Without warning, on the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 Islamic extremists, equipped with knives and box-cutters, hijacked four domestic flights almost simultaneously. The hijackers belonged to the terrorist group al-Qaeda and no other organisation was involved. Two of the planes were deliberately crashed into the World Trade Centre Twin Towers 1 and 2. Another was crashed into the Pentagon. The fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after the passengers tried to retake control. The Twin Towers both collapsed because of the plane impact damage and resulting fires. WTC Building 7 collapsed at 5:20pm due to widespread fires started by burning debris from the collapse of WTC1 hitting it.
The official account of the events of 9/11 have served as religious myth, a Sacred Story, since the day of the attacks themselves, when President Bush announced his intention to launch "a monumental struggle of Good versus Evil": “The War on Terror”. The removal of civil liberties from citizens of the US and other Western countries has been justified to the public as being part of this “War”, as have the occupations of both Afghanistan and Iraq. When anyone asks what right the administration has to invade and occupy other countries, to imprison people indefinitely without due process, or even to ignore various laws, the answer is always the same: "9/11." Those who believe that US law and international law should be respected are dismissed as having "a pre-9/11 mind-set."
Given the role the official account of 9/11 has played and continues to play, the most important question before us today is whether this account, besides being a Sacred Story, is also a myth in the pejorative sense—that is, whether it is simply false. When people raise questions about this Sacred Story’s relationship to reality, they are ignored, ridiculed as “conspiracy theorists”, denounced as blasphemers, or attacked personally.
But when challenges to it are not treated as blasphemy, it can easily be seen to be composed of a number of ideas that are myths in the sense of not corresponding with reality.
"It is wrong, blasphemous and sinful for you to suggest, imply, or help other people come to the conclusion that, the US government killed 3000 of its own citizens"
- Tucker Carlson to David Ray Griffin on ABC News
Before examining any physical evidence relating to 9/11, it is important to break down numerous barriers, or "think stops". These are 'large questions' relating to the plausibility of the claim at the surface level. These "think stops" can be thought of as sub-myths which are maintained in order to protect the 9/11 myth. If any one of these myths cannot be broken down, the physical evidence cannot be viewed intelligently and in the proper context.
The mainstream media, and anyone attempting to "debunk the 9/11 conspiracy theories", often need only appeal to one of the 'think stops' that immediately present themselves when this view is seriously considered. The most powerful think-stop of all is the myth of the conspiracy theorist. Because of the pejorative use of this term, many people do not want to consider the evidence for fear of being branded with this derogatory label. Other myths which dissuade people from examining the 9/11 myth include the following...
1. Our leaders would not do this...
… it is a despicable act of mass-murder.
… it is their job to protect us.
… they would not be so bold and think they could pull it off
2. Our leaders could not do this...
… this could never have been kept secret.
… there would be more witnesses
… there would be whistleblowers.
3. Our leaders had no motive...
4. The events have already been fully investigated...
5. We have proof that Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda were behind it...
6. If you really had evidence, more people would support you...
... US mainstream media
... international mainstream media
... academics
... Republican Party opponents
... foreign governments
Next Page: The "Conspiracy Theorist" Myth
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