The death rattle of the 9/11 “Truth” movement is now heard by all except its most devout adherents. It’s sad they feel they have no other outlet for expressing fears about Bush/Cheney and American hegemony, than by repeating repeating repeating thoroughly debunked conspiracy claims. But “daylight is the best antiseptic” and the 9/11 “truth” fad is a victim of its own internet success. Practically everyone on the planet has heard conspiracist rants on U-tube, in blogs, forums, books, and videos, and found such claims to lack veracity. Thus hot air is rapidly seeping out of the “truth” balloon. One reason is because of the oxymoron that there are so many claims on the truth. No planes “theories,” artificial voice recordings from air phones, laser beams, flight 93 passengers killed in Cleveland - you name it, and it’s a “theory.”
But an ever increasing number of former truthers are cautiously starting to make their voices heard as well. I’d like to welcome casual truthers back to reality, and suggest meaningful ways they might get beyond the “truth” obsession, to work on more productive issues. Obviously the hard core conspiracists exist on blind faith, and will never leave their comfort zone. But for casual “truth” supporters who are beginning to turn away from the dark side - here are some simple ideas:
1) Deprogram yourself. Or at least be inquisitive beyond the echo chamber. If you want to know what happened to building 7 (for example) gather information broadly, not just from the 9/11 “truth” sources. Also ask about WTC buildings 3,4,5, and 6 - they didn’t get hit by planes either, but were destroyed as well. Just do your own internet research - but again, beyond the echo chamber. There’s also a great History Channel video: 9/11 Conspiracies, Fact or Fiction to be found on The History Channel Store. Hey, if i can watch Loose Change, you can watch 9/11 Conspiracies, Fact or Fiction. And if you really want to be brave check out actual debunking sites, such as the Journal of Debunking 9/11 Conspiracy Theories. Better still. read Alexander Cockburn, Matthew Rothschild, Matt Taibbi, and the articles on PublicEye.org - especially Chip Berlet’s review of Griffin’s New Pearl Harbor, and Griffin’s intellectually weak response.
2) Register people to vote. I’ve done it as an elected Justice of the Peace, but in Vermont any notary public can as well. See what it takes in your area. Empower those who feel disenfranchised (including yourself) and get involved in the political system. Jumping up and down with a Ron Paul sign isn’t a meaningful act, but driving people to the polls is.
3) Go a step further -wave petitions instead of banners. Calling for a new investigation in blogs will never get you anywhere - try to take the question to the polls. Here in Burlington, Vermont a group did put a ballot item before voters last spring asking the Vermont congressional delegation to call for a new investigation - and I publicly supported the measure, because I feel we need to get past 9/11 Truth and move on to reality based issues. That initiative was a productive exercise even though it received only about 35% of the vote. Vox populi vox dei. So take what you learn from your “truth” campaign and put it toward local issues next.
Pay attention to what your local school board is doing - that’s going to have a more direct impact on your kids than whether of not Wirt Walker III is George Bush’s cousin. (By the way - he’s not. The Bush family genealogy is easily found online - fact checking is a wonderful thing).
4) Think about what the hateful responses to non-conspiracist articles (such as this one will surely elicit) indicate about the critical thinking skills of the hard core fringe. Ask that about the motives of the the stars of conspiracism as well. All are raking in high speaking fees now, all are selling stacks of books and videos. Are they intellectually honest, or dishonest? Noam Chomsy has pointed out how the “who benefitted” rational is a fallacy, because so many have used 9/11 for their own purposes that on the macro level, the question illustrates nothing.
Also look at Morgan Reynolds’ ties to Lyndon LaRouche, Alex Jones’ to white supremacists, Jim Fetzer’s pre 9/11 JFK conspiracism, Steven Jones’ messianic Mormonism, David Griffin’s ties to holocaust deniers such as Eric Hufschmidt. What do they tell you about 9/11 “truth?”
So those are just a few ideas for removing the scales from your eyes. I once thought I didn’t like haiku, so I started reading Basho, Issa, Buson, and I wrote 1000 verses, and finally I decided my dislike was from ignorance. Casual truthers who ask themselves tough questions about the meaning of truth, refresh themselves on the rigors of the scientific method, and learn the basic attributes of logical fallacies may have a similar epiphany.
Arguing over the minutiae of conspiracist group think is about as productive as counting angels on the head of a pin, so forgive me if I choose not to debate you on Hani Hanjour’s piloting skills, or squibs, or the buzz word “free fall.” Just write me off as left gatekeeper, and a stooge in the pay of the CIA. That’’s fine. I’m not asking you to convince me of anything. I’m asking you to question how truthful you’ve been to yourself.
www.marcawodey.com
Marc Awodey is an American contemporary artist and poet. His poetry collections include "Telegrams from the Psych Ward" (1999), and "New York; a haibun journey" (2002). He's also author of the collection of essays "Art and Machine: 95 theses" (2004) discussing his poetry vending machine project of the late 1990s. Awodey's paintings can be found in the Vermont Statehouse collection and in many private collections throughout the United States.
I think we saw, just recently, 'Our Leader' (read 'der Führer') shoulder to shoulder with power, begging for oil price consideration. One day, and I hope soon, our citizen's will take the 'car ride' to the edge of the Matrix and regain our independence.
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Kahnaya Wasahtoha (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 28 comments)
on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 11:44:02 AM
There is nothing magical about being associated with the Marine Corps. Just ask Lee harvey Oswald, Charles Whitman, Cesar Armando Laurean, Frank Wuterich, Sanick Dela Cruz, Justin Sharratt and Stephen Tatum.
