Chapter 91: To Yorkshire By Train

Previous: A Flexible Plan

Flamborough Head, Yorkshire [source]

Friday morning dawned crisp and cool. "Excellent," said Holmes. "On a chilly day, heavy shawls do not appear out of place. It will be easier to maintain our disguises." My friend was adept at the art, whereas I was not.

"Under circumstances such as ours, traveling as two old women is always safer," he had said, and we stepped into the street fairly confidently, given the circumstances.

A cab arrived presently and we boarded it. Holmes directed the driver to take one left turn after another until he satisfied himself that no one was following us. Then he seemed to relax slightly, and we reached King's Cross without incident.

Twenty minutes after our train left the station, Holmes left the compartment, 'mistakenly' wandered into the men's room, and emerged a few minutes later in his normal attire. I followed his example, and we had made good our getaway.

Gradually, I could feel myself regaining some traction. I was still badly shaken, but watching the scenery roll by had a soothing effect. Soon I found myself thinking about Yorkshire, and wondering what to expect from our visit.

"Tell me about Fred," I said. "I know you don't know his real name, but what is he doing? What is he hoping to accomplish? How does he want you to help him? Can I help him?"

"Fred is an attorney from the Eastern U.S." replied my companion, "who has taken a special interest in cases which seem from one angle to represent 'terror plots foiled,' but which from another angle scream 'entrapment!'

"According to Fred, the cases appear to be mostly isolated, but some very interesting connections are to be found among the characters. From a distance, he says, they appear to justify the scads of money being spent every year to ensure that no such 'terror plot' ever reaches maturity, and to necessitate the transformation of society entailed in such an effort. But if, as Fred believes, they are all manifestations of the same government policy -- all the work of 'pinsetters,' as he would say -- then we have a very different situation entirely.

"Fred is convinced the billions being spent and the social transformations being undertaken represent something other than protection against 'terror plots,' and he wants to do something about it. But what can he do? That is his biggest question.

Natural arch at Flamborough Head [source]

"He has come to England to see me, hoping that, with my knowledge of crime and my powers of reasoning, I might help him plan his next steps. And perhaps some day I may be able to do so. But that day is still far away."

"It's a gnarly enough problem," I said.

"Indeed," agreed Holmes. "Gnarly from several angles at once. How many people do you think are making money providing security against 'terror threats' that may not exist? How much money do you think they are making? Conversely, how many people stand to make money if the 'terror threats' are proven to be bogus? And how much money do they stand to make?

"Then there's the matter of state power. What state wants to give up any of its power? What state doesn't long to increase its power? How can the power of the state be increased in the absence of a threat? It pays to consider this question with the wisdom of Joseph Heller, who based his novel, Catch-22, on the theme 'they can do anything we can't stop them doing.'

"From Fred's point of view, it seems imperative to stop government agencies setting up 'pins' to be knocked down -- regardless of the reason, but especially when it is done for propaganda purposes. And yet, there are enormous forces acting on various segments of the government to do it, and to keep doing it.

"Yet another angle: If, God forbid, another attack should succeed, certain people are going to demand answers: 'What happened?' and 'Why was it not prevented?' and so on. Nobody wants to have to answer such questions."

"So they become much more willing --" I said.

"-- marks," he continued, "for con-men threatening disaster and selling security."

"And if the threats are all bogus?" I asked.

"Or deliberately fabricated?" added Holmes.

"Then what?" I asked.

"Then woe be unto him," said Holmes, "who dares to stand in the way of the cash flow bonanza."

"Do you think this is what Gareth was up against?" I asked.

"I don't know," said Holmes, "but I would dearly love to find out."

Malham Moor, Yorkshire
Photograph: Stephen Garnett/Craven Herald

In my friend's voice, and in his choice of words, I could hear hints that perhaps our investigation wasn't quite finished after all. But I did not want to approach that topic directly.

"Does Fred know anything about Gareth?" I asked.

"No," replied my friend. "Fred has been talking and I have been listening, asking a few questions here and there, but not saying much else."

"I wonder whether it might be a good idea to tell him?" I mused.

"We'll see," said Holmes. "There are points on both sides of that question."

Something in his tone told me the conversation had reached its end, and we rode along without speaking, listening to the clackety-clack and enjoying the view, until we had very nearly reached Leeds. There we left the train, hired a cab, and drove east and northeast through the countryside until we reached our destination -- the small hotel to which Holmes had alluded when he first told me about Fred.

