Journalist Michael Hastings is dead at 33

[Hunter]

I sent an email to Russ Baker at whowhatwhy asking if he would look in to this case and get us some answers, he is very good at what he does like Hastings was, maybe he will dig deeper than many of us are able.

[Hunter]

Hey REX, do you know how long Hastings lived in Vermont, I noticed you said he was local to you but he is actually local to ME, he is from Malone, NY, same place I am from, real small tiny place 14,000, its the northern end of Appalachia, which is basically a culture unto itself spanning northern Mississippi right up to Malone, NY and the Adirondacks, just up the road from Lake Placid, which is what everyone knows that area for, for many important reasons from Winter Olympics to a ridiculous horror film named such.. I dont know if you are familiar with what is known as Appalachian culture but it is different than anything else in the US in everything from food, drink, language and culture/way of life. Its really neat. Hastings was born there and went to the same little Catholic grade school I did but I am not sure if his family moved to Vermont for his high school years or not, he is a few years younger than I am so I didnt know when he lived there but I do know the Hastings "clan" in general and who they are. I just keep hearing everyone say he was from Vermont but that isnt true he is definitely from Malone but I think the family moved to Vermont at some point and it is likely what he called home most of his life.

Anyway, we can both claim him as a hometown boy, I am still not over this and I have been very sad since the news broke of his death, it is just heartbreaking and tragic to lose a person who very likely was becoming the voice of his generation, give more time I think he would have claimed that throne as he was well on his way. He was born to be a reporter.

Does anyone know where Barret Brown is imprisoned? I was thinking of writing him a letter, first to let him know we here at RI are talking about his case and supporting him in any way we can and also to ask him if he has any ideas about what may have happened to Hastings. I will google around and see if I can find him, I am sure he has to be in a federal pen since it was the FBI that went after him and hacking generally is a federal offense, and if he is in a federal prison he is allowed access to a computer but it only has an email client on it and they have to pay 25 cents a minute out of their prison account to use it to send emails. So if you contact a federal prisoner you can ask them to add you to their email list and then they would be able to get your emails but they can use the computer everyday I think its a once a week thing and like I said, it isnt cheap them for at 25 cents a minute when most of them dont even make 25 cents a day at their prison jobs. But my understanding is that all federal prisoners are allowed to send emails, even ones that are convicted of computer crimes. So if anyone has this information about Barret Brown or finds it before I do, please post it, I think I would like to make contact with him and perhaps find a journalist that would be willing to pick up where Hastings left off wrt the story he was working on about Brown before he did, my understanding is that Hastings met with Brown at the prison, on June 3rd.


Thanks in advance for any info anyone has or finds along these lines.



PS I also want to be very clear that there is zero chance that Hastings was drinking or on drugs, I have read all of his books the last 2 weeks and in each one he makes it very clear that his sobriety is a very important part of his life and he takes it very seriously, he speaks very openly about it, doesnt hide his past problems and makes it very clear that he is committed to sobriety and has not had any substance abuse problems since he was 19 years old which is about 14 years ago.

[Wombaticus Rex]

Yes, I was aware that, like most Vermonters, he's a transplant who fell in lurve.

And thank you for this:

PS I also want to be very clear that there is zero chance that Hastings was drinking or on drugs, I have read all of his books the last 2 weeks and in each one he makes it very clear that his sobriety is a very important part of his life and he takes it very seriously, he speaks very openly about it, doesnt hide his past problems and makes it very clear that he is committed to sobriety and has not had any substance abuse problems since he was 19 years old which is about 14 years ago.

[Hunter]

Yes, I was aware that, like most Vermonters, he's a transplant who fell in lurve.

And thank you for this:

PS I also want to be very clear that there is zero chance that Hastings was drinking or on drugs, I have read all of his books the last 2 weeks and in each one he makes it very clear that his sobriety is a very important part of his life and he takes it very seriously, he speaks very openly about it, doesnt hide his past problems and makes it very clear that he is committed to sobriety and has not had any substance abuse problems since he was 19 years old which is about 14 years ago.

