Michael Hastings and conspiracy theories: Richard Clarke throws fuel on the fire

[marmar]

The peculiar circumstances of journalist Michael Hastings' death in Los Angeles last week have unleashed a wave of conspiracy theories.

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." ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/michael-hastings-car-hacked_n_3492339.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

[samsingh]

1. scary

[FourScore]

71. I've never been happier with my 92 Volvo with 239,000 miles.

Love my car.

[MADem]

153. Mine's eight years older, US made, but with only ninety thousand miles...~!

[REP]

2. Perhaps if the car has a LoJack or similar device ... otherwise, no

I'm aware of how my car actually works.

[grantcart]

4. Lojack? that's just a GPS unit. Onstar could have unlocked his doors though

The idea that they would go to all of this trouble and have him crash in public with all of the hardware necessary to do it rather than giving him a discreet poison that would let him fall into a permanent sleep with no trace is just laughable.

[REP]

11. My unit will disable the car

It's a pain in the ass to valet park it - which I almost never do, because teenage boys + Pretty Beauty Gorgeous Car* isn't a great idea. The GPS on my car is GPS

Totally agree with you on the salient issues, though.



*PGBC is a 2008 and I'll have it until I'm a billion years old. I have stupid feelings for my car.

[pnwmom]

19. Especially since an autopsy that showed him in perfect health

and with no alcohol or drugs in his system would certainly raise a multitude of questions.

[Major Hogwash]

58. Holy Toledo, grantcart!! Trying to hijack this spooky conspiracy tale with a Lojack comment!!

That's so typical!!!

"Damn, your logic!!!"
*shakes fist at ceiling*

[yardwork]

17. The car was a Mercedes. They have a lot of GPS technology loaded in the car.

[REP]

37. My car is a 'fancier' car than his; I know the technology

My car has GPS, sattelite, BlueTooth, etc - it can only be disabled by the LoJack.

[ReRe]

47. HMMMV?

Tee Hee

[FreeBC]

114. You know the technology?

Or you know aspects of the technology that are presented to you through a graphical user interface? If you know anything about the technology behind your screen, or how it can be hacked, you aren't demonstrating that convincingly here.

[BehindTheCurtain76]

34. he was murdered

Technology has enabled our lives to have so many incredible breakthroughs in a positive way that I hope people aren't too dimwitted to realize it can affect us equally as negative. These capabilities have been around for a while. I worked in the Aerospace industry and I can tell you without a doubt that drone technology had been around since 1996. In fact, Boeing had a 747 remote controlled in 1998 to simulate a crash for safety tests where the airliner was controlled by a pilot on the ground. Small minds cannot have their belief systems challenged because they are too lazy to have to rearrange them if they are predicated on falsehoods. Drones have been hacked and hijacked for years such as the stealth one that went down in Iran and Im sure cars have been able to be hacked for a while too. Here is a good article I read from 2011:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/can-your-car-be-hacked-feature

[REP]

39. Tee hee

Enjoy your stay!

[FourScore]

68. Really? That's an ugly comment. n/t

[REP]

162. You're 11 years late, but thanks

[ReRe]

50. Thank you for that report Car and Driver!

And welcome to DU!

[zeemike]

55. Wellcome to DU...

You have said nothing wrong...not everyone here is unwelcoming to new people.

[sabrina 1]

69. Thank you for the article. If they can kill people from thousands of miles away, I believe Richard

Clarke that there is technology that can do as he says. He was one of the first to warn about Cyber Warfare and was ignored by the Bush gang. Now I am beginning to understand why.

Welcome to DU.

[FourScore]

70. Welcome to DU, BehindTheCurtain76!

And thanks for the post!

[In Truth We Trust]

72. Welcome! Good post. Just disregard the smug, small minded, douche and/or paid you may run into here.

[truedelphi]

95. I think so also. Even a car nut

With an "all things automotive" website seems to think so:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/06/famed-non-automotive-journalist-michael-hastings-turns-a-c250-into-a-bomb/?utm_campaign=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

More info here: http://ktla.com/2013/06/19/driver-killed-in-fiery-car-crash-in-hollywood/#axzz2Wc62vgTS

And why would someone who is insisting to friends that he wants to go under the radar suddenly decide to go racing down the road?

Finally, welcome to DU.

[zeeland]

104. I hope you do enjoy your stay.

Don't let desperate people intimidate you for sharing your opinion
Or linking to factual info. It's never been like this in the years I've
Lurked and posted here.

[1monster]

116. Welcome to DU.

[MissDeeds]

117. Thanks for the information

Interesting read.

And welcome to DU.

[janlyn]

124. Thanks for the info.

While it does in my mind increase the chance of foul play, I cannot say unequivocally that I think it was murder.

[cui bono]

125. Thanks for the info. My Prius has all sorts of things that are controlled by computer

and I have bluetooth and GPS so I don't doubt the ability for someone to hack in if they wanted to. Haven't read the article yet, bookmarking for later.

Anyone laughing this off you should realize that most newer cars are so controlled by computers that if there's access into them why would they not be able to be hacked? It's no longer a stand alone mechanical machine.

[heaven05]

127. thanks

I hope you do enjoy your stay. never mind the poo pahs.

[summer-hazz]

137. Welcome to DU!!

[warrprayer]

146. welcome

and thanks for the interesting article.

