Theologian stirs 9/11 conspiracy pot in Ventura

Theologian stirs 9/11 conspiracy pot in Ventura

VenturaCountyStar

By Bill Locey
Sunday, April 6, 2008

There is an increasing number of Americans who believe that George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and several of their toadies should be in prison, this writer included. But to suggest that the Bush administration is somehow involved in the 9/11 attacks seems to be a jaw-dropping and frightening stretch, but not to the scores of interested folks who turned out to hear David Ray Griffin's talk March 28 at the Poinsettia Pavilion in Ventura. For those who get their information from Fox News, such a charge is blasphemy, treason and worthy of a perpetual Blackwater firing squad on YouTube. Griffin settled for frequents bursts of applause.

The 9/11 tragedy is certainly not the first event in American history surrounded by controversy and conspiracy theories, just merely the latest.

But as the pages blow off the calendar, witnesses die off, the trail grows cold and interest wanes, assisted by the fact the American people have the attention span of a butterfly sneeze.

But 9/11 is still fresh in everyone's memory, partly because Bush can't go three minutes without playing the fear card and invoking the images of airplanes flying into tall buildings. That memorable Tuesday morning happened less than seven years ago and not only is it an annual school assignment, but many of the participants and survivors are still alive with plenty of contradictory stories to tell.

The new Pearl Harbor

Griffin has heard all of them. A retired theology and philosophy professor from the Claremont School of Theology, Griffin has devoted his energies to unraveling the many mysteries of the "new Pearl Harbor" and has written half-a-dozen books on the subject. His Ventura appearance was sponsored by the local Ventura 9/11 Truth Group.

But Griffin is no solo nut case crying "wolf" to a statue of J. Edgar Hoover or someone relegated to late-night radio with Art Bell, but rather one of the many prominent people involved in "The 9/11 Truth Movement.'' Never heard of it? Go online — it's everywhere and nearly as ubiquitous as porn and cheap Vicodins. It began right after Bush and Cheney tried to squelch the investigation. There have been numerous meetings, marches and rallies since then. So, are all these people just Wackos in Wonderland? Not even. In the summer of '06, a Scripps-Howard poll reported that 36 percent of Americans thought it was "very likely'' the government was involved in the act itself or the coverup, or both.

Wow.

Griffin listed 25 major instances when the truth and events were, in his view, complete strangers. Given an hour to speak, Griffin tried to dispel about half of them.

First off, why did Bush remain in that Sarasota classroom for seven minutes after he learned of the attacks? Why wasn't the Secret Service more excited, especially if the nation was under attack?

Further, the young Arab hijackers have been routinely characterized as devout Muslim extremists, but, in fact, several of them drank often, visited strip clubs, and Mohamed Atta even lived with a stripper for a while.

Did Cheney know about the Pentagon plane beforehand? Or was there even a plane? The FBI confiscated all 85 videos shot by witnesses. None has been returned. Several eyewitnesses claimed there was a bomb explosion and no plane at all and several others swear they saw no 757 wreckage and there was not a skid mark on the Pentagon lawn.

Whatever. Osama Bin Laden did it, so there's that. Or did he? Clearly an evil dude with too much money, his posting on the FBI Web site's Most Wanted lists has no connection to 9/11 and he has never been indicted for the attacks. Right after 9/11, the Taliban agreed to turn over bin Laden to U.S. authorities if they could show proof of his complicity. Our answer was to invade Afghanistan and kick out the Taliban, a group we had previously supported when it was fighting the Russians.

Military response justified

So, to Griffin, blaming bin Laden and Islamic fundamentalists justified our military response — like invading the wrong country. By now, it's clear to most Americans that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Suppose, after Pearl Harbor, instead of declaring war on Japan, FDR invaded Mexico. Same thing.

No one disputes the fact that, on 9/11, 19 hijackers — most of them Saudis — crashed three airplanes into the twin towers and the Pentagon, killing almost 3,000 innocent people. But to Griffin and the movement, explosives planted in the buildings beforehand actually brought down the twin towers, as well as Building 7. He pointed out that no steel structure in the history of engineering has ever collapsed without being taken down intentionally; this includes several buildings that have burned for hours. Also, traces of thermite were found at all three sites. And, according to interviews of people who were there, 118 out of 503 reported they heard explosions.

While to the uninitiated or nonbelievers, Griffin's presentation jumped all over the place and did not provide the definitive smoking gun, he did raise several questions that need answers.

First and most obviously, how could such an ostensibly wild hypothesis even be suggested?

The reason Americans are so poorly informed, according to Griffin, is the media. They under-report or do not report disturbing stories and inconvenient truths because corporate ownership of the media limits what we hear.

So, marginalized or ignored by the mainstream media, Griffin and other 9/11 Truth Movement members are running an outside-the-box, guerrilla campaign, asking us to believe that our own government is guilty of treason and murder against its own citizens in order to justify foreign wars and increase domestic control, which the Patriot Act allows.

