9/11 Nonsense

I hesitate even to mention the conspiracy theories that the US government was either directly involved in the 9/11 attacks or at least knew about the attacks and stood aside. Some recent alarming polling, however, suggests that sizeable numbers of Americans buy into these conspiracy theories.

A new Scripps Howard/Ohio University poll found that 36% of those polled said it is "very likely" or "somewhat likely" that federal officials either participated in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon or took no action to stop them "because they wanted the United States to go to war in the Middle East." So, why aren't these people marching on Washington and agitating for revolution?

This week's issue of The Nation has an interesting article discussing this phenomenon and in part blames a credulous Establishment media for not calling the Bush Administration on six years worth of whoppers and also the Bush crowd for telling the whoppers and abusing power.

Some conspiracy theorists have compared 9/11 to the Reichstag Fire that Hitler capitalized upon to seize greater power. Thus, Bush, Chneey, and Rumsefeld plotted 9/11 to seize power and start a war in Iraq. One problem with that theory is that historians generally agree the Reichstag Fire was not in fact set by the Nazis, but was rather the work of one man. Hitler and Goering did take advantage to blame the Communists for it.

Another problem with that theory is that we are still having free elections and Bush is loading up the moving van in just over 2 years.

So, you've heard some of the claims - for example, jet fuel burns at 1500 degrees, but steel melts at 2500 degrees, so the jets couldn't have brought down the World Trade Centers - and wondered 'well, I don't believe the government flew planes into buildings, but what is the answer to that claim.'

Help is at hand in the form of good old Popular Mechanics who gathered the relevant experts and examined - and debunked - the various claims. Check it out here. (The answer to the steel melting puzzle? Steel doesn't need to melt before it loses its strength.)


This frankly stupid 'debate' between unfounded paranoid accusations and the rational people is a waste of our time and energy, but if 36% of the people belive it, then the time and energy must be spent.

The victims of 9/11 deserve better.