What do you think happened on 9/11?

[Baltar]

I lean toward LIHOP(they let it happen on purpose)

Lines of evidence:

ignored warnings
Cheney energy task force in early '01 used maps of Iraqi oil fields, also the Caspian oil thing with Afghanistan
9/11 conveniently happened after the Taliban's destruction of the opium crop, now opium growing has skyrockjeted on our watch. Drug money could be propping up the markets in this otherwise Orwellianly shitty economy
The unprecedented failure of NORAD on 9/11
Lotsa money made by people connected to the Bush Administration in the aftermath(Halliburtin, Carlyle Group, Eisenhower's Military industrial complex).
PNAC-if you havn't heard of it-do a search.

I know a lot of this is circumstantial, but there is SO DAMN MUCH.

Vocabulary in poll: MIHOP-made it happen on purpose
LIHOP-let it happen on purpose

[C.J.Woolf]

I think the Bush administration are idiots, but 9/11 (the Pearl Harbor of our generation) might have happened on anyone's watch.

If "they" let it happen on purpose then they sacrificed one of their own: Barbara Olsen, wife of Solicitor General Ted Olsen and an important Republican operative in her own right.

I believe the ruling elite freaked out over 9/11 because they fly. They fly a lot. And al-Qaida could have hit DC. 9/11 was close to home for them.

[LongSilence]

I think many of the people with the power to get things done thought to themselves: "Its not worth investing the necessary resources to research and possibly defend against.". Partly out of American arrogance and sense of invulnerability and perhaps partly because a few might not have thought it to be not that bad a thing to happen.

I think there were obviously some people lower down with real fears about its potential for being carried out but that they lacked the influence and the actual irrefutable and undismissable evidence.

[airjaw]

there needs to be an option for

"it was a long time coming"

sorry but i'm with ron paul on this one. we can't go around causing shit all over the world and get all upset when it hits home. i don't think it had to do with the bush administration's actions solely but rather just a buildup of all the previous policies of past decades of administrations.

[trapstar]

I can't seem to make my mind up, I can safely say that a lot of things seem weird about 9/11 but I just can't muster up the willpower to do my own research... and why should I. I hate america either way (not the people)
but right now I'm leaning towards that they made it happen

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com <-- nice film about three topics, christianity, 9/11, and the banker conspiracy. a lot better than "loose change", which I view as a pure bullshit and unoriginal research

On the banker conspiracy I can only say that it's not so much of a conspiracy as it is the reality of a capitalist system. This only seems like some kind of proto-socialist ideas

[rhinosaur]

9/11 (the Pearl Harbor of our generation)I don't think it's accurate to compare 9/11 to Pearl Harbor.

I have a hunch that we had enough intelligence to predict an attack by Al Qaeda on US soil, possibly involving the use of commercial aircraft. I also believe that we had the option to destroy the planes before they made impact. If you were in power, would you destroy the planes and be responsible for hundreds of civilian deaths, or would you let the terrorists do it, and get revenge later?

I think that our leaders were not willing to sacrifice those planes before the terrorists were done with them.

[Lateralus]

What really happened on 9/11?

It was my fault. I had an uncle born on 9/11/62. I was born on 9/11/75. I had a brother born on 9/11/88. I was supposed to have a child on 9/11/01 (to keep the pattern going), but I didn't. I have been trying to tell everyone it's my fault for over 5 years, but no one will listen. I will try much harder to save the world next time (when 9/11/14 rolls around).

[omnirook]

The connections between the Bush Family and the bin Laden Family are - ?! The connections between Osama bin Laden and the CIA and the war in Afghanistan v the Soviet Union are -?! The connections between the Saudi Royal Family and world-wide terrorist organizations are - ?! ... In other words, there's a whole lot of smoke, and, as they say, "Where there's smoke, there's usually fire" ... Years ago, I more or less concluded that what the public takes for "reality" is really just a show. These bastards are all in bed together. I've seen it w/my own eyes on the small scale of right and left extremist groups in the US. There's no point in Neo-Nazi's marching if Jews and blacks don't turn out to protest, so deals are made. There's no point in making speeches about racism if the Klan doesn't show up to boo, so deals are made. The cash comes down through the groups that wouldn't embarrass the government, but then it gets disbursed to wherever it has to go. It's a crooked world. Did our government turn a blind eye to the possibility of the 9/11 attacks? I don't know - nor will anyone ever know. However, if you think about it calmly, it would be much better for us if the government did: after all, at least then the US Government would not be as incompetent as it would have had to have been for 9/11 to happen and at such tax payer expense ... It doesn't matter. What matters is the fiendish feeding frenzy that's been going on since - the hundreds of billions that have been gobbled up by every scumbag who was ever in any way remotely connected to security. Billions and billions and billions just thrown at every hare-brained scheme to jump off the back of the old envelope that some schmuck used as his scrap paper in cooking up yet another piece of expensive junk that Uncle Sam would buy. And, of course, the filthy, unconstitutional, fascistic arrogance and power grabbing that has characterized the Pig's administration since 9/12. 500 skyscrapers destroyed and 200,000 dead would not have done the damage that George Dubya The Pig Bush has done to this country!