Righton! It would be extremely uncharacteristic for Michael to be drinking first of all, to be drinking and driving second of all, and last of all to be drinking and driving wrecklessly and blowing red lights at 80+ MPH and putting others in danger, so I think we can safely duke, errr I mean rule that one out.


Hi Cuda =)

[barracuda]

Hi!

Having known hundreds of recovering alcoholics/addicts, I don't harbor any illusions that the fight for sobriety was anything but serious in Hastings' case. But in all alcoholics it remains a fight, usually til the day they die. I've seen years of clean go down the tubes in an instant.

Don't misunderstand me: I'm not here trying to dirty the reputation of this man, or to make his alcoholism and addiction issues central to the plot. They certainly aren't, necessarily. But if this was a hit, that history was not ignored by the perps. They banked on the idea that he had been involved in a drunken crash before.

EDIT, fixed typo

[Hunter]

Hi!

Having known hundreds of recovering alcoholics/addicts, I don't harbor any illusions that the fight for sobriety was anything but serious in Hastings' case. But in all alcoholics it remains a fight, usually til the day they die. I've seen years of clean go down the tubes in an instant.

Don't misunderstand me: I'm not here trying to dirty the reputation of this man, or to make his alcoholism and addiction issues central to the plot. They certainly aren't, necessarily. But the if this was a hit, that history was not ignored by the perps. They banked on the idea that he had been involved in a drunken crash before.

Oh I absolutely agree, there is no doubt that it is a lifetime battle and that relapse voice is constantly on one's shoulder whispering in the ear and that never goes away and there is always a chance Hastings could relapse at any moment and sure stress and pressure can increase those chances considerably. I dont think youre here to muddy the waters at all and I appreciate the balance that you bring, honestly, that is an important part of any discussion. It is just my opinion, having spent the better part of the last two weeks (I had knee surgery so I am off work with some free time) having studied Hastings and all his works that he is clean and he has so much on the line right now career wise, so much going on in the world, that I suggest there is just very very little chance that he would take the time right now to relapse and blow everything for himself and his readers/followers/employers. I am just not feeling but of course it cant be ruled out, I am just suggesting that the preponderance of evidence, IMO, leads me to believe very conclusively that he is the victim of a vehicular cyber attack and he was killed and silenced and the only thing left to find out at this point, again IMO, is who is responsible.


And I agree entirely, whoever did this, if it was a hit, knows about his addiction and if they are in cahoots with whomever is responsible for investigating this and handling that tox screen, I am certain they will make it appear as if he has booze, scripts or illcit drugs in his system, I am just waiting for that shoe to drop anyday and it is going to be a very painful thing to watch. Tox screens take a few weeks so we should be hearing about that pretty soon and I think its very likely that they are going to come out and say he was loaded one way or another and like I said, thats gonna suck, because I dont think its true and if it isnt and they are making it up that is really low ball to kill the guy and then add insult to injury by smearing his good name and reputation with more lies.


But by all means dont ever apologize for being contrarian, we need to put all sides and all arguments on the table if we are ever going to get to the bottom of it and that includes considering the possibility that this was an accident and nothing more, but it also means that we need to seriously look at the possibility that this was a murder at the same time. I think we have all done a fantastic job on this thread specifically and I am very proud to be part of this thread, cant say the same for some other threads but this one has been RI at its best so far.

[beeline]

No foul play suspected in Michael Hastings' death, LAPD says

The Los Angeles Police Department said there appears to be no foul play in the one-vehicle accident that killed journalist Michael Hastings.

The Los Angeles County coroner on Thursday positively identified Hastings as the driver of a Mercedes that crashed on Highland Avenue near Melrose Avenue on Tuesday morning.

Hastings' involvement with hot-button stories has led to a variety of conspiracy theories arising on the Internet over his death. But LAPD officials said the incident appears to have been an accident and that no other vehicles were involved. Officials are trying to determine whether there was a mechanical problem with the car. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case was ongoing.

[MinM]

@FoxNewsInsider: Michael Hastings' Friend to @MegynKelly: 'He Drove Like a Grandma,' Crash Doesn't Add Up

[barracuda]

Here's an interesting technical discussion in the comments section on Jalopnik regarding the feasibility of remote hacking Hastings' vehicle.

