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September 11 Opinions

HALF of New Yorkers Believe Govt Knew 9/11 Was Coming
30-Aug-04
September 11 Opinions

"On the eve of a Republican National Convention invoking 9/11 symbols, sound bytes and imagery, half (49.3%) of New York City residents and 41% of New York citizens overall say that some of our leaders 'knew in advance that attacks were planned on or around September 11, 2001, and that they consciously failed to act,' according to the poll conducted by Zogby... The poll is the first of its kind conducted in America that surveys attitudes regarding US government complicity in the 9/11 tragedy... Less than two in five (36%) believe that the 9/11 Commission had 'answered all the important questions about what actually happened on September 11th,' and two in three (66%) New Yorkers (and 56.2% overall) called for another full investigation of the 'still unanswered questions' by Congress or Elliot Spitzer, New York's Attorney General... 'New Yorkers are now fed up with the silence, and that politicians trying to exploit 9/11 do so at their peril,'" said David Kubiak of 911truth.org.

Richard Clarke: It's the STUPIDITY, Stupid
25-Jul-04
September 11 Opinions

Richard Clarke writes, "We need not only a more powerful person at the top of the intelligence community, but also more capable people throughout the agencies - especially the FBI and CIA... The only way to infuse these key agencies with creative new blood is to overhaul their hiring and promotion practices to attract workers who don't suffer the 'failures of imagination' that the 9/11 commissioners repeatedly blame for past failures... We must also place the CIA's analysts in an agency that is independent from the one that collects the intelligence. This is the only way to avoid the 'groupthink' that hampered the agency's ability to report accurately on Iraq. It is no accident that the only intelligence agency that got it right on Iraqi WMD was the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the State Department - a small, elite group of analysts encouraged to be independent thinkers rather than spies or policy makers." We also need to remove all the ideological idiots in the Bush regime!

63% of Canadians Believe U.S. Had Prior Knowledge of 9/11 Attacks and Did Nothing
20-May-04
September 11 Opinions

"63% of Canadians agreed that 'Individuals within the U.S. Government including the White House had prior knowledge of the plans for the events of September 11th, and failed to take appropriate action to stop them'. Additionally, 16% of Canadians believe that individuals within the U.S. Government were involved in the planning and execution of the events of September 11th. The national poll of Canadians was commissioned by 911inquiry.org... a Canadian public interest group which does not accept the U.S. Government's version of what happened on 9/11. This group is sponsoring the International Citizens' Inquiry Into 9/11, being held in Toronto May 25-30. Barrie Zwicker, Toronto-based Director of the 911inquiry.org group, said 'These poll results show just how skeptical Canadians are of the official 9/11 story. And they are concerned about the effect the so-called 'War on Terror' is having on civil liberties in our country. And we know that all of this arises out of 9/11.'"

Why is Dubya Protecting the Saudis When He Should Be Protecting Us?
24-Oct-03
September 11 Opinions

Michael Moore: "George, let me ask you a question: If 15 of the 19 hijackers had been North Korean, and they killed 3,000 people, do you think the headline the next day might read, North Korea attacks US? Of course it would. Or if it had been 15 Iranians or 15 Libyans or 15 Cubans, I think the conventional wisdom would have been, Iran (or Libya or Cuba) attacks America! Yet when it comes to September 11th, have you ever seen the headline, have you ever heard a newscaster, has one of your appointees ever uttered these words: 'Saudi Arabia attacked the United States'? Of course you haven't. And so the question must be asked: Why not? Why, when Congress releases its own investigation into 9-11, do you, Mr. Bush, censor 28 pages that deal with the Saudis' role in the attack? What is behind your apparent refusal to look at the one country that seems to be producing the 'terrorists' that have killed our citizens? Why are you so busy protecting the Saudis when you should be protecting us?"

The Sins of September 11
13-Oct-03
September 11 Opinions

William Rivers Pitt writes: "The two great myths that have settled across the nation, beyond the Hussein-9/11 connection, are that Clinton did not do enough during his tenure to stop the spread of radical terrorist organizations like al Qaeda, and that the attacks themselves could not have been anticipated or stopped. Blumenthal's insider perspective on these matters bursts the myths entirely, and reveals a level of complicity regarding the attacks within the journalistic realm and the conservative political ranks that is infuriating and disturbing. Starting in 1995, Clinton took actions against terrorism that were unprecedented in American history. He poured billions and billions of dollars into counterterrorism activities across the entire spectrum of the intelligence community. He poured billions more into the protection of critical infrastructure. He ordered massive federal stockpiling of antidotes and vaccines to prepare for a possible bioterror attack."

What I Will and Will Not Do to Honor the 9/11 Dead
11-Sep-03
September 11 Opinions

Cheryl Seal writes: "I WILL continue to push for the truth about 9/11, that those TRULY responsible will be brought to justice; I WILL NOT docilely accept the Bush administration's ever-changing story as to the events of that day or its ever-changing accusations as to who the perpetrators were and who they were allied with. It is a story that seems to change with each new political crisis in the career of G. W. Bush. I WILL honor the memory of those who died by helping to work to make America a better place than it was before 9/11; I WILL NOT defile the memory of those who died by standing silently by as the Bush administration turns the tragedy into bargaining chip with which it hopes to win ever greater powers at the expense of our treasured ideals. I WILL honor the memory of those who died, who were of many different races, cultures and religions, from many different countries - not just Americans - by promoting tolerance and compassion among all races, cultures, and religions."

9/11 Family Members: Pursue True Peace
10-Sep-03
September 11 Opinions

September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows write: "Two years ago today our loved ones were tragically murdered in an act of terror that shook the United States and the world. In the time since their deaths, as we continue our personal paths of grieving, we are comforted by the thoughtful and compassionate response of people all over the world who have offered sympathy and support to the victims of these terrible attacks. But much about the US government's approach to responding to our loved ones' deaths stands in stark contrast to the common sense words and comforting actions of ordinary people. On this... anniversary, we stop to reflect on the dangerous course of current policies and to call for a new approach to 9/11 that is focused on bringing about true security and justice... There is no evidence that [the Patriot Act] measures have made us any safer. At the same time, the administration stalls on efforts to provide an open and honest investigation of the events of 9/11."

8/6/01 Hijacking Warnings Suggest Bush Let 9/11 Happen
07-Aug-03
September 11 Opinions

John David Rose writes, "If you want to know why 9/11 was allowed to happen you may not have to look any further than the Oval Office. A little more than a month before the attack, in his Aug. 6 daily intelligence briefing, Bush was 'told that morning of the al-Qaida terror network's interest in conducting a strike within the U.S., and that it might involve highjacked airplanes,' reports the Wall Street Journal (7/24/03.) Why didn't he order airlines to be alerted, inform the Federal Aviation Administration of the threat, put the military air commands on a high level of readiness and tell the FBI, CIA and INS to be super vigilant? He brushed the warning aside... perhaps the Bushies had a reason for ignoring the warnings. Something brushed over in the Congressional 9/11 report suggests the possibility of one of the worst conspiracies of American history."

Response to the Wake-Up Call of September the 11th, 2001
15-May-03
September 11 Opinions

Bernadine Rebich writes, "As I listen to the news, I keep saying to myself, 'You can't do that!' but they do. What is frightening is that at the moment there really isn't a thing we can do about it. We are totally helpless. What would indeed be tragic is to believe that there is nothing that we can ever do about it. We can not continue to feel the whole scene is out of our control and resign ourselves to viewing it as a spectator sport. That is exactly what those in power hope that we do. I realize that what is happening before our very eyes is so overwhelmingly depressing that we have been numbed into apathy and would rather not have to wake up and deal with it. And to top it off, we have been scared to death. But believe me people, it's time for us to take the covers off our head, open our eyes and ears, jump out of bed, and get our great country, the United States of America, headed in the right direction."

William Rivers Pitt: 'The Silence about September 11'
27-Apr-03
September 11 Opinions

"They call it 'The fog of war' for a reason. A lot of things get lost in the fire and the smoke that should not be forgotten, and yet they are, spent and cast aside like depleted uranium shell casings left to roast on a dusty desert roadside. In this relatively quiet space between war in Iraq and whatever battle zone the Bush administration will next come to conjure, it serves us to remember a few home facts that should never, ever be lost. I have been giving a lot of talks lately at colleges and for organizations about the Iraq war. Always in my remarks I ask the same question. 'It has been almost 20 months since the attacks of September 11. It has been over 570 days since the Towers fell. The 9/11 attacks are the principle reason, according to the Bush administration, which justifies the war. Can anyone tell me why those attacks happened? Has anyone in the Bush administration or the media come forth with a reasonable explanation besides 'Evildoers who hate our freedom?''"

