# Attn. Morons: They. Didn't. Do. It. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 15, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565 "2002-09-15T18:51:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/1 "2002-09-15T18:51:28Z")
So the Alligator Alley Three have been asked to seek an internship elsewhere by the hospital they were en route to when they were pulled over by every cop, national guardsmen, security guard, hall monitor, and reporter in Florida[because of the number of death threats the place has recieved](http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/09/15/fla.terror.students/index.html). I’d like to congradulate the hospital administrators for being spineless, craven little wimps, the people making the threats for being a bunch of fucking idiot knuckleheads, and Eunice Stone, the woman who made the whole fucking thing up, for confirming every unreasonable negative stereotype I had about Georgia and why it’s a good idea to stay the fuck outta it. Putzes. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2002, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/2 "2002-09-15T18:57:39Z")
Couldn’t agree more with the OP. Isn’t it wonderful now that all it takes it some idiot mishearing you and your life is ruined? Even if the witness is telling the truth, and the 3 were stupid enough to make the alleged jokes, you cannot argue that it doesn’t simply take a phone call now to ruin the life of someone who happens to be of middle east ancestory. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/3 "2002-09-15T18:58:03Z")
Oh, and to Fox News for running [this piece of dreck](http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,63020,00.html). ---
**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:** [September 15, 2002, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/4 "2002-09-15T19:06:28Z")
Sweet Jesus. I’ve never read anything so much like a 1984 “Big Brother” advocation as that article. > [@](#): > > Government officials, including Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, citizens and other experts praised Stone for her actions. > > “It appears that there isn’t a terrorist threat as it relates to any kind of detonation devices or anything like that in the car,” Bush said. “But in this time of heightened vigilance, I think it is important to show this system works.” Ummm, you feel this shows that the systems WORKS??? Jesus Fucking Christ on a Cross. Every day another small part of me dies as I see how this country is changing. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/5 "2002-09-15T19:10:37Z")
I’m sorry, has it been confirmed that the woman made this up? Or is it possibly the case that these guys were, in fact, saying exactly what she reported as a joke in order to wind her up? I haven’t seen any definitive report which of these is true. The students deny it, but then, given that they’re currently hip deep in alligators. But \*\* if \*\* it’s the latter, then these guys got pretty much what they deserved, for pretty much the same reason that you don’t make jokes about bombs when in an airport security line. Again, _IF_ these guys played a particularly stupid practical joke, then I’d have to agree with the hospital’s stand – no one is required to hire a dumbass. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/6 "2002-09-15T19:29:32Z")
I have to agree with Finagle. If they said it, and so far I haven’t heard any of them denying it, they were wrong. They aren’t terrorists, but they were still wrong. They were uncooperative with the police, the dogs sensed explosive residue in their cars, something was definitely up. If they had been terrorists, then Eunice Stone would absolutely be a heroine. Since they’re not but apparently pretended to be, that may make her foolishly gullible, but it doesn’t ascribe malice to her. **That** would be a specious allegation. ---
**Author:** ![Shadow\_Raven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Shadow\_Raven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadow_Raven)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/7 "2002-09-15T19:35:05Z")
From the Fox article: > [@](#): > > “I think it was a perfect example of someone being a diligent American citizen,” said one Ohio man. “If they’re [men detained] not guilty, they got nothing to worry about.” Apparently, they do have something to worry about. Even though no charges were filed, they have lost their internships, and people are threatening them. Innocent until proven guilty just doesn’t seem to be something the media (or some Americans, apparently) grasp. **twl** - As for them denying making the statement, the first article says this: > [@](#): > > Gheith said Stone was “flat out lying” and said they had only been discussing their trip to Miami. > > Asked if they made any comments about September 11, joking or otherwise, he said, “Of course not.” > > “Would you lose control of the conversation and joke about September 11th?” Gheith asked members of the news media. “Is that even an option?” ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/8 "2002-09-15T19:35:53Z")
