"Yikes! I Might Be...Militia!"
![](http://bobmccarty.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/terror-dry-run.jpg "Terror \\"Dry Run\\" on Campus?")
Could classroom disruptions on the University of Oklahoma campus last week have been “dry runs” conducted by a terrorist group? That question has been nagging at me ever since I read newspaper reports in the student-run campus newspaper, OU Daily, and in the Tulsa World.
On Wednesday afternoon, according to the news reports published Friday, two groups of men entered classrooms in Dale Hall on OU’s main campus in Norman and refused to leave when requested to do so by instructors.
David Boren
According to the Tulsa World account, witnesses told OU police that seven to eight men walked into two large classrooms in Dale Hall. Most sat in unison while two stood by the door. After initially refusing to leave, the group left the rooms as they entered.
Though campus officials were quoted in both publications as saying, “there is nothing to indicate that this was anything other than a prank by a student group,” I noticed that both news stories lacked details about the men involved and began to wonder if there was more to this story than OU President David Boren, the former U.S. senator who served as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, might want you to know.
Zacharias Moussaoui
OU was, after all, the school where Zacharias Moussaoui, the French national convicted of conspiring to kill U.S. citizens as part of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, attended flight school.
Furthermore, terrorist groups have been known to conduct the so-called “dry runs” in advance of launching an attack. I had to ask questions.
On Friday at 10:24 p.m. Central, I forwarded the questions below to Nijim Dabbour, managing editor of the OU Daily, hoping he would be able to put my concerns to rest:
Did you ask Catherine Bishop and/or campus police officials for a general description of the men — or particulars about any of the men in the group?
Did you interview any students in the classrooms where disruptions took place?
As of this posting, more than 48 hours passed without a reply.
I also contacted Catherine Bishop, OU’s vice president of communication services. At 8:05 a.m. Central today, I forwarded to her the list of questions below:
Do you have a general description of the men or particulars about any of the individuals in the group? Were they students?
How did you determine “There is nothing to indicate that this was anything other than a prank by a student group”?
Two and one-half hours have passed without a reply.
Based on my dozen-plus years of experience in dealing with sensitive issues during stints as a public affairs professional, political campaign manager and corporate communications vice president, I sense there might be more to this story than meets the eye. Regardless of what I learn, I will provide an update in this space as soon as possible.
Developing…
10 responses so far ↓
1 Ron English // Mar 16, 2009 at 10:38 am
Bob,
Very interesting post. It is a scary fact that the 911 thugs and murderers had a direct connection to Norman, Oklahoma and the OU Flight School. Keep us posted on what you find. I am sure the school authorities would be very discreet in sharing any info that might be possibly connected to any future activities by the same type criminals. I think all sensible Americans believe we will be hit again. It would not be surprising to learn they might use the Norman area to help stage that attack. They did before. These terrorist thugs are not thought to be brilliant– just diligent, lucky and evil. BTW, you have a very interesting blog with colorful products that express your thinking in powerful quips.
2 hotoffthepress2 // Mar 16, 2009 at 10:40 am
Thanks, Ron, for projecting your thoughts so succinctly.
3 Debbie // Mar 16, 2009 at 10:50 am
Great catch. This has all the signs of a dry run. Remember the dry runs in Florida and other places with Middle Eastern men boarding school buses, wearing heavy overcoats in the middle of summer? No nothing like that has actually happened where a terrorist event occurred, but these people plan years ahead of time. Those guys in Florida got off with a slap on the wrist.
4 hotoffthepress2 // Mar 16, 2009 at 10:57 am
Thanks, Debbie! Having attended a grad school short course at OU in 1989, I remain interested in the goings-on at the campus. Coincidentally, the coursework I completed included a section on the public affairs aspects of dealing with terrorism. It was taught by Dr. Steven Sloan, one of the nation’s foremost experts on terrorism. So what do I know?
5 Always On Watch // Mar 16, 2009 at 11:10 am
I wonder….Is the terror chat on the web experiencing an uptick?
6 hotoffthepress2 // Mar 16, 2009 at 11:13 am
Interesting question, AOW, but I don’t know the answer.
7 hotoffthepress2 // Mar 16, 2009 at 11:26 am
Correction to my comment above: I should have written, Dr. Stephen Sloan instead.
8 OUAlum // Mar 17, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I never even heard about this until someone in Washington sent me the link. I’m an OU alum so I’d like to know what’s going on.
9 hotoffthepress2 // Mar 17, 2009 at 2:55 pm
So far, mum’s the word! Still no reply from Ms. Bishop or anyone else at the university.
10 Michael Wright // Jun 10, 2009 at 8:12 am
The classroom incident sounds like a stupid fraternity initiation prank. Boren and his moronic henchman Clarke Stroud have a long history of indulging the frat boys. That’s why there was no effort to bring disciplinary charges to these punks. As for 9/11 and Moussaoui, click on my link to see the evidence from my independent investigation of 9/11. There are many reasons to be suspicious of Boren, the mentor and sponsor of George Tenet.
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