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Karl Rove's IT Guru Dies In Small Plane Crash
A dozen readers have submitted the story of the death in a plane crash of Mike Connell, Karl Rove's IT adviser, the man who set up and ran the gwb43.com mail server, and an important figure in GOP tech circles since 1997. The closest thing to straight reporting to be found in a mainstream media outlet is a piece from KDKA in Pittsburgh giving a detailed backgrounder on Connell's work for Rove, two generations of the Bush family, and many GOP congressmen and committees. CBSNews.com is now mirroring the KDKA reporting. Almost all the early media coverage comes from the left and some of it is frankly conspiratorial. Among the milder pieces (although it could not be called balanced) is this interview with Mark Crispin Miller, NYU professor and author of two books about the 2004 election in Ohio. Connell was compelled to testify on the day before the US election in a lawsuit involving Ohio election irregularities in 2004. Connell, an experienced pilot, died on Sunday when his plane crashed two miles short of the runway of Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio.
GOP is dead
Thanks, GWB, for all the fish. And dead soldiers. And trillions of debt.
Stay in touch, don't be a stranger.
- USofA
Seriously. Screw Balance. Don't kowtow to some asshole who disagrees with you just because he says you're not reporting fairly. Know your biases, know them well, and know how to counteract them. As for the readers, know your biases and know or at least anticipate the author's biases.
"Balance" is for people who want to be heard, even when they know they're lying. It's for people with persecution complexes who have no business having them. "Balance" is reporting that Wall Street needs $700 billion, but auto workers are paid too much. "Balance" is promoting two sides as equal when they're not, or promoting two sides when an issue is more complex than that.
How many times have we IT people complained about unfair, ill-informed, hyped, or spun news articles about us? Why is this exact same tactic on the front page here? "Almost all the media coverage comes from the left and some of it is frankly conspiratorial." Marginalization and a thinly veiled ad-hominem attack? When did slashdot start culling from the mainstream?
"Balance" is bullshit, truth is paramount.
"The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
Because it's always just a conspiracy theory.
No need to investigate anything. Nobody has a reason to want this guy dead or anything. And lordy lordy the government would NEVER do anything unethical or illegal.
When a mouse in a house full of cats dies, the simpler explanation isn't that he suddenly lost the will to live.
The Razor is for simplicity. Your need to reaffirm your faith in the humanity of those in power is irrelevant.
>It was later learned that
>Ohio Secretary of State
>Kenneth Blackwell's office
>had routed Internet traffic
>from county election offices
>through out-of-state servers
>based at SMARTech in
>Chattanooga, Tenn.
>SMARTech hosts dozens of GOP Web domains.
I can't see any positive way to spin this.
Karma: It's not just a good idea. It's the law.
Condolences to his family and friends. No matter what you think of someone's politics, its always sad when someone dies.
Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
umm, the ponzi guy was an INVESTOR in the scheme. A scammee not a scammer.
I know of at least 3 bankers who have committed suicide recently, mostly from those banks whose funds have tanked. It's almost like the twenties.
The only "interesting deaths" surrounding the Clintons were those which their opponents tried to tar them with.
Not everything has to be a conspiracy. Aircraft do crash.
Patriotism is a virtue of the vicious
If Ohio went for Kerry, the economy would have gotten blamed on the Democrats.
Why? I would guess that you do it now. Besides, ppl are not slandering Connel. They are slandering Rove.
False dichotomy.
What is it with people and the assumption that sabotage requires an elaborate chess game complete with blueprints, secret agents, wiretapping, and van full of CIA listening equipment?
It takes one man with a fucking match to burn down a house.
It takes only one mechanic with a desperate need to pay his family's medical bills to snip an important wire.
The author is obviously another right-wing nut who believes that the mainstream media has a "liberal" bias.
Oh and the evil little sh*t who crashed his plane helped many Republicans break Federal record keeping laws. That's a fact.
It's also probably the tip of the iceburg, wait a few years till the investigations get rolling and more Bush-Cheney crimes come to light.
Haven't you all seen Bush tell a reporter why he doesn't use email; "..it might be used in an investigation.."
I'm sure he was an indispensable TOOL for the Fascists who now run the Republican Party.
No decent American would morn his death.
Dunno why this made it on the front page of Slashdot.
First off, it's old news. Mike Connell died a few days ago, at least someone could have reported it in a timely manner.
Secondly, there's really only two reasons people take much of an interest in Mike Connell. The first is that he developed technology for use in politics. Second is the whole 2004 mess, where he has been accused of voter fraud in Ohio (and allegedly in Florida).
Too much importance is given to Mike Connell and his 'role' in various things. He was a web designer, he ran a technology company, just like me and a lot of people who read Slashdot. The fact that he worked in politics is just another detail about his life (his relationship with teh turdblossom aside). He was also a board member of the American Association of Political Consultants. While listening to him speak could be entertaining, his ideas about ways to use the Internet never really struck me as anything new that hadn't already been done better by someone else.
