‘Happy Shark Week 2010!’
courtesy of ‘~Daniel The Animal Lover Techie.TaiShan4Ever~’

Multiple news sources are now reporting that there’s a hostage situation unfolding at the Discovery building. There’s multiple reports of hearing gunfire and speculation that the gunman has explosives. WaPo reports that the building is being evacuated but police have not confirmed that the man is armed or carrying explosives.

More as it unfolds.

Update: the Washingtonian’s twitter feed reports having a tipster inside Discovery HQ who says employees are stuck on their floor.

Update: DCist quotes Corporal Dan Friz describing the individual as a “hostage taker.”

Update: TBD reports that a Discovery employee stated they heard “pops” – presumably gunfire – at aprox 1:20. This doesn’t jibe with WaPo Breaking News blog’s report that the MoCo police were responding to a 1pm call. Uncertain if this means the individual was spotted and reported before he fired any shots or if this is a witness error.

Update: WUSA reports that the demands at savetheplanteprotest.com belong to the gunman. Domain details for savetheplanetprotest.com indicate James Lee as the owner. DCist wrote about an individual named James Lee involved in a dispute with Discovery several years ago.

Update: TBD indicates that police scanner traffic hints at a former employee, unconnected to James Lee. Wonder if WUSA is going to be the first organization to defend against a twitter-based libel suit?

Update: MoCo police radio indicates that the children who were in Discovery daycare have been moved from the McDonalds to 1203 Fiddler Lane.

Update: MoCo police radio indicated that both local and FBI SWAT teams are on site and coordinating.

Update: NBC has joined WUSA9 in identifying the gunman as James Lee; they state that the police confirmed it is him.

Update: FOX5 reports the hostage is a building security guard. Not clear from that whether there are additional hostages.

Update: More writings from the James Lee behind the 2008 Save the Planet protests are at savetheplanetprotest.yuku.com, where he is under the handle misterfifteen.

Update: Environmental issues – and extremism – have been on Lee’s mind a long time. I found a late 2006 MySpace post identified as from him.

Notes:
Current mood:  angry

I am going over the Daniel Quinn books over and over. I refuse to read anything that is not directly related to the overpopulation problem and global warming. I am searching history for clues that could save the planet. I still am baffled why this is happening. It seems impossible. I am awaiting some nature videos that I ordered.

Guys, I went to the bookstore to relax, you know? Take it easy and the reflect on my life. I didn’t mean to stumble on the book of the century. To be honest, the Daniel Quinn books are what I have been looking for for the better half of my life.

I remember a question I posed to a religious friend some time ago, that if we were all “meant” to act a certain way, then why do animals act the way they do? Why do they die? Can’t they be “saved” as well. What I got was a definite “no,”

I absolutely hate it when someone tells me “no” or “it can’t be done” or “that’s just the way it is.”

Update: Not much new to report. Chip Py took pictures of James Lee when he protested in front of the Discovery building in 2008.

Update: Looks like this is drawing to a close. MoCo police radio indicates all SWAT members uninjured.

Don Whiteside

Well I used to say something in my profile about not quite being a “tinker, tailor, soldier, or spy” but Tom stole that for our about us page, so I guess I’ll have to find another way to express that I am a man of many interests.

Hmm, guess I just did.

My tastes run the gamut from sophomoric to Shakespeare and in my “professional” life I’ve sold things, served beer, written software, and carried heavy objects… sometimes at the same place. It’s that range of loves and activities that makes it so easy for me to love DC – we’ve got it all.