Smackdown 9 11

Transcript

0 SMACK DOWN 9-11 Globalist Agenda, Psychological Warfare and Ritual Slaughter at the World Trade Center TOM MODERN 0 1 Websites: Tom Modern Concepts: http://smackdown911.angelfire.com www.angelfire.com/planet/tommodern www.angelfire.com/ny5/bigfoot Disclaimer: I’d like to clear a couple of things right away. Firstly, everything herein pertaining to the 9-11-01 attacks is "alleged." The reader is invited to be enlightened, surprised, compelled or emotionally charged either way, but nothing else. Please do not read this book if you are extremely sensitive or are looking from the author or its publisher: a debate, money, a court case, a fight, attention, or trouble in general. By no means continue reading. For the rest of us, secondly, in a project of this magnitude, there are bound to be slight inaccuracies, so please forgive any. This book covers an immense amount of territory and was written in a full-bore, no holds barred manner. Since most 9-11 multimedia information in the days and months after the 9-11-01 was declared "pool" by mainstream media, in order to set aside our differences and work together as Americans, in that same spirit, and in the spirit of free speech, that information is presented here. God Bless America LET’S ROCK! -Tom Modern 1 2 CONTENTS: Introduction Paradigm Shift Prelude to Chaos The Sunning Panther Dash for the Trade Center: America's Mayor Soon After 9-11 Who Knew? 9-11 Sickness, The Forensic Search The Money Trail Numerology Para-Realities The Woolworth Building and the Feature Story that Would Never Be Kerikgate The Government Studies The 1993 World Trade Center Bombing All Roads Lead to Oklahoma City Oil's Well that Ends Well The Pentagon Strike Clinton Tried, Intel Lied Terror Policy Under Bush The Patriot Act Questions From Real People Bin Ladin The Hijackers 9-11 Congress J oint Inquiry The 9-11 Commission Winds Down 9-11 According to The 9-11 Report Danger, Debacles and Diamonds We Could Be Zeroes Hopkins Airport Mystery AA Flight 587 Terror Roundup and the 9-11 Climate 7-7-05 The FAA Transcripts The NORAD Tapes The 911 Tapes The Port Authority Transcripts The WTC Task Force Transcripts Towering Questions: Conspiracy Roundup The Anniversaries WTC Tenant's List 9-11-01 Victim's List The World Trade Center as Cipher Still Alive? The End of the Beginning 2 3 Introduction He that smacketh down shall be smackethed down. -Ancient proverb I suppose it was I. If anyone seemed to be in position to write the investigative story of the September 11th, 2001 attacks, I suppose it was I. I was in the right predicament. I was in New York. I had a background in the paranormal and conspiracy fields. I began the foundations of this project early enough to take advantage of a growing, evolving, local 9-11 story. I was not in harm's way on 9-11-01---yet close enough to experience the psychological fallout---but you might say that this project "fell on me." And I suppose I was just crazy enough to entertain the undertaking of it as a serious manuscript. This, plus I was just angry enough over losing a feature story on 9-11 in a New York weekly, that it caused me to take it into book form. Ideally, I wished Smack Down 9-11 could've come out earlier, but that's how it is with research, limited time and resources, publishing problems etc. Yet I hope much of this will still be new to even the most 9-11 savvy. The obvious question is, "how can anyone profit off of tragedy?" My answer to that is I haven't profited off of anything. At the time of this publication, I was not making a living off of writing and at times, it was a miracle that this project was even alive, given the enormity of the subject matter. My poverty during this period could be described as deplorable, my debts significant. And so I was not profiting off of tragedy, I was suffering off of tragedy. And I am also not going to sit here and say that a percentage 3 4 of the proceeds from this book are going to [enter charity], because the best charity at the moment is "moi." Deciding to write about 9-11 on any comprehensive level was actually career suicide. I could have written several books in the time it took me to write and research Smack Down 9-11---perhaps even writing myself out of the poorhouse. I really don't write for money though, and someone needed to expose 9-11 for what it really was. The ones who really profited off of tragedy should be the focus of a serious Securities Exchange Commission investigation. I was actually put out of work because of the 9-11 attacks. In the summer of 2001, I was an artist in the process of developing what I thought was a successful line of drawings sold on the streets of SoHo. I didn't typically work on Tuesdays though, the day of the 9-11 attacks, and so I didn't commute into the city. After 9-11, street commerce all seemed to die a quick, agonizing death. I never actually considered quitting this project during the first few years after 9-11, even after the going got a bit spooky in say about the 2003-2004 period (the year 2002 could be thought of as a conspiracy incubation period). What was not common knowledge in the general "9-11 truth movement" in the 2003-2004 time (probably because the movement was not cohesive yet), was that many 9-11 investigators seemed to retire, drop out of sight, or switch camps altogether. I believe this was because of the Orwellian climate. I also wouldn't rule out some quitting the ranks amid threats, electronic harassment, rumor of confiscated computer servers containing damning evidence, censorship, or a general undertone of ominous-ness. Even still, I believe that the researchers who did hang it up, did so because they were yella. But when the 9-11 bandwagon came back around, ringing and honking its horn---because so many Americans and Europeans began to warm up to the "9-11 as inside job" theory---many investigators jumped back on the hay wagon. "Hey! How's everybody