It just makes me sad that people want to remember him for all these 'scandals' and that his notability is based on innunendo and rumor instead of the actual accomplishments in his life. I mean, I am a Dem and have no love for the man, but it is just rotten to think this is how people choose to remember him. Reducing him to a rumor of some wrongdoing and despising him over his dealings is just another way of dehumanizing the man, and people should be above that.
M
Not everything has to be a conspiracy. Aircraft do crash.
I'm glad somebody is being reasonable here.
You don't make the poor richer by making the rich poorer. - Winston Churchill
If Florida went for Gore, none of this crap would have happened and the national debt would still be going down as it did under Clinton.
Kind of simplistic to assume a Kerry administration would have made the same blunders and mistakes the Bush administration has.
I now believe that assassination is a frequent political tool in America. I thought for years that Castro ordered the death of JFK until I saw the video (possibly now on YouTube) of the film interview with Lyndon Johnson's mistress. I now believe Kennedy was killed by the Rockefellers and Lyndon Johnson. There is much more in the interview, which everyone should see. For some reason it is not being talked about-- probably because years of crackpot "conspiracy theorists" have made even supportable theories about conspiracy suspect.
What Lyndon's mistress has to say is jaw-dropping and highly credible. Of course, for interested parties to deny or combat it would be to promote it, so that's not happening.
This interview gives a picture of American politics I never believed until I heard this straightforward, plain-talking woman. Political murder CAN happen and DOES happen-- often-- in the US. Now I am deeply questioning the official stories about Vince Foster, JFK, and now Mike Connell. Does anyone believe Karl Rove would not stoop to murder? The movie Bush's Brain makes it clear his ruining of opponents caused one or more suicides, yet in threatening to prosecute Connell's wife (for illegal lobbying !!!!!!!!!) (and as much as admitting he can give or withhold presidential pardons) he shows his tactics haven't changed a bit. I now believe Scooter Libby was persuaded to "take the fall" by threats of being ruined and by promises of a pardon if he bit the bullet.
We, the American people, have to wonder about the inadequacies of our political system (or the easy-to-abuse mighty power of the Presidency) that allow these corruptions to happen. I believe that Rove and Cheney are despicable murderers. This "accident" with Connell just proves it. This is what happens when you aren't a good boy like Scooter Libby.
America, we need to look at the issue of political murder and the frequency of its use for advantage.
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.
Anyone who says this is NOT a conspiracy needs their heads examined.
They're going to have a hard time finding replacements. I don't think I'd want to work in that capacity for the Republican party (just in case).
Karl Rove. Come on, give the guy some credit.
The guy ran oppo for the Republican party. They guy know who to talk to, and how to get information. He has is own databases of personal information on people - check his website and his own polling data.
He is fully capable of doing his own leg work with his own resources.
If *I* know what I would need to do to get the info needed to manipulate only one guy, Karl Rove better know, or the Republican party is overpaying him!
When Steve Fossett's plane crashed, nobody speculated that he was killed so he would be unable to break any more world records. Granted, that while suicides and accidents surrounding those in power are always suspicious, some of the conspiracy theorists are little better than the 9/11 truthers.
You don't make the poor richer by making the rich poorer. - Winston Churchill
Just because lefties think [asinine action of the week] is a righty conspiracy doesn't imply that it's not a conspiracy. And vice versa.
Just because righties deny that [convenient coincidence of the week] is a conspiracy doesn't imply that it is a conspiracy. And vice versa.
And vice versa.
Applying critical thought to what each side says is not unbalanced reporting. Reporters, in general, are in a much better position to connect the dots than is the general public.
Not giving the other side a chance to rebut, on the other hand, is unbalanced reporting. However, the rebuttal does not have to be in the same article. Ideally, there would be N+1 articles, one for each side and one where critical thought is applied.
The guy set up and ran the illegal mail server that Bush, Cheney, Rove and others used to evade the Presidential Records Act (remember the "missing emails"?). I imagine the email going through that thing was anything but boring, quite a bit easier to decipher than a bunch of numbers.
Tinfoil hat and all, it seems like too big a coincidence. Seems like there is other work out there no matter what the GOP is paying, and most importantly most people do not like being dead.
Among the milder pieces (although it could not be called balanced)
Balanced reporting is bullshit, because reality is not balanced. For example, the fact that some people think the earth is 6000 years old doesn't imply that the media has to mention this every time they report on some archeological dig. The mere fact that an opinion exists doesn't mean that it's worth reporting.
Which is simpler? One man having an accident, or several, perhaps dozens of people conspiring to fake said accident? Strictly speaking, an accident is still the 'simpler' theory by Occam's definition.
Compartmentalization is the key to managing a massive secret endeavor without anybody knowing enough to even realize they're part of a conspiracy. You only need a couple of guys at the top to know anything real. Anybody else who learns too much, you can always send on trip in a small plane. . .