[MADem]

154. Drone technology has been around for much longer than 1996.

US NAVY was working on drones at least twenty years before that, when the USAF was pooh-poohing them and insisting before Congressional subcommittees that nothing, never, ever could replace a pilot/aircraft for those "important" jobs like putting ordnance on target and doing close in recon.


Unless and until you can prove he was murdered, you might want to phrase your assertions in the form of a question or a theory. Otherwise, you come off as trollish or seeking to be divisive, even if that is not your intent.

[BehindTheCurtain76]

159. proof?

I have to prove something to believe it? Look...his family and friends went on tv today and said he ALWAYS drove like a grandma and there is no way he would speed like that. His buddy is a Sargent and said the same thing and said Hastings was working on a bombshell story on the CIA and had to go into hiding out of fear. You don't want to believe thats fine...you have more faith than me. Ive seen first hand what happens to dissenters and whistleblowers...the honest truth is that I wish I didnt see or believe what I do because things were much, much easier when I didnt.

[sabrina 1]

161. I believe his friends and family, and the Sargent who was so concerned about his behavior, his fear,

before this happened. I don't have much faith that we will ever know what happened to him but as you say, we are all entitled to our opinions and no, you are correct, we don't need to provide anyone with proof of anything. It's at the point where it is the authorities in this country who will need to provide proof, such as a real, thorough, open, public investigation where people do not feel frightened to testify if they have information. But that is very unlikely so we will decide what we believe.

[MADem]

163. Don't go making declarations when you don't know, is all I'm saying.

You can suspect that was the problem, and you can voice suspicions... but you don't know and you should not make declarations that say THIS is the answer.

The guy also had a couple of very bad habits in his younger years, that included marching powder. And he was in LA, after many years in pastoral VT where the pace is slower. He might have slipped, too...who knows?

It's not a question of "not want to believe" -- it is more a matter of not saying that things are true if you don't KNOW.

[proverbialwisdom]

168. What a flair for the dramatic.

Widely applicable and astute observation spoken aloud yesterday albeit in another context...

"...Sticking your head in the sand might make you feel safer, but it’s not going to protect you from the coming storm. And ultimately, we will be judged as a people, and as a society, and as a country on where we go from here."

[proverbialwisdom]

169. Published by the NYT 'OPINIONATOR: Exclusive Online Commentary From The Times' on June 14, 2013.

That flair appears shared, at least the nonviolent variety.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/the-real-war-on-reality/?_r=0

OPINIONATOR
Exclusive Online Commentary From The Times

June 14, 2013, 12:00 pm

The Real War on Reality

By PETER LUDLOW

Previous DU discussion: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023026136

[zeeland]

172. I appreciate your commentary and it makes me wonder

if posts on websites such as DU are subject to scrutiny by the NSA or other
agencies. Seems if you can imagine it, it's quite possibly is being done.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

166. Welcome to DU.

Thanks for the link.

[mhatrw]

61. Not according to DARPA

[heaven05]

129. well

REP, I don't think YOU know what you're talking about.

[truebluegreen]

3. Oh, crap.

That's not good. Not a good capability to have out there.

[WillyT]

5. K & R !!!

[MrSlayer]

6. If they want you, they're going to get you.

As it has always been.

[summer-hazz]

139. I agree and

believe it to be very true...

Also, if "you can think "IT"... "IT" can be done!

Why underestimate the possibility?

Why underestimate anything anymore?

Open your mind...
It won't hurt you to' THINK' of a possibility!

I worry about people who can't realize all things are possible!

[leveymg]

7. Car hacking was also attested to by a program manager for DARPA. Video:

She comes right out and sums it up in the first minute or two:

[99th_Monkey]

15. Why anyone thinks this is laughable is beyond me. Good info to know. ~nt

[Ilsa]

46. Holy crap. And I thought something like

this was just in movies.
Thank you for posting.

[ReRe]

54. Are all cars now computerized?

And do they all have the black box?

Can they hack a horse?

[dflprincess]

8. Check out this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023087130

[Autumn]

9. That is fascinating. Richard Clarke is one person, whose opinion

I would trust. Rec

[Auntie Bush]

23. He's one of the few people I'd trust too.

Clarke speaks the truth!

[bearssoapbox]

62. At least most of what Clarke says can be researched and verified.

He seems to do research before he says anything. As opposed to so many "experts" out there that run their mouths with little, or in the case of Faux News, Oxyrush or Crybaby Beck etc., no research at all.

That's what I like about him.

By the way...

I like your avatar.

[Autumn]

66. Have you ever read his book "Against All Enemies"?

It's a fascinating read.

[NBachers]

87. I read "The Scorpion's Gate." It read like it was written by someone who'd been there

[elleng]

78. Ditto

[pinto]

10. HuffPo & Mike Hogan are overlooking or ignoring this key quote to conflate a conspiracy theory -

"I believe the FBI when they say they weren't investigating him," said Clarke. "That was very unusual, and I'm sure they checked very carefully before they said that."

The author and HuffPo would do themselves and their readers well to step back from the speculation. Or at least label it as such.

Yet, it seems a common replacement for journalism these days.

[Autumn]

12. Clarke is probably right about that. But he also said this:

"I'm not a conspiracy guy. In fact, I've spent most of my life knocking down conspiracy theories," said Clarke, who ran afoul of the second Bush administration when he criticized the decision to invade Iraq after 9/11. "But my rule has always been you don't knock down a conspiracy theory until you can prove it [wrong]. And in the case of Michael Hastings, what evidence is available publicly is consistent with a car cyber attack. And the problem with that is you can't prove it."