Woman Who Helped Thwart Pre-9/11 Hunt for Osama Bin Laden Installed as Baghdad's Interim Governor
24-Apr-03
September 11 Opinions

Cheryl Seal Reports: "Barbara Bodine, who helped thwart FBI veteran John O'Neill back when he was hot on the trail of Osama Bin Laden before 9/11, has been named Governor of Baghdad. Surprised to hear it? Little wonder - this story was swept as far under the rug as the Bush administration could sweep it. So, while we hear about 'retired General Garner' (who is, in fact a very un-retired CEO of a huge defense contracting company, SY Coleman), we haven't heard about Bodine. Yet she's been in Iraq since 4/8. Here's a link re: her role as "mayor of Baghdad" from a US Embassy site (hope it stays unscrubbed) - scroll down to Question 10. http://www.usembassy-israel.org.il/publish/press/2003/april/041104.html Choosing a woman governor in a Muslim country was calculated to foment trouble with the conservative Shiites - worse, a woman skilled in coverups for rightwing bosses." She's already sparking trouble: see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16995-2003Apr22.html

The 10 Most Startling Speculations and 'Conspiracy Theories' About September 11 and America's New War
07-Jan-03
September 11 Opinions

Mike Ward writes, "Following are the ten most alarming theories about September 11, the 'war on terror,' and the future of the world. Feel free to accept them as gospel, study them as symptoms of a traumatized culture, or scoff at them as anti-American propaganda: I'm only the messenger. Personally, though, at this point the only person I hold above suspicion in the matter of September 11 is that poor kid with the goat." 1. Great Game in the Caspian Sea... 2. The Afghanistan/Enron Connection... 3. The Magic Passport Theory... 4. Hijacker Oddities I... 5. Hijacker Oddities II... 6. Insider Trades... 7. The New World Order Will Not Be Televised... 8. Iran/Contra Redux... 9. The Reichstag Fire and Operation Northwoods... 10. Things to Come. A pretty cogent list, all in all!

9-11 Video Challenges Myth of Bush's Heroism
22-Nov-02
September 11 Opinions

Documentary filmmaker Sterling Rainbolt has produced as excellent 30-minute video about 9-11 that exposes the lie that Bush responded heroically on 9-11. As the terrifying events unfold, we see a split screen with Bush sitting in the Florida classroom, while firefighters in the lobby of the WTC plan their efforts to evacuate the towers. The film is called "Wat Tyler's Revenge," named after a 14th Century English commoner who led a rebellion challenging Richard II. Click on the video screen to start the film. Note: the video file is enormous, so do something else while you wait for it to download.

Just Say the Magic Words: 'It's All a Conspiracy Theory' - Then Go Back To Sleep
18-Nov-02
September 11 Opinions

"Getting the truth about 9/11 has seemed impossible. The evasions, the obfuscations, the contradictions and...lies have been overwhelming. Just the other day, the AP reported that, contrary to what was circulated at the time, box-cutters had been forbidden on planes since 1994. The questions are endless. But most are not being asked - still - by most of the media most of the time. All of which to say, there are many people, and more by the minute, persuaded that, if the Bushies didn't cause 9/11, they did nothing to stop it..."It would be wrong to call us conspiracy theorists," [says one major Bush skeptic] "and that if you did, you would be saying the magic words that would allow people to go back to sleep without worrying about the answers to any of these questions." He's right. Fact is, there are holes in the story as big as Ground Zero." So reports Antonia Zerbisias in the Toronto Star.

Canada's Chretien Says America's Overbearing Attitude Toward Poorer Nations Helped to Fuel the Rage Behind 9/11 Attack
13-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

The Globe and Mail reports Canada's Prime Minister Jean "Chretien says the United States and the West must shoulder some of the responsibility for last year's terrorist attacks because of their wealth and exercise of power in the world. In a CBC interview, Mr. Chretien suggested that the root causes of the Sept. 11 attacks were global poverty and an overbearing American foreign policy. 'I do think that the Western world is getting too rich in relations to the poor world,' he said. 'And necessarily, we're looked upon as being arrogant, self-satisfied, greedy and with no limits. And the 11th of September is an occasion for me to realize it even more... There's a moment when you have to stop... you cannot exercise your powers to the point of humiliation of the others.'" Yet that is exactly what Bush plans to keep right on doing...

Honor Them By Taking Back The Voice of Democracy
12-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

Simon Schama writes: "That the Bush administration would always prefer prayers to politics, avoiding at all costs debate, both within its own ranks and in the public arena, has long been apparent. Silence and secrecy, punctuated with disingenuousness have consistently been its preferred modus operandi... Those who are most eager to put young American lives on the line happen to be precisely those who have been greediest for the spoils. The company run by the Vietnam draft-dodging ("I had other priorities") Cheney, Halliburton, has told the employees of one of its subsidiary companies (resold by Cheney) that the pension plans it was supposed to honour, are now worth a fraction of what the workers had been counting on... Never have the ordinary people of America, the decent, working stiffs whose bodies lay in the hecatomb of Ground Zero, needed and deserved a great tribune more urgently. The greatest honour we could do them is to take back the voice of democracy from the plutocrats."

Patriotism in Action: Tolerance, Liberty and Mutual Assistance
12-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

E. J. Dionne writes: "The new patriotism ... is said to have grown out of our new sense of shared vulnerability. Feelings of victimization crossed every line of race and class, gender and ethnicity, party and ideology ... Even Americans estranged from patriotic symbols since the days of the Vietnam War joined their fellow citizens in repairing to Old Glory ... Tolerance [is] both an American and universal aspiration... The battle joined on Sept. 11 was about different views of God - not a difference between Muslims and Christians or Muslims and Jews, but a difference within our traditions over whether it is possible to have strong belief and to respect the beliefs of others... The millions of flags on millions of bumpers represent a shared commitment not just to a 'homeland' but to ideas of tolerance, liberty and mutual assistance that animate it. We should feel remorse that it took the deaths of nearly 3,000 innocent people to teach us these lessons anew."

'Government Of The People, By The People, For The People, Shall Not Perish From The Earth'
11-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

Buzzflash writes, "We may be battling for our lives against the elusive terrorists who hate America, but we are also battling for our democracy in a struggle with our own executive branch. We can best honor the memory of those who died at the hands of madmen on September 11th, as Lincoln exhorted, by being 'dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.'"

Bush Knew - Requiem for America
10-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

Symbolman has produced a powerful multimedia essay about Bush's utter failure to act as Commander-in-Chief as two planes crashed into the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. When will the Republican media began to ask why Bush just sat in a classroom for 30 minutes? When will Congress create a Blue Ribbon Commission to investigate ALL of the unanswered questions about 911?

In the Wake of 9-11, the American Press Has Embraced a 'Demented Caesarism'
10-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

Mark Crispin Miller writes, "Although the press was always marvelously soft on Bush - reveling in his ignorance, saying not a word about his many scandals past, approving his bald theft of the election - after 9/11 such mere protectiveness mutated swiftly into a demented Caesarism, such as one would once have found among the Soviets, or as one finds today in places like Zimbabwe, North Korea, Cuba (and Iraq). At first, this sort of thing was understandable, if nauseating, the fearful pundits and reporters... exalting Bush into the leader that a stricken nation dearly wished it had. Thus Bush was hailed as 'eloquent,' 'commanding' and 'astute,' 'Churchillian' and 'another Roosevelt,' etc., although he clearly wasn't ever any of those things... The fact that they ... kept on treating this Bush as a god - ... notwithstanding the abundant evidence that he was not at all divine but barely human - makes it quite clear that the press was transformed big-time by the shock of 9/11."

Was George W. Bush 'With' God 'Or Against' Him on 9/11?
10-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

"The other day, my brother and sister-in-law sent me a very touching internet card 'Angel's - Rays 9/11'. It is worth a click, since it expresses some heartening sentiments. The card says that God did many things to try to diminish the horror of the 9/11 attacks. It holds that without His intervention, literally tens of thousands more people would have died. And it also offers the hope that for the victims -- He gave them comfort in their last moments. The card gives encouragement to the belief that God was performing miracles on that day...What if, for the sake of argument, we assume the premises of the 'Angel Rays' card, that God was trying to mitigate the horror of 9/11. What then does that say about George W. Bush? Can we say that George W. Bush was doing God's work on September 11?" So writes Ted Kahl, Democrats.com's Editor.

Patriotic Virtues: Now Is An Opening for Liberal Patriotism
07-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

Todd Gitlin writes: "With the massacres of a year ago came righteous outrage, bewilderment and a thirst for interpretations:…What did mass murder require of us? Who were we now? We needed a story. The White House declared that the terrorists hated our freedoms; after an interlude of coalition building, the administration resumed its America-love-it-or-leave-it attitude. Members of Congress became sullen cheerleaders, cowed by the White House's willingess to question their loyalty. Patriotism seemed to function not as a spur to come to the aid of the country, but as a silencer. Absolutists dominated the field… The terrorists took it upon themselves to act in the name of all of Islam and all Muslims, to settle all accounts and slaughter all enemies. There could be no appeal or dissent; they expected their allies to be as silent as their enemies. They openly yearned to restore the eighth-century caliphate: a purist theocracy and an empire if ever there was one."

Navy Veteran Honors 9-11 Victims by Renouncing War
06-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

Navy Veteran Krystal Kyer writes in Yellow Times, "After much thought, I've found my own way to pay tribute to all the victims of terrorism: On September 11, I will awaken at dawn. I will retrieve all my variously colored medals from their little box in my dresser drawer... I will unlock the deadbolt (my homeland security), and proceed out the front door, remove the lid to the trashcan, and throw my medals in the garbage, where they belong. I will reject war, once and for all, since war is just state-sanctioned terrorism on a mass scale. I have no qualms about performing this solemn ceremony. Materially, I will destroy my last bits of military souvenirs. Mentally, I will remember those lost to all forms of terror, and I will walk a path of peace. I've already rejected what I've been taught about what is patriotic, what is our (their) national interest, and how I should behave in times of war. Now is the time to take positive action to reduce the level of violence."

