First and foremost my thoughts and prayers are for the victims of this terrible crash.
AND - Isn't there a LOT to lose for a LOT of people if the AA crash was some kind of sabotage? If it was an attack (sabotage type thing) it would certainly ground a lot more people and cause more economic damage then if it turns out to be a malfunction of a part that has already had some warnings...

and if it was malfunction then only mostly AA/GE etc would be on the hook - and the gov't wouldn;t necessarily be on the hook to help the victims directly..

it's true I don;t trust the current administration but I am curious what others think...

[This message has been edited by squeakr (edited 11-13-2001).]

I fail to see why the government would even attempt to withhold the information. And, what an impossible thing to keep secret in the US, although it could happen in some other nations!

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Middle_Seat

I'm as suspicious as anyone about government (especially this one) but the idea that the real cause of the AA crash would be withheld is just not plugging into reality.

Look at it this way: There are enough competing interests to assure that no cause other than the real one will be to blame. As you mention, if it's not a deliberate act, then AA and/or GE and/or others were in error. They're not going to accept that blame and responsibility unless it's true.

I doubt a flight that lasted 107 seconds before major trouble was anything but a major mechanical or pilot error.

There are literally hundreds of people investigating this event. Let's let them do their job-I'm sure we'll have a good idea what happened in a few days.

squeakr - I share your contempt for the current administration. I think it is possible, although unlikely, that they would conceal this.It would help keep people flying. However, exposing it as terrorism/sabotage (if it was) would further unite the country and the international coalition. I don't think the administration would squander that opportunity.

Middle_Seat - I think you greatly under estimate our govt's ability to hide/conceal information

Look out for the black helicopters, they're everywhere....
Do you guys honestly think that they can keep all of the NTSB, FBI, AA, and GE people investigating this to lie about the cause? We're talking about hundreds if not thousands of people here, and like Mountain Trader said the GE and AA people have a strong financial as well as ethical disincentive to lie about it.
Get a grip guys!

cg you are right on the money.

and for the rest of you and your 'contempt' for the current administration, let us not forget whose administration sold out national security secrets for illegal campaign contributions. buddhist temple, iced tea... ring any bells?

unlike the political hacks of the last eight years, the current government at least has a grip on reality and ethical behavior.

uh..yeah...maybe not the NTSB but the others...sure...money changes everything. and what's to prevent AA/GE from cutting a deal w/ the gov't for some $$ help in return for taking the blame?

But deals can always be cut when that much money and company viability is at stake.

I don;t turn every corner looking for things to be paranoid about...I'm just throwing out scenarios that seem plausible ot me...I obviously hadn't considered the fact very well that GE/AA might resist taking thee blame..which is why I love ot hear others' opinions...

Not debating if the could keep it a secret, in this case the wouldn't want to. They will use every reason available to fortify National and international resolve against terrorism.

Sometimes I hate the press, but I have to admit that they do serve a useful purpose. I am confident that they would unearth a cover up if there was one.

andit's been a long time since we had a true independent (or at least ethical like Kay Graham) press...

There is no good reason for the truth to be suppresed, whatever it is.

If it's terrorism, the government will use it to strengthen the international coalition against terrorists.

If it's an accident, AA/GE/Airbus will want to correct the problem so that this doesn't happen again.

Also, the NTSB is widely regarded for it's independence. And, Airbus's team from France is coming, so in addition to the NTSB and AA, the international team from Airbus should also help keep people honest.

d

This, to me, makes the Black Helicopter/ Con-trail UFO conspiracy folks seem well-reasoned and utterly sane by comparison.

You are kidding, right?

Reagan couldn't keep a simple arms for hostages deal quiet. Clinton couldn't keep a simple tryst with an intern quiet.

And yet you think the government could keep evidence that an airliner crashed due to a terrorist attack quiet?

I don't know. This government is VERY good at keeping issues secret that they want to .

And look I'm not even proposing that it would be from entirely evil intent. If it was seen as for the good of the airlines and for the flying public, to think this was a freak accident when it wasn;t - there are some quarters who might support such a coverup.

the difference is I don;t have any great faith in MOST Politicians.. but if you want to look at unethical practives, EVERY administration has it's dirty deeds. My point is that I KNOW I have a bias against this administration, so I wanted to hear others points of view abot a potential coverup.