Reply #24: I think... [View All]

[paulthompson]

That extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and I don't see the extraordinary evidence here to prove anything on this topic. But that goes for the official explanation, too. There's certainly a reasonable doubt, thanks in part to excessive secrecy and inadequate official investigations, and it's healthy to keep debating and researching this topic, and trying to learn more.

Here's a few bits from my book:

December 25, 2001: Experts: WTC Collapse Investigation “Inadequate”
The New York Times reports that “some of the nation’s leading structural engineers and fire-safety experts” believe the investigation into the collapse of the WTC is “inadequate” and “are calling for a new, independent and better-financed inquiry that could produce the kinds of conclusions vital for skyscrapers and future buildings nationwide.” Experts critical of the investigation include “some of those people who are actually conducting it.” They point out that the current team of 20 or so investigators has no subpoena power, inadequate financial support, and little staff support. Additionally, it has been prevented from interviewing witnesses and frequently prevented from examining the disaster site, and has even been unable to obtain basic information like detailed blueprints of the buildings that collapsed. The decision to recycle the steel columns, beams, and trusses from the WTC rapidly in the days immediately after 9/11 means definitive answers may never be known. (NEW YORK TIMES, 12/25/01)

January 4, 2002: Firefighter Magazine Scolds WTC Investigation
A firefighter trade magazine with ties to the New York Fire Department calls the investigation into the collapse of the WTC a “half-baked farce.” The article points out that the probe has not looked at all aspects of the disaster and has had limited access to documents and other evidence. “The destruction and removal of evidence must stop immediately.” It concludes that a growing number of fire protection engineers have theorized that “the structural damage from the planes and the explosive ignition of jet fuel in themselves were not enough to bring down the towers.” (NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, 1/4/02; FIRE ENGINEERING, 1/02)

There's also this entry in progress, which I'll do something with if I see more witnesses discussing bombs:

September 12, 2001 (C): A New York firefighter tells of his rescue work inside the WTC: "On the last trip up a bomb went off. We think there (were) bombs set in the building." (PEOPLE, 9/12/01) There are other witnesses who describe bombs. For instance, Teresa Veliz, who escaped from the 47th floor of the North Tower: "The flashlight led us into Borders bookstore, up an escalator and out to Church Street. There were explosions going off everywhere. I was convinced that there were bombs planted all over the place and someone was sitting at a control panel pushing detonator buttons. I was afraid to go down Church Street toward Broadway, but I had to do it. I ended up on Vesey Street. There was another explosion. And another. I didn't know where to run." (September 11: An Oral History, Dean E. Murphy, 2002, pp. 9-15)

I should point out that it is not beyond reason to think that al-Qaeda might have planted explosives. We should consider all possibilities. There are several sightings of some of the 9/11 hijackers in the WTC in the days before it fell. Then you have things like the Rocky Hammad case, which certainly raises eyebrows:

February 10, 2002: Driver’s License Examiner Dies in Suspicious Circumstances
Katherine Smith is killed one day before her scheduled appearance in court on charges she helped five Muslim terrorists get illegal drivers licenses. According to witnesses, she veered into a utility pole when a fire erupted in her car. She was burned beyond recognition. The FBI later determines that gasoline was poured on her clothing before she died in the fire and find that arson was the cause of death. (OAK RIDGER, 2/14/02) A suicide note was found, but prosecutors say they are looking for murder suspects. One of the five Muslims, Sakhera Hammad, was found with a pass in his wallet giving access to the restricted areas of the WTC, dated September 5, 2001. Hammad claims he was a plumber and worked on the WTC’s sprinkler system that day, but the company with exclusive rights to all WTC plumbing work has never heard of him. Smith was being investigated by the FBI; the five later plead guilty to charges of fraud. (ASSOCIATED PRESS, 2/13/02; REUTERS, 2/15/02; GO MEMPHIS, 2/12/02; MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 2/21/02) One month later, the coroner who examines her body is targeted by a bomb, which is defused. Then in June the coroner is attacked, bound with barbed wire, and left with a bomb tied to his body, but he survives. (MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 3/14/02)