9/11 Conspiracies

Posted by Joshua Holland at 8:30 AM on June 5, 2006.

I'm getting lots of interesting e-mail about my piece on 9/11 conspiracism this morning (I haven't mustered the nerve to wade into the comments yet). Some compliment me for even going there, but many others share a theme that goes something like: 'why, oh why can't you see the truth that's right there in front of your eyes?'

The 9/11 "truth" folks ask only that we approach their research with an open mind. I did, and I'm the perfect candidate to be convinced. I believe we are -- to varying degrees -- always manipulated into wars, I have no reflexive belief in official accounts of events and I am genuinely convinced that the Cheneys and Rumsfelds that run the current administration are capable of anything.

Yet, despite the well-crafted videos and "independent research" I think that the World Trade Center was brought down by airplanes -- including building 7 -- that flight 77 did, in fact, hit the Pentagon and that flight 93 was not shot down by a jetfighter (although, when it comes to "Let's roll!" and all that, who knows what actually happened on that flight deck?).

So why can't I see the "truth" that' so obvious to others?

Well, for one, there's no hard evidence to support conspiracies about the Pentagon being hit by a missile or charges bringing down the WTC. An open mind means bathing not only 9/11 conspiracy theories, but also in their rebuttals. From molten steel to the supposed lack of jet debris in DC -- and the rest -- it's all been explained or refuted to at least a minimally satisfactory degree.

But even if that weren't the case, I still wouldn't be buying. My real problem -- what I think of as an insurmountable problem -- with the grander plots comes down to simple numbers.

As easy as it is to buy that there might be a small group of nutcases within the government who are capable of dastardly plots against American citizens in a manic quest for power, it's impossible for me to believe that there were hundreds, or thousands, of plotters and accomplices in on it. There aren't that many sinister figures around, and even if there were, someone would have talked. All of the more "out there" conspiracy theories require a lot of people.

Remember, a damn security guard stumbled over Watergate, and that was a far less shocking plot than blowing up the World Trade Center or the Pentagon.

Consider that when thinking through the 9/11 scenarios. Take the Pentagon missile theory. In the excellent conspiracy video, "Loose Change," we're shown exterior shots of other airplane crashes, and we're asked to compare them with exterior shots of the Pentagon after 9/11 (and one or two interior shots -- from several rings within the structure -- where an airplane part "punched through" an interior wall). Then we're shown exterior shots of some buildings that were hit by missiles, and I have to concede that the damage to the Pentagon resembles the damage from the missile strikes.

Now, forget the fact that the Pentagon is heavily reinforced to take an attack, whereas the buildings struck by missiles in the video were not.

That doesn't matter because we're then told that there was no airplane debris inside the destroyed building. No engines, no bodies, no … airplane.

If that were true, hundreds of specialized technicians -- actually, thousands -- would have to be in on it. Think about all the accident investigators, the low-level military personnel, the firefighters and rescue workers who showed up on scene. There were FBI and military investigators in the days that followed, and other technicians examined the debris and still others examined the human remains. All of those people were in on the fix? I think not.

The same applies to the World Trade Center demolition theories. There is a limited universe of Americans with the technical expertise to demolish a skyscraper by controlled implosion. There are probably thousands of people who have the know-how. I know that when they took down an old casino in Las Vegas -- a much smaller edifice -- it required a crew of several dozen three full days to set the explosives. All fo the wires and charges were visible. Now, think of how many workers would be required and how many hours they'd need to put in to wire up three giant skyscrapers -- without the charges showing. Where'd they find so many explosives technicians and how did they keep them from talking? It's just not plausible.

As to the specific issues I raised in the article, reader Scott S. points us to an article in Der Spiegel that casts quite a bit of doubt on the idea that some of those identified as hijackers are still alive and well. That story, too, seems to have been "debunked" -- at least to a degree.

Joshua Holland is a staff writer at Alternet and a regular contributor to The Gadflyer.