General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDiego Garcia is a small island in the Indian Ocean
It's famous for just one thing. If you extend a line on the map from where flt 370 quit responding, through the locus of the mysterious radar blips and out 2000 miles, Oh, look.
okaawhatever
(9,462 posts)itsrobert
(14,157 posts)to land there
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)would it not?
pscot
(21,024 posts)at one point. Not sure right now.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,370 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,321 posts)Yes, it's still a US base, with lots of American personnel there. If you want to create a conspiracy theory that they know what happened to the plane, but are keeping quiet for whatever nefarious reason you want to attribute to them, then say it, and say it in the Creative Speculation group, where conspiracy theories belong.
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)This is a plot by Obama to capture a planeload of Chinese businessmen. Obama is going to trade them to China in exchange for China retiring our entire national debt.
It all makes perfect sense.
WhaTHellsgoingonhere
(5,252 posts)WOW
Voice for Peace
(13,141 posts)Reporting by John Pilger on the history of the island:
Video at link:
http://johnpilger.com/videos/stealing-a-nation
Before the Americans came, more than 2,000 people lived on the islands in the Indian Ocean, many with roots back to the late 18th century. There were thriving villages, a school, a hospital, a church, a railway and an undisturbed way of life. The islands were, and still are, a British crown colony. In the 1960s, the government of Harold Wilson struck a secret deal with the United States to hand over the main island of Diego Garcia. The Americans demanded that the surrounding islands be "swept" and "sanitized". Unknown to Parliament and to the US Congress and in breach of the United Nations Charter, the British Government plotted with Washington to expel the entire population.
And a book by David Vine:
http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8885.html
Island of Shame:
The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia
David Vine
The American military base on the island of Diego Garcia is one of the most strategically important and secretive U.S. military installations outside the United States. Located near the remote center of the Indian Ocean and accessible only by military transport, the base was a little-known launch pad for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and may house a top-secret CIA prison where terror suspects are interrogated and tortured. But Diego Garcia harbors another dirty secret, one that has been kept from most of the world--until now.
Island of Shame is the first major book to reveal the shocking truth of how the United States conspired with Britain to forcibly expel Diego Garcia's indigenous people--the Chagossians--and deport them to slums in Mauritius and the Seychelles, where most live in dire poverty to this day. Drawing on interviews with Washington insiders, military strategists, and exiled islanders, as well as hundreds of declassified documents, David Vine exposes the secret history of Diego Garcia. He chronicles the Chagossians' dramatic, unfolding story as they struggle to survive in exile and fight to return to their homeland. Tracing U.S. foreign policy from the Cold War to the war on terror, Vine shows how the United States has forged a new and pervasive kind of empire that is quietly dominating the planet with hundreds of overseas military bases.
Island of Shame is an unforgettable exposé of the human costs of empire and a must-read for anyone concerned about U.S. foreign policy and its consequences.The author will donate all royalties from the sale of this book to the Chagossians.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)to return home.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)And everyone should rec this thread!!!
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)In fact, that was considered the Holy Grail of deployment locations for folks where I was stationed stateside.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)littlewolf
(3,813 posts)we had B52's flying out of there also ...
additionally I was told the runway was set up as
an emergency landing strip for the shuttle.
do not know if that is true or not.
but length wise it is suppose to be long enough.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,370 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)pscot
(21,024 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I would imagine that a person would have at the very least, the courage of their own implication and innuendo. However, it appears my imagination is grossly incorrect...
pscot
(21,024 posts)What others, yourself included, make of it is beyond my power to control. Personally I doubt the aircraft would have had enough fuel to make it that far, even assuming it was on that heading the whole time.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)You gave us the opportunity for some good subthreads.
okaawhatever
(9,462 posts)Brother Buzz
(36,444 posts)pscot
(21,024 posts)DFW
(54,407 posts)However, it would be on CNN five minutes later.