Clarke said the Los Angeles Police Department likely wouldn't have the expertise to trace such an attack. "I think you'd probably need the very best of the U.S. government intelligence or law enforcement officials to discover it."

[think]

57. So in other words

Very wrong of me to use a well meaning and dedicated person to make an over exaggerated point.

Hopefully Michael Hastings doesn't frown too hard upon me from above for pointing out that his untimely and unusual death fits the description of things that can possibly be done due to nefarious actions of a covert organization that can control things we only thought possible in dreams and movies. (Did I cover my ass enough in that one?)

And thank you Richard Clarke for your willingness to allow yourself to potentially be thrown under the bus in order to say what is is what is....

Be it insane speculation or a question of a series of surreal & coincidental events RIP Michael Hastings. And God speed to you sir....

[BehindTheCurtain76]

51. no you are

If you're gonna nitpick get your facts right...Hastings said "the Feds" were interviewing his friends...that is direct evidence and not speculation. He said Feds...not FBI. And you fell for it when the disinfo was spread when the FBI stated they weren't investigating him...they probably weren't...it could have been DIA, CIA, or any number of federal intelligence agencies of which there are over 20. I can't believe we have to waste our time answering to your uneducated assumptions.

[Cali_Democrat]

93. Sorry, but CIA doesn't just call people's friends and "interview" them like that.

DIA? Please.

It would have been the FBI.

Here's his email


Subject: FBI Investigation, re: NSA

Hey (redacted names) -- the Feds are interviewing my "close friends and associates." Perhaps if the authorities arrive "BuzzFeed GQ," er HQ, may be wise to immediately request legal counsel before any conversations or interviews about our news-gathering practices or related journalism issues.

Also: I'm onto a big story, and need to go off the rada[r] for a bit.

All the best, and hope to see you all soon.

Michael
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/22/michael-hastings-email_n_3484118.html

The subject line said FBI

[BehindTheCurtain76]

158. ok

Sorry my mistake...the subject line...so the FBI is lying then....and btw the DIA does interview people who pry into their business...that is a fact...happens at universities all the time when students expose military research.

[ohheckyeah]

112. Actually, he did say FBI

in the subject of the email. Before you snark at someone else about getting the facts straight, you might want to take your own advice.

Subject: FBI Investigation, re: NSA

Hey (redacted names) -- the Feds are interviewing my "close friends and associates." Perhaps if the authorities arrive "BuzzFeed GQ," er HQ, may be wise to immediately request legal counsel before any conversations or interviews about our news-gathering practices or related journalism issues.

Also: I'm onto a big story, and need to go off the rada[r] for a bit.

All the best, and hope to see you all soon.

Michael

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/22/michael-hastings-email_n_3484118.html

[BehindTheCurtain76]

157. ok

My mistake...the FBI is lying then.

[sabrina 1]

79. Because maybe it wasn't the FBI, maybe Clarke knows they are not likely to be involved in

spying on journalists. 'Feds' could be one of our new 'secret special terror units'. We know we are all terror suspects now, journalists even more so, especially ones who had the guts he had.

[Cali_Democrat]

94. Subject line in his email said FBI

Here's his email


Subject: FBI Investigation, re: NSA

Hey (redacted names) -- the Feds are interviewing my "close friends and associates." Perhaps if the authorities arrive "BuzzFeed GQ," er HQ, may be wise to immediately request legal counsel before any conversations or interviews about our news-gathering practices or related journalism issues.

Also: I'm onto a big story, and need to go off the rada[r] for a bit.

All the best, and hope to see you all soon.

Michael
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/22/michael-hastings-email_n_3484118.html

The subject line said FBI

[sabrina 1]

96. As we found out during the Bush era, there were many factions in the FBI, and a denial from

them at this point, is just that, a denial. He was a brilliant investigative journalist, no one ever denied he got his facts right, including those who hated him. That is WHY they hated him.

So if he says he was being spied on, then he was. Whether he was right about WHO they were remains to be seen. Not like our Intel people haven't lied before, or used people who know nothing about the issue at hand to make the official denial.

I believe him, because of his record of truth telling. Theirs, well, I remember the Bush years.

[Cali_Democrat]

97. And when the LAPD and coroner finishes their investigation

You won't believe a word of that either. Bottom line, nothing will satisfy you.

I'm really worried DU has gone in this direction. Posts like yours make this place look completely unhinged.

It's just sad at this point.

[sabrina 1]

98. You should be more worried about the general loss of faith by the American people, across

the political spectrum, in their Government. Maybe if we saw some interest in applying the law to War Criminals, or to Wall St. Criminals, some of that faith might have been restored, but no one expects it anymore.

You are correct about the LAPD, one of the most corrupt PDs in the country, with its racist, brutal history, it's unlikely ANYONE is going to trust an investigation by the LAPD. And maybe that too should concern people, that our civilian police have lost the trust of the people they are meant to serve.

Across the spectrum, whether true or not, it is already clear that most people believe their government IS capable of silencing journalists. That is just a fact.

I have no idea what happened to him, and I probably never will. That is what happens when a government lies so speciously to its people for so long and nothing is done about it.

Bush, Cheney, lied this country into war, a crime of massive proportions which we at one time hoped they would be held accountable for. No one has that kind of hope anymore. There has not even been a hearing about some of the worst crimes committed by elected officials and by Wall St. That doesn't inspire too much faith in government.

