# With trepidation, Benghazi **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 2, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535 "2014-05-02T20:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 44
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/861 "2014-06-19T07:13:06Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > no protesters. What did the drone see that verified that there had been no protesters 90 minutes before it arrived? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/862 "2014-06-19T07:27:28Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > What did the drone see that verified that there had been no protesters 90 minutes before it arrived? Any evidence of a protest such as signs or people milling about the area. What evidence is there of a protest? None. The WH said it was a protest. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/863 "2014-06-19T07:38:14Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Any evidence of a protest such as signs or people milling about the area. Milling about. For ninety minutes. While grenades, mortars, and heavy machine guns are in use. It was an hour-and-a-half. If they hadn’t run in terror, they’d have left out of sheer boredom. For that matter, how can a drone identify a protester from the air; are they issued with special hats or something? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/864 "2014-06-19T07:39:26Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Any evidence of a protest such as signs or people milling about the area. > > What evidence is there of a protest? None. The WH said it was a protest. No, the intelligence community said it might have been a protest. Do people mill about in areas where artillery is going off, in your experience? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/865 "2014-06-19T07:42:47Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Milling about. For ninety minutes. While grenades, mortars, and heavy machine guns are in use. > > It was an hour-and-a-half. If they hadn’t run in terror, they’d have left out of sheer boredom. > > For that matter, how can a drone identify a protester from the air; are they issued with special hats or something? So they neatly folded their protest signs and drove away in your fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/866 "2014-06-19T08:03:32Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > So they neatly folded their protest signs and drove away in your fantasy. In yours, a drone was dispatched to a diplomatic mission under attack, and while bullets and grenades were raining down on the personnel inside, someone in authority said “swivel that camera around, see if you can find any discarded protest signs!” ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/867 "2014-06-19T11:20:10Z")
_Protest signs??_ On the day that it is revealed, from the guy responsible, that the video was a motivation, you’re arguing that the lack of _parade detritus_ is evidence that there was no protest?? Jesus H. Christ. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/868 "2014-06-19T16:18:14Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > I don’t “want” to believe anything. This implies an active desire to think that a particular thing is true in the face of contradictory evidence, rather than to look at the evidence, weigh it, and make a decision about what makes the most sense. In any case, you quoted part of the story saying there were witnesses to Khattala directing attackers. That is known as evidence, but not surprisingly, you try to throw up a smokescreen with other quotes that aren’t relevant to the above mentioned fact. Perhaps Khattala is mentally unbalanced, certifiably insane even. This wouldn’t contradict what witnesses reported. I quoted a story. If the story is a smokescreen, so be it. Ahmed Abu Khattala has been interviewed by several media outlets over these many months. It has never before been reported that Khattala, himself, had said the attack was a result of the video. Now that Khattala is finally in custody, there are claims from other involved but unidentified terrorists that Khattala told them that this attack was because of the video. I’m thinking that there hasn’t been enough in-depth reporting or criminal investigation info made available to the public to make an informed decision. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/869 "2014-06-19T16:22:23Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > _Protest signs??_ On the day that it is revealed, from the guy responsible, that the video was a motivation, you’re arguing that the lack of _parade detritus_ is evidence that there was no protest?? > > Jesus H. Christ. Did Ahmed Abu Khattala say that the video was the cause or did some other terrorist claim that Khattala told them that the video was the cause? (p.s. What’s the H stand for?) ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/870 "2014-06-19T16:25:56Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I’m thinking that there hasn’t been enough in-depth reporting or criminal investigation info made available to the public to make an informed decision. And when they do make it available, I bet those bastards will include some redactions. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/871 "2014-06-19T16:27:33Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > {…} (p.s. What’s the H stand for?) [The Master speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/30/why-do-folks-say-jesus-h-christ) CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/872 "2014-06-19T16:47:23Z")
He could have been lying. He could have told others in the vicinity that he was all about protesting the video because he thought it would attract more sympathetic Muslims to his side. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/873 "2014-06-19T20:05:19Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > (p.s. What’s the H stand for?) Hussein. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/874 "2014-06-19T20:36:11Z")