As for UofM, what is the nature of Fetzer's relationship to them? Does he teach structural Engineering courses there?
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Roark Howard (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 351 comments)
on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 10:55:38 AM
For the debunkers to really make their case, they have to prove architects and engineers for 911truth(ae911truth.org) wrong. Otherwise, when they get to 1000 members. you will apologize.
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David Slesinger (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 5 comments)
on Friday, January 18, 2008 at 9:50:46 AM
"Truth" needs no "movement," it is what it is... and cares not a jot about credibility. This, sadly, does not address our poor power to see it or divine its meaning. To tar scholars, scientists and researchers who genuinely question the "official story" with such a cultish brush as "truthers" is inaccurate.
Don't you suppose that people capable (LIHOP, MIHOP- whatever) of such an act as "9-11" are also capable of rigging, stealing, ignoring... even eliminating an "election?" And suppose they do (have)... THEN what?
And yes... the site contains poddley-ping-pong-positive directions for all the Ned Flanders folks who want to diddly-ding-dang DO something: permatopia... and yes, sustainability may be accomplished on a grass-roots level by waving petitions and registering voters and such (assuming the your town/ precinct has not been hijacked). And speaking of the Truth, here's another one...
"Voting" in the national "election" is farting into your hat.
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waldopaper (11 articles, 3 quicklinks, 22 diaries, 403 comments)
on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 10:49:06 AM
i recommend oil empire as well. it's especially good at pointing out disinformation, such as the "no planes" hypothesis. you should look at the actual membership of the “9/11 scholars for truth and justice” however. I was actually member for awhile - and i’m just a poet and painter! the supporters of “truth” are miniscule compared to academics and experts who agree with what we saw on 9/11 - 19 arab highjackers on suicide missions. also - although you probably won’t believe me - my father was on the team of a dozen architects who designed the WTC complex with minoru yamasaki in the 60’s, and while he was deeply shocked and upset on 9/ll, he immediately described the mechanics of what must have occurred in ! & 2. it's no mystery.
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marc awodey (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 34 comments)
on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 11:28:00 AM
Funny, how so many of those 19 hi-jackers turned up ALIVE!
....Not to metion, how Mohammed Atta's passport just magically, pristinely fluttered to the top of that heap of rubble, while all other debris (read Evidence) from ALL sites was promptly carted away!
FUNNY, how Atta and others involved were still WORKING FOR THE CIA up until less than 2 months before the attack !
Funny, how, out of those Nineteen Hi-jackers, FIFTEEN of them were from Saudi Arabia and NONE of them were from Iraq ! Maybe someone should wipe this fact under Bush's nose, (since he's so fond of invoking 9/11 every chance he gets)... even as he's SELLING BOMBS TO THE SAUDIS! (Bombs the WE TAXPAYERS paid for, instead of getting Health Care, or even decent treatment for our injured VETERANS!)
Funny, how testimony from so many witnesses, including a janitor who was so badly burned by the BLAST coming out of the Tower's SUB, Sub-floor basement elevator that he has Hospital records; including people who called the cops on the celebrating "Arabs" with videocams that turned out to be ISRAELIS arrested on the Washington Bridge; the firefighters who heard bomb blasts - ALL was not allowed to be heard by the Whitewash Commission !
FUNNY, how even McKean and Hamilton are now (Finally!) speaking up about being refused the self-same CIA documents that were illegally DESTROYED !
Funny, how remote-controlled flying has been around since the eighties!
Yeah...FUNNY!
(Now YOU funnyTOO!)
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Bia Winter (1 articles, 2 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 170 comments)
on Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 9:21:51 AM
Oh yeah... and FUNNY how the ones who put up all those PUT Options on United and American airlines a couple of days AHEAD of the attack never got investigated...nor all the extra INSURANCE put on the Trade Center and collected on by owner SILVERSTEIN!
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Bia Winter (1 articles, 2 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 170 comments)
on Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 9:34:06 AM
I've always wondered how many of those 19 hi jackers are now deep sixed, so to speak, down there at the Terrorist Hilton in Guantanamo Bay. Didn't anyone besides me find it strange how fast the gubment set all that up?
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"Hoss" David P. (51 articles, 5 quicklinks, 14 diaries, 339 comments)
on Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 10:28:10 PM
Your artical is BS on the likes of Dr. Phil; self imposed sanctitude telling others how they should think and do.
The official investigation leaves far too many things out. If there is nothing to hide, what damage does another, independent investigation do? Could we find the need for the same kind of funds used to get Bill and Monica? Or is "getting blown up" somehow more palatable than "getting blown". (pun intended)
Bush voters are scrambling to try to put a good face on their disaster. (double meaning intended).
If 'someone' doesn't at least pay for malfeasance on the issue, it smacks of cover up. No one, I repeat no one, has been found in anyway 'lacking' in their performance. Our 'Shock and Awe'(read that Blitzkreig) military couldn't scramble intercept jets? Even former 'scramble' pilots have joined the 'team' and have stated it is highly implausible. Some of the greatest minds we have, physicists, architects and engineers are stepping forward and speaking to the absolute impossibilty of the 'free fall' collapse of a building upon it's own footprint with the cause being 'structural integrity breakdown due to fire'. Let alone the fact that there were three on the same day and one hadn't even been hit by a plane.
You sir, obviously, haven't done any research and are being carried along with the tide of rubble that the current administative tsunami has created. An understanding of Newton's laws which, unlike our's, are constant will raise enough questions to a 'thinking' mind to aggressively pursue further investigation.
Regarding the vote, wake and smell the coffee! It's gone!
Have great day.
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Kahnaya Wasahtoha (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 28 comments)
on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 11:32:49 AM