[Cali_Democrat]

99. I agree with you about the Iraq War and Wall Street

But I don't see what the LAPD has to gain from lying about the results of their investigation.

I think what happened to Hastings was a tragic accident, but don't worry, as you can see I'm clearly in the minority here on DU.

The inmates are running the asylum at this point.

[summer-hazz]

143. You "think"

it was an accident?
"inmates running the asylum"?

Thanks for being so rude!

[heaven05]

131. +1000

[heaven05]

130. what??

unhinged???? I don't think so. Just because you think it doesn't make it true.....and no LAPD and coroner might not tell the truth. I mean it has happened in the past.

[allinthegame]

128. Too sadly true

[KamaAina]

160. Who said anything about FBI?

His last story was about NSA. And NSA operates with a hell of a lot less oversight -- if any -- than FBI.

[glinda]

13. K&R n/t

[longship]

14. But one cannot ignore prior plausibility.

It's not that there are many known car hack incidents. And no, the answer is NOT "that's what they want you to think."

[treestar]

16. There is nothing strange about the circumstances

Ask anyone who has dealt with auto accidents. They happen.

[rhett o rick]

108. Do you repeat that over and over in a dark room? nm

[KoKo]

18. Notice how quiet it is about Hastings? No one ever reported if it was

a Rental Car (the Mercedes) or his own..(even though he lives in Vermont) and then there's the question of WHY WAS HE driving out there in residential neighborhood at 4:00 or so in the Morning at such a high speed? Who saw him all night? Was he in a bar drinking it up after meeting with someone...where was he staying...why was he in LA...when did he arrive...what were his flight plans or did he "drive the Mercedes out to CA..?"

I get more details about our latest local Murder at the "7-Eleven" here than I've gotten about Hastings terrible death. Local reporters here would have tracked down on the info, details, car rental or not...meeting place, if he was drinking and his family and the rest within the first 8 Hours and it would have been OUT THERE and I live in a small City!

Why so QUIET about Hastings terrible FireBall Death?

I thought it was awfully quiet about Swartz, too. He hung himself with his "Belt" from a Window in an apartment in Manhattan? I asked my partner to take his belt and try to hook it in a window in our surburban home...and try to see if he could "take himself out"...and he couldn't do it. his belt wouldn't stretch and Swartz was not a heavy guy. Also ...when I lived in NYC...there was NO WAY I can find a window (if it even would open) that could hold the weigh of a body with a 34-38 inch belt wrapped around the neck. Where would you jump from to get the momentum for an ordinary belt to strangle you?

never added up...but all was shut down...parents didn't complain...and it's "GONE AWAY...GONE AWAY."

So...I guess these "Freak Suicides or Accidents" do occur and we out here just make too much out of them and we are "CT'ers."

[senseandsensibility]

21. Well, you do pose some good questions.

Are there really no stories with answers to those questions about Hastings? What about his own employer, Buzzfeed, I think? Won't they publish something about the circumstances? Or have they? It does seem strange.

[KoKo]

27. Some Big Wig at Buzz Feed..(founder or something) just left

and didn't say what their new position would be. On Romanesko Blog..saw today.

Look might mean nothing...but it's just another odd thing.

[sabrina 1]

73. Well, even if it was an accident, this time, letting people think it was not, is likely to create a

certain amount of paranoia among journalists. Considering that journalists have been targeted for 'smear' campaigns, by Government Contractors like HB Gary, anything is possible and so many have so much to lose. And killing people isn't exactly a problem for them. They've killed hundreds of thousands of human beings since 9/11. What's strange is that anyone thinks 'oh no way would anyone do this'. Yes, they would, they outed Valerie Plame and endangered the lives of everyone she had contact with.

Remember Cheney's 'shadow government'?

And if it was not an accident, same result. Keep quiet and everything will be fine.

[xiamiam]

22. this is far too suspicious from the moment it happened

today I learned about the ability to hack the car and control the accelerator etc. He may have needed to stay up late to talk to whomever he talked with about the surveillance concerns. I don't know where they were but he spoke with wikileaks attorneys an hour or a few before he died. (I think) If they were in London, he might have waited for them to wake up. I don't know why I think that, but I have from day one.

[KoKo]

30. Agree and we know more about the Kardashian Sisters minute to minute

gallivanting and escapades than we do about this horrible death of a reporter who supposedly brought down a General in charge of our WARS? It is indeed puzzling. And, yes...given our cars have computers these days...why is there no info about where he was since there was some LA News Group who filmed him going through red lights. Seemed to me his car was out of control at that time...but, why was that LA "Moonlighting News Crew" out there just where Hastings was to FILM HIM going through those lights.

As I said...speculating is just considred "CT." But, where are our Tabloid News investigators at least reporting SOMETHING about this Bizarre death? Same with Swartz as I said above.

But...whatever. Best not to ask to many questions. NSA probably would have me on monitor for "Speculating."

[Cleita]

31. I have said we need to know what he was doing that night before the accident.

No one seems to know where he was before the crash. I know it's hard to get a drink anywhere in LA after 1:30 in the morning unless at a private place or residence so he couldn't have been drinking for several hours publicly unless he was doing it in his hotel room. But then why would he go on a wild ride at that time of the morning? There are lots of unanswered questions.

[KoKo]

36. We haven't even heard where he stayed in LA..when he arrived..and thanks

for that info about not being able to get a drink in LA after 1:30a.m. I guess they will find a burned up bottle of Gin or Whisky in his car to explain why he was doing a "suicide" drinking and that's why he was speeding through red lights and took himself out in a fireball.

