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© Copyright 2004, From The Wilderness Publications, www.fromthewilderness.com. All Rights Reserved. May be reprinted, distributed or posted on an Internet web site for non-profit purposes only.
Choose Your Side and Choose it Now!
The 9/11 Rollercoaster May become the Pivotal Issue in Election 2004
By
Michael C. Ruppert
[This brief memo from Michael C. Ruppert quotes in full the recent Statement from the 911 Family Steering Committee. That Statement endorses the 911Commission Report - which means that FTW and the 9/11 Truth Movement in general ought never to claim any concrete affinity with the Family Steering Committee. It's possible - and important - to remain on genuine good terms with that afflicted group, though their judgment has predictably and tragically lapsed at a crucial moment. But it must be absolutely clear that the FSC position has no endorsement whatsoever from FTW and activists seeking full exposure of those tragic events. In terms of official positions, the Kean Report and its every adherent must be rejected explicitly - though this does not preclude the maintenance of respectful relations and possible future rapprochements. As for the patterns and manipulations that resulted in the FSC's position, it's all-too-familiar. -JAH]
Most of those who read this are still in shock at the abhorrent failure of the Kean 9/11 Commission to address any of the serious unanswered questions about the attacks. Some of us "old timers" are just yawning and asking, "What did you expect?"
The 9/11 Family Steering Committee has released a statement which, in essence, endorses that report. While the FSC statement (appended below) expresses frustration about some remaining unanswered questions, it is essentially a capitulation.
For this reason, it's extremely important that the Family Steering Committee should in no way be portrayed, acknowledged, or referenced as representative of "mainstream" 9/11 research thought. No group, leader, organizer or previous spokesperson should endorse their stated position in any way. To do so would be a complete betrayal of us, and no one who did this should have any rightful claim to being a leader - or even janitor - anywhere near this movement.
Disagreement with the families need not and should not be confrontational. But the line must be absolutely clear. There is great future news potential in that for us if events move our way. If we "fuzz" the lines, we blow the chance later on. At some point, the families just might want to have the opportunity to come back and say, "We were fooled. Thanks to the 9/11 research community for hanging in there."
That possibility is much closer than you may think.
How could they ever say that if any of us who have worked so hard for almost three years agreed with their initial position, thus also endorsing the report? The controversy over Bill Clinton's National Security Advisor Sandy Berger "pinching" documents from the national archives is only one signal that 9/11 isn't dead and buried. The fact that the Kean Commission has refused to disband and will likely stay in operation through the election is another.
This election will be "to-the-death" and no holds barred. Anything can happen. 9/11 has a shot at becoming the pivotal issue in the 2004 election.
Any leader who signs on with the family group statement must be publicly "shunned" (politely but clearly) as a matter of the 9/11 truth movement's self-preservation and integrity. The bad guys muddy the water. The good guys want to clear it. Thus, if one of our "leaders" agrees with the Steering Committee statement, then - to the extent of that person's influence (especially if unchallenged) - the rest of us just acquired a heavier burden of proof and might not have a leg to stand on.
Endorse even a part of this report and you endorse all of it. Fraud is fraud. Perjury is perjury. Obstruction of Justice is Obstruction of Justice. Murder is murder. Choose your side and choose it now!
What happened with the 9/11 families is exactly what I said would happen with them two and half years ago when I urged other activists to read Kiss the Boys Goodbye by Monica Jensen-Stevenson. That book describes in detail how the POW/MIA families were systematically manipulated to produce the same result. I witnessed part of the latter stages of that. It was, tragically, very effective. (Stevenson, a former producer at 60 MINUTES, was one of the first subscribers to FTW.)
That group was five-to-ten times larger than the 9/11 families and the process lasted more than a decade. Containing the FSC has been child's play for the seasoned professionals involved. What I said would happen with the 9/11 families, happened. Family groups get manipulated. The sun rises in the east.
Some will express surprise and shock about all the things the Commission "didn't" do or ask.
From the start the Commission has behaved exactly as I and many others said the Commission would. Why should anyone be surprised or even act like it?
This "final" report is a big yawn in most respects. But because of the work done by some who are viewed as less-than-fully-committed, the report also contains some absolute evidentiary treasures far exceeding anything left by the Warren Commission. And the information age is allowing us to do in days, what took years in the 1960s; pull it apart, piece by piece.
