Karl Rove's IT Guru Dies In Small Plane Crash 377
A dozen readers have submitted the story of the death in a plane crash of Mike Connell, Karl Rove's IT adviser, the man who set up and ran the gwb43.com mail server, and an important figure in GOP tech circles since 1997. The closest thing to straight reporting to be found in a mainstream media outlet is a piece from KDKA in Pittsburgh giving a detailed backgrounder on Connell's work for Rove, two generations of the Bush family, and many GOP congressmen and committees. CBSNews.com is now mirroring the KDKA reporting. Almost all the early media coverage comes from the left and some of it is frankly conspiratorial. Among the milder pieces (although it could not be called balanced) is this interview with Mark Crispin Miller, NYU professor and author of two books about the 2004 election in Ohio. Connell was compelled to testify on the day before the US election in a lawsuit involving Ohio election irregularities in 2004. Connell, an experienced pilot, died on Sunday when his plane crashed two miles short of the runway of Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio.
Accident? (Score:5, Funny)
But seriously, if anyone knew "too much," this guy could qualify.
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Interesting)
Yes, and a guy associated with the billion-dollar ponzi scheme also committed suicide... or, well... he was found with his wrists cut and had bled to death... the cause and nature of death has yet to be determined precisely.
As the Republican dynasty comes to an end, I think we will see more of this. Not to say that Democrats are clean and clear -- there were a number of "interesting deaths" surrounding the Clintons as well. I believe there is a lot of ugly truth associated with the rule of the U.S.A... we will never ever know the truth. Depresses me sometimes.
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afa clintons are concerned, the term coined was "arkancide" if I recall.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Insightful)
umm, the ponzi guy was an INVESTOR in the scheme. A scammee not a scammer.
I know of at least 3 bankers who have committed suicide recently, mostly from those banks whose funds have tanked. It's almost like the twenties.
The only "interesting deaths" surrounding the Clintons were those which their opponents tried to tar them with.
Not everything has to be a conspiracy. Aircraft do crash.
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Informative)
umm, the ponzi guy was an INVESTOR in the scheme. A scammee not a scammer.
I know of at least 3 bankers who have committed suicide recently, mostly from those banks whose funds have tanked. It's almost like the twenties.
There's an interesting post [frontierps...rist.co.uk] about that, which also points out that there wasn't a lot of bankers who committed suicide after the crash in 1929. Looks like that's a bit of an urban legend [straightdope.com].
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there wasn't a lot of bankers who committed suicide after the crash in 1929. Looks like that's a bit of an urban legend.
I suspect this be too. Who are these three bankers? Banks don't really seem to be held accountable to anyone [google.com] these days.
W
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I suspect this be too.
W
Re:Accident? (Score:4, Funny)
Or, he doesn't want you to find out he's a pirate.
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"Today, there are plenty of banks, and way too many bankers."
So you are suggesting we need some form of natural selection to winnow our crop of bankers, some sort of Malthusian correction for over population of bankers, with wrist slashing being a form of self selection versus natural selection? Seems a little harsh but greedy and incompetent bankers do seem to be threatening the survival of our species so it might be an appropriate response.
If you read Galbraith's "The Great Crash" it does discount the ur
The prospect of getting an honest job... (Score:3, Insightful)
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Not everything has to be a conspiracy. Aircraft do crash.
I'm glad somebody is being reasonable here.
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Interesting)
Yes, but when there's someone on them who has information that could expose a lot of fraud by powerful people, you have to entertain the possibility that it wasn't merely coincidence that this particular person died.
Airplanes crash, people have heart attacks, and good samaritans really do pick up hitchhiking transvetite prostitutes out of the goodness of their hearts. Doesn't mean that the version of the story you're told is how it really happened.
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When Steve Fossett's plane crashed, nobody speculated that he was killed so he would be unable to break any more world records. Granted, that while suicides and accidents surrounding those in power are always suspicious, some of the conspiracy theorists are little better than the 9/11 truthers.
The reason for the witness protection program... (Score:5, Insightful)
The reason for the Witness Protection Program is that people who have testified or are about to testify against powerful people often unexpectedly die under suspicious circumstances. This is a well documented phenomenon. The reason there isn't a World Record Setter Protection Program is that there are, AFAIK, no incidents of potential world record setters dying under suspicious circumstances.