Lost in America – One Year Later
06-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

Writes W. David Jenkins III for America Held Hostile: "I have to wonder how those who tragically perished almost a year ago would feel about how their deaths were being used by those without shame. How would they feel about Bush Jr's 'Trifecta' joke? How would they feel about John Ashcroft arresting and holding people indefinitely without charge or access to a lawyer in their name? How would they feel if they knew Bush Jr. just sat there in an elementary classroom for around 25 crucial minutes between the first and second strike of the WTC - and did nothing!! How would they feel if they could know they are pointed to as a reason for dismantling many of the freedoms we still hold dear? I know that had I been one of them, I'd be slipping St. Peter a bribe to allow me to entertain these people with a nightly dose of Charles Dickens type visits every night for as long as they live."

The Ballad of John O'Neill
04-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

John O'Neill was the chief of counterterror at the FBI until late summer of 2001. He was one of the few people who took the threat of terrorism by Osama bin Laden seriously. By the summer of 2001, he was so frustrated by the politicization of the intelligence agencies - and their ineptitude - that he resigned to take a job at the World Trade Center. There he died, heroically trying to prevent the loss of life. As we reach the anniversary of 9/11, the Bush machine will doubtless try to turn this into a celebration of Dubya's "heroic" leadership. Remembering John O'Neill is part of remembering that the Bush Administration has, in fact, failed. By distributing this song, we can do our little bit to help the nation learn the truth about 9/11: that opportunities to prevent 9/11 were missed because the intelligence agencies were politicized and misused in the Republican effort to "get Clinton."

Investigate and Impeach Bush for Failing to Act on 911 Warnings - And then Lying About It
03-Sep-02
September 11 Opinions

On the 1st Anniversary of 9-11, the media whores are on their collective knees before George W. Bush - the man who ignored dozens of warnings in the weeks before 9-11, then sat in a classroom avoiding action for 70 minutes after the hijackings began, then flew aimlessly around the country while Dick Cheney made the important decisions, then lied about the warnings he received, and ultimately joked about winning the "trifecta." If Bush's performance before and after 9-11 - and the connubial coverage of his performance by the media - makes you ill, join nearly 4,000 true patriots who investigate and impeach Bush for failing to act on 911 warnings - and then lying about it.

Where is the Anger over the Radio Failures That Killed So Many Firemen on 9-11?
20-Aug-02
September 11 Opinions

Eric Boehlert writes, "Jimmy Breslin 'calls the media's reluctance to puncture the cloak of heroic inevitability surrounding the FDNY's Sept. 11 deaths a disgrace... In several of his columns, Breslin has blamed Giuliani for not getting the Fire Department radios that worked and for not fixing the endemic communication problem between the police and fire departments. He also blames a new generation of journalists for coverage that fails to provoke passion. 'The big thing in the press is total absence of anger. They're the best-educated people we've ever had but there's nothing inside them to get mad. They're sheep,' he said in an interview. 'Name one person at a newspaper or on TV who got mad about firefighters dying by city negligence. Where, among the millions of sob stores about funerals, show me one phrase raised in anger. There's a famous saying you don't hear in this country much anymore. 'The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who pursue neutrality in times of crisis.'"

Gallery of Sellouts: Ruminations on Nixon, Gannon, McCartney, Dylan and Springsteen
16-Aug-02
September 11 Opinions

"For me, a real litmus test of the soul of a celebrity - if indeed they possess one - has been how they have responded to 9/11. Of course, I EXPECTED George Bush to cash in in an opportunistic way, schmoozing his way into 'heroic by association.' He made no effort to conceal his cynical hypocrisy - once the firefighters had served their purpose, they became just another bunch of blue collar guys who fell into the category of 'labor' and thus beneath his notice. But other celebrities' behavior has come as a major disillusioning blow to me and many others. From 9/12 on, a steady parade of leeches have crawled out of the swamp to bask in the reflected limelight of the victims and the heroic survivors, including Bono, McCartney, Bob Dylan and - alas! Bruce Springsteen." So writes Cheryl Seal.

Phil Donahue Breaks the Media Silence on 911 Truth
15-Aug-02
September 11 Opinions

On 8-13-02, Phil Donahue boldly went where the corporate media refuses to go - searching for the truth about 911. Donahue's guests were Jean Charles Brisard (co-author of The Forbidden Truth), Michael Moore (author of #1 bestseller Stupid White Men) and Kristen Breitweiser, a 911 widow who is determined to pry the truth out of the Bush administration. Moore declared that Gore "won Florida... This election was a ripoff, most people know it. Bush is not going to have a second term. And he's going to get his comeuppance this November. They're going to lose the House... I just think that [people] have had it" with Republicans. Brisard described Saudi funding of Osama Bin Laden, and the pre-911 investigations that were blocked because of US oil interests. And Breitweiser spoke angrily about Bush's failure to take action on 9-11, saying "I want to know why he sat there for 25 minutes." Breitweiser demanded an Independent Investigation, because she is sick of begging Washington for answers.

'Gang of Four' Puts Military at Risk for the Sake of Oil Profits
14-Aug-02
September 11 Opinions

Scroll down to "America's Leadership": "Sacrifices of military members and their families should be rewarded with fair treatment and honesty from their leaders. Now their safety, job security, and retirement benefits are in jeopardy because top leaders are using deployment decisions as mere profit-making vehicles..."[National Guard Deserter] "George W. Bush has made certain that former Enron and energy executives profit from defense and homeland security contracts. His own fortune was made through Enron/WorldCom-type accounting tricks and insider trading that have bankrupted companies and robbed people of their retirement savings. The Bush administration planned to invade Afghanistan even without the tragic events of Sept. 11 because Unocal had found the Taliban too uncooperative in its attempts to build an oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea to Karachi...Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and White are a gang of four who have ordered U.S. military members to be put in harm's way for oil profits."

911 Conspiracy Theory Rumor Mills -- Finding the Grains of Truth Amid the Chaff
23-Jul-02
September 11 Opinions

Harvey Wasserman writes "September 11 has spawned reams of conspiracy theories. Many are ridiculous. But far more ridiculous -- if that's the word -- are the uses to which the Bush Administration has been putting last fall's terrorist attacks. It doesn't take a conspiracy nut to see the Shrub/Cheney cabal using 9-11 precisely as if they had done the deed. Thus, the destruction of the Bill of Rights (except for the Second Amendment). A mushrooming police state apparatus. Huge boosts in military spending... Rampant corporate theft involving scores of Bush operatives and family members. Utter contempt for global treaties. Rollback of environmental protection. Assaults on women's and minority rights... In short, it's been a field day for the authoritarian and mean of spirit, a conservative feeding frenzy for an inept, unelected crew that, before September 11, was all but written off."

Left-Wing Journalists Attack Those Who Question Bush's Role in 911
10-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

Bev Conover writes, "Gangway for the self-appointed gatekeepers of the left who are on a crusade to spin, smear, attack, and label as loony anyone who won't accept the official line that the events leading up to and surrounding September 11 are nothing more than a series of coincidences and intelligence failures. This cabal of lily-livered leftists, ensconced in their ivory towers, have decreed we are bad kiddies for even suggesting that the Bush administration was complicit in or took advantage of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the baddest of all is Michael C. Ruppert, who publishes From the Wilderness." Conover cites Matthew Rothschild of The Progressive, Norman Solomon of the Institute for Public Accuracy; David Corn of The Nation, Michael Alber of Z Magazin, Steve Rendall of FAIR, Chip Berlet of Political Research Associates; Larry Bensky of Pacifica Radio, and Noam Chomsky of MIT. Why are these folks attacking those who want the truth?

'Shallow Throat' Reveals Bush&Co.'s Weak Spots (Fiction?)
09-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

Bernard Weiner writes: "With all the complicated scandals and maneuverings in the White House, it was time to seek out 'Shallow Throat' again. The disenchanted Republican mole, located high in the Bush Administration, previously had supplied us with the transcript of an inner-Cabinet meeting, which revealed how Bush&Co. had decided in the Summer of 2001 to take advantage of the terrorist attacks they knew were coming, and which did arrive on 9/11."

There's One Terrible Resident!
06-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

Michael Hasty writes, "The most remarkable aspect of Bush's statement, especially in the wake of ongoing revelations about how much information his administration actually had prior to 9/11, is that it represents an open admission of his failure to assume the duties of Commander-in-Chief. Before the first plane hit the tower, federal authorities knew that this was an unprecedented multiple hijacking. The military had been notified, and National Guard F-15s had already been dispatched... It is inconceivable that this information was not passed on to the presidential entourage in Florida. Yet despite his certain knowledge of the scope of the crisis; and despite the CIA briefing he had received, at his specific request... outlining Al-Qaeda plans (including the possible hijacking of commercial airliners) to strike targets 'in the US;' and despite his sworn duty to 'protect and defend' America, Bush chose instead to let himself be 'whisked off' into a second-grade classroom."

