I believe that all people everywhere — regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or skin color — yearn for a more peaceful, healthy, equitable world. I also believe that a precondition for such a world is a high regard for seeking and speaking the truth, especially in relation to powerful governments which, history has made clear, often lie to and deceive their own people.
By the same token, I have long believed that we ordinary U.S. citizens have an obligation to continually question the pronouncements of our own government, particularly regarding matters that have caused, or could cause, suffering and death to others.
One such matter is the “9/11” destruction of the World Trade Center in New York. Thus far, very few Americans, for fear of being labeled as “unpatriotic” or “conspiracy theorists” have dared to publicly question the U.S. government’s official explanation of what happened on that fateful day, as laid out in the report by the hand-picked members of it 9/11 Commission.
Fortunately, many Americans have slowly if not immediately, come to question the government’s explanation. And now, in the wake of the 20th anniversary of that horrible event, still more are making their doubts known. Several local local citizens have recently done so in writing on the Recorder’s editorial pages, and I wish to thank them. They include Jonathan Mark, Patricia Greene, Jonathan von Ranson and Martin Schotz.
As Patricia Greene said in her guest editorial, we don’t have to be sure of — and, I would add, we may never be sure of — all that happened on and leading up to Sept. 11, 2001. But clear evidence strongly suggests that what we can be quite sure of is what did not happen — as has been publicly stated for many years by over 3,000 professional architects and engineers (check out their website: ae911truth.org).
For anyone wishing to read a detailed account of all the reasons why the government’s official 9/11 account is almost wholly beyond rational belief, please read David Ray Griffen’s authoritative and extremely well-researched 2006 book, “Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11.” Griffen is a retired Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Theology at the Claremont School of Theology in California.
May the full truth someday be revealed, and believed.
Randy Kehler lives in Shelburne Falls.