Unless you are REALLY not paying attention, then you know Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11. In these 10 years, it's hard to say what we have learned about the who, what and why of the events that took place that day. We had an official inquiry, but even many members of the investigative committee don't believe they got more than a smidgen of the information needed to answer the majority of our nagging questions.
Since so much about 9/11 is shrouded in mystery, conspiracy theories galore have proliferated. There are significant numbers of Americans -- and I am one of them -- who believe that our own government had a hand in the death and destruction that was wrought that day. Some people think the Bush administration carried out a false flag operation. Others believe that the federal government knew of the impending attacks, but did nothing to stop them. And there are others like me who aren't sure how the government was involved, but feel the government played a role in some manner.
While I'm a big fan of Bill Maher, he is one of the pundits who pooh-poohs almost every conspiracy theory out there. Like so many others, he rests his judgment on one core argument: In 10 years there has been no leak or smoking gun to indicate our government played a role, so this proves that they didn't. The thinking here is that it would be impossible for the federal government to keep a tight lid on its culpability and so it is foolish to think otherwise.
While this perspective appears rational on first blush, it doesn't match up with history. If we look back over the past 100 years, there have been many instances in which the federal government has carried out nefarious activities and the truth only comes to light years or decades later.
For example, in December 1949, the US government authorized the release of significant amounts of iodine-131 into the atmosphere at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near the Tri-Cities area in south central Washington. Known as the "Green Run," scientists wanted to study the affects of radioactive contamination on an unknowing population.
Soon after this radioactive release and numerous others, area farmers found dead cows and other critters on their land. Some area residents complained of various ailments. Through the years a multiplicity of problems have risen from elevated rates of cancer to contaminated ground water to genetic mutations.
While many area residents and elected officials believed that something odious was going on behind the gates of Hanford, the government stonewalled all requests for information. Much of this information remains shrouded in secrecy today, some 62 years later!!
The first official confirmation that the Green Run truly took place was in 1986 or 37 years after it happened. Somehow the federal government was able to keep a tight lid on the secret for nearly 4 decades. So, if a secret could be kept for 37 years, why can't the secrets of 9/11 be kept for 10 years and counting?
Need another example? What about the revelations last year that US scientists had knowingly infected hundreds of Guatemalans with venereal diseases and then withheld antibiotics? These studies took place between 1946-48 and didn't come to light for 60 years. That is 6 decades that no one was the wiser!!
When our federal government has its hands dirty from the participation in reprehensible acts, they have shown a great propensity to shield the information of their culpability from inquiring minds. The information does come out sooner or later, but the track record is that it comes out a generation or two AFTER the fact.
This is no way proves that the Bush administration had a hand in 9/11, but the dearth of ironclad information does not disprove it either. We probably won't learn portions of the truth until the year 2061 at the earliest. By then, all the culpable individuals will be dead and gone.
Since so much about 9/11 is shrouded in mystery, conspiracy theories galore have proliferated. There are significant numbers of Americans -- and I am one of them -- who believe that our own government had a hand in the death and destruction that was wrought that day. Some people think the Bush administration carried out a false flag operation. Others believe that the federal government knew of the impending attacks, but did nothing to stop them. And there are others like me who aren't sure how the government was involved, but feel the government played a role in some manner.
While I'm a big fan of Bill Maher, he is one of the pundits who pooh-poohs almost every conspiracy theory out there. Like so many others, he rests his judgment on one core argument: In 10 years there has been no leak or smoking gun to indicate our government played a role, so this proves that they didn't. The thinking here is that it would be impossible for the federal government to keep a tight lid on its culpability and so it is foolish to think otherwise.
While this perspective appears rational on first blush, it doesn't match up with history. If we look back over the past 100 years, there have been many instances in which the federal government has carried out nefarious activities and the truth only comes to light years or decades later.
For example, in December 1949, the US government authorized the release of significant amounts of iodine-131 into the atmosphere at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near the Tri-Cities area in south central Washington. Known as the "Green Run," scientists wanted to study the affects of radioactive contamination on an unknowing population.
Soon after this radioactive release and numerous others, area farmers found dead cows and other critters on their land. Some area residents complained of various ailments. Through the years a multiplicity of problems have risen from elevated rates of cancer to contaminated ground water to genetic mutations.
While many area residents and elected officials believed that something odious was going on behind the gates of Hanford, the government stonewalled all requests for information. Much of this information remains shrouded in secrecy today, some 62 years later!!
The first official confirmation that the Green Run truly took place was in 1986 or 37 years after it happened. Somehow the federal government was able to keep a tight lid on the secret for nearly 4 decades. So, if a secret could be kept for 37 years, why can't the secrets of 9/11 be kept for 10 years and counting?
Need another example? What about the revelations last year that US scientists had knowingly infected hundreds of Guatemalans with venereal diseases and then withheld antibiotics? These studies took place between 1946-48 and didn't come to light for 60 years. That is 6 decades that no one was the wiser!!
When our federal government has its hands dirty from the participation in reprehensible acts, they have shown a great propensity to shield the information of their culpability from inquiring minds. The information does come out sooner or later, but the track record is that it comes out a generation or two AFTER the fact.
This is no way proves that the Bush administration had a hand in 9/11, but the dearth of ironclad information does not disprove it either. We probably won't learn portions of the truth until the year 2061 at the earliest. By then, all the culpable individuals will be dead and gone.
Can anyone who does follow the "official line" explain building 7 please?
ReplyDeleteGood question!!
ReplyDelete