3 more Muslims arrested for buying cell phone

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Drift3r

Guest
Jun 3, 2003
3,572
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Originally posted by: RichardE
Originally posted by: bennylong
I didn't even know there as limit to the # of cell phones you can buy. If a white, asian, or black men bought 1000 cell phones, would the Wal Mart workers have made those phone calls?

I guess if you're a Middle Easterners, don't go buying pre paid cell phone if you don't want to end up in prison for 20 years!

Of course they can buy phones, just not in bulk. After the trademark of explosive devises I can see where they are comming from, sad of course, but the activity of Muslims, and the failure of moderate muslims to speak out against the extremist did this to themselves.


You do realize if it were not for moderate muslims those guys in England would of never been caught untill after they commited the acts of violence they are alleged to have been plotting. It must feel good to be ignorant.
 

bennylong

Platinum Member
Apr 20, 2006
2,493
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Originally posted by: Drift3r
Originally posted by: bennylong
I didn't even know there as limit to the # of cell phones you can buy. If a white, asian, or black men bought 1000 cell phones, would the Wal Mart workers have made those phone calls?

I guess if you're a Middle Easterners, don't go buying pre paid cell phone if you don't want to end up in prison for 20 years!


Stupid part about this is that there are White, Black and Asian muslims. In fact the biggest populations of muslims by far are in Asia and Africa.

Yea, all the terrorist need to do is send one of the white muslim go to Wal Mart and buy 1000 cell phones and their problems are solved.
 

DealMonkey

Lifer
Nov 25, 2001
13,136
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Originally posted by: RichardE
Originally posted by: bennylong
I didn't even know there as limit to the # of cell phones you can buy. If a white, asian, or black men bought 1000 cell phones, would the Wal Mart workers have made those phone calls?

I guess if you're a Middle Easterners, don't go buying pre paid cell phone if you don't want to end up in prison for 20 years!

Of course they can buy phones, just not in bulk. After the trademark of explosive devises I can see where they are comming from, sad of course, but the activity of Muslims, and the failure of moderate muslims to speak out against the extremist did this to themselves.

I don't see you speaking out against Israel when they bomb an apartment building full of Lebanese women and children. I guess you deserve what's coming to you then.
 
Feb 10, 2000
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I am more than likely missing something here, but what exactly is the concern about someone buying large numbers of cell phones? What is it the government is worried they'll do with them?
 

Aimster

Lifer
Jan 5, 2003
16,129
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This is BS

The men should be released and the police department needs to be fined.

The employee at the Walmart needs to be slapped in the face.

It is not the police's business or anyone elses business why they bought the cell phones. It is a cell phone!!.

I bought 2,000 NIC cards 4 years ago because I was making $5/profit for each of them off Ebay.

I also stacked up on 200 Monster Energy drinks because they were selling them for $1.39 which is a steal. Uh-oh....

The only thing the police can and should do is follow them around. Arresting them goes against everything this country stands for.

Bigot area I assume. If this happened where I live I think the police would tell the walmart employee there is nothing they can do and that they will take a note of the incident.
 

ZeroEffect

Senior member
Apr 25, 2000
916
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Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark E. Reene told The Saginaw News in Michigan
that investigators believe the men were targeting the Mackinac Bridge,
which connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas. He declined to say
what led investigators to that belief.


They'd also been stopped in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin
buying large numbers of cell phones.
 

tommywishbone

Platinum Member
May 11, 2005
2,149
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"...Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark E. Reene told The Saginaw News in Michigan
that investigators believe the men were targeting the Mackinac Bridge,
which connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas. He declined to say
what led investigators to that belief..."


I also saw/read that article. I guess Mr. Reene thought they were going to destroy the bridge via the sheer weight of all the phones.

Reminds me of the episode on South Park, when Professor Chaos & General Disarry were going to flood the entire world by letting the garden hose run for several days.
 

bennylong

Platinum Member
Apr 20, 2006
2,493
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how about when they were going to limit sales of Dreamcast and PS2 to enemy countries like Cuba because it was so powerful, they would use it an a missile weapon.
 

Rainsford

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
17,515
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Originally posted by: DonVito
I am more than likely missing something here, but what exactly is the concern about someone buying large numbers of cell phones? What is it the government is worried they'll do with them?

The theory seems to be that they are good remote detonators for bombs and good for more anonymous calling (since they were pre-paid). However, that threat has nothing to do with buying large numbers of phones, terrorist cells do not have thousands of members, and you don't need to blow up thousands of bombs to make an impact.
 
Feb 10, 2000
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Originally posted by: Rainsford

The theory seems to be that they are good remote detonators for bombs and good for more anonymous calling (since they were pre-paid). However, that threat has nothing to do with buying large numbers of phones, terrorist cells do not have thousands of members, and you don't need to blow up thousands of bombs to make an impact.

