First Article on 9/11 Congressional Hearing Appears

McKinney reopens 9/11 - Conspiracy theories implicating president aired at 8-hour hearing

Washington - Revisiting the issue that helped spur her ouster from Congress three years ago, Rep. Cynthia Mc­Kinney led a Capitol Hill hearing Friday on whether the Bush administration was involved in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The eight-hour hearing, timed to mark the first anniversary of the release of the Sept. 11 commission's report on the attacks, drew dozens of contrarians and conspiracy theorists who suggest President Bush purposely ignored warnings or may even have had a hand in the attack - claims participants said the commission ignored.

"The commission's report was not a rush to judgment, it was a rush to exoneration," said John Judge, a member of McKinney's staff and a representative of a Web site dedicated to raising questions about the Sept. 11 commission's report.

The White House and the commission have dismissed such questions as unfounded conspiracy theories.

McKinney first raised questions about Bush's involvement shortly after the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, generating a furious response from fellow Democrats in Washington and voters in Georgia, who ousted her in 2002.

"What we are doing is asking the unanswered questions of the 9/11 families," McKinney, a DeKalb County Democrat who won back her seat in 2004, said during the proceedings.

She rebuffed a reporter's repeated attempts to ask her why she would so boldly embrace the same claims that led to her downfall.

"Congresswoman McKinney is viewed as a contrarian," panelist Melvin Goodman, a former CIA official, said. "And I hope someday her views will be considered conventional wisdom."

Though she left the testimony and questioning of panelists to others, McKinney was the main attraction, presiding over more than two dozen participants, including the author of a book that claims the U.S. government had advance knowledge of the Pearl Harbor attack and allowed it to happen, and Peter Dale Scott, who wrote three books on President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

Georgia peanuts, Cokes and coffee were available to more than 50 attendees, whose casual dress was a decided change from the gangs of blue-suited lobbyists who usually crowd Capitol Hill hearings.

McKinney herself offered witnesses bottled water and found additional trash cans to place around the room.

Nearly a dozen 9/11 enthusiasts lined one side of the room, camcorders at the ready, broadcasting the hearing live over the Internet or recording it for later release. C-SPAN cameras documented the hearing, and a DVD recording of the proceedings will soon be available.

Ten people sat in a section reserved for family members of 9/11 victims.

"Nine-eleven could have been prevented," said Marilyn Rosenthal, a University of Michigan professor who lost a son in the attacks, echoing the premise of the hearing.

Panelists maintained that Bush ignored numerous warnings from the CIA, the Federal Aviation Administration, foreign governments and others who told him before 9/11 that Osama bin Laden was planning to attack the United States and that terrorists were likely to use hijacked airliners as weapons.

But why would the president or his administration want the 9/11 attacks to occur? Power, the panelists agreed.

In the wake of the attacks, the administration was able to greatly expand the president's power and the reach of the federal government, they said, but whistle-blowers and other potential witnesses who could have testified to the Sept. 11 commission about such things were either prevented from speaking or ignored in the commission's final report. Panelists called the commission's report "a cover-up."

"The American people have been seriously misled," said Scott.

Special thanks to the ajc for covering this very important event.

I do take issue with the consistent usage of the term 'conspiracy theory' though. Primarily because it supposes that in this hearing a specific 'theory' was proposed, which is not the case. In fact the only specific 'theory' that encompasses all of 9/11 is the 9/11 Commission Report, something which has been shown by many to have numerous flaws, omissions, and distortions of fact. Anything that could be said against those that question 9/11 could in turn be said about the official story as well.

The truth is that it is important to know the shortcomings of the report and inform the public as to the issues that still remain surrounding 9/11. If the commission report had even attempted to answer the 400+ questions asked by the family steering committee, or have been even slightly independent of this administration, this hearing might not have been necessary.

I would hope that Americans might listen to the hearing before labeling the hearing's discussion as a mere 'conspiracy theory'.

While this is a short

While this is a short article, and therefore can't go into too much detail, it's quite clear that it doesn't indicate just how many questions remain that are still unanswered (most of them) nor just how serious those questions are (which is a bigger sin). If I was a reporter, I would have tried to find out what the most serious questions were and report on two or three of them.
That the reporter did nothing of the sort, while finding space to tell us what they were eating and drinking, tells me that this is not a serious report. I suspect the AJC prefers it this way.

i agree completely..

i agree completely..

unfortuantely at this point any publicity to the public is better than nothing. at least the AJC had the balls to at least mention it, even given the context of the article.

in any event, we should let them know we appreciate them at the very least covering it, while at the same time educating the writer as to the flaws of their coverage..

hopefully there will be more coverage soon.. i will keep looking..

Have we discovered the

Have we discovered the anthrax perps yet?

Maybe they're in Iran too!

A dozen 911 truthers showed

A dozen 911 truthers showed up?? Kind of a low turnout, especially after all McKinney has done for the movement.

Being on the no fly/watch

Being on the no fly/watch list(no doubt for my willingness to be an outspoken 911 truth activist)combined with my tendancy to be perpetually tardy- I missed my flight from Phoenix. It could go with out saying that was the last flight of the day. I am very sorry I was unable to attend. 911 truth is difficult lonely work sometimes here in Phoenix which incase you missed is a very red area. The last three years of my life just about every minute has been dedicated to either researching or sharing my finding with others. I thought that this event would be a great way to network and share my findings and techniques with others and to learn from those whom I have seen the writing of on various blogs or websites and occasional emails. I had hoped to have the opportunity to speak with Dr Griffin in particular on the subject as well to ask for his autograph in my copies of his two recent books.

well, i couldnt make it

well, i couldnt make it either.. i live in the deep deep south.

i will be there for 9/11 though, hope you will as well.