2000 U.S. soldiers dead

That's right - 2000 U.S. soldiers dead, as of yesterday. Thousands and thousands of dead Iraqis. Lies to justify the invasion. No exit strategy. No accountability.

Aren't you sick of all this yet? That's my question to Bush voters. You really wanted this? You couldn't see through this man the second time around? Meanwhile, Senator Kerry is giving a speech today demanding an exit strategy and explaining (yet again) why this whole mess was a bad idea. Why didn't you listen to him last year? Were you really that stupid?

And after all the lies about Iraq, and all the deaths, do you think Bush is gonna stop this nonsense? And do you think the people who died on 9/11 mean any more to him than all those 2000 dead soldiers?

How angry would you be if you found out that 9/11 wasn't what you thought it was? Would you be surprised if they lied to us about that, too?

"American Assassination"

A few months ago, I ordered a book I saw on amazon.com called American Assassination: The Strange Death of Senator Paul Wellstone by Four Arrows Press and Jim Fetzer. This is a remarkable book. It makes a very convincing case for the argument that Wellstone was killed by elements in the Bush administration, in order to tip the Senate over to a Republican majority, which would then be able to vote for the attack on Iraq. (Just a little side note...did they really have to worry about that many Democrats voting against the attack? I guess they just wanted to make damn certain that wouldn't happen. In any case, they knew that Wellstone wasn't going to vote for it, if he'd lived)

And we all thought it was bad weather that caused Wellstone's plane to crash! Well, guess again, folks. I'm sorry, I know you may not be prepared to believe this one, but I sure am. You know, you have to hand it to these people...they're good at doing what they do. They're sick bastards, but they're good at what they do. If it's true (about Wellstone, I mean), they managed to take down his plane, make it look like an accident, and squash any attempt to investigate the incident. Incredible. And they got what they wanted. They got their "war." Read the book, it'll open your eyes.

And now, the whole thing is going so well that Bush has to stage a phony question and answer session with the troops. And everyone knows that it's staged! He has to resort to this in order to give the illusion of support. Pathetic. This administration is reaching new lows every day....

"Blow Out"

I just finsihed watching the movie Blow Out. I've seen it many times, but the ending always gets to me - John Travolta tries to save Nancy Allen from a homicidal maniac against the backdrop of the "Liberty Day" celebration in Philadelphia. The whole sequence is some kind of tragic poetry. Travolta's performance is outstanding.

Why do I bring this up? Blow Out is a brilliant movie, about a political conspiracy that John Travolta's character uncovers (by accident). He tries to expose it to the world, but he fails.

He has some great dialogue when he's talking to Nancy Allen's character:

"Nobody wants to know about conspiracy! I don't get it! Let me tell you something, all right? I know what I heard and what I saw, and I'm not gonna stop until everyone in this fuckin' country hears and sees the same thing. And you're gonna help me."

That's a good summation of what the 9/11 truth movement is trying to accomplish. I've heard and seen evidence that contradicts the official story, and I want other people to know about it. Why? Because if the people who got away with 9/11 can get away with what they did, what's next? Are we gonna let them get away with a nuclear attack on the U.S., so that this "terror war" can continue for the next 100 years?

God only knows what they're planning as a follow-up to 9/11. The fear-mongers use this uncertainty about "what's next" to make everyone afraid of "the terrorists" as they have defined them (fanatics from the Middle East). But our fear has been misdirected. We should be afraid of the real terrorist infrastructure that made 9/11 happen: elements of our own invisible government, rogue network, or whatever you want to call it.

McDonald's documentary

I just finished watching McLibel, a documentary about the two British activists who sued McDonald's and won. One of the bonus features is an interview with a guy named Geoffrey Giuliano, who was a Ronald McDonald actor until he had a change of heart and decided he couldn't continue doing it. He said that in his training, he was told to tell kids who asked where hamburgers come from that they grow in a hamburger patch next to the french fries.

They grow in a hamburger patch next to the french fries...

