An Insider's view on the Missing Indonesian Flight 370

Given the intense interest into the disappearance of the Indonesian B-777...and a recently received email from a friend...I thought that you all might like to read this short message. I was his First Officer (Co-Pilot) for two or three months prior to my upgrading to Captain in 1995. He and I then served together as Line Check Airman in the B-727 for a number of years. He is an ex-Air Force F-15 pilot and is now either a MD-11 or B-777 Captain for a transport company.

A retired 3-star USAF general said (on Fox News) on the 18th of March 2014 that Boeing received it's last 'ping' from the Malaysian 777, while on the ground in western Pakistan, in a Taliban controlled area, near the Afghanistan border.
While flying between Paris and New Delhi (LFPG-VIPD), we were going to fly right over that area--when talking with Kabul Control, we were told to "OFFSET COURSE 10 NAUTICAL MILES TO THE NORTH, TO AVOID MILITARY AREA."
Having flown this part of the world for the last 3.5 years, I have never been asked to offset that much in that area, EVEN WHILE THE WAR WAS GOING ON.

The 'three star' is General Tom Mclnerney. General Mclnerney has been a Fox News contributor for quite a while. He comes across as an intelligent, sober and connected man. He is always quite measured in his responses and is not one to wander off "into the woods" by trying to make people think that he is knowledgeable about subject matter that he has little understanding of. On two occasions recently, the General has stated unequivocally that the missing B-777 is "on the ground in western Pakistan in a Taliban controlled area."

DA Bebb's 'No Mea Culpa' rant--More of the Same

DA Steve Bebb's latest press clipping in the Chattanoogan shows his public comments have done little to help him put a positive spin on his tenure as District Attorney General of the 10th Judicial District of Tennessee.

As a matter of fact, DA Bebb's history of public gaffes is a clear reminder of Vice-President Dan Quayle. There was a time when V.P. Quayle's staff was in in fear every time there was a scheduled press conference -- so much so, that if a day passed and he did not 'stick his foot in his mouth' -- the day was considered a 'major success.'

The first major scandal where DA Bebb should have said less or 'nothing at all' occurred early on, when his long time personal friend Judge John B. Hagler was under investigation. 
During a hearing to decide if an audio tape that was found by Judge Hagler's secretary should be revealed to the public, DA Bebb cried out in a plea for mercy for Judge Hagler-- 'Your Honor, this man is Sick' -- which was followed by a motion to strike objection by Hagler's defense attorney Roger E. Jenne --  'Your Honor, this man is giving a medical opinion.'

Weighing Bebb's latest comments in the Chattanoogan, there is little in the way of surprises -- "Today the political crap that has occurred has soured me on the whole idea of politics."

Three months ago in the Cleveland Daily Banner the comments amaze us all --
“And for this one to be filed by someone from Nashville or wherever they’re from is illogical,” he said. “I think they all ought to be ashamed of themselves.”

The Chattanooga Times Free Press which began a 6 month investigation into DA Bebb's activities, outlines the most egregious allegations of DA Bebb's abuse of power HERE.
A special judicial oversight committee will recommend that House Speaker Beth Harwell appoint another panel to come up with specific charges warranting removal when the Tennessee General Assembly convenes in January 2014.

Knoxville News media set to help 'botch' another death investigation

*Major Blunders in high-profile investigations get Bivens booted out of office in 2014.

It appears as if the 'news hungry' out-of-town news media was set to help influence another jury pool in Monroe County's latest death investigation(s). 

Lt. Tonia Norwood went beyond MCSD Public Comments Policy in the October 15, 2013 issue of the Daily News Express--see 'Talkin Tonia' at bottom of post. 

Perhaps, residents from rural Tennessee counties are presumed to be ignorant and gullible to 'city slicker' media outlets...Oh well, let's say for the sake of argument, that is pretty far-fetched...however, can a pattern of irresponsible pre-trial media bias be shown?

Kathy Bookout death news

The most recent example, last week-end's death of Kathy Bookout. WATE's Jim Smith quotes Sheriff Bill Bivens: "With all cases we want to make certain we don't compromise the case, so it's better sometimes we say less."

The next line: Sheriff Bivens says the murder was premeditated. Who was at fault for reporting this seemingly contradicting statement?

Premeditated murder (someone who plans to carry out the crime while knowing it is against the law) is a much more serious offense than other types of murder, and dealt with more harshly than a murder by someone who lost their temper in the heat of the moment. See for yourself the different types of murder categories, which are tried in a courtroom, in a judicial proceeding--not in a media-frenzy tabloid news article. 

Jim Miller case Solved

In the the Jim Miller murder investigation 3 years ago, the same news outlet claimed the case had been solved before the trial even started!..."Investigators say they have solved the months-long mystery of who shot Monroe County Election Commission chairman Jim Miller before setting his body on fire in the trunk of his car."



Lt. 'Talkin' Tonia Norwood may have been unaware of Sheriff Bivens' Public disclosures policy, or had her own agenda. It's as if Norwood was acting as the (PIO) of the Monroe County Sheriff's Dept... Captain Jennifer Bledsoe is the Public Information Officer of the MCSD.
In the October 15, 2013 DNE, Norwood makes numerous comments about the Kathy Bookout death investigation.
"Bookout reportedly told Norwood" ... "Parker then said, according to Norwood" ... "Norwood reported" ... "Norwood said Parker intentionally shot and killed Bookout."

Update: 10/21/2013 Judge Reed Dixon ruled that James Parker Ray must have a mental evaluation to see if he is fit to stand trial. This may temporarily put an end to any new hearsay comments about Parker, at least until the medical evaluation has taken it's course.

Securing Information: Lessons learned from the Snowden leaks

NSA has released a detailed account of what classified data Edward Snowden was able to remove and just how he was able to pull off what is now considered to be one of the greatest leaks of classified information.

The documents that Snowden leaked, the Powerpoint slides and other classified documents were stored in the NSA's internal website so analysts with top-secret clearance could read them online.

This type of 'information sharing' was implemented after the 911 attacks—When Secret Information is shared, analysts are more likely to 'connect the dots'.

Because of Snowden's leaks, the way that information is shared in the NSA has seen several security upgrades. NSA Public Information Officer Lonnie Anderson will not disclose how Snowden was able to remove data from his work-station, since it is part of ongoing criminal investigation.

One of the post media leaks counter measures has been that sensitive information access is in two-person control areas. This will make it impossible for analysts with privileged access to work and move about anonymously on NSA computers.

The NSA will now be tagging data with 'identifiers' so that higher ups in the agency are able to decide which data system analysts are able to see, the information that systems analysts are able to see will have the handling of that information monitored and recorded. Other counter-measures that are now in use remain classified and will be continually upgraded and improved upon to secure NSA data.