doin'?" Others never came back on the wagon, some because they couldn't. Hunter S. Thompson, as I go into in a later chapter, may have been one of these. Some in possession of damning 9-11 evidence with easy addresses may have been paid a visit in these scary early years and convinced to hang up the towel, their servers confiscated. Some might even be taking a very long dirtnap somewhere quiet in the country. Who knows? I never left the post though, even though at times I felt as if I maybe should. And I don't wish to exaggerate here, but those days were lonely for the 9-11 investigator---lonely and scary. One of the little synchronicities that always kept me going during that time was that on many an instance, especially in the first couple of years of this project, I'd look at the clock or turn on live news radio and the time would be "9:11." This happened with such frequency that to me it was that little sign that kept me going, reminding me to keep on working. I don't think I'm alone in this little coincidence either. But getting back to the "climate of fear," nowadays---forget about it. Everyone's talking 9-11 conspiracy without fear of recrimination. The cat's too far out of the bag now. The Agents of 9-11 have receded into the landscape; its architects hopefully have other fish to fry. I'd also like to take this opportunity to convey the enormous respect I have for those lost on 9-11-01, and what happened to New York. That is why you will never see the words "Ground Zero" ever again in this book in terms of them being my own words. The previous description applies to a place where one annihilates one's enemies. Those were Americans at the World Trade Center. You will also never read from me the 4 5 observational statement, "It was just like a movie!" No, it was not just like a movie. Not even close. After a movie, all the actors go home. Nobody dies. I have also used specific spellings and abbreviations in this book like "Al Qida" and "Usama Bin Ladin" (UBL), because it was the way they appeared in DoD (Department of Defense) documents, intelligence documents and PDB's (Presidential Daily Briefs). They are also closest to the translation from Farsi. I have also used the dash in 9-11 and in dates, in place of the slash (9/11) only because I hate slashes. Smackdown 9-11 focuses primarily on the first five years after the attacks. If you think you've been told the whole story of 9-11-01, and the conspiracy theories are just the jibber-jabber of the tinfoil hat crowd, guess again, because once you get a good whiff of ink from this publication, your belief system could be challenged. But don't worry, because it's a brave New World Order out there. Were certain functionaries within our federal government, intelligence community, military and big corporations possibly so heinous as to be complicit, duplicitous, collusive, or permissive in aiding and abetting the 9-11-01 attacks on America? Was it in addition, as it's been alleged, the work of a foreign government, whose identity still remains classified? Was it a combination of the above, plus a globalist, New World Order, members-only, false flag* operation? This was what I intended to find out, but the hard truth remains that these questions may never be answered. Even still, I believe in asking the tough questions even in the absence of concrete answers. It's pro-active to me. And it's better than sitting there doing nothing. It has actually led to formulating some potential answers concerning the how's and why's of 9-11. On September 11 th 2001, I was on Staten Island. I had been an early riser then, much more so than now. And so when I switched on live news radio that morning at approximately 8:00 A.M, I was soon confronted by the mystery that something had just hit the World Trade Center. Had it happened today, I would have slept right through it. But I followed the action closely as it was reported by live news radio stations WCBS and WINS AM. The noteworthy points that I recall in the radio accounts were the eyewitness, who saw the North Tower hit, and said, "it looked like a military plane, definitely not a commercial airliner." I also recall hearing the loudest explosion I'd ever heard in my life. I knew, even from where I was, that it was bad down there---real bad. By about 10:30 A.M. that morning, I observed what was probably the two Otis Air Base jet fighters arriving, that had been dispatched over the skies of New York. And let me tell you, they were not merely flying overhead as a show of presence. They seemed pissed. These jets were juking and jiving, spinning, vectoring, Gettin' Jiggy Wid' It* (if that were at all possible)---and rightfully so. People were amped-up that morning, paranoid, confused, frightened, hysterical and the fighter pilots might’ve been out to display a show of lethal force to the citizens below; to show us not that everything was going to be okay, that they were there and nobody else in the world was going to FUCK WITH US THAT DAY ANYMORE---at least nobody who wanted to LIVE (until they got low on fuel sad to say). These (legitimate) pilots had probably just witnessed the collapse of the South Tower. I won't go into "phantom fighters" just yet. At some point that morning, after the towers collapsed, I became unsettled within about the legitimacy of these attacks: This is not right, something's wrong with this...I told myself. I felt that it was a ruse, that what I was hearing and experiencing was 5 6 not what it seemed, that it was all some big horse and pony show---a farce. I wonder how many others felt the same thing that morning? Yet this insight eventually faded, and I didn't cognitively bring it to the fruition of my beliefs for some time afterwards. And so for a time, that's what the impression remained to me---just an impression. That was until the start of this project in the spring of 2003. I first became interested in learning more about the 9-11 attacks because