Mark Steyn says that, as dumb as the terrorists were, the bureaucracy was even dumber. It had to be one of the easier pieces for him to write--all he had to do was lift it right from the news reports.

Maybe a few of them have woken up, now.

Mark and others are making a big mistake when they take Ms. Bryant's remarks at face value. I'd bet my life that she is greatly exaggerating what happened in order to get her fifteen minutes of fame and maybe some cash for her story.

I ahve no doubt she indeed had some interactions with Atta. But in her TV appearances she reminds me of those people who claim to have been abducted by UFOs. There is something too rehearsed about her story and she seems remarkably unfazed by what should have been a very traumatic experience---not to mention the sheer improbability of her reactions to Atta's death threats. She's the sort of witness that savvy lawyers slice and dice when on the witness stand.

Some skepticism about her story is more than justified.

Unbelievable! (almost!) It goes to show how asleep people are to the times they live in.

Harry: Oh, I don't know, I've seen people laugh off all sorts of outrageous things. Most people just aren't born with any sense; if they've had a generally comfortable existence, nine times out of ten they won't realize they are being threatened. "It's obviously just a joke; no one could _possibly_ want to hurt little, inoffensive me," is the attitude. She could very well not have realized anything was wrong, other than having to deal with a difficult, unpleasant foreigner.

Then again, it's kind of strange she is coming out _now_ with this story. Did it take her this long to realize what had happened? Or... is she in fact making it all up? Hmmm....