"They put on a nice dinner here," said my friend. "I'm sure you will enjoy it. And after we eat, a brisk walk amid this lovely scenery will be good for both of us."

I could hear and see his energy rising, and, much to my surprise, I felt a bit of a spring sneaking into my step as well.

Next: Stepping Lightly

Chapter 92: Stepping Lightly

Previous: To Yorkshire By Train

Yorkshire Dales [photo by Ed O'Keefe]

After an excellent dinner, Holmes and I enjoyed a walk upon the Yorkshire landscape. The evening air was most refreshing; for a short time I stopped thinking about London and Gareth Williams entirely. But Holmes brought me back to the reality of the case when he said, "Apologies for the quiet, Watson. Overloaded at the moment."

"Physically?" I asked.

"Mentally," replied my friend. "Too many trains of thought running. Can't talk with all this going on."

"Don't worry about it, Holmes," I said. "Your silences don't alarm me anymore, unless they go on for weeks and involve cocaine."

Holmes emitted a sound midway between a grunt and a chuckle, and we kept walking. As a medical man, I was appalled when I found out that my friend was a cocaine user, and the intervening years had hardly dulled my aversion. I knew he failed to appreciate hearing about it from me, and perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned it at all.

"'Tis my antidote for boredom," Holmes said at last. "My current problem is quite the opposite. Please don't fret, Doctor! Cocaine was the furthest thing from my mind, until you mentioned it."

I strode along with him, enjoying the scenery and the air, and wondering what was going on in his remarkable brain. Was he looking at other ways in which the pieces of our puzzle might fit together? Was he still trying to work out whether to tell Fred about Gareth? Was he trying to decide what to do about Hughes? Or was it something else altogether? I couldn't begin to guess, but I knew he would tell me when he was ready. I also knew he wouldn't say another word until then.

So we walked along without speaking, just listening to the birds and the wind in the trees. And about half an hour later, my companion began to talk.

"This certainly beats the sound of Baker Street," said he. "There's a restorative quality in the atmosphere; it is so quiet and calm. We needed this, and we'll probably need more of it before we're through.

Yorkshire landscape [source]

"Tomorrow," he continued, "I have another long meeting scheduled with Fred. You can join us for all, or some, or you could just have a cup of coffee with us and leave us to it. It's stressful, but you're welcome to as much or as little as you wish."

"I like to know what's happening," I replied. "And it will probably be more stressful for you than for me. I'm looking forward to meeting Fred, and perhaps I can be of assistance somehow."

"Suit yourself, Watson," he answered. "Just don't feel obliged to sit through the whole meeting."

"Understood," I said. "I will excuse myself if and when I've had enough.

"Now that you're speaking again," I continued, "may I assume you are no longer overloaded?"

"Good deduction," he replied. "You are definitely learning."

"Can you talk about what was happening?" I asked.

"A bit," he replied. "I was trying to gauge how much to tell Fred, if anything. I was trying to decide how much to tell Hughes, and where, and when. I was mourning Buckingham Slate and Scott Robinson, and chiding myself for having made such a horrible blunder. I was also trying to determine whether we have all the pieces in the right places, or whether they might actually fit together better in a different way.

"In short, Watson, I was trying to answer too many questions, and sort out too many emotions, and eventually I ground myself to a halt.

"The thing to do, I decided, is to meet with Fred as scheduled, and as usual. We can tell him you're here for a bit of a holiday. There's more truth in that than he needs to know. I won't say anything about Gareth to Fred. I won't say anything about him to anybody else, either, for as long as it seems wise to hold my tongue. When the time comes to speak, I will know it.

"That last bit is hypothetical, Watson. My confidence in my ability to read complex situations and react properly took a heavy blow when we lost Slate and Robinson."

"I don't think you bear all the responsibility," I said. "You told Slate more or less exactly what was going to happen, and he made his own decision."

"But I shouldn't have put him in that position," replied my friend. "I can't let the mistake debilitate me, but I do need to learn from it."

The Dent Viaduct [source]

"What have you learned from it so far?" I inquired.

"To step lightly," said Holmes. "To step very lightly."

"I can sit with you and listen to Fred," I offered, "and not say a word about anything, especially Gareth. And I think you have made a good decision not to contact Hughes immediately, nor to tell him everything we know. But I do have one request."

"And what is that?" asked my friend.

"Will you still talk about the case with me?" I replied.