Are the Bushies Evil or Incompetent? You Decide
05-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

James Higdon writes, "My fears for the planet Earth would be far fewer if I sincerely believed that the Bush administration, attempting to solidify power, conspired to allow the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fiendish plan such as that... would show a certain competency on the part of Bush and the other zealots who surround him. Unfortunately, I think the situation is far worse than that. America, quite frankly, is faced with stunning and fatal incompetency. Having been spoiled over the previous eight years by a political genius, it is very difficult for us now to look utter stupidity in the face. This is not to say the Bushies are not criminal, because they are... If we had a national press corps that was nearly as competent as the Bushies, or a majority in Congress with an ounce of political courage, the impeachment of both Bush and Cheney, on the charge of corruption and dereliction of duty, would already be underway."

Full Text of Lt. Col. Steve Butler's Letter, 'A Contemptible Offense'
05-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

This is the letter that resulted in Lt. Col. Steve Butler's suspension. "It's about time conservative idiots like Steve Kelly and Rod Musgrove got a dose of reality. Of course President Bush knew about the impending attacks on America. He did nothing to warn the American people because he needed this war on terrorism. His daddy had Saddam and he needed Osama. His presidency was going nowhere. He wasn't elected by the American people, but placed into the Oval Office by the conservative supreme court. The economy was sliding into the usual Republican pits and he needed something on which to hang his presidency. For them to accuse Democrats of being 'sleazy' is laughable... Face it people, Bill Clinton was a great president. This guy is a joke. What is sleazy and contemptible is the President of the United States not telling the American people what he knows for political gain. The Democrats asking pertinent questions is their duty as public servants."

Air Force Lt. Col. Steve Butler Is Suspended for Telling the Truth about Bush's Failure on 911
05-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

Air Force Lt. Col. Steve Butler "has been relieved from duties at the Presidio of Monterey after publication of his letter to the editor accusing President George W. Bush of having advance knowledge of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The letter accuses Bush of allowing the attacks to occur for political reasons. The letter reads in part: 'Of course Bush knew about the impending attacks on America. He did nothing to warn the American people because he needed this war on terrorism. His daddy had Saddam and he needed Osama. 'His presidency was going nowhere. He wasn't elected by the American people, but placed into the Oval Office by the conservative supreme court (if you really want to know why the justices voted like they did, I suggest 'Supreme Injustice' by Alan Dershowitz), the economy was sliding into the usual Republican pits and he needed something to hang his presidency on. ' Butler's letter called the president's course of action 'sleazy and contemptible.'"

It's Time for Some (Incompetent) Heads to Roll for 911 Failures
04-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

It's Maureen Roulette Time! This week Dowd spins the wheel and hits a mark that deserves it! "I'm sick of all these colliding flow charts and color-coded warnings. I want to see some agents lose their jobs. Let's start with the counterterrorism whiz who told Ms. Rowley that her team could not get a search warrant because Zacarias Moussaoui had such a common name in France. Bye-bye. Or the counterterrorism brainiac who found the Minneapolis and Phoenix warning memos in his In Box and put them in his Out Box. Get lost. (There's an accounting job waiting for you at Halliburton.) The president should snap out of his jet lag, summon his national security team (Tenet and Rove) and issue a single remorseless instruction: 'Bring me the head of Osama bin Laden. Or Bob Mueller.'" Or Condi Rice, or Dick Cheney, or the person with the ultimate responsibility for failing to stop 911 - the Commander-in-Thief himself.

Reflections of a 911 Survivor
04-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

"I was in World Trade Center building #5 when the first tower was hit, and being the tower's annex we took the full force of the after-effects of the impact. To this day I cannot describe to anyone the sounds I heard or why none of us on the floor reacted to the first after-shock. I can only guess that as New Yorkers we have become inured to anything - but even so you could feel a sudden uneasiness in the air among the 250 or so technicians and brokers on the floor. Exactly three minutes later the second after-shock tremored through our building, and then suddenly someone yelled that the scaffolding was coming off the building. Terror overwhelmed us as we ran for our lives, and the only thing I could think of was the building was suddenly coming apart and I wasn't going to make it to the first floor alive. Since we couldn't see what caused the shocks, most silently believed they had finally done it... someone had dropped the 'bomb.'" So writes Steve Naidamast.

Heads-Up To Ashcroft Proves Threat Was Known Before 9/11
03-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

Harley Sorensen writes, "Bush knew something was going to happen involving airplanes, John Ashcroft, knew... Condoleezza Rice, knew. They all knew... they [even] told us... On July 26, 2001, cbsnews.com reported that John Ashcroft had stopped flying on commercial airlines... The FBI did advise Ashcroft to stay off commercial aircraft. The rest of us just had to take our chances... Ashcroft demonstrated an amazing lack of curiosity when asked if he knew anything about the threat. 'Frankly, I don't,' he told reporters. So our nation's chief law enforcement officer was told that flying commercial was hazardous to his health, and yet he appeared not to care what the threat was, who made it, how, or why?... We need a full-blown investigation... And we should not let the people we'll investigate -- the Bush administration in particular -- dictate the ground rules. Who are they to be telling us what questions we can ask and how we can ask them? They work for us, not us for them."

Serendipity
02-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

"I wasn't looking for the October 13, 1972 edition of Life magazine this morning; I didn't even know I had it. I was looking for something else and happened upon the magazine I had acquired long enough ago that I had stashed it away and forgotten it. But at least I was looking. I COULD find it, and I did. No one can find anything, not the FBI, the CIA, or the Senate Intelligence Subcommittee, if they aren't looking for something." So writes Linda Ann Wheeler Hilton.

The Sound of No Heads Rolling
02-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

"The sound you hear from Washington, and have heard since Sept. 11, is the sound of no heads rolling. Of course, for a head to roll you have to blame somebody, and nobody in America screwed up anything… On Aug 6., after President [sic] George W. Bush was briefed about the increasingly oppressive atmosphere of threat, he went fishing. Since then, nothing much has changed. Congress ordered 1,290 bomb-detecting machines placed in airports; 1,100 have yet to be installed. Ninety per cent of passenger baggage loaded into aircraft cargo holds isn't x-rayed. The same tinhorn outfit that was screening passengers at the gate is still screening passengers… Tom Ridge, the homeland security saviour, has been cut out of every loop in the U.S. by the same attorney-general and FBI director and CIA director who were taken by surprise on 9/11. George Bush doesn't return his calls. The FBI has been reorganized with great fanfare. Perhaps now reports from its field agents will reach their superiors."

The GOP Government: Delegating Accusations of Treason!
02-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

Writes Dawn Walters Lowery: "Since 9/11, Senator Lott and many others on the Right have viciously attacked Senator Daschle for some pretty benign questioning. What Senator Daschle asked was not a threat to our national security. What Senator Daschle asked was not unpatriotic. What Senator Daschle asked was not in any way inappropriate. Quite the contrary, what Senator Daschle asked is exactly what constituents expect their elected leaders to ask. Lott apparently fails to see the glaring contradiction in the fact that the ad and smear campaign against Senator Daschle is an attack on the Majority Leader of a coequal branch of government and is also a loss of unity. Is this not also liable to be used against us overseas? And isn't hypocrisy and authoritarian rule more destructive in the long run than anything anyone from overseas can do to our country?"

The Bush 9/11 Scandal for Dummies
02-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

Bernard Weiner writes, "All this who-knew-what-when pre-9/11 stuff is mighty confusing. [Bush for dummies gives us answers. Q. The Bushies fault the intelligence agencies for 'not connecting the dots,' Can you explain? A. This is spin - designed to deflect attention. The Bushies were] fully aware that a major attack was coming from Al Qaeda, by air, aimed at symbolic structures on the U.S. mainland, [including the World Trade Center & the Pentagon. Q. If they knew an attack was coming, why didn't Bush do anything to prepare for it? A. The preferred excuse is to admit horrendous incompetence, but let the FBI take the fall]. But let's try an alternate explanation... If their key goal was to mobilize the country behind Bush [to get their political/business agenda through and defang the Democrats] -- what better way to do all that than to have Bush be the take-charge leader after a diabolic 'sneak attack'?"

Does Al Qaeda Have a Mole in the FBI?
01-Jun-02
September 11 Opinions

Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan writes, "When an FBI field operative who is the chief legal counsel of her office [Coleen Rowley] tells the head of the FBI in Washington that they've been wondering, out in the field, if spies or moles made the fateful decisions, she is saying something huge. She is saying she thinks it is possible that spies within the FBI thwarted attempts to stop or diminish the attacks of Sept. 11. And she wants the FBI director to know this. She uses the word joke, but she knows what she's doing. She's saying: This may be true. When she put this information in a memo that she knows she herself will soon hand-deliver to the Senate Intelligence Committee, she is telling Congress, the press and the people to consider the possibility that spies or moles had some part in the attack on America."

Holding Bush Accountable
31-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Gene Lyons writes, "An administration that came to power on uncounted ballots now argues that a public inquiry might tempt politicians to seek partisan advantage. Very well then, let them try... [Only the] craven power-worship among Washington pundits and the rabbit-like timidity of congressional Democrats makes something so elementary worth saying. Another truism: people who lie usually have something to hide... Whatever its shortcomings, the Clinton administration took Osama bin Laden seriously. If it failed to capture or kill him, it wasn't for lack of trying... As the un-Clinton, Bush didn't want to hear about al-Qaeda... John Ashcroft [confronted Louis Freeh, telling him that counter-terrorism was not a priority]. Agents in Minneapolis... met so many bureaucratic roadblocks they joked that bin Laden must have infiltrated FBI headquarters. [Bush's determination to avoid a probe] appears to have less to do with protecting national security than hiding its own blunders."

