# Another One for the Memory Hole? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 11, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644 "2004-05-11T16:42:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/21 "2004-05-11T20:13:45Z")
> [@Razorsharp](#): > > “do **us** a favor”?? What’s this “us” business? Are you all on the same team or something? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/22 "2004-05-11T20:26:22Z")
> [@Razorsharp](#): > > “do **us** a favor”?? What’s this “us” business? Are you all on the same team or something? Is this really that hard for you, RS? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/23 "2004-05-11T21:01:34Z")
> [@Razorsharp](#): > > Let’s see… Ryder truck, police chase, driver will not stop, throws vial of “unknown fuel source” from vehicle, “learn to fly” brochure in truck, occupants are foreign nationals that refuse to cooperate. One gives fake Florida drivers license, another gives false identification. > > And you’re scratchin’ your heads? Sounds to me like you’re just too embarrassed to explicitly write down your own theory. Spell it out. Let’s hear why you think Israelis/Jews are behind terror attacks in the US. Don’t hide behind weasel words. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/24 "2004-05-11T21:02:54Z")
> [@Razorsharp](#): > > Here the deal on that. If the occupants of the vehicle were named Akmed and Mohammad, you wouldn’t be asking that question. Since simply not knowing what’s in a vial doesn’t make me assume it’s anthrax or red kryptonite or whatever, then yes, I’d ask why a vial is news. Because it isn’t news, whether the people who have it are Arab, Jewish, or whatever. When there’s more reason to believe it might be harmful beyond the ethnicity of those holding it, then it’s news. Until then, it doesn’t get through my “who gives a fuck” filter. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_B.Phart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Capt\_B.Phart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_B.Phart)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/25 "2004-05-11T21:32:43Z")
> [@Razorsharp](#): > > …Israelis who were caught videotaping and celebrating the attack on the WTC with what were described as “cries of joy and mockery” Ah, that will be because, according to Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif “Al-Qaeda is backed by Israel and Zionism” [(from this blog)](http://muttawa.blogspot.com/) ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/26 "2004-05-11T21:36:01Z")
> [@](#): > > “do us a favor”?? What’s this “us” business? Are you all on the same team or something? Me, and the several other posters who have stated they have no idea what you are going on about. What’s so hard to understand? I’ll ask again: what is your theory about the news story you posted? Specifically, what do you think the two Israelis were really up to, and why do you accuse the media of suppressing it? ---
**Author:** ![Razorsharp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@Razorsharp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razorsharp)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/27 "2004-05-11T21:39:56Z")
> [@Mr. Miskatonic](#): > > I’m not laughing with you. Oh, I know that, for it is you, in your self-assigned role as a watchdog for Neo-Israel, that is causing me to chuckle. Like I said, had it been Akmed and Mohammed driving the Ryder truck, you wouldn’t be here making sarcastic remarks about a sheriff’s concern over a vial thrown from the truck. But, being that they were Neo-Israelis, then the sheriff is acting like an ignorant hick. (Yes, you make me chuckle) But then, had it been Akmed and Mohammed, neither would I be here, because the “big three” would have found this incident newsworthy. > [@](#): > > Is this really that hard for you, RS? Quite the contrary, this is easy for me. ---
**Author:** ![Razorsharp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@Razorsharp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razorsharp)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/28 "2004-05-11T21:58:36Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Since simply not knowing what’s in a vial doesn’t make me assume it’s anthrax or red kryptonite or whatever, then yes, I’d ask why a vial is news. > > Because it isn’t news, whether the people who have it are Arab, Jewish, or whatever. > > When there’s more reason to believe it might be harmful beyond the ethnicity of those holding it, then it’s news. Until then, it doesn’t get through my “who gives a fuck” filter. Good Lord in heaven, it’s news because they tossed it while being chased by police. They threw out the vile in an attempt to keep the police from finding it. That doesn’t raise any suspicion in you? Sheesh. And “Dopers” are supposed to be so smart. Well, it is sort of self-proclaimed. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/29 "2004-05-11T22:01:14Z")
So, **Razorsharp** , are you going to frame a position for debate or not? So far the only thing that I can see (and I have to squint to see it) is that you are asking if reactions would be the same if the guys were named “Akmed and Mohammad”. That is a question better suited for IMHO. So either start a debate or ask for the thread to be moved. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/30 "2004-05-11T22:08:36Z")
> [@Razorsharp](#): > > Good Lord in heaven, it’s news because they tossed it while being chased by police. They threw out the vile in an attempt to keep the police from finding it. That doesn’t raise any suspicion in you? Sheesh. > > And “Dopers” are supposed to be so smart. Well, it is sort of self-proclaimed. Maybe local news like where you appropriately found it, but you think "CBS, NBC, ABC or any divisions of the “Ministry of Truth” should cover every incident in whole country where people run from the police or try to hide something from them? How rare do you think those incidents are? ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/31 "2004-05-12T00:38:23Z")
