Virginia Tech Conspiracy Theory
Another violent school-related event
that I feel I may be connected to is the 2007 Virginia Tech killings by Seung
Hui Cho. Like my previous Columbine theory,(1) my Virginia Tech theory comes
from my fairly unusual background of being harassed and surveilled probably by
Scientology and others beginning in Los Angeles in the late 1980s. I had begun
noticing a few possible connections between myself and some unusual events
during this period. These connections were based on circumstantial evidence
involving similarities between these events and things that were going on in my
life, not through any direct participation or first-hand knowledge by me. I
subsequently fled Los Angeles and eventually ended up in New York City in 1991
where the harassment and surveillance continued.(2) In New York, these unusual
events soon seemed to become much more frequent and violent, especially in the
early and mid 1990s.(3,4)
There were a number of similarities
between myself and Cho that made me suspect that there might be a connection.
First, he and I were both males of Asian descent attending college, though Cho
was much younger than me and came to America as a young child from South Korea
while I was born in this country and am of Japanese descent. Cho had been an
undergraduate English major at Virginia Tech with aspirations to be a creative
writer. I was a graduate student in Library Sciences at Queens College in New
York City at that time, but had been an undergraduate English major at UCLA in
the late 1970s and had written a number of creative writing pieces with similar
unfulfilled aspirations. Some of Cho’s writings were said to be alarmingly
violent, including sexual violence, though Cho said at least one of these
writings, a violent poem about people who killed animals for food, was meant to
be satiric.(5) My writings were mostly non-violent and comedic, sometimes
satiric, though I had recently re-posted a somewhat violent, but still
hopefully comedic, short video on my new YouTube account called Murder Peanuts
on February 7, 2007 where a jar of peanuts gets slashed with a knife and pushed
off a table. There was also an element of sexual violence with the jar of
peanuts labeled “Balls of Protein” in reference to a non-violent song included
at the end of the video.(6) I had originally posted it on my website on May 30,
2006,(7) but it had stopped functioning at some unknown point. It got many more
views on YouTube with its much larger audience than it did on my website,
though still only numbering in the hundreds. There was also an old screenplay
and short story collection of mine called Pornovision, a series of short comedy
pieces with some elements of violence which satirized different genres of
television programs and commercials in a sexual manner.(8) Cho’s sister was also
said to be working in Washington D.C. as a contractor for the State
Department’s Iraq Reconstruction Management Office.(9,10) At that time I was
posting many entries about the war in Iraq and other matters on my blog.(11)
Cho and I were also both socially isolated, did not talk much and did not
engage in class discussions at our respective schools. Though unlike Cho, I
would answer questions when called upon and do oral presentations with no
problem.
The most striking similarity was probably
Cho’s 2005 encounter with the Virginia Tech police after he had told his
roommate that he might as well kill himself since everyone hated him. He told
the police this was a joke, but they apparently convinced him to be evaluated
by Kathy Godbey, a counselor at the Virginia Tech Police Department,(12) who
found Cho to be mentally ill and a danger to himself or others,(13) despite Cho
also telling her that his suicide comment was a joke.(14) Godbey’s diagnosis
led to Cho being involuntarily detained overnight in a Virginia psychiatric
hospital for further evaluation. Jasdeep Miglani, a doctor at the hospital,
evaluated Cho and said that Cho had a mood disorder, but did not appear to be
serious about killing himself and that his suicide statement was said more out
of frustration. He suggested that Cho be treated with outpatient
counseling.(15) Roy Crouse, another doctor, found that Cho had a mental
illness, but did not present a danger to himself or others.(16) But then,
unlike the two doctors, Paul Barnett, the judge at Cho’s commitment hearing,
ruled that Cho was, in fact, a danger to himself as a result of mental illness,
but that a less restrictive alternative to involuntary hospitalization and
treatment was a suitable solution and Cho was released after spending one night
in the hospital on an involuntary basis.(17)
On March 1, 2007, about a month and a half
before the Virginia Tech killings, I had been detained by several officers from
the New York City Police Department (NYPD) while on my way to class at Queens
College, initially on the charge of taking pictures of one or two NYPD police
cars and an NYPD Traffic Enforcement car in a public setting. Students in one
of Cho’s classes and one of his roommates had also complained that he was
taking pictures of them,(18) but this was not related to his
involuntary commitment police encounter like it was with mine.(19) In my case,
an FDNY (Fire Department of the City of New York) ambulance was apparently
called by the police and an extremely coercive attempt was made by the two FDNY
Emergency Medical Technician-like people (EMT) and the police officers to have
me go to a hospital with the EMT-likes and talk to a doctor for a psychological
evaluation. The initial involuntary detainment based on the alleged crime of
taking pictures of police and traffic enforcement vehicles in a public space
had turned into an involuntary detainment based on the allegation of my being a
danger to myself or others, apparently because as one officer had put it,
things I had done or told them were not “normal.”
But I had never said I wanted to harm
myself like Cho had apparently said. Neither had I said that I wanted to harm
others. I had told the officers that I took pictures of the police because I
felt they were following me around and that they were possibly following me
around because of my theory involving Scientology and events like plane crashes
that seemed to occur because of me. This may have added to their saying I was
not “normal” in regards to suggestions of mental illness. But the officer who
first questioned me had asked if I had any “mental problems” after I told him
that I was writing about the NYPD vehicles in my journal because I felt they
were following me around. This was before I had told him and the other officers
about my events theory, so my telling them about my theory wasn’t necessarily
what caused at least this first officer to allege that I had mental problems.
Though after I had told the officers a little about my theory, one of the other
officers had said my taking pictures of people who I believed might be
surveilling me was not normal after I had asked him if it was illegal. But he
did not explicitly link it with my theory or mental illness nor did he say that
it was illegal.
Some of the officers also frisked me, went
through my pockets and seized my identification without first requesting it,
seized, read and made photocopies of my journal without my consent, and seized
my video camera and looked through pictures in my camera without my consent. I made an audio recording of the encounter
which I’ve posted on my blog along with a transcript and commentary.(20,21)
There is one potential problem connecting
my March 1 encounter with the April 16 Virginia Tech killings, however, since
on February 2, 2007, about a month prior to my encounter, Cho is reported to
have purchased the first of two guns, a Walther P22 handgun from an online
company called TGSCOM. He was also said to have picked up the handgun on
February 9 from J-N-D Pawnbrokers.(22) [Two early reports said that Cho had
only bought the Walther a week before the shootings,(23) but all subsequent
reports that I’ve seen, including the official report by the Virginia Tech
Review Panel, give the February dates.(24)] So assuming that the February dates
are correct, this would be contrary to the idea that Cho was set in motion by
my March 1 encounter since February comes before March.
An alternative possibility is that Cho was
being monitored by people connected to my conspiracy situation, given his
various similarities to me and his generally vulnerable position, for purposes
of possible future action, then after he had bought the first gun, my similar
police encounter was arranged to occur in order to provide another, more
substantial, similarity between me and Cho to go along with the other
similarities. Cho was certainly on the Virginia Tech police’s radar since at
least 2005 because of the attempted involuntary commitment of Cho and other
incidents. He was also on the radar of other interested people surrounding him
in his college classes and in his campus residences.(25) In 1999 while
attending middle school, Cho had also been evaluated by a psychiatrist and
treated by psychiatric interns from a local hospital as a result of a paper he
had written for a class shortly after the Columbine killings that expressed
generalized thoughts of suicide and homicide and a desire to repeat what had
happened at Columbine.(26) So if psychiatrists are connected to my situation or
if Cho’s school had told law enforcement people about Cho’s paper, Cho’s
possibly being on the radar of conspiracy-related people may have come even
sooner. In this alternate possibility, Cho possibly being on these people’s
radar would be going from me to Cho, however, since my conspiracy-related
situation would have pre-dated Cho’s buying of the Walther in February 2007 or
his 2005 and 1999 police and/or psychiatry-related incidents. And since the
killings themselves and all of Cho’s actions subsequent to his buying and
receiving of the Walther did not occur until after my March 1 encounter,(27)
perhaps my encounter was a factor in the actual carrying out of the April 16
killings.
If my March 1 police encounter was a
factor, I feel that it may have had to have had a large enough degree of
injustice or other negativity done towards me in order to help justify such a
violent reaction. (Though my having brought up my theory to the police and their seeming to formally take a position of disbelief against it may have been a factor also. A way to counter this position of disbelief might be to create another one of these violent reactions as had occurred in my theory. I had told them that these reactions seemed to sometimes occur in reaction to my complaining about my situation in the past, so to then have a similar violent reaction in the form of the Virginia Tech killings occur after I had complained about my situation to them during our March 1 encounter might make some of them or some of those connected to them open to the possibility that there might have been something to my theory. Though I hadn't told them about the personal similarities part of my theory, if they had read my 38-page letter - which they may have since it was on the internet and since I had given a copy to the NYPD in the past also - then the similarities between Cho and me such as those discussed above might have made an even further impression.) But returning to the degree of injustice or other negativity factor, I feel that my March 1 encounter had enough of this type of injustice
or negativity to qualify as this type of factor. First, I believe that
involuntarily committing someone in a mental institution, even for a brief
period of time, is a very serious matter. In New York State, police officers
are allowed to initiate involuntary commitment proceedings for psychological
evaluation against qualified persons under the emergency commitment category of
New York State’s Mental Hygiene Law § 9.41.(28) This section does not say how
long a person may be involuntarily held in a hospital under an emergency
commitment, though § 9.39 of the Mental Hygiene Law, which § 9.41
seems to fall under,(29) says that a person who appears to be mentally ill and
a danger to self or others can be involuntarily held in a hospital for up to 48
hours for the initial examination by a staff physician and be kept longer if
the physician’s initial positive diagnosis is confirmed by a staff
psychiatrist, but it doesn’t say for how much longer. Section 9.39 does,
however, say that a person can be involuntarily held in the hospital for up to
fifteen days, so perhaps this is the maximum amount of time for involuntary
commitment if the staff psychiatrist confirms the initial diagnosis of the
staff physician. And the person does not even have to be found to be mentally
ill to be held for this amount of time. A lower finding of a “reasonable cause
to believe that the person” meets the standard is sufficient. A person can also
be involuntarily held longer than fifteen days if provisions
governing involuntary admissions are subsequently satisfied.(30) So what the
police officers and EMT-likes were attempting to do to me on March 1 had
serious potential consequences regarding my personal freedom.
The attempt to have me evaluated for
involuntary commitment also had potentially serious consequences in regard to
the public record concerning the alleged state of my mental health, including
the potentially negative effects on the credibility of my allegations and
theory if one or more of the doctors or mental health professionals had
formally diagnosed me as having some sort of mental illness. If this had
occurred, then my allegations and theory could have possibly been dismissed as
the delusions of someone suffering from mental illness rather than the result
of reasoned theorizing merely by pointing to my prior mental illness diagnosis.
And even to have reached a point of being judged by the police and possibly by
the EMT-likes as a person in need of such a psychological evaluation to the
point of using their official police powers to try and have me submit to such
an evaluation may have had a negative influence on the credibility of my
allegations and theory.
I also feel that the police had no
legitimate reason for trying to have me psychologically evaluated in the first
place. The admission standard for an emergency commitment proceeding initiated
by the police according to Mental Hygiene Law § 9.41, however, is “any person
who appears to be mentally ill and is conducting himself or herself in a manner
which is likely to result in serious harm to the person or others.”(31) The
officers seemed to be basing their involuntarily detaining me for psychological
evaluation on the belief that since they considered things I had said or done
were not “normal,” I was therefore a danger to myself or others and therefore
could be involuntarily detained for psychological evaluation for possible
involuntary commitment. But I believe that this apparently attempted connection
between doing or saying something considered not normal and being a danger or
possible danger is not a valid connection. If I had done or said something that
they claimed was not normal and that they also had reasonably claimed was also
indicative of violence or possible violence, then the connection between the
two could probably be made, but they had never offered any evidence or
statements that anything I had done or said was indicative of such violence or
that a reasonable person would believe was indicative of possible violence. The
only crime I had been accused of was taking pictures or videos of police and
traffic enforcement vehicles which I don’t believe is in itself indicative of
violence or possible violence. I was also criticized for writing things in my
journal about the police, but again, I feel this is a non-violent act. They
could claim that my belief that I was being followed around by the police and
others or that my conspiracy theory were not normal, but I believe that these
things, in themselves, did not offer any evidence or indications that I was
violent or possibly violent.
