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View Full Version : Are novelists partly to blame for the events of September 11th?


737man
2nd Oct 2001, 13:19
We all ponder at length about what would inspire people to take the actions culminating in the history changing events of September 11th but surprisingly little has been said about where the ideas originated!

Two novels I have read in the last six months suggested very similar scenarios. Firstly Tom Clancy’s “Executive Orders” and secondly (and less detailed) Mark Burnell’s “The Rhythm Section”.

The former book detailed a scenario which could well have become terrifyingly accurate if the fourth aircraft had reached its rumoured destination!
The latter book anticipated an attack on New York but assumed a departure point in Italy where many of us know that security is not up to UK standards.

One can only wonder how these two novelists feel now that their stories have become true. Furthermore it might be said that the security forces of the western world would be well advised to read adventure novels to help anticipate in what direction the next threat might come from?

Flapskew
2nd Oct 2001, 13:32
Not to mention a recent newspaper article about an eastern 2001 calendar found in Amsterdam. September picture had a 747 crashing in NY as the main theme. Believe it was printed in Egypt. Press did not show what the pictures were for Oct and Nov. Scarry thought.

126.9
2nd Oct 2001, 13:42
UK standards Now there's an oxymoron if ever I heard one!

Get a life buddy I think it's way past the time, people like you woke up to the fact that, if anything, UK standards are way below those of most of the EU! :rolleyes:

737man
2nd Oct 2001, 13:57
126.9- obviously you don't fly to the places that I do- Rome FCO or Cyprus PFO for example. The security is so full of holes that it is hardly worth having! The UK may not be perfect but it is WAY ahead of those two!

groundfine
2nd Oct 2001, 14:14
The title question of this page is an interesting one, but the answer is no.
Don't lets confuse the definition of responsibility (it happens more and more these days).

[ 02 October 2001: Message edited by: groundfine ]

JR/FO
2nd Oct 2001, 17:19
Read "Target America" by Yoseff Bodansky and then you will be totally disgusted. State sponsored terrorists have been training for the exact 911 scenario for years. Worse yet, Bodansky has briefed every intelligence official in the US over the last decade and still nothing happened. The Senate and House Intelligence committees are the real culprits in this whole matter for allowing a system like ours to function knowing full well the holes existed and were briefed and written about by experts in the field....

Mr Yoseff Bodansky--the real deal (http://www.freeman.org/bodansky.htm)