None of it makes sense and there's been enough time for us to get more details that should have been forthcoming.

[silvershadow]

32. Well, let's see how long it is until even a mention of Hastings here relegates a thread to the CS

group. I'd guess, despite the fact that it is a fresh story, and despite the odd circumstances, etc, it will be in 3...2...1...

[ReRe]

59. Quiet...

... probably to give his family time to mourn.

[justiceischeap]

106. RE: Suicide by belt

You don't need to jump to commit suicide by a belt.

All Swartz would need was enough height from the window to his throat to apply enough pressure on the windpipe or carotid artery by leaning forward. If he read the same site I just did (I'm not posting a link to a pro-suicide site on DU), he'd know that if he put enough pressure on the right side of his head/neck, he'd be passed out within 15 seconds (or less) and dead within five to ten minutes.

[rhett o rick]

109. KoKo, plez take two big drinks from the denial kool-aid and repeat after me:

"It was only and accident, It was only an accident."

[MADem]

164. He wasn't living in VT. He moved to LA last OCT to work in the

Last edited Wed Jun 26, 2013, 03:40 AM - Edit history (1)

new Buzz Feed LA office. His duties were to cover Hollywood and LA celebrities, as well as do the occasional National Security type story. He was branching out.

Car was likely his--either owned or leased.

He was no stranger to booze/drugs, but supposedly had given 'em up. Of course, that shit's all over LA, when it's something you have to go looking for in VT. If he used his phone at all they should be able to figure out where he was/where he stopped.

I am editing to add a few links...it's plain that the media people "reporting" on this story don't have their facts up-to-date.

Here's the link that says he was living in LA. This is the most plausible scenario--you can't cover the west coast from NYC or VT.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/06/journalist-michael-hastings-dead-33/66376/

According to the LA Times, Hastings was living in LA and reporting on national security and the entertainment industry at the time of his death.

The "drove like a grandma" interview came out of FOX NEWS. Apologize for linking to them, but that's where it came from:
http://foxnewsinsider.com/2013/06/25/michael-hastings-friend-joe-biggs-he-drove-grandma-crash-doesnt-add
There's video. The guy isn't saying HE knows that, he's saying that other friends, and family say that. The questioner is advancing the "some people say that the government killed him" meme.

The NYT said he lived in NYC. It is far more likely that he was bi-coastal, but they might not have dug too deep: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/business/media/michael-hastings-award-winning-journalist-dies-at-33.html?_r=0

A little VT blogish-thing calls him a "former Vermonter" so they apparently believed he'd moved away: http://vtdigger.org/2013/06/20/vermont-born-journalist-michael-hastings-killed-in-l-a-car-crash/

I think the reporting on this tragedy has been a bit slipshod. Something as basic as his address, even if they just say "In the 3000 block of SuchNSuch Road..." shouldn't be a situation where three different outlets say three different things.

I don't have any clear "feelings" on what caused this guy's death. I'm not at the point where I'm going to rule anything out, but my sense is, that if "they" (some enemy, pick one, any one--the government, an angry Gen. McChrystal serving up some revenge, or some other 'evildoer' who wants to harm this guy) wanted to kill him, they picked an awfully convoluted way to do it. Far better to just slip him a mickey and toss the car over a cliff. What if he wasn't wearing his seatbelt and went through the windshield, the car burned up and he survived, after spending a few weeks in hospital? Are they THAT good at controlling a vehicle? Was he dead in the car and they were driving the thing? If they're "controlling" the car, there's got to be a forensic trail that would indicate it...

Many questions. Some far-fetched, certainly.

No answers, really, yet...

[99th_Monkey]

20. A Creepy K & R nt

[Cali_Democrat]

24. So...

Apparently Michael Hastings was sticking his nose where it doesn't belong so some intelligence agency (likely the CIA) hacked the control system of his car, remotely seized control of his car and crashed it in the middle of Los Angeles.

I don't understand. Why go through all that trouble? There's no guarantee a car accident via remote controlled hacking would kill him.

Why not just shoot him?

[Hissyspit]

26. Because a shooting doesn't look like an accident?

Everyone would then say what you just said?

I have no idea what happened to Hastings or if any of this should be taken seriously, but technically you just answered your own question.

[KoKo]

38. I don't mean to be crude or insensitive...but that accident was so horrible

and the fire so extensive...I wonder what was left of him to examine... That we would ever know.

[Cali_Democrat]

65. Actually forensic pathology has made huge advancements

They can figure out alot, even with a totally burned body.

[Incitatus]

75. There was at least enough to identify him.

Even if they needed to use dental or DNA. The cars computer chips, however, were probably burnt to a crisp.

[sabrina 1]

74. They have to test out all these new weapons somewhere?

[Cali_Democrat]

80. This is AWFUL!!!11!11(one)!!1!!

[Hissyspit]

25. Michael Hastings' Panicked, Final Email

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/317-65/18090-focus-michael-hastings-panicked-final-email

Michael Hastings' Panicked, Final Email

By Daniel Politi, Slate
24 June 13

Journalist Michael Hastings wrote an email to his colleagues hours before he died last week in which he said his "close friends and associates" were being interviewed by the FBI and he was going to "go off the radar for a bit." The 33-year-old journalist said he was "onto a big story," according to KTLA that publishes a copy of the email that Hastings sent at around 1 p.m. Monday June 17. Hastings died at around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning in a fiery one-vehicle car crash. Staff Sgt. Joseph Biggs, who knew Hastings from Afghanistan, supplied a copy of the email to the network.