It doesn't get much worse than that.

Media dismiss 'lunatic fringe'

Griffin insisted that such fantastic charges are instantly labeled as "the lunatic fringe,'' then ridiculed and, thus, easily dismissed by mainstream media. Once again, what Griffin wants is simply an impartial investigation of the facts — no revenge, just truth and reconciliation and an immediate end to the so-called war on terror.

If we are the land of the free and the home of the brave, we should welcome such investigation. Such outlandish charges of an inside job should not be allowed to fester. Then again, suppose Griffin and his friends are onto something? Or suppose the conspiracy theorists are all a bunch of nuts, then why not prove it with an impartial investigation?

While individual Americans are caring, kind people, America clearly ain't what it used to be. Since when do Americans wiretap their own citizens and allow torture? Why do we routinely support dictators and bomb poor people?

Huge, multinational corporations, fueled by pure, unadulterated greed, have taken over our democracy. Where there was once truth, justice and the American way, now there is nothing but a faceless corporation with a dollar sign and a vicious dog snarling where its heart should be.

— Bill Locey of Ventura is a freelance writer.

The American Empire model will kill billions

I recently made a blog entry about David Ray Griffin and his work on what the American Empire will produce as a body count in the American Empire continues, as McCain suggests, for another 100 years in Iraq.

The numbers are staggering.

http://www.911blogger.com/node/14777

I welcome your comments, thanks

So?

Dick Cheney.

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The CONSTITUTION is NOT going to "collapse" into pulverized dust no matter how much thermate/explosives or planes they throw at it

9/11 Truth NOW

David Ray Griffin was the key to my awakening about 9/11 as I'm sure he has been for countless others. We will never stop our quest for truth and justice about this event.

9/11 Truth is the single most important issue in all our lives right now. Used as a pretext for the genocide in Iraq and Afghanistan, this event is also a turning point and a catalyst for the bigger plan to implement an elitist one world government

Our soldiers are dying in these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan based upon this horrible lie. Not to mention over one million dead Iraqis, and the millions of displaced and shattered lives in both those countries. How about the current threats to start the next war with Iran - how much proof do you need?

rigged elections

repeal of Habeas Corpus

Patriot Act

Department of Homeland Criminals

legalized torture

Military Commissions Act

signing statements

criminalization of dissent

no fly lists

detention centers

How can this be happening? - it's happening because of the corruption which has overtaken the government. It's happening because the 5 corporations who control ALL of the mainstream media are owned by the same people who make the machinery and the bombs of war, it is in their financial interest to keep us in a state of perpetual conflict and confusion at the expense of our freedom, our rights as individuals, and any sense of dignity as human beings.

As long as we do not deal directly with this lie, we will continually be forced to play a part in all its subsequent crimes, and pay the ultimate price of our freedom because of willful ignorance or moral cowardice.

9/11 was carried out or assisted by elements within the US government

The war on terror is a hoax

Just Lies

Hatred

Fear

CasaZaza

http://casazaza.blogspot.com/

Dennis Bernstein & David Ray Griffin

Thursday February 7, 2008
Dennis Bernstein (KPFA, Flashpoints) talks to David Ray Griffin about his new book 9/11 CONTRADICTIONS: An Open Letter to Congress and the Press

(41 Minutes - 14 Meg)

Book:
9/11 CONTRADICTIONS: An Open Letter to Congress and the Press

Source:
http://www.kpfa.org/

Better Bad News

I love these cats...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=v78ibOa4PDE

thanks for the catch AJFan! 9/11 Contradictions is unstoppable!

If its not true . . .

why am I being frisked at airports?

why do we allow unevolved people to play with us like we're their pets?

disputes

"No one disputes the fact that, on 9/11, 19 hijackers — most of them Saudis — crashed three airplanes into the twin towers and the Pentagon..."

I know a lot of people who outright dispute this.

More accurate would be:

No one disputes the fact that THE FBI CLAIMS on 9/11, 19 hijackers — most of them Saudis — crashed three airplanes into the twin towers and the Pentagon...

The problem is that the FBI has proven nothing, and has hidden the crucial evidence as to whether these people even actually got on the planes, and the identities of the planes themselves. The irrational hiding of what should be public evidence has approached criminal levels. I believe we have disclosure laws, like FOIA, which the government is in breach of.

Until it is proven what actually did happen, in painstaking detail, we should not trust the word of the FBI or any other government organ, period.

These are the people who outright let it happen, although the "incompetence" defense has been employed (not a valid legal defense). It's not incompetence, if they stopped investigations intentionally. That's arguably treason. Aiding and abetting. A capital crime.

70 Disturbing Facts About 9/11

John Doraemi publishes Crimes of the State Blog
http://crimesofthestate.blogspot.com/

johndoraemi --at-- yahoo.com.

911 contradictions book

The public virtual new investigation of 911 has already begun.

David Ray Griffin takes Paul Thompson's invaluable timeline and basically weaves the timeline jigsaw puzzle pieces for each of 25 important different aspects of the 911 attacks and puts them in 25 chapters. Without PT's timeline DRG would not have been able to write this book.