I was a New Yorker, and the fact that I didn’t understand these very complex series of attacks in my own city didn’t sit very well with me. I felt guilty. I was a part time writer working on novels and general tales of the paranormal, and I didn’t even understand the inner workings of 9-11. I then began going online and soon discovered a huge trove of data suggesting that 9-11 was a black operation of sorts---an inside job. Until then, common engineering and government explanations told us that the "platters" (the floors) of the World Trade Center, "pancaked" (or collapsed onto each other), causing the buildings to "smokestack" (implode uniformly), then the jet fighters were "scrambled*" too late. Platters? Pancakes? Smokestacks? Scrambled? I thought, what the hell collapsed here, an IHOP? Howard Johnson's? I began to think that 9-11 had to be an operation that encapsulated the Muslim fanatics "within the plot," using them as willful or unknowing participants or "patsies" to facilitate and/or exacerbate an already bad situation or ---as the Project for a New American Century* (PNAC) called it---America's “New Pearl Harbor.” The infamous PNAC language in its September 2000 essay, Rebuilding America's Defenses; Strategy, Forces and Resources For a New Century said, "Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catalyzing event like a new Pearl Harbor." On page fifty-one of Bob Woodward's Bush At War, it noted George W. Bush's personal diary entry for the night of September 11th 2001: "The Pearl Harbor of the 21st Century took place today..." Coincidence? I also began to think that many of these so-called "hijackers" were still alive after 9-11. As far as the "Globalist Agenda" part of my title, it appeared to be there. Allowing, facilitating or directly planning 9-11all in the name of foreign policy or a unique, unified global vision may have been the end game. The U.S. wanted to get into the Middle East for the oil and to maintain a stronger presence in the region because of its instability. In regards to some "classified" foreign government/s being culpable in the 9- 11 plot, these globalists may have wanted to attempt a power grab to garner new global clout, and may have been underwriters to the plot. Through economics, foreign countries have a great deal of say on what goes on in this country. The end result could be a frightening policy of uniform conformity of manifold ideals, a sterilization of sovereignty, a membership into a would-be cult, potentially leading to the solitary worship of "the one state," the "one idol god." The 9-11 attacks also included a "Psychological Warfare*" characteristic to them. This was in order to shock and bewilder the American public so completely (which I think they succeeded in doing) as to render them docile and pliable, like modeling clay, easily formed to go with whatever whim might be thrown at them. Fear and uncertainty are great catalysts. And you've got to wonder if the spreading of rumors 6 7 on 9-11 was the natural product of chaos, or was it a deliberate form of psychological warfare? As far as the "Ritual Slaughter" point of my title, there was no doubt power symbology and possibly even covert or outright occult immersion and Satanism existed in connection with the planning and execution of the 9-11 attacks. Although the evidence is not conclusive (and why would it be?), I intuitively felt this was the case. Combine this with several anomalies, including the 9-11 Transcript where one FDNY Firefighter* noticed while running through a small parking lot south of the Marriott Hotel, that a small building was completely gone from there already. It was "Obliterated." That small building was St. Nicholas, a small Greek Orthodox Church, which was located in a small lot just south of the South Tower. And this was pre-collapse of the South Tower. Was this the first occult sacrifice of 9-11-01?; the destruction of a Christian Church? In addition, a man seated in the business class section of AA Flight 11 Seat "9B," was stabbed and killed. Common explanations said he was trying to prevent the hijacking, but was this a power symbol and a sacrifice centered around the number "9," which cropped up so often in connection with 9-11 data (and the man being an Israel). The story being read at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, on the morning of 9-11, with President George W. Bush in attendance, was titled The Pet Goat. Say what you will about that, but the title could construe occult symbology and sacrifice. The goat's head is a common occult symbol and resembles the tips of a pentagram. The use of "scapegoats" is a connotation of ritual sacrifice. People also spotted evil faces in the smoke plumes from the World Trade Center, which could have been occult manifestation. And then there was the mystery over a FDNY Marine 6 transcript, a FDNY boat in New York Harbor on 9-11. The transcript seemed innocent enough, but a firefighter stated in his personal transcript that he had heard a Mayday scenario broadcasted by Marine 6 stating that they had observed a major collapse of 2 WTC an hour before the South Tower was even allegedly hit! With the scope of what happened that day, was this some sort of supernatural "glitch" of astronomical proportions? Firefighter J . B. J anuary 9 th , 2002: A: “I heard one communication regarding a Mayday situation which was transmitted by Marine 6, that they thought they had observed a major collapse of Tower number 2. While we were operating at this spot, we were there for approximately one hour before the second plane hit Tower number 2…” Probably the last train car in/out of the World Trade Center PATH Station on the morning of 9-11 was car number "666." This car seemed to be delivering some equipment and passengers. The Dispatcher put it on track "3." This was also on page "66" of the transcript. Did evil Agents of 9-11 commute in on this last train---or escape? It