Uh... Iraq behind the OKC bombing?

[Leaper]

Found the following comment on a news story:

Not surprisingly, this MSM piece of fluff is utterly devoid of important information, and completely ignores the growing controversy over Clinton-era suppression of the FBI investigation of McVeigh’s many-times-reported associations with Iraqis who immigrated to the US after the first Gulf War (in which McVeigh fought).

McVeigh was embittered by his Iraqi war experience, and it’s not surprising he would conspire with Iraqi intelligence to pull off the worst terrorism in the US until 9/11.

Google Jayna Davis and her book, The Third Terrorist, which identifies “John Doe #2”.

This sounds like a lot of conspiracy theorizing, but I’d never heard of this before, so I just thought I’d toss it out. Is there actually anything whatsoever to any of this? Is there actually any “growing controversy,” or is it more along the lines of how Birtherism and vaccines have “growing controversy”?

[Sailboat]

The only thing “growing” about Timothy McVeigh is any daisies he might be pushing up.

[Steve_MB]

@Leaper

This sounds like a lot of conspiracy theorizing, but I’d never heard of this before, so I just thought I’d toss it out. Is there actually anything whatsoever to any of this? Is there actually any “growing controversy,” or is it more along the lines of how Birtherism and vaccines have “growing controversy”?

You need the official goggles to see the proof…

[Little_Nemo]

Was it over when the Iraqis bombed Pearl Harbor?

[howye]

@Little_Nemo

Was it over when the Iraqis bombed Pearl Harbor?

Iraqis?

[John_Mace]

Without a link to the original “news” story, I don’t think the snippet you’ve given us is meaningful in any way.

[Marley23]

@howye

Iraqis?

Forget it, he’s rolling.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

@Sailboat

The only thing “growing” about Timothy McVeigh is any daisies he might be pushing up.

He’s dead? But he’s been answering my fan mail for all these years!

[howye]

@Marley23

Forget it, he’s rolling.

Thanks.
Anyhoo, as for the OP, sorry but I think the above is the level of seriousness this needs to be treated with, lest it be give life. There is no need to add Iragi conspirators to the McVeigh story. The simplest and really most realistic story is the likely truth, there is a small number of people in this country who feel vaguely oppressed by a federal government that they do not understand and they believed (and many still do) that one big action would be all that it took to start the “revolution.” Their ideology is not deep or wide, based mostly on perceived poverty and hate.

The bomb in OKC was easy enough to construct. The materials are still readily available and if bought over time would raise no red flags. The only really remarkable thing is that the bomb was assembled, transported to the federal building, and then detonated on schedule. As I understand it these sort of things have a high rate of accident or failure.

Beyond all of that, I just don’t see why McVeigh would have needed to conspire with Iraqis, or wanted to. The choice in targets also points to homegrown terrorists. A federal office building in Oklahoma City was only going to appeal to domestic terrorists. Iraqis or anybody else would be looking for targets that the rest of the world would know and recognize.

[XT]

@howye

Thanks.

Just FYI (in case you missed it) it was an Animal House reference. Substitute the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor for the Iraqis and you are there…
(I agree with you and the others…it’s CT nonsense. As usual)

-XT

[howye]

@xtisme

Just FYI (in case you missed it) it was an Animal House reference. Substitute the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor for the Iraqis and you are there…
(I agree with you and the others…it’s CT nonsense. As usual)

-XT

I got it, I was thanking him for not leaving the joke hanging…

In other news, a conspiracy theory that is dropping like a stone. See something new everyday.

This could be the greatest day of our lives…

[XT]

Gotcha…just making sure.

-XT

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

It’s a classic conspiracy theory: doggedly pursued by one man (or in this case, a woman) and occasionally picked up by the media or politicians because it suits their narratives.

Davis’ investigation gained some traction in 2002, in the run up to the Iraq War. Basically, some witnesses reported seeing a man with McVeigh before the bombing (who couldn’t have been Terry Nichols). Those witnesses all made their reports in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, when everyone assumed it was perpetrated by Muslim terrorists.