Just last month Connell testified against some of the most powerful people on the planet, after years of their trying to prevent it, and he had just been called to testify again. The local news channel is also reporting that he recently told people that he thought his plane had been tampered with, and had refused to fly it twice since testifying.
-- MarkusQ
Re:The reason for the witness protection program.. (Score:4, Funny)
Maybe the airplane turned to chocolate in midair, and can't be found because it crashed in Hershey, PA.
Just a equally likely possibility.
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Funny)
Not everything has to be a conspiracy. Aircraft do crash.
Is that a threat?
Your dinner date with bankers (Score:3, Funny)
I know of at least 3 bankers who have committed suicide recently, mostly from those banks whose funds have tanked.
I know a frequent mantra on Slashdot is, "Correlation does not mean causality." But, being that a butt-load of bankers are getting off free for the mess that they have created, and that they are now collecting millions in bonuses from taxpayer money, you might have a needed talent. Can I ask you a favor?
Can you please get to know more bankers?
On the serious side, Credit Suisse announced that their bonuses would be paid out in . . . toxic securities.
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Funny)
Not everything has to be a conspiracy. Aircraft do crash.
<whisper mode="conspiratorial">
That's exactly what they want you to think...
</whisper>
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Yeah man, it's all a lie man. The government [i]says[/i] that planes crash, but have [i]you[/i] ever been in airplane crash, or ever seen one? I bet you haven't, not first hand man, just on video and shit that can be faked, cuz' that's all it is man, it's [i]faked[/i]. Modern aircraft are incapable of landing, they can't even touch the ground, they just hover cuz' of all the alien technology from Area 51... they're really [i]flying saucers[/i].
they're running our government, you know. The Greys. They're out
Re:Accident? (Score:4, Insightful)
Not everything has to be a conspiracy. Aircraft do crash.
True. And people do conspire, and some conspiracies entail assassination.
People misuse the term "conspiracy theory". A "conspiracy theory" isn't just any theory that entails a conspiracy. It's a theory that entails an impractical conspiracy, e.g., one that involves people cooperating who have good reason to distrust each other, or in which impractically large, or which involves people ignoring obvious opportunity costs.
M. de la Villehuchet invested a billion dollars in Mr. Madoff's fund ... but not of his own money. It is most likely the M. de la Villehuchet killed himself because of shame. However, his position with respect to Mr. Madoff's fund was similar to that of Mr. Madoff himself -- as long as the fund was making money, he was doing well. When it stopped making money, most of the losses wouldn't have been his. So, it is not at all illogical for him to have been a conspirator.
What is lacking is any specific evidence. If I were investigating, I'd certainly look for evidence. That doesn't mean the evidence exists, only that it might exist. That's the other feature of true conspiracy theories: the confusion of consistency with evidence.
With respect to Mr. Connell, it is most likely that this is just another aviation accident. There are many simpler means of getting rid of people, ones that don't involve teams of trained investigators going over the death site. The simplest of course is just to disappear somebody. Of course, that pretty much tips your hand. A staged suicide, or a fall down a flight of stairs would be simpler. That's yet another aspect of the conspiracy theory: it posits people doing things in complicated ways when simpler, more reliable ones are readily available.
That said, if I were investigating the accident, I'd certainly look for foul play. It's unlikely, but clever people do sometimes do things in a way so clever its stupid.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist. The simplest theory that fits the facts in hand is the most likely. However, it is important to collect more than the facts in hand, because people do conspire to do bad things and do cover them up. It is on that general principle, rather than the specific circumstances, that the possibility of conspiracy has to be entertained.
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This is why I believe that fraud should be treated as one of the worst offenses in our society. Why is it if I put on a mask and grab a gun and rob a bank without killing anyone is it punished more than someone who steals magnitudes more money, leading to suicides, bankruptcies, and a lack of trust in the markets.
I'm pretty conservative when it comes to business, and I'd like to see SarbOx repealed or at least have a ton of fixup done to it to reduce the huge burden it imposes, and would generally like to
Banker Suicides (Score:3, Informative)
Kirk Stephenson, Olivant Advisers.
Edward Mattar, BestBank.