"Yes," replied Sherlock Holmes with a hint of a wink. "Of course I will still talk about it. But only with you, Watson, and only in private. We're stepping lightly now, remember?"

Next: The 'Lone Wolf'

Chapter 93: The 'Lone Wolf'

Previous: Stepping Lightly

William 'Jameel' Chrisman

I slept soundly in the country air and felt somewhat refreshed when Holmes roused me on Saturday morning. After breakfast, we made our way to the hotel's small conference room, where Holmes introduced me to Fred.

"It's a pleasure, Dr. Watson," he said.

"And the same to you," I replied. "Holmes has told me something about what you've been discussing with him, and I have been very interested. So if you don't mind, I would like to stay for a --"

"Yes, of course!" said Fred. "I am  honoured to have you along. I've been looking over various case histories with Mr. Holmes, and I would like to continue doing that for just one more session, gentlemen. I don't want to get mired in too many details, but I think it might be worthwhile to look closely at one more sequence of events."

"It's your call," said Holmes. "I am at your service."

I nodded and Fred continued, "This story concerns William Chrisman, who ran afoul of the law in Camden, New Jersey. He was convicted of armed robbery and possession of a stolen vehicle, and went to prison. There he converted to Islam and began using the name 'Jameel.'

"Chrisman claims he volunteered to help the FBI catch terrorists. The FBI agent who appears to have been his handler testified that he was paid thousands of dollars. In any event, in the fall of 2006, Chrisman was sent by the FBI from Buffalo, New York, to Rockford, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Chrisman's task was to entrap a fellow Muslim, a man by the name of Derrick Shareef.

"Shareef was working in a video store, but had no place to live, and was about to move in with the store manager when Chrisman arrived. Chrisman gave Shareef the old song and dance that goes, 'I'm a Muslim, you're a Muslim, I can help you, come live with me,' and Shareef gobbled it all up. Shareef agreed to move in with Chrisman, his three wives, and their nine children, on the day the two men met."

"So Chrisman moved a family of twelve from one city to another voluntarily, in order to help the FBI?" asked Holmes. "How could he afford to do that? Where did they live?"

"We have to assume the FBI was paying all Chrisman's expenses," replied Fred. "We have evidence that the FBI bought the house for Chrisman and his family -- and Shareef, of course -- to live in.

Derrick Shareef

"From that day forward, Shareef lived in Chrisman's house, and, without his knowledge, Chrisman recorded all their conversations. Snippets taken from the recordings formed the basis for an affidavit filed by the FBI when charges were laid against Shareef later. But even as edited by the FBI, the transcripts reveal Chrisman leading Shareef into one action after another.

"Within six weeks, according to Chrisman, they had 'written and recorded' their martyrdom videos. To an outside observer, it is doubtful whether Shareef ever wrote anything.

"From Shareef's point of view, Chrisman may have been a gift from Allah, shielding him from homelessness. But for Chrisman, having his mark living right in his home gave him considerable leverage. And once Chrisman had Shareef's martyrdom video, he had even more influence over his target.

"They talked about doing something violent, Chrisman suggesting possible targets, Shareef offering semi-tough talk in support. As time passed, the transcripts suggest, Chrisman became more and more impatient, while Shareef became more and more reluctant.

"As December approached, Chrisman suggested attacking Cherry Vale Mall, a shopping centre in Rockford. Chrisman suggested using grenades in the attack. Chrisman suggested they do it on the Friday before Christmas, to produce the greatest possible number of casualties. Shareef went along with all this talk, but his one contribution to the plan seems to have been the idea that the grenades should be detonated inside garbage cans."

"Why would anybody want to do that?" asked Holmes.

"According to the transcripts," replied Fred, "Shareef wanted to set the timers, toss the grenades into a garbage can, and walk away."

"What timers?" asked Holmes.

"Chrisman had convinced Shareef that he could buy grenades with timers that would explode as long as fifteen seconds after their pins were pulled. Shareef appeared to be satisfied with the explanation, and he went along with more of Chrisman's plan. Twice they went out to case the mall, Chrisman driving them there in his own car, because Shareef didn't have one. They walked around the mall and talked about their potential attack, with Chrisman sketching out the details, and Shareef muttering his approval.

"Then Chrisman started getting phone calls from an 'arms dealer' who said he could sell them the grenades they would need for the attack. Chrisman wouldn't dare buy the grenades himself, unless he wanted to fall into the trap he was setting for Shareef. So he prodded Shareef to come up with some cash for these grenades they needed to attack the mall. 

