Saturday, October 06, 2007
Looks like sabotage to me....
So far unreported on national news as far as I can tell: a huge explosion that destroyed a foundry in Tacoma.
The foundry (one of the very few foundries remaining in the US after Comrade Nixon's environmental laws killed most of them) makes high-strength steel parts for oil drilling.
Does that sound to you like an important defense industry? Yup, it does to me too.
The scenario is precisely identical to an explosion that destroyed the Whitley Fuel Co in Spokane back in July. Fire investigators quickly decided the Whitley event was arson, and later announced they were checking a 'person of interest', but there has been no news from that incident since August.
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Update: Well, at the same moment when I was writing that last line, Spokane police were arresting their suspect in the Whitley fire. KREM TV did the jailhouse interview thing. He's certainly the classic 'usual suspect': a young thug with a long record of theft and violence, including a previous fire. I'm not convinced yet. He insists that he wasn't around at the time, and his insistence rings true for some reason. Logically he could be the one, but Madame Polisztra doesn't see him in her crystal ball.
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Update 2, 10/12: The cops have released this guy from jail before the 48-hour limit on charging, thus acknowledging tacitly that they aren't sure enough to hold him. They haven't explicitly retracted anything yet, which makes sense .... when you're unsure, you want to cover both sides. Spokane's cops and courts usually do the sensible thing, which is rather refreshing in today's climate. ¶ 6:38 PM
The foundry (one of the very few foundries remaining in the US after Comrade Nixon's environmental laws killed most of them) makes high-strength steel parts for oil drilling.
Does that sound to you like an important defense industry? Yup, it does to me too.
The scenario is precisely identical to an explosion that destroyed the Whitley Fuel Co in Spokane back in July. Fire investigators quickly decided the Whitley event was arson, and later announced they were checking a 'person of interest', but there has been no news from that incident since August.
= = = = =
Update: Well, at the same moment when I was writing that last line, Spokane police were arresting their suspect in the Whitley fire. KREM TV did the jailhouse interview thing. He's certainly the classic 'usual suspect': a young thug with a long record of theft and violence, including a previous fire. I'm not convinced yet. He insists that he wasn't around at the time, and his insistence rings true for some reason. Logically he could be the one, but Madame Polisztra doesn't see him in her crystal ball.
= = = = =
Update 2, 10/12: The cops have released this guy from jail before the 48-hour limit on charging, thus acknowledging tacitly that they aren't sure enough to hold him. They haven't explicitly retracted anything yet, which makes sense .... when you're unsure, you want to cover both sides. Spokane's cops and courts usually do the sensible thing, which is rather refreshing in today's climate. ¶ 6:38 PM
