# Incredible Breaking News Claim That's a Bit Suspicious **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 4, 2001, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903 "2001-12-04T21:29:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/1 "2001-12-04T21:29:05Z")
The Hal Turner Show online ([www.halturnershow.com](http://www.halturnershow.com)), a right wing extremist shortwave broadcaster, has put in his news that US Army tanks are on the move in NYC, with no explanation. Most of his news is usually linked to real media links, but this one doesn’t have a link. It sounds like right wing paranoia (i.e. “FEMA concentration camps”), and utter BS (is there even a difference?). However, there’s no way to discredit this, so has anyone heard anything more about it? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/2 "2001-12-04T22:15:24Z")
When I woke up this morning, there was a whole column of M1-A1 Abrams tanks driving down Roosevelt Avenue in Queens. And when I got to work, there were armored assault vehicles all over Manhattan, from the Battery to Washington Heights. They were armed with Right-wing-nutball seeking missiles. Oh, then I _really_ woke up. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/3 "2001-12-04T22:26:11Z")
Somebody yelled “O.J.!,” and every reporter in NYC took off for Florida. ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/4 "2001-12-04T22:41:34Z")
A tank was on Good Morning America this morning. I don’t know how else they’d get it there without driving it in. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/5 "2001-12-05T00:11:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dragongirl \* > \*\*A tank was on Good Morning America this morning. I don’t know how else they’d get it there without driving it in. \*\* You remember that tank David Copperfield made disappear about six months ago in that TV special from Vegas? Now we know where he put it. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/6 "2001-12-05T01:06:33Z")
Never heard of the dude, so I went to his website. “ **Talk-Radio for Straight, White Americans**.” **WTF**? Racist assholes like him give us conservative libertarians a bad name. Fuckhead. I’ve often thought about getting a SW radio. Now this is a good reason **not** to get one… ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/7 "2001-12-05T01:11:45Z")
lol, Yeah, he is an extremist loser, but his website is good for curing boredom, or pissing you off. His news links though normally go to real sites, so you really can’t question them: hence my query about the tank stuff. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/8 "2001-12-05T01:15:14Z")
Maybe he’s referring to the new “military” version of IT? Just lean in the right direction, and your machine guns start blazin’. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rosebud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rosebud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosebud)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/9 "2001-12-05T01:46:56Z")
If you’ll forgive a “my friend said” post in GQ… **PattyCake** , who isn’t an active poster these days but who happens to be my best pal IRL, told me this morning she did in fact see a tank on 42nd Street. Said it had a police escort; I was thinking of people being able to tell the boss, “Sorry I was late, got stuck behind a tank!” Anyway, I bet it was on its way to Good Morning America. Patty may be relieved to hear that! ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/10 "2001-12-05T04:15:04Z")
A tank in NYC is news? Jeez, try coming down to DC once in a while; I’ve seen a few Hummers on the streets of downtown Washington since 11 September. And people say NYC is more exciting than DC… ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/11 "2001-12-06T00:21:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Montfort \* > \*\*I’ve seen a few Hummers on the streets of downtown Washington since 11 September. > \*\* How much did… No, forget it. It’s just too obvious. I won’t stoop to that level. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/12 "2001-12-06T00:56:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rosebud \* > \*\* …she did in fact see a tank on 42nd Street. \*\* Right on the street, or mounted on a trailer? IIRC, during the Gulf War parade, some of the military hardware had to be mounted on wide-load trucks so they didn’t break right through the street and fall onto the 4 train. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/13 "2001-12-06T02:43:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by manhattan \* > \*\* during the Gulf War parade, some of the military hardware had to be mounted on wide-load trucks so they didn’t break right through the street and fall onto the 4 train. \*\* Doncha hate when that happens? God, I hate that. Boy it puts me in mind of this one day back in like 1982 and I was walking up Madison Avenue from 23rd street and I’d just cleared the kind of skanky area of Madison and like 29th you know the part I mean and then I get to that gem of a gem Bryant Park and walk around it and just get a lovely eyeful of this gal in a blue chiffon outfit with a pillbox hat and of course I thought I was having a flashback and it was Jackie Kennedy but then I figured that was really silly since I was only like 16 months old when JFK was shot and so it couldn’t be a flashback but then I glanced down 42nd Street towards 5th Avenue and holy moley don’t you know but there were not one but three tanks coming down the street but then how could that be possible and then before I knew it one of them sort of tilted sideways like and collapsed right down into the “S” Times Square Shuttle tracks like nobody’s business and oh man was that a mess 😃 Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Trucido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Trucido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trucido)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/14 "2001-12-06T03:23:59Z")
How do you run a vehicle with metal tracks down paved streets? Wouldn’t they (the tracks) chew up the road surface something fierce? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/15 "2001-12-06T03:33:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Wouldn’t they (the tracks) chew up the road surface something fierce? I suspect that has more to do with the tanks **manny** recalls being paraded on transporters rather than their weight. The force per in² impressed upon the street seems to my two cocktails into it mind probably _greater_ in the area of the transporters’ limited footprint than that distributed over the area of a tracked vehicle’s footprint. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/16 "2001-12-06T04:26:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ringo \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > Wouldn’t they (the tracks) chew up the road surface something fierce? > > I suspect that has more to do with the tanks **manny** recalls being paraded on transporters rather than their weight. The force per in² impressed upon the street seems to my two cocktails into it mind probably _greater_ in the area of the transporters’ limited footprint than that distributed over the area of a tracked vehicle’s footprint. \*\* I lived in DC during the Desert Storm Parade. The city got a special allocation from Congress for street damage casued by tanks in the Desert Storm parade. There was also some damage in the Smithonian’s scultpure garden, apparently cause by either a helicopter or Harrier landing. ---
**Author:** ![Rosebud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rosebud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosebud)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/17 "2001-12-06T05:20:38Z")
**Manhattan asked…** > [@](#): > > Right on the street, or mounted on a trailer? IIRC, during the Gulf War parade, some of the military hardware had to be mounted on wide-load trucks so they didn’t break right through the street and fall onto the 4 train. You know, I just assumed she meant on the actual street but now I’m not sure. Didn’t even think to ask; I’ll check tomorrow, if anybody’s still interested. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredible-breaking-news-claim-thats-a-bit-suspicious/96903/18 "2001-12-06T07:12:42Z")
I’ve been seeing tanks all over the city for some time now. I even started a thread asking what they were for: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=81227](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=81227)