Brendan Slattery

CONSPIRACY CRANKS CREATING CRAZED '9/11 TRUTH' By JAMES B. MEIGS September 12, 2006 -- ON Feb. 7, 2005, I became a member of the Bush/Halliburton/Zionist/CIA/New World Order/Illuminati conspiracy for world domination. That day, Popular Mechanics, the magazine I edit, hit newsstands with a story debunking 9/11 conspiracy theories. Within hours, the online community of 9/11 conspiracy buffs - which calls itself the "9/11 Truth Movement" - was aflame with wild fantasies about me, my staff and the article we had published. Conspiracy Web sites labeled Popular Mechanics a "CIA front organization" and compared us to Nazis and war criminals. For a 104-year-old magazine about science, technology, home improvement and car maintenance, this was pretty extreme stuff. What had we done to provoke such outrage? Research. Conspiracy theories alleging that 9/11 was a U.S. government operation are rapidly infiltrating the mainstream. These notions are advanced by hundreds of books, over a million Web pages and even in some college classrooms. The movie "Loose Change," a slick roundup of popular conspiracy claims, has become an Internet sensation. Worse, these fantasies are gaining influence on the international stage. French author Thierry Meyssan's "The Big Lie," which argues that the U.S. military orchestrated the attacks, was a bestseller in France, and his claims have been widely repeated in European and Middle Eastern media. And recent surveys reveal that, even in moderate Muslim countries such as Turkey and Jordan, majorities of the public believe that no Arab terrorists were involved in the attacks. "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion," Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was fond of saying. "He is not entitled to his own facts." Yet conspiracy theorists want to pick and choose which facts to believe. Rather than grapple with the huge preponderance of evidence in support of the mainstream view of 9/11, they tend to focus on a handful of small anomalies that they believe cast doubt on the conventional account. These anomalies include the claim that the hole in the Pentagon was too small to have been made by a commercial jet (but just right for a cruise missile); that the Twin Towers were too robustly built to have been destroyed by the jet impacts and fires (so they must have been felled by explosives), and more. If true, these and similar assertions would cast serious doubt on the mainstream account of 9/11. But they're not true. Popular Mechanics has been fact-checking such claims since late 2004, and recently published a book on the topic. We've pored over transcripts, flight logs and blueprints, and interviewed more than 300 sources - including engineers, aviation experts, military officials, eyewitnesses and members of investigative teams. In every single case, we found that the very facts used by conspiracy theorists to support their fantasies are mistaken, misunderstood or deliberately falsified. Here's one example: Meyssan and hundreds of Web sites cite an eyewitness who said the craft that hit the Pentagon looked "like a cruise missile with wings." Here's what that witness, a Washington, D.C., broadcaster named Mike Walter, actually told CNN: "I looked out my window and I saw this plane, this jet, an American Airlines jet, coming. And I thought, 'This doesn't add up. It's really low.' And I saw it. I mean, it was like a cruise missile with wings. It went right there and slammed right into the Pentagon." We talked to Walter and, like so many of the experts and witnesses widely quoted by conspiracy theorists, he told us he is heartsick to see the way his words have been twisted: "I struggle with the fact that my comments will forever be taken out of context." Here's another: An article in the American Free Press claims that a seismograph at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory picked up signals indicating that large bombs were detonated in the towers. The article quotes Columbia geologist Won-Young Kim and certainly looks authoritative. Yet the truth on this issue is not hard to find. A published Lamont-Doherty report on the seismic record of 9/11 says no such thing. Kim told Popular Mechanics that the publication's interpretation of his research was "categorically incorrect." Yet the claim is repeated verbatim on more than 50 Web sites as well as in the film "Loose Change." Every 9/11 conspiracy theory we investigated was based on similarly shoddy evidence. Most of these falsehoods are easy to refute simply by checking the original source material or talking to experts in the relevant fields. And yet even the flimsiest claims are repeated constantly in conspiracy circles, passed from Web site to book to Web site in an endless daisy chain. And any witness, expert - or publication - that tries to set the record straight is immediately vilified as being part of the conspiracy. The American public has every right to ask hard questions about 9/11. And informed skepticism about government and media can be healthy. But skepticism needs to be based on facts, not fallacies. Unfortunately, for all too many, conspiratorial fantasies offer a seductive alternative to grappling with the hard realities of a post-9/11 world.

Robert...I was quite surprised on going to the website you recommend that it turned out to be a leading ANTI-CONSPIRACY site. Indeed, it looks like all the recommended articles were written by the CIA. Jack bet ABC's overnight ratings went through the roof .... poor suckers need something to stay competitive.... hope Sen. George Mitchell (ret-D) of Disney sent a thank you to B.Clinton... ********************************** 'Brendan Slattery' dronned: [...] You wouldn't even know about my politics were it not for the incessant, left-wing, McGovernite, birkenstock radicalism coarsing through the bloodstream of this forum. [...] *********** you're "late 60's references" are sounding very familiar, BS['er]... your not going to break out in a *commie rant* anytime soon are you? Depends. Are you a pinko?

