The Truth About 9/11 Conspiracy Theories

With the upcoming release of the film "United 93," the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, have returned to the fore of public consciousness. While for many Americans such painful memories remain forever seared in their minds, for a small but vocal minority the Sept. 11 attacks have taken on a mythical character. These are the Sept. 11 conspiracy theorists.

If Web sites such as whatreallyhappened.com, 911truth.org and scholarsfor911truth.org (among countless others) are any indication, the Sept. 11 conspiracists have become a movement in their own right. Despite a host of differences, they share the belief that the widely accepted version of what happened on Sept. 11 is merely a front for a shadowy plot to fool the American people.

I am certainly glad that Ms Stillwell has both named those she is critiquing by name - as opposed to criticizing them in the abstract as is the manner preferred by many mainstream commentators - and provided her email for feedback. I will likely comment on her atrticle in more detail but for now I would only like to say that while juxtaposing many points of view (in a "A says this, B says that" way) she fails to analyze any of the arguments presented by either side on their merits.

If you care to write to her but have little time or would prefer to keep it short and sweet, here are a couple of ideas for you. Firstly, ask her why, if she thinks there is nothing wrong with the official theory of what happened, does the government feel it necessary to withhold video materials pertaining to the attacks that were shot from public places.

Then it might be a good idea for her to consider how it is possible for her - or anybody else, for that matter - to be so sure as to what brought down the three skyscrapers in New York if the scene was basically never properly investigated. I am not even delving into the physics of it - which, if one were to believe the official theory, would suggest that on that fateful day a great many things we had learned about mechanics and thermodynamics - laws that applied universally before and after, anywhere in the world - did not hold.

And last, but not least - does Stillwell believe the attacks happened on their own, or that there was only one person involved? Most likely, she does not; most likely, she believes there was a group of people behind them. In that case she believes there was a conspiracy there. Actually, so do I. In short, she is a conspiracy theorist. It just seems her conspiracy theory - which seems to be the same as the government's - is a rather weak one, to put it mildly. You may want to point that to her as well.

Overall, as a 9/11 skeptic I must say I am very glad to see this article of hers published in a large media outlet. That means the movement of which to some extent I am part is being taken seriously, and that is a good sign.

tags: 911  media