Reply #61: Lots [View All]

[Kevin Fenton]

You understand me correctly - better to lose one tower, than both of them and half of Lower Manhattan.

The Clinton administration.

I really doubt the buildings would have collapsed, if it were not for the explosives. However, it appears that the impacts set off some of the explosives (for example, falling elevators caused overpressures and that set them off) and it may not have been possible to determine the extent of the damage caused by this. So, safety first.

(1) NORAD logged a plane hitting the North Tower at 8:48, so they must have known by then. (According to the official account), although they perhaps didn't realise the full gravity of the situation until 9:03. There were five fighters airbourne before 9:30. The two from Otis at 8:52 and the three from Langley at 9:29. (Actually, there might be more they're not telling us about).

(2) They were trying to cover up that:
(a) They had been a bit slow initially; and/or
(b) They shot United 93 down; and/or
(c) The second part of the response seems to have been delayed for some reason.

(3) The Andrews website was changed because it was misleading, embarassingly so. Many people believe that it means they have fighters on alert, but it doesn't and they didn't.

(4) The pilot undoubtedly had the required skill to hit the building, as he accomplished it. However, it wasn't Hani, because, although he had a ticket for the flight:
(a) There is no record in the SABRE system of him checking in;
(b) There is no reported sighting of him at the airport;
(c) He is not present on the surveillance video - the person the 9/11 Commission say is Hani is clearly much taller, fatter, has a beard and a different hairstyle;
(d) His remains were not identified at the Pentagon.

(5) There is some dispute about the timing of "the order still stands", another report (I forget which one) puts it later. It could be an order to shoot down, not shoot down or blow up the WTC. We don't know.