Yes, Jack, he's talking about you. Conspiracy theories sully memories of 9/11 victims JAMES BENNETT GUEST COLUMNIST SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER With the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks fast approaching, the media coverage of 9/11 conspiracy theories is intensifying. While once this was solely the subject of Web sites and Internet forums, the topic has recently been covered in diverse media outlets such as The New York Times, Fox News and the Seattle P-I. Although the coverage may address some of the views held by the conspiracy theorists, and occasionally even delve into the forensic evidence, one thing they have rarely discussed is, "Who are these people, and how do they come up with conclusions that are completely opposite of those of most people?" These are questions I have been addressing on my blog for several months now, and after reviewing dozens of hours of video and audio clips, and reading countless Web sites, forums and books, I have had some interesting discoveries. Most striking of all is the connection that those theories have with others. While the people proposing them may vary greatly in age, politics and education, they almost invariably are conspiracy theorists by nature. In addition to believing the World Trade Centers were demolished by the "New World Order," they also push theories that man did not walk on the moon, Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone was assassinated by the Bush administration, the Srebrenica massacre and even the Holocaust never happened. In fact, the overlap with anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial is quite unsettling. A frequent source for their claims is the American Free Press, a fringe newspaper founded by Willis Carto, a man called "one of the most influential American anti-Semitic propagandists" by the Anti-Defamation League, and considered a founder of the Holocaust denial movement. Even such notable figures as Professor Jim Fetzer, co-founder of the group "Scholars for 9/11 Truth," do not shy from citing it, as if it were as credible as The New York Times. As to how they believe what they do, one of the first things you notice while following them is a fervent, almost religious level of belief. Through this zeal, and through a selective use of evidence, they are convinced as to the truth of their claims, no matter the evidence to the contrary. One good example of this is the repeated claim that the 9/11 hijackers appear on none of the flight manifests. That myth was started by looking at a list of victims of the attacks posted on CNN's Web site and noting the terrorists' absence. Terrorists who commit suicide attacks, however, are by definition not "victims" of their attack, so there is no reason to believe they would be listed. That fact has been pointed out to them by numerous people, on countless occasions, but yet they persist in their belief. It continues even though the 9/11 Commission report, the news media and, most recently, the evidence presented at the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui have all cited the hijackers on the flight manifests, even listing their seat numbers. As the anniversary of these tragic events approaches, many will remember the victims, and many a tear will be shed for them. But a significant group of people wants to hijack their memories and falsify their history for their own motivations. It is the responsibility of this nation, its people and its media to insist that the truth be told, and their memories not be sullied.

Never identified.

You are correct that this forum can benefit by more conservative voices. You are dead wrong in thinking that you are providing that voice. By your antics you drive people even further to the left. IMHO. Further to the left? I don't think that's ... possible. My politics are irelevant. Any and all WC defenders on this board are immediately ambushed and defamed. Their names, backgrounds, and jobs are instantly googled. And given time, they're ultimately banned. Honorable men like Prof. McAdams are smeared as CIA "dupes" by a deranged senior citizen in Texas, who posts anything he wants with impunity. Others are slandered as "accessories after the fact." You wouldn't even know about my politics were it not for the incessant, left-wing, McGovernite, birkenstock radicalism coarsing through the bloodstream of this forum. Consider me your "balancing" effect.

How did you manage to overlook its virulently pro-conspiracy slant? Why the benign, neutral language? Yet that is just what I do. I was clearly addressing Ron. Get your eyes checked, genius. http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/sites.htm And earn bonus points if they implicate the eeevil CIA, your fave pet obsession. How big of you. Yeah, I'd be much more popular if I started some "enemies in our midst" threads. ******************************************************* "Get your eyes checked, genius." "And earn bonus points if they implicate the eeevil CIA, your fave pet obsession." "How big of you." "Yeah, I'd be much more popular if I started some "enemies in our midst" threads." Get bent, you mealy-mouthed, pea-brained goon! How dare you insult the administrator of this site! Why don't you get your fascist-bastard handlers to set you up with your own site where you can bash liberals to your heart's content. Your input here amounts to a pile of horsexxxx. Terry, some free advice: men don't like foul-mouthed women who wear glasses. If you want to be useful, you can start by ironing my shirts. P.S. Simkin insulted me first.

