The video tape was manufactured.

[Roland]

Originally posted by Dissident
but what I did get from the tape was they he did expect the buildings to collapse. He just didn't expect them to collapse completely (or nearly completely). Just the floors above the point of impact would collapse.

Exactly. And the main reason for total collapse was the sheer weight of the floors above coming down. If they looked into the effects, and know something about statics, it seems odd not to consider that chain reaction. Especially given the extremely careful planning involved in the whole thing. You coordinate 4 (or maybe up to 8 ?) hijackings, pick your targets, but don't think through what the actual impact is ?

Of course there may just be a translation error behind this.

[Dis]

same thing with the coup. that might be a translation error.

but my hunch was it was made in area 51. maybe the guards found out about it, hence why they are on strike

[Roland]

Originally posted by Dissident
same thing with the coup. that might be a translation error.

but my hunch was it was made in area 51. maybe the guards found out about it, hence why they are on strike

If they knew it, wouldn't they a) be dead or b) get their payhike without a strike ?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Though I tend not to trust our government, I have to say that I think it's probably authentic, if only because the US has almost nothing to gain by faking such a tape, and an enormous amount to lose if it were ever exposed as a fake. Of course, given the general level of "intelligence" at the CIA, maybe nobody considered that.

But this also begs a question I posted on another thread, but which seems more appropriate here: Without necessarily questioning the validity of the tapes per se, does anybody know any more about how it was found? "It was found in an abandoned house in Jalalabad" just seems beyond belief; you're conducting house-to-house searches in a place as big as Jalalabad, and you happen to grab this one videotape? I mean, did they know whose house it was? Did they just grab all videos they found, and sort them out later? ("Anything yet, Jim?" "No, but here's another Pamela/Tommy Lee for the pile.") Did it magically glisten like an object you're supposed to add to your inventory in a badly designed adventure game? Anybody have a sense of this?

[Roland]

"Did it magically glisten like an object you're supposed to add to your inventory in a badly designed adventure game?"

I'm sure it had a "Bin Laden: Confessions of Terrorism" label...

[Hurry]

One good point I read in the newspaper: OBL wanted the tape to be found. He is anyways f***ed, so why not brag about his deeds and try to make a martyr of himself in parts of the arab world. So it was probably just left on a table in some Taleban-leader´s house.

[Roland]

That is a possibility, but it would only make sense in light of the Taliban collapse and his possible soon-to-be-no-more. But it is supposed to have been filmed earlier, is it not ?

"... if only because the US has almost nothing to gain by faking such a tape, and an enormous amount to lose if it were ever exposed as a fake."

The gain potential is not so limited for standing with the rest of the world. But I agree, it would be a tremendously stupid thing to do. But then, we are dealing with government here...

Yet again, if it were a US fabrication, Saddam would have been featured, not some Sheikh...

[Rufus T. Firefly]

The other thing no one has mentioned here yet is the timing of the announcement. Yesterday's White House Press Schedule was something like:

10 am - announce that we're unilaterally abandoning the ABM treaty after failing to reach an agreement with the Russians

11 am - Release bin Laden tape

It does make you wonder how long they've been sitting on the thing.

[drake]

I got a little inside american secret for some of you

You know those videotapes of planes hitting the wtc? Well those were all hollywood doctored films made to look like amateur videos. And the supposed rubble? Just another nice hollywood film job. Pretty convincing eh?

It was done basically to give the US an excuse to fight a war to boost the morale of the nation

[The Rusty Gamer]

I don't believe the WTC towers ever existed in the first place. All those people who claim to have seen them or been in them were paid actors, and all the photos were faked. You can tell by the suspicious shadows and lightings if you look closely at some of them. In fact, I even question whether New York itself really exists or is just a made-up city to help support the USA bluff of having an economy.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Originally posted by Russell
I don't believe the WTC towers ever existed in the first place. All those people who claim to have seen them or been in them were paid actors, and all the photos were faked. You can tell by the suspicious shadows and lightings if you look closely at some of them. In fact, I even question whether New York itself really exists or is just a made-up city to help support the USA bluff of having an economy.

If I was from New Zeland I would think the same way.

[WhiteElephants]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly

"It was found in an abandoned house in Jalalabad" just seems beyond belief; you're conducting house-to-house searches in a place as big as Jalalabad, and you happen to grab this one videotape? I mean, did they know whose house it was? Did they just grab all videos they found, and sort them out later?

I too found this statement odd and very unbelievable. I'm guessing that this is the "story" for the sake of security reasons. For instance, if one of OBL top men defected/surrendered and handed over the tape I'm not sure it would be prudent to go blaring that news around the world.

[DanS]

"Odd, I was thinking of a coup."

Again, don't get me wrong. Your initial thinking was rational, which lends credence to OBL's cronies' impressions. Also, we were acting in a very similar fashion to what a country would act like during a coup, I can imagine.

But for an American to think at the time that a coup was going on? For an American, the thought is totally alien. Incongruous. Our synapses aren't connected like that. Even similar ideas that would fall under a mistranslation are totally alien. Even Hollywood, the wildlife preserve we keep in order to weave stupid yarns, couldn't contemplate it--they've contemplated any number of other things, but I can't think of even a B movie that has spun a similar tale, unless maybe it involves buxom babes in a domination fetish.

So I can guarantee that an American wouldn't have the competence to pick a phrase like that. Even in Arabic. The decision makers who finally would OK the fabrication would say: "WTF is this?"

I don't know. Maybe the Austrians fabricated it for us. Now that would be genius!

[Bereta_Eder]

err a coup is when the military or some fraction effectively takes control of the goerning of the country.

This basically happens by capturing the centers of command and the media. What would the hits on WTC would had to do with a coup?

[Bereta_Eder]

my english are great when i'm bored