In past court cases under § 9.41, the
police attempted to have people involuntarily committed only after conditions
including the part about serious harm seemed reasonably satisfied. In Gonzalez
v. State of New York (1985) the person was found sleeping on the subway
tracks.(32) In Higgins v. City of Oneonta (1994) the person was said to have
made verbal threats of violence against the police and public officials.(33) In
People v. Yaniak (2001) the person was alleged to have repeatedly said,
"I'm dead, whose dead, your dead?"(34) In Schaller v. County of
Suffolk (2008) the person is said to have verbally threatened another person
and lunged at that person with a screwdriver.(35,36) But I had not made any
similar threats or statements or committed any similar violent actions, so I
believe that the police had no valid reason for detaining me in order to have
me evaluated for possible involuntarily commitment under § 9.41.
One of the officers had also asked me if I
heard voices. In a letter explaining my situation and theory that I had sent to
many people and organizations in 1994 and posted on my website in 2004 I had
said that I had sometimes heard voices in my head in the past. They mostly
laughed or grumbled, but once while I was living in Los Angeles I thought I had
heard a female voice in my head say “don’t do it” when I was thinking about
calling the FBI concerning the harassment and surveillance. The voices did not
urge me to harm myself or others, however,(37) so again, I believe this would
not be something that would satisfy the harm standard of § 9.41. Perhaps
someone could use it to say that I was mentally ill (though I would dispute
that), but I don’t believe it is enough in itself to have me involuntarily
committed or evaluated because of its failure to meet the harm standard. I
denied hearing voices to the officer on March 1, however, not wanting to go
into that since they seemed to be going out of their way to have me
involuntarily committed or at least formally diagnosed as having a mental
illness. I had not told the officers about the voices or about my letter, but
they or someone else may have read it on their own, either at that time or at a
prior time, without telling me.
I also don’t believe that taking pictures
of the police or others if I believed that they were following me around is not
“normal” as one or more of the officers had alleged. In fact, a 2002 manual
sponsored through a grant from an office of the U.S. Department of Justice
recommends that for evidentiary purposes, stalking victims tape record any
phone messages from their stalkers and keep a journal or diary of any
encounters with the stalker and that the police themselves take video and
photos of the stalker.(38) One of the officers had also criticized me for
writing down the identification numbers of his police car and of the traffic
enforcement vehicle in my journal. I believe that this writing down would fall
within the category of keeping a journal of any encounters in the 2002
anti-stalking manual. The manual also suggests saving all evidence of
stalking-related incidents, even if it seems insignificant.(39) This might
cover my general recording of such a wide range of incidents and people that I
associated with possibly being connected to my situation of mass surveillance
and harassment.
One of the officers had also said that the
police do similar things to my picture-taking like writing things down, but
that the police did it because it was their job. This seemed to imply that if I
did a similar thing, it was not normal because I did not have a formal job
whose duties included the recording of such evidence. But I feel that this
distinction is a mere technicality and that since the police and I engaged in
similar acts under similar situations, this should suggest the normality of my
actions, given the circumstances, not the abnormality, and certainly not the
abnormality indicative of mental illness.
As I said above, one of the initial
officers had also asked me if I had mental problems after I said I wrote down
the movements of the police in my journal because I felt they were following me
around. But the police are known to conduct surveillance on people and if I had
a history of the police frequently seeming to be where I was, then a belief
that I might be the target of such surveillance by such people does not seem
like such an unreasonable idea, especially given my years-long conspiracy-like
situation which includes a number of incidents that seemed to involve the
police.
I also feel that my initial detainment by
the police was not justified. Officers must first have a reasonable suspicion
that the person they are detaining has committed, is committing or is about to
commit a crime based on specific facts in order to detain a person. This standard
has been in existence for decades with the U. S. Supreme Court’s Terry v. Ohio
decision in 1968 (40) and further explored in New York by its state courts in
1976 with People v. De Bour.(41) Past cases and also a statement by the NYPD
itself seem to indicate that photographing the police in public places is not a
crime, so the crime standard of Terry and De Bour justifying detainment would
not have been satisfied in my encounter. In 1984, then NYPD Commissioner
Benjamin Ward issued an order stating that officers were not to interfere with
photojournalists who were recording public incidents in a case involving a
photojournalist who had been denied access to a crash scene by two officers and
that harassment of such photography was censorship which was not a function of the NYPD. The order was said to merely formalize and
amplify an already existing informal NYPD guideline. It did not,
however, address the issue of photography by members of the public.(42) In
Smith v. City of Cumming, a 2000 federal appellate case involving videotaping
of the police by a member of the public, it was ruled that the First Amendment
protected the right of the public to gather information about what public
officials do on public property, specifically, a right to record matters of
public interest.(43) In Robinson v. Fetterman, a 2005 federal district court
case, it was further ruled that Robinson, another member of the public, need
not assert any particular reason for the videotaping of state troopers since
the activities of the police were subject to public scrutiny under the First
Amendment.(44)
Some states have wiretap laws that the
police sometimes try and use to restrict the video or audio recording of police
by the public,(45) but New York is not one of these states. In 2004, two
security guards from the Iranian mission at the United Nations were questioned
by the police about taking pictures and video of New York City landmarks. But
as guards at the Iranian mission, they were working for the Iranian government
and since Iran had been known as a state sponsor of terrorism at that time,(46)
they would appear to be a better target for suspicion than me. The guards were
also not questioned about taking pictures of police or traffic enforcement
vehicles like I was. There’s also a federal law (18 U.S.C. § 793) which makes
it illegal to photograph subjects that could knowingly cause harm to the
national defense such as aircraft, naval yards or codebooks,(47) but I was not
accused of taking any such photos or videos.
The officers in my March 1 encounter also
never formally charged me with the alleged crime of taking pictures of police
vehicles in a public setting despite one or two of the officers’ initial
assertions that it was a crime which further leads me to believe that such
photography was not a crime. My journal also said that the initial officers had
cited the Patriot Act as saying that people could not take pictures of the
police. But I subsequently looked through the Patriot Act and could find no
such prohibition. So since the photographing of the police in a public space by
members of the public does not seem to be illegal, at least according to the
cases, Commissioner Ward’s statement and my not having been formally charged
with the alleged crime, my detainment does not appear to have been justified
under the crime standard of Terry and De Bour.
In addition to the possible lack of a
legal justification that taking pictures of the police or vehicles is illegal,
I also feel there was no reasonable justification for frisking me for weapons.
My journal says that I had reached into my t-shirt pocket to try and record our
conversation and then the officers had me put my hands against the wall and
they proceeded to frisk my jacket pockets and lining. According to Terry, the
police must base the search of a person for weapons on a reasonable
suspicion.(48) But there were no weapon-like bulges in my t-shirt or jacket
pockets. There was nothing in my jacket pockets at all, I believe. And neither
did I pull any weapon-like objects or anything else from my pockets, only
attempting to turn on my audio recorder in my t-shirt pocket while it was still
out of sight in my t-shirt pocket. My t-shirt pocket would also be too small to
hold a gun and would seem an unlikely choice for storage of a knife or other
weapon given its small and flimsy nature. We were also on a safe, middle class,
commercial-residential sidewalk in the middle of the day which would seem to
lessen the chances of being the type of situation where someone might
reasonably be thought to be carrying a weapon. I was also not acting in a
violent or hostile manner and the police had never accused me of acting in such
a way. Nor did they ever accuse me of committing a violent crime, only of
taking pictures of them or their vehicles. So I feel that justification for
frisking me for weapons did not exist.
I believe that the officers searching my
pockets for identification without my consent was unjustified also. This is not
to say that the police are not allowed to request identification from people.
According to Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial Dist. Court of Nev., Humboldt Cty., a
2004 U.S. Supreme Court case, the police are allowed to ask people for identification,(49)
but in my encounter, the officers had not asked me for my identification. One
officer had merely asked where my identification was located and I told him
that it was in my pants pocket. He then told me not to reach for it and he and
the other officer then proceeded to go through the contents in my front left
and right pants pockets as I continued to hold my hands up against a wall as
previously instructed by one of the officers. I had not refused to show them my
identification. The event that preceded this was my saying that the reason I
had written down the identification numbers of the officers’ police car and the
traffic enforcement vehicle was because the police were following me around.
The officers had also previously frisked me, presumably for weapons and found
nothing, so there would seem to be no reason that I could not have reached into
my pocket myself to retrieve my identification. In People v. Packer, a 2008 New
York State appellate case, after the police had found a small knife on a
suspect as a result of an illegal search of the suspect’s pockets, the court
still ruled that the suspect must give voluntary consent before the police were
allowed to search his backpack for identification.(50,51) So since I had not
given voluntary consent in a situation where no weapons at all had been found,
it would seem that the officers searching through my pockets would also be
unjustified under Packer.
I believe that the officers seizing,
reading and photocopying my journal was unjustified also. For a legitimate
warrantless search and seizure, even in the more extreme case of being incident
to an arrest which my encounter was not, an accepted justification seems to be
the prevention of the destruction of evidence of a crime as in Preston v. United
States, a 1964 U.S. Supreme Court case.(52) My journal was not evidence of a
crime. The only crime I was accused of was taking pictures of the NYPD police
and traffic enforcement vehicles in a public setting and my journal was not
evidence of that. One of the officers had criticized me for writing down the
identification numbers of the police and traffic enforcement vehicles in my
journal, but he never said that such writing was a crime. In a general sense, a
person’s personal property cannot be searched or seized by the police in hopes
of finding evidence of some unspecified crime as I believe may have been the
motive behind the officer’s seizure, reading and photocopying of my journal,
unless their motive was just general harassment. Dunaway v. New York, a 1979
U.S. Supreme Court case, citing Brown v. Illinois, said that the police
arresting and questioning a suspect without probable cause in the hope that
some incriminating evidence might turn up was a violation of the Fourth
Amendment.(53) Katz v. United States, a 1967 U.S. Supreme Court case,
recognized that it is legal for the government to collect narrowly
circumscribed evidence of a specific criminal offense after receiving consent
from a duly authorizing magistrate.(54) But in the seizure, reading and
photocopying of my journal, the officer had neither the narrowly circumscribed
evidence of a specific crime nor the consent from a duly authorizing
magistrate, so I feel that these actions were unjustified.
I do not believe that the seizure of my
video camera was justified under the warrantless search and seizure exception
of the prevention of the destruction of evidence of a crime either since it was
neither incident to an arrest (55) nor do I believe that taking pictures or
video of police or traffic enforcement vehicles in a public space is a crime as
I’ve said before.(56) But even if it was a crime, the officers were not even
allowing me to reach into my pocket to show them my identification, so there
was little chance of my video camera or its contents being destroyed or removed
by me. Also, Schmerber v. California, a 1966 U.S. Supreme Court case, says that
a requirement for such a warrantless search and seizure is that there is a
danger that the alleged evidence will be destroyed or removed unless immediate
action is taken by the police.(57) But there was no sense of urgency or
immediacy about my video camera or its contents by the officers when they first
approached me. They spent most of their time having me read my journal to them,
going through my pockets, going to the copy shop to copy my journal, asking me
questions, talking amongst themselves or answering my questions. It wasn’t
until around 20 minutes had passed and the second two officers came and I told
one of them that my video camera was in my fanny pack in answer to his question
that I believe the officers took my video camera from me and started looking
through its contents. In fact, the initial officers had not even mentioned my
camera or my taking pictures of their vehicles until after I had asked if I had
done anything illegal. I had not asked them this until after they had frisked
me, went through my pockets for my identification and had me read from my
journal. So the requirement of the fear of immediate destruction or removal of
evidence did not appear to be there. And further, I can see no connection
between the officers seizing my video camera to possibly prevent destruction or
removal of evidence and their looking through the pictures in my camera after
the seizure had occurred. I can see no way that officers looking through the
contents of a seized camera would help in the prevention of its destruction or
removal. In fact, the motivation for the seizure of and looking through the
pictures in my video camera seems to have been to look through its contents
rather than to try and prevent its destruction or removal by me.