I have to agree with Finagle. If they said it, and so far I haven’t heard any of them denying it, they were wrong. They aren’t terrorists, but they were still wrong. They were uncooperative with the police, the dogs sensed explosive residue in their cars, something was definitely up. If they had been terrorists, then Eunice Stone would absolutely be a heroine. Since they’re not but apparently pretended to be, that may make her foolishly gullible, but it doesn’t ascribe malice to her. **That** would be a specious allegation. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/9 "2002-09-15T19:44:23Z")
I don’t think this woman made it up, I think she’s paranoid, stupid, and racist. She heard some suspicious-looking people (i.e. brown-skinned) talking twisted it to sound like a terrorist threat. She thought she heard them say, “do you think we have enough to bring it down?” Jesus, they could have been talking about _anything_. And regarding “celebrating 9/11” - if I want to celebrate 9/11, it’s my damn business. But gee, don’t you think it’s possible they meant “commemorate 9/11”? **Finagle** , that analogy is totally inaccurate. Do we want to live in a world where everyone (OK, just the dark-skinned people) has to watch what she says in case some idiot miscontrues it? I’m with **Revtim**. I can’t even comprehend what’s going on anymore. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/10 "2002-09-15T19:55:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tlw \* > **They were uncooperative with the police, the dogs sensed explosive residue in their cars, something was definitely up** Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Shadow\_Raven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Shadow\_Raven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadow_Raven)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/11 "2002-09-15T20:05:06Z")
**chula** - [This article](http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/4068519.htm) says that the 3 men originally withheld consent to search the vehicle, and mentions the dogs alerting, so it may be the article **tlw** was refering to. However, no actual explosives were found, and the agents who investigated it do not believe that the men were up to anything. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/12 "2002-09-15T20:10:51Z")
Chula, if (did you notice my “if”?) that person of apparently Middle Eastern descent is joking about a bombing or an act of terrorism , then the analogy is spot on. We do live in a world in which such a person has to watch what they say. Do we want to live in it? Heck no. But given that there were Middle Eastern types driving around Florida a little over a year ago planning terrorism who then implemented those plans in a horrific fashion, and given the very strong possibility that this will happen again, I don’t think you can put a “racist” label on this. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/13 "2002-09-15T20:41:54Z")
You think Middle Eastern looking people should have different rights than others? That sounds like a statement that deserves a racist label. Did you say the same thing about white people after Timothy McVeigh committed an act of terrorism? Anyway, this woman didn’t hear them saying they were going to blow anything up. She heard some comments out of context and her paranoid, racist mind jumped to conclusions. ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/14 "2002-09-15T20:57:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shadow Raven \* > \*\*Apparently, they do have something to worry about. Even though no charges were filed, they have lost their internships, and people are threatening them. > Innocent until proven guilty just doesn’t seem to be something the media (or some Americans, apparently) grasp. > > \*\* [Something similar](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36821-2002Sep4.html) has recently happened to Dr. Steven Hatfill recently. Although he has never been charged with a crime he has been fired by LSU because of pressure put on them by the Government. I’ll take a seat with **Revtim** and **chula** - the things that are going on are alarming. And I’m not sure what can be done since it’s our own Government that is doing/encouraging these actions. Scary. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/15 "2002-09-15T21:05:56Z")
I hope the hospital decides in favor of the students, and doesn’t secumb to outside pressures. If the trio actually made comments in the diner in an effort to “spoof” the lady, then yes, there could be some consequences. No mater their ethnicity, color, dress, age or what. Just go back to the early days of plane hijackings and see if innocent jokesters were ignored for “joking” by getting on a plane and calling to a friend “Hi, Jack!” , or making joking references to “It’d be a nice day to visit Cuba,” etc. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/16 "2002-09-15T21:26:57Z")