"It alarmed me very much," Biggs, who was blind-copied on the email, said. "I just said it doesn't seem like him. I don't know, I just had this gut feeling and it just really bothered me." The FBI has denied Hastings was under investigation. But WikiLeaks published a message on Twitter last week that said Hastings contacted the organization's lawyers hours before he died, "saying the FBI was investigating him."

The email with the subject "FBI Investigation, re: NSA" reads:

Hey [redacted] the Feds are interviewing my "close friends and associates." Perhaps if the authorities arrive "BuzzFeed GQ," er HQ, may be wise to immediately request legal counsel before any conversations or interviews about our news-gathering practices or related journalism issues.

Also: I'm onto a big story, and need to go off the radat for a bit.

All the best, and hope to see you all soon.

Michael

MORE AT LINK

[think4yourself]

33. Why did he say "Buzzfeed GQ"

"er, HQ"
That seems weird to me.

[proverbialwisdom]

118. Er, inside joke?

Last edited Wed Jun 26, 2013, 12:54 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.gq.com
GQ Magazine Online: Look Sharp, Live Smart

http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/go-west-young-buzzfeed-144697
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/making-sense-of-news/209046/three-lists-about-buzzfeeds-serious-journalism/
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mhastings

[sabrina 1]

86. I hadn't read this before:

Staff Sgt. Joseph Biggs, who knew Hastings from Afghanistan, supplied a copy of the email to the network.

"It alarmed me very much," Biggs, who was blind-copied on the email, said. "I just said it doesn't seem like him. I don't know, I just had this gut feeling and it just really bothered me." The FBI has denied Hastings was under investigation.

So despite all the 'theories' that Hastings was a drunk, crazy etc, someone who actually knew him found his concerns, fears maybe, out of character for him, and was really bothered about it.

[alittlelark]

29. Modern cars are 'computers on wheels'... no hacking concerns?

[bobduca]

40. DARPA

is using those concerns to promote funding their cyber-terror efforts. er i mean anti-cyber terror efforts.... so hard to tell the difference these days...

[thesquanderer]

35. Now "cash for clunkers" makes sense! (n/t)

[blkmusclmachine]

44. Q: Where'd all the GLBT cars come from?

A: Cash for Clunkers

[global1]

41. So What About Planes?.....

Seems to me if they can do cars - they can do planes.

I wonder if this technology has been around since Sept 10, 2001?

[blkmusclmachine]

45. You are forbidden to make that connection.

[Enthusiast]

107. Yes. There could be an accident.......nt

[BehindTheCurtain76]

48. Bingo

Bingo!

[sulphurdunn]

53. I had the same thought.

[Ichingcarpenter]

90. Pilot episode : The Lone Gunmen. March 2001

A plane was hacked remotely
to fly into the world trade center.


Lone gunmen saved the day at the last moment.

TLG was an X files spin off

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

111. The comptroller of the Pentagon, Mr. Dove built them

He owned the company before he became comptroller...

[blkmusclmachine]

42. +1. Totally possible.

[blkmusclmachine]

43. Check out what OnStar can do.

Kill ignition, etc.

[mc51tc]

49. It looks like murder to me!

Michael Hastings sent out an e-mail on the day he died about the FBI investigating him. Also, he said that he was working on a huge story. Someone stopped it before he could finish.

Troubling times we currently live in this country.

[Cali_Democrat]

64. Who do you think murdered him?

[Auntie Bush]

52. The possibility of carhacking is the scariest thing I've heard of in my life time.

No one will ever be safe!

[truth2power]

56. Someone posted this link a couple of days ago.."Boston Brakes"..

Boston Brakes
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Boston%20Brakes


"the boston brakes": assassination technique developed in boston by the s.i.s
a technique in wich microchip transceiver's built into cars (mostly after theft and recovery)override the steering column and braking funtions causing seemingly out of control accidents.

Note: this link goes on to say that the above technique was probably responsible for Princess Diana's accident. That seems like going a bit far to me.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

60. So,....why do cops still do car chases if they can just be shut off?

[sabrina 1]

76. If there is such technology, it would take time before it gets to the cops. The military has weapons

and technology that is not allowed on the streets for civilian law enforcement. However the more militarized the civilian police become, the more likely some of the technology will be sold to them. It's all about money in the end. And there has to be funding for these things. Give it time!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

82. Remember this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Thunder

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085255/

The big scandal in it was government spying on innocent people without cause.



That was back in 1983 during Reagan.

[AtheistCrusader]

135. Airwolf would have ended that chopper in about 3 seconds.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

138. Roy Scheider vs Jan Michael Vincent??

No contest.

[AtheistCrusader]

140. There are a bunch of incredibly terrible youtube videos that play this scenario out.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

144. All done by fans of the TV show.

[bunnies]

115. Ever seen Bait Car?

The technology definitely exists.

