A question about LIHOP.

[Nlighten1]

Lets say, for the sake of arguement, that the government knew a terrorist attack was likely in several major U.S. cities.

How do you propose they could have stopped the attacks from happening?

Ground the airlines? For how long? Who's to say the terrorists wouldn't just postpone the attacks?

Evacuate all of the major U.S cities likely to be attacked?

Tell me how you think we could have prevented these attacks from happening without SPECIFIC information as to who, when and where?

A viable threat without specific information would hardly be easy to stop.

[molly]

1. Clinton stopped them

[bpilgrim]

2. heightened alert could have saved lives

especially in the second tower that was hit at the very least.

folks would have been more alert at the airlines security could have prevented some possibly from boarding.

could have reinforced cockpit doors.

could have arrested some of the pilots from the flight school if they had been ontop of things.

there is a whole lot of things you could have done if they had tried.

gotta run.

peace

[yardwork]

3. Government agencies knew that al Quada were in the country.

They could have arrested them, for starters. Apparently, some of our agencies knew exactly who they were and where they were. They even knew that they were learning to fly!

The government could have warned the airlines to look for the operatives. The airlines were never told to look for these particular men. They boarded on 9/11 using their real names and passports.

The airlines could have been warned that hijackers might attempt to use planes as missiles. On 9/11 the airlines were still operating under the assumption that if they did what the highjackers asked, nobody would be hurt.

American fighter jets could have been scrambled after the first plane hit the first tower.

Those are just off the top of my head. Based on what Clarke says he told the administration, there are a LOT of things the U.S. government could have done.

[Bridget Burke]

4. Since you admit they had lots of information.....

Please find me just one (1) thing that was done? Aside from Ashcroft deciding he'd stop flying commercial?

Aren't they supposed to be professionals? Did they even try to follow up on any of the leads picked up by lower-level operatives? Was it not "easy" to investigate? Or did they lay off on purpose?

[RoyGBiv]

5. What to Do

Before saying anything else, I think I should suggest that there's a distinction to be made between preventing the attacks and either addressing the possibility of the attacks and lessening the damage of them if and when they occurred. This is the area where BushCo is playing with words and making themselves out to seem spotless. Once the attacks were set into motion early the morning of 9/11, without the "when, where, and how" it's probably true for Bush to say he didn't have enough information to prevent the attacks altogether. But, there are innumerable things that could have taken place during the summer and in the days leading up to 9/11 that would could have prevented or at least altered what happened that morning.

He didn't have enough information? Okay, but he had an amazing number of warnings -- and more seem to surface daily -- pointing to rather specific possibilities. This leads one to ask why his administration did not do more to find out the other necessary information.

Beyond that it's hard to know how to begin without writing a book or reproducing countless suggestions made by others more able than I. I'd first suggest taking a look at some of the better time-lines of events out there, eg. the one compiled by Paul Thompson:

<http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/project.jsp?project=911_project>

Reading through the time-line for the day of 9/11, it's impossible not to see that there are problems that look highly suspicious, i.e. things that took place that facilitated the attacks moving forward that could have and should have been prevented by various members of federal agencies.

[TomNickell]

6. A competent President...

might have called together the heads of the agencies and their deputies and explained the joys of life as Eunuchs--which they would be if a major terrorist attack occurred.

Then, held daily meetings to check on progress.

LIHOP means more than incompetence--that's been evident from the outset.

LIHOP implies active assistance from Gov't agencies. That's the point at which the 'theories' become irresponsible nuttiness.

[Sterling]

20. Ok I have to ask.

Ok I have to ask.



Is this considered a personal insult or attack?


“LIHOP implies active assistance from Gov't agencies. That's the point at which the 'theories'
become irresponsible nuttiness.”


In my view this statement implies that members who discuss the possibility of government complicity in the vents on 9-11 is irresponsible and nutty. You could say that by not naming the members you are attacking it is technically not a personal attack.

I feel that view is ignoring the fact you are well aware of who you are insulting as are your victims.