WTF? What planet are you living on? Clinton and his cronies are nakedly intimidating an independent media outlet into censoring itself and it's conservatives' fault? How? You do realize that liberals are in charge of this miniseries, right? You do realize that Disney and ABC have been reliably pro-Democrat in the past, right? Would you be as magnanimous if Bush and Rove were pulling the same stunt? Hell no. BTW, the miniseries is equally tough on Clinton and Bush, but only the Clinton crowd is going apexxxx crazy. Nor do I see the Bush White House threatening to yank ABC's license, like Harry Reid did the other day on the Senate floor. Why is Bubba so worried? Because the terrorist menace grew and became increasingly obvious during his administration. Let us note a few highlights: Be afraid, Bill. Brendan, it is a matter of historical record that Clinton, and Clarke, warned Bush and Rice about Bin Laden, but were IGNORED. Pat, did I not concede that both sides dropped the ball? The point is that Clinton had eight years to deal with Bin Laden compared to eight months for Bush. And an oily weasel like Richard Clarke is the last person I'd nominate for deification status.

How did you manage to overlook its virulently pro-conspiracy slant? Why the benign, neutral language? Yet that is just what I do. I was clearly addressing Ron. Get your eyes checked, genius. http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/sites.htm And earn bonus points if they implicate the eeevil CIA, your fave pet obsession. How big of you. Yeah, I'd be much more popular if I started some "enemies in our midst" threads.

WTF? What planet are you living on? Clinton and his cronies are nakedly intimidating an independent media outlet into censoring itself and it's conservatives' fault? How? You do realize that liberals are in charge of this miniseries, right? You do realize that Disney and ABC have been reliably pro-Democrat in the past, right? Would you be as magnanimous if Bush and Rove were pulling the same stunt? Hell no. BTW, the miniseries is equally tough on Clinton and Bush, but only the Clinton crowd is going apexxxx crazy. Nor do I see the Bush White House threatening to yank ABC's license, like Harry Reid did the other day on the Senate floor. Why is Bubba so worried? Because the terrorist menace grew and became increasingly obvious during his administration. Let us note a few highlights: * January 25, 1993: Mir Aimal Kansi, a Pakistani, fired an AK-47 into cars waiting at a stoplight in front of the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Virginia, killing two CIA employees. * February 26, 1993: Islamic terrorists try to bring down the World Trade Center with car bombs. They failed to destroy the buildings, but killed 6 and injured over 1000 people. * March 12, 1993: Car bombings in Mumbai, India leave 257 dead and 1,400 others injured. * July 18, 1994: Bombing of Jewish Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 86 and wounds 300. The bombing is generally attributed to Hezbollah acting on behalf of Iran. * July 19, 1994: Alas Chiricanas Flight 00901 is bombed, killing 21. Generally attributed to Hezbollah. * July 26, 1994: The Israeli Embassy is attacked in London, and a Jewish charity is also car-bombed, wounding 20. The attacks are attributed to Hezbollah. * December 11, 1994: A bomb explodes on board Philippine Airlines Flight 434, killing a Japanese businessman. It develops that Ramzi Yousef planted the bomb to test it for the larger terrorist attack he is planning. * December 24, 1994: In a preview of September 11, Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked by Islamic terrorists who planned to crash the plane in Paris. * January 6, 1995: Operation Bojinka, an Islamist plot to bomb 11 U.S. airliners over the Pacific Ocean, is discovered on a laptop computer in a Manila, Philippines apartment by authorities after a fire occurred in the apartment. Noted terrorists including Ramzi Yousef and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed are involved in the plot. * June 14—June 19, 1995: The Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis, in which 105 civilians and 25 Russian troops were killed following an attack by Chechan Islamists. * July—October, 1995: Bombings in France by Islamic terrorists led by Khaled Kelkal kill eight and injure more than 100. * November 13, 1995: Bombing of OPM-SANG building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia kills 7 * November 19, 1995: Bombing of Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan kills 19. * January 1996: In Kizlyar, 350 Chechen Islamists took 3,000 hostages in a hospital. The attempt to free them killed 65 civilians and soldiers. * February 25 - March 4, 1996: A series of four suicide bombings in Israel leave 60 dead and 284 wounded within 10 days. * June 11, 1996: A bomb explodes on a train traveling on the Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya Line of the Moscow Metro, killing four and unjuring at least 12. * June 25, 1996: The Khobar Towers bombing, carried out by Hezbollah with Iranian support. Nineteen U.S. servicemen were killed and 372 wounded. * February 24, 1997: An armed man opens fire on tourists at an observation deck atop the Empire State Building in New York City, United States, killing a Danish national and wounding visitors from several countries. A handwritten note carried by the gunman claims this was a punishment attack against the "enemies of Palestine". * November 17, 1997: Massacre in Luxor, Egypt, in which Islamist gunmen attack tourists, killing 62 people. * January 1998: Wandhama Massacre - 24 Kashmiri Pandits are massacred by Pakistan-backed Islamists in the city of Wandhama in Indian-controlled Kashmir. * February 14, 1998: Bombings by Islamic Jihadi groups at an election rally in the Indian city of Coimbatore kill about 60 people. * August 7, 1998: Al Qaeda bombs U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya, killing 225 people and injuring more than 4,000. * August 31 – September 22, 1998: Russian apartment bombings kill about 300 people, leading Russia into Second Chechen War. * December 1998: Jordanian authorities foil a plot to bomb American and Israeli tourists in Jordan, and arrest 28 suspects as part of the 2000 millennium attack plots. * December 14, 1998: Ahmed Ressam is arrested on the United States–Canada border in Port Angeles, Washington; he confessed to planning to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport as part of the 2000 millennium attack plots. * December 24, 1998: Indian Airlines Flight 814 from Kathmandu, Nepal to Delhi, India is hijacked by Islamic terrorists. One passenger is killed and some hostages are released. After negotiations between the Taliban and the Indian government, the last of the remaining hostages on board Flight 814 are released in exchange for release of 4 terrorists. * January 2000: The last of the 2000 millennium attack plots fails, as the boat meant to bomb USS The Sullivans sinks. * August 8, 2000: A bomb exploded at an underpass in Pushkin Square in Moscow, killing 11 people and wounding more than 90. * August 17, 2000: Two bombs exploded in a shopping center in Riga, Latvia, injuring 35 people. * October 12, 2000: AL Qaeda bombs USS Cole with explosive-laden speedboat, killing 17 US sailors and wounding 40, off the port coast of Aden, Yemen. Be afraid, Bill.