Unbelieveable. Much in the same way, we have been lied to about 9/11. Part of the marketing campaign of 9/11, if you will, is the mythology of Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, and the 19 hijackers. It has been extremely effective - most people seem to believe it. Or at least, they don't question it (that's really the important thing). So, when kids ask, "How did 9/11 happen?" we can say to them, "Well, a bad man named Osama bin Laden lived in a cave with his 19 hijackers, and they all decided to do very bad things to the United States." It's really on the same sort of level as the McDonald's hamburger patch. You could make a nice children's picture book out of the official 9/11 story. It would be utter crap, but kids would believe it. Except, in this case, the adults believe it, too!

Grown adults believe some bullshit story about a man in a cave directing his henchmen to hijack planes.

Is it any surprise that McDonald's employs people with military backgrounds? One of the answers to a question in the Quiz part of the bonus features revealed that the previous job of McDonald's Senior Vice-President was "psychological warfare in the US military." Lying to children is a major part of McDonald's business. McDonald's needs to employ people who will help perpetuate an uncritical acceptance of their products through massive global advertising campaigns. Isn't it also possible for the government and the military to perpetuate uncritical acceptance of an event, through mass media propaganda? Think of it...a whole new generation of kids being raised on the "9/11 marketing campaign."

Osama bin Laden...
the 19 hijackers...
al Qaeda...
they hate freedom...
everything has changed...

the hamburger patch...

Hustler interview with Griffin

Thank god for Larry Flynt - the porn publisher with a conscience! Check out this interview with David Ray Griffin from Hustler's August 2005 issue. Sorry, no pictures of naked women at this link. You'll have to visit the Hustler website for that.

Frank Zappa quote

Malloy's editorial reminds me of a quote by the late, great Frank Zappa:

"It has never mattered to me that thirty million people might think 'I'm wrong.' The number of people who thought Hitler was 'right' did not make him 'right.' The same principle should be applied to anyone who has an individualistic attitude. Why do you necessarily have to be wrong just because a few million people think you are?"

- pp. 226-227, The Real Frank Zappa Book (Poseidon Press, 1989)

FZ is still my biggest hero!

So how does this relate to 9/11? Pretty obvious, isn't it? Those of us who have taken the time to consider information and evidence that questions the official 9/11 story are still in the minority. That does not make us wrong, despite what the majority may think. It looks like Mike Malloy/Air America got some negative feedback for daring to bring up the topic. The editorial was quickly removed from the Air America website. I'm glad I copied and posted it here.

Air America home page, 10/4/05

The Mike Malloy Show

With host Mike Malloy

10PM-1AM

Tuesday (10-4-05)

Odd how any discussion of the events of September 11, 2001, that does not follow the basic Bush Crime Family/media story line - 19 Muslim hijackers flew various commandeered jetliners into various U.S. buildings killing thousands - odd how a different story line or challenge to the Conventional Wisdom immediately confers on the challenger the label "conspiracy theorist." Odd, also, that before one digs into the various contradictions surrounding that day's events one must don one's "tinfoil hat." How has it come to this? With no corroborating evidence supporting the "official" story and no corroborating evidence supporting the "conspiracy theories," a decision has been made to go with the former and discount entirely the latter. This is the same way one designs and operates a religion. Further, it is the same manner in which a challenge to religious mythology is met with declarations that the challenger is an apostate who is, de facto, condemned, lost, doomed to the everlasting fires of Hell or whatever post-death environment has been constructed by the true keepers of the Faith. Have the events of that awful day, then, become a religious construct, not to be challenged lest the reality-based world intrude (and destroy) the myth? These questions arise naturally (or they should) as the insanity of the Bush Administration is revealed day after day, official appointment after official appointment, press conference after press conference. The latest "conspiracy theory?" It has been discovered that a contagious bacteria (which has been used in biological warfare) was detected in the same area where recent antiwar protesters gathered in Washington, DC. The story, as reported by the Washington Post, quotes federal authorities (unnamed) who assure the reader that such an occurrence was not, absolutely not, the result of "nefarious activity." In fact, a perfectly logical explanation will result from a thorough government investigation and any speculation to the contrary is nothing more than, well, a conspiracy theory. Mike will wear his tinfoil hat during tonight's program.