[justdrew]

it's too bad the thing is focused on batting down "government agents" as the culprit. That should not even be the main focus of suspicion. There are individuals who have motive and likely means.

Our own Jason Torchinsky did a thorough debunking of why this is so unlikely, including how modern cars' internal networks aren't normally equipped to receive wireless instructions and how it's absurd to think that mechanical systems can somehow be easily overridden by a remote signal

I long ago stipulated that most likely they would have had to gain access to the car and install a wireless interface to the computer port.

Revenge is the motive, and we already have a threat to "hunt down and kill" on record.

trying to make this about 'da gubamint did it' is a distraction.

but hell, it's not as though we can trust the LAPD to conduct and investigation worth a damn.

[barracuda]

The thing is, it is highly unlikely that a single individual would have the tech capability to remote hack a vehicle. Unlikely to the point of impossibility. Such a hack is a team effort, i.e. .gov or .mil.

[justdrew]

The thing is, it is highly unlikely that a single individual would have the tech capability to remote hack a vehicle. Unlikely to the point of impossibility. Such a hack is a team effort, i.e. .gov or .mil.

no it's not. it only takes one person.

Use the new automatic car unlocker device to gain access ( or steal a spare key)

build a small computer device, like a "raspberry pi" that you've hacked a OBD2 port to, tape a battery to the thing. plug it in and secure the device under the dashboard, the driver won't see it. relock the door and you're done.

it doesn't even absolutely need wifi, it can be set to listen to the speed and activate override code when the speed gets above say 30.

heck you could even ignore the whole 'car hacking' angle and just install a mechanical device above the gas pedal to grip it and draw it down.

Another possibility, is just install an incendiary device. Driver then get's a phone call, "we have your wife, get home ASAP or it's curtains" now the driver will speed on their own.

If you want revenge, making it look like an accident is a primary design goal of the 'hit'

Also IIRC, there were some new cars finding their way into AfPak post 2008, so accessing their systems could very well have played a role in military intelligence operations.

[barracuda]

The thing is, it is highly unlikely that a single individual would have the tech capability to remote hack a vehicle. Unlikely to the point of impossibility. Such a hack is a team effort, i.e. .gov or .mil.

no it's not. it only takes one person.

Use the new automatic car unlocker device to gain access ( or steal a spare key)

build a small computer device, like a "raspberry pi" that you've hacked a OBD2 port to, tape a battery to the thing. plug it in and secure the device under the dashboard, the driver won't see it. relock the door and you're done.

And right there, in your description, you've already assembled a team: one man who wants him dead, another to build and install the device, at minimum, unless he was murdered by an angry, retributive, computer nerd.

[Lord Balto]

@FoxNewsInsider: Michael Hastings' Friend to @MegynKelly: 'He Drove Like a Grandma,' Crash Doesn't Add Up

Unless he was spooked by something, like being followed.

[JackRiddler]

The thing is, it is highly unlikely that a single individual would have the tech capability to remote hack a vehicle. Unlikely to the point of impossibility. Such a hack is a team effort, i.e. .gov or .mil.

no it's not. it only takes one person.

Use the new automatic car unlocker device to gain access ( or steal a spare key)

build a small computer device, like a "raspberry pi" that you've hacked a OBD2 port to, tape a battery to the thing. plug it in and secure the device under the dashboard, the driver won't see it. relock the door and you're done.

And right there, in your description, you've already assembled a team: one man who wants him dead, another to build and install the device, at minimum, unless he was murdered by an angry, retributive, computer nerd.

Someone who wants him dead hiring someone to do it? Or more than one who want him dead, one of whom has the skills? Sounds impossible!

As we are not arguing here about technical feasibility, which is known to exist, who says such equipment is not already developed and available off the shelf, so to speak, to a select circle?

Do you think it's fair to describe assassinations, including those conducted covertly and with the intent for the assassins not to be known or take credit, as an activity within the purview of McChrystal's former commands?