So, somebody please explain the Able Danger story

[smoogatz]

There's a tantalizing account over at Raw Story--

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/WhitewashingProtection_of__0818.html

But I'm frankly a bit mystified. Why was the U.S. government training Atta and others of the 9/11 hijackers at U.S. military bases? What were they training them to do, exactly? Why was this information suppressed by the 9/11 Commission? It's baffling.

[JohnnyBoots]

1. A lot of odd stuff

[papau]

2. The CIA/Pentagon training ATTA at a "secure US Military base" causes some

to say hmmmmmmmm.....


"Or the reports that emerged in Newsweek, the Washington Post, and the New York Times that at least "five of the alleged hijackers received training in the 1990s at secure US military installations", including Mohamed Atta who attended International Officers School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

The US Air Force later argued that they "might not" be the same persons, due to some "biographical discrepancies" - which of course were never revealed to the public. When Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) tried to investigate, shocked at the possibility that Pensacola Naval Air Station could have hosted and trained Saeed Alghamdi, Ahmed Alghamdi, among others, he was told by the FBI - after several weeks - that they were trying to work through something "complicated and difficult."

Daniel Hopsicker, a former Producer at PBS Wall Street Week and investigative report at NBC News, decided to investigate. After pressing an official at the Defense Department, he was finally told: "I do not have the authority to tell you who attended which schools" - in other words, terrorists did train at secure US military installations, but who trained where is none of our concern. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that these people were, for reasons undisclosed, protected."

[smoogatz]

4. Fascinating stuff, and for some reason the first I've heard of it

Who was training these guys--and for what?

[snowbear]

5. It's was a fairly big story on CNN this morning...

I haven't watched it since then, so I'm not sure if they're still covering it.. but they covered it extensively this morning..

[snowbear]

3. Speaking of which.... a poll about that very thing!

Did the 9/11 Commission staffers hide information per Congressman Curt Weldon’s allegations?

Yes, they are purposely hiding potentially damaging information

Yes, they unknowingly neglected to report all the details

No, Weldon is seeking publicity so he can become chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee

No, the staffers hid nothing and were truthful

Don’t Know/Other

(Poll is halfway down on the left)

http://www.countypressonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14956881&BRD=2549&PAG=461&dept_id=514257&rfi=6

[frictionlessO]

6. 94.2 percent yes they purposely hid info... with about 150 votes...

sorta wow... I think??