Mike Malloy

Mike Malloy brought up 9/11 on his radio show a few days ago. It was great to hear him finally discuss 9/11 truth. The focus was mainly on the Twin Towers and the controversy surrounding the collapses of the buildings. There were some great phone calls, many from New Yorkers...one guy who knew someone who claimed he witnessed multiple explosions at the base of the towers before they collapsed, another guy who knew about one of the Trade Center employees, Scott Forbes, who had to shut down computers in Fiduciary Trust the weekend of Sept. 8th and 9th. Links here for more info on this:

http://69.28.73.17/thornarticles/powerdown.html

http://www.serendipity.li/wot/forbes01.htm

Air America radio is to be commended for taking on this topic. Let's hope it's the start of other media outlets stepping up to the plate.

I found out about those two links above just a few months ago, myself. It goes back to "missing information," folks. How many people do you think know about this? If you were to read this stuff by itself, before you read anything else about 9/11 truth, it would certainly sound off-the-wall and possibly made up by a crank. But taken in conjunction with all the other information out there, it seems to be yet another piece of the "truth puzzle."

It's hard to know sometimes what information can be trusted and what can't. But it's our job to sift through it all and figure things out for ourselves.

What do you think? Do you think this guy is lying?

Michael Moore

Just a few thoughts about Michael Moore and 9/11. In February of 2002, Michael Moore spoke at a church in Cambridge, MA. I went to hear him speak. He touched on the subject of 9/11, and at one point he asked the audience, "What does your common sense tell you about hijacking planes and flying them into buildings?" Someone in the audience said, "That's really hard to do." He agreed, and he also said that the planes were flying at a speed of over 500 mph, so fast that aviation experts were amazed that the planes hadn't broken up in mid-air. He also talked about the bin Laden family being flown out of the country on private flights a few days after 9/11.

But his most memorable quote of the evening was when he said that in his opinion, "9/11 was a military operation, and the people involved knew exactly what they were doing." This is something he does not bring up in Fahrenheit 9/11. But he knows that there was more to 9/11 than what he brought up in the movie. He made a movie that the public could handle, psychologically. Interestingly, I think that if 9/11 truth ever does go mainstream, or if the truth is somehow revealed, that Fahrenheit 9/11 will become even more compelling. It seems to point in the direction of government/military complicity without actually saying so.

Judith Miller article

Okay, this post is about a recent article in the South Bend Tribune about New York Times reporter Judith Miller. You all know her story, right? Well, according to this article, dated 10/1/05, she finally agreed to testify before a grand jury, after Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby "voluntarily waived any confidentiality regarding conversations with her." The article goes on to say, "Libby's attorney asserted on Friday that Libby had not given Miller the name of the CIA agent...."

Hey, I'll testify! No problem! Cheney's chief of staff let me off the hook!

Folks, if Dick Cheney's chief of staff gives you his personal "blessing," you won't be getting into any more trouble whatsoever. Could that be why the picture above the headline is of Judith Miller beaming with warmth while being kissed on the cheek by her lawyer? Believe me, it's not because her lawyer is hot. No, it's because the woman has been let off the hook. She's finished her patsy jail time for the administration. And the Tribune, in its capacity as a rigorous newspaper, asking all the tough questions of the powers that be (ahem!), chooses to display this very flattering color photograph of Ms. Miller rather than probe further into the complexities of this matter.

So why am I dwelling on this? I don't know. I guess it bothers me...the same way around "election" time last year, the SBT kept showing the most flattering color photos possible of Bush, while the pictures of Kerry were usually in black and white, and made him out to look like a total dork (which, admittedly, probably wasn't hard to do). The Tribune often appears to be a Bush administration mouthpiece instead of a real newspaper. And Judith Miller, being a New York Times Bush administration mouthpiece herself, is accordingly given fawning, flattering treatment in the SBT.