Also, I had told the officers repeatedly
that the reason I had taken pictures of and written down information about the
police was because I believed that the police were following me around. So
since from my perspective, my journal and video camera contained evidence of
misdeeds by the police against me, it would seem that the police themselves
would have a motive to destroy or remove this evidence since my journal and
video camera contained possibly incriminating evidence against the police
themselves. And yet through their actions, they took sole possession of the
only copy of this evidence and were now in a position to destroy or remove it
if they chose to do so. In Skoog v. County of Clackamas, a 2006 federal circuit
court case, the police agreed to let Skoog, a member of the public, make a copy
of a recording he had made of them instead of the police taking possession of
the recording at the time of the initial incident. The police said that Skoog
had violated an Oregon state law prohibiting the electronic recording of oral
communications of people without their consent.(58) The police only seized
Skoog’s original recording after the copy he had given them had not included
the part involving the alleged illegal recording.(59) So in Skoog, at least, it
seems to be suggested that a member of the public making a copy of the
recording in question is an acceptable alternative to the immediate seizure of
the original recording by the police. This alternative was not offered to me in
my encounter. The police also had to get a warrant in Skoog in order for the
subsequent seizing to take place,(60) suggesting that warrants are necessary in
a case similar to my encounter. No warrants had been issued in the seizing of
my journal or video camera, however.
My Cho theory – and my general theory –
might seem to require some sort of intelligence agency-like activity in order
to do things like gathering the necessary information or setting things in
motion, unless there is some sort of supernatural power involved which I won’t
go into. One possible connection to intelligence agency-like activity, given
the history of my conspiracy-like situation, could be Scientology which has a
history of this sort of activity,(61) though I could see no prior connections
between Cho and Scientology. Scientology did send some of its ministers to
Virginia Tech after the shootings to offer grief counseling and its
anti-psychiatry component raised the possibility of psychotropic drugs
contributing to the shootings,(62) but other than these two events, which were
not unusual in themselves, I could see no connection between the two.(63)
Scientology also seems to have connections
with some police personnel and entities, mostly through its various social and
charitable programs. But these connections seem to occur mostly in areas where
Scientology has a formal presence (64) and I don’t believe there are any
Scientology churches or missions in the state of Virginia. There is a church in
Washington D.C.(65) and some apparent police connections there,(66) but the
D.C. police seems to be a largely local organization with no apparent formal
connections to Virginia Tech, Blacksburg or to Cho’s hometown of Centerville.(67)
I’ve also seen no reports of any Scientology connections in those three
Virginia locations outside of the general activity that occurred after the
Virginia Tech killings that was discussed above.
Alternatively, there were some possible
non-Scientology intelligence agency-like connections to Cho. One was the
Virginia Tech Police Department (VTPD). In December 2006, Wendell Flinchum was
named the new head of the VTPD after serving as interim chief since July. He
was a 21-year veteran of the VTPD and had graduated from the FBI National
Academy (Section 222) in 2005.(68) The FBI National Academy is for the
development of law enforcement leaders and is by invitation only. Developing
partnerships with other agencies is included in the Academy’s mission (69) and
intelligence issues are included in its curricula.(70) And the FBI itself says
that its entire organization is an intelligence-driven agency.(71) The FBI also
has an extensive national (72) and international (73) presence. Among
Flinchum’s previous duties at the VTPD was serving as liaison to federal, state
and local agencies.(74) So through Flinchum, the VTPD had a good FBI connection
as well as connections to other nationwide government agencies. Capt.
Flinchum’s predecessor was another FBI National Academy graduate, Debra Duncan,
who had served as VTPD chief since 2001,(75) making the FBI connection even
stronger. The VTPD’s History web page also said that from 1974 to 1976, three
Virginia Tech police officers had attended the FBI National Academy,(76) so
apparently the VTPD has a history of at least some of its officers having this
common FBI academic connection. From the FBI side, the FBI has an Office of Law
Enforcement Coordination which develops relationships with state, local and
campus law enforcement agencies as well as others.(77)
There are also a number of national and
regional online information sharing networks through which the Virginia Tech
Police Department might have been able to acquire and disseminate information
such as Law Enforcement Online (78) and the National Law Enforcement
Telecommunication System.(79) In 2006, there were also around 40 state
counterterrorism “fusion centers,” including in Virginia, through which the
VTPD might have been able to give and receive conspiracy-related information.
These centers combined federal, state and local information-gathering and
analysis, but were of varying quality. Their information included raw data provided by local police, fire, and
public health officers as well as information from civilians who called in to
report “suspicious activity.”(80,81)
Another possible connection to
intelligence-like activity was Cho’s sister, Sun-Kyung Cho who at the time of
the killings was reported to be working for McNeil Technologies, a State
Department contractor involved in the U.S. government’s Iraq reconstruction
management projects.(82) In a press release by DynCorp, one of McNeil’s
business partners, McNeil was said to have a strong presence in the Department
of Defense and the intelligence community and that around 88% of its employees
possessed security clearances.(83) McNeil, based in Springfield, Virginia, had
also been acquired by New York City-based Veritas (84) which gave it a New York
connection.
A more general possibility comes from Cho
being largely raised in the Centreville, Virginia area. Prior to attending
Virginia Tech, Cho had lived with his family in Fairfax County, Virginia, where
Centreville is located, since 1993 (85) and in Centreville itself since at
least 1997 when they bought a townhouse there.(86) Fairfax County is to the
immediate west of Washington D.C. (87) and Centreville is about 20 miles away
from Washington.(88) Many of the nation’s intelligence agencies
such as the CIA,(89) FBI (90) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) (91)
have their headquarters either in or near Washington. A 2001 Forbes article also included Centreville in a
20 mile area west of Washington D.C. that it called “Spook Valley” for the
2,000 secretive tech companies located there which were created to protect
government information assets from cyberattacks and which employed many former
intelligence agency workers.(92)
Cho’s apparent aptitude for math and
science at Westfield High School in nearby Chantilly, Virginia (93) is a way in
which Cho could have been noticed by people connected to this high-tech Spook
Valley sector, having the type of aptitude that people in their sector might be
interested in. Another possible intelligence connection is Northrop Grumann. In
a 2004 Northrop Grumann press release, the president of Northrop’s Information
Technology business unit said that they would continue their partnership with
Westfield High School and others through the provision of scholarships and
other educational support. Northrop’s Information Technology division is
involved in homeland security, geospatial intelligence solutions and other
areas.(94) A 2014 webpage on the Fairfax County Public Schools profile of
Westfield also lists business partnerships with the National Reconnaissance
Office which is in charge of the nation’s intelligence satellites (95) and the
U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering
Center.(96) It does not say when those two partnerships began,(97) but if they
existed when Cho was still a student at Westfield, that would be two more
possible military or intelligence connections for Cho. The military would be
another possible source of intelligence-like activity with its intelligence
components like the DIA.
It’s also possible that intelligence
agencies may have had a continuing interest in Virginia Tech due to a 2003
Virginia jihad terrorism case which the FBI had investigated and whose
participants included two former Virginia Tech students and the brother of a
third former student.(98,99) Virginia Tech also had a military connection
through its Corp of Cadets (100) and ROTC (101) programs. In 2003, Virginia
Tech was also named as one of twelve Virginia colleges to be included in the
newly formed Virginia Institute for Defense and Homeland Security which would
study homeland security in support of the federal government”(102) and in 2006,
Virginia Tech became involved with other universities and defense contractors
to develop a secure wireless communication network for the military.(103)
But returning to my personal story, unlike
my Columbine theory, I was not experiencing a high number of negative events in
my life during this time outside of my March 1, 2007 encounter with the police
and the usual stalking and manipulation activities. The biggest thing was
probably my internet postings. While I don’t consider those negative events,
maybe others did. They included my recent re-posting of my Murder Peanuts video
on February 7, 2007 as discussed above (104) and my commenting on events in
Iraq and other topics on my blog. I was also having some problems with my
internet connection during this time if that’s relevant.
One of my blog posts was a rather lengthy
January 20, 2007 posting on the killing in Iraq of American aid worker Andrea
Parhamovich (105) which was getting many more views than my previous postings
had received, though still only numbering in the hundreds. The posting included
a reference to her having been raised in Perry, Ohio whose malfunctioning
FirstEnergy nuclear power plant was said to have played a major role as the
cause of the 2003 blackout that affected much of the Northeastern United
States, including New York. Perry’s power plant was also one of seven in the
U.S. that had been tripped off because of the blackout, four of the remaining
six were located in New York State.(106) America’s power grid and its nuclear
power plants are considered by the government to be part of the nation’s
critical infrastructure and a target for terrorists. Its protection is overseen
by the Secretary of Homeland Security with involvement from the nation’s
Intelligence community and other government agencies,(107) so here is a
possible intelligence connection for Parhamovich, though I could find no
reports of her having any connections to the power plant other than having
Perry as her hometown.
For similarities between the two of us,
Parhamovich had a degree in advertising and public relations.(108) I had
studied art and advertising design at a previous college, but hadn’t quite
gotten the degree. Her degree resulted in jobs in her chosen field, however,
while my near-degree did not. She also worked in New York City for a couple of
years for Miramax (109) and Air America Radio (110) and lived in the Upper West
Side section of Manhattan on Central Park West before moving on to her job in
Iraq. (111) I lived on the Upper West Side also, but she seemed to live much
further south than me.
When Parhamovich had worked briefly for
Miramax in 2003, she was reported to have been involved in the public relations
campaign for the film Cold Mountain, including working with its actors, though
the specific actors she worked with was not mentioned in the article I
read.(112) Nicole Kidman was one of the stars of that film, however.(113) She
had been married to Scientologist Tom Cruise for nearly ten years, but they had
divorced two years earlier.(114) Scientologist Giovanni Ribisi had also
appeared in the film in a supporting role.(115) Parhamovich was also apparently
interested in the mystical areas of spirituality with such things as “magic
stones,” a Boston psychic she occasionally consulted, and a hope of getting the
job in Iraq with the National Defense Institute (NDI) with the help of angels,
God and the universe.(116,117) Scientology’s general philosophy also includes
an interest in mysticism with a belief in past lives or reincarnation (118) and
a belief in the concept of the “Operating Thetan” where a person who reaches
this level of development is said to be able to exist outside of their physical
body and through their will can control matter, energy, space and time. (119)
But outside of her work on Cold Mountain, I could find no indication that
Parhamovich was connected to Scientology.
She also liked conspiracies (120) and
interestingly, had made a new friend named Anne at her new NDI job who had a
number of similarities to Parhamovich with similar first names (Anne, Andrea),
the same blonde hair, Midwestern background, interest in mystical spirituality
and the same dating of a reporter.(121) I’d also briefly come across a few
people in my own life with similarities to me or to people I’ve known since
around the time my conspiracy situation seemed to begin. They may have been
placed there to try and influence me, though I never got to know them (or much
anyone else for that matter) so there was little danger of this occurring
outside of their presence which may have been the point in my case. Influence
may have been the purpose of Andrea meeting Anne at NDI, however, or it could
have just been coincidence.