Seriously 90% of the people on this thread are openly discussing the possibility that the hijackers had some inside help. Are we all nutty? Irresponsible?

[leftofthedial]

7. Find the criminals involved in the conspiracy

Arrest them.

It wouldn't be easy, but the Clinton Justice Department did it several times.

[radwriter0555]

8. Take the suspects into custody for questioning and watch their every move.

why is that so hard?
The intels knew exactly who these guys were, and WERE watching them, and KNEW they were taking various lessons at various air bases and flying schools.

And they let them.

[KoKo]

9. Reagan/Poppy allowed Saudi's to come in for Pilot Training in the US.

This was a "little known" program of "cooperation" which had been going on "under the radar."

The fact that two of the hi-jackers were here training in the Dekker Bros. Florida Flying school and the FBI knew and Jeb Bush supposedly flew the records out of Florida is a start to make one wonder about LIHOP and then when the Saudi's were immediately flown out of the US before they could be questioned, and it was reported by Washington Post and other newspapers, but no one questioned it, is another start to the LIHOP road.

The Saudi's got out of control, the Bushies new it, but were so embedded with them for decades they couldn't control it all. They couldn't stop the Saudi money because it propped up our stock market and the investment was needed to cover the Reagan Bush sins.

Put that together with the Project for New American Century and the vow to protect Israel then you have a situation which may have been more enormous than they anticipated with four planes and the total collapse of the two towers, but they new something big was coming. And, they had to go into Iraq to cover up that they knew.

(At least the above theory seems plausible to me, after watching them for three years). :shrug: If one has watched Frontline and read constantly then one has to draw some conclusions that they were NOT caught by surprise.

On Edit: I didn't answer your question. How could they have stopped it? By cracking down on the Saudi's the minute they came into office and heeding the warnings of Clarke and others. That they didn't shows they didn't intend to stop an attack but that they underestimated how big the attack would be.

[sadiesworld]

10. "How do you propose they could have stopped the attacks...?"

For starters, * should have skipped the extended vacation.

[rman]

11. they could have found out specifics if they hadn't blocked investigation

of certain financial connections.
bush > bin laden > osama
it's in the 28 pages missing from the 9-11 report.
http://www.gregpalast.com

[loftycity]

12. Alerted airlines to watch for suspects-one way tickets-cash only

And they should of been profiling. While they were looking for Atta in Florida, it would of helped if they only had looked in the phonebook his address and phone were listed. Oh Duh again.

[gandalf]

13. How about

following normal airspace security routines, intercept hijacked aircrafts not only after 40 minutes?
Putting more fighters on alert?
Put suspected terrorists (and there were a lot of them closely watched during a Malaysia terror summit; Atta and his gang were closely watched in Germany years before the attacks, and the CIA was informed) on a watchlist and arrest them when they enter the US?

Act on the warnings of flight school owners of mysterious muslims?

"President Bush has just spent the night at Colony Beach and Tennis Resort on Longboat Key, Florida. Surface-to-air missiles have been placed on the roof of the resort. <Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9/10/01> (source: www.complete911timeline.org)

Warn the airlines and airports to heighten security? They had received no special warnings.

There were lots of missed opportunities. Had some of them been used, 9/11 could probably have been prevented.

I suggest you look at the 9/11 timeline. You might learn something.

[gandalf]

14. Nlighten1 doesn't seem interested in the answers

to his question... he does not comment on them.

[Nlighten1]

16. I'm busy this morning.

I had a test at 9:30 and now I am organizing my appointments for this afternoon.

:)

[neverborn]

15. LIHOP

I think that it's plainly obvious -- why was NORAD not scrambling INSTANTLY? Any plane 15 degrees off course is considered a "national emergency." -- that's SOP. Someone had to issue a stand down order -- my bet's on a PNAC member.

[Kazak]

17. Hmmm...how about...

preventing people wanted by the FBI from boarding airplanes...makes sense to me. :shrug:

[Nlighten1]

18. Exactly...

especially people who are on the FIB watch list.

[Pastiche423]

19. Allowed John P. O'Neill to continue his OBL investigation