It's Probably Nothing....

so I shouldn't even mention it. But 10 days before the election, I'm finding my intuition isn't as rigorous as it used to be. So forgive this one time.

Here's the thing: there is a convergence of - let's call it "chatter" - regarding an impending bombing in the Twin Cities. According to the story, the attack would be nuclear. Whether suitcase or radiological "dirty bomb" is uncertain. The window seems to be Oct 27-31. The Mall of America is a known high-value target.

One, big trigger for this buzz has been the arrest of Delmart Vreeland. It's true, Vreeland is a criminal, but he's more than a criminal. The criminal Vreeland is his "legend." He is also, as was proven in a Toronto court and supported by other covert operatives, an asset of the Office of Naval Intelligence. He stumbled upon advance warning of 9/11, and for several months his Canadian attorneys tried desperately to find a security service which would take heed of it. Vreeland vanished while on bail, awaiting a ruling in his extradition hearing.

That Vreeland turns up now is suspicious enough. That he claims to have allowed himself to be arrested because he's learned of another imminent attack is worrisome. That his warning reportedly confirms what some others have heard - Twin Cities, nuclear, end of October - is ominous.

Compounding the anxiety surrounding Vreeland's reappearance are reports such as John Ashcroft's rare conference call with all 93 US attorneys, in which he allegedly stated that a massive terrorist attack before the election was a certainty; FEMA's "Community Emergency Response Teams" having scheduled a simulated terror attack for November 2; and the August testimony of a Texas National Guardsman, who claimed to have been told that the Bush government would undoubtedly declare martial law on November 1. His interview can be heard here. I can take or leave the over-excited and rather indiscriminate host Alex Jones, but to my ears, the guardsman sounds genuine. And really, we'll know soon enough.

Vreeland and his latest warning are discussed, heatedly, in several other active threads at Democratic Underground, including here, here and here.

In my experience, one way to ensure nightmares don't become prophecies is to talk them out. I hope I haven't given you one in the process.