08.19.13
National Journal nincompoops and ricin
I never rely on the National Journal for security reporting on anything. Still, it is considered a sage publication within the Beltway, often getting a lot of good press.
But that doesn’t mean they don’t employ total nincompoops.
The above is my screen snap from the National Journal today, a news item about an alleged plan by al Qaeda in Yemen to launch ricin attacks.
It’s bylined the Global Security Newswire, a National Journal effort that has no connection with the real GlobalSecurity.Org
The article is nonsense. It cites a New York Times report, with a link, one allegedly published last Monday, or something.
However, apparently they don’t even bother to check their own link.
The New York Times piece was published in 2011.
“Confidential findings suggest the terror group has been trying to amass castor seeds and other ricin precursors at a secluded location in Yemen’s Shabwa province, an area beyond reach of the country’s central government in Sanaa, according to the sources,” it reads. “The data — initially reported in 2012 to President Obama and senior White House security staffers — suggests the militants want to have explosives spread the deadly substance through crowded indoor areas, government personnel said.”
The New York Times piece, again, is clearly marked 2011.
It’s such a great example of excrement in reporting one was tempted to
say it must purely be the result of a mistake in web-publishing automation. However, that doesn’t explain how the story was rewritten and advanced a year.
This is what happens when you employ people who are incompetent, or don’t pay them, or overwork them, or some combination of the three. There’s no excuse for it. There’s nothing right about it. There never will be.
DD blog, and GlobalSecurity.Org, debunked the idea of ricin bombs by al Qaeda back when the New York Times tried to pass it.
Indeed, maybe al Qaeda wanted to make ricin bombs back before 2011 (maybe they still do). But that is only because they are feebs and know nothing about the poison. They cannot make enough ricin and, further, since it is an active protein, it would not survive bombing, being denatured by fire, heat and shearing forces.
What to do? What to do? A minor blip in the news, but still — what’s the correct response?
Fire someone? Let other agencies employ them to mess things up?
“Global Security Newswire, produced by National Journal Group, offers daily news updates about nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, terrorism and related issues … A free e-daily, the Newswire provides thorough, accurate coverage …”
Yeah, right.