Now its two witnesses: "he didn't mention a bomb"

[Warren Stupidity]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051209/ap_on_re_us/airplane_shooting;_ylt=AhOIZA.2Ot.BBsIi_NElvkJvzwcF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--


""He was belligerent. He threatened that he had a bomb in his backpack," said Brian Doyle, spokesman for the U.S. Homeland Security Department. "The officers clearly identified themselves and yelled at him to 'get down, get down.' Instead, he made a move toward the backpack."

Two passengers, however, said they did not hear Alpizar mention a bomb."

How many of the passengers will have to come forward with their neutral observations of the lack of a bomb threat before our Defenders Of The State here on DU are willing to admit that this has played out, once again, in the same dreary and predictable fashion? That officials instantly put forth bullshit disinformation to justify the shooting, and that as usual the truth is starkly different than the initial reports?

I withheld judgment the first day or two, noting my deep reservations over our eagerness to use summary executions and our willingness to accept the use of summary executions in some misguided belief that we are thus safer by doing so. I withheld judgment despite the plain fact that this man was no threat: he had no bomb. I think it is time for all of us to admit the obvious: this was a gross mistake. A man had a panic attack on an airplane and the air marshals who shot him also had a panic attack.

The accounts of the treatment of the remaining passengers on the airplane are chilling. We live in a police state.

The proper reaction of the authorities would have been to apologize to the family of the victim and announce that there would be a review of air marshall training and tactics to make sure that another incident like this does not happen.