What If 911 Was ALLOWED to Happen? A Patriot Asks the Question No One Dares to Ask
31-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Bush's people are now spending quite a bit of time trying to blame the FBI, CIA, and others for either massive intelligence failures, or a failure to more fully inform Bush, or both. Additionally, Cheney is not only advising Bush not to hand over any of the intelligence briefings prior to September 11, 2001, he is also refusing to cooperate with the idea of convening an independent commission to investigate those terrible events. Why? What are they hiding? What is it they don't want us, the American people, to know? Now, having said all of the above, consider for a moment the idea that the events of September 11, 2001, were ALLOWED to happen. Think about that concept for a moment...

David Corn Believes Karl Rove, Not Cynthia McKinney
31-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Our good friend David Corn, Washington correspondent for The Nation, simply cannot contemplate the idea that Bush could have allowed 911 to happen. Why? Because he believes Karl Rove: "How could Karl Rove spin that, if a leak ever occurred?" Hey David, just open the papers! Since CBS broke the news that Bush was briefed by the CIA on August 6, Rove has spent every single day furiously spinning to conceal the truth - that BUSH KNEW. Corn is right to question Michael Vreeland's story - so do we. But what about Coleen Rowley, Kenneth Williams, Robert Wright, and the other FBI agents who tried to prevent the attack - but were blocked by top FBI officials? What about John O'Neill, who can't tell his story - because he's dead? When will we hear from those responsible - Dave Frasca, the head of the FBI's Osama Bin Laden unit, the top CIA counter-officials, and the NSA's Richard Clarke, who was in charge of COORDINATING all of the counter-terrorism efforts! E-mail letters@thenation.com

Bush is a National Disgrace
31-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Alan Bisbort writes, "Up until now, I admit that I've disliked George W. Bush. I've disliked him for the shady way he gained power, for his pretense of being "a uniter, not a divider" even as he pushed an agenda that, arguably, 75 percent of the American people do not share. For his secrecy, smugness and sheer laziness. For being a pampered frat boy accustomed to having others do his bidding. For calling to mind what F. Scott Fitzgerald (through Nick Carroway) said about Tom and Daisy Buchanan: "They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people come in and clean up the mess they had made." But now I loathe George W. Bush. It does not feel good to loathe the leader of the country you love. It is no consolation to know that, as bad as I thought Bush would be as president before the election, he's much worse than my most pessimistic fantasies."

What General Patton and 'Phoenix Memo' FBI Agent Kenneth Williams Shared
30-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Lawrence Levine, retired Army intelligence office and former journalist, details the characteristics of FBI agent Kenneth William's "Phoenix memo," comparing it with General George Patton's analytic warning of Pearl Harbor."Both Patton and Williams demonstrated an ability to set aside cultural preconceptions and provide a clear and unemotional assessment of their enemy's capabilities… Williams intuitively recognized that pilot training added a dangerous and new variable to the once-traditional airline hijacking… The combination of practical experience and an understanding of theory allows an analyst to see patterns and shifts in an enemy's behavior that others might not as easily discern…. Patton and Williams both demonstrated an ability to transcend the mere rote recitation of facts and data and make the mental leap to assimilate new information and synthesize it into new and unique observations." With precision, Levine produces comparisons and conclusions both astute and targeted.

Smoking Gun 4: The Pentagon Tragedy - a Plot that Keeps on Thickening
30-May-02
September 11 Opinions

As mentioned in "Smoking Gun 2 & 3," the Bush administration had PLENTY of information that would lead them to believe the Pentagon was at high risk of a terrorist attack, especially in the summer and fall of 2001. Yet while the Bush administration and its pals were maneuvering into the safest possible positions, the folks at the Pentagon (and the workers and "expendable" CEOs at the WTC, of course) were left to their fate, no warning given to them at all. What's wrong with this disturbing picture?

Chris Dodd Tells Imus 'It Happened on Bush's Watch'
30-May-02
September 11 Opinions

RightWingMax reports, "Since the 9-11 terrorist attacks happened on President [sic] Bush's watch, he should hold himself and his administration responsible - and stop trying to shift blame to Sens. Hillary Clinton and Tom Daschle, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd said Wednesday morning. 'If I were the president - I mean, look, the president in this case, he ought to be angrier than any member of Congress,' Sen. Dodd told radioman Don Imus. 'Instead of pointing fingers at Tom Daschle or Hillary Clinton, I'd be bringing in these people [in my administration] and saying, 'Don't ever let this happen again. And as mad as they are at you, I'm a lot madder at you, 'cause ultimately it's on my watch. If something goes wrong, I'm going to be held accountable both today and historically. So don't ever let this happen again.'" You go, Chris - it's about time Bush learned something about PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!

Despite FBI's Mea Culpa, BUSH is Responsible for 911
30-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Collen Rowley charged FBI HQ with deliberate efforts to block a search warrant for Zacarias Moussaoui. According to Michael Hasty, "These allegations are consistent with a November 2001 BBC report that the FBI was ordered by the Bush White House to curtail its investigation of the bin Laden family; and with a lawsuit recently filed by an FBI agent charging that higher-ups had negligently shut down his investigation of bin Laden; and with the August 2001 resignation of John O'Neill, FBI Deputy Director of Counterterrorism, who told two French authors he had been frustrated that Bush's priority of protecting his oil friends in Saudi Arabia had overruled FBI counterterrorism efforts. When asked last winter by a kid in a Florida audience to describe his first reaction to the news of what happened in New York on 9/11, Bush replied that his first thought was, 'What a terrible pilot.' Is he really that much of a moron?"

The Magic of Being an American
30-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Elizabeth Thomas writes: "Can I say something now? Because no one's been able to do so, until recent revelations that the Bush administration had advance notice of the terrorism that came on Sept. 11. Somehow that nugget of info has broken the collective silence of the American people… But members of the current administration accuse Americans who dissent of disloyalty... John Adams and Thomas Jefferson refused to be gagged by their rulers, prompting this nation to declare its independence from England. So should we. Telling individuals who question military action that they are 'unpatriotic' Americans smacks of a regime as repressive as those we try to unseat… Questioning information, forming opinions, arguing, discussing - it's all part of democracy. We don't want a nation of Stepford Citizens. But most important is independent thinking and not being afraid to speak up. That's the magic of being an American."

Confidential GOP Memos Expose Political Strategy behind Bush's 911 Photo (Humor)
29-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Charlie Clark writes, "A moving van under contract with the Republicans happened to crash in front of my house. On seeing the filing cabinets spilling onto the sidewalk, I strolled out and chanced upon a confidential memo outlining the campaign strategists' true thinking. Here are (imaginary) excerpts: 'Awesome news! Veep Dick Cheney has signed off on our war on terrorism presidential photo extravaganza.' 'Finally, we go public with our long-percolating political calculus: that Bush's competence in the war on terror is a reason to elect Republicans to every office in the land, and that Democrats who were taken in by our calls for bipartisan unity were, to use political science jargon, suckers...'"

Before 9/11 Bush was Focused like a Laser -- on Robbing America Blind
29-May-02
September 11 Opinions

James Higdon writes in Online Journal, "Nothing could be more ridiculous than to hear the Bushies pose, 'Who'd a thunk it before 9/11? Islamic zealots using commercial aircraft as weapons of mass destruction?' [Well ... a lot of people. The idea is not new, and should have been considered the moment it was clear that we were dealing with suicidal terrorists]. In December 1999, President Clinton was getting briefed on al Qaeda plans to attack Americans. [Clinton warned] the American people to keep their eyes open, the airlines to increase their airport security, the border patrols to increase their vigilance. Intelligence agencies were ordered to 'connect the dots' [and coordinate] with foreign police and intelligence services to make arrests. Sure enough... terrorist plots were thwarted... In fairness to George W. Bush... he was also 'focussed like a laser.' Unfortunately for Americans, that focus was directed at filling the pockets of his wealthy friends and contributors."

The Rhetoric Spewing Bush Administration
27-May-02
September 11 Opinions

"One of the government maintained lines with regard to the attacks was that suicide missions in the form of massive airliners crashing into skyscrapers was unprecedented. This claim is irrefutably and absolutely false (and always has been). In fact, there is abundant mention and evidence of such techniques as suicide hijackings not only in theory, but in direct threats: there was a threat of a suicide mission targeting Bush, among others, in Genoa, Italy at an economic summit last year… Yet they continue the rhetoric to the point of frustration. Ari Fleischer, on May 18, was as saying, "I think that anytime anybody suggests or implies to the American people that this president had specific information that could have prevented the attacks on our country on September 11, that crosses the lines." What's amazing about this comment is that Fleischer only responds to the daring of the critic and not to their critique." (Matthew Reimer, the Yellow Times)

US Flight Schools are Now Paying the Price for FBI/CIA/INS/FAA Incompetence
27-May-02
September 11 Opinions

After 911, Bush imposed restrictions on foreign students who want to learn to fly at US flight schools. "The Arab business is completely gone," [Arne] Kruithof said, blaming the new visa requirements for the decline in his business. "Once a 20-year-old German or Dutch citizen spends seven hours being interrogated by the I.N.S. and then sent back to Europe because they are here to fly with only a tourist visa, they probably won't come back." Kruithof's Florida Flight Training Center trained Ziad al-Jarrah, who hijacked United Flight 93. If the FBI, CIA, INS, and FAA had shared pre-911 information about suspected terrorists studying at US flight schools - especially if FBI HQ had followed Phoenix agent Kenneth Williams' suggestion to CANVASS all of the flight schools in search of a pattern of suspicious Arab students - 911 COULD have been prevented. But business isn't all bad - thanks to Rep. Dan Mica (R-FL), foreign students can STILL learn to fly small planes, no questions asked!