TeamPooka
(24,229 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Not everyone toes the CT line. In fact, we have quite a few ankle-biters here.
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)...there are many abandoned British airbases that ring the Indian Ocean. The likelihood of 370 landing at any of these is beyond remote, though.
El Supremo
(20,365 posts)WAG stands for Wild-Ass-Guess.
pscot
(21,024 posts)I noted a coincidence.
longship
(40,416 posts)The plane likely crashed. It is really, really difficult to find things like this in the sea when one does not have a good fix on where it went down. It isn't helping matters that the people running the search are not saying anything, and that people are telling reporters things which are not verified.
The secrecy and the wild rumors are turning the whole thing into a clusterfuck, especially for those whose loved ones were on that plane. People need to think about them.
No Vested Interest
(5,167 posts)with 200+ passengers and crew?
If there were hijackers, I'm inclined to think it would be a suicide mission, for the reason above.
Same outcome if there was a psychological event.
longship
(40,416 posts)Same outcome.
Thanks.
R B Garr
(16,954 posts)That's about the last I remember from the headlines, so I thought it was a matter of recovery at this point. I guess I've missed a lot of news since that headline with all this speculation now. You seem like you're up-to-date on the latest efforts, so I thought I would ask you.
longship
(40,416 posts)The only thing we know is what was first reported. That, and that they are now apparently searching just about everywhere. I expect them to drive down my road any moment now (here in west rural Michigan).
Whoever's handling this is screwing up big time. They are releasing no information so the press is reporting all sorts of conflicting reports based on unconfirmed anonymous sources, which the Malayan government then disputes. As I wrote above and in other threads, this is a clusterfuck, especially for those who had friends and family on that plane.
Meanwhile, there are people in the Blogosphere coming up with ever increasing inanities about what really happened. It boggles the mind.
My opinion, based on what is known and confirmed, plus the elapsed time since we knew it, is that the plane has crashed. Where? Who knows?
High jacking? Sabotage? Mechanical failure? Suicidal pilots (probably not that)? Who knows?
Anybody who says they do is making shit up at this point.
Yup? A clusterfuck.
R B Garr
(16,954 posts)but have since been seeing all these new tidbits emerging. The last report with the fuel spill info even had an aerial shot of the purported spill, so I just assumed it was all recovery after that. Someone here posted a thread a couple days ago about how an airplane is lost, and I didn't even click on it, but now I'm going to go back and catch up on this story.
I agree with your synopsis about a crash, as I would imagine if there was foul play like terrorism, some group would have come forward to take credit by now...? But who knows.
Great analysis, thanks.
TorchTheWitch
(11,065 posts)with jet fuel. That was back in the first couple of days.
Apparently, it was consistent with some kind of ship.
No Vested Interest
(5,167 posts)of its own that would/could be tracking planes out over the Indian Ocean.
It's been my impression that much of what goes on there is secretive. I don't think the nations occupying the space like to call attention to the island. It may be a base for spying excursions, etc.
One would think that the military presence there has been asked it anything was spotted on their radar.
pscot
(21,024 posts)to bear on the problem. My point exactly.
No Vested Interest
(5,167 posts)In the vast Indian Ocean, that would be miniscule.
Agony
(2,605 posts)it's famous for that too...
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)Saved me the bother.
Lease runs out 2106. If its renewed I hope it sinks.
Agony
(2,605 posts)regarding peoples and their sovereignty
some peoples are granted/allowed the right of return... others, not so much
Journeyman
(15,036 posts)fujiyama
(15,185 posts)That was some hilariously crazy shit. It was so bad that DU admin had a disclaimer on it and it was featured on a NYT blog. Though it was perhaps just one or two posters spouting those "theories" off.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)"Bring me the head of Diego Gacia"
countryjake
(8,554 posts)http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=228x1616
NYT - DU Derided? -- Myths Run Wild in Blog Tsunami Debate
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1116859
bobGandolf
(871 posts)Although nobody can control people spouting this kind of idiocy.
countryjake
(8,554 posts)http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/03/international/worldspecial4/03bloggers.html?pagewanted=print&position=&_r=0
But there is another, more important difference, Mr. Surowiecki and others say. Internet discourse can be self-correcting, with near-instant feedback from readers.