Other recent Tribune articles have reassured us that Dick Cheney is just fine after his knee operation. Oh, thank God for that! We were all so worried. Thank you, South Bend Tribune, you've really made me feel better. I'm gonna sleep so much better now, now that I know Dick Cheney's knees are in good shape. Why were his knees in bad shape to begin with? Was it because he kneels down so much in front of the trough of war, greed, and no-bid contracts? Well, whatever the reason, now he can go back to doing...whatever it is that he does (does anybody know?). Hiding out in his secret bunker and practicing his grimace...

Lee Hamilton vs. David Ray Griffin

Here are some relevant quotes from David Ray Griffin that mention Mr. Hamilton. These quotes are from Griffin's The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions (Olive Branch Press, 2005).

By the way, Lee Hamilton, in case you didn't know, was Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission (the Chairman was Thomas Kean).

"With regard to thoroughness in what should have been the most important sense, however, the Commission failed disgracefully. The Commission's mandate, as Kean and Hamilton pointed out, was to investigate 'facts and circumstances relating to the terrorist attacks of September 11' and then to provide 'the fullest possible account' of those facts and circumstances. What the Commission actually did, however, was only to provide a fairly full account of those facts and circumstances that are consistent with the official conspiracy theory about 9/11. Every fact inconsistent with this theory is either distorted or entirely omitted." (Griffin, p. 14)

"How can we believe that the Commission 's report was based on 'exacting investigative work,' as we were told by Kean and Hamilton in the Preface, if the staff did not even learn, from sources such as the Associated Press, the Telegraph, and the BBC, that six of the men originally identified as the hijackers were still alive?" (Griffin, p. 20)

"In the same statement in which they announced their aim 'to provide the fullest possible account' of the 'facts and circumstances' relating to 9/11, Kean and Hamilton made no mention of one of the seemingly most inexplicable facts about 9/11 - that after the biggest terrorist attack ever suffered by the United States, the president wanted no investigation, seemingly did everything in his power to delay and obstruct it. Is it not mysterious that the 9/11 Commission would, in its final report, make no reference to these facts?" (Griffin, p. 285)

Okay, this is me, Andy, again. Did you notice how Hamilton, in his article, said "our task is to turn tragedy into opportunity?" Remember when Bush and his people said that? Did you think of 9/11 as an opportunity, Mr. Hamilton? He also says, "the impact of 9/11 is incalculable, and will unfold over many years and decades...." This is the kind of talk these guys use in order to drill into our heads the idea that "everything is different now," and we just have to get used to perpetual war, fear, and uncertainty.

Again, as with Jack Colwell's opinion piece, the facts are being ignored, and the 9/11 mythology is being played up. The title says it all - "Everything changed after 9/11." That's the big message they want you to remember. Why? Because it justifies whatever decisions the Bush administration makes, and at the same time, it lets everyone else off the hook. 9/11 is the only answer they need to give, and it's the only excuse you need to not think about what they're doing!

"We need to attack Iran and Syria."
"Well, why do we need to do that? That seems like a bad idea to me."
"Because everything changed after 9/11."
"Oh, yeah. Okay, sounds good to me! Go for it. God Bless America..."

"We need you to take your shoes off, put your hands on your head, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, put a patriotic bumper sticker on your Hummer and join the Army!"
"Well, why do I have to do all that shit? I'm just flying to Cleveland."
"Because everything changed after 9/11."
"Oh, yeah. Okay, sounds good to me! See you in Baghdad! No, wait...I won't see you in Baghdad, or anywhere else, because I'm probably coming home in a coffin, and you probably aren't coming to my funeral."

Yeah, sign me up, because "everything changed after 9/11." That's probably what military recruiters say to all those high school kids.