seemed like there was some supplemental "hoodo" going on at the Trade Center that day. 7 8 PATH Channel 026 Radio (R1) Trainmaster PATH Dispatcher: “That’s fine. And if you would just leave the equipment on one, and give me your operator car number please.” PATH One Conductor: “Six, six, six.” PATH Dispatcher: All right, thank you. (Pause) All right, (inaudible) I’m going to put you on three track…” Human sacrifice snakes back thousands of years in many cultures, and it may have reared its ugly head again through the immolation of victims on 9-11. In ancient Biblical times, people use to sacrifice to "Molech" in secluded places like ravines by placing a child in the hands of a red hot bronze idol, burning the infant to death in the most horrible of fashions. Ritual slaughter is also the centerpiece of Muslim jihadist philosophy. One only has to take into consideration the videos of ritual beheadings of westerners by their Muslim captors standing over them, reading passages from the Qu' ran. Another troubling occurrence was centered around the "9-11 Heroes Medal of Valor*." These were medals awarded to the family members of hero first responders who perished at the World Trade Center. The medal was approved by Congress and featured the victim's name set in a gold plated finish with the letter “V” for “victory.” This was all fine and well, but then the “V” for victory was nixed, becoming “H” for hero, and the name and finish was then set against a “star.” The article* stated that this star is often used on the badges of public safety officers. I then frowned because the star wasn’t really a star as much as it was a "pentagram." Since when is a star inverted, its tip pointing down? They seemed to be aligning with the occult symbology even post-9-11. The purpose of occult-addled ritual slaughter could have been to help ensure the success of the attacks, and to placate the evil forces behind them. It may have also been a "Kill The King*" ritual, which is kill the king, and you get his power. The 9- 11 attacks were obviously an enormous, comprehensive operation with years in the planning, with its authors and facilitators probably employing just about every conceivable twist, mojo, figurative "newt's tail" they could throw in to invoke the massive power needed to ensure the operation’s success. And the attacks were evil, so what would it have been to them to throw in a little black magic? Evidence also suggests that numerology was in place, as I go into in a later chapter This brings up the difficult question of who orchestrated 9-11? It certainly couldn't have been just Usama Bin Ladin sitting in some cave or desert camp directing nineteen hijackers, most of which were just a bunch of bumbling fuckups who couldn't even learn proper English. Leaks cropped up from time to time whispering that there seemed to be a 9-11 connection to a foreign government, and that the U.S. would not pursue these leads. Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) confirmed this as I go into in a later chapter, but let me go out on a limb here. In addition to the aid of a foreign government, my bet is that also a very privileged faction of our government, and our intelligence, military and corporate communities knew about, and may have been complicit in 9-11. 8 9 They were given forewarning by certain American political barons (not necessarily in office) probably in concert with select international czars. People frequently said "Bush knew." Maybe he did, but that isn't even the point. He wasn't bright enough to engineer such a finely tuned operation such as 9-11, and what if he knew but wasn't necessarily on good terms with the architects of 9-11? Or what if he knew but couldn't do a damn thing to stop 9-11? I'm only asking. And I know that "plausible deniability" goes a lot farther when the individual at the top knows as little as possible about the scheme. We only have to look at the Nixon Administration to see that. It makes them a better actor. But how would this explain the camera crew that tried to pay Bush a visit at the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort on Longboat Key, on the morning of 9-11? Keeping in mind that Northern Alliance leader, Ahmed Shah Massoud, was assassinated by a phony camera crew pretending to interview him on September 9th 2001. The camera contained a bomb. Was this an assassination attempt on Bush? Trying to figure out 9-11 will have you bouncing between polar opposites like the inside of a pinball machine; villains become pawns, pawns villains. If you are looking for this author to deal the trump card as to who was responsible for 9-11, I say not so fast. Firstly, I keep an open mind as to the myriad of possibilities. As soon as you think you have this all figured out, well then you've already made your first mistake. Secondly, I'm not shy in giving my opinion, and after years of work, mounds of research and thousands of hours, I theorize a "Double Amerika." This is a malignant seam woven into American society with agents in the military, intelligence, political and corporate sectors, that when associated as a whole, is essentially as powerful as those they operate under. In other words, this united cabal could be just as powerful as the President of the United States and Congress. In our military there could exist the dichotomy. In our political networks: turncoats. The most amazing thing about it is how it can operate so defiantly and stealthily, keeping many in areas of government ignorant of them. But that's exactly how they want it to be. These Agents can be your Congressman, Army General, CIA Agent, billionaire captain of industry, but they're not on the home team you think they're on. Whoever it may be, the frightening part is these “Agents of 9-11” might have pulled off the biggest bamboozle of all time, snubbing their noses at the rest of us; the President of the United States could only sit in a classroom in