Tiberius. ---
**Author:** ![elbowj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9adbd/32.png) [@elbowj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbowj)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/875 "2014-06-19T20:57:25Z")
Well doorhinge, this angle seems promising. Luckily there’s a committee available for alleviating these concerns as long as there are no unreadable documents in the way. Has anyone been arrested or imprisoned for their participation in, or planning of, the attack? Nope. (After all, what difference does it make?) Four Americans were murdered and the Obama WH said they would find out what had happened. I guess they’ve been too busy covering up the cover up than to prosecute the perpetrators of the attack? ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/876 "2014-06-19T21:10:31Z")
> [@elbowj](#): > > Has anyone been arrested or imprisoned for their participation in, or planning of, the attack? > > Nope. (After all, what difference does it make?) > > Four Americans were murdered and the Obama WH said they would find out what had happened. I guess they’ve been too busy covering up the cover up than to prosecute the perpetrators of the attack? Have you truly not been following the news? Libya is seriously pissed because the U.S. sent special forces into that country to snatch Ahmed Abu Khatallah, who is under indictment for masterminding the attack. Yes, someone has been arrested for planning the attack. And the use of the word ‘murder’ is at least open to debate. Two of the four died of smoke inhalation–there’s a pretty good chance that wasn’t part of the plan. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/877 "2014-06-19T21:38:02Z")
I see the third wave has arrived. ---
**Author:** ![elbowj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9adbd/32.png) [@elbowj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbowj)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/878 "2014-06-19T22:40:55Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > Have you truly not been following the news? Libya is seriously pissed because the U.S. sent special forces into that country to snatch Ahmed Abu Khatallah, who is under indictment for masterminding the attack. Yes, someone has been arrested for planning the attack. > > And the use of the word ‘murder’ is at least open to debate. Two of the four died of smoke inhalation–there’s a pretty good chance that wasn’t part of the plan. \*\*Has anyone been arrested or imprisoned for their participation in, or planning of, the attack? Nope. (After all, what difference does it make?) Four Americans were murdered and the Obama WH said they would find out what had happened. I guess they’ve been too busy covering up the cover up than to prosecute the perpetrators of the attack? \*\* That’s a quote from doorhinge. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/879 "2014-06-19T22:45:36Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I quoted a story. If the story is a smokescreen, so be it. Ahmed Abu Khattala has been interviewed by several media outlets over these many months. It has never before been reported that Khattala, himself, had said the attack was a result of the video. Now that Khattala is finally in custody, there are claims from other involved but unidentified terrorists that Khattala told them that this attack was because of the video. > > I’m thinking that there hasn’t been enough in-depth reporting or criminal investigation info made available to the public to make an informed decision. I see you’re perfecting your smokescreening skills. This one is even better than the last. Well done, sir! ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/880 "2014-06-19T23:13:52Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > The Benghazi attack took place September 11, 2012. Does the public know the specifics of the events leading up to and including the two attacks that occurred that night? > > Nope. (After all, what difference does it make?) > > Has anyone been arrested or imprisoned for their participation in, or planning of, the attack? > > Nope. (After all, what difference does it make?) > > Four Americans were murdered and the Obama WH said they would find out what had happened. I guess they’ve been too busy covering up the cover up than to prosecute the perpetrators of the attack? > > Where was Obama during the attacks AND what was he doing? Is that a “state secret”? > > Four Americans were murdered and the Hillary State dept said they would find out what had happened. I guess they’ve been too busy redacting files instead of identifying the actual perpetrators. (Or busy objecting to the girl-kidnapping Boko Haram group being listed as a terrorist group?) > > If the Obama administration had been totally transparent, at the very beginning, of all the facts surrounding the murder of an U.S. Ambassador - there would no longer be any lingering questions. > [@elbowj](#): > > \*\*Has anyone been arrested or imprisoned for their participation in, or planning of, the attack? > > Nope. (After all, what difference does it make?) > > Four Americans were murdered and the Obama WH said they would find out what had happened. I guess they’ve been too busy covering up the cover up than to prosecute the perpetrators of the attack? \*\* > > That’s a quote from doorhinge. Hahahaha. Yes that’s a quote from 05-09-2014. And today is 06-19-2014. I’m surprised that you remembered it. And flattered. It looks like the Obama WH has finally had someone arrested. Hooray. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535.md?page=43) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535.md?page=45)