it so that he would be more comfortable in making up a story if he was
a terrorist.

The story actually makes me feel a tad better about our anti-terror efforts.

Marco

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...


The agent did not seriously believe that Michael was a terrorist and had
reason to believe that we knew enough about him that he was not a
terrorist.

He may have told Michael that he had not looked at his INS file and may
only
have been pretending to be ignorant of its contents. He might have gotten
more serious if Michael had answered questions contrarily to what the FBI
already knew.

The FBI routinely looks at your checking accounts when they begin an
investigation and would have done this before even contacting Michael.
They
would have checked to see whether endorsements on checks deposited in his
account matched other signatures they had of his, for example. They would
also have looked for anomalous disbursements or deposits. This technique
has
been so successful at uncovering terrorists that the FBI has not really
changed its methods in 40 years. Originally they started checking bank
accounts at random just to see what would turn up. They found one bank
account that had checks bearing five different signatures all with the
same
name. They sent a rookie agent by the name of Jason Moulton out to stake
out
the house and he ended up catching Patty Hearst and several other members
of
the Symbionese Liberation Army. Not bad for a rookie. He told me that when
he went in through the back door that Patty Hearst was sitting at a
kitchen
table, cleaning a disassembled weapon. He was real glad that she was not
armed.





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Again, that's why it works to the FBI's favor. A true terrorist will know
that they don't check all the signatures and sign-away.

I used to work for a major bank and customers would consistenly be surprised
that you can write a straight line and they will take the check.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:3YfQb.4665$U%5.27293@attbi_s03...
They found one bank
account that had checks bearing five different signatures all with the
same
name.

Gee, there's a surprise.

It has been my experience, both as a businessman, and as a credit union
board member, that banks will accept ANY signature, even ones with a
different name.

I'll bet you ten bucks right now I could sign "Mickey Mouse" on one of my
checks, and it would be accepted. I've seen it done.

No one looks.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"





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WHY has Congress approved a rain forest for Iowa? It doesn't make any
sense...

No one here knows. This lame-brained idea has been proposed as an
environmental and educational tool by a wealthy businessman from Des Moines.
He's been shopping the idea around for four or five years now, with little
success or interest from local developers.

Somehow he has managed to get Sen. Grassley involved, who apparently had the
clout to ram it into the overall spending bill. (Can you say "Major
Campaign Contribution?")

What the hell our federal government is doing building rain forests in Iowa
is simply beyond me. Even the local newspaper -- as left wing, pork-barrel
project loving as you can imagine -- has publicly ridiculed the idea.

Iowa doesn't have the yearly precipitation needed for rainforest
climates, does it?

It's going to be built IN-DOORS, under a roof that would dome over three
football fields!

I'm dumb-founded. Even though it will probably bring more guests to my
hotel, I think it's the dumbest idea I've EVER heard.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

(Michael) writes:

I have often wondered, with GA under increased scrutiny, how long it
would be before one of us was investigated as a suspected terrorist.
I never thought I would be first.

How do you know you were?
http://anon.moveon.speedera.net/2802_large.mov

(what is a special agent, anyway, and how does he
differ from a regular agent?)

Just speak a little slower for 'em.

(I figure I'm on the lists already.)

--kyler

Maybe they'll use the dirt they move for the rain forest and build a ski
mountain. Might as well have some benefit from the snow you get out there...

Michael

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:N4gQb.132988$xy6.545923@attbi_s02...

No one here knows. This lame-brained idea has been proposed as an
environmental and educational tool by a wealthy businessman from Des
Moines.
He's been shopping the idea around for four or five years now, with little
success or interest from local developers.