I think that's aiming too low. That's not going far enough.
Why? Because the gentlemen who carried out 9/11 will likely be replaced by some other corrupt, ruthless folks. Meet the new boss ... same as the old boss.
If all we do is punish the perpetrators, the spin will be it was just a "handful of bad apples". This is the same angle that was used on the grunts at Abu Ghraib, even though we now know that the orders for torture in Iraq came from the very top.
Further, many American military, intelligence and political folks are afraid to expose what they know about 9/11 for fear that it will plunge the country into chaos. As someone wrote anonymously in response to a previous essay:
"I think this is the key question. What would happen if this great crime were exposed and justice meted out to the many involved? How would the system be rebuilt and who would keep the broken pieces together during the healing process? Without some thought along these lines, many people will see exposing 9/11 as stepping into the abyss."
So unless we can provide a way to obtain truth and justice and save our country, many people with inside knowledge or who are in positions of power will hinder rather than help us.
Finally, even if the true leaders of 9/11 are prosecuted, other countries will just blame it on the "crazy Americans". Who cares about other countries? Well, countries all over the world have carried out operations like 9/11. And China will probably replace America as the world's leading superpower in twenty years or so. So even if the American leaders of the 9/11 attacks are brought to justice, it is likely that the true lesson of 9/11 will not be learned by others.
A Different Strategy
Some of the main 9/11 truth movers and shakers have suggested an alternative strategy: a 9/11 Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
As you may recall, South Africa set up a truth and reconciliation commission. The Commission granted amnesty to the people who committed brutal acts of murder and torture under the apartheid regime. I wasn't in South Africa at the time, but my impression is that the Commission helped South Africa heal its incredibly deep wounds quickly. Not only did the victims have a chance to tell their stories, but the people who carried out these horrible acts had a chance to confess in public.
Would the same work with 9/11? Maybe so.
What if the perpetrators of 9/11 and their assistants were granted amnesty from prosecution on the condition that they fully explain how and why 9/11 happened? And anyone caught consciously lying would automatically go to jail? The following might occur:
• Lower-level 9/11 conspirators would probably be more likely to come forward and tell what they know
• When they come forward, they are more likely to point their finger at the real masterminds of 9/11
• Seeing a way to support the truth without destroying the country, others who have knowledge of the true 9/11 facts -- even if they are not direct participants in 9/11 -- will be more likely to work publicly for truth and justice, instead of hindering us
• People in other countries will hear the true facts about 9/11, so that false flag terrorism will be less likely to be used in their countries
Less is More
Does this sound like I'm being soft on the criminals? Well, initially a 9/11 Truth and Reconciliation Commission would not grant amnesty to anyone who failed to fully confess. So let's say higher-level people did not admit their role in 9/11: they would be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law.
Moreover, sometimes less is more. Remember those Chinese finger cuffs you played with as a kid? If you tried to pull your finger out quickly, you got trapped ... but if you patiently pushed the ends towards the middle, you could free your finger.
Well, 9/11 may be like Chinese finger cuffs. If we insist on executing all of the perpetrators, the resistance might be so great that we stay "trapped" in the current "cuff" of immobilization and resistance to 9/11 truth.
But if we are a little more patient and a bit more intelligent in our approach, we might be able to "free" the forces of truth and justice, and free ourselves from the nightmare in which we are currently trapped.
We need to be fierce and unrelenting in our push for 9/11 truth and justice. And -- though it may seem paradoxical -- with a 9/11 Truth and Reconciliation Commission as an end-game, I believe we might get there alot quicker than if we demand the heads of all those involved in 9/11.
I am not talking about going easy on the bad guys. They've got to come totally clean or they get life in prison or worse. But I am talking about doing something that actually might work.
I'm also, frankly, talking about turning lemons into lemonade. 9/11 was an act of tremendous evil and deceit. But through the idea of a 9/11 Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we might be able to use 9/11 to wake up America and the world to the secret history of false flag terror, the true nature of governments and manipulation, and the possibilities for a better society. We might be able to confess our sins as a nation, and to -- perhaps for the first time ever -- truly start living up to the ideals expressed by the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
Timing
When is the time to hold a 9/11 "T &R" Commission?
Kevin Barrett, co-founder of Muslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance for 9/11 Truth, argues that we cannot make a T & R real until we have more leverage. As Kevin told me in an email:
"You may recall that what caused regime change in South Africa was fear of increasing societal chaos and an eventual "bloodbath" -- and that the Truth & Reconciliation Commission was set up AFTER the regime change, as a way of exposing and healing past crimes. Having a new regime willing and able to prosecute the members of the old regime was a precondition to getting people to come forward in return for amnesty."
"I don't see how talking about T&R now is going to have much effect. Most of the population still hasn't understood the magnitude of the crime, and will have to work through feelings of anger when they do understand it. As I see it, the progression will be: first, a large enough slice of the population is howling for the perps' heads; then, regime change is forced on the perps by powerful but non-directly-complicit folks, backed by the angry masses and the prospect of an ungovernable society without a shred of governmental legitimacy; and finally, after the threat of prosecution is credible, T&R is set up to heal and get the full truth."
"So a big part of our job now is to take the fear/anger instigated by 9/11 and turn it into pure, righteous anger against the perps."
I think Kevin has a realistic view of the timing of a 9/11 Truth & Reconciliation commission. However, I also believe that by deciding on a T &R as our end-game, we can encourage some high-powered people -- perhaps including insiders to the 9/11 crimes -- into becoming allies in the struggle for truth and justice.
And by fighting courageously, tirelessly and fiercely for truth and justice, with compassion and mercy in our hearts, we will be acting according to the highest principles of what it means to be human, and we will bring about the best outcome for all.