Florida and squirm. Like I said, as soon as you try and figure 9-11 out, you get into trouble. Polar opposites, villains and pawns seem to trade roles in the caper like stocks on the floor of the NYSE. The World Trade Center had at one time been a big part of my life, up until say the summer of 2000. I also had a P.O. Box right next door to the Trade Center at 90 Church Street*, which sustained damage on 9-11. My favorite bookstore in New York City was located in 5 WTC (Borders*). I attended many a book signing there, and passed long hours reading and writing stories on the carpeted floor deep within the racks. It had a special vibe. I had also once been employed in a bookstore* in the World Financial Center's Winter Garden, where I once got to work with former President J immy Carter* and the Secret Service by providing extra security support for Carter's book signing. I remember annual concerts/silent films in the Winter Garden, including the spatial, ambient performances by guitarist Robert Fripp. Also, as an artist in the late 1990's I exhibited conceptual art* installations around the World Trade Center. The Trade Center was a really special place. But when I say this, I am not really speaking of high up within 9 10 the Twin Towers, but mostly the WTC mall, the WTC plaza, looking up in awe at the Twin Towers from ground level outside, watching the towers sparkle at night. It was magic. I admit I didn't really like going up into the towers that much, but I still loved them. The few times that I did go up to the observation deck, or to make a delivery to a company when I was a messenger, always put me a little on edge. Firstly, the security detail was intimidating. You had to stand in line to get up into the towers. You had to show an ID. Then they gave you a decal pass to put on your shirt (these usually ended up on street signs if you were a messenger), then you had to pass through metal detectors and were greeted by elevator security. The elevator rides were scary too. They made me think about how high I was and if the elevator plummeted (which some did on 9-11, how far I'd fall. They were also very fast. And looking down from the 107th floor was amazing, but a bit queasy. Did it feel safe? Hell no! I was always glad to descend. And just walking past the U.S. Customs entrance on your way to the pedestrian bridge to the World Financial Center was sometimes intimidating. There was frequently a gung-ho looking trooper stationed there who didn't look much like much of a people person. He eyeballed you as you went by. All in all, The Port Authority of New York and New J ersey (PANYNJ ) did a pretty good job with security at the WTC. I had been associated with New York Press, the free weekly, by publishing a feature story for them in April 2003, so I decided that same summer to pitch a "9-11 as inside job" idea for a story to the editor to see if I could land another feature. I prepared a special proposal with a graphic of the superhero Captain America and with the text to the chorus of the song Catch Me Now I'm Falling* by The Kinks beneath it. A short letter from the Captain read that he would have loved to be at the Trade Center on 9-11 to help save fellow Americans, but sadly he was not, so the least he could do now was to run this story by his friend, Tom Modern. The jig worked. I was given the go ahead on the feature story. I thought I had pulled off a coup of major proportions. But unfortunately, Smack Down 9-11 was eventually smacked down for reasons I go into in a later chapter. The title, Smack Down 9-11, was chosen because it was just that: the biggest American smack down of all time. It was never intended to be disrespectful in any way. Later that same year, I decided to do something with all the research I’d accumulated for the feature. At first I decided to write Smack Down 9-11 as a thinly concealed novel, a mirror image to the potential truth. The book then morphed into a hybrid of sorts: 1/2 fiction-1/2 speculation/nonfiction project. But that version of the book began not to make much sense, so I separated it into two books. Smack Down 9-11 as the nonfiction/speculation book, and the other, a forthcoming 9-11-based novel. A funny thing happened on the way to the publisher though. Somewhere between the conception of Smack Down 9-11 and its completion, I began to realize that the manuscript was becoming archival. I hadn't expected that to happen, but I guess being privy to all the local 9-11 coverage, it was just the logical conclusion. Many minute 9-11 tidbits, some only available in New York, were of the type: "here today-gone tomorrow." But I was in position to catalogue and present much of that here. The book is also a 9-11 lexicon of sorts, and not singularly a 9-11 conspiracy book. The basics on government reports, 9-11 Transcripts, WTC history and the terror climate have all been 10 11 represented here. Much of the conspiratorial 9-11 information has been gathered here under one heading also. Hopefully Smack Down 9-11 will be a useful resource pool of 9- 11 information in the years to come. New York major dailies were heavily sampled here, yet not exclusively, as sources because they were practical, regardless of any personal opinions on the quality news publications or "tabloids*." Another disclaimer is that Smack Down 9-11 is not a critical analysis of the war in Iraq*, even though that was obviously one of 9-11's end games. The Iraq war is a book unto itself and terror updates in that country are not even included here. But still, did anyone ever tell Team Bush that Usama Bin Ladin was in Pakistan, Afghanistan or Iran, and not in Iraq? The World Trade Center and Pentagon are attacked, and so we invade Iraq! The war in Iraq* compromised the hunt for Usama Bin Ladin also, pulling many of the U.S. Special Ops troops, the Army's Arabic speakers, and various resources out of Afghanistan in 2002, and putting them all in Iraq. At times