Journalist Michael Hastings is dead at 33

[thatsmystory]

My first thought upon hearing about the wreck was the movie Michael Clayton. A chemical company had a couple of black ops guys on the payroll. They put a bomb in Clayton's car which was triggered by a remote.

Why would someone with the means to murder a reporter do so? Are they worried about being caught? Are they that vindictive?

Mix major entitlement issues with a belief that journalists are enemies and you reach a state of affairs where this sort of thing is plausible.

[Luther Blissett]

Barret Brown on Hastings

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/ ... l-hastings




This is a great example of what RI can do when we all work together and not against eachother, a lot of good info in this thread that could be used to help get to the bottom of this MURDER.

For those who have asked what Hastings has been working on, at least one answer is a piece on his friend and Anon insider and colleague Barrett Brown. I believe I posted a link to a Hastings post on twitter from a couple of weeks ago on page one or two of this thread.

[Luther Blissett]

Btw, is it really true that Gary Webb shot himself twice in the head? If this is a fact, how can anyone believe he committed suicide? Is it some gun that is a full auto with one squeeze?
I mean shit, look how Paul Wellstone's co-pilot knew and had software on the laptop of the so called 20th 9/11 hijacker.

Philip Marshall. Chris Kyle. The two FBI agents killed in a drill a couple months ago. Michael Hastings. The MMA fighter connected to Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Maybe these deaths all were as they had been reported, but it's all kind of odd.

In a discussion about Gary Webb with my shook shill aging hardcore kid skeptic peer group, they trotted out a full list of suicides involving multiple gunshot wounds to the head, along with scholarship on how it is possible. I'm still in the "Webb was killed" camp but at least I learned that day that it was possible, or that I was reading a rather elaborate smokescreen.

[8bitagent]

Not a word of that has shit to you with your casual assertion that this cat, now deceased, was on "a manic alcohol fueled binge at 4am."

Surely, that should warrant as much evidence and caution as the theory he was assassinated, yes?

I'm not gonna give you a post-modern inch on this, man. He was a local.

Whoah bro! I was saying that sarcastically. Meaning I don't think at all that was the case. I've made my position clear that I heavily lean toward his car being sabotaged. I was going off of what Barracuda wrote, regarding that his colleagues might not reveal even if the man had a substance issue. I was being kind of snarky in saying "yeah, Im sure he just was on his usual 4am binder going crazy fast". I apologize if I didn't make that clear.
Now yeah Im open to the idea it was an accident, but the timing of it all including the circumstances I think warrant strong suspicion.

And he may be a local, just as Fourthbase obviously felt more impacted by the marathon attacks due to it happening in his hometown or Nordic being near the Santa Monica spree killer.
But transcending the fact he was local to you he was very visible on tv and print for the last year specifically and became a nationally recognized voice. I understand it hits closer to home since he was not just from your area but fighting the good fight most would not dare risk doing.

But I do not at all believe he was on a 4am binger, unless that is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. As I've agreed with other statements, this was a guy who lived and breathed a moral dury. And I only brought up JFK and MLK to show I dont believe these public heroes are infallible either.

[8bitagent]

I thought he was being sarcastic about the 4am binge thing...

I was, but you know...I realize that's being condescending toward Barracuda's point. If everyone leaned 100% toward a definitely viewpoint of a conspiracy when something bad happens, it goes the other extreme regarding
gatekeeping(something I accused Salon and Rawstory of doing) Thinking about it, I'm glad to have Just Drew and Barracuda providing a counter point. A lot of spurious claims are often made based off of early reporting and erroneous information. That's why I love Cenk of The Young Turk's position on the matter.

And yeah, it doesn't escape me the guy was a young dude who didn't just die, but died in the worst possible way. A day later traffic is moving like nothing happened, save but a sign and a few flowers.
IF it turns out there was no sabotage, then it's still noteworthy given this was a young guy who knew a lot of tragedy from his job. From his wife dying in war til his end, to many sleepless nights trying to pursue the truth

Let's realize something -- had this happened in almost any other country, especially what we call "third world" world countries, we'd all be shaking our heads in unison saying "yup, that's just how it works".

But we've all been so conditioned to believe that this sort of thing just doesn't happen here. We're all fighting that prejudice.

America is a third world country run by criminal gangs.

Exactly. If this had happened in modern Russia. If this happened in modern Mexico. Or even if this had happened in the 1970's America...or if this was a mafia figure...noone would even think about it being an accident.

[Wombaticus Rex]

Cool, good! My tone deafness is at an all-time high this month. Apologies.

[8bitagent]

Cool, good! My tone deafness is at an all-time high this month. Apologies.

Oh it's all good. It made me think of something. Well two things. One, the trumpeting of one's pet beliefs over others and the second being the disconnect often associated with these sort of events or individuals.
I'm sitting hear judging Hastings colleagues not really fully digesting they knew the man. Like chair length away at times. I wouldn't be able to think straight let alone form the right words in rebuttals or articles right away.
If some feel that very bleak elements relating to any sort of power structure may have done him in, the implication becomes even more jarring to think about.