Lee Hamilton article

On September 29th, there was an article in the South Bend Tribune by Lee Hamilton entitled, "Everything changed after 9/11." Here is the text of this article:

"What has changed since Sept. 11, 2001? It is a question with a multitude of answers, but the short answer is: everything.

In foreign policy, all priorities have shifted. In the 2000 campaign and the first months of the Bush administration, we heard about missile defense, China as a strategic competitor and the Balkans. Now, these issues rate a blip on our foreign policy radar. Nearly all our international endeavors are tied to the struggle against Islamist terrorism. Alliances have been reshaped, with closer relations with countries like Pakistan and strained relations with traditional allies; terrorism has vaulted to the top of our agenda at international institutions; and our approach toward global engagement has been recalibrated, with a more vulnerable America taking a more robust role in the world.

Military strategy is the clearest demonstration of this robust stance. We are fighting three wars, and our armed forces are stretched thin. First, in more countries than most Americans are aware of, the military is hunting down terrorists or training allies to do so. Second, in Afghanistan, our troops are supporting peace while fighting a persistent insurgency from the Taliban and al-Qaida. Third, in Iraq, violence shows no sign of abating well over two years after a U.S.-led invasion. Meanwhile, in an historic shift, the Pentagon has war-plans to act on American soil in the event of a major terrorist attack.

At home, we have seen a dramatic reorganization of government. Twenty-two federal agencies and more than 200,000 employees were folded into the new Department of Homeland Security. The primary mission of the FBI shifted from law enforcement to counter-terrorism. Our intelligence agencies have been restructured in the most significant restructuring of our nation's national security apparatus in more than five decades. And local governments have struggled to strengthen their ability to prevent and respond to emergencies.

Reform has been accompanied by a significant expansion in the size and power of government, and a decline in civil liberties. Mushrooming national security and homeland security budgets have combined with tax cuts to help turn huge budget surpluses into huge deficits. From the search of what's in your shoes at the airport to federal agents probing library records, government is more intrusive. With the passage of laws like the USA Patriot Act, government has new powers of surveillance and detention, including the right to act even if you have committed no crime. Though actions have been challenged in the courts, the president has claimed the right to detain and hold anyone anywhere -- including U.S. citizens -- indefinitely without due process.

Nearly every private industry has been presented with new and difficult challenges. Security has become a top priority. If you own a chemical plant, you had better take precautions to guard against an attack. If you work in a large office building, you need a disaster-response and evacuation plan. If you ship cargo -- via air, rails or boat -- you face changing regulations. If you work for a major financial institution, new rules guard against terrorist financing. No matter what the industry, you face an economic climate vulnerable to shocks from a terrorist attack, jittery markets, or energy shortages tied to global instability.

In traveling around the country, I have been impressed by the personal vulnerability felt by so many Americans. Much of this is due to the shock of 9/11. But we also have constant reminders of danger: when we face color-coded threat warnings, or more intense security entering sporting arenas and public buildings. Day in and day out, we are bombarded with images and references to terrorism: in nightly newscasts, political campaigns, and even popular culture -- television shows, movies or song lyrics.

The good news is we have not been attacked at home since 9/11. The bad news is that it is impossible to forecast when the next attack may come, what kind of attack it may be, and how our lives might be altered by an attack that equals or exceeds the destruction of 9/11. As much as we might like to put terrorism aside and "move on," we would be doing ourselves a disservice -- even the natural destruction of Hurricane Katrina reminds us that we must be vigilant in preparing to respond to the multitude of tragic circumstances that might befall us as a nation.

The most striking visual symbol 9/11 was the gaping hole in New York's skyline. As with any landmark event in history, the impact of 9/11 is incalculable, not tangible, and will unfold over many years and decades; our task is to turn tragedy into opportunity, so that the nation rises from the wound of 9/11 as surely as new buildings will rise from the ashes of the World Trade Center."


Lee Hamilton is director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University. He is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana and a member of the 9/11 Commission.