where is James Gordon Meek?

[mark mywords]

Meek is/was an influential EMMY award winning journalist who broke the news of the Pentagon cover up of US army deaths in Niger.

In April this year his Washington home was raided by the FBI and "classified documents" seized.

The raid on the property last only 10 minutes so they obviously knew in advance what they wanted and exactly where it was (or alternatively they didnt want any thing other than people to be aware that he was raided).

Meek was not arrested at that time BUT other than a single post on his twitter account on the day of the raid has not been seen or heard of since.

His post on the day of the raid? The single word "Facts"

where is he now?

 

[sear]

a) Never heard of him. I don't "get" cable.
b) Reports on him are available through this diversity of outlets:

https://deadline.com/2022/10/abc-news-producer-fbi-raid-james-gordon-meek-1235149633/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/james-gordon-meek-abc-missing-journalist-b2206860.html

https://nypost.com/2022/10/19/journalist-james-gordon-meek-missing-since-fbi-seized-classified-docs-in-home-raid-report/

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/fbi-raid-abc-news_producer-1234613619/

https://news.yahoo.com/james-gordon-meek-star-abc-005819949.html

https://www.thedailybeast.com/producer-james-gordon-meek-disappeared-after-fbi-raid-rolling-stone-reports

https://www.foxnews.com/media/abc-news-reporter-james-gordon-meek-resigned-very-abruptly-following-alleged-fbi-raid-of-home


Think the FBI is pulling a "Kashoggi" on him? Because no one saw him lately?

 

[mark mywords]

Think the FBI is pulling a "Kashoggi" on him? Because no one saw him lately

strange that no one has heard from him, not his family not his lawyer not his agent not his employer
could be he doesnt want arrested and if he doesnt contact any one then they are not put in a position either but its off that he is "missing".

Even the raid which reportedly took just 10 minutes is odd, how much searching can you possibly do in 10 minutes?
Also the "heavily armed" men who conducted the raid wore no identifying insignia and arrived in a Lenco BearCat

Lenco BearCat

what sort of reception did they expect from an unoccupied house?

 

[sear]

strange that no one has heard from him, not his family not his lawyer not his agent not his employer
could be he doesnt want arrested and if he doesnt contact any one then they are not put in a position either but its off that he is "missing".

Even the raid which reportedly took just 10 minutes is odd, how much searching can you possibly do in 10 minutes?
Also the "heavily armed" men who conducted the raid wore no identifying insignia and arrived in a Lenco BearCat
View attachment 125
Lenco BearCat

what sort of reception did they expect from an unoccupied house?

Numerous possible explanations for the brief duration of the raid.
One is that while he was out shopping, they sent agent/s in, and installed hidden open microphones and or video-cams, so they knew precisely where what they wanted was located, so that on their next opportunity could sneak back in, grab their quarry, and ski daddle.

The Lenco BearCat issue has two separate categories of explanation.
a) They wanted to be prepared for worst-case scenario trouble. If that, they might suspect Meek of having ties to bad guys with loud guns, or at least might not have been able to rule it out. -OR -
b) It's the only kind of vehicle available from the motor pool that day, and nobody wanted to spring for cab fare out of pocket.

I TOTALLY ! think this is an issue deserving concern. But with what little information we have, what?

I surely hope this isn't the tip of the iceberg. If this is tied to Jan 6, and the noose is tightening around Uncle Sam's neck, the FBI has been infiltrated, and by election day his majesty King Trump will rule the nation, I'd say - uh oh -.
I'm guessing / hoping there's a more plausible, less apocalyptic explanation. That doesn't mean Meek is well, or even alive. It merely places it on a spectrum of degree of alarm.

 

[mark mywords]

One is that while he was out shopping, they sent agent/s in, and installed hidden open microphones and or video-cams,

and to this end they quietly arrived heavily armed in military style fatigues in what some observers described as a "tank"?
If you are going to install covert surveillance would you not arrive in a AT&T van looking like a cable repair man?