in this work if I seem to veer off course, keep in mind that I have left those parts in as a testament of authenticity showing that you cannot totally immerse yourself in a concept like 9-11, with its level of grief, tragedy, survivor's guilt, sense of betrayal, feelings of emptiness, enormity and time consumption, day after day, year after year without going a little "goofy." So please excuse any potential slights. Smack Down 9-11 no doubt contributed to a form of PTSD in me, but it was a sacrifice, something I could do, something I could contribute, something I had to do. This is for New York. This is for America. This is for the children who lost parents. This is for the little boy who put his head down and cried when the inappropriate song, Daddy's Home, came over the sound system at the restaurant in 2002. The bastards! Couldn’t they monitor what they were playing? But most importantly, this is for all those people who suffered in the World Trade towers, in those planes, and in the Pentagon. I always imagined them screaming “DO SOMETHING! Don't just sit there--- 9-11 was a farce!” I did something and hopefully we will all do something together. *False flag: A covert operation perpetrated by government, military, intelligence and or others and blamed on our enemies. *Project for a New American Century: A thinktank which included many high-ranking officials from several presidential administrations that churned out essays on how America could shoot for world dominance in the 2000's. *Catch Me Now I'm Falling: I can't reprint the lyrics here, but I'll just say that the chorus is perfect in regards to the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks: Captain America's plea about how he has helped everybody else out in the world when they were down, and now he was calling out an S.O.S. for the world's help. *"Kill The King": This theory came from a book called Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare, by Michael A. Hoffman II. *Tabloids: The term "tabloid" actually refers to the fold and size of the newspaper, and not necessarily the accuracy or focus of its contents. *Iraq: I always felt kind of bad for Colin Powell after his CIA-backed, Iraq-WMD “slam dunk” presentation at the U.N. This, even though I never really trusted the guy. WMD existing in Iraq was clearly a slam-dunk, but perhaps only in midget basketball. : P Powell felt betrayed. He was never really a team player in the Bush Administration to begin with, and he didn't attend the 2004 RNC at Madison Square Garden. One of his complaints was that he would convey something to the president, only to have his suggestions ignored. Or, “he was always getting ‘Dicked’ around,” as one diplomatic confidant put it, referring to Vice President Dick Cheney. Powell confided to a Pentagon general at a 11 12 retirement party he attended a few months before the 2004 election that it was the worst time in his life---Daily News, "‘Worst time in my life,’ he told pal,” 11-16-04. Yet the New York Post's Page Six had Powell being sighted in Doha, Qatar, at the Four Seasons Hotel on business for "The Carlyle Group." So maybe things aren't what they seem? *War in Iraq: Staten Island Advance, "Osama's trail grows cold," 11-5-06. *Conceptual art: My art came out of the loose-knit "School of Self Promoters" whose heyday in New York City I'd say was in the late 1990's. In 1999, I did a conceptual art project called "Individuals," which were fake people sleeping on floors in public areas. They were sufficiently disguised so as not to be sure if they were real or not. The torsos and limbs had weight to them. The heads had wigs & hats. They were ambiguous. I won't be site-specific here, but another project was an installation in a downtown cemetery featuring an earthen-looking limb protruding out of a graveyard crypt. It was up long enough to get a picture and to gage people's reactions. But this was all pre-9-11, when you could still get away with things like that. I wouldn't recommend it today. *Bookstore: The completely awful Rizzoli Books, which isn't there anymore. *Scrambled: Boston Globe, "Otis Fighter J ets Scrambled Too Late to Halt Attacks," 9-15-01. *FDNY Firefighter: Transcripts, Firefighter Timothy Brown, J anuary 15th 2002. *J immy Carter: Allegedly, brothers of Usama Bin Ladin gave the Carter Center $10 million dollars. *90 Church Street: As of late 2006, the post office at 90 Church Street continued to receive hundreds of letters addressed to the WTC, even though it was five years since it had been destroyed. *"9-11 Heroes Medal of Valor": New York Post, “Prez to award 9/11 medals,” 12-9-04. *Article: New York Post, “Sept. 11 heroes’ precious medal,” 9-90-5. *"Psychological Warfare": A more subtle form could be appropriated if we are not watchful. In a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it stated that those closer to the towers had memories more vivid and confident than those further away. This hopefully will not be twisted by "9-11 Holocaust deniers"---Associated Press, "9/11 memories sear more for those near," 12-20-06. *Getting’ Jiggy Wid’ It: A song title by Will Smith. 