Parhamovich had also died under somewhat
mysterious conditions. When her fiancé, Newsweek reporter Michael Hastings, was
accompanying her body back to America, he had asked a Col. Franks if he could
see her body, but was told he could not. Parhamovich was said to have died in a
car fire set off by insurgents apparently interested in kidnapping her. Col.
Franks had told Hastings in answer to his request that “there is no body. She
is not what you think. What is left is not recognizable as man or woman. It is
ugly. It is not her. Trust me, you don’t want to see.”(122) So I also wonder if
the real Andrea Parhamovich had been the one who had died in that fire. Adding
to the mystery, Michael Hastings himself was killed in a car crash in Los
Angeles in 2013.(123) Hastings had attended a Catholic school while growing up
(124) and had a brother Jeff who was a U.S. Army Ranger in Iraq. Some Rangers
are engaged in intelligence work,(125) but it was not said what kind of work
Hastings’ brother did. Hastings had been living in New York City since 2000
when he had moved there to finish college and continued living there when he
started working for New York-based Newsweek a couple of years later.(126) I’m
not sure why Andrea Parhamovich’s death would be connected to the Virginia Tech
killings, however, if it played a role, outside of the similarities between the
two of us.
But whatever the possibilities of
Parhamovich’s apparent death, in my personal life I had been looking into
possibly switching majors from Library Science to History or English around
this time. Perhaps some people did not look favorably on that happening,
preferring me to try and start working instead of continuing in college. In
2004-2005, Cho had switched majors while at Virginia Tech from Business
Information Systems to English.(127) Also, in one of my Library Sciences
classes that semester which had begun on February 1, there was also an
African-American male student who said he was in law enforcement. And there was
a blind Caucasian female student (Melissa?) who was in one of my classes that
semester and in two of my classes the previous semester. I would sometimes
wonder whether her guide dog was a bomb-sniffing dog since it would sometimes
sniff my bag as it passed me in class. If true, she would be another law
enforcement connection. I don’t know if this one and possibly two law
enforcement people were related to my subsequent March 1 police encounter, but
there they were. One day early in the previous semester, the blind student was
also talking with one of the other students about Virginia or West Virginia
which could be a possible Virginia Tech connection if she had a connection to
Virginia.
On March 1, 2007, after writing down what
had happened during my police-FDNY encounter, I exited the Queens College
library and there was a Queens College security vehicle parked in front of the
library. So it was as if the campus police was aware of my police-FDNY
encounter a few hours earlier and were making an allusion to it with the
presence of their vehicle. Or the NYPD had contacted them about the encounter
and told them I was a danger to myself or others, so the Queens College police
were symbolically letting me know by their action that they were keeping a
close watch on me. I had had previous incidents where it appeared that the
campus police may have been surveilling me, but it had not occurred for awhile.
Then the following week, on March 8, as I was walking from one class to
another, a Queens College security vehicle made a beeping noise as it
approached me from behind, then pulled into a parking spot in front of me. This
was the first day I had returned to my classes after my March 1 encounter,
having skipped classes on March 1 because of the trauma of the experience. I
had subsequent Queens College police sightings on March 29 and April 26. Having
the campus police seeming to concern themselves with me makes for a closer
possible connection to Cho since his police interactions were with the campus
police also. Though my main interactions were with the New York City police,
not the Queens College police. And Cho’s interactions with the Virginia Tech
police had occurred in 2005 (128) which was prior to my 2007 general
encounters. And also, when I had exited my subway station near my apartment in
Manhattan the night of my March 1 encounter, an NYPD police car with its lights
flashing had stopped next to my station (129) as if in allusion to my previous
NYPD encounter in Queens. So here was another seeming indication, in addition
to the 2 Queens College security car incidents, that I was being surveilled by
the police in a conspiratorial situation.
And in a potentially noteworthy incident,
on April 16, 2007 around 1:40 p.m., around three hours after the killings had
occurred, a New York “Mental Hygiene” car had pulled out as I exited West Side
Stationers, a stationery store at 2620 Broadway in Manhattan, after I had
gotten a public housing document notarized. For me to see a Mental Hygiene car
was unusual. Cho’s mental health history turned out to be a big part of the
Virginia Tech story, though this history and even Cho’s identity had not been
made public at this point in time.(130) So having someone outside of Virginia
Tech possibly arrange a mental health allusion to me at so early a time may be
an indication of insider knowledge of the killings by someone with connections
to my personal environment. I had had the March 1, 2007 encounter with the
police where they tried to have me psychologically evaluated alleging that I
was a danger to myself or others, but that had happened a month and a half
previously. I feel that this March 1 event would be too distant in time for
such an easily accomplished allusion as seemed to occur with the April 16
“Mental Hygiene” car. I believe I had taken a distant picture of the car, but
the words printed on the side of the vehicle and the license plate are too
grainy to read.(131) However, I’m pretty sure it is the Mental Hygiene car
since it is from the right date, time and location and I also seem to remember having
taken a distant picture or video of the car as it drove north on Broadway.
In Cho’s video manifesto, there were also
some pictures of Cho with a hammer. Some reports say this was a possible
allusion to a 2003 Korean film by Park Chan Wook called Oldboy where the
protagonist is held prisoner for 20 years with no explanation given. After he
is released, he gets revenge through violent acts committed with a hammer.(132)
This is somewhat similar to a 2001 musical I had written called Pointless where
a young woman suddenly finds herself in a mysterious world. She’s not exactly a
prisoner, but she is having trouble returning to her own world and she’s not
treated especially well by many of the inhabitants in this new world either.
She does, however, get back to her own world eventually. In the final scene, a
person who has come to her from the other world enters through a trap door in
the floor and she hits him over the head with a large wooden mallet (or hammer)
in a comic fashion, though she hits him to get away from him, not out of
revenge.(133)
On April 5, 2007 I had also bought my
first cell phone in reaction to my March 1 encounter. I wanted to be able to
take more clandestine pictures of the police in the future so they wouldn’t
have an excuse to approach and detain me again. I had not taken pictures of any
of the people in my classes prior to the April 16 Virginia Tech killings as Cho
had reportedly done, however, not feeling quite comfortable enough to do that,
even though there were a number of suspects and it would be nice to have their
pictures now for identification and other possible purposes.
I couldn’t find many strong connections
between myself and Cho’s victims, though his first apparent victim, Emily
Hilscher, was said to have a father with the same first name as me, Eric, and a
sister named Erica.(134) One of the two campus police officers who had spoken
to Cho about allegedly bothering a girl in an event leading up to the
subsequent attempt at his involuntary commitment was also named Eric (Eric
McClanahan).(135,136) And another Eric (Eric Thompson) was also the owner of
the TGSCOM website that sold Cho his first gun.(137)
And in another possible Asian connection,
Virginia governor Timothy M. Kaine had just arrived in his hotel room in Tokyo
for the start of a two-week trade mission to Asia when his top aides told him
about the Virginia Tech shootings.(138)
After the Cho killings, there have been a
number of other interesting Virginia Tech-related killings. On January 21,
2009, another Asian male Virginia Tech student, Haiyang Zhu, killed a female
Asian Virginia Tech student, Xin Yang, by cutting off her head with a kitchen
knife. Unlike Cho, Zhu was said to be social and pleasant with many friends and
no reported problems on campus,(139) though his landlord said Zhu had recently
started acting strangely and belligerently.(140) Zhu had visited the Virginia
Tech mental health facility, but it was not said for what purpose.(141) Zhu was
also ordered by the courts to get a mental health evaluation after the
killings,(142) but was found competent to stand trial.(143) There was also said
to be a hammer in Zhu’s backpack that was found at the murder scene.(144) So
Zhu had possible mental health and hammer aspects as with Cho and me as
discussed above.
On
August 26, 2009, two Virginia Tech students, Heidi Childs and David Metzler,
were apparently shot and killed at Jefferson National Forest, about 15 miles
from Virginia Tech.(145) Though early reports would only say that their bodies
had been found on the morning of August 27,(146) but one early report had said
that they had last been heard from on the night of August 26.(147) Assuming
that they had been killed on August 26, my birthday is on August 26 also. They
were both said to be very religious and active in Campus Crusade for Christ at
Virginia Tech. So like with some of the Columbine victims and my possible
conspiracy experiences, there is a Christian connection.(148) Childs’ father
was also a Virginia State Police sergeant,(149) making for a police connection
as with Cho and me, but with the police being the father of the victim in the
Childs-Metzler killings, not the alleged victimizer.
Then on October 17, 2009, Morgan
Dana Harrington, a Virginia Tech student, was reported missing after having left
a Metallica concert in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her body was found on January
26, 2010 in a cow pasture (150) about 11 miles from the Charlottesville concert
arena.(151) My last name is kind of pronounced “na-cow” and cows seem to
sometimes allude to me in various media. Morgan’s brother had also recently
moved to New York,(152) my city of residence. Until 2007, Morgan’s father,
Daniel Harrington, a psychiatrist, had served as medical director of Carilion
Saint Albans Hospital.(153) Seung Hui Cho had been temporarily detained at
Carilion Saint Albans Psychiatric Hospital in Christiansburg, Virginia in
December 2005 for the psychiatric evaluation.(154) I’m not sure if Cho’s
Carilion Saint Albans Psychiatric Hospital is the same as Harrington’s Carilion
Saint Albans Hospital or if Harrington was medical director of Carilion Saint
Albans Hospital in 2005, but the hospital names are very close and Daniel
Harrington seems to have had a long history of involvement with both Carilion
and Virginia Tech.(155) So again, there is a possible mental health connection,
but this time involving a psychiatrist whose daughter was killed rather than
someone who the psychiatric profession tried to have involuntarily committed in
a mental institution. So there may be a revenge element in the Daniel
Harrington case with the Virginia Tech-attending daughter of a Virginia
Tech-linked psychiatrist being killed in response to the unfair attempt at
involuntary commitment of Cho and the killings of many Virginia Tech students
that that unfair attempt may have contributed to. I also had the unfair attempt
against me as discussed above.
On November 5, 2009, Virginia Tech
graduate and U.S. Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan shot and killed 13 of his
fellow service members at Fort Hood, Texas. Hasan had complained sometimes
about being harassed in the Army for being a Muslim and being harassed was also
part of my situation, though having been harassed in some way seems not
uncommon among a number of these mass killers. He had also objected to
America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on religious grounds and was himself
about to be deployed to Afghanistan when the shootings occurred.(156) I used to
write often in my blog about the U.S. wars in Iraq and sometimes Afghanistan as
I’ve said before. But I had stopped blogging over two years previously at the
time of the Hasan killings,(157) so although there is still a possible
connection, it would seem to be much weakened.
