More than a movement -- the search for 9/11 truth is an awakening

I'm so glad your spirit has been awakened but why should anyone care about your mystical experiences? What you want to impeach Bush or something? Being a quack is one thing but being a quack out of time is really sad.

All the 9/11 conspiracy theories have now been thoroughly debunked. The 9/11 conspiracy theoriest gave up a long time ago and agreed that 9/11 was NOT an inside job at all.

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Utterly fascinating. Though probably not for the reason the original poster thinks it is. It's a brilliant illustration of the delusional "I Want To Believe" mentality behind many of the "Truth"-ers.

Forget titles, it says, forget the experts who point out the fundamental gaping flaws in the conspiracy theories. Let us take delight, it says, in outsmarting the all-powerful "daddy", because we want to believe we have outsmarted him. Forget facts, go on instinct.

"How would it change my life if I admit that 'Dad' or any authority figure is really capable of the unthinkable?" he states.

What is it with Americans and their dad issues?

Cripes. Perhaps it's time to admit that "daddy" and his friends are not as all-powerful and efficient as you want to believe. Perhaps they're bumbling around too, and couldn't organise an impressive barbecue let alone get thousands of people together to plant explosives in a building full of people / create giant holograms of planes (delete as appropriate).

You have issues, dude. And clinging to a thriller plot in an attempt to give order to the (big, scary, random, uncaring) world we live in probably won't help you address them, even if you find it comforting.

Editorial note:

Whereas the corporate media in NATO countries have sanctified the Kean-Hamilton report of the government-appointed commission on the attacks of September 11, 2001, French comedian Jean-Marie Bigard’s mockery of this preposterous tale is a resounding success. Indeed, it is no longer possible to sustain the government’s account of those events without provoking hilarity.

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9/11: The most popular French comedian ridicules the U.S. government


While the wave of distrust in the government’s version of the September 11, 2001, events continues to unfurl worldwide, including in the United States, the veil of silence imposed by western media gives no signs of abating. An actual «iron wall» has been erected by NATO states and their allies. Any question raising the slightest doubt is immediately ascribed to the category of « conspiracy hallucinations » and the person concerned is systematically discredited or ostracized. However, what is particularly astounding in this era of globalized communications is not so much the monolithic stance of the U.S. media, but their ability to continue to conceal from their own public and the rest of the world the magnitude of the 9/11 truth movement. Not a single word is ever heard about the thousands of foreign dignitaries, including Nobel Prize laureates and Heads of State, who have openly challenged the version of the Bush and Obama administrations.

As we near the eigth anniversary of these criminal acts, the western media are deploying their artillery to discredit the «heretics». One of the most effective gambits is to equate critical questioning of 9/11 with Holocaust denial. Then, social science experts file in to deliberate on people’s psychological need to invent secrets behind events which they are unable to comprehend. Next, a few fringe characters defending outlandish theories are systematically interviewed and portrayed as typical representatives of the truth movement. Last but not least, discredit is cast on the information found on the internet where - as we all know - people can write anything they want. But never have the media ever presented the critical arguments raised by an increasing number of skeptics ... nor have they ever attempted to refute them!

From the very outset, I questioned the version contrived by the government, raising my challenge to the level of a global debate. I travelled to all corners of the world ; I met numerous heads of State and government ; I spoke at length on several television networks reaching overall more than one billion people. I have paid a very high price for my impudence. I have been insulted, stripped of my possessions, threatened and tracked down. But today I am heartened to see that free voices everywhere are rising to reject the deception and demand the truth.

In my country, France, where intellectual debate used to be exemplary and a question of national pride, the television networks have again been prohibited from giving me the floor on 9/11. Those who dared to express their doubts on the subject have been harshly reprimanded and reduced to silence. The Anglo-American order reigns among the editorial chiefs of the Parisian media!

Nevertheless, free-thinking and courageous spirits have not died out. Last year, the most popular of French comedians, my friend Jean-Marie Bigard, manifested his skepticism during a television broadcast. The media immediately unleashed a campaign which tried to ruin him by sabotaging the promotion of his forthcoming show. He waited for the storm to subside while holding his ground. Now he is back with a weekly video serial relayed on his website. With a hefty and bawdy Rabelaisian humour [1] as his only weapon, he highlights and ridicules the inconsistencies of the Kean-Hamilton report. The thrust is enourmous, the tone is uncanny! Not even the most rabid neo-conservative could resist a hearty laugh!

Here is Bigard’s first series of videos with English sub-titles. The emperor is naked!


part 1:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyHlHKFq6ro


part 2:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyHlHKFq6ro

As we approach the eighth anniversary of 9/11 consider this paradox. In the post 9-11 years the scientific evidence for disbelieving the official government story has mounted incredibly. And the number of highly respected and credentialed professionals challenging the official story has similarly expanded. Yet, to the considerable disappointment of the international 9/11 truth movement, the objective fact is that there are no widespread, loud demands for a new government-backed 9/11 investigation. The 9/11 truth movement is the epitome of a marginalized movement, one that never goes away despite not achieving truly meaningful results, which in this case means replacing official lies with official truth. What has gone wrong?