"Shareef, of course, didn't know that the 'arms dealer' was also working for the FBI. But he appears to have started dragging his feet, in any case, claiming he couldn't marshal the necessary cash to buy the weapons.

"Eventually, Chrisman's 'arms dealer' agreed to accept a pair of stereo speakers in exchange for a box containing four grenades, a handgun, and some ammunition. The grenades were non-functional, and the bullets were duds, but Shareef didn't know that. So the entire transaction was in harmony with its context. Shareef's gift from Allah was phony; the arms dealer was phony; the grenades were phony; and the bullets were phony.

"The 'arms deal' as set up between Chrisman and the 'arms dealer' went ahead as planned. Chrisman and Shareef drove to the appointed spot in Chrisman's car, stopping along the way to pick up Shareef's speakers, according to the affidavit.

"But this brings up an interesting question: Where were the speakers? Why would a man one step from homelessness keep his speakers in a place other than where he lived? Did he borrow the speakers? Or did he steal them? We really don't know. But in any event, Shareef picked up a pair of speakers and he and Chrisman proceeded to the parking lot where the 'arms deal' was to occur.

"There Chrisman took Shareef to meet the 'arms dealer,' who took the speakers and gave Shareef the box containing the grenades and the handgun. Chrisman melted away while Shareef carried the box to Chrisman's car and put it in the trunk. Then FBI agents, who had been watching the entire charade, converged on Shareef.

"There's much more to it," said Fred, "but I must pause to point out one of the most remarkable aspects of this case. Chrisman has been written out of the story. Derrick Shareef's name turns up regularly in compilations of 'terror plots foiled,' but he is often referred to as a 'lone wolf.' If not, the text will say, 'Shareef reportedly acted alone.'

"But he wasn't working alone! He was no 'lone wolf.' He was every inch the follower in this two-man so-called 'terror plot,' an idiotic plan of attack which would never have come into existence at all without Chrisman leading the way. Some gift from Allah! Some lone wolf!"

Next: Nary A Word

Chapter 94: Nary A Word

Previous: The 'Lone Wolf'

Derrick Shareef

"How did that happen?" asked Sherlock Holmes. "Didn't evidence of Chrisman's role appear at the trial?"

"There was no trial, sir," replied Fred. "Shareef pled guilty. The government never had to present any evidence at any stage of the proceedings."

"And how did that happen?" asked Holmes.

"Legal magic," said Fred. "The choice of the mall as the target made the plot a federal offense, because most of the stores have out-of-state suppliers, and the federal government is charged with protecting interstate commerce. And the choice of grenades as weapons made the plot a very serious offense, because grenades are classified under federal law as weapons of mass destruction.

"It's a fair bet Chrisman knew these things; it's almost certain Shareef did not. And Shareef was charged with two counts: conspiracy to obtain and use a weapon of mass destruction, and conspiracy to commit arson in a facility used for interstate commerce.

"Shareef waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Had he not done so, the prosecution would have been compelled to give evidence showing why he should be charged.

"He also waived his bail hearing. Again, no evidence was required to hold him."

"Why?" asked Holmes. "Is this the signature of a public defender who is not very interested in defending his client?"

"That may be part of the reason, Mr. Holmes," replied Fred. "We certainly never learn the whole truth of these matters. But our 'justice' system has been transformed to 'hard on terror.' In other words, being charged with anything having to do with terrorism is, in many eyes, equivalent to being found guilty.

Hassan Abujihaad

"Thus, it is extremely unlikely that Shareef would have had his case dismissed after a preliminary hearing. It is almost unthinkable that any judge would have granted him bail, in any amount, not that he could have paid it. He couldn't even find a hundred dollars to buy four grenades and a handgun.

"So even a competent, serious attorney may have waived these two hearings. Shareef was found fit to stand trial, he pled not guilty to both charges, and a trial date was set. But before the trial could begin, Shareef accepted a plea-bargain. Withdrawing his not guilty pleas, he pled guilty to conspiracy to obtain a weapon of mass destruction, while the charge of arson against interstate commerce was dropped.

"Shareef later attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, but his motion was denied. So he was convicted on that basis, and sentenced to 35 years in prison."

"With nary a word uttered in his defence?" asked Holmes.