[Ferrus]

500 skyscrapers destroyed and 200,000 dead would not have done the damage that George Dubya The Pig Bush has done to this country!
I remember a debate I attended about civil liberties versus 'the terrorist threat', and it was noted that 'terrorists can destroy buildings, only a nation can destroy its own values'.

[LongSilence]

The connections between the Bush Family and the bin Laden Family are - ?! The connections between Osama bin Laden and the CIA and the war in Afghanistan v the Soviet Union are -?! The connections between the Saudi Royal Family and world-wide terrorist organizations are - ?! ... In other words, there's a whole lot of smoke, and, as they say, "Where there's smoke, there's usually fire" ... Years ago, I more or less concluded that what the public takes for "reality" is really just a show. These bastards are all in bed together. I've seen it w/my own eyes on the small scale of right and left extremist groups in the US. There's no point in Neo-Nazi's marching if Jews and blacks don't turn out to protest, so deals are made. There's no point in making speeches about racism if the Klan doesn't show up to boo, so deals are made. The cash comes down through the groups that wouldn't embarrass the government, but then it gets disbursed to wherever it has to go. It's a crooked world. Did our government turn a blind eye to the possibility of the 9/11 attacks? I don't know - nor will anyone ever know. However, if you think about it calmly, it would be much better for us if the government did: after all, at least then the US Government would not be as incompetent as it would have had to have been for 9/11 to happen and at such tax payer expense ... It doesn't matter. What matters is the fiendish feeding frenzy that's been going on since - the hundreds of billions that have been gobbled up by every scumbag who was ever in any way remotely connected to security. Billions and billions and billions just thrown at every hare-brained scheme to jump off the back of the old envelope that some schmuck used as his scrap paper in cooking up yet another piece of expensive junk that Uncle Sam would buy. And, of course, the filthy, unconstitutional, fascistic arrogance and power grabbing that has characterized the Pig's administration since 9/12. 500 skyscrapers destroyed and 200,000 dead would not have done the damage that George Dubya The Pig Bush has done to this country!

So... we'll take that as a vote for Shit happens?

[charred_heart]

Corrupt governments in the developing world stage disasters to further their agenda but even they avoid major landmarks. If the U.S government was of that sort (which is a stretch, they aren't a military dictatorship), they would have targetted some rural community somewhere - same shock effect with minimal financial loss.

I can't concieve of any government doing the kind of damage that was done on 9/11 to it's own country.

However, the U.S government did capitalize on the situation, no doubt about that.

[Ferrus]

However, the U.S government did capitalize on the situation, no doubt about that.
Not just the US government, or even just Western governments either. Many Middle Eastern regimes used the excuse of 'terrorism' to engage upon even more despotic rule (look at Uzbekistan), and Russia and China both used it as a fine invention to crush the legitimate grievances of the North Caucaus and Xinjiang.

[charred_heart]

Not just the US government, or even just Western governments either. Many Middle Eastern regimes used the excuse of 'terrorism' to engage upon even more despotic rule (look at Uzbekistan), and Russia and China both used it as a fine invention to crush the legitimate grievances of the North Caucaus and Xinjiang.yeah, them too.

[zhang_bob]

sorry but i'm with ron paul on this one. we can't go around causing shit all over the world and get all upset when it hits home. i don't think it had to do with the bush administration's actions solely but rather just a buildup of all the previous policies of past decades of administrations.I agree with you both on this.

It wasn't like Islamic extremists didn't already try to blow up the World Trade Center or attack US interests. And you also have to remember Clinton made an executive order calling for the arrest or assassination of Bin Laden, after the United States embassy bombings. So I don't really think it takes much to work out U.S. Mainland was the next target.

[Lateralus]

I can't concieve of any government doing the kind of damage that was done on 9/11 to it's own country.
I guess you haven't heard about the CIA "Family Jewels", where the CIA admits to testing drugs on US citizens without their knowledge. If that's what they're willing to admit, I wonder what they're still hiding.