> [@Razorsharp](#): > > Like I said, had it been Akmed and Mohammed driving the Ryder truck, you wouldn’t be here making sarcastic remarks about a sheriff’s concern over a vial thrown from the truck. But, being that they were Neo-Israelis, then the sheriff is acting like an ignorant hick. (Yes, you make me chuckle) > > But then, had it been Akmed and Mohammed, neither would I be here, because the “big three” would have found this incident newsworthy.Quite the contrary, this is easy for me. Ah, yes, behold the edifice of our friends reasoning – supposition stacked on assumption buttressed by preconception. What **Minty G** said, _supra._. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/32 "2004-05-12T01:52:44Z")
**RS** , amid your tiresome xenophobic rant (is there supposed to be a debate, here), you are not impressing anyone with your persistent misspelling of Ahmed. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/33 "2004-05-12T02:44:52Z")
> [@](#): > > The sheriff said he saw the men throw something from the truck while they were being pursued. Officers scouring the area later found a vial containing an unknown substance along the roadway, he said. > > Lawson said the vial contained a “fuel source,” but he added that it hasn’t been identified and authorities were treating it with caution. The first thing that popped into my mind when I read this was “drugs.” One of the final steps in manuracturing methamphetamine is dissolving the mixture gained thus far into a jar of lye and Coleman fuel. If such a jar was being transported it’s highly likely the carriers would throw it out the window if being followed. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/34 "2004-05-12T03:03:42Z")
There’s a _Neo_-Israel now? Is that like New Mexico or something? Or did Keanu Reeves convert? We’re through the looking glass, people. It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma stuffed into a big yucky sweatsock. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/35 "2004-05-12T03:16:57Z")
The more I think about it…dissolving the mixture into the lantern fuel is the last step before the stuff is diluted and “cooked” at high heat to extract the methamphetamine from the fuel. It’s the cooking that stinks to high heaven and attracts unwanted attention; it’s entirely possible the men had done the preliminary mixing at one location and intended to do the final cooking someplace more rural. The “fuel source” is likely something conventional like lantern fuel if identified as such by a Tennesse county sherriff. I don’t think they’d recognize U-235. Idle speculation, but if I were an FBI agent I’d look into that angle. ---
**Author:** ![Razorsharp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@Razorsharp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razorsharp)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/36 "2004-05-12T11:47:27Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Maybe local news like where you appropriately found it, but you think "CBS, NBC, ABC or any divisions of the “Ministry of Truth” should cover every incident in whole country where people run from the police or try to hide something from them? How rare do you think those incidents are? Incidents, as you describe them, are not that rare. What separates this incident from the majority is foreign nationals fleeing from the police, tossing a vial containing a suspicious substance from the vehicle, giving false names and using fake IDs, in possession of “learn to fly” brochures, all at the time that America is in a state of heightened alert for acts of terrorism. See the difference? ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/37 "2004-05-12T11:52:26Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > The first thing that popped into my mind when I read this was “drugs.” Same here. Meth in particular, which is especially prevelant in rural Tennessee. But I’m sure **razorsharp** will keep us up to date as to this entire affair. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/38 "2004-05-12T12:06:06Z")
> [@](#): > > The first thing that popped into my mind when I read this was “drugs.” I, too, had the same reaction, . . . . . . but I guess you’re talking about the characters _in_ the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Razorsharp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@Razorsharp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razorsharp)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/39 "2004-05-12T12:25:02Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > **RS** , amid your tiresome xenophobic rant (is there supposed to be a debate, here), you are not impressing anyone with your persistent misspelling of Ahmed. Hey, Deb, thats quite perceptive. You know, I looked at that and thought, “that just don’t look right”, but decided to just go with the phonetic spelling. You ever misspell anything? And then there is Mohammad, Mohammed, Mohammet? And “xenophobic”? You don’t really seem to have a grasp of the true definition of xenophobia. xen•o•pho•bi•a n. an **unreasonable** fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of anything foreign or strange. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644/40 "2004-05-12T12:31:28Z")
And what was _in_ the truck? Was it indeed furniture? So these guys were hauling furniture, got lost , and probably tossed drugs out the window before the cops got them. And one of them has an interest in flying. Big Deal. Hey, I got it! Rented truck = Oklahoma City. Flying lessons = WTC. And Tennessee is sort of between Oklahoma and New York! So these nationals of one of our best allies were planning an attack of cataclysmic proportions in North Carolina! Yes, it all makes sense now. And that one vial was an ingredient the secret nuclear superbomb. Thank God these devils were foiled. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-one-for-the-memory-hole/244644.md?page=3)