Am I blind, or did you not provide a link to McAdams' site? If not, why not? Isn't that what an "objective" site would do? How did you manage to overlook its virulently pro-conspiracy slant? Why the benign, neutral language?

Yep. I hope he went back too. "Joseph McCarthy and Joe, Jack, and Bobby Kennedy: evidence of friendship." LOL.

Sigh. Another desperate bid for attention. The next time we land on the moon, let's leave Jack behind.

You say that like it's a bad thing. Even right-wingers get to be war heroes, Ron. Why are you swift-boating a true American patriot? That's "American Criminal Liberties Union." And you people hate conservatives. Boo hoo. Couldn't agree more. Anything that distances us from that amoral, terrorist-appeasing abortion factory known as Europe is fine by me.

While it's true that I'm a terrible person, nobody in their right mind would use me as an accessory to something this big. I'm more the patsy type.

It's authentic. No one's ever proven otherwise. What alteration? What people? Name names, sonny. Who? Jean Hill? I'll take photographic and medical evidence over eyewitness testimony any day. Huh?

Dawn Gump strikes again. Of course, she'll write the exact same pablum when Clint Hill goes to his reward. "Share your secrets, Clint! Show us your secret diary!" Nellie never believed in a conspiracy. She was steadfast that all the shots came from behind. She got the SBT wrong, but that's okay. She had bigger things to worry about than which bullets hit whom and when.

Ha! Paul Craig Roberts is slightly to the right of Pat Buchanon, yet suddenly he's a hero on this board for advancing obscene, preposterous theories. So what? A majority of Americans believe that Iraq had something to do with 9-11. Are they right?

One of the biggest dissemblers in history. The Gordon Arnold of Bethesda Naval Hospital. Nobody else saw what he allegedly saw. Why is that? Everyone was lying save for him? Nonsense. Rest in peace, but you were not a helpful figure.

Show us your face and then I'll give you the time of day. Maybe.

You give him too much credit....he makes no decisions without the approval of Daddy and his handlers. Who helps you with your juvenile musings? Mommy?

What makes you think Ahmaninejad is deserving of that honor? Do you think the director of the California penal system is obligated to debate Charles Manson? Ridiculous. If you bothered to read a newspaper today (big if), you'd know that Iran failed yesterday to comply with a United Nations deadline to halt its uranium enrichment work. This is a global problem, not just a US problem. If anyone should be debating Ahmaninejad, it's Kofi Annan.

Bush Derangement Syndrome strikes again. We weren't supposed to notice hate disguised as "art"? Gee, where are the bold and "courageous" movies or docudramas attacking radical Islam or the killers of Theo Van Gogh? Why no korans suspended in a jar of urine? Printing cartoon photos of Mohammad is verboten, but sick assassination fantasies are ok? Looks like the head-choppers have won. Eff off, Europe.

Jack has snared himself a groupie. Will wonders never cease. What impresses you the most? His incompetent grasp of photography? His reckless, defamatory charges of assassination complicity? His "paid provacateurs" rant? His misunderstanding of lunar lighting? His refusal to identify and confront real evil in the world? Just wondering.

President Ford would concur.