What was lost in the sniping over the Democratic Underground posting was the fact that the follow-up comments were a sober discussion of what actually causes earthquakes. The first response to the posting asked, "Earthquakes have been happening since the beginning of time ... How would you explain them?"
Further comments explained the movement of tectonic plates and provided links to sites explaining earthquakes and tsunamis from the United States Geological Survey and other authoritative sources.
"Not to make fun, as I'm sure it's not a unique misconception ... but the reality is simple plate tectonics," one participant wrote. "The entire Pacific Ocean is slowly but surely closing in on itself. What happened is that the floor of the Indian Ocean slid over part of the Pacific Ocean, releasing massive tension in the Earth's crust.
"That's it. No mystic injury to the Gaia spirit or anything."
Online discussion can evolve toward truth, said Clay Shirky, an adjunct professor in the interactive telecommunications program at New York University and a blogger. One result is a process that can be more reliable than many new media, where corrections are often late and small, if they appear at all.
Despite what you might think of the piece, the NYT included a link to our site. I didn't think it was embarrassing. And the original thread was just one question, generating lots of interesting (tho sometimes off-the-wall) discussion. I didn't think it was idiotic. There have been worse hypotheses posted here, over the years.
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)From Sri Lanka down through the Maldives and to Deigo Garcia
Also a number of warships from different nations that might have had radar scanning the proper area
pscot
(21,024 posts)out there.
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)There are however no doubt many places to potentially land that would not be so obvious, all they need is a flat and solid piece of land.
PDittie
(8,322 posts)Even a handful of B-52s, according to both Wiki and these Google Earth hacks.
http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/bombers-b-52-stratofortress-at-diego-garcia-air-force-base-fjdg/
http://www.gearthhacks.com/dlfile18797/B52-Bombers---Diego-Garcia.htm
So if an allegedly missing commercial airliner had landed there, it seems that would be a hard secret to be keeping.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,370 posts)From what I have read, they built hangars for them, and they have operated from there. They have used Anderson AFB in Guam and RAF Fairford as well.
All B-2's are based at Whiteman AFB, in Knob Noster, MO. Sorry....don't mean to be picky!
And yes, if the damn thing was put down at Diego, we would know about it.
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)Diego Garcia has extensive military installations and an airplane wouldn't even be able to get close to it without being revealed to the entire US military.
cherokeeprogressive
(24,853 posts)JI7
(89,252 posts)bluedigger
(17,086 posts)And I don't believe for a minute that we would do that. For one thing, there's the matter of the crew and passengers. If we just wanted the airframe, it would be a lot less messy to take a freight hauler.
That's enough creative speculation for me tonight.
pscot
(21,024 posts)to see if there was a rabbit in there.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Looking for that Wascawwy Wabbit?
No one here is getting the point beyond an idle, non sequitur musing.
pscot
(21,024 posts)Ex Lurker
(3,814 posts)jakeXT
(10,575 posts)US counter-terrorism teams are now pursuing the astonishing possibility that the plane and its 239 passengers were diverted to an undisclosed location 'with the intention of using it later for another purpose'.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2579524/Hijacked-hidden-US-counter-terror-officials-fear-plane-captured-debris-spotted-Chinese-ruled-new-data-reveals-airborne-FOUR-hours-vanishing.html
Ex Lurker
(3,814 posts)they wouldn't be doing their job, otherwise. But I think that one's extremely unlikely.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)pintobean
(18,101 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)For an arch reply. We'll see if your analysis has legs.
pintobean
(18,101 posts)if it turns out our military stole that aircraft.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Don't be toe defeetist just yet.
pintobean
(18,101 posts)and corny.