Both seem like fanciful concerns to me, and as far as I know there is no law, analogous to the laws many states have enacted criminalizing possession of large amounts of the precursor chemicals used to make methamphetamine, that would make possession of large numbers of items that might, hypothetically, be used to commit a terrorist act a crime. Is it also going to be a crime for Muslims to own car dealerships ("Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Mr. Mohammed was indisputably in possession of literally hundreds of potential car bombs!")?
 

Rainsford

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
17,515
0
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Originally posted by: DonVito
Originally posted by: Rainsford

The theory seems to be that they are good remote detonators for bombs and good for more anonymous calling (since they were pre-paid). However, that threat has nothing to do with buying large numbers of phones, terrorist cells do not have thousands of members, and you don't need to blow up thousands of bombs to make an impact.

Both seem like fanciful concerns to me, and as far as I know there is no law, analogous to the laws many states have enacted criminalizing possession of large amounts of the precursor chemicals used to make methamphetamine, that would make possession of large numbers of items that might, hypothetically, be used to commit a terrorist act. Is it also going to be a crime for Muslims to own car dealerships ("Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Mr. Mohammed was indisputably in possession of literally hundreds of potential car bombs!")?

I agree, a HUGE problem with security of any kind is that people get this tunnel vision where they are trying to fight specific terrorist plots they dreamt up instead of spending their time on actions that will benefit security no matter what the bad guys are planning. Bruce Schneier calls it "Movie-plot Security" which seems like an apt name for it.
 

ManSnake

Diamond Member
Oct 26, 2000
4,749
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Today I saw a white guy buying 2000 pairs of chopsticks. He must be up to no good. Maybe I should report him to the FBI? Why would a white guy need so many pairs of chopsticks? Opening up a Chinese restaurant? Yeah right!
 

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
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Originally posted by: RichardE
Wonder if they had a business licence.
Why should somebody have to have a license to own a business? Business licenses only exist to pad government coffers and increase the price of entry into markets. It's protectionism of the wealthy. That's about as un-American as you can get.

If there's no evidence other than buying a bunch of cell phones, these guys need to be released.
 

bennylong

Platinum Member
Apr 20, 2006
2,493
0
0
Originally posted by: ManSnake
Today I saw a white guy buying 2000 pairs of chopsticks. He must be up to no good. Maybe I should report him to the FBI? Why would a white guy need so many pairs of chopsticks? Opening up a Chinese restaurant? Yeah right!

Probably going to open up an illegal asian massage parlor and hiring asian girls to whore themself out to white men.
 

magomago

Lifer
Sep 28, 2002
10,973
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Originally posted by: bennylong
Originally posted by: ManSnake
Today I saw a white guy buying 2000 pairs of chopsticks. He must be up to no good. Maybe I should report him to the FBI? Why would a white guy need so many pairs of chopsticks? Opening up a Chinese restaurant? Yeah right!

Probably going to open up an illegal asian massage parlor and hiring asian girls to whore themself out to white men.

Speaking of asian massage parlors..l.one of my friends was shopping all day in some asian area (she is chinese ;)) the other day and she saw a massage parlor and went in to get her feet massaged...
so she walks in and its pretty dark and some old lady comes up and says "sorry we only serve men" and she freaked out and realized that the entire building just turned into halls with individual rooms :p

so its possible ;)
 

Aimster

Lifer
Jan 5, 2003
16,129
2
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Originally posted by: magomago
Originally posted by: bennylong
Originally posted by: ManSnake
Today I saw a white guy buying 2000 pairs of chopsticks. He must be up to no good. Maybe I should report him to the FBI? Why would a white guy need so many pairs of chopsticks? Opening up a Chinese restaurant? Yeah right!

Probably going to open up an illegal asian massage parlor and hiring asian girls to whore themself out to white men.

Speaking of asian massage parlors..l.one of my friends was shopping all day in some asian area (she is chinese ;)) the other day and she saw a massage parlor and went in to get her feet massaged...
so she walks in and its pretty dark and some old lady comes up and says "sorry we only serve men" and she freaked out and realized that the entire building just turned into halls with individual rooms :p

so its possible ;)

Ive been to one but then backed out when they told me the price ..

$150!

Im bad I know.. bad boy I am
 

ZeroEffect

Senior member
Apr 25, 2000
916
1
0
These guys are being investigated for more than just purchasing cell phones.

They are also being investigated for surveillance of a vulnerable target for terrorist purposes.

The Prosecutor revealed that investigators believe the men were targeting the
5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas.

The phones plus photographs and videos of the 5-mile-long bridge led authorities to
believe that the men -- two brothers and a cousin, all of Middle Eastern heritage -- were
targeting the iconic structure linking the Upper and Lower peninsulas, according to a law
enforcement official familiar with details of the case.

So there's more to this story than just cell phones and racial profiling. This all sounds
a little more scary than just leaving the garden hose running....









 
Feb 10, 2000
30,029
66
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Originally posted by: ZeroEffect
These guys are being investigated for more than just purchasing cell phones.

They are also being investigated for surveillance of a vulnerable target for terrorist purposes.

The Prosecutor revealed that investigators believe the men were targeting the
5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas.