[Larkin]

All but vanished from the publics memory is the coincidental and potentially as lethal, anthrax attacks. (Help me out on this; did anthrax or the world trade towers hit the news first?)

The mis-information about the letters sent to politicians and newsmen was chaotic. Nothing was ever resolved except that the genetic trail led back to domestic government labs. Then it was announced that the trail had ran cold and as of today it is hardly mentioned.


My little theory is that there are interests in this country that wanted a war for the same old reasons, to make money and as an excuse to secure control of the mid-east oil. It was Cheney that said they needed a Pearl Harbor type attack to galvanize the population. Had the anthrax attacks been more successful, it could have killed thousands and spread irrational fear all over. One thing for sure was that the letters had to be mailed before 9-11 (a significant date for the Islamists after all they had attacked 9 years before)

The real irony was that the anthrax was a failed attack by these interests that it was totally overshadowed by the burning trade towers. The anthrax attacks was an ineffective blunder that was gradually made to disappear.
With the emergence of the dept of homeland security and thousands of internal investigations this case is considered dead. Some of the letters said praise Allah, but that is not conclusive evidence. I can write praise Allah,

Army troops broke into a house in Eastern Iraq and killed people suspected of being Iranians aiding the insurgency. To prove this to the news crew, they held up a map of Iran that they had found in the debris. The map was printed in English. I don't trust the news anymore.

[Spartan26]

It was just in the past couple of months that some of those CIA and/or FBI plots were revealed. Some real Mission Impossible/Get Smart kind of stuff. If they're going to attempt some of the bs things that they did, why shouldn't I believe they'd attempt a 9/11 scale event? I think I may consider potential conspiracies beyond the realm of cynicism for what people (govts) would do. Just thinking, "Oh yeah, everybody in office is scratching everybody else's back to rule the world" I don't think is that helpful either.

I can't say I've read that much alt media on 9/11. I wouldn't know what to believe. Not to say I'll swallow down everything on CNN, I kinda stick with what I think is reasonable. Four planes hijacked. Two hit the trade center. One the pentagon. One crashed in a field. If the last was shot down by US planes, ditched by the hijackers or went down in the struggle for the cockpit, believe it or not is inconsequential to me. While maybe not my option I could see why officials could've ordered it shot down there.

I think this nation could've been a lot "safer," maybe tighter regulations for safety, would be a better way to put. Anyway, those I think could've already been in place following the Oklahoma City bombing, which may've gone a long way to preventing what happened on 9/11 but people weren't going to allow for broader restrictions that happened after 9/11

I believe mistakes were made all around. I think it's a terrible shame, wait, I HUGE error, the way follow questioning and the investigation was conducted in that high ranking people were not compelled to talk, even with the option of immunity for negligence. Like even if it could've been averted with the Pres meeting more frequently w/the NSA, shouldn't we like know that instead of being afraid how it'd look for a political party? I don't worry about 4 more or even two more planes being hijacked simultaneously and crashing into bldgs. I wouldn't say I'm worried but do I think communication channels or strategy and implementation of action is at its potential effectiveness to assess and deter another terrorist threat? No, I think hubris won leaving millions at risk, albeit I'm not sure how high.

I'm not ready to call 9/11 an inside job. If for no other reason that I believe Bush would've found a way to put US troops in Iraq even if the events of 9/11 didn't happen. Or, if not Iraq, a potential "domino" country in the middle east to try to democratize. One with oil and vulnerable infrastructure, anyway.

[trapstar]

It was after 9/11.. I'm sure of it
I think this was to further the panic outside of US borders because letters can be sent everywhere in the world. There was talk of extreme caution in opening letters where the sender was unknown.

If the US government had nothing to do with the attacks they should have at least tried to capitalize on the fact that the whole world stood behind you in the weeks after the attacks. Not long after this Bush started to show his intentions. I still can't believe how blind you people were regarding the invasion of Iraq, the changes in homeland security and how utterly paranoid and obsessed with security your society became. I don't think the change was unintentional. Politics are never unintentional. Even if the attacks were carried out by islamic extremist there were never enough of them to be a real threat to your country. After 9/11; You angered every muslim in the world and have created more terrorists than ever before.

[Helios]

I'd love to believe someone out there had the brains and skill to completely stage 9/11, it maybe a goose-stepping one, but at least then the world would have some kinda future.

Instead I believe it was the result stupidity and chaos, both of which seem to be in plentiful supply to this day. Such will be the death of all of us.