"Exactly, sir," said Fred. "And nary a trace of Chrisman, either. Except -- this is where it gets interesting, gentlemen. It appears Shareef was not Chrisman's primary target. He certainly wasn't Chrisman's only target. At the same time as he was entrapping Shareef in a bogus terror plot, Chrisman was also using Shareef to get to a man in Phoenix, Arizona, by the name of Hassan Abujihaad.

USS Benfold

"Abujihaad, originally Paul Hall, changed his name when he converted to Islam. His chosen name translates as 'Father of the Holy War.' Abujihaad was a sailor in the US Navy, and served as a signalman aboard the USS Benfold. In April of 2001, while aboard the Benfold, Abujihaad allegedly gave a pro-terrorist website secret information which could have been used in a terrorist attack against the convoy in which he was sailing.

"No attack came of it. In fact, nothing came of the information, until it was discovered when the operator of the website was arrested. Investigators suspected it had come from Abujihaad, but admitted they had no 'forensic footprint.' In other words, they had no proof of where the information had come from.

"Lacking the evidence they needed to put Abujihaad away, the FBI apparently set Chrisman on his trail via Shareef. Having established that Shareef knew Abujihaad, Chrisman encouraged Shareef to phone him. Neither man knew Chrisman was recording their conversations.

"Then Chrisman started speaking to Abujihaad himself, and recording these calls as well. Abujihaad sensed danger much more quickly than Shareef, and spoke to Chrisman in code, saying he feared their conversations were being monitored. If he only knew who was doing the monitoring!

"The evidence Chrisman collected against Abujihaad did not implicate the latter in any instance of leaking Navy intelligence, the crime for which he had been charged. Nonetheless, said evidence was used in Abujihaad's trial, which took place in New Haven, Connecticut.

FBI agent David G. Dillon

"On the morning of November 28, 2007, FBI agent David G. Dillon testified against Abujihaad in a preliminary hearing and played recordings made by Chrisman. On the same morning, 850 miles away, Derrick Shareef changed his plea to guilty on the weapons of mass destruction charge.

"That afternoon, and for most of the following day, William Chrisman testified against Abujihaad in New Haven. In his testimony, Chrisman disclosed information which would have been useful to Derrick Shareef for an entrapment defense, had Shareef not already changed his plea.

"Ironically, had the prosecution shown more restraint in pursuit of Abujihaad, Chrisman's role in the Shareef case might never have come to light. As it is, we we know about Chrisman only because of the press coverage of the Abujihaad trial.

"The story has seen no new developments for quite some time, but recently I caught a short news clip saying Derrick Shareef had been writing to an investigative reporter at a Chicago television station. In a series of letters, Shareef said he never really wanted to hurt anyone, just happened to know the wrong people, and is willing and anxious to talk.

"It might make for compelling programming, but no television station can simply send a camera crew to a federal prison and interview one of the inmates. Protocol must be followed. Clearances must be requested. In this instance, the request was denied, as the Federal Bureau of Prisons deemed such an interview a 'security risk.'"

"Clearly," said Holmes. "it would be very bad for 'security' if Derrick Shareef started talking about 'the wrong people' he just happened to know."

Next: Pat Tillman

Chapter 95: Pat Tillman

Previous: Nary A Word

Pat Tillman doing a handstand
on the roof of his parents' home
[photo: Mary Tillman]

"Yes indeed," said Fred. "From the government's point of view, it is absolutely essential that 'pinsetters' such as Chrisman be written out of the stories, and that 'pins' such as Shareef be kept quiet."

"Clearly," said Holmes, "the pinsetters must be kept loyal and quiet as well. But it must be difficult, for some at least, to remain loyal to such a crooked mess. Do you know of any instance where a pinsetter has publicly repudiated a setup?"

"I am not aware of it happening in my country, sir," replied Fred, "although something of the sort did happen in Canada."

"What happened?" asked Holmes.

"A bogus 'terror cell' was apparently created by one pinsetter," said Fred, "and infiltrated by another. The core group put on a 'training session' disguised as a 'camping trip.' This trip was so well disguised that some of the young men who attended it had no idea it was about anything else. And one of them was selected for prosecution as 'Canada's first terrorist.'

"The defendant had no bombs, no weapons of any kind. He had not participated in any paramilitary training, nor had he been involved in planning any sort of attack. The Crown didn't have any evidence showing that he had been party to any discussion at all in which terrorism was mentioned. But he was convicted, regardless.