12 13 Paradigm Shift “Remember, people died so we can pussyfoot it around, agonizing over 'stories.' " -an email to an editor I can only speak of my own perceptions post-9-11 in New York City, but in my estimations, the dark aftermath of 9-11 was hauntingly palpable both in its mood and reticence. My experiences and observations were also made only in the areas of the city in which I frequented, and so I cannot speak for others or for other areas of the city, or other areas of the country for that matter, yet certain sentiments might be commonplace. For me, there seemed to be different phases in the 9-11 aftermath that I noticed. Phase one: I am referring to the emotional toll in the days directly after 9-11. I would describe it as a period of extreme depression, shock, disbelief, melancholy, numbness, indifference, emptiness and for some an absence of any strong emotions either way. But this does not go for everyone. Others felt more animated and angry. But what I experienced was just the going through the motions in whatever it was that I was doing just for nothing. I couldn't figure out any reason to do anything, because nothing had any real meaning. It was just “busy-ness” as usual because anything else would be to stop, and to stop would be to die, and to die would be to stop. And who could feel anything so strong as to invite such an arrogant, selfish thing as to stop? Death found our fellow New Yorkers easily enough---we were spared; it was already game, set, match. The race had already been run. What was left was a "count your blessings"-type void. At least we were 13 14 not one of the unfortunate ones. We were alive, yet so what? We felt dead even so. The city was on life support threatening to flat-line at any moment. Of course there were some who mustered up the old American patriot anger post 9-11. I even recall someone had fashioned an Usama Bin Ladin (UBL) dummy out of some old clothes and hung it up on a street corner in Staten Island, where people could take a whack at it if they wanted. The police eventually came and took it down though. After 9-11, I thought the worst job in the world would've been Mayor of New York City, I still do. One of the first things I wondered post-disaster was, how was the mayor ever going to hold up? We were wounded, weakened and wondering who would lead us through this tragedy. I even seem to recall it being reported not long after 9-11, that George W. Bush would probably not seek another presidential term. It pertained to a general, 'I didn't sign on for this shit!'-type of feeling. The real question is, was this sincere or was it just some good acting? Some people recalled Bush in his TV appearance on the night of 9-11 as looking a bit shook up. But if he was "in the know" about the 9-11 conspiracy, why would he have been shaken up? This is what brought up my considering the possibility that Bush wasn't really in control of anything on 9-11-01. Years later, I hypothesized Bush's plausible reaction to the 9-11 attacks as an, "oh my God...they really did it!" In other words, they did what they said they were going to do, but when the deal went down, he was shell-shocked just the same. Some said after 9-11 that "Bush wasn't leading the country, Rudy Giuliani was." Phase two: I would describe this as the months following 9-11 when we got our bearings back a bit. That’s when the mood turned sinister. I felt a totalitarian undercurrent in society I had never experienced before. Words fail to suffice, but the best way I could describe this zeitgeist in the months directly after 9-11, would be a society just before it went fascist or Orwellian. It was, as the jargon went at the time, "a climate of fear." It was an environment in which you could imagine good-natured people turning rat and snitching out their brothers & sisters in exchange for an extra ration, an extra bowl of thin borscht or some patriot kewpie pin for their lapel. This was of course all engulfed in an overall mood of nastiness, distrust, suspicion and just plain gloom. It was even bad on the corporate level. For a time, it seemed as if businesses didn't want your money anymore, and didn't have to provide you with courteous service. It was getting out of hand. And the public level wasn't any better either. You only had to look like you were about to drop a piece of lint, or consider jaywalking, and fuggedaboudit ---you were "public enemy number one." I think people forgot to remember that the 9-11 attacks hurt all of us in some way, and to have arbitrarily tried to single out the "other guy" as the bad guy was counterproductive. This hell hangover eventually lifted, but were we ever really the same afterwards? Something had changed in our psyches forever. Phase three: This was the political climate with the Patriot Act, enemy combatants, general saber rattling, lost civil liberties etc. I saw an interesting quote* from a Bush campaign member during this time: “we want people to think ‘terrorism’ for the last four days.” This was speaking of the last four days before the 2004 presidential election. A warming thought. Another GOP member stated, “anything that makes people nervous about their personal safety helps Bush.” Yikes! 14 15 The shift in the conscious of America to accommodate the potentiality of 9-11 as "inside job" took much longer than the syndrome-like fear that the attacks intended to instill. But I do not hold it against anyone who holds on so tightly to their belief system, that it can't accommodate anything besides the stars & stripes and apple pie. But to those who would automatically disbelieve that certain functionaries within our military, intelligence and political infrastructure could be so heinous as to be complicit in 9-11, I would just give the example of "Operation Northwoods*." Operation Northwoods was a plan presented to J ohn F. Kennedy's Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, in March 1962, with written approval by the J oint Chiefs of Staff, calling for the military to produce phony terrorist strikes as a ruse for invading Cuba. The schematic for 9-11 had already been on the table years beforehand. A 2006 survey* also said that one in three Americans said that the U.S. aided somehow in the 9-11 attacks---thirty-three percent! Sixteen percent believed secretly planted explosives brought down the towers. I doubt if I was alone in this, but for the first couple of years after 9-11, I recall I used to think of things in terms of "pre" and "post" 9-11. It was that powerful. Life for a time seemed forever haunted. Then I'd recall the good old innocent days pre-9- 11. We seemed so carefree then, so naïve`. I'm a bit of a different person now because of 9-11. I'm a bit more callous, much emptier and a