I Have Looked into Bush's Soul and Saw Black
27-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Writes Mary McElveen: "Every night as I log onto my computer to read various political lists, I scan the news section of Yahoo which I use as my home page. I have been outraged in the past at the actions and policies put forth by Mr. Bush when reading these headline blurbs. In my opinion, nothing compares to the recent revelations. First we have the White House authorizing a picture of him on Air Force One after the horrific attacks befell our nation speaking to Dick Cheney to be used by the GOP for fund raising purposes. All for the price of $150. He has always touted himself as a compassionate conservative, out of that alleged compassion, those funds should be sent to the victims that were murdered that day. On top of that, it was quoted in an LA Times article, when speaking with a German paper he said, 'I was trying to get out of harms way'. Some leader?"

The Message Has Been 'Get Over It' Now Use Your Anger To Answer Back
27-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Writes Mary MacElveen: "I find it odd that the Bush Department of Justice has just come out with an action to sue several counties in Florida over votes not being counted or purged during the 2000 presidential election. I find it incredibly odd that they have done this now, after we have learned that George Bush may have possibly known about terrorist warnings before September 11th, and then his administration stating that they did not tell him of these warnings. Could it possibly be that there is something there that will hurt Bush and the GOP in the upcoming midterm elections? Could this possibly be the real reason his DOJ is filing this suit now? I find this all to be too coincidental, and have come to title these recent revelations after last week, 'Operation Deflection.'"

Bush Vacationed While They Planned
27-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Writes Mary MacElveen: "If Bush being complicit with the GOP to use photos of him, especially the one of him making a call to Cheney on September 11th for fund raising tactics wasn't enough, now we learn that he had advanced warning of a terrorist threat one month before that horrific day. While it is stated that he had no idea that planes could be used as bombs, do I have a report to show him. That being the Gore Commission Report on Airline Safety and Security."

Time to Rip Open a Big Ol' Can of Whoop-Ass!
27-May-02
September 11 Opinions

"Well, now we all have confirmation we were right. The news is coming out in bits and pieces but we have been vindicated to a small degree. The media seems to be sharpening it's fangs against the Great Imposter as well as are prominent Republicans in light of the latest news. Although it feels great to hear, we really don't need to be breaking out bottles of champagne yet. To be sure, in the last few days it seems like the light has shone down from Heaven and the Creator is gonna open up a big can of "Whoop-ass" against the Little Brat but we need to remember one thing. The media hasn't changed ownership in the last few days and we could be letting ourselves become vulnerable for a huge let down. So, in turn, we have a lot of work to do. The time has come for all of us to be a source of information as the media has proven they need our help." So writes W. David Jenkins III in America Held Hostile.

Stand and Demand a Thorough Investigation of 9-11
27-May-02
September 11 Opinions

"Why did Bush stay on vacation for three more weeks last August after hearing of the possible hijacks of U.S. planes by Osama bin Laden? Why was the Phoenix memo, which noticed the requests for flying lessons by Middle Eastern men (who weren't interested in knowing how to take off or land) not connected with the hijacking threats received by Bush? Why did Bush not stop reading to children in Florida ('The obscure goat story of 9-11' http://ecclesia.org/lawgiver/911.asp) after he received news of one Twin Tower's demise? How did three more airplanes get hijacked and crash into two more major U.S. monuments after Bush was told of the first crash into the World Trade Center? In short, what was this administration doing, or not doing, to prevent the siege of America known as S-11, from which the same administration has picked-up such enormous political capital, and warded off the kinds of criticism it was getting just before?" So writes Mike Rectenwald of Citizens for Legitimate Government

102 Minutes: While Desperate WTC Victims Jumped to their Deaths, Bush Listened to a Children's Story
27-May-02
September 11 Opinions

In a special report, the NY Times collected the agonizing stories and words of 157 people who died in the World Trade Center, that managed somehow to communicate with their families via phone and e-mail in their final desperate minutes. At the same time, hundreds of firefighters were heroically running up the stairs - to their deaths. But one person's story during those 102 minutes is missing - the man who sat in a classroom listening to a children's story for 30 minutes, even after seeing (in his own words!) the first plane hit, and after being told about the second plane. This man had been personally warned a month earlier by the CIA about a likely Al Qaeda attack on the US, and his government had received countless warnings pointing to the suicide hijackings on 911. Yet this man still calls himself President, and even sells photos of himself fleeing Washington DC - Impeach Bush Now!

On 911, Bush Went AWOL from the Air National Guard for the SECOND Time
25-May-02
September 11 Opinions

"One of the roles of the Air National Guard is to respond to intruders and errant civilian flights by putting up a fighter or two, such as in the case of the private jet that not so long ago flew halfway across the country with an unconscious crew ... Nevertheless, getting the alert that a hijacking is in progress and getting a plane up does take time. If, however, one knew in advance that hijackings were a very real possibility... a prudent and obvious thing to do would be to put the Air National Guard on high alert to any commercial flights that might stray off course. Had this been done, the al-Qaeda pilots might not have had a clear run at their objectives and the outcome of 9/11 might have turned out quite differently for those on the ground. One cannot argue otherwise... [But Bush spent 911] worrying about saving his own hide, 'getting out of harms way.' In effect, George W. Bush, as president, dodged his responsibilities and went AWOL from the Air National Guard a second time!"

Bush Touts Value of 'Accountability' For Others, But Not Himself
25-May-02
September 11 Opinions

A.F. Nariman writes, "What people were questioning was the competency or lack thereof of President [sic] Bush and his administration in handling the initial serious warnings…received…prior to 911, and…why the administration had kept the knowledge of these warnings under wraps for over eight months after the attack, when there would be no damage to national security, but only to Mr. Bush's rosy poll numbers. Republicans in general, and this president in particular, love to tout the value of 'accountability' when it comes to educators, or welfare mothers. While Bush ran on a platform of 'accountability' it now appears that his administration is above and beyond being held accountable…They act like kings, rather than government workers…accountable to the public they serve. The only way we can evaluate how they have performed on the job is to have a complete review of all the events that led up to 911…real suggestions (of)…Bush's ineptitude as Commander-in-Chief in thwarting 9-11."

Bush & Co. Sued in Federal Court for 911 Negligence
24-May-02
September 11 Opinions

"A San Francisco lawyer filed an ambitious federal lawsuit today on behalf of all American citizens against President [sic] Bush and six other officials for alleged dereliction of duty in failing to stop the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Stanley G. Hilton, a solo practitioner, filed the would-be class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The suit claims that Bush, VP Dick Cheney, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others failed to carry out their constitutional duties to act on intelligence information that allegedly showed the threat of terrorist hijackings. The lawsuit is based on two claims: violation of citizens' constitutional rights and negligence in the discharge of the officials' duties. Other defendants are National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, FBI Director Robert Mueller and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. The suit asks for an injunction against the officials and $7 billion in damages" reports Bayinsider.com.

Larry Klayman Savages Bush's Failures on 911
24-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Maybe we should send rightwinger Larry Klayman our Impeach Bush timeline and petition. Here is his attack on the Pretender: "In short, most of this information [on Al Qaeda plans] was available to high officials in the Bush administration and, in particular, the Bush White House before Sept. 11 ... Bush, despite these warnings, did not keep the United States on high alert during the period leading up [to 911]. The result is now clear: About 3,000 Americans lost their lives and American prestige and invincibility has been forever tarnished. But, despite this, in the months before these recent leaks occurred, President [sic] Bush ... has been strutting around like a peacock, pleased with his performance and his political standing..." Youch!

SMOKING GUN PART 3: John O'Neill: Was He a Casualty of the Bush Administration?
24-May-02
September 11 Opinions

"After years of investigating Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, John O'Neill came to the conclusion that 'All the answers, everything needed to dismantle Osama bin Laden's organization can be found in Saudi Arabia.' That conviction went with him to his grave. Unfortunately for O'Neill and 3,000 other men and women, at every turn after January 2001, the Bush administration blocked the efforts of the 'most knowledgable agent it had' to investigate Saudi ties to Bin Laden." So writes Cheryl Seal.

