September 11th Anniversary

On the sad anniversary of one of the most tragic events in US history, I’d like to pay my respects to those who lost their lives with a post about 9/11. We often hear a remark similar to, “I’ll always remember where I was when I heard that a plane hit the first tower,” or, “I’ll never forget where I was on 9/11.” This is certainly the case for me, and I think for most people in America. It was a truly frightful, almost surreal, and definitely unforgettable experience. It is something that penetrated us to the core, that left an indelible mark on our hearts, that caused to surge within us our deepest-rooted passions and loyalties--patriotism, religious devotion, concern for each other, and a desire for justice. For these reasons, it is not surprising that 9/11 is a sensitive topic of discussion. It runs so deep in us that it can be difficult to hear someone challenge any of the common notions about 9/11 without feeling almost personally insulted. As a result, I feel it important to point out that my research into the events of 9/11 has been motivated by the same passions that were called from within us 9 years ago, patriotism, religious devotion, concern for each other, a desire for justice, and above all a love of truth.

If it is a sensitive topic, that’s because it’s important to us and if it’s important to us, it should be crucial to get the facts straight. It is not my intention to present to you in this one post the literally hundreds of pieces of evidence that contradict or otherwise call into question the official investigations and explanations of the events of 9/11, rather, I’d like to first make known to you what the official story is, or at least where it can be found, present just one piece of evidence against it, and lastly explain why this is all so important.

Investigations

FBI: The FBI began an immediate and exclusive investigation of 9/11 code-named PENTTBOM the very day of the attacks. On September 27, 2001 they released the names of 19 suspected hijackers linked to al-Qaeda. (Afghanistan was attacked in early October 2001)

9/11 Commission: Many family members of the victims of 9/11 were not satisfied with the answers (or lack thereof) they were getting from the FBI and the government in general. They began to demand an official, independent investigation into the attacks, an investigation which the government did not support. The only reason there was an investigation in the end was because of the efforts of these family members, especially four widows from New Jersey who have become known as the “Jersey Girls.” The 9/11 commission convened in November of 2002 (Iraq was invaded four months later in March of 2003) and the final report was issued in July 2004. The final report can be found here or a much shorter executive summary here. This report relied heavily on the PENTTBOM (FBI) investigation and was not allowed to include any classified information. It is significant to note that the Commission did not investigate the causes of the collapse of any of the buildings.

FEMA: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was the first government agency to investigate the collapse of the buildings. In May of 2002, FEMA released a preliminary report that suggested the initiation of the collapse of both of the Twin Towers was due to fires and that the total collapse of the buildings may have been due to a “pancake effect” of the floors collapsing on each other like a domino effect all the way to the bottom, which many people unfortunately still believe is true today. Regarding the collapse of World Trade Center building 7 (WTC 7) FEMA acknowledged, “The cases are presented not as conclusions, but as a basis for further investigation.”

NIST: Three months later, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) began a much larger investigation of the collapse of the buildings that took them three years (released 2005). NIST rejected the pancake theory proposed by FEMA stating, “NIST’s findings do not support the “pancake theory” of collapse...the floors did not fail progressively to cause a pancaking phenomenon.” NIST, however, failed to explain how it was that the entire buildings collapsed and virtually disintegrated. The NIST investigation was only concerned with the initiation of the collapses and merely acknowledges that this was followed by total collapse at near freefall speeds. NIST put off investigating the uncomfortable WTC 7 collapse until after their investigation of the Twin Towers. It was not until two years ago (September 2008), seven years after the September 11th attacks, that NIST finally released an awkward explanation as to how WTC 7 might have collapsed (media briefing, Q&A session starts at 23:00), claiming that the fires caused the unique structure of the building to experience a complete internal collapse, unable to be seen on video, followed by an external collapse from top to bottom at virtual freefall.

Analysis

I provide this information and timeline of events first to show that a comprehensive investigation of 9/11 has never taken place, as unbelievable as that sounds. The investigations that have occurred have been unrelated and narrow in scope. Furthermore, most of the investigations have been late in starting and delayed in terminating, and are in many cases inconclusive. Second I’d like to highlight one aspect of the events of 9/11 that demonstrates convincingly the omission of crucial elements of 9/11. Most people have not even heard of or don’t remember the collapse of WTC 7 and yet it is one of the most suspect aspects of 9/11. The 9/11 Commission Report does not mention the collapse of WTC 7 and, as previously noted, NIST did not come up with an explanation for its collapse until 2008, claiming that it is the first steel-framed building in history to collapse primarily because of fires.

Lastly, I show this information in order to explain my intentions, and the intentions of most of those involved in the “9/11 Truth Movement”. I do not advocate any particular “conspiracy theory.” I am incapable of carrying out a conclusive investigation of 9/11 from my position and can therefore not claim to know how and by whom every aspect of the events of 9/11 were carried out. I will point out, though, that this should be the job of a legitimate investigative committee with all necessary access to information to carry out a thorough, comprehensive investigation, something that has yet to occur. All of us, however, are in a position to research the abundant information that is available to determine whether the response of the government has been adequate and accurate. My own research has led me to believe that it has been neither adequate nor accurate, and that profound change must take place in our country in order to secure a free and prosperous future. It was only the incessant demands of victims' family members that caused the government to put together the 9/11 commission and even the NIST investigation. If we are ever to expect further action from our government officials we must, as a people, demand it, and that will only happen if we work hard to spread awareness and information. We owe it to those who died that day, to the many who have died since, and to ours and future generations to not sit idly by and trust that the government is doing everything right. Our government will be accountable to the people only if we make it so.