On Tuesday afternoon some guy called in to the local (Rochester, NY) AOR radio station and told the local Howard wannabe that he was in a small corner grocery and saw the owner and an employee (both Arabs, of course) watching TV and cheering. This sounded like BS to me, but it has been repeated so many times since then that people aer starting to believe it. Has anyone else heard this story? I figure if it pops up enough times in enough different places, then it must be an UL. The guys at my neighborhood Food Mart & Lotto Deli are counting on me.
We have an old troll on a different message board claiming “pockets of Arab “Americans” were jumping gleefully in the streets and BURNING AMERICAN FLAGS in Brentwood LI, East Paterson NJ, Pougkepse NY, Union City NJ and Elizabeth NJ.” He has not been able to provide any citations for his claims.
Is it remotely possible that some Arab immigrants to this country are so involved with the Palestinian Independence movement that they might cheer a terrorist attack? Sure. On the other hand, at the time of the attacks, no one really knew who the perpetrators were. It seems unlikely that bin Laden or Hussein or whoever would have sent word to some expatriots in the U.S. that there was going to be an attack (and then hoped that no one spilled the plot ot the Feds).
It could have happened. On the other hand, given the 100+ attacks on Arab and Muslim houses, mosques, and persons (to say nothing of the attacks on Indians and Italians) by benighted Mer’cans since Tuesday–and the knowledge that most people of Mid-East origin that they will be the targets of such brainless hostility, it is much more likely that the stories of cheering are being made up by people with more hatred than sense.
For a change of pace, go to the latimes.com site and look at a picture of some muslims burning bin Laden in effigy.
Update: on the way home from the Food Mart & Lotto Deli tonight, I was stopped by a local alcoholic/handyman/daylaborer/garage burglar who asked me if I thought the proprietors were involved in the attacks. I got him to admit that, no matter how deep their cover, they would at least have to ask the college kids for ID when they buy beer. Can’t have your cell suddenly picked up for alcohol violations.