The War For History

In case anyone has forgotten today marks the eighth year anniversary of the attacks that occurred on September 11th, 2001. For many of us this marks a day of remembrance, reflection, and grief. However, for the tinfoil hat brigade today is recruitment day. This is the day all the crazies come out of the woodwork to preach their paranoid fantasies in the faces of those who lost so much on that terrible day. Despite a complete lack of compelling evidence for these conspiracy theories, these zealots continue to profane the solemn ceremonies of those who still mourn in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. Last year I penned an article which addressed the conspiracy nuts and their vile fantasies as being exactly that. I am posting that same article here today below the fold.

As many of you are obviously aware, today is “Patriot Day” (A.K.A. the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks). This terrible day precipitated what is now known as the “War on Terror”. Today my writing will be focused upon a different kind of war altogether here on the home front.

The war we face at home is the war for history. There is a growing movement that started within the online community as the “911 Truth” movement. This movement is predicated on wild conspiracy “theories” (as a scientist, I find the use of the word theory offensive as it relates to conspiracy myths) that the attacks which occurred on September 11, 2001 were planned and orchestrated by the U.S. Federal Government.

Of course I expect such rantings from paranoid, tinfoil hat-wearing, conspiracy-of-the-month cranks. These folks believe all kinds of crazy bullshit. Unfortunately the 9/11 conspiracy myth has been gaining acceptance among ranks of people who aren’t paranoid schizophrenics who have gone off their medication. Why is this? Simply put, paranoid, tinfoil hat-wearing, conspiracy-of-the-month cranks now have their own websites. They can make crappy, sensationalist “documentaries” and post them on You Tube for the entire world to see. If these websites and films are constructed artfully enough they may convince viewers who are willing to suspend their skepticism and critical thinking skills.

This 9/11 conspiracy nonsense has been thoroughly debunked by numerous experts in the fields of demolition, metallurgy, structural engineering, and fire safety. One would think this would nip this so-called “911 Truth” movement in the bud, but it hasn’t. Why is this the case? I can only speculate that the unpopularity of the current executive administration is fueling this paranoid nonsense. The events on that Tuesday morning seven years ago had a profound effect on the people of this nation. It was a senseless attack perpetrated by senseless people. As unsatisfying as that is, it is the truth. The “911 Truth” movement is a vehicle to appoint a scapegoat for those horrible events and the most convenient scapegoat is President Bush.

I myself am not a big fan of the current administration, but I refuse to let my distaste for President Bush and his policies impair my ability to think rationally. For starters, if there was a conspiracy behind the 9/11 attacks, there would have had to literally be hundreds of accomplices to pull it off. Ever try to plan a surprise party? It’s hard enough to get 20-25 people to keep that secret from one person for a few weeks. Try getting 4 or 5 hundred people to keep a secret about the cold-blooded murder of nearly 3,000 people from the entire world for SEVEN YEARS. I assert it cannot be done. Hell, the Watergate scandal was a perfect example of a government conspiracy. We all know how well that cover-up worked out.

Dylan Avery, a pimply faced high-school kid living in his mom’s basement, blew the lid off the so-called 9/11 conspiracy with his pseudo-documentary “Loose Change”. “Loose Change” is a film that outlines the 9/11 conspiracy and is the favorite recruiting tool for the “911 Truth” movement. I would submit however, that “Loose Change” is definitive proof that there was no government conspiracy. My reasoning behind this is simple. If there was a government conspiracy, it must follow that high-ranking officials within the military and other government organizations were willing to massacre nearly 3,000 innocent civilians to make this event happen and to cover up the truth. So it follows that these conspirators would have no qualms killing off some pimply-faced high school kid and taking down his website. If the conspiracy is real, why is Dylan Avery still breathing? He could have been killed and his website could have been taken down long before anyone even took notice of him. The fact that he’s alive and his “documentary” has been downloaded by millions of people proves the conspiracy is hogwash.

So why is this important to me? It’s important because when false, alternative histories are being circulated, it sullies the memory and grief of those who lost so much on that day. Conspiracy nuts don’t care about that. Their own narcissism and self-importance is all that matters. These people get off on tragedy finding ways to warp it to fit their twisted world view. As far as they see it, they are elite heroes who see a truth that only a few people can accept. It’s the sad ego centrism of those who have accomplished little but feel entitled to a sense of self-importance. The events that occurred on September 11, 2001 mark a tragic day in our history. We should not let the egos of a few paranoid nuts be the basis for which history remembers that day.

Here are some links to these tinfoil hat-wearing narcissists.

http://911truth.org

(A popular site for conspiracy nuts)

http://www.infowars.com

(This site is run by paranoid whackjob Alex Jones. This guy is nuttier that squirrel shit. I almost feel sorry for him…almost.)

http://www.loosechange.com

(Not really a bad film for a pimply-faced high-school kid…even though its complete bunk.)

And here are some links shooting down their house-of-cards version of the 9/11 attacks.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1227842.html

(From Popular Mechanics magazine, this article de-bunks the 911 conspiracy myth…and does so with college graduates)

http://screwloosechange.blogspot.com/

(A point-per-point debunking of “Loose Change”)