So if Tim McVeigh and the Unabomber happened to be chatting in a diner about how they planned to blow up a building, it would be OK to ignore them because they were white? Either everyone has to watch what they say for fear of “consequences”, or nobody does. There’s no cosmic law preventing people who don’t look Middle Eastern from committing acts of violence. Regarding the three students “not cooperating with police”: If the cops pulled me over for absolutely no reason that I was aware of and asked if they could search my vehicle, I’d tell them no, too, even if the most incriminating thing I had in my vehicle was some gray mold growing on the inside of a Diet Snapple bottle. ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/17 "2002-09-15T21:28:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chula \* > \*\*You think Middle Eastern looking people should have different rights than others? That sounds like a statement that deserves a racist label. Did you say the same thing about white people after Timothy McVeigh committed an act of terrorism? Anyway, this woman didn’t hear them saying they were going to blow anything up. She heard some comments out of context and her paranoid, racist mind jumped to conclusions. \*\* As someone other than me said first, when 50-year-old golfers in plaid pants highjack planes and crash them into buildings, you can profile me all you want. And let’s not forget that Mohammad Atta tried to get several hundred thousand dollars in a government loan to buy a crop dusting plane. During his interview with the bank officer, he offered money for the woman’s aerial photo of Washington, and threatened to kill her when she told him he couldn’t get the loan, and praised Osama as a great man. [The story can be found here.](http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/DailyNews/ross_bryant020606.html) For men who are supposed to be training to be doctors, they showed an incredible lack of judgment and intelligence. Would you care to put your lives in their hands in a hospital? ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/18 "2002-09-15T21:29:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chula \* > \*\*You think Middle Eastern looking people should have different rights than others? That sounds like a statement that deserves a racist label. Did you say the same thing about white people after Timothy McVeigh committed an act of terrorism? Anyway, this woman didn’t hear them saying they were going to blow anything up. She heard some comments out of context and her paranoid, racist mind jumped to conclusions. \*\* Take your endless ‘racist’ labeling and blow it out your ass. After Oklahoma City, white christian male ‘survivalist’ and ‘militia’ groups _were_ given added scrutiny. Just like now, young arab muslim men are given added scrutiny. And when said young men are ‘joking’ about acts of terrorism, damn straight they will get all sorts of attention. Where the scrutiny is pointed changes with the changing nature of the threat. ‘Racism’ has nothing to do with it. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/19 "2002-09-15T21:29:51Z")
Check out this article from the Miami Herald: [http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/4071560.htm](http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/4071560.htm) > [@](#): > > Friday’s coverage was the source of a staggering amount of misinformation. Among the inaccurate reports: > > • Several stations reported that a woman in Georgia told police three Middle Easterners were coming to Miami to blow something up. (That’s not what she said.) > > • Several also said cops spotted the men after they roared past a tollbooth on I-75. (One car rolled by at a normal rate of speed; the other stopped and paid the tolls for both.) > > • The cops used explosives to detonate a suspicious knapsack found in one car. (They didn’t.) Channel 7 reported that explosive ‘‘triggers’’ were found in one of the cars. (There were no ‘‘triggers’’ or anything else to do with explosives.) > > • Channel 7 also reported that cops were searching for a third car. (They weren’t.) > > It was a wretched performance – worse yet, a wretched performance that dragged on for eight hours, terrorizing South Florida and smearing the daylights out of three medical students who can be counted on to contribute heavily to the next edition of the travel guide What Sucks About South Florida. It should be noted that channel 7 is somewhat legendary down here for scare-mongering and sensationalistic reporting. ---
**Author:** ![SinisterDan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba8739/32.png) [@SinisterDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SinisterDan)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565/20 "2002-09-15T21:30:57Z")
I have yet to be surprised at the depth of civil stupidity and our ability to spin it dry. We really musy consider repopulating Florida… By the way Gub’ner Jeb, please loose in November - thanks. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attn-morons-they-didnt-do-it/128565.md?page=2)