I hope PT has his website backed up a few hundred times and spread all across the planet to many different individuals so it can't be destroyed.

DRG is doing exactly what a prosecutor would be doing before the subpeoning. He is following every lead in thorough detail. This book is about the nitty gritty details. No changing the laws of physics here.

When the actual trial begins a lot of the prosecutor's work will already have been done.
Just buy DRG's book, read it and start subpeoning.

For example, in chapter 22 where he talks about "How did Giuliani know the towers were going to collapse" he goes into much greater detail than I have ever heard before.

Pages 233-235 paraphrased a lot.

The FDNY verbal histories were released in 2005.

DRG says that if the 911 Commission had done their work (the 911 Commission said they read these verbal histories extensively) and reported the testimonies of Chief Albert Turi and Richard Zarrillo and EMS Division Chief John Peruggia we would have had the basic flow of the collapse communication to Giuliani as the following:

Mr. Rotanz (deputy director of the Office of Emergnecy management) and an engineer type person (maybe from the Department of buildings) talk to EMS Division Chief John Peruggia about how they felt confident of an imminent collapse of WTC 1 and 2. John then grabbed Richard Zarrillo and told him to go to the fire command post where Chief Ganci was and tell Ganci of the imminent collapse. Then Zarillo says he went to Steve Mosiello who went to Chief Ganci, Commissioner Feehan and Chief Albert Turi and told them about the imminent collapse.

And the chapter does not say this explicitly but I assume that they then told Giuliani.

So, bottom line we have 6 or 7 people that can be subpeoned to tell us exactly how they knew the WTCs were going to collapse.

Richard Rotanz can tell who the other engineer was and they both can then tell us who told them about the imminent collapse.

Rotanz might also be asked why he expected the towers to come down given the fact neither experts nor firefighters at the scene expected the towers to collapse, with some of them even saying that the thought would not have entered their minds.

9/11 Contradictions is selling very well

http://www.amazon.com/11-Contradictions-Letter-Congress-Press/dp/1566567...

We should follow the Shell Game push (week of truth) with a concerted effort to get Contradictions into the Best Sellers.

dad's copy

i got several emails saying the shipment was delayed because they were temporarily out . . . he is reading it now . . . says it is fantastic . . . . David Ray Griffin is a great writer which is a big plus.

9/11 consenquences

I was discussing 9/11 with a friend and he told me that he doesn't really care because it doesn't affect him.

It was such a radical statement that I am still having difficulty wrapping my head around it.
If you have a home, bank account, car, family, friends, and American passport or a love for human life then you are affected by 9/11.
When the truth is revealed - and it will, anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional - the whole world will change.

I wish Bill Locey wouldn't use half-truths like, "Why did Bush

remain in that Sarasota classroom for seven minutes after he learned of the attacks?..."

A much more accurate statement is that Bush inexplicably remained in the schoolhouse for about a half-hour after the learned of the attacks! Big difference there!

... "After leaving the classroom, Bush remained in the school to delivered a brief scheduled speech, starting at 9:29 AM. Then at around 9:33, his motorcade departed from the school en route to Sarasota Airport."... http://911research.wtc7.net/disinfo/alibis/bush.html

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Consider mass emailing truth messages. More info here: http://www.911blogger.com/node/13321

Locey writes:

"The reason Americans are so poorly informed, according to Griffin, is the media. They under-report or do not report disturbing stories and inconvenient truths because corporate ownership of the media limits what we hear."

That first sentence is true: There's a systematic MSM blackout not only of the 9/11 truth movement, but also of masses of basic information that would tend to call the Official Lie into doubt.

But why is there this blackout?

According to Locey -- or is it Griffin? -- it's "corporate ownership of the media." Wow, what a simple explanation!

As opposed to what kind of ownership? Government? Nonprofit?

Yet government-owned media like BBC, PBS, NPR, and CBC are conducting the blackout and promoting the Official Lie as much as any outfit. A few local Pacifica radio outlets run some truth, but Pacifica at the national level -- the main offering of which is Amy Goodman's Democracy Now -- studiously avoids 9/11 truth, hardly surprising since much of its funding comes from the federal government's Corporation for Public Broadcasting (which also funds PBS and NPR).

We know that for generations the CIA has poured many tens of billions of dollars into Project Mockingbird, a massive government program to buy, bribe, and extort the media (including the major book publishers) both domestically in the U.S. and throughout the industrialized world. We know that the State of Israel and its well-heeled supporting institutions like AIPAC conduct similar operations to insure that people at home and abroad only have easy access to information that organized Zionism wants it to have.

In other words, control of the media is a government and political operation, and the media are basically only the willing pawns in all this. The socialist nationalization of media is exactly the opposite of what's needed. What is needed is the extrication of the government from the media, and the allowance -- actually forbidden by law in the case of broadcast media -- of freely competitive media.