[backwoodsbob]

81. facts in a CT thread?..heresy

[Spitfire of ATJ]

83. I'm an evil bastard.

[eridani]

91. Because they'd get their asses sued off by all the people injured in the resulting wreck n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

100. The stationary car surrounded by patrol cars with sirens wreck?

[eridani]

105. What stationary car?

The post I was responding to asked why cops don't do this instead of CAR CHASES. Capeesh?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

121. The yellow tab is your friend.

[ohheckyeah]

113. I saw a report

where cops contacted OnStar and had them shut a car they were chasing down. It was on television - some news show like 20/20 so I don't have a link.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

119. I see a fondness for classic cars in our future.

[ohheckyeah]

120. I agree - wish I had my first car back. n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

122. Not me,...it was a 65 Biscayne station wagon with plywood on the floor to cover the holes....

Think "Fred Flintstone's car".

Here's one that's the same color.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GHi9fFqUeqI/TxhPUM71ZNI/AAAAAAAAFuE/QaTaQ93arAA/s1600/Chevy+Biscayne+Wagon_65_2.jpg

[ohheckyeah]

133. This was my first car:

http://photogallery.classiccars.com/#!v=slideshow&g=66&gi=380985&ss=search-9999-9999-Chevrolet-Chevelle-68-s&ssi=319848&sp=68&ssy=9999&sey=9999&sm=Chevrolet&smo=Chevelle&xo=ccn

[Spitfire of ATJ]

141. The chicks love this one.

[ohheckyeah]

142. LOL

[colsohlibgal]

63. The Plot Thickens

Maybe this was just an accident but the more that comes out the more this isn't passing the smell test.

[proverbialwisdom]

67. Personally, I don't think you should've changed the title of the article from objective to mocking.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/michael-hastings-car-hacked_n_3492339.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

By Mike Hogan

Was Michael Hastings' Car Hacked? Richard Clarke Says It's Possible
Posted: 06/24/2013 6:03 pm EDT | Updated: 06/24/2013 9:50 pm EDT

Links found in comments to recent related articles:

http://www.autosec.org/pubs/cars-usenixsec2011.pdf
http://www.gizmag.com/vehicle-computer-systems-hacks/15156/

[womanofthehills]

77. Interesting sudden acceleration article

"Although the root cause for Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) remains unknown, including incidents involving recalled Toyotas, some engineers believe electromagnetic interference from cell phones, satellite radio and even microwaves may be contributing to the problem. Electromagnetic interference may disrupt the electronic signals to the throttle system, which controls the acceleration. The basic problem is that electronic malfunctions do not necessarily leave a trail of evidence. It is a classic case of dead men tell no tales. There is no imprint due to electronic failure. As an example of electronic interference, a voltage spike can generate electromagnetic flux and interfere with the signal sent to the accelerator pedal. In one incident, a cell phone signal has caused a German-made bus to shift into gear. Several sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) lawsuits filed against Toyota claim some type of EMI link. However, if the US Congressional hearings probe deeply enough, they may discover that the global car industry has known for a long time that one of the plausible causes of SUA is internal electro-magnetic interference (EMI)."

http://www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/frameset.php?pageid=http%3A//www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/press/260210.php

Seems like the car manufacturers have done quite a bit of research on this.

[eridani]

92. There was a book published in the 90s about this and many other potential problems

--with microchip control of everyday items. Can't find it--will ask DH if he put it in his filing system. The author wrote about a "ghost" that periodically orderd 66 hamburgers from a fast food outlet. They traced it to some kind of interference from a cell phone tower or something of the sort.

[MindPilot]

123. Back in the seventies, CB radios would mess with the cruise control.

I recall several reports (I was working for Ford at the time) of cruise controls behaving erratically from illegally boosted CB radio signals. We were able to duplicate the problem in a test environment, but it took a very strong signal, and only once I recall the result was uncontrolled acceleration. Most of the time, it just turned the cruise control off.

[bbgrunt]

84. k and r. time to get a bicycle.

[JHB]

148. No hacking needed there, just ye olde hit-and-run.

[avaistheone1]

85. K&R

[JenniferJuniper]

89. I don't do conspiracy theories; I think Oswald acted alone

but this was troubling me even before I read Richard Clarke's comments and heard about the email he allegedly sent out the afternoon before.

There's video of what appears to be his car bulleting down the street, blowing at least one red light just a minute or two before the crash. One witness at the scene said it looked like he was going 100 mph.

I've been involved with countless auto crash investigations over the past nearly 30 years and even drunks don't often drive around city streets like that. It's fairly rare to see a vehicle explode into flames after hitting an object like a tree or a pole. And that thing was completely engulfed long before the fire department got to the scene.

And why no details on where he'd been that night or why he was there?

I hope this story hasn't completely disappeared by the time the toxicology results are back, but I have a feeling it's going nowhere.

[Democracyinkind]

101. It would be interesting to further explore the angle your expertise gives you.

I have been trying to figure out how common this type of accident is (speed, location, etc.). As far as I can tell from the stories I've read, 100mph on that location is more than just speeding. It's asking for death. Maybe that could be explained by his being drunk or on drugs, but we'll have to wait for definitve proof of that. If he was sober, it's more than just speeding, almost suicidal I'd say. But then, I don't really know the location from personal experience, just from the news and maps.

I wish there was a way to determine what happened that was accesible to me. After the initial suspicion arises, it's hard to trust any source completely.

[Democracyinkind]

102. Has the car been determined? Rental?

The first thing I'd like to check is if the car has those features that make it susceptible to such manipulation. Somehow I can't find info on the type of car.

[MADem]

155. His car, either owned or leased, not a rental. It was a gasoline powered Mercedes C Class.

HTH...