Alex Widmer, Bank Julius Baer.
It's called G-O-O-G-L-E. Try it some time.
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Informative)
...there were a number of "interesting deaths" surrounding the Clintons as well.
Snopes [snopes.com] disputes that.
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I've had access to all kinds of confidential stuff, stuff that would probably be important to all kinds of different people. From sealed court records to nuclear power plant documents to (currently) all the inside numbers of a major insurance something-or-other. (I have no idea what my company does, just that they're a big player in insurance and have lots of numbers that need taking care of, which is what I do)
Anyways, I can't make heads or tails of 99% of any of the confidential stuff I have or have had
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I forgot to add the point of all that - is that I really doubt he 'knew too much'.
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Do you have an eBay account? ;)
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I don't see any reason to believe there's a conspiracy here, but there's a point here you're missing. If there were a conspiracy, any incriminating emails, faxes or other documents would be extremely obvious to them. And, of course, it would only be natural for them to expect that anybody else who saw them would realize how important they were. Add to that the lack of understanding of what IT people real
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Interesting)
RTFA. His friends were warning him that his plane could be sabotaged, and he'd already cancelled some flights for fear that this might happen. He DID know too much, and had access to the missing emails that Rove desparately wanted to remain lost forever. And Connell is likely one of the only IT staff with the knowledge and ability to recover that mailstore. Not saying that this couldn't possibly be an accident, just that it's pretty damned suspicious, that's all.
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Interesting)
Does anyone really think this was an accident?
Not to go all Paul Wellstone [wikipedia.org] on everyone, but rawstory is reporting [rawstory.com] that "45-year-old Republican operative and experienced pilot had been warned not to fly his plane in the days before the crash."
From PRNewsWire [prnewswire.com]:
Alternet reports [alternet.org] the following exchange on Amy Goodman's program Democracy Now:
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Informative)
From PRNewsWire:
FYI PRNewsWire is exactly what it sounds like - a clearing house for press releases. Anyone get an "article" published on PRNewsWire by simply paying the appropriate fee. I think there was even an exploit of that fact a few years back when someone paid for a forged press release from a big-name company in order to manipulate the stock market.
Another interesting point - geography of the area (Score:5, Interesting)
I live near Akron Canton airport. This happened maybe 15 miles from my house.
Most of the land around Akron and North Canton is farmland. There is a sizable Amish and Mennonite population in that area. It's a lot of cleared land and cornfields around AC.
If you were to run out of gas on approach there are dozens of places to set down a single engine airplane. It's mostly cornfields.
That was the part that first struck me about this story. If you knew you wouldn't make the airport...you'd have to be pretty damn unlucky to not find a decent place to set down. With any luck you might even manage an old county access road and salvage the plane.
Re:Another interesting point - geography of the ar (Score:5, Insightful)
I think you're mistaken. I also live in this area, and work nearby.
While I'm sure there may be a few Amish/Mennonites, they certainly aren't there in any large number. The area around is airport has some farming, but has just as many housing developments and undeveloped land (with trees). It is also isn't flat. Map here http://tinyurl.com/8otcxn [tinyurl.com]
Let's not try to play armchair quarterback too much. He obviously had an incentive to not crash. He lived in Bath, so he flew into the airport a lot and was probably familiar with the area. If safely landing in a field was available to him, I'm sure he would have taken advantage of the opportunity instead of crashing into a residential neighborhood like he did (he hit a vacant house). It was night, so he probably would have had a hard time spotting a field.
Connell knew of some danger. (Score:5, Interesting)
When I talked with Cliff and Bob the day after the first deposition a few months ago, they reported that Mike Connell tried to avoid answering their questions.
They were looking forward to subsequent depositions in order to get better information.
We all had similar observations about Connell's situation: It seemed very very dangerous to him, and we were concerned for his safety. We were hoping to get better information more quickly in order to limit the amount of time during which Mr. Connell would be under threat.
This plane crash comes as no surprise to any of us.
Living in Columbus, we in the election protection community have witnessed several activities firsthand that give us pause.
We have, for instance, photographic records of some of the punchcard ballots in the 2004 election, before they were destroyed in direct violation of a court order as well as the orders of the new secretary of state.