At least one of those witnesses turned out to be lying.

Look at it this way: even if you accept the (logical, though pretty out there) idea that the Clinton Administration hushed up Iraqi involvement because they wanted to use the OKC bombing to demonize crazy right wingers, there’s a big problem with the theory from 2003 on.

Simply put, the Bush Administration used every possible argument they could to build support for the invasion of Iraq. If there was Iraqi involvement in the OKC bombing, you can bet they reopened the case and turned over every rock to find out if it was true.

[Tim_T-Bonham.net]

@Sailboat

The only thing “growing” about Timothy McVeigh is any daisies he might be pushing up.

Since he was cremated (because his family declined to take his body after execution), there is no grave to be ‘pushing up daises’.

[Leaper]

@John_Mace

Without a link to the original “news” story, I don’t think the snippet you’ve given us is meaningful in any way.

The original story, as is possible to guess from the context of the comment, has absolutely nothing to do with the conspiracy theory brought up. It was a mere reporting on the observance of the anniversary of the bombing. So it has absolutely no context within the story itself. What you see is what you get!

[Nars_Glinley]

I haven’t read it, but McVeigh’s attorney, Stephen Jones wrote a book about the case called Others Unknown. I don’t know if there are any references to Iraqis in it. I somewhat doubt that there are. From the description:

In interviews with Buffalo News journalists, reported in their recently released book American Terrorist(ReganBooks, April 2000), McVeigh claims total responsibility for the bombing, saying “It was my choice and my control to hit that building when it was full.” In Others Unknown Jones sets the record straight, saying what he could not say when he first wrote this book, before McVeigh effectively waived attorney-client privilege: that based on what he learned as McVeigh’s counsel, Jones knows that the bombing was a conspiracy, and that McVeigh was not its mastermind. “I’m not trying to say he was innocent. He has exaggerated his guilt to protect others. He played a role, but he was a foot soldier, a mule, not the general,” says Jones.

[Sailboat]

@t-bonham@scc.net

Since he was cremated (because his family declined to take his body after execution), there is no grave to be ‘pushing up daises’.

He was cremated and the ashes spread in an undisclosed location by his lawyer. I do not know what the daisy-pushing differential might be between embalmed and ashes, but I am estimating even ashes possess some daisy-pushing-potential.

[gonzomax]

@howye

Thanks.
Anyhoo, as for the OP, sorry but I think the above is the level of seriousness this needs to be treated with, lest it be give life. There is no need to add Iragi conspirators to the McVeigh story. The simplest and really most realistic story is the likely truth, there is a small number of people in this country who feel vaguely oppressed by a federal government that they do not understand and they believed (and many still do) that one big action would be all that it took to start the “revolution.” Their ideology is not deep or wide, based mostly on perceived poverty and hate.

The bomb in OKC was easy enough to construct. The materials are still readily available and if bought over time would raise no red flags. The only really remarkable thing is that the bomb was assembled, transported to the federal building, and then detonated on schedule. As I understand it these sort of things have a high rate of accident or failure.

Beyond all of that, I just don’t see why McVeigh would have needed to conspire with Iraqis, or wanted to. The choice in targets also points to homegrown terrorists. A federal office building in Oklahoma City was only going to appeal to domestic terrorists. Iraqis or anybody else would be looking for targets that the rest of the world would know and recognize.

I don’t see the Iraqi connection . He was a Michigan Militia follower and Iraqis are not the kind they hang out with.
But this bomb was on a huge scale. I do not see it as easy to pull off.

[XT]

@gonzomax

But this bomb was on a huge scale. I do not see it as easy to pull off.

What does this mean exactly? Could you be a bit more clear?

-XT

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

I assume he means that it’s really hard for two guys to build a truck bomb big enough to demolish an entire office block using mostly fertilizer, but I don’t think that’s actually true.