[Lint Head]

103. All car now have computers in them. That is all manufactured after the mid 80's.

[rhett o rick]

110. I believe in conspiracy theories. I know that some here in DU think that CT

should be a PPR offense. I believe in honest intelligent speculation and skepticism. Wild-ass crazy ideas dont scare me, I can deal with them.

I believe the motor was thrown from the car by momentum. An explosion with that much power would have blown the rest of the car farther than the motor in all directions.

I believe a gasoline explosion would create a fireball but not have the power to throw the motor that far.

And while it looks suspicious and that the technology exists to hijack the car, I believe it would be difficult to make the car run into a tree and explode. Maybe not impossible.

I also believe that if powers to be wanted to kill him, they would have used much easier and tried and true methods that are equally hard to prove. Unless the powers to be wanted to make a statement.

And no I do not believe that Pres Obama directed this to happen, or knew of a plan to do this, nor do I intend any of the above statements to reflect badly on the Obama Admin.

[summer-hazz]

147. Either way...

the car was going to hit something.
The streets of LA have many, lined with trees.
I still say anything is possible.
I don't know the whole story, but I am trying to
follow it..

[rhett o rick]

151. I agree anything is possible. But if I was intending to kill someone, I wouldnt rely on making the

car go out of control and hitting a tree. The car could have just have easily missed the tree and ended up in the field. To me it's leaving too much to chance. Not ruling it out.

[snot]

126. A lot of you apparently still haven't seen this:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/can-your-car-be-hacked-feature

The possibility of hacking is NOT speculative. Software to do it has existed since at least 2011.

"After gaining access, a hacker could control everything from which song plays on the radio to whether the brakes work."

The article also specifies that acceleration can be controlled.

[KoKo]

170. There have been reports that cars today can do that. He was driving a Mercedes

but it's still not released the Year/Model of Mercedes or if it was a Rental or his own car he drove out from Vermont where he lives.

If it was a new rental with "up-to-date" computer everything...then we should know about that. But, all is quiet.

[snot]

171. Read the article; this is not a "report that cars can do that"; it's a fact:

any computerized car can be taken over with software you can purchase today.

[HooptieWagon]

132. Shift transmission to neutral.

There is still a mechanical linkage between the shifter and transmission. Shift to neutral and safely brake to a stop. Then the "hijacking" software is discovered, and lawsuits filed against guilty parties. Is it worth the risk having the plot exposed after failing to succeed?

Conspiracy Theories involve a whole lot of theoretical "what ifs", and very little common sense. Occam's Razor, people.

[AtheistCrusader]

136. Not necessarily.

That is increasingly uncommon, with triptronic type shifting and other technologies. Mercedes does TouchShift shifting I think. It's above my pay grade, never driven one. BMW is stepTronic.

The implementations are all different by manufacturer, and also vary by model/year, and some of them are indeed fly-by-wire, with no mechanical linkage.


That said, this shit is all over-complex. Hacking his car, fuck. Likely as not someone could have just frightened him into over-speeding his capabilities as a driver. You just have to scare him enough.

Assuming foul play in any form, of course.

[mtasselin]

134. clark

I think Richard Clark has a lot of credibility, and if he says it's possible I think you to consider it. If it is true just think where this country is going and it is not to a very good place, scary, very scary.

[warrprayer]

145. We might know the truth in 50 years

but for now, the thing I hope for is someone (s) to pick up where he left off. Good ones like him are rare and far between. Ass kissers (what we have on the networks and most major papers) grow like weeds.

[snagglepuss]

149. to reasd later

[mountain grammy]

150. Just bought our first new cars in 20 years..

now I want my old, low tech, 93 Nissan pickup back.

[proverbialwisdom]

165. Michael Hastings was not working on Jill Kelley story, wife says.

Last edited Wed Jun 26, 2013, 02:56 PM - Edit history (3)

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-michael-hastings-jill-kelley-20130625,0,436906.story

Michael Hastings was not working on Jill Kelley story, wife says

By Andrew Blankstein
June 25, 2013, 8:25 a.m.

Journalist Michael Hastings, who died last week in a fiery single-car crash in Hancock Park, was not working on a story about Florida socialite Jill Kelley, his wife said.

Elise Jordan posted a message on Twitter on Tuesday morning: "To correct the record, since I've seen it erroneously reported a few times: @mmhastings was not working on a story about Jill Kelley."

She also thanked people for their "love, support and friendship" after the death of Hastings, who was best known for a 2010 Rolling Stone profile that led to the resignation of Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

A person close to Kelley had told The Times that Hastings was scheduled to meet with a representative of Kelley's this week in Los Angeles to discuss the case.

<>

http://www.viralread.com/2013/06/23/what-was-michael-hastings-big-story-about/

No denial of reports he was writing next about BB, however, a name I first encountered here: http://inagist.com/all/347207250940657665/?utm_source=inagist&utm_medium=rss

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2010/06/why-the-hacks-hate-michael-hastings

Why the Hacks Hate Michael Hastings
by Barrett Brown 10:55 AM, JUNE 23 2010

Time to re-up my lapsed NATION subscription judging from this excellent and truly horrifying reporting.

http://www.thenation.com/article/174851/strange-case-barrett-brown#axzz2Wl9m4xUD

The Strange Case of Barrett Brown
Amid the outrage over the NSA's spying program, the jailing of journalist Barrett Brown points to a deeper and very troubling problem.

Peter Ludlow June 18, 2013

[KoKo]

167. Interesting..info..!