Re:Accident? (Score:5, Informative)
[snip] We're told that his plane was running out of gas, which is a little bit odd for a highly experienced pilot like Connell
Not even remotely odd. Fuel starvation is probably the single most common cause of "unplanned landings." And I use the term "starvation" because...
when the plane went down, there was an explosion, a fireball that actually charred and pocked some of the house fronts in the neighborhood
"Starvation" means "not getting gas to the engine." It doesn't mean "out of gas," just that no fuel is being delivered. Frequently, starvation occurs when the pilot fails to switch from an empty fuel tank to a full tank.
The Piper Saratoga Mr. Connell was flying would have a tank in each wing, but would be fed from one or the other at any given time. Run one tank dry, and he'd have to manually switch to the other. If he were distracted (say, by the engine stopping), he might not have realized that he had fuel in the other tank.
According to the FAA registry, Michael Louis Connell held a Private Pilot--Airplane Single-Engine Land certificate with an Instrument Airplane rating. He was required to wear corrective lenses to exercise the privileges of his pilot certificate.
I don't have a weather report for the Akron-Canton airport at the time of the crash, but I don't think it matters. I'm willing to bet that the NTSB reports that the fuel selector valve was set to an empty tank. Just poor fuel management.
cut the conspiracy theory nonsense (Score:5, Funny)
This was definitely an accident. You see, Connell was involved in Rove's secret plot to cut the underwater cables in the Mediterranean, and was flying out to intercept the repair crew when he crashed.
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Connell: "Karl help me out!
Rove: "Done and done. Now here's your new papers and just stay out of sight...."
Bah.. it was the weather (Score:2)
men. Sorry - Had to! ;)
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Screw Balance. (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously. Screw Balance. Don't kowtow to some asshole who disagrees with you just because he says you're not reporting fairly. Know your biases, know them well, and know how to counteract them. As for the readers, know your biases and know or at least anticipate the author's biases.
"Balance" is for people who want to be heard, even when they know they're lying. It's for people with persecution complexes who have no business having them. "Balance" is reporting that Wall Street needs $700 billion, but auto workers are paid too much. "Balance" is promoting two sides as equal when they're not, or promoting two sides when an issue is more complex than that.
How many times have we IT people complained about unfair, ill-informed, hyped, or spun news articles about us? Why is this exact same tactic on the front page here? "Almost all the media coverage comes from the left and some of it is frankly conspiratorial." Marginalization and a thinly veiled ad-hominem attack? When did slashdot start culling from the mainstream?
"Balance" is bullshit, truth is paramount.
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"Balance is bullshit, truth is paramount."
To whose truth, then, should i subscribe?
All I have to go on is what is reported in the media, and what I can see with my own eyes.
How can you EVER know that what is being reported is the truth?
Re:Screw Balance. (Score:5, Insightful)
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Balance is when you get the facts without a ration of sanctimonious bullshit opinion.
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Without balance, there is no truth. Balance is telling all sides of the story fairly, so that the audience can learn all about the story, rather than just the part of it that fits your political agenda. As a rather extreme example, a far left wing reporter might put out a story that President Bush has been communicating with members of the armed forces without going through the DoD, and make it sound like he's planning a coup to stay in office. A balanced repor
Re:Screw Balance. (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, balance is about weight, so the point is to give the various sides of the arguments the weights they actually deserve and not treating them all as equal, which happens far too much when people claim to be "balanced."
The perfect example is the Intelligent Design vs. Evolution debate. The fact that some outlets try to put them on the same level and treat them as equal, but opposite opinions is not balanced reporting.
Re:Screw Balance. (Score:5, Funny)
*Fair* is a different story. A *fair* assessment would assign accurate weights to the two sides, which would (gasp) leave an unbalanced situation[2]. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
[1] Assuming any issue is simple enough for a two-sided debate, which would be plane wrong.
[2] As shown by the Evolutionary Theory (ET) vs. Intelligent Design (ID) debate, as follows logically:
1. According to evolutionists, birds evolved from dinosaurs.
2. According to established truth (even ID'ers don't deny it), ducks are birds.
3. Logically then, it follows that ET can be represented by a duck.
4. Some "news" outlets claim to be fair and balanced, by assigning equal weight to ET and ID.
5. Picture a large scale, with ET and ID balanced equally.
6. Now visualize the same scale, with ET represented by a duck.
6. Obviously, since ID weighs the same or more than the duck, it is a witch. Burn it!
Now, Sir Gore, tell me again how sheep's bladders can be used to prevent global warming?
