Reply #105: Well, until I see it in a source slightly more trustworthy than

[Dongfang Hong]

Mad Cow Morning News, I would say "simply to drive the tinfoil brigade mad."

The only credible source for the claim that the men were certainly on the boat is the AP quote "Names on the passenger list from a Sept. 5 cruise matched those of some of the hijackers." Now, this alone is not impressive. I know several people of mideast descent who enjoy gambling. One is named Hassan Ahmed, sharing two names with one of the hijackers. My uncle is named Francis P. Kelly, as is my grandfather. Both are on terrorist watchlists because they share that name with an IRA bomber. Many, many people share names. The fact that the FBI wanted to know if a certain gambler was the same man as a certain hijacker does not mean they were the same thing. Indeed, the fact that there is no further inquiry about this implies that it is not.

Atta went through Vegas, yes. That is well-known. So what? It does not mean the man was a gambler. Perhaps it was cheaper to do a layover. Perhaps he decided to see the most sinful city in the sinful nation he was about to strike a blow against, just so he could know how great an evil he was fighting. Perhaps he was visiting a sleeper cell we are still unaware of. The notion that a Salafi would secretly be a gambler is ridiculous.