As far as achieving any unity in the 9/11 truth movement, it is a lost cause. There is no need for delusion or wasted effort. And unity may not matter much.
What matters? Activist public pressure through outreach. What matters more? A commitment that nothing can shake, discourage or intimidate.
Things are moving faster all the time. The only U.S. legislator to take an unambiguous stand against the official lies of 9/11 is former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. She won her primary this week, defeating all her Democratic opponents so soundly that no runoff election can be called. McKinney is headed toward re-election in November. Who knows what she will say about 9/11 or what encouragement she might receive to do that?
For better or worse, our world will be very, very different before this year is out. But this is the time when battle lines are being drawn by all sides. There will be no "tomorrows" after that.
Mike Ruppert
The Family Steering Committee for the 9/11 Independent Commission Statement Regarding the Final Report
July 20, 2004
Since December of 2002, and the passage of Public Law 107-306, the Family Steering Committee has scrupulously followed the course of the 9/11 Commission. In fact, from the Commission's very inception, the FSC sought to maintain a close working relationship with the Commission by providing it with our documented research, along with the questions it generated, and by communicating our concerns about the progress of the investigation.
While we believe that our concerns were acknowledged, we had also hoped that more of our questions and those of the American public would be fully addressed during the public hearings, or at the very least, discussed in the prepared staff statements. Yet today, many of our collective questions remain unanswered. (NOTE: Our questions are posted at www.911independentcommission.org.)
These questions must be comprehensively addressed and clearly answered by the Commission in the final report so that everyone is able to understand and assess our nation's past and current security policies, protocols and procedures. Our objective has always been to better protect and defend our nation from the ongoing threat of terrorism.
Although we have made some progress since September 11th, preliminary 9/11 Commission reports and witness testimony illustrate that we remain vulnerable and at great risk of a future attack. Many of the deadly mistakes and failures that contributed to the terrorists' success on 9/11 have yet to be corrected. The "vital dialogue and debate" that our elected leaders espoused has been cast aside because of election year politics. The vulnerabilities in our security network cannot be rectified until they have been identified through a process in which issues are thoroughly examined, witnesses are fully questioned, accountability is wholly assigned and sound conclusions are ultimately drawn. It is only after this vetting process that we - the American people - can be confident that critically important changes and reforms will be expeditiously implemented.
While there were great acts of heroism performed by many people on 9/11, there were also colossal systemic failures that occurred. Many of these failures can be attributed to government agencies and institutions whose very responsibility it was to keep New York City, Washington, D.C., airline passengers and the rest of America safe. And, while a thorough examination of these types of failures might prove politically uncomfortable for some, the nation must have the courage to withstand constructive criticism so that we can fix these problems, as they continue to plague our national security apparatus to this very day.
There is much work that remains to be done, and it is our hope that the Commission's final report will serve as a guide for our elected leaders to the areas and issues that must be addressed, assessed and reformed. We do not want the recommendations and findings of this report to sit idly on a shelf until after the next attack - to do so would be to dishonor and defile the memories of our loved ones. We look forward to working cooperatively with the Commission and government officials towards this end.
Finally, because of the political environment in which this report will be issued, we respectfully request that discussion of its findings and recommendations transcend partisan, election-year politics. We call upon President Bush and Congress to expedite implementation of the needed reforms in order to ensure the security of our great nation.
Time is of the essence.
The Family Steering Committee
Carol Ashley, Mother of Janice Ashley, 25
Bill Harvey, Widower of Sara Manley Harvey, 31
Kristen Breitweiser, Widow of Ronald Breitweiser, 39
Patty Casazza, Widow of John F. Casazza, 38
Beverly Eckert, Widow of Sean Rooney, 50
Mary Fetchet, Mother of Bradley James Fetchet, 24
Monica Gabrielle, Widow of Richard Gabrielle, 50
Mindy Kleinberg, Widow of Alan Kleinberg, 39
Carie Lemack, Daughter of Judy Larocque, 50
Sally Regenhard, Mother of Christian Michael Otto Regenhard, 28
Lorie Van Auken, Widow of Kenneth Van Auken, 47
Robin Wiener, Sister of Jeffrey Wiener, 33
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