"A remarkable thing happened after the trial, when the chief pinsetter and star witness for the prosecution said, "I don't believe he was a terrorist. I don't believe he should have been put through what he was put through. But that's our system."

"And then what happened?" asked Holmes.

Pat Tillman at Arizona
State University [source]

"Nothing!" replied Fred. "The man was convicted, and his conviction remains in place! He couldn't deny he'd come along on the camping trip. It didn't matter that the pinsetter had billed the trip as a religious retreat. The fact that other people on that same trip may have talked about potentially mounting a terrorist attack was enough, apparently.

"What sort of a jury would fall for that?" asked Holmes.

"Given the wording of the law," replied Fred, "the jury may not have fallen for anything! Guilt by association is the law of the land now. The prosecution does not have to prove the defendant knew about any particular plot, or even that any plot existed.

"And yet, the jury may well have been very carefully assembled," continued Fred. "We're seeing more and more evidence of prosecutors vetting jury lists without the knowledge of the defense. So the guilty verdict may have been assured from the beginning.

"Furthermore, the pins are never wealthy, so they are almost always represented by public defenders. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that some of the latter are double-crossing their clients, and actually trying to get them convicted."

"Do you think this was the case with Derrick Shareef?" asked Holmes.

"I can't be certain," said Fred. "But if he is not secretly complicit in the prosecution, any public defender in a 'terrorism' case will feel pressure. He may be reminded of instances when lawyers have been jailed simply for defending their 'terrorist' clients. The potential for warping the path of 'justice' is immense.

"But to straighten it out, or to level it, so to speak, is an enormous task. The transformation of the legal system serves many powerful interests.

Pat Tillman of the
Arizona Cardinals [source]

"There doesn't seem to be any way to stop the government from sending out agents to create bogus terror cells using methods formerly regarded as entrapment. And yet, can we simply sit back and allow it to happen?"

"What if someone highly respected, who knew the fraud from the inside, were willing to speak out against it?" asked my companion.

"The danger would be enormous," replied Fred. "He would need to be exceptionally honest, remarkably brave, and just a bit too naive for his own good. He would risk character assassination, physical assassination, and possibly both. Pat Tillman comes to mind.

"Do you know the story? No? Well, Pat Tillman was a prince, with a one-in-a-million combination of assets. He was bright, handsome, and athletic: a born leader. He became a brilliant football player: a smart, fast, and utterly fearless defender. After starring for Arizona State University, he went on to play for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League.

"Then came September 11, 2001. Like many Americans, Pat Tillman swallowed the story the government and the news media told us about what happened that day. Pat chose Country over Fame and Fortune. He and his brother, Kevin, joined the Army and became Rangers, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pat Tillman,
US Army Ranger [source]

"Pat had always been a voracious reader, and an outspoken, independent thinker, and now he was finding out through experience that the so-called War On Terror was not what it was made out to be. But meanwhile he was being used as a poster boy to support the war. Critics of the war were reminded of Tillman's enormous personal sacrifice in not-so-subtle ways, even as Tillman was coming to the conclusion that the war was quite illegal, although he used a stronger phrase.

"In 2004, Tillman set up an interview with America's leading dissident, or leading pseudo-dissident, Noam Chomsky. But the interview never took place. Before it could happen, Tillman's unit got split up in a confusing maneuver deep in Afghanistan, and by the time the dust had cleared, Pat Tillman was dead.

"He was found with three bullet wounds through the forehead. His diary and his uniform were burned. Pat's parents and his brother Kevin were lied to repeatedly by the very government Pat and Kevin had been serving.

"The lies about Pat's death consigned the Tillman family to a private hell, while an utterly fictional story was presented to the public. But what else could be done? The poster boy for the war could not be allowed to become an anti-war hero, could he?

"In the long view, Pat Tillman appears to have been exceptionally honest and courageous, but just a bit too naive. He didn't see that the official story of 9/11 was untenable, and instead of questioning it, he rushed to serve his country. When he saw that he had been duped, he was honest enough to accept the evidence in front of him, and courageous enough to try to do something about it. But he was too naive to know that arranging an interview with Noam Chomsky was not the best thing to do.

"According to the story that's been told, his final words, when he realized he was about to he hit by 'friendly fire,' were 'I'm Pat Tillman!'

"Do you have to be crazy to think that was his last mistake?"

"Target identification confirmed?" said Holmes.

"Exactly," replied Fred.

Next: A Three-Pronged Attack