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The problem is when you tell all sides equally you give equal credence to the lies.
After enough lies are told, nobody can tell what is the truth anymore. Then you have true balance, because everything sounds the same whether it is true or not. And nobody can tell the difference.
This is pretty much where we are today.
Re:Screw Balance. (Score:4, Insightful)
You're awesome, thank you.
Only on slashdot would pointing out grossly obvious tinfoil-hattery be considered an 'ad hominem' attack.
- fact: plane crashed
- fact: cause for the crash is undetermined.
- everything else: guesses
Didn't one of the guys who flew around the world also just die in a light plane crash? That was presumably sabotage too?
New slogan:
Slashdot "The closest thing to straight reporting..." - why would we care? And if you suggest we care, I'm going to take it as a personal insult.
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Also, if these types of stories aren't to your liking but others here are, it takes marginal intelligence to disregard them BEFORE clicking.
This is how the gov't gets away with this crap (Score:5, Insightful)
Because it's always just a conspiracy theory.
No need to investigate anything. Nobody has a reason to want this guy dead or anything. And lordy lordy the government would NEVER do anything unethical or illegal.
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I don't mind conspiracy theories, but there needs to be something more than allegations, accusations and somebody's suspicion. Unfortunately, most conspiracy theorists tend to simply discount any evidence that goes against the beliefs they entrenched themselves in long before any evidence existed. Their conspiracies only grow as time goes on to encompass anything that doesn't fit in their theory. This means that even if they happen to hit on the truth--and I don't doubt that somewhere in the pantheon of
Occam's Razor (Score:5, Insightful)
When a mouse in a house full of cats dies, the simpler explanation isn't that he suddenly lost the will to live.
The Razor is for simplicity. Your need to reaffirm your faith in the humanity of those in power is irrelevant.
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Which is simpler? One man having an accident, or several, perhaps dozens of people conspiring to fake said accident? Strictly speaking, an accident is still the 'simpler' theory by Occam's definition.
Assumptions. (Score:5, Insightful)
False dichotomy.
What is it with people and the assumption that sabotage requires an elaborate chess game complete with blueprints, secret agents, wiretapping, and van full of CIA listening equipment?
It takes one man with a fucking match to burn down a house.
It takes only one mechanic with a desperate need to pay his family's medical bills to snip an important wire.
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"t takes one man with a fucking match to burn down a house.
It takes only one mechanic with a desperate need to pay his family's medical bills to snip an important wire."
Hmmm
And how many people does it take to find the mechanic?
Only One (Score:5, Insightful)
Karl Rove. Come on, give the guy some credit.
The guy ran oppo [wikipedia.org] for the Republican party. They guy know who to talk to, and how to get information. He has is own databases of personal information on people - check his website and his own polling data.
He is fully capable of doing his own leg work with his own resources.
If *I* know what I would need to do to get the info needed to manipulate only one guy, Karl Rove better know, or the Republican party is overpaying him!
Re:Assumptions. (Score:5, Insightful)
And how many people does it take to find the mechanic?
Depends how big your HR department is when hiring secret agents.
Secret agents exist. We know this. It's not a theory. It's a career path.
Their job is to conspire and execute conspiracies.
And another of their jobs, incidentally, is to perform psyops on the public. --To make people believe convenient things. Things like, "Occam can be used to justify ignorance, despite the fact that he was a 13th century monk who invented his razor to prove the existence of God." And, "People who think about conspiracy theories must be excluded from society and punished with ridicule."
Stuff like that. Only retards and suckers don't grasp this basic notion, which is pretty much everybody.
If you find this hard to understand, then you are a retard or a sucker. I'm not trying to be mean. I'm pointing out the obvious which has been hidden through a clever manipulation of your herd-instincts. Psyops 101. People need to engage that shiny and modern, neo-cortex and stop acting like dumb apes.