Incompetence and Right-Wing Ideology Blinded Ashcroft & Rumsfeld to Terrorism
23-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Joe Conason writes, "No official of cabinet rank made counterterrorism a top priority... Ashcroft was preoccupied with "traditional" law enforcement against drug abusers and pornographers. He allegedly turned down a request from the F.B.I. to hire "hundreds" of additional counterintelligence agents... Rumsfeld was obsessed with the construction of a "national missile defense" whose irrelevance was proved on that tragic day last September. (The nukes we now rightly fear are not expected to arrive on an antique rocket from North Korea.) Mr. Rumsfeld also reportedly killed a request to shift $800 million from the missile-defense budget to counterterrorism—and ordered the grounding of the innovative Predator drone sent up by "the Clintonites" to track and possibly kill Osama bin Laden. In fact, it was two [Clinton] officials - counterterror chief Richard Clarke and C.I.A. director George Tenet - who tried to direct the government’s attention to the looming threat from Al Qaeda."

Bush Administration Used Tragedy Caused by Its Own Failures to Grab More Power and Trash the Constitution
23-May-02
September 11 Opinions

""The 'lack of specific warnings' defense may justify a lack of action before the airliners hit the World Trade Center, but it can't explain away the lies that were told to Congress and the American people after Sept. 11 to justify the administration's war on civil liberties, " writes Peter Erlinder, former pres. of the National Lawyer's Guild . "All of this has been justified in the name of preventing another 'surprise attack.' The administration, however, had the right 'tools' in place before Sept. 11. Those tools would have proved effective, if the administration had known how to use them. Now we know that we were all deceived. Recent revelations about the Sept. 11 tragedy prove that existing investigative powers were effective. The Bush administration used its own failure to act on the warnings it had received to justify grabbing even more power, at the expense of our civil liberties, by deceiving Congress and the American people."

SMOKING GUN PART II: 'Vague Warning' - or Blueprint for Disaster?
22-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Since 1993, scores of people, collectively, in the White House, Pentagon, State Department, FBI, and CIA have known that an attack like 9/11 was not only a possibility - but an increasingly likely probability. The information available to the Bush administration is overwhelming, as is the evidence that at least some in the administration KNEW the attack was coming, not only that but who at least some of the attackers were, and where and how they would strike.

It's Red Alert - In Karl Rove's Office
22-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Maureen Dowd writes, "There is a red alert going on now, but it's only in Karl Rove's office. (There is a severe risk of political damage to the Bush administration.) That's why the Bushies are trying to terrify us. They desperately want to change the subject from the stunning lapses of their ostensibly expert foreign policy team — and they cynically want to make it sound as if nothing they do or don't do really matters in the end. Mr. Ridge offers five colors to warn against infiltrations... I think it would be far more useful, however, if we had a wheel with five colors to warn against incompetence. Holy heather: At this level, John Ashcroft stays so busy whiting out lines of the Constitution, diluting Justice's civil rights division, lionizing the Second Amendment and robing naked statues that he forgets to give the president a detailed F.B.I. memo describing the time and place of the next terrorist attack."

President Gore Would Have Heeded the Warning Signals that the Bush / Ashcroft Axis of Incompetence Ignored
21-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Aaron Marr Page wrote in January, "If Bush's advisers hadn't been so instinctively dismissive of all things Clinton, they might have had a [terrorism policy within two months] of Bush's inauguration. [But the] only Middle East issue that the Bush administration apparently gave a damn about was Saddam Hussein... And here's where we can easily imagine a Gore administration unhampered by these factors and capable of intervening before disaster struck. Gore's foreign policy team would likely have been manned by Richard Holbrooke as secretary of state and Leon Fuerth as national security advisor. [Both would probably] have been immune to the two key factors which distracted the Bush team from the Al Qaeda threat... whatever his flaws, Clinton responded in kind to the Al Qaeda threat as it existed in his time. Yet Bush - when U.S. embassies across the world were buzzing with word of an impending attack - did not."

Americans Don't Believe Bush Can Protect Them from Terrorist Attack
20-May-02
September 11 Opinions

"For the first time since Sept. 11, more than half say they lack full confidence in government's ability to prevent future attacks, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The survey found the public divided along partisan lines over whether the administration should be faulted for failing to act more aggressively on intelligence reports, including an August briefing for Bush that mentioned the use of hijacking as a tactic of terrorism. Fewer than half – 44 percent – said the Bush administration 'had done enough' to follow up on those reports. A slightly larger percentage – 46 percent – faulted the administration for failing to do more, a view shared by a majority of Democrats but only one in four Republicans... The poll found that a majority of Americans want Congress to investigate what officials of the Bush administration knew about terrorist threats prior to Sept. 11, when they knew it and what action they took to respond to those warnings."

We Investigate To Find Justice - It's That Simple
19-May-02
September 11 Opinions

"Bipartisanship works best to prevent a situation, and not clean up the mess that has occurred when warning signs were neglected. As we go further into pushing for such an investigation, we must keep the focus on the victims. As in any murder case, and this is such a case, those questions must be asked and they must be answered. We must connect with the voters as to why we are doing so - out of justice for the many victims who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001." So writes Mary MacElveen.

Taken Together, the Pre-911 Memos Point to a Bush Conspiracy
19-May-02
September 11 Opinions

"There has been no questioning of Bush's overall policy of military intervention in Central Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere. And none of Bush's official or media critics has raised the most fundamental issue: that the inaction before September 11 was deliberate, that the US government welcomed the impending terrorist attack as a convenient pretext for the launching of a long-planned campaign of American military aggression... Bush had on his desk September 9 - two days before the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon - a National Security Presidential Directive [that] 'outlined essentially the same war plan that the White House, the CIA and the Pentagon put into action after the September 11 attacks'... Well before the terrorist hijackings, the Bush administration was preparing to launch the military action that it later claimed was taken only in response to the September 11 atrocity." So writes World Socialist News.

The Phoenix FBI Agent Who Warned Of Hijacked Airliners Is The REAL 911 Hero – while the Preening Bush Betrayed Us
19-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Maureen Dowd writes, "He hasn't been featured in any of the flinty-eyed, lantern-jawed photo shoots where the Bush team preened as war heroes... Bush officials keep insisting that no one could have predicted 9/11. But the Phoenix FBI agent predicted enough to perhaps pre-empt it, if he hadn't been blocked by superiors too lazy to pursue hot leads and too arrogant to share them... even though his vivid, detailed memo landed in Washington only days after the terrorism czar Richard Clarke warned FBI, aviation and INS officials to be on the highest alert because 'something really spectacular' would happen soon. The six-week superalert was still going on when W. began his four-week vacation. Even if all President [sic] Bush learned... was that bin Laden was gearing up for hijackings here, why not order tougher airport security? [Because the Bushies were fixated] on their Maginot line of missile defense in the sky when the threat was Al Qaeda freaks with box cutters."

All Actions of Bush, Cheney, and Rice in 2001 were Driven by Oil
19-May-02
September 11 Opinions

The people offering the most daring spin on the 9/11 coverup (daring as in risking the consequences of bald-faced lies captured on tape for all time) are also those most deeply staked in Central Asian Oil: Bush, Cheney, and Condoleezza Rice. Rice's old company Chevron (where she has pals so close they named a tanker after her) is highly involved in Kazakhstan (dubbed by some the "New Kuwait"). Chevron stood to benefit HUGELY from the U.S. takeover of Afghanistan, which would ensure free "security" (taxpayer-paid troops), total control over the landscape and new pipelines. On August 2, Taliban reps were meeting with US officials (including Christine Rocca, who served as a glorified "gun runner" to the Mujadeen under Reagan) in Islamabad to discuss oil company interests. Four days later, Bush elected NOT to act on the most serious terrorism warning in decades.

Only 48% of Americans Say Bush Did Enough with 911 Warnings - When the Truth Comes Out, Bush Will Be Impeached!
19-May-02
September 11 Opinions

At last! Here is the very first scientific poll about how Americans feel about 911, and the results are dismal for Bush. As of 5-17-02, only 48% told Newsweek that Bush did enough with the 911 warnings he received. That 48% is EXACTLY the same as the minority of people who voted for Bush! The majority who voted for Gore or Nader either believe Bush did NOT do enough, or are still making up their minds. Lest we forget, on 5-17, Bush's lying excuses about the 911 warnings had not yet been exposed. Since then, there have been new revelations EVERY DAY about the number and specificity of warnings Bush received - and ignored. When the truth about ALL of the 911 warnings comes out, the number of people who believe "Bush did enough" will shrink to 5% - just Rush and his dittoheads. When the percent who believe "Bush failed to protect America" passes 65%, Bush will be impeached!

Remember the OTHER Bush 911 Photo?
18-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Mark Lawson writes in the Guardian UK, "The now-famous snap in which George Bush's eyes pop as an aide whispers the events of September 11 into his ear had always seemed to represent complete astonishment. It's now possible that his expression can be read as horrified confirmation. Bush's political future may depend on whether this rewritten caption becomes fixed in print... The revelations in Washington that the FBI and White House had at least three strong hints that the plot was in progress - in specific warnings of terrorists training at American flying schools for future hijacks - removes the White House's consistent use of the Pearl Harbor parallel: unpredicted surprise attack. If a fourth newspaper story is confirmed - that one warning mentioned planes hitting the World Trade Center - then the president [sic] really will be choking on his pretzels."