The Lenco BearCat issue has two separate categories of explanation.
a) They wanted to be prepared for worst-case scenario trouble. If that, they might suspect Meek of having ties to bad guys with loud guns, or at least might not have been able to rule it out

would not even the most casual of surveillance have ruled that out?
And if it couldnt rule it out why only 10 agents ?

b) It's the only kind of vehicle available from the motor pool that day, and nobody wanted to spring for cab fare out of pocket.

hardly and even if it was the only transport available that day did the raid need to be done at that precise time and date?

I TOTALLY ! think this is an issue deserving concern. But with what little information we have, what

It sort of goes without saying that there is little of no information - if there was any information it wouldnt be worth asking the question "where is James Gordon Meek?"

. It merely places it on a spectrum of degree of alarm.

In my world things dont get much more alarming than journalists disappearing subsequent to a "police" raid

 

[sear]

and to this end they quietly arrived heavily armed in military style fatigues in what some observers described as a "tank"?
If you are going to install covert surveillance would you not arrive in a AT&T van looking like a cable repair man?

Perhaps they did.
In that scenario there would have been TWO raids.

- The first to install the hidden snooping equipment, incident to a lawful warrant I would hope., &
- The second, the one involving the BearCat

In that scenario, the first raid might well have been as you describe, agents with AT&T embroidered shirts.

"And if it couldnt rule it out why only 10 agents ?" m #5

Even if Meek were considered a potentially hardened criminal, I suspect the target residence qualifies as a "soft target". So even if Meek's ostensible worst case scenario secret army had an equal 10 man complement, if the 10 men worked 8 hour shifts, that means only 3 or four would have been on duty at the time.
Factor in sick leave and vacation, and having a 10 man secret guard force on duty 24 / 7 or precise advanced notice at that location would require over 30 in the total unit. I suspect that's not considered a possibility.

If government is trying to suppress Meek's story, any idea what specific story government is trying to suppress? Biden wears panties?

 

[mark mywords]

- The first to install the hidden snooping equipment, incident to a lawful warrant I would hope., &
- The second, the one involving the BearCat

so why did they need the bearcat and 10 heavily armed men- they would know that the apartment was empty and could have rolled up in white shirts and dark suits

Even if Meek were considered a potentially hardened criminal, I suspect the target residence qualifies as a "soft target". So even if Meek's ostensible worst case scenario secret army had an equal 10 man complement, if the 10 men worked 8 hour shifts, that means only 3 or four would have been on duty at the time.
Factor in sick leave and vacation, and having a 10 man secret guard force on duty 24 / 7 or precise advanced notice at that location would require over 30 in the total unit. I suspect that's not considered a possibility.

the very least measure of surveillance would have told them that none of that was the case.
I have seen more than 10 cops attending a traffic stop where the driver was alleged to be "non compliant"

If government is trying to suppress Meek's story, any idea what specific story government is trying to suppress?

If any one had even the least idea of that the raid would have been too late and there is no point in trying to kill a story which is already out there attempting to kill the story would tend to lend it credibility!

 

[sear]

so why did they need the bearcat and 10 heavily armed men- they would know that the apartment was empty and could have rolled up in white shirts and dark suits

Obviously they didn't need the bearcat.
I assume what happened is, once upon a time, many mysterious years ago, something went wrong someplace, and a middle management supervisor was hung out to dry for it.
So now, not because it's necessary for the mission, but because it's deemed appropriate for the incident commander to keep his job, they choreograph for the worst case. It's called: "standard operating procedure", S.O.P.

"I have seen more than 10 cops attending a traffic stop where the driver was alleged to be "non compliant"" m #7

Believe it or not that may, or may not be department policy.

Whether a written rule or not, in precincts where multiple patrols are on shift, if one patrol radios in a traffic stop, and other patrols are in the area, they may opt to pass by, or stop by, just to be safe.
If not a written rule, it's a way individual COPs have of improving the odds of safety.

