Is it, or isn’t it? We’ll probably never really know… [UPDATE #2]

As I flipped through the cable news channels for one last time before I was going to turn the TV off for the night, a story caught my attention on CNN. It was being reported that a suspicious vehicle had been stopped for what was described as a "routine" traffic violation. In the vehicle, it was being reported, explosives were found and two men of either "Middle Eastern or Medditeranean" descent had been arrested. This certainly got the wheels in the noggin turnin’– "They’re here. The car bombs, once only a reality in news stories about other, faraway places, have made it to America." I left the television on, dozing off with the expectation I would hear of nothing else throughout the night and more would be known in the morning.

This morning I flipped to the Fox News Channel. Nothing. Well, not nothing- they were still talking and reporting about the bridge collapse, but there was nothing about cars and bombs in SC. Flip to CNN. Nothing. MSNBC? Nothing. I’ll just check Drudge. He’ll have the story. Wrong.

For many years now, I have believed that when certain stories pop up– especially those with possible terror connections– there is some mechanism by which they can be quickly erased from the news montage that makes up the modern information network. Now, don’t tell me that I left my tinfoil hat back in the bunker, either. I’m not saying it’s a government conspiracy or anything like that, but it certainly seems that some stories get treated differently for some reason. (My belief is that the MSM is loathe to show anything depicting our enemies and their possible adherents in a negative way. That might lead some people to think Pres. Bush is right, after all, and they couldn’t let THAT happen.)

I continued my search. I Googled everything I could think of relating to the story I could remember, still with no luck. Then I went to Michelle Malkin’s blog and there it was– the story I had been looking for. Silly me! I should have started there FIRST! She has a great roundup with links and comments about the story, which is described thus:

Tons of readers are e-mailing me about an incident tonight in Charleston, S.C. It’s way too early to tell what this is all about, but here’s a local report via PJM:

Goose Creek – Berkeley County police pulled over a vehicle in a routine traffic stop near Meyers Road and Highway 1-76 around 6 p.m. The vehicle with Florida tags was driven by two men of Middle Eastern descent. Inside police found explosive devices. Highway 1-76 near Goose Creek has since been shut down. In addition to the FBI (website) , authorities from Goose Creek, Berkeley County, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are on scene. The Charleston County bomb squad has also been called. Officials on scene say that neighbors are in no immediate danger. They also report that they are unsure if a crime has been committed.

Read Michelle’s entire post on the matter. It has a lot of information about the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the fact that the road the men were stopped on leads to a military base where it has been reported that enemy combatants have been held. Fishy? Certainly. Terrorism? Who knows. I’m sure that somewhere some "official" has already pronounced this NOT to be an act of terrorism. I can hear it now…

Move along everybody. No terrorism here. Keep moving. Keep shopping. Pay no attention to those suspicious looking fellows. Come on move along! We’ve got student visas from the Middle East to hurry up and process. No time for this! Keep moving…

I just marvel at how fast a news story can disappear from the mainstream. Thankfully, we have the New Media…

[UPDATE—] Riehl World View has followed the various media stories as they unfold and shift. As he notes, it has been a constantly changing story. Michelle Malkin says there’ll be a press conference by SC law enforcement tomorrow morning. Here’s a photo of the two suspects.

Goosecreek suspects

I’m sure there’s no terrorism involved here at all. Probably just two peace-loving kids still celebrating the Fourth of July– you know, the birthday of the country they love so much… even though they’re not citizens and are (surprise!) here on student visas.

[UPDATE #2—] Via Michelle Malkin, The News-Press.com website reports

Two Middle Eastern men arrested near a Navy base after police found a suspicious item in their car were charged Monday with possession of an incendiary device, authorities said.
[snip]

Ahmed Abda Sherf Mohamed, 24, and Yousef Samir Megahed, 21, both students at the University of South Florida in Tampa, were being held Monday pending a bail hearing, Berkeley County Sheriff Wayne DeWitt said.

Mohamed is a native of Kuwait and Megahed is Egyptian, the sheriff said. Both are in the country legally, DeWitt said.

This was the part that caught my eye. Keep in mind that the Fourth of July wisecrack I used above was just that: a wisecrack. It only figures that that’s pretty much what they used for an excuse:

“They admitted to having what they said were fireworks. Based on the officer’s judgment at hand, based on what he had seen, we judged it to be other than fireworks,” DeWitt said.

I’m sure in the end, we’ll find out it’s simply unfair stereotyping. Just a couple of good ‘ole boys. At least that’s what CAIR will probably say…

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