Capital Offense
POSTED BY: AnthonyT
UPDATED: Sunday, November 16, 2025 04:49
VIEWED: 11738
PAGE 10 of 22
I realize that it’s all as simple as the sun coming up tomorrow for you, but that’s because you’re opinion is independent of the data or scientific process. Such as the devoutly religious see the existence of their god or gods as obvious and indisputable, so you see your own ideology. But the data or its analysis is not simple. We are often bereft by multiple sources of incomplete and or poorly translated information that is often intentionally distorted through encryption and/or disinformation. In the real world, we can rarely hope to test hypotheses as if gathering intel was no more involved then a college chemistry lab. While we may be able to rely on the sun coming up tomorrow or gravity pulling apples to the earth, we cannot so cavalierly describe intel gathered from flawed, duplicitous and often malicious rogue state. And those that do, do so because they have already made up their minds independent of what the data may or may not say.
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
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Quote:
And those that do, do so because they have already made up their minds independent of what the data may or may not say.
And those that DON'T properly interpret the data, or who fudge the data, misconstrue the data, distort the data, and outright lie about the data, refuse to look at it objectively because they have already made up THEIR minds independent of what the data may or may not say.
Mike
"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence[sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions
I can't help the sinking feeling that my country is now being run by people who read "1984" not as a cautionary tale, but rather as an instruction manual. - Michael Mock
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Finn
So, your excuse is - what exactly ?
Maybe you need to ask yourself this: How did so many people reach the right conclusions while you failed so completely ? Because in the end a LOT of people were better at it than you. What made you different from them ? What did you do wrong ?
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Silence is consent.
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Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
Finn
So, your excuse is - what exactly ?
Maybe you need to ask yourself this: How did so many people reach the right conclusions while you failed so completely ? Because in the end a LOT of people were better at it than you. What made you different from them ? What did you do wrong ?
***************************************************************
Silence is consent.
Threw out data which didn't correlate with his preconceived conclusion, distorted other data, and forced the desired result... you know, science stuff!
Mike
"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence[sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions
I can't help the sinking feeling that my country is now being run by people who read "1984" not as a cautionary tale, but rather as an instruction manual. - Michael Mock
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Quote:So many people didn’t. Before the US/UK went into Iraq to set the record one way or another, most people were pretty certain that Hussein had WMDs.
Originally posted by rue:
Maybe you need to ask yourself this: How did so many people reach the right conclusions while you failed so completely ? Because in the end a LOT of people were better at it than you. What made you different from them ? What did you do wrong ?
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
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...
...
...
Wait for it
...
...
Cites, please ?
-F
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Oh damn ! You beat me to it !
So ------ I second that !
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Silence is consent.
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Hello,
I can't speak for most people, but I thought he had WMD. I was woefully mistaken, however.
--Anthony
"Liberty must not be purchased at the cost of Humanity." --Captain Robert Henner
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Quote:And such was the consensus of the US Intelligence Community, as well as much of the world:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Hello,
I can't speak for most people, but I thought he had WMD. I was woefully mistaken, however.
From the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Report On the US IC PreWar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq, July 7, 2004, much of which still remains classified, but this much is not:
On the US IC consensus on Iraq’s Biological weapons:
Quote:
(U)In February 1999, the Intelligence Community reported in Iraq.• WMD and Delivery Capabilities After Operation Desert Fox, that Iraq probably retained the personnel, documentation, and much of the critical equipment necessary to continue and advance its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and delivery programs. Iraq possessed biological agent20 stockpiles that could be, or already were, weaponized and ready for use, but the paper did not state definitively that Iraq had biological weapons. The size of those agent stockpiles was said to be uncertain and subject to debate, and the location, nature, and condition of the stockpiles was also unknown. Iraq's production of biological weapons was assessed to be largely dormant, but the IC observed that Iraq could begin BW agent production within days of a decision to do so.
On the US IC consensus on Iraq’s Chemical weapons:
Quote:
(U) For example, The National Intelligence Council (NIC) produced a NIC memorandum, Iraq: Outstanding WMD and Missile Issues in September 1998 and produced a follow-on memorandum of the same title in November 1998 which comprehensively addressed UNSCOM's assessments of Iraq's outstanding compliance issues. The papers noted that the Intelligence Community generally agrees with the assessments made by UNSCOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about Iraq's remaining WMD efforts and capabilities. Regarding CW, the IC assessed that:
• Gaps and inconsistencies in Iraqi declarations to UNSCOM strongly suggest that Iraq retains stockpiles of chemical munitions and agents.
• Iraq also had the residual technical expertise, facilities, and production equipment to quickly restart production at declared sites if UNSCOM is again barred from conducting inspections and on-site monitoring.
(U) In February 1999, soon after UNSCOM inspectors departed Iraq, several intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA),25 the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the U.S. Central Command produced a joint intelligence report, Iraq.• WMD and Delivery Capabilities After Operation Desert Fox. This assessment focused on the effectiveness of air strikes during Operation Desert Fox in destroying Iraq's WMD facilities and programs, but was not a comprehensive assessment of Iraq's WMD capabilities. The report noted:
• During Operation Desert Fox, few of Iraq's chemical warfare facilities were targeted or damaged and the operation probably had very little impact on Iraq's ability to reconstitute its chemical warfare programs.
• We believe that Iraq possesses chemical agent stockpiles that can be, or already are, weaponized and ready for use. The size, location, nature and condition of those stockpiles is unknown.
• We assess Iraq's production of chemical weapons to be largely dormant: however, Baghdad has the infrastructure necessary to support offensive programs. Without an effective monitoring presence, Iraq could probably resume its CW program immediately, if it has not already done so.
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
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"Iraq's production of biological weapons was assessed to be largely dormant ... We assess Iraq's production of chemical weapons to be largely dormant."
One doesn't have to be an expert to read the plain language.
It was the same kind of wording which is directed at obscuring the critical facts that made Colin Powell's pre-war UN presentration and David Kay's post-war WMD report so pathetic.
As for its 'nukular' capabilites - the 'mushroom cloud' Bush so infamously lied about - it was well known by all and sundry Iraq didn't have any.
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Silence is consent.
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