If this was a conspiracy-related event,
its significance may have come from Hasan being a psychiatrist as may have been
the case with Daniel Harrington as well.(158) Both Cho and I had had the
negative experiences with the psychiatric profession with the attempts at
involuntary commitment as discussed above. But to focus on Cho, with Cho, both
Cho and those with mental illnesses or purported mental illnesses received much
negative attention with their illnesses being linked to their violent acts or
potential violent acts. So by having Hasan who had graduated from the same
college as Cho had attended and then who went on to become a psychiatrist who
would later commit a similar mass killing may have provided a kind of balancing
response to the negative backlash of Cho’s earlier killings since psychiatry is
the profession that had provided the intellectual underpinnings that had linked
mental illness to acts of violence, and professionals acting from a psychiatric
perspective were the ones who had previously attempted to have Cho
involuntarily committed. This attempt at involuntary commitment may have also
played a role in the subsequent 2007 killings by establishing or enhancing
feelings of persecution and alienation in Cho when faced with the very real
threat of having his personal freedom taken away through involuntary
commitment. Perhaps those connected to my alleged conspiracy felt that this
attempt at involuntary commitment as well as the attempt to link Cho’s
purported mental illness with the 2007 killings were unfair in some way. So by
having Hasan’s subsequent mass killing perpetrated by a psychiatrist, perhaps a
degree of doubt or caution was cast upon the validity of the
psychiatric-related profession’s previous attempts and conclusions in regards
to Cho and upon many people’s subsequent use of these attempts and conclusions
in their own attempts and conclusions.(159)
On December 8, 2011, there was another
Fort Hood and Virginia Tech-related killing when Virginia Tech police officer
Deriek Crouse was shot and killed by Radford University student Ross Truett
Ashley during Crouse’s routine traffic stop of another person. Crouse had
formerly been in the U.S. Army and the Army Reserves. He had been stationed at
Fort Hood, Texas from 1993 to 1996.(160,161) So if this was a
conspiracy-related killing, then the Crouse killing might be serving as kind of
counterbalance to Hasan with Crouse being a former member of the military with
Fort Hood and Virginia Tech connections who was a victim of seemingly random
violence versus Hasan who was a current member of the military also with Fort
Hood and Virginia Tech connections, but was the perpetrator of such seemingly
random violence.(162) So people with military backgrounds and Virginia Tech
connections can be either perpetrator or victim of such acts, perhaps making
the Crouse killing a kind of balancing response to the previous Hasan killings.
Also, one report said that Ashley had much Bible knowledge (163) for a possible
Christianity connection but I was unable to find any other religious
connections for him, so I’m not sure how significant or reliable his alleged
Bible knowledge is.
On February 7, 2014, there was another
Virginia Tech-related murder when Virginia Tech student Jessica Ewing strangled
and killed her friend Samanata Shrestha, another Virginia Tech student.
Shrestha had planned on becoming a doctor and had done volunteer work as an
EMT. A male and a female EMT-like person had been involved in my March 1, 2007
NYPD-EMT encounter, though I believe the female EMT-like may have been Latin
while Shrestha was originally from Nepal, though she was said to have learned
to speak Spanish. Ewing had been in Virginia Tech’s Corp of Cadets, but was
dropped after someone had accused her of aggressively hazing new recruits. So
there’s another military connection as with Crouse and Hasan, not to mention
the military being a possible source of a conspiracy connection due to their
intelligence agency-like aspects. Later that morning, after the killing, Ewing
called Erika Holub who had led a Bible study group that Ewing was a part of and
asked her if they could have breakfast together. Holub agreed and Ewing came to
Holub’s house where they had breakfast and prayed and where Ewing also told
Holub that she had killed someone who was a good person and an EMT. So someone
with the female form of my name had become involved, though she was not charged
with any crimes. Holub also provides a Christianity connection. Ewing also kept
a journal with entries about the murder that caused the judge in her case to
impose a long eighty-year prison sentence. A journal was also involved in my
2007 police-EMT encounter also, but with no incriminating evidence, at least
not against me apparently. Ewing also had some books on tarot cards and the
occult,(164) though I saw no connections between Ewing and Scientology which
has early links to the occult through its founder L. Ron Hubbard.(165)
After the killings, another judge had
ordered a psychological evaluation of Ewing who had also seen therapists in the
past at a local counseling center,(166) so here is another mental health
connection. And Keifer Brown, Ewing’s friend from her days in the Virginia Tech
Corps of Cadets who she continued seeing after her dismissal,(167) had a mother
who was in the Air Force and a father who was a federal law enforcement
officer.(168) So here are more military and police-like connections.
Then in 2015, there was another August 26
Virginia Tech-related killing when Virginia Tech alumnus Adam Ward and
colleague Alison Parker were shot and killed on August 26, 2015 during a live
television broadcast by their former WDBJ television news colleague Vester
Flanagan.(169,170) Besides August 26 being my birthday as with the apparent
August 26, 2009 Childs-Metzler murders, I had also been working on this present
Virginia Tech Conspiracy paper off and on for the previous five months when the
killings occurred. Flanagan had also been raised in the San Francisco Bay Area
in Oakland.(171) I was also raised in the Bay Area, but in Walnut Creek which
is around 17 miles to the northeast of Oakland.(172) Flanagan also had a list
of grievances against former colleagues with some examples of indirect
harassment that sounded somewhat similar to some of my examples of the same in
this current Cho paper and in my previous Columbine paper,(173) though I didn’t
have Flanagan’s reportedly aggressive hostile reactions.(174) Flanagan was also
told to get counseling with a WDBJ counselor, and the police were called when
Flanagan reacted aggressively to his firing from that station.(175) These two
events seem somewhat similar to Cho’s and my experiences with attempted
involuntary commitment and with the police.
When they were shot, Parker and Ward were
interviewing and filming Vicki Gardner, the executive director of the Smith
Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, on the 50th anniversary
of Smith Mountain Lake.(176) The interview took place near the lake which was
also the location of the 1991 Bill Murray comedy “What About Bob?”(177) The
film included an attempted involuntary commitment of Bob in a mental
institution,(178) perhaps somewhat similar to the attempted 2005 and 2007
commitments of Cho and me. I had also previously written an unproduced 1998
musical comedy called Freaks where one of the lead characters was named
Bob,(179) though that’s about the only similarity between my musical and the
1991 film outside of their both being comedies.
And
finally, regarding a possible connection to the female version of my first
name, Tropical Storm Erika was heading towards the Caribbean at the time of the
WDBJ killings. At least 20 people died on the island of Dominica as a result of
Erika, but its tropical storm strength dissipated before reaching Florida or
even Cuba resulting in just heavy rains in those areas.(180)
Endnotes
1)
Eric Nakao, “New Post - Columbine conspiracy theory,” The Blog of
Musicalsandconspiracy.com, March 10, 2015. Accessed January 4, 2016, http://eric-mac.blogspot.com/2015/03/new-post-columbine-conspiracy-theory.html
2)
I can’t say how much Scientology was involved in the New York harassment and
surveillance since Scientology wasn’t as numerous or visible as they were in the
East Hollywood area of Los Angeles where I had previously lived.
3)
Eric Nakao, “38-page letter (Scientology, Christians and crime: A conspiracy theory), reading version – 2004 revision,” original version written February
16, 1994, Musicalsandconspiracy.com. Accessed January 4, 2016, http://musicalsandconspiracy.com/conspiracy/38_page_letter/reading_2004.htm
4)
Eric Nakao, “Joseph Yanny Letter,” Musicalsandconspiracy.com, April 5,
1992. Accessed January 4, 2016, http://musicalsandconspiracy.com/conspiracy/38_page_letter/appendix/yanny.htm
5)
Virginia Tech Review Panel, Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech: April 16, 2007:
Report of the Review Panel: Presented to Governor Kaine, (Commonwealth of
Virginia, August 2007), 42, 44.
6)
Eric Nakao, “Murder Peanuts,” YouTube, February 7, 2007. Accessed January 4, 2016, https://youtu.be/iy_1m1ynOJ4
7)
Eric Nakao, “Murder Peanuts,” Musicalsandconspiracy.com, May 30, 2006.
Accessed January 5, 2016, http://musicalsandconspiracy.com/video/murder/murder2006.htm
8)
Eric Nakao, “Pornovision: 2005 Revision,” screenplay, Musicalsandconspiracy.com,
originally written in 1987, then recreated from memory in 1995. Accessed January 6, 2016, http://musicalsandconspiracy.com/screenplay/pornovision/pornovision_2005.htm; Eric Nakao, “Pornovision,” short
story collection, Musicalsandconspiracy.com, 1996. Accessed January 6, 2016, http://musicalsandconspiracy.com/fiction/pornovision/pornovision.fiction.1995.htm.
9)
John Riley, “Diatribes From the Murderer,” Newsday, April 19, 2007.
10)
Cho’s father was also said to have worked in oil fields and construction sites
in Saudi Arabia at one point. (N.R. Kleinfield, “Before Deadly Rage, a Lifetime
Consumed By a Troubling Silence,” New York Times, April 22, 2007).
11) For example, see "Insurgent groups splitting from Qaeda," from April 15, 2007 and links to other Iraq postings in "Previous Posts" section in sidebar. (Eric Nakao, "Insurgent groups splitting from Qaeda," April 15, 2007, The Blog of
Musicalsandconspiracy.com. Accessed January 6, 2016, http://eric-mac.blogspot.com/2007/04/insurgent-groups-splitting-from-qaeda.html
12)
Howard Dean Lucas, “Incident/Investigation Report,” re: Seung Hui Cho, Virginia
Tech Police Department, Case# 05-0948, December 13, 2005, in “Legal and
Mental Health Records of Seung Hui Cho,” compiled by Peter Langman, School
Shooters.Info. Accessed January 6, 2016, https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/cho_mental_health_records.pdf
13)
Kathy Godbey, “Temporary Detention Order,” re: Seung Hui Cho, Department of
Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, TDO
121GM3400502020, December 13, 2007, in “Legal and Mental Health Records of
Seung Hui Cho,” compiled by Peter Langman. Accessed January 6, 2016, https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/cho_mental_health_records.pdf
14)
Kathy M. Godbey, “Uniform Pre-Admission Screening Form,” re: Seung Hui Cho, New
River Valley Community Services, December 13, 2005, in “Legal and Mental
Health Records of Seung Hui Cho,” compiled by Peter Langman. Accessed January 6, 2016, https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/cho_mental_health_records.pdf
15)
Jasdeep (Bobby) Miglani, “Physical,” re: Seung Hui Cho, Carilion Health
System, Account# 10654655, December 13, 2005, in “Legal and Mental Health
Records of Seung Hui Cho,” compiled by Peter Langman. Accessed January 6, 2016, https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/cho_mental_health_records.pdf; Jasdeep (Bobby) Miglani, “Discharge Summary,” (Seung Hui
Cho), Carilion Health System, Account# 10654655, December 14, 2005, in
“Legal and Mental Health Records of Seung Hui Cho,” compiled by Peter Langman.
Accessed January 6, 2016, https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/cho_mental_health_records.pdf
16)
Roy Crouse, “Proceedings for Certification for Involuntary Admission to a
Public or Private Licensed Mental Health Facility,” re: Seung Hui Cho, Department
of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services (Virginia),
TDO 121GM3400502020, December 14, 2007, in “Legal and Mental Health Records of
Seung Hui Cho,” compiled by Peter Langman. Accessed January 6, 2016, https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/cho_mental_health_records.pdf
17)
Paul M. Barnett, “Proceedings for Certification for Involuntary Admission to a
Public or Private Licensed Mental Health Facility,” re: Seung Hui Cho, Department
of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services (Virginia),
TDO 121GM3400502020, December 14, 2007, in “Legal and Mental Health Records of
Seung Hui Cho,” compiled by Peter Langman. Accessed January 6, 2016, https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/cho_mental_health_records.pdf
18)
Virginia Tech Review Panel, Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech, 43;
“AC 360 - VA Tech Massacre, Roommate Interview (part 4),” Anderson Cooper 360, CNN. Accessed January 7, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN50iuAPrRo
19)
The Virginia Tech campus police had been told of Cho’s picture taking, but an
officer had said that all students had cell phones and that no laws had been
broken. (Lucinda Roy. No Right To Remain Silent, New York: Three Rivers
Press, 2009, 32.)
20)
Eric Nakao, “Transcript and commentary of Audio Recording of March 1, 2007 Eric
Nakao-NYPD-FDNY Encounter,” The Blog of Musicalsandconspiracy.co. Accessed January 7, 2016, http://eric-mac.blogspot.com/2016/01/transcript-and-commentary-of-audio.html
21)
I’ve also posted the pictures and a video of the one or two NYPD police cars
and the NYPD Traffic Enforcement car on my blog. (Eric Nakao, "Photos referred to in my 'Transcript and commentary of 'Audio Recording of March 1, 2007 Eric Nakao-NYPD-FDNY Encounter' blog posting and/or my 'Virginia Tech conspiracy theory' blog posting." Accessed January 7, 2016, http://eric-mac.blogspot.com/2016/01/blog-post_1.html
22)
Virginia Tech Review Panel, Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech, 24.