-FL
Re:Assumptions. (Score:5, Funny)
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Really when it comes down to it, i'd say the set of possible accidents has a greater probability of one of them occuring than the set of possible conspiracies. Many accidents can be single instance probabilities where any conspiracy would have to involve compounded probabilities to actually BE a conspiracy (IE the [minimum two] conspiring parties have to pull off their own ends for the whole of the conspiracy to be considered successful). In the end this is meaningless though as for all the probability in t
Occam was a goon (Score:5, Insightful)
Which is simpler? One man having an accident, or several, perhaps dozens of people conspiring to fake said accident? Strictly speaking, an accident is still the 'simpler' theory by Occam's definition.
Compartmentalization is the key to managing a massive secret endeavor without anybody knowing enough to even realize they're part of a conspiracy. You only need a couple of guys at the top to know anything real. Anybody else who learns too much, you can always send on trip in a small plane. . .
Anyway, Occam's razor is flawed. --It was an argument designed by a 13th century monk to logically prove the existence of God. In short: Every explanation for anything which ever happens is more complicated and contains more steps than simply saying, "God". Thus, according to Occam's razor, God exists. It's a broken argument and the fact that people in the science community use it is embarrassing enough, but thanks to Jodi Foster, people in the much more densely populated, "Church of Science" use it all the time and actually think it means something other than, "I'm right because I allow the world of possibilities to end where my ignorance begins." AKA, "Bullshit".
Here's another way of looking at it. . .
When you measure the various likelihoods of an event happening via Occam, you are limited to your present data set and knowledge of the world. People have the bloody conceit to assume that things which they do not know about are less likely to exist than things they do know about; which is of course, ego-driven nonsense. A three year-old who doesn't know about electron guns and phosphorus but who does know about puppet theaters could use Occam's Razor to deduce some fairly laughable things about television sets.
Just because you can't imagine a thing doesn't mean that thing isn't a possibility, or indeed, a likelihood. Occam's razor is simply a clever way of justifying self-satisfied ignorance.
And THAT is my axe now well-ground to it's own razor's edge. Thank-you for indulging me and Merry Christmas! Jesus died for you! Occam said so.
-FL
Re:Occam was a goon (Score:5, Insightful)
Poppycock, you're simply justifying your own self-satisfied ignorance.
Occams razor it's a tool for logical thinking. Like any such tool it's usefullness depends on the accuracy and breadth of the users assumptions. In the 11th century religion and science were the same thing so it's no surprise an 11th century Monk would assume God exists, and that "God did it" is the simplest answer.
Even if Occam were as mad as the March hare it still does not invalidate his tool. Do you dismiss Newton's "Prinipa Mathematica" because he stuck pins in his eyes, had alchemic visions, and wrote over a million words on the meaning of the number 666?
Personally I like Einstein's version of the razor, "as simple as possible but no simpler", but I suppose you think he is just another religious nutcase because of his well know desire to "know the mind of God".
Re:Occam was a goon (Score:5, Insightful)
Poppycock, you're simply justifying your own self-satisfied ignorance.
So you disagree with me then? Fair enough.
Like any such tool it's usefullness depends on the accuracy and breadth of the users assumptions. In the 11th century religion and science were the same thing so it's no surprise an 11th century Monk would assume God exists, and that "God did it" is the simplest answer.
Yes, and that was exactly my point. --Which makes me wonder what part of my comment you found objectionable? Was it my tone?
Occam's Razor is a logical tool which is only exacting when used within a closed system of fully known, understood and controlled facts. But the world is not fully known or controlled, rendering it little more than a somewhat helpful rule of thumb for serious researchers feeling their way through difficult problems and who need any kind of help they can grasp. My objection, however, is that it is most often misused (around these parts anyway), as though it were a veritable Wand of Truth to dispense with any ideas which create discomfort in the layman thinker, hence my comment about ignorance. I don't see what you have to disagree with other than my tone, which I admit, was a bit snarly. I apologize for that.
-FL
Re:Occam's Razor (Score:5, Insightful)
Occam's Razor would lead to the conclusion that the only reason this story was posted to slashdot was to boost ad impressions due to partisan bickering.
Money quote from linked KDKA article: (Score:5, Insightful)
>It was later learned that
>Ohio Secretary of State
>Kenneth Blackwell's office
>had routed Internet traffic
>from county election offices
>through out-of-state servers
>based at SMARTech in
>Chattanooga, Tenn.
