Bubblehammerblog

Anyone looking into the the events of September 11 2001, which are likely remain the defining moment of our lifetime, will in a short space of time come upon statements like this: 'Researchers are uncovering extensive, credible evidence that the official account of the 9-11 attacks is untenable.' or 'Evidence is mounting that the September 11 attacks were instigated, if not carried out, by elements within the US administration.' I'll not bother to provide citations for these statements, since views like this are so commonplace, but both were made by people occupying professorial chairs at North American universities. Various polls, conducted by the likes of Zogby, have revealed that something approaching a third, & in some polls up to a half, of the US population believe that the official account of the 9/11 attacks is false.

The events that unfolded on 9/11 were incredible. Had this been pitched as the plotline of a Hollywood blockbuster it would seem too far-fetched. The ease with which the 19 hijackers evaded airport security to board the planes, carrying knives, stanley blades ('box cutters') & perhaps cannisters of mace. The way they were able to overcome the crew & passengers, & get into the flight decks of the planes with such primitive weapons. The flying skills of the hijacker pilots, three out of four scoring direct hits on their targets. Then the seeming lack of response from the Airforce, which was supposed to be protecting US airspace. They were able to hit the Pentagon, surely the most heavily protected building on the planet.

Then there was the incredible way the Twin Towers simply collapsed into their own footprints in a matter of seconds, videos of which were shown repeatedly in the following days, becoming the iconic image of the attacks. The nearby WTC 7, which was not hit by a plane, later came down in the same way, & it looked just like familiar footage of a building being demolished, as one shellshocked television commentator remarked at the time - 'un-be-lievable', he said. It was counterintuitive - three buildings collapsing at what looked like free-fall speeds down the path of maximum resistance.

No wonder that the day after the attacks, when a group of Arab terrorists were revealed as the culprits, there was already widespread scepticism. Some people just couldn't believe that Arabs, particulary ones directed by a cartoon villain skullking in a cave in Afghanistan, were capable of such a spectacularly sucessful & sophisticated operation, against the most advanced society in the world. We saw Palestinians in the streets, firing guns into the air & passing round trays of sweets in celebration, but in the Arab press many quickly pointed the finger at Mossad.

The behavior of the Bush administration only fuelled more scepticism. Following on the baffling 'My Pet Goat' incident, both Bush & Condoleeza Rice claimed at press conferences that the idea of bad guys flying planes into buildings had never ocurred to anyone. Then there was the barefaced attempt to stitch up the Iraqis. The blatant drumming up of fear & panic in the press was brought to a pitch by the bizaare anthrax mailings that October, which again they tried to pin on the Iraqis. It all seemed to be falling into place so conveniently for an administration that had been waiting for just such an opportunity to come its way. You could almost hear the sound of palms being rubbed briskly together in anticipation of wars they'd been planning for years. The Patriot Act was passed before anyone had a chance to read it. The secret Continuity of Govenment provisions were put in place, & the legislature remains in the dark about what's contained in them.

Over the past few years I've seen dozens of documenty films, & read hundreds of articles & blog posts dealing with the 9/11 attacks, including the US government's 911 Commission Report. So far I've yet to come across any bankable nailed-on evidence that implicates the Bush administration, or any 'deep state' elements within it, in the attacks.

Many of the documentaries I've sat through have been frankly preposterous, attempting to peddle conspiracy theories crafted to contradict even the most reasonable assumptions based on firm evidence. Some of the earliest ones, for instance, promote the so-called 'no planes' theory, which contends that the attacks, in particularly the one one the Pentagon, were carried out using missiles fired by the US military. The fact that hundreds of drivers passing by on the beltway, that runs some 300 yards beside the Pentagon, reported seeing a Boeing jetliner crash into it is dealt with by describing mass hypnotism techniques developed by the CIA. I've read closely argued papers, obviously written by highly educated people used to handling complex data, that come to similar, and barmier, conclusions. Taking the time to delve into the backgrounds of such writers can uncover connexions to looney tune religious or rightwing political organisations.

But there are plenty of investigative journalists, filmakers, scientists & academics who attempt to tackle the issues raised by the 911 attacks with honesty & integrity. Loose Change, (Final Cut) by far the best known 911 documentary, which has been downloaded & seen by millions around the world, is slickly produced & has a catchy soundtrack. It seems clear that the earnest young filmakers who put it together are not covertly pushing a political agenda. Three years ago it was plausible enough to have me burning copies & handing out or mailing them to everyone I thought might be interested. I wasn't the only initial enthusiast, the Labour MP Michael Meecher tried to arrange a screening at the House of Commons. A month later I was sending out apologies by email, directing people to places on the Net where they could find convincing demolitions of most of the film's major contentions. Now, if I ever come upon any real evidence, I probably won't be able to find anyone to consider it.

There are determined & highly competent investigators researching the murky wilderness of mirrors inhabited by the various state intelligence & security operations, which interface at points with organised crime. It's here where you can glimpse the odd shard that briefly reflects a little dim light. But the tangled threads of relationships & identities are far too complex for anyone but a dedicated specialist, with some access to inside knowlege, to persue. If anything like evidence were (or has) emerged from here, it could only be accessible to a small circle.

The same goes for the matter of the extraordinary way the three building collapsed. An advanced education in physics is needed to appreciate the ever increasing body of arguments that either advance or refute the notion that they were brought down by controlled demolition. To the layman they merely appear to have been.

Having said all this I can't agree with Alexander Cockburn (Counterpunch) that there are no serious questions about the events of 911. But I do agree when he says that the whole '911 Truth' issue has been a major distraction for the Left, most seriously in the US. There is, after all, ample solid evidence that Bush, along with Blair, are war criminals, who ought to be impeached. Plenty of brave attempts to get the ball rolling on this have been sunk by a lack of mass support. If just a quarter of the people currently sitting at terminals giving themselves migraine looking for the 911 clincher had put their backs into impeachment, Bush & Blair would be in jail by now.

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