Sometimes there just isn't another patrol in range.
But potentially there was one or more, and if it was on shift overlap, there might possibly have been multiple patrols from multiple shifts.

Not sure. Just a little insight into how police-work can look to a casual observer.

"If any one had even the least idea of that the raid would have been too late and there is no point in trying to kill a story which is already out there attempting to kill the story would tend to lend it credibility!" m

Right.
They're FBI, not rocket surgeons.

 

[mark mywords]

Believe it or not that may, or may not be department policy.

you would be doing well if 10 cops attended a murder scene here!

 

[sear]

Have a terrorist mastermind topple a few office towers in a major city of yours, killing thousands of innocents, and see if it doesn't jigger things a little.

Again, patrols filtering in to support, merely to show a presence, that may or may not be department policy. Or possibly an unwritten rule among "the men in blue".

 

[mark mywords]

Have a terrorist mastermind topple a few office towers in a major city of yours

I fear that you forget where I live!
between 1970 and 1994, ONE HOTEL was bombed 33 times
on ONE DAY 22 bombs went off in the center of belfast

You had one day of terror attacks we had a quarter century of them

You lost 3000 out of a population of 300 000 000
We lost 3000 out of a population of 2 000 000 (over 1000 of those deaths occurred between 1971 and 1974)

 

[sear]

That's the way to advocate the position. But you know it misses the point. Right?
Know why?
Living in a war zone is different from a surprise attack.

Whether "the troubles" actually changed NI security protocol I don't know. But 9/11 did change protocol in the U.S., substantially.
For one it tilted the "para-military" balance of the police decidedly in the -military direction.
I don't recall seeing policemen in flack vests with automatic weapons loitering ("patrolling") at U.S. airports before 2001.

I'm not trying in any way to diminish the needless horror visited upon Northern Ireland.
Only that, however horrible, I don't know that it's actually changed the culture the way the attacks of 09/11/01 did in the U.S.

One personal example anecdote: before 09/11/01 all I needed to cross the international border into Canada was a friendly smile, and a wallet bulging with $US.
Now, either a formal U.S. passport, or a driver's license specially designed after 09/11/01 that's valid ID for transiting the NY / Canada border.

There's probably more to it than that m #9.
But I get the impression the U.S. in general, and chiefs of police coast to coast are a little more volatile now.

 

[mark mywords]

I don't recall seeing policemen in flack vests with automatic weapons loitering ("patrolling") at U.S. airports before 2001.

May 24, 1961

---

Armed Guards​

US government begins using armed guards of commercial planes when requested by FBI and airlines.



.

July 17, 1970​

New Orleans International Airport becomes the first to use metal detectors and passenger profiling to promote airline safety.



In December 1972, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency rule requiring US airlines to screen all passengers and carry-on baggage by metal detectors and X-ray machines or be searched by hand. Additionally, the FAA ordered that airports station armed guards at boarding checkpoints

August 5, 1974​

Congress passes the Air Transportation Security Act, introducing and requiring metal detectors and X-ray screening of carry-on bags at ALL US airports.




armed police would not have prevented 911 so more heavily armed police wont stop a second 911 and sending 10 cops out to a traffic stop doesnt do anything beyond intimidating the motorist

 

[sear]

I see two holsters in #13. Can't tell what's in the larger (lower) pic, but I'm guessing they're both wheel-guns, revolvers, probably 6-shooters. Antiques in police work.

"and sending 10 cops out to a traffic stop doesnt do anything beyond intimidating the motorist" m #13

I keep trying to tell you. They're probably not "sent". Instead, unless the switch the police radio frequency to -tac II- (a different channel), all patrols are on the same freq.
So when there's any radio traffic, anyone in range can hear it.

