Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Austin's Reichstag Fire?

As noted in my earlier blog posts on the Governor's Mansion fire, the failure of security is very strange to say the least. I have been a resident of Austin for over 30 years and am very familiar with the Capitol and Governor's Mansion area. Therefore, I know what I'm talking about. My friend and fellow Austinite Alex Jones makes the same observation:

Having personally visited and held demonstrations in the vicinity of the building on many occasions, Alex Jones remarked that security is water tight, and that individuals are approached and questioned as soon as they get near the building by Austin police. For someone to have started a fire both inside and at the entrance of the building, as some reports indicate, is virtually impossible according to Jones. On his nationally syndicated radio show today Jones speculated that the fire could have been staged as an excuse to crackdown on Austin's vociferously active freedom movement ... (LINK)

Could the fire have been an inside job? Certainly, the failure by DPS to protect the building from arson has the look of a security stand down. But, until the BATF-assisted investigation and an arrest is made, we cannot know for sure. Time will tell ...

The Bush-McCain Tijuana Bible

My good friends Ethan Persoff and Scott Marshall have just unveiled the George W. Bush-John McCain Tijuana Bible. Read all about this rare collectible HERE. Take a look at the actual thing HERE. But be forewarned, this is NSFW.

Governor’s Mansion: Where Was Security?

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) claims a security detail was present at the Texas Governor’s Mansion prior to the mysterious blaze that destroyed the 152-year-old building, yet refuses to disclose how many DPS officers were on the grounds. It is known that one DPS officer called the fire department after discovering the fire. However, this was only after numerous passersby had already called. Alonzo Perez, the first to call, reports that he saw no DPS officers at the mansion long after he called 911. Furthermore, he says it took the fire department at least 10 minutes to respond to the call. (LINK)

Bear in mind this is an area of town where the DPS presence is normally so thick you could close your eyes, throw a rock in any direction, and be reasonably certain of hitting a trooper on the head. I’m not suggesting you try this. I’m only trying to make the point that it is very strange for there to be no DPS presence at the Governor’s Mansion. Apparently, there were no DPS troopers across the street at the Capitol either, because if there had been surely one of them would have noticed and called 911. But they didn't. Passersby called 911. Yes, it is very strange, particularly when you consider that both the Capitol and Governor's Mansion have been designated potential terrorist targets.

And where was the Austin Fire Department? Burger King? What exactly was the point of all those post-9/11 emergency drills if the best the fire department can do is come sauntering onto the scene ten minutes after fire has consumed a major landmark?

Well, at least the surveillance cameras were working that night. They didn’t prevent the arson from occurring. Surveillance cameras never do, despite the claims of Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo that if we blanket the entire city with cameras it will end crime for all time. No, surveillance cameras are useless in crime prevention. But they do seem to help solve crimes, and that is what we are being told to expect in this case. State Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado has indicated that surveillance video shows “someone near” the mansion before the fire. Maldonado does not say who was near the mansion, but presumably it was not the DPS. At any rate, he assures us the crime will be solved. (LINK) And I'm sure it will. After all, the BATF is involved in the investigation, and if you can't trust the BATF who can you trust?

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Arson at the Texas Governor's Mansion

With the Texas Governor's Mansion and adjacent capitol grounds covered with security and surveillance at all times (especially post-9/11), how could this happen? It would be convenient for someone to say that security was lax due to the governor's absence. But that excuse won't work. Besides its significance as a government building, this was one of the oldest buildings in Texas. Its historical value alone should have guaranteed tight security. Why, it's as if someone snuck into the Alamo and set it on fire. Also, the mansion stands (or stood?) in downtown Austin, which at all hours is crawling with every manner of cop--city, county, state. Federal government has a big presence there as well. In the entertainment district, you can't spit on the sidewalk without some cop or other noticing. And, as I mentioned, the capitol area is covered with cops. So how come no cop, no citizen, nobody noticed that someone was burning down the Governor's Mansion?! Was it a very lucky lone nut or a false-flag operation? Needless to say, we'll be watching developments in this story very closely ...

Fire at Governor's Mansion in Austin Ruled Arson