But, you're a shoe-in for DU's pun king.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)But Conversely, that's also just what a sock puppet would say. Who else would be punking me by subtly sneaking flattery into a shoe remark to step up his pun cred? Or was it intended as an insole-t? Hmmm...I may be tripping myself up by overthinking this...
pintobean
(18,101 posts)You are the pun all star!
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)hootinholler
(26,449 posts)They're only looking at the metatarsals.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)The DUzys are back!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024661490
pintobean
(18,101 posts)It was known as the 'Footprint To Freedom'. It's an incredibly beautiful island, but just about everything worth doing there can be done in a few days. After that, it became very boring.
This pic of the lagoon beach is my current desktop background.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)I hear you about it becoming boring. I've been to places that were great--but only briefly. I guess that's why we visit resorts on vacation and then go home.
By the way, I think I'm going to give this thread a rec--for our contributions.
CVN-68
(97 posts)Beautiful island. And you're right, every thing worth doing can be done is a matter of a few days.
pintobean
(18,101 posts)I enjoyed it there, but I think I would like it a lot more now. I'm no longer young, dumb, and... antsy.
CVN-68
(97 posts)Last time in, I believe, 89-90, not quite sure.
pintobean
(18,101 posts)It couldn't come into the lagoon. Liberty call looked like a long-ass boat ride for those guys.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Jeff In Milwaukee
(13,992 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)He really knows a lot a boot this subject.
pscot
(21,024 posts)baldguy
(36,649 posts)This has nothing to do with anything. Might as well start blaming the blue lizards from Zeta Reticuli & the MIBs.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Somebody should see if Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire have alibis!
MineralMan
(146,317 posts)A Malaysian airliner touching down on Diego Garcia and nobody reporting it. I haven't had a chuckle like that for quite some time.
Bravo!
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Others lead, I just follow with the humor I find. But I will take that as a compliment.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)undeterred
(34,658 posts)truth2power
(8,219 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)We have yet to find out what Sarah saw from her front porch.
truth2power
(8,219 posts)instead of posting some puerile allusion to Sarah Palin?
I swear, I have never seen such crankiness that's being displayed on this board over the subject of the missing airliner.
As for my part, I feel that when someone goes into a high dudgeon over something, it's a red flag that there might be more to the story than what's apparent on the surface.
Nobody has a definitive answer to what happened at this point.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)truth2power
(8,219 posts)I have to say that I've been a little cranky, myself, lately, because anyone who even suggests that Valdimir Putin can walk and chew gum at the same time is accused of having some sort of Putin love-fest.
And yet, if Obama does something heinous, like for instance murdering a 16 year old boy and then letting his very own spokesperson come out and say something utterly despicable, like, the boy, Abdulrahman, "should have had a more responsible father", he gets a pass, because, well...Lily Ledbetter.
One can't have it both ways. If the US Govt. must be supported at all costs here, then that would make DU nothing more than a lobby for the Democratic Party, and how could it be seen as a source for any objective truth?
But, I digress, and I don't want to derail this thread.
P.S. PintoBean says you were stationed on Diego Garcia. When I saw that picture, upthread, I thought, "Oh, wow!" After the winter we've had, I really crave being on a nice, sunny, beach. I was going to ask if tourists were allowed there, but I see from another post that the only way to get there is by military transport. Ah, well...
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)I wasn't stationed on Diegp Garcia, but littlewolf was (#87).
truth2power
(8,219 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)pintobean
(18,101 posts)pinboy is ex-military. Maybe he had something to do with this (black ops) and he's throwing out red herrings like a seal trainer.
Or, maybe he's amused at all the speculation and is just cracking jokes.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)I think that means that I have to kill you, but there are 10,232 ways in my covert op handbook, so this may take me a while. Please bear with me...
pintobean
(18,101 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)pintobean
(18,101 posts)I'm not nervous.