The phones plus photographs and videos of the 5-mile-long bridge led authorities to
believe that the men -- two brothers and a cousin, all of Middle Eastern heritage -- were
targeting the iconic structure linking the Upper and Lower peninsulas, according to a law
enforcement official familiar with details of the case.

So there's more to this story than just cell phones and racial profiling. This all sounds
a little more scary than just leaving the garden hose running....


The photos and videos create a legitimate concern here, but they're hardly a smoking gun. I still have yet to hear what I consider a credible reason to believe that the cell phones, even when combined with the photos and videos, are evidence of a criminal conspiracy.
 

marvdmartian

Diamond Member
Apr 12, 2002
5,434
20
81
Originally posted by: compuwiz1
Oh, you guys haven't heard? It's illegal for Muslims to buy cell phones. :roll:

What proof is there, that they are not buying them to resell? My boss is a Muslim, and he buys phones and resells them on Ebay all the time.

Question? Does your boss buy Tracphones, at retail price, in order to resell them? Would anyone honestly be dumb enough to buy a tracphone for (arbitrary figure, since I don't know how much they cost) $50, then try to sell it in an area that ALSO has a Walmart selling them for $50? Would you honestly believe that they're going to make any profit that way? Let's check that math........$50 for a phone + driving them to another location = ~$55 or so, + your profit marging = ~$60 that you have to sell them for, to make it worthwhile........yeah, I'm sure you could find a thousand DUMBASSES to buy your phones at that price, versus buying them in their local Walmart for $50!! :roll:

Honestly, I don't know that these guys have anything to do with terrorism, or if they're just trying to make a buck like the rest of us. But in this day and age, if they're not smart enough to realize that being "muslim looking" is going to make you suspicious looking to the average person walking the streets (much the same that being "asian looking" did in WW2), and they do something that just doesn't seem to make much sense, but could potentially be looked at as dangerous, then they're just DUMB. It might be racially motivated, it might not.....but why would you be so stupid as to take the chance, if you're not doing anything wrong, but it could be construed that you are?? :confused:
 

BladeVenom

Lifer
Jun 2, 2005
13,365
16
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No one complained about racial profiling when the govenment kept tabs on white guys who are members of the Klan. Now that it's arabs who are members of the Muslim faith it's a problem?
 

Aimster

Lifer
Jan 5, 2003
16,129
2
0
Originally posted by: BladeVenom
No one complained about racial profiling when the govenment kept tabs on white guys who are members of the Klan. Now that it's arabs who are members of the Muslim faith it's a problem?

they were arrested so yes it is a problem.

come on.. seriously. That was the weakest comparision ever.
 

steppinthrax

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2006
3,990
6
81
This is an example of straight up racism. I'm sure if there were a bunch of white hillbilly guys purchasing cellphones of that quantity notthing would happen. But since it is a bunch of musilm looking guys it automatically indicates terrorism.

The problem is really this. We are livining in a country right now were people are willing to blow themselves up to take out a couple of people. That enemy is by far the worst because they don't care about their own safety in the process ovbiouslly. This is also a very very free country. I can go to the library right now and start studying all the text on the principles of nuclear weapondry and my excuse would be I'm a physics student. However.... This country is more then willing to deny the basic constituational rights of a certain race (i.e. profile) to remove the thought that they could be planning some sort of terrorist activicy at that moment. Due to the fact that if they give them rights of due process they will use these to their advantage to cause terror. I think in this case when the wal-mart employee called 911 or whatever he/she was playing hero and that 911 operator was playing hero as well. As a matter of fact I just want to hear what type of phone conversation that was. Hello... there are two arbic looking guys here purchasing a large quantity of cellphones. I think that employee didn't even have to say what they were purchasing cellphones and that would of been enough to get the police involved.

LOL
 

loup garou

Lifer
Feb 17, 2000
35,132
1
81
Originally posted by: ZeroEffect
These guys are being investigated for more than just purchasing cell phones.

They are also being investigated for surveillance of a vulnerable target for terrorist purposes.

The Prosecutor revealed that investigators believe the men were targeting the
5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas.

The phones plus photographs and videos of the 5-mile-long bridge led authorities to
believe that the men -- two brothers and a cousin, all of Middle Eastern heritage -- were
targeting the iconic structure linking the Upper and Lower peninsulas, according to a law
enforcement official familiar with details of the case.

So there's more to this story than just cell phones and racial profiling. This all sounds
a little more scary than just leaving the garden hose running....

oops
:roll:
 

steppinthrax

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2006
3,990
6
81
Investigated and charged are two different things. If they were being investigated and what they did was sooooo horrible why were they free and roaming about the country for.
 

magomago

Lifer
Sep 28, 2002
10,973
14
76
Originally posted by: BladeVenom
No one complained about racial profiling when the govenment kept tabs on white guys who are members of the Klan. Now that it's arabs who are members of the Muslim faith it's a problem?

You are comparing KKK to Arab Muslims?

Am I the only one that sees a problem with this?