>SMARTech hosts dozens of GOP Web domains.
I can't see any positive way to spin this.
Re:Money quote from linked KDKA article: (Score:4, Interesting)
I can't see any positive way to spin this.
"In his grave," seems to be working well enough for the administration.
Helluva retirement plan.
-FL
Condolences (Score:3, Insightful)
Condolences to his family and friends. No matter what you think of someone's politics, its always sad when someone dies.
Re:Condolences (Score:5, Insightful)
Newest Ninjalistics news story pertains to this (Score:5, Funny)
The newest article posted on Ninjalistics (your leading supplier of ISO 9000-compliant corporate espionage and assassination services) is, "Six additional political operatives die in separate accidents unrelated to Karl Rove [ninjalistics.com]."
Re: (Score:2)
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Say what now?
Disappointing title (Score:2, Funny)
Why Is This Front Page News (Score:5, Insightful)
Dunno why this made it on the front page of Slashdot.
First off, it's old news. Mike Connell died a few days ago, at least someone could have reported it in a timely manner.
Secondly, there's really only two reasons people take much of an interest in Mike Connell. The first is that he developed technology for use in politics. Second is the whole 2004 mess, where he has been accused of voter fraud in Ohio (and allegedly in Florida).
Too much importance is given to Mike Connell and his 'role' in various things. He was a web designer, he ran a technology company, just like me and a lot of people who read Slashdot. The fact that he worked in politics is just another detail about his life (his relationship with teh turdblossom aside). He was also a board member of the American Association of Political Consultants. While listening to him speak could be entertaining, his ideas about ways to use the Internet never really struck me as anything new that hadn't already been done better by someone else.
It just makes me sad that people want to remember him for all these 'scandals' and that his notability is based on innunendo and rumor instead of the actual accomplishments in his life. I mean, I am a Dem and have no love for the man, but it is just rotten to think this is how people choose to remember him. Reducing him to a rumor of some wrongdoing and despising him over his dealings is just another way of dehumanizing the man, and people should be above that.
M
Re: (Score:2)
Seriously? The man probably isn't in the rgound yet and his death is "old news"?
I now believe political murder is real in America (Score:5, Insightful)
I now believe that assassination is a frequent political tool in America. I thought for years that Castro ordered the death of JFK until I saw the video (possibly now on YouTube) of the film interview with Lyndon Johnson's mistress. I now believe Kennedy was killed by the Rockefellers and Lyndon Johnson. There is much more in the interview, which everyone should see. For some reason it is not being talked about-- probably because years of crackpot "conspiracy theorists" have made even supportable theories about conspiracy suspect.
What Lyndon's mistress has to say is jaw-dropping and highly credible. Of course, for interested parties to deny or combat it would be to promote it, so that's not happening.
This interview gives a picture of American politics I never believed until I heard this straightforward, plain-talking woman. Political murder CAN happen and DOES happen-- often-- in the US. Now I am deeply questioning the official stories about Vince Foster, JFK, and now Mike Connell. Does anyone believe Karl Rove would not stoop to murder? The movie Bush's Brain makes it clear his ruining of opponents caused one or more suicides, yet in threatening to prosecute Connell's wife (for illegal lobbying !!!!!!!!!) (and as much as admitting he can give or withhold presidential pardons) he shows his tactics haven't changed a bit. I now believe Scooter Libby was persuaded to "take the fall" by threats of being ruined and by promises of a pardon if he bit the bullet.
We, the American people, have to wonder about the inadequacies of our political system (or the easy-to-abuse mighty power of the Presidency) that allow these corruptions to happen. I believe that Rove and Cheney are despicable murderers. This "accident" with Connell just proves it. This is what happens when you aren't a good boy like Scooter Libby.
America, we need to look at the issue of political murder and the frequency of its use for advantage.
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I now believe orcs and elves are realities in our world. I thought for years that they had died out until I saw the movie (possibly now on YouTube) directed by Peter Jackson based on the notes of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien went in to excellent detail outlining the lives of these people and their history. There is much more on the subject than Jackson was able to film, which everyone should read for themselves.
Sometimes people tell really good stories. And sometimes people really want to believe those stori
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This person was present in the long lines operation center when Johnson's first call came through from Air Force One immediately after he was sworn in.