Anyway, Occam's razor is flawed. --It was an argument designed by a 13th century monk to logically prove the existence of God. In short: Every explanation for anything which ever happens is more complicated and contains more steps than simply saying, "God". Thus, according to Occam's razor, God exists. It's a broken argument and the fact that people in the science community use it is embarrassing enough, but thanks to Jodi Foster, people in the much more densely populated, "Church of Science" use it all the time and actually think it means something other than, "I'm right because I allow the world of possibilities to end where my ignorance begins." AKA, "Bullshit".
Here's another way of looking at it. . .
When you measure the various likelihoods of an event happening via Occam, you are limited to your present data set and knowledge of the world. People have the bloody conceit to assume that things which they do not know about are less likely to exist than things they do know about; which is of course, ego-driven nonsense. A three year-old who doesn't know about electron guns and phosphorus but who does know about puppet theaters could use Occam's Razor to deduce some fairly laughable things about television sets.
Just because you can't imagine a thing doesn't mean that thing isn't a possibility, or indeed, a likelihood. Occam's razor is simply a clever way of justifying self-satisfied ignorance.
And THAT is my axe now well-ground to it's own razor's edge. Thank-you for indulging me and Merry Christmas! Jesus died for you! Occam said so.
-FL
Horrors.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
The reason for the Witness Protection Program is that people who have testified or are about to testify against powerful people often unexpectedly die under suspicious circumstances. This is a well documented phenomenon. The reason there isn't a World Record Setter Protection Program is that there are, AFAIK, no incidents of potential world record setters dying under suspicious circumstances.
Just last month Connell testified against some of the most powerful people on the planet, after years of their trying to prevent it, and he had just been called to testify again. The local news channel is also reporting that he recently told people that he thought his plane had been tampered with, and had refused to fly it twice since testifying.
-- MarkusQ
They are slandering Rove.
Only if the claims are false.
Seriously - why is ever person supposedly in possession of damning earth shattering information is incapable of putting a copy of said information in a safe deposit box, giving a few friends copies of the "in the event of my death" letter that directs them to an attorney(ies) that have a copy(ies) of the key? We know they don't do it in the movies, but how about real life? ....or his plane could have just crashed....
I think you're mistaken. I also live in this area, and work nearby.
While I'm sure there may be a few Amish/Mennonites, they certainly aren't there in any large number. The area around is airport has some farming, but has just as many housing developments and undeveloped land (with trees). It is also isn't flat. Map here http://tinyurl.com/8otcxn
Let's not try to play armchair quarterback too much. He obviously had an incentive to not crash. He lived in Bath, so he flew into the airport a lot and was probably familiar with the area. If safely landing in a field was available to him, I'm sure he would have taken advantage of the opportunity instead of crashing into a residential neighborhood like he did (he hit a vacant house). It was night, so he probably would have had a hard time spotting a field.
Dick Morris. Isn't that 'interesting' enough?
Stupid question- and I'm not sure who you are in all this-- but if he was willing to participate, why not just have him record a videotaped statement/deposition of everything he knows. If something happens to him he could not be cross-examined or further questioned, but wouldn't it lesson the threat to him had whatever he had to say already been "out there", or at least in trusted third-party hands?
Maybe the plane crash never killed Connell because he was not in the plane. It could have been staged to protect him. Now he has to live his life in protective custody.
Just a possibility.
Not everything has to be a conspiracy. Aircraft do crash.
True. And people do conspire, and some conspiracies entail assassination.
People misuse the term "conspiracy theory". A "conspiracy theory" isn't just any theory that entails a conspiracy. It's a theory that entails an impractical conspiracy, e.g., one that involves people cooperating who have good reason to distrust each other, or in which impractically large, or which involves people ignoring obvious opportunity costs.
M. de la Villehuchet invested a billion dollars in Mr. Madoff's fund ... but not of his own money. It is most likely the M. de la Villehuchet killed himself because of shame. However, his position with respect to Mr. Madoff's fund was similar to that of Mr. Madoff himself -- as long as the fund was making money, he was doing well. When it stopped making money, most of the losses wouldn't have been his. So, it is not at all illogical for him to have been a conspirator.
What is lacking is any specific evidence. If I were investigating, I'd certainly look for evidence. That doesn't mean the evidence exists, only that it might exist. That's the other feature of true conspiracy theories: the confusion of consistency with evidence.
With respect to Mr. Connell, it is most likely that this is just another aviation accident. There are many simpler means of getting rid of people, ones that don't involve teams of trained investigators going over the death site. The simplest of course is just to disappear somebody. Of course, that pretty much tips your hand. A staged suicide, or a fall down a flight of stairs would be simpler. That's yet another aspect of the conspiracy theory: it posits people doing things in complicated ways when simpler, more reliable ones are readily available.
That said, if I were investigating the accident, I'd certainly look for foul play. It's unlikely, but clever people do sometimes do things in a way so clever its stupid.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist. The simplest theory that fits the facts in hand is the most likely. However, it is important to collect more than the facts in hand, because people do conspire to do bad things and do cover them up. It is on that general principle, rather than the specific circumstances, that the possibility of conspiracy has to be entertained.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.