Akin to the definition of insanity, the hallmark of entrenched but marginalized movements is that they continue to pursue exactly the same strategy and tactics that have failed to produce solid results. They indulge themselves with self-delusion, defensive thinking and acting as if the world at large must surely and finally wake up, see the light and embrace the Truth. Years and, potentially, decades go by, but this quixotic status quo remains embedded, as if set in intellectual concrete. There is no brain tumor to blame. Nor any mass hypnosis of true believers to prove. There is just monumental disinterest among the dominant culture, political establishment and the broad public that is far more engaged with other issues, problems and movements.

The 9/11 truth movement, at best, gets meager public attention when it is derided and insulted, used as an example of persistent conspiratorial insanity.

Make no mistake; I concluded a few years back, after using my professional engineering and materials science background to study the evidence, that the official government story is a lie. As a former full professor of engineering, I firmly believe that elements of the US government were involved with contributing to (not just allowing) the 9/11 tragedy, but that does not necessarily eliminate the role of those terrorists publicly blamed for the events. Science, logic, evidence and critical thinking told me this.

Who should we blame for the failure of the 9/11 truth movement to fix the historical record and, better yet, identify those in the government who turned 9/11 into an excuse for going to war, getting them indicted, prosecuted, and punished for their murderous acts?

It is too easy to blame the mainstream media and political establishment for refusing to demand and pursue a truly comprehensive and credible independent scientific and engineering investigation. President Obama with his tenacious belief in looking forward, not backward, exemplifies a national mindset to avoid the painful search for truth and justice that could produce still more public disillusionment with government and feed the belief that American democracy is weak at best, and delusional at worst.

Marginalized movements always face competition for public attention. There are always countless national issues and problems that feed new movements and distract the public. There have been many since 9/11, not the least of which was the last presidential campaign and then the painful economic recession, and now the right wing attacks on health care reform. The 9/11 truth movement illustrates a total failure to compete successfully with other events and movements.

This can be explained in several ways. The 9/11 movement has not been able to articulate enough benefits to the public from disbelieving the official government story and pursuing a new investigation. What might ordinary Americans gain? Would proof-positive of government involvement make them feel better, more secure, and more patriotic? Apparently not. In fact, just the opposite. By its very nature, the 9/11 issue threatens many things by discovering the truth: still less confidence in the US political system, government and public officials. Still more reason to ponder the incredible loss of life and national wealth in pursuing the Iraq war. In other words, revealing 9/11 truth offers the specter of a huge national bummer. Conversely, it would show the world that American democracy has integrity.

The second explanation for failure is that the truth movement itself is greatly to blame. It has been filled with nerdish, ego-centric and self-serving activists (often most interested in pushing their pet theory) unable to pursue strategies designed to face and overcome ugly, challenging realities. The truth movement became a cottage industry providing income and meaning for many individuals and groups feeding the committed with endless websites, public talks, videos, books and paraphernalia. They habitually preach to the choir. Applause substitutes for solid results. In particular, it embraces the simplistic (and obviously ineffective) belief that by revealing technical, scientific and engineering facts and evidence the public and political establishment would be compelled to see the light. Darkness has prevailed.

Proof of this are the views expressed days ago on the truth movement by Ben Cohen on the Huffington Post: “I have done some research on the topic, but stopped fairly quickly into when it dawned on me that: 1. Any alternative to the official account of what happened is so absurd it simply cannot be true. 2. No reputable scientific journal has ever taken any of the 'science' of the conspiracy seriously. 3. The evidence supporting the official story is overwhelming, whereas the 9/11 Truthers have yet to produce a shred of concrete evidence that members of the U.S. government planned the attacks in New York and Washington .” Similarly, in the London Times James Bone recently said a “gruesome assortment of conspiracy theorists insists that the attacks on the US of September 11, 2001 were an inside job. It is easy to mock this deluded gang of ageing hippies, anarchists and anti-Semites.” Truthers continue to face a very steep uphill battle.

A common lie about the truth movement is that there have been no credible scientific articles in peer reviewed journals supporting it. But those opposing the truth movement will and do find ways to attack whatever scientific evidence is produced and published. It takes more than good science and facts for the movement to succeed.

Besides the movement having too many genuine crackpots (possibly trying to subvert it), a larger problem is what has been missing from it: effective political strategies. Besides pushing scientific results and more credible supporters, it did nothing successful to make a new 9/11 investigation a visible issue in the last presidential campaign. It did nothing effective to put pressure on a new, Democrat controlled congress to consider legislation providing the authorization and funding for a new, credible investigation. It seems that people who want to blame the government are often unable to also see the political path forward that requires the government to fund a new investigation.