The operator motioned for him to listen in. Johnson was giving his first executive order after becoming president. He was asking to be patched through.
What
Letting the useless ones go free (Score:2)
Figures: the guy who actually KNOWS and can DO stuff gets his ticket punched, and the one who knows NOTHING except how to expertly manipulate people gets a pass.
Atavism: 1
Evolution: 0
Not a chance in hell (Score:2, Insightful)
Anyone who says this is NOT a conspiracy needs their heads examined.
Wow, if they keep bumping off their IT guys... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Wow, if they keep bumping off their IT guys... (Score:4, Insightful)
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Somehow I don't think that would work. Although it does make me think of that Simpsons episode where Homer became the union leader.
Homer: What's the job pay?
Carl: Nothing.
Homer: D'oh!
Carl: Unless you're crooked.
Homer: Woohoo!
Nothing to see... Move along... (Score:4, Informative)
The most obvious thing that points to it being a "convenient accident" is that the guy himself was afraid for his life and his lawyer was trying to get him into witness protection at the time.
Sad but true. It's unfortunately all too easy to make bad things happen with aircraft, cars, and other potentially dangerous machinery(WHY he was even flying in the first place...) Selling your soul and playing with fire... well, these sorts of things do happen. I'd feel sorry for him, but I think he should have known what was going to likely happen to him when he started down this path back then.
left-view reporting does not imply unbalanced (Score:4, Insightful)
Just because lefties think [asinine action of the week] is a righty conspiracy doesn't imply that it's not a conspiracy. And vice versa.
Just because righties deny that [convenient coincidence of the week] is a conspiracy doesn't imply that it is a conspiracy. And vice versa.
And vice versa.
Applying critical thought to what each side says is not unbalanced reporting. Reporters, in general, are in a much better position to connect the dots than is the general public.
Not giving the other side a chance to rebut, on the other hand, is unbalanced reporting. However, the rebuttal does not have to be in the same article. Ideally, there would be N+1 articles, one for each side and one where critical thought is applied.
anyone else read this and think don't work for GOP (Score:3, Insightful)
Reality is not balanced (Score:3, Insightful)
Among the milder pieces (although it could not be called balanced)
Balanced reporting is bullshit, because reality is not balanced. For example, the fact that some people think the earth is 6000 years old doesn't imply that the media has to mention this every time they report on some archeological dig. The mere fact that an opinion exists doesn't mean that it's worth reporting.
where's the killswitch server? (Score:5, Interesting)
If he knew he was sitting on secrets; knew (or suspected) people were out to get him; and was a geek:
Where's the killswitch server? You know, the server sitting quietly somewhere that needs you to login once a week or so or it automatically dumps all that incriminating material onto a website and emails a few news outlets.
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DON'T FLY YOUR OWN AIRPLANE!!!
Yeah, fly someone elses.. I suggest United or America Airlines..
Too soon?
Re:Seriously... (Score:5, Funny)
DON'T FLY YOUR OWN AIRPLANE!!!
And if you must, have the server backup media shipped by alternate means.
Re:Hmmm..... (Score:4, Insightful)
If Ohio went for Kerry, the economy would have gotten blamed on the Democrats.
Re:Hmmm..... (Score:4, Insightful)
If Florida went for Gore, none of this crap would have happened and the national debt would still be going down as it did under Clinton.
Re:Hmmm..... (Score:5, Funny)
Like Monica?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
If you think Clinton had nothing to do with this mess, please read up on the repeal of the Glass-Steagall act which got the economy into the mess it is in now. Democrats are pretty slick at tiptoeing around this bit of history.
http://www.progressivehistorians.com/2007/11/bill-clintons-role-in-mortgage-crisis.html [progressiv...orians.com]
Re:Hmmm..... (Score:4, Interesting)
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Re:Unpossible! (Score:4, Funny)
"WOIO correspondent Blake Chenault also reported that twice in the past two months Connell, who was an experienced pilot, canceled flights because of suspicious problems with his plane."
"The CIA and the FBI are far too good."
Three shots, one kill.
Amatures ;-).
Re:I'll be happy to pay back (Score:4, Insightful)
They are slandering Rove.
Only if the claims are false.