23)
Ned Potter, David Schoetz, Richard Esposito, et al., “Killer's Note: 'You
Caused Me to Do This,'” ABC News, April 17, 2007; Adam Lisberg and Helen
Kennedy, “Everyone Feared He’d Snap. Loner Fit Psycho-Killer Profile, Wrote of
Chain Saws & Rape,” Daily News, April 18, 2007.
24)
Virginia Tech Review Panel, Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech, 24.
25)
Ibid, 41-52.
26)
Ibid, 34-36.
27)
Cho’s reportedly bought the second gun, a Glock, and ammunition for the Glock,
on March 13, 2007 from Roanoke Firearms, a brick and mortar store (there is a
30-day waiting period in Virginia before people are allowed to buy another gun)
and went to practice at PSS Range and Training, a firing range, on March 22.
Cho was also reported to have ordered ammunition for the Walther on ebay on the
same March 22 date and to have videotaped segments of his manifesto against his
perceived enemies on March 22, April 8 and April 10. (N. R. Kleinfield. “Before
Deadly Rage, A Lifetime Consumed By a Troubling Silence,” New York Times,
April 22, 2007.)
These video segments were perhaps the
closest indications that Cho had bought the guns in order to commit the
subsequent killings. Also, Cho’s reported buying of ammunition for
the Walther on March 22, 2007 would seem to indicate that he already had the
Walther much sooner than a week before the killings like a couple of early
reports had said he had done.
28)
New York Code – Article 9: Hospitalization of the Mentally Ill, Section 9.41.
29)
“MHL Admissions Process Chart,” October 10, 2003, in Chapter 6, MHL, CL, and
CPL Commitments and Examinations: Procedures. Mental Hygiene Law – Admissions
Process, in Mental Health Resource Handbook, (New York State Office of
Mental Health), 6-3 and 6-4.
30)
New York Code – Article 9: Hospitalization of the Mentally Ill, Sections 9.39
and 9.41.
31)
“MHL Admissions Process Chart,” in Mental Health Resource Handbook, 6-3
and 6-4.
32)
Gonzalez v. State of New York, 110 AD 2d 810, 811-812, (NY: Appellate Div.
1985).
33)
Higgins v. City of Oneonta, 208 AD 2d 1067, 1069, (NY: Appellate Div. 1994).
34)
People v. Yaniak, 190 Misc. 2d 84, 87, (NY: County Court 2001).
35)
Schaller v. County of Suffolk, 2008 NY Slip Op 31699, (NY: Supreme Court 2008).
36)
The incident in question in Schaller occurred in 2004 (Schaller v. County of
Suffolk).
37)
Eric Nakao, “38-Page Letter: Reading Version – 2004 Revision.”
38)
National Center for Victims of Crime, “Creating an Effective Stalking
Protocol,” (monograph, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S.
Department of Justice, April 2002), 36-37. Accessed January 7, 2016, http://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0045-pub.pdf
39)
Ibid., 46.
40)
Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 21-23 (1968).
41)
People v. De Bour, 40 NY 2d 210, 216, (NY: Court of Appeals 1976).
42)
Robert D. McFadden, “Police Given Rules On Dealing With News Media Members,” New
York Times, January 22, 1984.
43)
Smith v. City of Cumming. 212 F. 3d 1332, 1334, (11th Cir. 2000).
44)
Robinson v. Fetterman. 378 F. Supp. 2d 534, 542, (E.D. Penn. 2005).
45)
Kevin Geary. Rights, Cameras, Action! Recording the Police: The Gap Between
Modern Technology and the Law, and Why the United States Should Not Follow the
United Kingdom’s Lead. Wisconsin International Law Journal, Spring 2014.
46)
Daniel Moreau. Schumer Seeks A Full Review Of Iran Mission, The New York Sun,
July 1, 2004.
47)
18 U.S.C. § 793 – Gathering, Transmitting or Losing Defense Information.
48)
Terry v. Ohio, at 28.
49)
Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial Dist. Court of Nev., Humboldt Cty., 542 U.S. 177, 186,
(2004).
50)
People v. Packer, 49 A.D.3d 184, 190-191 (NY: Appellate Div., 1st Dept. 2008).
51)
Cases at the appellate level usually concern events that occurred a year or two
earlier, so since Packer was decided in January 2008 at the appellate level,
the event probably occurred prior to my March 2007 encounter, making Packer
relevant to my case despite the decision being given after my encounter. Or at
least its arguments would appear to be relevant.
52)
Preston v. United States, 376 U.S. 364, 368 (1964).
53)
Dunaway v. New York, 442 U.S. 200 (1979); Brown v. Illinois, 422 U.S. 590
(1975).
54)
Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 354-357 (1967).
55)
Preston v. United States, at 368.
56)
McFadden, “Police Given Rules On Dealing With News Media Members;” Smith v.
City of Cumming, at 1334; Robinson v. Fetterman, at 534, 542.
57)
Schmerber v. California. 384 U.S. 757, 770-771 (1966).
58)
New York State does not have a similar law against such recordings.
59)
Skoog v. County of Clackamas, 469 F. 3d 1221, 1226-1227, (9th Cir. 2006).
60)
Ibid., at 1227.
61) Eric Nakao, “38-page letter (Scientology, Christians and crime: A conspiracy theory), reading version – 2004 revision,” original version written February 16, 1994.
62)
Douglas Kellner, “Media Spectacle and the ‘Massacre at Virginia Tech,’” in There
is a Gunman on Campus: Tragedy and Terror at Virginia Tech, ed. Ben Agger
and Timothy W. Luke, (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2008), 45-46; George
Rush and Joanna Rush Molloy, “Critics: Scientologists’ Va. Trip: A Time to
Prey,” Daily News, April 18, 2007.
63)
The way the Cho event played out didn’t really seem to serve Scientology’s
anti-psychiatry aspects either. (Katharine Mieszkowski, “Scientology’s War on
Psychiatry,” Salon.com, July 1, 2005). Though Cho had taken psychotropic
drugs for one year while he was in middle school and was given a single dose of
an anti-anxiety medication while being evaluated in a mental hospital in 2005,
I could find no report that tried to connect Cho’s use of psychotropic drugs
and the 2007 killings outside of Scientology’s early attempt mentioned
previously. In fact, Cho’s use of psychotropic drugs for about a year in middle
school was said to have had a positive effect on him. (Virginia Tech Review Panel,
Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech, 35, 47).
64)
Robert W. Welkos, “On the Offensive Against an Array of Suspected Foes: Attack
the Attacker,” Los Angeles Times, June 29, 1990; “Scientologists
Lead Way in Crime Fight Gangs: Neighbors Have Joined Members of the Church of
Scientology in an East Hollywood Crime Watch Group and Anti-Graffiti Brigade,” Los
Angeles Times, June 24, 1990; Laurie Goodstein, “Sponsor of Drug-Free Rally
Catches Some Unawares: Cabinet Member Says He Didn’t Know of Scientology Link,
but Backs Event’s Goal for Youth,” Washington Post, August 10, 1993;
George Rush and Joanna Molloy, “Scientologists Say This Crusade’s By the Book,”
Daily News (New York), June 10, 1996; Heather Stewart Jorden, “Charity
Scorecard,” Los Angeles Times, January 5, 1999; Robin Fields and Stuart
Pfeifer, “A Quirky Sheriff Who's on the Move, Out in Front and Feeling Some
Heat; As L.A. County's Top Cop for Seven Years, Lee Baca Has Endeared Himself
To His Base and Alienated Detractors with His Offbeat Style of Policing,” Los
Angeles Times, May 7, 2006; "Local Chapter of 'Foundation for a
Drug-Free World' Invites Parents, Teachers and the Youth of Santa Barbara
County to Participate in an Open Dialog About Drug Use in Our Community;
Volunteer-Run Non-Profit Plans to Distribute 5,000 Copies by Year's End of 'The
Truth About Drugs Education Kit'," Internet Wire, October 29, 2007;
"Church of Scientology Inglewood Hosts Truth About Drugs Seminar," PRWeb
Newswire, January 30, 2013; "Foundation For A Drug-Free World Honors
NY Community Leaders As 'Drug-Free Heroes'; International Foundation Launches
'Truth About Synthetic Drugs' Campaign at 8th Annual Drug-Free Heroes Awards
Gala," M2 Presswire, June 15, 2015.
65)
“Churches of Scientology, United States of America,” Scientology.org. Accessed January 7, 2016, http://www.scientology.org/churches/regions/united-states-of-america.html
66)
Laurie Goodstein, “Sponsor of Drug-Free Rally Catches Some Unawares.”
67)
David Cho and Amy Gardner, “An Isolated Boy in a World of Strangers; Cho's
Behavior Alarmed Some Who Knew Him; Family 'Humbled by This Darkness,'” Washington
Post, April 21, 2007.
68)
Office of University Relations (Virginia Tech), “Capt. Flinchum Named Chief of
Police and Director of Campus Security,” Virginia Tech News, December
12, 2006 Accessed January 7, 2016, http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2006/12/2006-659.html
69)
Federal Bureau of Investigation, “National Academy.” Accessed January 7, 2016, https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/training/national-academy
70)
David L. Carter, “Law Enforcement Intelligence: A Guide for State, Local, and
Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies,” U.S. Department of Justice, Office of
Community Oriented Policing Services, November 2004, 116. Accessed January 7, 2016, https://it.ojp.gov/documents/d/e050919201-IntelGuide_web.pdf
71)
Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Intelligence Overview.” Accessed January 11, 2016, https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/intelligence/intel-driven/intelligence-overview
72)
Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Local FBI Offices.” Accessed January 11, 2016, https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field
73)
Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Legal Attaché Offices.” Accessed January 11, 2016, https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/legat
74)
Office of University Relations (Virginia Tech), “Capt. Flinchum Named Chief of
Police and Director of Campus Security,” December 12, 2006. Accessed Accessed January 11, 2016, http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2006/12/2006-659.html
75)
Office of University Relations (Virginia Tech), “Police Chief Elected to
Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police Board,” Virginia Tech News,
August 27, 2004. Accessed January 11, 2016, http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2004/08/2004-372.html
76)
Virginia Tech Police Department, “Department History,” Virginia Tech.
Accessed January 11, 2016, http://www.police.vt.edu/VTPD_v2.1/depthist.php
77)
Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Office of Law Enforcement Coordination -
Overview.” Accessed January 11, 2016, https://www2.fbi.gov/hq/olec/olec.htm
78)
David L. Carter, “Law Enforcement Intelligence: A Guide for State, Local, and
Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies,” 130-131, 2009. Accessed January 11, 2016, https://it.ojp.gov/documents/d/e050919201-IntelGuide_web.pdf
79)
Ibid., 136-137.
80)
Karen DeYoung, “ In
Arizona, Officials Share Data the Old-Fashioned Way,” Washington Post,
August 9, 2006; Karen DeYoung, “ A
Fight Against Terrorism – And Disorganization,” Washington Post, August
9, 2006; Michael Martz, “Virginia Asks Lawmakers to Fund Security; Help of Va.
Members of Congress Sought in Paying for Projects,” Richmond Times Dispatch,
July 8, 2006; William J. Lahneman , “Ready? Or Not?; Perspectives on Preparedness
Five Years After Sept. 11,” Washington Post, September 10, 2006;
Mary Beth Sheridan and Spencer S. Hsu, “Localities Operate Intelligence Centers To Pool Terror Data; 'Fusion'
Facilities Raise Privacy Worries As Wide Range of Information Is Collected,” Washington
Post, December 31, 2006.
