This goes back a little bit, but some of you may recall a conversation in the comments section about an incident to our North, where passengers and a driver on a bus became quite ill -- as did the EMTs who arrived when an ambulance was called to treat them. And although the investigating police refused to give up, the key health official shrugged the whole thing off. "Mass hysteria," he said. The idea that there might be some kind of an attack, much less an attack using a substance that smelled bad and made people ill just could not be contemplated.
Well, what do you know. Thanks to our relentless man in Vancouver, we receive word (a little late I'm afraid -- I'm behind on email again) the mystery is at least partly solved (the what, if not the who or the why): a toxic chemical placed in the bus filters.
Yeah. Sure. Mass hysteria. That's the ticket.
Mass Hysteria?
Far from it. I live in Vancouver, and the majority of my friends here were entirely unaware that this event happened at all...
It never made more than a tiny dent in Canada's national news cycle.
(Yes, we do have one. Running water too.)
Oh yeah, in the first few days after it happened, it was reported that the young man who uttered the threat was of Middle Eastern descent.
But, that's far too politically incorrect a detail for Canada's media to deal with, so he has become known as 'just' a young man...
Quick, someone label me a paranoid racist before I start to make too much sense.
Not a racist. Come from a multi-cultural family, in fact.
But, I consider it a test run for something bigger.
Peace
Posted by: Braintrust | June 29, 2004 at 12:08 PM
Blatherwick. Too perfect.
I think the circle needs to be closed. Blatherwick needs to be confronted by a reporter and asked whether he's changed his mind and.....whether he'll be more open to reality next time. Whether he'll wait for the data. Whether he'll bother looking for data.
The idea that 'crats get to speak counterintuitive nonsense with nary a correction is one reason they think they are omnipotent.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey | June 29, 2004 at 01:53 PM
Excellent points, Richard. If you're not from up here, here's a link to the Vancouver Sun (Ltrs. to the Editor). I guarantee the Mayor and council read the Sun Ltrs.
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/letters.html
Posted by: DaninVan | June 29, 2004 at 06:55 PM
"...it was reported that the young man who uttered the threat was of Middle Eastern descent."
I wondered about that.
But "stay quiet and you'll be okay."
Posted by: PJ | June 29, 2004 at 10:40 PM
Just to clarify, I think he meant the passengers were suffering from mass hysteria: in other words the symptoms were all psychosomatic. Just as (more than) as silly.
Posted by: dauber | June 30, 2004 at 06:09 AM
Done, DaninVan.
Thanks. Let me know if anything further from the good doctor surfaces, please.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey | June 30, 2004 at 02:05 PM
Vancouver PD has a drawing of the suspect and a media release here.
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/police/media/summaries/2004jun25.htm
Posted by: PJ | June 30, 2004 at 03:38 PM
Go to www.straight.com, news and views archive, Commentary, Jul 22/2004, "Of Cops, Toads, and a couple of little pukes".
Then you'll see what really happened. Cops didn't have a word to say after that hoax was exposed.
You guys ALL have your head up your you-know-what?
Posted by: [email protected] | September 15, 2004 at 01:20 AM
Go to www.straight.com, news and views archive, Commentary, Jul 22/2004, "Of Cops, Toads, and a couple of little pukes".
Then you'll see what really happened. Cops didn't have a word to say after that hoax was exposed.
You guys ALL have your head up your you-know-what?
Posted by: [email protected] | September 15, 2004 at 01:24 AM
Go to www.straight.com, news and views archive, Commentary, Jul 22/2004, "Of Cops, Toads, and a couple of little pukes".
Then you'll see what really happened. Cops didn't have a word to say after that hoax was exposed.
You guys ALL have your head up your you-know-what?
Posted by: md | September 15, 2004 at 01:25 AM
Go to www.straight.com, news and views archive, Commentary, Jul 22/2004, "Of Cops, Toads, and a couple of little pukes".
Then you'll see what really happened. Cops didn't have a word to say after that hoax was exposed.
You guys ALL have your head up your you-know-what?
Posted by: searcher | September 15, 2004 at 01:26 AM
Go to www.straight.com, news and views archive, Commentary, Jul 22/2004, "Of Cops, Toads, and a couple of little pukes".
Then you'll see what really happened. Cops didn't have a word to say after that hoax was exposed.
You guys ALL have your head up your you-know-what?
Posted by: a searcher | September 15, 2004 at 01:27 AM
Go to www.straight.com, news and views archive, Commentary, Jul 22/2004, "Of Cops, Toads, and a couple of little pukes".
Then you'll see what really happened. Cops didn't have a word to say after that hoax was exposed.
You guys ALL have your head up your you-know-what?
Posted by: a searcher | September 15, 2004 at 01:27 AM