Pay no attention to Mary, she doesn't know what she's talking about.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)This was tried and tested in Boston with excellent results.
pintobean
(18,101 posts)I've got reflexes, guts, and a will of iron.
And, I've been training.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)You're gonna need an up-armored Humvee...or maybe a tank. Good luck!
CVN-68
(97 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)I Keds you not.
countryjake
(8,554 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)countryjake
(8,554 posts)Mule sandal the posts in this thread to the DOGS!
(see ya leather!)
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)I High Topped it up there and recc'd it.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)shanti
(21,675 posts)my bro was stationed there once. otherwise, there's zilch to do there.
littlewolf
(3,813 posts)the shelling and fishing were great.
beautiful sunsets, it was nice. a year tour was
a bit long. but have good memories.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Look at the truth that is staring you in the face!1!! You were surrounded by hijacker terrorists!1!! Just admit it!
littlewolf
(3,813 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)I wound up being extended for a few months in Panama and I loved it--though La Guardia Nacionale could be a real pain back in those days.
I hooked up with a singer--'Marquesita (Princess) Ube'-- in a classy club. She wanted to marry me, but I suspect that may have had something to do with my GI life insurance, as I was headed to Vietnam...
benld74
(9,904 posts)Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)What's wrong with you people?
CVN-68
(97 posts)Not too bad a place, very beautiful in my opinion.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)CVN-68
(97 posts)Army? Marine? Air Force? Navy?
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)I was a draftee at 18 who went on to lead an Infantry Platoon in VN combat at 20. WIA, disability retirement as a Captain.
CVN sounds like Navy--as my dad was in WWII.
CVN-68
(97 posts)Correct, CVN is an Attack Aircraft Carrier Nuclear.
Your dad was probably on a CV- Attack Aircraft Carrier.
I served aboard the USS Nimitz, the USS Ticonderoga, the USS Forestal, and the USS Kitty Hawk.
All, except the USS Nimitz, were CV's, IOW, conventionally powered.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)My uncles were in the thick of it as Army and Marine Infantry in WWII. My dad was an electrician's mate towing target barges for gunnery practice. They all served.
My niece's husband served on the Enterprise in the Gulf. I forget which color he was...
In Vietnam, my little brother served with me in the 101st Airborne Division.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Marine vets seeing the odd number will ask, "Oh, bad time?" But it wasn't bad time--he extended to do another tour on Oki.
bluestate10
(10,942 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Could it be any planar?
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)The humbugs all are telling you just how sorry you should be for wanting to entertain yourself in that manner! I am really starting to understand why some only do binary thinking around here and become irrational toward idle speculation.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)And sneaking a jumbo jet onto a U.S. airfield should be entertained as a real possibility. Our bad.
Rex
(65,616 posts)Own it, wear it. Control freaks are just so lame. I guess 'trash thread' is just too much for you to bare...someone might be out there entertaining themselves with idle speculation!
pintobean
(18,101 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Of course, we all know how much you're into shoes.
pintobean
(18,101 posts)That frank sumbitch at cc says he thinks I'm "light in the loafers". I say this indicates that he has a shoe fetish.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Even the OP author recognizes the humor in this. Remove that stick and set yourself free!
westerebus
(2,976 posts)Boots on the ground.
Now go find a wing walker and a coastie and we can call this meeting to order.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)westerebus
(2,976 posts)leeroysphitz
(10,462 posts)idendoit
(505 posts)Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)What a fun thread. You guys crack me up.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Do we know how to have fun or what?
Ruby the Liberal
(26,219 posts)pintobean
(18,101 posts)or something.
countryjake
(8,554 posts)to you!
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Some mistakenly think he's Catholic, but he's really an Anklecan.
countryjake
(8,554 posts)Damn, I gotta go cook supper now!
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Have fun cooking--I'm sure you'll nail it.
pintobean
(18,101 posts)thanks to the Good Feet Store.