81)
Also, since 1995, the Virginia Tech Police Department had received National
Accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement
Agencies (CALEA) which allowed it national recognition as a full-service,
professional department. (Virginia Tech Police Department, “Department
History.”) Among many standards listed
in a 2010 version of the CALEA standards are those for criminal intelligence,
covert operations and special operations, though I’m not sure if the VTPD had
to meet any of those standards since participants only have to meet the
standards that apply to them. (“Appendix H: CALEA Law Enforcement Agency
Standards,” Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, 2010.
Accessed January 11, 2016, calea.org./sites/default/files/TieredAppendixH.pdf;
Virginia Tech Police Department, “National Accreditation,” Accessed January 11, 2016, http://www.police.vt.edu/VTPD_v2.1/accreditation.html)
82)
Kirit Radia and Ariane Devogue. “Va. Tech Shooter's Sister Works With State
Department,” ABC News, April 17, 2007.
83) “DynCorp International and McNeil
Technologies JV Awarded $4.6 Billion Army Linguistic Services,” DynCorp
International, Business Wire, December 18, 2006. Accessed January 11, 2016,
84)
Renae Merle, “MZM's Trump Cards: Contracts, Clearances; Veritas Buyout Shows
Value of the Two,” Washington Post, August 19, 2005.
85)
Virginia Tech Review Panel, Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech, 21.
86)
David Cho and Amy Gardner, “An Isolated Boy in a World of Strangers; Cho's
Behavior Alarmed Some Who Knew Him; Family 'Humbled by This Darkness,'” Washington
Post, April 21, 2007.
87)
“Fairfax County Overview” (map), Fairfax County Virginia. Accessed January 11, 2016, http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/sites/default/files/pdf/fairfax_county_map.pdf
88)
Manny Fernandez and Marc Santora, “In Words and Silence, Hints of Anger and
Isolation,” New York Times, April 18, 2007.
89)
Central Intelligence Agency, “About CIA - FAQs.” Accessed January 11, 2016, https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/faqs; Google Maps, "McLean, VA." Accessed January 11, 2016.
90)
Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Contact FBI Headquarters.” Accessed Accessed January 11, 2016, https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/fbi-headquarters
91)
Defense Intelligence Agency, “Locations." Accessed January 11, 2016, http://www.dia.mil/About/Organization/Locations.aspx.
92)
Victoria Murphy, “Spook Valley,” Forbes, December 10, 2001.
93)
Amy Gardner and David Cho, “Isolation Defined Cho's Senior Year: Beseeched by
Mother, N.Va. Church Offered to Purge 'Demonic Power,'” Washington Post,
May 6, 2007.
94)
“Photo Release - Northrop Grumman Breaks Ground for Building Expansion in
Chantilly, Va,” Northrop Grumman, August 5, 2004. Accessed January 11, 2016, http://www.globenewswire.com/newsarchive/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=61936
95) National Reconnaissance Office, “About the NRO,” (click "About NRO" link in sidebar). Accessed January 11, 2016, http://www.nro.gov/about/index.html.
96) U.S. Army, "U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Research Development and
Engineering Center." Accessed January 11, 2016, http://www.army.mil/info/organization/unitsandcommands/commandstructure/amrdec
97) Fairfax County Public Schools, “School Profiles – Westfield HS,” last
updated July 28, 2015. Accessed January 11, 2016, http://commweb.fcps.edu/schoolprofile/profile.cfm?profile_id=240. (For a religious connection,
it also lists a partnership with the Centreville Presbyterian Church though
there is also no indication that that church has any intelligence agency
connections.)
98)
U.S. v. Masoud Khan, et al., 309 F. Supp. 2d 789, 804 (E.D. Va. 2004).
99)
Equitas brought up a possible connection between Cho and Yong Ki Kwon, a
naturalized American citizen originally from South Korea who had converted to
Islam and had attended Virginia Tech a few years before Cho. Kwon had been
convicted in 2003 with ten other people for conspiracy and weapons charges
stemming from a 2001 violation of the federal Neutrality Act forbidding
Americans from engaging in violent conflict against America’s allies. Kwon’s
group had had military training with a jihadist group in Pakistan and had
intended to join in their war against America’s ally, India, over the contested
Kashmir region. Equitas suggested a possible connection to Cho because, among
other reasons, they were both originally from South Korea and both had attended
Virginia Tech. I’ve seen no evidence of a connection between Cho and Kwon or
anyone else from Kwon’s group in the sources I’ve looked at, however. And since
Kwon and Cho’s attendances at Virginia Tech were several years apart, it seems
unlikely that they could have met at the school. I suppose it’s possible that
someone who knew Kwon was still attending Virginia Tech when Cho was there, but
I’ve seen no reports of this.
But looking at it from another angle,
since Cho began attending Virginia Tech in 2003, the same year that the trials
of the jihad members also began, it is still possible that national security
and intelligence agencies might have had a continuing interest in Virginia Tech
while Cho was an early student there. So if Cho had attracted any interest from
these agencies because of his and Kwon’s shared ethnicity, despite the apparent
irrelevance of their shared ethnicity, but given the apparent use of ethnic
profiling by some government agencies, this could have been another way that
Cho could have come under the radar of these intelligence-type agencies for
possible future activity. (Jennifer Lin, Mark Fazlollah, Maria Panaritis and
Jeff Shields, “Tracing the Case of 'Virginia Jihad': Terror Charges Link Montco
to Kashmir,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 25, 2003; Mary Beth Sheridan,
Caryle Murphy and Jerry Markon. “Va. 'Jihad' Suspects: 11 Men, Two Views; U.S.
Sees Conspiracy; They Proclaim Piety,” Washington Post, August 8, 2003;
U.S. v. Masoud Khan, et al., 309 F. Supp. 2d 789, 804 (ED Va. 2004); Debra
Erdley, “Witness Testifies Against Al-Timimi,” Pittsburgh Tribune Review,
April 10, 2005; Seung Hui Cho, “Manifesto.” Accessed December , 2015,
schoolshooters.info; Virginia Tech Review Panel, Mass Shootings at Virginia
Tech, 22)
100)
Greg Jordan, “Strong Hokie Nation Looks Toward Future,” Bluefield Daily
Telegraph, April 16, 2008.
101)
“Q&A On the News,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 27, 2007.
102)
“Getting Ready, on Many Fronts,” Washington Post, February 27, 2003.
103)
“Network World. Military Research Aims to Develop Self-Configuring, Secure
Wireless Nets; Researchers Develop Military-Grade Intelligent Wireless Net,” Network
World, August 16, 2006.
104)
Eric Nakao. “Murder Peanuts,” YouTube, February 7, 2007.
105)
Eric Nakao, “Andrea Parhamovich, NDI Worker Killed in Baghdad,” The Blog of
Musicals and Conspiracy.com, January 20, 2007. Accessed January 12, 2016, http://eric-mac.blogspot.com/2007/01/democracy-worker-killed-in-baghdad.html
106)
Joe Milicia, ‘Ohio Woman Killed in Iraq Described as Ambitious, Friendly,” Associated
Press, January 18, 2007; “Canada-U.S. Power System Outage Task Force. Final
Report on the August 14, 2003 Blackout in the United States and Canada,” April
2004; “Blackout Was Preventable, Probe Finds,” CNN, May 18, 2004.
107) “Implications of Power Blackouts for
the Nation’s Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection: Joint
Hearing of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Science, and Research and
Development and the Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Border Security of the
Select Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives,” 108th
Congress, September 4, 2003 and September 23, 2003. Accessed January 12, 2016, https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-108hhrg99793/pdf/CHRG-108hhrg99793.pdf
108) Associated Press, “Community Remembers Woman Killed in Iraq,” January
18, 2007.
109)
Mark Tuscano, “Family Wants Time to Heal,” NewsHerald.com, January 20,
2007.
110)
“The War Comes Home to Air America,” Huffington Post, January 19, 2007; “Family
of Slain Perry Activist Hold Presser, Issues Statement,” 19ActionNews.com,
January 19, 2007.
111)
Michael Hastings, I Lost My Love In Baghdad, (New York: Scribner, 2008),
38, 72.
112) Associated Press, “Community Remembers Woman Killed in Iraq;” Ryan Zundell, “Closing Time,” Thoughts
from the End of the Alphabet, January 18, 2007. (no longer accessible); David S. Glasier. “Best Friend Appreciates Time Spent with Andi,”
News-Herald.com, January 23, 2007; David S. Glasier, “Andi’s Journey,” News-Herald.com,
January 29, 2007.
113)
“Cold Mountain (2003),” imdb.com. Accessed January 12, 2016, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159365/
114)
Lori Reese, “Read Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s Divorce Papers,” Entertainment
Weekly, February 16, 2001.
115)
“Giovanni Ribisi, Biography,” Biography.com. Accessed January 12, 2016, http://www.biography.com/people/giovanni-ribisi-21155463
116)
Hastings, I Lost My Love In Baghdad, 199, 223-224.
117)
NDI is a non-profit organization sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and
private donations which promotes democracy overseas. (Hastings, I Lost My
Love In Baghdad, 133).
118) Scientology.org, “Does Scientology Believe in Reincarnation or Past Lives?” Accessed January 12, 2016, http://www.scientology.org/faq/scientology-beliefs/reincarnation.html
119) Scientology.org, “What Is Meant By Operating Thetan (OT)?, How Would You Describe the State of
Operating Thetan?” Accessed January 12, 2016, http://www.scientology.org/faq/operating-thetan/what-is-ot.html
120)
Hastings, I Lost My Love In Baghdad, 33.
121)
Ibid., 199.
122)
Ibid., 234.
123)
Tim Dickinson. “Michael Hastings, ‘Rolling Stone’ Contributor, Dead at 33,” Rolling
Stone, June 18, 2013.
124)
Hastings, I Lost My Love In Baghdad, 10.
125)
James A. Blaess, “The Roles of MI NCOs in the 75th Ranger Regiment,”
Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin.” Accessed January 12, 2016, http://fas.org/irp/agency/army/tradoc/usaic/mipb/1998-1/blaesfnl.htm
126)
Hastings, I Lost My Love In Baghdad, 11.
127)
Virginia Tech Review Panel, Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech, 22.
128)
Ibid., 22-23.
129)
I was able to take a picture and videos of this police car which I’ve posted on
my blog. (Eric Nakao, "11) March 1, 2007, 8:45 p.m." in "Photos referred to in my 'Transcript and commentary of 'Audio Recording of March 1, 2007 Eric Nakao-NYPD-FDNY Encounter' blog posting and/or my 'Virginia Tech Conspiracy Theory' blog posting," January 1, 2016. Accessed January 12, 2016, http://eric-mac.blogspot.com/2016/01/blog-post_1.html; Eric Nakao, "NYPD Police Car with Lights Flashing," December 31, 2015. Accessed January 12, 2016, https://vimeo.com/150448979; Eric Nakao, "NYPD Police Car Lights Still Flashing & Number." December 31, 2015. Accessed January 12, 2016, https://vimeo.com/150449659) I was also able to take a video and
pictures of the police and traffic enforcement cars from my police-EMT-like
encounter and a few other pictures which I’ve posted on my blog as well. (Eric Nakao, "NYPD Traffic Enforcement and Police Cars." December 31, 2015. Accessed January 12, 2016, https://vimeo.com/150431114; Eric Nakao, "Photos referred to in my 'Transcript and commentary of 'Audio Recording of March 1, 2007 Eric Nakao-NYPD-FDNY Encounter' blog posting and/or my 'Virginia Tech Conspiracy Theory' blog posting." Accessed January 12, 2016, http://eric-mac.blogspot.com/2016/01/blog-post_1.html) I did not take any pictures of the Queens College security
cars, however, not feeling quite comfortable enough about taking pictures of
them on campus at that point.
130) Virginia Tech Review Panel, Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech, 29.
