NEWSWEEK’S SLOW NEWSWEEK: OBVIOUSLY DRUNKEN HOAXTER CRASHES WEEKLY “NEWS” MAG
R. A. Schultz
A recent edition of Newsweek magazine carried the following:
“The U.S. Coast Guard is appealing for information from the public after a command center was sent a series of violent threats and hoax calls.
“The transmissions were received via marine band radio off the coast of Florida. [My guess is the Gulf Coast, though the editor is apparently unaware that the Florida peninsula has two coasts] The unknown culprit, speaking in an American accent [Eh, just WTF constitutes an “American accent?] cited links to the Russian government and threatened to set off anti-submarine weapons known as ‘depth charges’ and shoot down planes.
“The latest threat was sent to the Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg command center on August 13 via VHF channel 22A, the Coast Guard confirmed to media yesterday [The call was more likely initiated by the caller on VHF channel 16, the calling and distress frequency, and was referred by the receiving Coast Guard facility to VHF channel 22A to continue the conversation].
“The mysterious individual behind the most recent broadcast appeared to be the same person who made previous threats that started with him saying ‘Mayday’ three times before talking about ‘scrambling all jets we are under nuclear attack,’ officials said this week [This is very OBVIOUSLY a nut job].
“Audio of the calls was published to the Coast Guard website yesterday but was not working at the time of publication. Navy Times reported it obtained a copy of the August 13 transmission, which lasted roughly 70 seconds and contained a series of bizarre threats.
“According to the website, a voice was heard saying: ‘The next time you send off any aircraft off of any aircraft carriers, or helicopters, I will set off all the depth charges in the Gulf and sink your ships... close down all airports of America, otherwise I'll set off the depth charges.’
“The call continued: ‘The next time I see one of your planes in the air, I'm going to shoot that plane down and kill the pilot and the passengers... I'm going to shake your ships all apart.’
“It added: ‘You are playing with the Russian government. I'd suggest you back the [expletive] off. Because if you don't back the [expletive] off, you're going to lose a lot of Coast Guardsmen. Do you understand me? Keep your [expletive] airliners and you keep your ships [indecipherable]’
“Authorities say penalties for making false distress calls and hoaxes, upon conviction, include up to 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines, plus the cost of the search. The Coast Guard does not actually operate aircraft carriers, only smaller ‘cutter’ vessels, Navy Times reported.”
MY TAKE: Why the HELL this story made the Navy Times, much less Newsweek, remains a mystery! This series of “threats” is very obviously the drunken raving of a lunatic in possession of even less knowledge than he is of his faculties, and is hardly worth mention in the public arena. Hoax and threatening radio calls are a daily occurrence. The people at Newsweek assuredly don’t know any better, but the people at the Navy Times should really be ashamed of themselves.
~ RAS 20190917