I was also thinking how close Snowden and Hastings were in age. And how they both gave up these beautiful loves; one from death in a war zone and one to pursue the greater good. The main story everywhere is of US officials showing frustration and disappointment in Hong Kong and Equador over giving him safe haven. Yet, if you add in the possible dimension of assassination, it leads to a whole other sort of grey reality.

[elfismiles]

Looks like all of the versions were uploaded on the same day, June 22nd. So they are likely either from the 22nd or 21st?

Most copies include this text which I think came from the (original?) LiveLeak version? Though they alll also say MoxNews but I can't find it on their channel:

This is from Moxnews re-upping a Young Turks episode showing two segments with Hastings declaring war on the government in no uncertain terms.
Uygur seems to start leaning on the side of a hit, and so do I, especially in view of the stated Obama policy to just whack those who annoy him.

Still can't find a copy of the Young Turks video titled Michael Hastings Death: Possible Motives for a Hit with audio (see previous post below) ... oh well.

can you tell me what day's broadcast the audioless video was extracted from?

[MacCruiskeen]

From the NY Daily News:

Michael Hastings sent panicked email about FBI probe hours before death: report

The journalist's fiery 4 a.m. single-car crash in Los Angeles came 15 hours after he sent friends an email warning them the FBI was on his tail. 'Hey - the feds are interviewing my "close friends and associates,"' the message said. "Also: I'm onto a big story, and need to go off the [radar]for a bit.

Comments (85)

By Sasha Goldstein / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, June 23, 2013, 7:43 PM
.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... z2X8ytClmR

Source is named as Staff Sergeant Joseph Biggs, who received a CC of the mail.

The NYDN article includes further confirmation in the form of this Tweet from Wikileaks:

WikiLeaks ✔ @wikileaks

Michael Hastings contacted WikiLeaks lawyer Jennifer Robinson just a few hours before he died, saying that the FBI was investigating him.

12:07 AM - 20 Jun 2013
1,994 Retweets 336 favorites ReplyRetweetFavorite

[8bitagent]

Discussion of Hastings has pretty much disappeared online. Even if people don't want to speculate on the causality I think his work, especially in parallel with the Snowden case and other avenues should be discussed.

[Wombaticus Rex]

Discussion of Hastings has pretty much disappeared online. Even if people don't want to speculate on the causality I think his work, especially in parallel with the Snowden case and other avenues should be discussed.

Like the weather in Vermont: give it a few minutes.

Via: Ariana's Sweatshop

Now there's another theory to contribute to the paranoia: According to a prominent security analyst, technology exists that could've allowed someone to hack his car. Former U.S. National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism Richard Clarke told The Huffington Post that what is known about the single-vehicle crash is "consistent with a car cyber attack."

Clarke said, "There is reason to believe that intelligence agencies for major powers" -- including the United States -- know how to remotely seize control of a car.

"What has been revealed as a result of some research at universities is that it's relatively easy to hack your way into the control system of a car, and to do such things as cause acceleration when the driver doesn't want acceleration, to throw on the brakes when the driver doesn't want the brakes on, to launch an air bag," Clarke told The Huffington Post. "You can do some really highly destructive things now, through hacking a car, and it's not that hard."

"So if there were a cyber attack on the car -- and I'm not saying there was," Clarke added, "I think whoever did it would probably get away with it."

[justdrew]

certainly gives new meaning to Springsteen's suicide machines, although this shit renders cars made after 2008 into basically rolling execution boxes.

[8bitagent]

Interview with Hastings friend who sent the media the frantic email, says he was very disturbed and alarmed by the email sent 15 hours before his death.
LAPD says "absolutely no evidence of foul play". Dashboard cam guy interviewed



Over 2000 comments, the majority of which not buying the "accident" claim. Virtually all are saying there needs to be a thorough investigation, very few "you stupid conspiracist" sentiments.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/2 ... ostpopular

If somehow his car was hacked to suddenly speed without the ability to break, only a guilty conscience of someone would be evidence.

[Canadian_watcher]

"What has been revealed as a result of some research at universities is that it's relatively easy to hack your way into the control system of a car, and to do such things as cause acceleration when the driver doesn't want acceleration, to throw on the brakes when the driver doesn't want the brakes on, to launch an air bag," Clarke told The Huffington Post. "You can do some really highly destructive things now, through hacking a car, and it's not that hard."

"So if there were a cyber attack on the car -- and I'm not saying there was," Clarke added, "I think whoever did it would probably get away with it."

the above is from the interview with Richard Clarke that WR posted.

I would venture, though, that if certain* people were killed via something that looked like it might have been a cyber attack carjacking/hacking that they probably *wouldn't* get away with it. This is a question of political will and spin control, not justice and not even provability.

*like say Chelsea Clinton or heaven forfend, the Prime Minister of Canada.

[stickdog99]

This conversation seems all but shut down. Why? Why aren't other journalists asking any questions about this event?