Bush's Words May Betray the Truth - He Expected the Hijackings, But Not the Crashes
17-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Read Bush's first statements about the 911 warnings: "Had I known that the enemy was going to use airplanes to kill on that fateful morning, I would have done everything in my power to protect the American people." Now read it again. Slowly. Bush did NOT explicitly deny knowing that planes were going to be hijacked! He only said that if he had known people would be KILLED, he would have tried to prevent it. Does this explain Bush's bizarre reaction on 911? Bush was at a Florida grade school, reading a story about a pet goat -- did he sit through the goat story because that was the White House's PLAN for the morning when several planes were expected to be hijacked?

A September 11th Widow Speaks: 'What Could I Have Done to Save My Husband? Now I Know -- I Was Asking the Wrong Person'
17-May-02
September 11 Opinions

A.R. Torres writes in Salon, "I used to know whose fault it was. At least I thought I did. The loss of my beloved Eddie hurt badly enough when 9/11 was a story about a secret plot that was so fantastic, so sophisticated and hidden, that it escaped our mighty intelligence network... But now the story has become one of incompetence vs. evil. There had been knowledge, hints, warnings - shared at the highest levels - and yet no action, not a peep. How was that possible? Suddenly the diabolic geniuses behind this plot weren't that smart. Instead they were just a few fundamentalist lunatics with box cutters and a dream, who could have - should have - been stopped at so many points before 8:46 a.m., Sept. 11." Eddie Torres died on Sept. 11, his second day of work in the World Trade Center.

Confronted with Responsibility for His Role in Thousands of Deaths, the Slimy Bush Attacks His Accusers
17-May-02
September 11 Opinions

George W. Bush may someday be found responsible for failing to prevent the deaths of over 2,500 Americans. The growing evidence is damning and the outrage of the nation is growing. So how does this colossally self-centered and conscienceless corporate toady respond? He pouts. "There is a sniff of politics in the air. Someone may be trying to use this as a political opportunity." This is like the drunk driver who kills a family in another car, then when charged with his crime complains that the police were just out to get him. Even Richard Nixon, when confronted by his role in a BURGLARY showed more inner turmoil than this man shows for THOUSANDS OF DEATHS! When told of Bush's response, Barbara Boxer's snapped, "Sniff of politics? We want a sniff of truth."

The Unfitness of the Bush Administration Grows Clearer by the Hour
17-May-02
September 11 Opinions

Talk about an insult to the American people's intelligence and sense of decency! The Bush administration is trying to spin their way out of the damning revelations that they did not act on warnings they received -- the CIA had been telling them all summer something "big" was going to happen. When Bush was briefed in August, he was way bored by all of the 'sponsibilty 'n' stuff he was being asked to 'member. After all, he was on vacation -- which means nap time with Mr. Pillow! But the worst is yet to come: "Members of the congressional committees investigating the pre-Sept. 11 warnings said yesterday that there is far more damaging information that has not yet been disclosed about the government's knowledge of and inaction over events leading up to Sept. 11. 'We've just scratched the surface,' said Sen. Richard C. Shelby (Ala.), ranking Republican member of the Senate intelligence committee..." Impeach Bush Now!

Bush Protected HIMSELF, But Left US Unprotected
17-May-02
September 11 Opinions

James Ridgeway writes, "If Bush knew so much, how come he did so little on September 11? Instead of letting his handlers move him from place to place in an utter fog, he could have returned to Washington immediately and, as commander in chief, taken charge. He could have alerted the military, which ought to have had planes in the air moments after the FAA control learned of the takeover... Consider what he accomplished: 1. He set in motion the installation of a secret Congress. 2. His administration marched far forward with its program for restricting civil rights and tightening immigration rules. 3. He started a shooting war in Afghanistan against a group of people—the Taliban—with whom the administration was quietly negotiating last summer... Bush protected himself and his friends. What he left uncovered was the rest of us." Impeach Bush Now!

An Inadequate Question: 'What Did They Know and When Did They Know It?'
17-May-02
September 11 Opinions

"The conflicts of interest and the secrecy of this administration seem to take on a sinister tone. 'What did they know and when did they know it' seems an inadequate question. The question of the loyalty of George W. Bush and his administration to this United States of America seem to be in doubt. George W. Bush's administration has attempted to blanket its actions in secrecy, wrote the text for the USA Patriot Act which subverts our Constitution and Bill of Rights and has pushed for the financial profits of Mr. Bush's immediate family through its connections to the military supplier and former partner with the bin Laden family, The Carlyle Group. It is time for all citizens of this country to stand as one in the face of George Bush and his minions. It is time for all of us to rise and demand answers and complete disclosure." So writes Bridget Gibson in LiberalSlant.

911 Families Are Enraged by Revelations about Bush
16-May-02
September 11 Opinions

"Who can we trust? I can't trust anybody," said Carmen Shardone, whose brother, Jorge Velasquez, was killed when two jets slammed into the WTC... "I blame the government. If they knew, why didn't they tell us?" she said. Stephen Push, a Virginia man whose wife of 21 years, Lisa Raines, was killed aboard the hijacked plane that hit the Pentagon said his wife would have changed her travel plans had there been a public warning about the threat. "It's shameful that they know as much as they did and didn't warn anyone," Push told The AP. "They put the business interests of the airlines above the lives of the citizens."... "I felt from day one that it was a cover-up," said Stuart Zucker, who lost his 27-year-old brother Andrew when the WTC collapsed. "My brother was murdered because Bush and his administration decided to keep it quiet that they had some information that there may be a hijacking or the al Qaeda or Osama bin Laden may be involved in some sort of terrorist attack," Zucker said.

It's (Nearly) Unanimous: Folks Want a 9-11 Investigation
25-Apr-02
September 11 Opinions

Truthout asks, "Do you support a thorough public investigation of the events leading up to the September 11th attacks that would include but not be limited to, what warnings and information the executive branch of our government received about the attacks prior to September 11th., and full disclosure of all contracts awarded to all private entities with direct contacts to the executive branch as a result of the attacks?" Over 99% say yes.

Kathleen Parker Battles Paranoid Bored Internet Conspiracy Theorists (Part 3)
24-Apr-02
September 11 Opinions

Orlando Sentinel columnist Kathleen Parker received so much e-mail after attacking Cynthia McKinney that her in-box is bouncing. So instead of attacking McKinney, Parker is now attacking internet users, who are all bored and crazy. "Americans have too much time on their hands; the Internet is the new asylum." Gee, Kathleen, if you're reading our e-mail, you're a fellow inmate! Parker says Bush could not have been involved in 911 because (a) he's too stupid and (b) there were no leaks. While (a) is true, no one ever said Cheney was stupid, and we all know that he really runs the government while Bush poses for pictures with children. As for (b), this administration is ferocious about leaks - just ask Karl Rove and Karen Hughes. Still, we're fascinated by what Parker leaves OUT of her Bush defense - the idea that Bush is too moral to have been part of a plot to kill over 3,000 Americans. In other words, even Parker realizes that Bush's heart is as cold as the Arctic Circle.

Skeptical of the Official 9-11 Story? It's All in Your Head - or Your Computer
17-Apr-02
September 11 Opinions

Beware! ABC News' Dean Schabner reports (horrors!) "There are voices popping up on Internet Web sites, in chatrooms and making the rounds in e-mail chains - even some conspiracy theorists who are packing hundreds of people into lecture halls - saying that evidence points to some direct level of involvement in the attacks by the U.S. government... These days, conspiracy mongers have new and potent allies in the Internet and e-mail, which allow them to grab hold of and instantly spread any new nuggets that fits their construction... Working on the Internet feeds the conspiracist's way of thinking. 'The architecture and the structure of it, with the ability to hyperlink and cut and paste kind of mirrors conspiracy thinking,' he said. 'The medium mirrors the mindset. Everything is interconnected.'" Hey Dean - how about reporting some facts, instead of smearing us all as nuts? E-mail dean.schabner@abc.com

Democrats.com Poll: Did the Bush Administration Know About the September 11 Attack in Advance?
16-Apr-02
September 11 Opinions

When the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Web poll reported 46% said "I think officials knew it was coming," they scrubbed their own poll and called Cynthia McKinney "nutty." What do you think? (1) Absolutely not! It was an unprovoked surprise attack by Islamic terrorists who hate America. (2) Not really. There were warning signs, but no one connected the dots because we never expected an attack anything like this. (3) They should have known, but they prevented the FBI from investigating Saudi Arabian support for terrorism to protect their rich oil buddies. (4) Sort of. They didn't know the exact kind of attack, but they knew some kind of attack was coming. (5) Yeah. They knew something was coming, and they didn't try to stop it because they wanted an excuse to take control of Central Asian oil. (6) Absolutely! They secretly planned the attack to justify a takeover of Central Asian oil for their oil company donors. (Registration required).

A Shockingly High Number of Americans Think the Bush Administration Knew 9-11 Was Coming
14-Apr-02
September 11 Opinions

At Democrats.com, we don't consider Web polls to be scientific in any way, so we don't often cite the results of such polls. But this Web poll by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is shocking, even if it is not scientific. With all of the controversy surrounding Rep. Cynthia McKinney's statements, the AJC asked: "Are you satisfied the Bush administration had no advance warning of the Sept. 11 attacks?" Shockingly, 46% said "No. I think officials knew it was coming." This is a large Web poll, with 23,145 participants. Is this poll completely skewed, or does this in any way reflect the sentiments of the American people? We challenge the pollsters to ask probing questions about Americans' attitudes about September 11 and the "official story" told by the Bush administration and the media.

 


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