To its credit, Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth does have a petition aimed at Congress, demanding a new investigation, but has fewer than 5,000 signers. The petition effort in New York City to get a new investigation is commendable, with just under 75,000 signers, but national action is needed. Pragmatically, both efforts are unimpressive compared to other campaigns seeking political action. To get both media attention and political support the movement needs a hundred times more documented supporters, willing to do a lot more than sign a petition.

The tenth anniversary of 9/11 will come fast. The opportunity is making 9/11 an issue in the 2012 presidential campaign. The least delusional and defensive in the truth movement should think deeply and seriously on what needs to change to accomplish the prime goal: having an official investigation that compels most people and history to accept the truth, no matter how painful it is, including the possibility that it finds no compelling evidence for government involvement.

A French comedian believes there was a conspiracy? Wow. That's so much more convincing than the eye witness accounts.

Interesting to see Jean-Marie Bigard put forward as some anti-establishment figure, when he's so close to Nicholas Sarkozy that Sarko took him along to meet the Pope. He has, incidentally, also apologised for his claims about 9/11 - a key fact not mentioned above.

The author falls into the first delusion of conspiracy theorists and the profoundly deluded in general: the reason 9/11 Truth has failed to achieve anything isn't because of the failures of the "Movement", it's because most people aren't as loopy as Truthers and can spot tripe when it's put down in from of them, irrespective of what sauce or garnish you ladel over it.

9/11 Truth has failed not because of "cognitive dissonance" (a.k.a. the general public being far less attracted to rehashes of Scooby Doo and Enid Blyton) but rather the fact that most professionals and academics have rejected as a matter of discipline as rubbish. There is NO groundswell of opinion supporting controlled demolition, or explosives, or cruise missiles, not even in countries where anti-American sentiments are high. Why would countries with an axe to grind against the US not have any significant support for 9/11 Truth in its relevant scientific and professional communities? Other than the very obvious one (no, not that they are "sheeple" who "believe The Official Story'), that they reject it on scientific & professional grounds.

In fact, how many of the people who have come out in support in the West for 9/11 Truth have stayed the course? How many have withdrawn support, how many have just quietly stepped away?

And as usual loony conspiracy theories provide a convenient diversion away from the facts. And there are some dodgy facts surrounding 9/11, and there are things that have been misrepresented. Here are a few that 9/11 seems only too eager to relegate to being irrelevant:

1. The attackers were largely Saudi, but the GW Bush admin tried to fit up Saddam Hussein, and then decided that Afghanistan was the target (and not its bestest buddies Saudi). Perhaps, the hijackers thought they were precipitating a global Jihad by goading the US into attacking the holiest of Islamic nations...

2. The war in Afghanistan is illegal. No compelling case has ever been presented in regards to Afghan involvement in 9/11 and the normally completely unreasonable Taliban even offered Bin Laden for extradition if the US were to follow International Law and present a case against him.

3. Another US ally (Pakistan) was apparently complicit in 9/11.

4. The US is indeed complicit in 9/11 because it (along with Saudi, Pakistan & Afghanistan etc.) funded/sponsored/trained/armed terrorists in Aghanistan initially to fight the Soviet invaders there, but also, more recently, recruiting Jihadis to carry out terrorists acts in the Balkans.


So effectively 9/11 Truth provides a welcome smokescreen to people in the US (and abroad) who really should be being investigated and prosecuted for material support and aiding and abetting terrorists, for waging an illegal war. And the big business ties between the US and arch hideously oppressive fundamentalist regime Saudi should also being examined and questioned in public.

9/11 Turth is howevwe disinterested in going after these real crimes and real dodgy dealings.

What is it that Truthers always coin? Aaaah, 'cui bono?' "Who benefits" from 9/11 Truth?

Well it looks like the CIA and the NeoCons for a start, as well as the whole military industrial complex surrounding the Pentagon.

So if we use Occam's Razor, we must conclude the Truth is that 9/11 Truth is just another CIA PsyOp... Just like the one's that they were so fond of telling about the Evil Russians- you know those ones that Rumsfeld and his fellow Straussian followers just loved to spread with greater vigour in the 80s.

9/11 Truth is at best deluded INactivism, at worst a smokescreen perpetuated by useful idiots. For many it is religious cult; the Cult of the False Flag- where there can only be ONE explanation for 9/11 and all else must be (rather conveniently) shunned & ignored.

That is why it has failed; it's total dogshit.

I'm not a 9/11 "Truther" nor indeed any kind of conspiracy theorist (though I do find them entertaining) but in response to Cultist's first point about the 9/11 hijackers being mostly Saudi and the US not attacking Saudi Arabia:

I think the reason for this is that the fundamentalist Islamists who support Bin Laden/Al Quaeda/whatever you call it despise the Saudi regime because of its decadence. The Saudi authorities hate them in return, despite having some unpleasant values like sexism and authoritarianism themselves. So they moved to places like Afghanistan to build a grassroots movement of radical Islam that they hoped would eventually be able to topple things like the Saudi regime.

That is why the US attacked Afghanistan instead of Saudi Arabia.

Iraq, on the other hand, was purely about oil interests.