Reply #20: Update from Mark Crispin Miller:

[Hissyspit]

Edited on Sat Dec-20-08 08:55 PM by Hissyspit
http://markcrispinmiller.com/2008/12/mike-connells-deat...

Mike Connell’s death and Karl Rove’s threats

Posted by mcmDecember 20, 2008

CORRECTION: Connell was not flying a Piper Cub. He was flying a Piper Lance Saratoga, a sophisticated airplane with de-icing capabilities.

Connell flew out of Washington yesterday afternoon. Airport personnel there claim that he waited on the runway for two hours, because of the weather, and did not take off until it cleared.
At roughly 6:00 p.m., his plane crashed in a vacant lot just a few miles from the Akron airport, where he was headed for a landing. (He lived in Akron.) It was a residential neighborhood. Witnesses say that the plane exploded in a ball of fire.

Below is an email from Jeff Adams, noting that the Piper Super Cub has an excellent safety record. Right now we’re looking for more information, which I will provide as it comes in.

Meanwhile, let’s recall that it was not a secret that Karl Rove had threatened Connell, and that both Cliff Arnebeck, the lead attorney in the Ohio lawsuit, and Brett Kimberlin of Velvet Revolution had alerted the authorities–including the Attorney General–to Rove’s theats, demanding that Connell be protected. Here’s a blog from last July, concerning the request sent to Mukasey:

Ohio Attorneys Seek Protection for Mike Connell and his Family against Alleged Threats from Karl Rove
Posted Thu, 07/24/2008 - 10:18 by cho
http://discuss.epluribusmedia.net/node/2164

Sources close to the Ohio Corrupt Practices Act/RICO claim sent us a copy of the following letter that asks Attorney General Mukasey for protection for Michael Connell and his family who have been allegedly threatened by Karl Rove. Rove is believed to be the strategic mastermind behind the Bush 2004 re-election campaign and the possible Ohio election improprieties. The alleged threats appear to be the result of the re-opening, through the Ohio Corrupt Practices Act/RICO claim, of the stalled investigation into the 2004 Ohio Elections.
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:50:55 EDT Subject: Report of Rove threats against witness Michael Connell

Dear Attorney General Mukasey:

We have been confidentially informed by a source we believe to be credible that Karl Rove has threatened Michael Connell, a principal witness we have identified in our King Lincoln case in federal court in Columbus, Ohio, that if he does not agree to “take the fall” for election fraud in Ohio, his wife Heather will be prosecuted for supposed lobby law violations. This appears to be in response to our designation of Rove as the principal perpetrator in the Ohio Corrupt Practices Act/RICO claim with respect to which we issued document hold notices last Thursday to you and to the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform. See: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6189 and http://www.archive.org/details/ElectionFraudInOhioCourt... .

I have informed court chambers and am in the process of informing the Ohio Attorney General’s and US Attorney’s offices in Columbus for the purpose, among other things, of seeking protection for Mr. Connell and his family from this reported attempt to intimidate a witness. Concurrently herewith, I am informing Mr. Conyers and Mr. Kucinich in connection with their Congressional oversight responsibilities related to these matters. Because of the serious engagement in this matter that began in 2000 of the Ohio Statehouse Press Corps, 60 Minutes, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, C-Span and Jim VandeHei, and the public’s right to know of gross attempts to subvert the rule of law, I am forwarding this information to them, as well.

Cliff Arnebeck, Attorney
cc: Robert Fitrakis, Esq. Henry Eckhart, Esq

And now we need to push hard for serious investigations, not just of Connell’s death per se but of all his dealings with Karl Rove and Bush/Cheney.

MCM

Hello Mark,

Amateur pilots clearly have a higher accident rate than professionals. But this death looks suspicious*. And a responsible family man with a wife and 4 children would seem to be a low suicide risk even under the worst conditions.
Check with your friends and contacts that are knowledgeable pilots — the Piper Super Cub has an extremely safe record. It was first manufactured since 1949. And it has been subjected to all kinds of individual pilot skill and maintenance attention. But all-in-all expert pilots will rate it as easy to fly and a very “forgiving” plane to as to pilot skill.
Jeff Adams
Berkeley, CA

*Wikipedia gives a concise recap of another whistle-blower’s suspicious death which some may still try to write off as “conspiracy theory” bunk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Silkwood
For Aircraft Stats: http://www.ntsb.gov/