EVERYONE is talking about it — and that’s cause for concern. The ‘it’ in question is this week’s sensational story of Lisa Nowak’s 900 mile trek across the southern US, allegedly to murder her rival, Colleen Shipman.
Every network is using this tale as a central tent-pole for bringing in an array of psychiatrists, space administration personnel, attorneys, and law enforcement specialists. NASA is keeping their errant astronaut under wraps (Nowak was released on bond with the provision that she wear a GPS ankle bracelet).
The circus atmosphere begs the question: How could someone as intelligent and career-driven as Nowak stray so far?
One possible answer: Perhaps, she didn’t.
Bear with me for a few minutes while I wander into tinfoil territory here. Nowak is an engineer. Now, I’ve known my share of engineers, and in general, these intelligent, amazing folks have linear thinking that leads to clear, rational methodical planning. For Nowak to suddenly jump into a car and trek to Orlando to ‘murder’ a perceived rival makes no sense.
Colleen Shipman is stationed at Patrick AFB in Florida, but she had been visiting Houston. Why wouldn’t Nowak have chosen to confront her rival in Houston rather than make that crazed, frantic cross-country drive? If Shipman was indeed ‘seeing’ Navy Cmdr. William A. Oefelein (who worked at the Johnson Center in Houstin with Nowak), then she would return to Houston — right? A linear, logical mind would choose to wait until a future visit and confront the rival in a planned and carefully selected venue.Here’s another oddity: According to today’s agency reports, Shipman now says that Nowak has been ‘stalking’ her for two months. How do you ‘stalk’ someone who lives 900 miles away? But if the stalking tale is true, why wait until now to take out a restraining order? If my boyfriend’s co-worker were stalking me, I’d certainly let someone in authority know about it!
(Mind you, since I’m very happily married, I don’t have a boyfriend — unless my husband counts as one — but you get the picture). Which brings up an interesting point — Shipman says she had never seen Nowak before the Orlando event. If she had never ‘seen her’, then how did Shipman know Nowak was stalking her? And more to the point — how could Shipman — who had just left Houston, and worked at Patrick AFB (Cape Canaveral!) not know a female astronaut by sight?
Sorcha Faal writes a column at her website that may or may not be disinformation — if not complete baloney. I tend to view her insights with a whole shaker of salt. However, Faal’s insinuation that Nowak was actually trying to leave the country started me thinking. Faal claims Nowak has been working as an observer for the Vatican Observatory Research Group, and that the Vatican has been tracking an ‘anomaly’ that STRATCOM recently shot down (hence the fireballs across most of the Midwest on Sunday evening).
Now, I’m not sure that I believe this story either, but — as I said before — the possiblity of an alternative explanation for Nowak’s notoriety is certainly playing a song in my head. A very loud, discordant song.
What if Nowak is privy to insider information that would shed a nasty light on NASA, the US government, or our military? What if her information were considered a security risk? What if she believed her life was in danger and tried to make a run for it? (This might also explain her disguise and meager weaponry — a folding knife, a BB gun, and pepper spray — items one might grab in a hurry).Should Americans automatically believe everything we’re told in the MSM? Of course not — although I often wish we could.
Bear all of this in mind as you watch cable television and radio stations play hour after hour of Nowak highlights. The image you see of a broken woman once at the height of her profession might just reveal more than the talking heads imply. ‘The Fix’, so to speak, might just be in.