131)
Eric Nakao, "12) April 16, 2007, 2:39 p.m.," in "Photos referred to in my 'Transcript and commentary of 'Audio Recording of March 1, 2007 Eric Nakao-NYPD-FDNY Encounter' blog posting and/or my 'Virginia Tech Conspiracy Theory' blog posting."Accessed January 12, 2016, http://eric-mac.blogspot.com/2016/01/blog-post_1.html
132)
Stephen Hunter, “Cinematic Clues to Understand the Slaughter; Did Asian
Thrillers Like 'Oldboy' Influence the Va. Tech Shooter?” Washington Post,
April 20, 2007.
133)
Eric Nakao, “Pointless,” Musicalsandconspiracy.com, 2001. Accessed January 13, 2016, http://musicalsandconspiracy.com/musicals/pointless/reading.htm
134)
Rex Bowman, “Virginia Tech Graduation; Tears Mix with Joy as Victims Are
Honored,” Richmond Times Dispatch, May 13, 2007.
135)
Eric G. McClanahan, “Incident/Investigation Report (Seung Hui Cho),” Virginia
Tech Police Department, December 12, 2005. Accessed January 13, 2016, https://schoolshooters.info/sites/default/files/cho_mental_health_records.pdf
136)
Also, in August 2006, William Morva had shot and killed another Eric, Deputy
Sheriff Eric Sutphin, and a hospital security guard, Derrick McFarland, near
Virginia Tech. (Roy, No Right To Remain Silent, 18.)
137) Associated Press, “For Online Gun Dealer, a Stunning Coincidence,” posted February 16, 2008 on Richmond Times Dispatch.
138)
Tim Craig, “Crisis Management Skills May Shape Political Future,” Washington
Post, April 20, 2007.
139)
Brigid Schulte and Theresa Vargas, “Inexplicable Violence Again Shakes Va.
Tech,” Washington Post, January 23, 2009.
140)
Rex Bowman, “Suspect's Behavior Recalled as Bizarre; Apartment Managers Say
Police, Tech Were Told,” Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia), January 23,
2009.
141)
“Tech Suspect Visited Counseling Center; Investigators Have His Patient
Records, Court Records Show,” Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia),
January 30, 2009.
142)
“Tech Slaying Suspect To Get Mental Exam,” Richmond Times Dispatch
(Virginia), February 19, 2009.
143) “News Near
You,” Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia), May 22, 2009.
144)
“Witness Describes Tech Attack; Café Worker Testifies that Zhu Had 'Blank' Look
As He Beheaded Another Student,” Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia), May
30, 2009.
145)
Bryan Gentry, “Father of Slain Teen Pleads for Clues,” News & Advance,
October 27, 2009; Carrie J. Sidener, “Central Virginia's Unsolved Homicides,” News
& Advance, August 28, 2011; “The Childs and Metzler Murders: Five Years
Later,” Collegiate Times, August 27, 2014.
146)
Mark Viera and Maria Glod, “Va. Tech in Mourning, This Time for Couple Slain
Off Campus,” Washington Post, August 30, 2009; Dave Thompson,
“Nine-Group Task Force to Centralize Efforts in Probe of Tech Slayings,” News
& Advance, September 12, 2009.
147)
Mark Viera and Maria Glod, “Va. Tech in Mourning, This Time for Couple Slain
Off Campus.”
148)
Eric Nakao, “New Post - Columbine conspiracy theory.”
149)
Mark Viera and Maria Glod, “Va. Tech in Mourning, This Time for Couple Slain
Off Campus.”
150)
Ted Strong, “Police: Harrington's Killer Familiar with Rural Albemarle,” Daily
Progress, February 5, 2010.
151)
Ted Strong and Bill McKelway, “Body Thought To Be Tech Student's; Harrington's
Death Probably Homicide, Police Say,” Media General News Service Times,
January 27, 2010.
152)
Ted Strong, “Missing Woman May Have Hitchhiked,” Daily Progress,
November 14, 2009.
153)
Catherine Doss, “Daniel Harrington Named Vice Dean of the Virginia Tech
Carilion School of Medicine,” (press release), Virginia Tech News,
February 27, 2015. Accessed January 13, 2016, https://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2015/02/022715-vtc-harringtonvicedean.html
154)
Virginia Tech Review Panel, Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech, 23.
155)
In 1990, Daniel Harrington was appointed associate program director of the
developing psychiatric medicine residency at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke,
Virginia. In 2004, he was actively involved in the early development of the
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. [“Daniel P. Harrington, Senior Dean
for Academic Affairs,” Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and
Research Institute. (No longer accessible)]. Until 2007, he served as
medical director of Carilion Behavioral Health and Carilion Medical Center’s
Psychiatric Services as well as of Carilion Saint Albans Hospital. (Catherine
Doss, “Daniel Harrington Named Vice Dean of the Virginia Tech Carilion School
of Medicine.”) According to a 2009 article, he was
also an associate dean at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. (Maria
Glod, “Parents Appeal for Help in Search for Missing Daughter; ‘It's Like She
Just Fell Off the Face of the Earth,’ Student's Father Says,” Washington
Post, November 6, 2009.)
156)
James C. McKinley Jr. and James Dao, “After Years of Growing Tensions, 7
Minutes of Bloodshed.”
157)
Eric Nakao, “Hiatus,” The Blog of Musicalsandconspiracy.com, May 26, 2007.
Accessed January 14, 2016, http://eric-mac.blogspot.com/2007/05/going-hiatus.html
158)
Though Hasan had attended Virginia Tech, he did not become a psychiatrist
there, so he was apparently not in any of the psychiatric programs that Daniel
Harrington had helped develop there. Hasan had graduated from Virginia Tech
with a degree in biochemistry in 1995, then enlisted in the Army after
graduating. He was commissioned in 1997 and went to the medical school at the
Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, then in
2003 did his internship and residency in psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center. (James C. McKinley Jr. and James Dao, “After Years of Growing Tensions,
7 Minutes of Bloodshed,” New York Times, November 9, 2009.)
159)
I suppose that this interpretation could also serve Scientology’s purposes
since they also question the validity of many of psychiatry’s conclusions and
the potential harmful effects of many of their practices. (Katharine
Mieszkowski, “Scientology’s War on Psychiatry”).
160) DailyMail.com, “‘I Just Need to Know You’re OK’: The Final Heartbreaking Text by Wife of
Virginia Tech Police Officer After He Was Shot Dead,” December 11, 2011. Accessed January 14, 2016, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2072701/Virginia-Tech-shooting-2011-Final-text-wife-police-officer-Deriek-Crouse.html
161)
After Fort Hood, Crouse was with the 316th Sustainment Command in
Galax, Virginia through 2001, then deployed to Iraq in 2004 before becoming a
Virginia Tech police officer in October 2007. Crouse and Hasan were not at Fort
Hood at the same time since Crouse was there from 1993 to 1996 while Nidal
Hasan had been transferred to Fort Hood in July 2009. I believe that Crouse was
a police officer at Virginia Tech when the Hasan-Fort Hood killings occurred in
2009, however, since Crouse had been working at Virginia Tech since 2007. Both
Crouse and Hasan faced the prospect of being deployed to an American war zone
in the Middle East, Iraq in Crouse’s case and Afghanistan in Hasan’s, though
Crouse actually went while Hasan did not and the prospect of deployment was
said to perhaps have been a factor in Hasan’s subsequent killings. (DailyMail.com, “‘Just Need
to Know You’re OK’: The Final Heartbreaking Text by Wife of Virginia Tech
Police Officer After He Was Shot Dead;” Dana Priest, “Fort Hood Suspect Warned of Threats
Within the Ranks; Cited Stress Facing Muslims Hasan Spoke at Walter Reed in
2007,” Washington Post, November 10, 2009.)
162)
At least Hasan’s violent reaction seemed much out of proportion to his various
grievances. His choice of seemingly innocent victims seemed somewhat random
also.
163) DailyMail.com, “‘Just Need to Know You’re OK’: The Final Heartbreaking Text by Wife of
Virginia Tech Police Officer After He Was Shot Dead.”
164)
Ada Calhoun, “How a Dinner Between 2 Virginia Tech Students Ended in Murder,” Cosmopolitan.com, June 2, 2015. Accessed January 14, 2016, http://www.cosmopolitan.com/college/a41332/jessica-ewing-samanata-shrestha-virginia-tech-murder/; “Summary of Facts – Jessica Michelle
Ewing,” Commonwealth’s Exhibit 41.” Accessed January 14, 2016, http://www.wdbj7.com/blob/view/-/31240026/data/1/-/x1h893/-/Statement-of-facts-in-Jessica-Ewing-case-021215.pdf; Jacob
Demmitt, “Witness Testifies that Ewing Confessed to Blacksburg Killing: Erika
Holub Testified Thursday that Jessica Michelle Ewing Told Her She ‘Gave In To
Hatred,’” Roanoke Times, June 19, 2014.
165)
Ortega, Tony, “Scientology and the Occult: Hugh Urban’s New Exploration of L.
Ron Hubbard and Aleister Crowley,” Village Voice, February 22, 2012. Accessed January 14, 2016, http://www.villagevoice.com/news/scientology-and-the-occult-hugh-urbans-new-exploration-of-l-ron-hubbard-and-aleister-crowley-6662160
166)
Ada Calhoun, “How a Dinner Between 2 Virginia Tech Students Ended in Murder;” “Crime and Police News for Wednesday,
Aug. 6,” Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia), August 6, 2014.
167)
“Summary of Facts – Jessica Michelle Ewing,” Commonwealth’s Exhibit 41.
168)
Brown had been charged with being an accessory after the fact by helping Ewing
dispose of evidence. (Melissa Powell, “Bond Hearing Produces More Details in
Samanata Shrestha Case,” Roanoke Times, February 24, 2014.)
169)
John Woodrow Cox, Dana Hedgpeth, and Justin Jouvenal, “Embittered Ex-Colleague
Kills 2 on TV,” Washington Post, August 27, 2015; Beth Macy, “When the
Bad News Is Your News,” New York Times, August 30, 2015.
170)
Ward was a student at Virginia Tech when Cho’s 2007 killings occurred. (Beth
Macy, “When the Bad News Is Your News.”)
171)
Chris De Benedetti, Harry Harris and Rachel Raskin-Zrihen, “Suspect in Virginia
On-Air Shootings Grew Up in Bay Area, Attended Oakland Schools,” Contra
Costa Times, Bay Area New Group, August 26, 2015.
172) Distancebetweencities.net, “Walnut Creek, CA, United States to Oakland, CA, United States,” distancebetweencities.com.
Accessed January 14, 2016, http://www.distancebetweencities.net/
173)
Eric Nakao, “New Post - Columbine conspiracy theory.”
174)
John Woodrow Cox, et al, “Embittered Ex-Colleague Kills 2 on TV.”
175)
Ibid.
176)
Michael D. Shear, Richard Perez-Pena, and Alan Blinder, “Gunman Kills 2 on Air
and Posts Carnage Online,” New York Times, August 30, 2015.
177)
Beth Macy, “When the Bad News Is Your News.”
178) Wikipedia, "What About Bob?," Accessed January 14, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_About_Bob%3F
179)
Eric Nakao, “Freaks,” 1998. Accessed January 14, 2016, http://musicalsandconspiracy.com/musicals/freaks/reading.htm
180)
Beth Macy, “When the Bad News Is Your News;” Doyle Rice, “Tropical Storm Erika
Heads for Caribbean, Florida,” USA Today, August 26, 2015; Weather.com, “Tropical Storm
Erika Recap,” August 29, 2015. Accessed January 14, 2016, http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/tropical-storm-hurricane-erika-atlantic-august-2015
Posted: January 3, 2016, 9:58 p.m., et
Latest update: January 14, 2016, 11:16 p.m., et