So, according to the unwritten rule, if near the incident / traffic stop, swing by. Not necessarily even to exit the vehicle. Simply to present a police presence. I haven't read the SOP of every precinct in the nation. I can't assert as a certitude it is, or is not standard department policy.
All I'm saying is, tenured policemen do this, just to be there in support of their fellow officers, if their assistance should be necessary.

PS
On the side-arm deal, do you know about the history of how Glocks proliferated within police arsenals? Scary.

 

[mark mywords]

Police on Patrol With Submachine Guns at London’s Heathrow Airport​

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-10-mn-876-story.html (dated 1986)

America first started putting armed "sky marshals" on planes in 1961

 

[mark mywords]

American police did not routinely carry rifles until after the 1997 North Hollywood shootout where hopelessly out gunned cops had to go to a gun store and borrow guns

 

[sear]

I've only flown commercial a few times. Frequent fliers seem to think plain-clothes sky marshals are are easy to spot. For one thing they sit alone in the back of the plane. I don't know what their record is, but I'm guessing it's dismal.

American police did not routinely carry rifles until after the 1997 North Hollywood shootout where hopelessly out gunned cops had to go to a gun store and borrow guns

I did not know that.

Decades ago I read the Geneva Conventions forbid use of hollow-point bullets in international war. But U.S. police can and do carry them.

"In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty is in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed, and in the next place, oblige it to control itself." James Madison

 

[mark mywords]

Decades ago I read the Geneva Conventions forbid use of hollow-point bullets in international war. But U.S. police can and do carry them.

As you point out they are banned in theaters of war NOT the streets of down town LA, also even in UK they are the bullet of choice for hunting Im sure that they are also popular in the US for hunting.

Pepper spray is also banned under the Geneva conventions

. I don't know what their record is, but I'm guessing it's dismal.

depends entirely on what you believe their purpose to be.
There certainly (so far as i read ) have been no instances of one shooting a hijacker, but then (again as far as I read) there have been no instances of one being present on a hijacked plane so depending on how you look at it that is either a 0% success rate or a 100% success rate

 

[sear]

Pepper spray is also banned under the Geneva conventions

A few decades ago I read the literature packaged with a can of pepper spray. It was explicitly clear. This product when used as intended, is sprayed into the eyes an nasal mucosa of humans.
According to the literature it's ingredients are "food grade" (that's the term in the brochure). Apparently you can squirt it on you spaghetti and eat it safely. Spicy I imagine, but not toxic.

Not certain why Geneva allows lethal weapons, but outlaws non-lethal. I suppose it's to discourage torture. But that's a two-sided coin.

"depends entirely on what you believe their purpose to be.
There certainly (so far as i read ) have been no instances of one shooting a hijacker, but then (again as far as I read) there have been no instances of one being present on a hijacked plane so depending on how you look at it that is either a 0% success rate or a 100% success rate" m #18

I'd like skyjacker / terrorists to be discouraged from skyjacking, and instead get a poor-paying job in the construction industry.
Short of that I'd like each sky marshal to shoot a bad guy between the eyes, and have the passengers buy him a beer at the airport bar.

"0% success rate or a 100% success rate" m #18

I suspect there's a statistical way to evaluate their results achieved.
By whatever standard, compare that to total program cost, on per year basis. I don't know what that cost is. I suspect it's expensive. BUT !! Unless dropping it would significantly drop the cost of airfare. Count me a skeptic.

 

[mark mywords]

I suspect there's a statistical way to evaluate their results achieved.

Im sure that there are many - some you may like more than others!

I don't know what that cost is. I suspect it's expensive.

expensive compared to what? the twin towers? a plane crashing into the pentagon?

It could be argued that since there has not been a single successful terror attack on a US plane nor a single successful hijacking since the airport security package (including additional sky marshals) the the measures are an absolute bargain

1968 - 1972 over 130 US planes were hijacked, these days not so much, I wonder how much the total cost of a hijacked plane is?