bit less human. The country became more vigilant towards terrorism, yet still remained just as ignorant in regards to safety with our porous borders. I began to assume that the borders of Iraq were more secure than our border to Mexico. How could they have sold us a war on terror with the back door to the country wide open? *"Operation Northwoods": Body of Secrets / ABCnews.com. *Quote: Daily News: “See tape as boost for Prez.” 10-30-03. *Survey: New York Post, "One in 3 Americans say U.S. aided 9/11," 8-3-06. +1: A terror plot by Fidel Castro actually predated Operation Northwoods. On October 13th 1962, the FBI cracked a terrorist plot in which 500 kilos of TNT were to be used to blow up the Statue of Liberty, Macy’s, Grand Central Station, the Humble Oil refinery in Linden, N.J . and Manhattan subway stations. It sounded like a 9-11 in itself. The TNT was hidden in a Manhattan jewelry shop. One culprit, Roberto Santiesteban, was apprehended running down Riverside Drive. He chewed the paper he had on his person as he ran. J ose and Elsa Gomez were arrested at their apartment on W. 71st Street. Santiesteban and the Gomezes worked at the Castro-Cuban Mission to the U.N. There were said to be up to 30 others not implicated in the plot---online resources. 15 16 Prelude to Chaos Weather: Sept. 10 th 2001: Today…..Sun, thunder late High 83 Tommorrow……..Mostly sunny, cool High 78. Mostly sun will fill the sky. On September 10th 2001 the front page of The New York Times pertained to news about the fear of recession, the nasty New York City Mayoral debate, an article about how a Canadian jet pilot saved his airliner from disaster, a story titled: “Tough U.S. Policy Riles Shut-Out Scholars in China,” a bombing in the Mid-East, two articles on Afghanistan, a letter to the editor from the Muslim Alliance complaining about the Taliban, and a couple of quotes from Team Bush advisers: “we’re in the process of changing the game plan” (in how!). And, “we are maintaining some flexibility in October” (to say the least!). The Times on September the 11th saw articles on the Taliban and hijackings, so if anyone was looking for coincidences in connection with the 9-11 attacks, they could look there I suppose, but for the common citizen, there was no clear early warning. The authorities had all of those. The New York Post---like much of society pre-9-11---similarly had its head up its collective arse with fluff & gossip ruling the day. The front page of the Post on September 10th featured a giant picture of Mick J agger's daughter, who had been finally cornered by the paparazzi. We didn't see the cauldron of trouble ready to be dumped upon our shores. We had dodged a terror plot to attack the Millennium celebration in New York City on New Year's Eve, 1999, only to be blindsided. 16 17 What was extremely noteworthy was the weather that day of 9-11-01. It was amazingly clear, the sky was deep blue with no sign of even smog. Was this coincidence? Cosmic intervention? Environmental/weather control anyone? The suggestion may sound ridiculous, but I seldom recall such a clear, flawlessly beautiful day. Interestingly enough, 9-11-02 was similar in weather, but with a tarnish of smog and a dollop or two of clouds on the far horizon. Where was the smog on 9-11? There seemed to be something ethereal in terms of the paradox between the extreme peace and serenity of that day, and the coming violence. 17 18 The Sunning Panther “Deceptively serene as a sunning panther...” -One description of WTC architect Minoru Yamasaki. The World Trade Center was the creation of visionary architect Minoru Yamasaki (b. 1912, d. 1986). Yamasaki grew up in Seattle, Washington, and put himself through school by working in Alaskan salmon canneries. After graduating from the University of Washington, he relocated to New York City and worked for his first architectural firm. He then moved to Detroit in 1945, to work with another firm then began a partnership firm in 1949, which was based jointly in Detroit and St. Louis. He finally founded his own firm, Yamasaki & Associates, in 1959. The WTC's seven buildings were built on sixteen acres, and groundbreaking occurred on August 5th 1966. The Twin Towers were largely complete by 1976. Seven WTC was completed in 1985. The other WTC buildings were built in the 1970's and 1980's. The World Financial Center, across West Street was completed in the early 1980's. Each tower was 110 stories high with the North Tower measuring up at 1,368 ft. and the south, 1,362 ft. The radio/TV tower on the North Tower alone was 360 feet high. There were ninety-nine elevators in the complex, but only three stairwells in each tower. The North Tower's rectangular service core in the towers faced east-to-west in the North Tower, and north-to-south in the South Tower. The Twin Towers were known as a tube construction, with steel and concrete cores, with closely aligned steel beams at 3.33 feet apart. There was also said to be a "load stabilizer" high up in each 18 19 tower, consisting of tons of cement, which was said to shift to the weak side of a tower when under duress. A seven-story subterranean structure was excavated underneath the WTC complex using "slurry wall*" technology. Slurry wall technology is difficult to describe, but it is where a trench is dug where an eventual retaining wall is to be located. Then a bentonite slurry is pumped into the trench during excavation to keep the space open. Bentonite is special clay-like cement, composed of absorbent aluminum phyllosilicate montmorillinite clay. Then reinforced steel is entered, and then concrete to create a reinforced wall. When the concrete cures, excavation of the subbasement begins. This was also tricky due to the proximity of the Hudson River and pressure from pre-existing buildings in Lower Manhattan. I recall attending a book signing at Border's Books in 5 WTC around 1999, for an author who did a coffee table-type book about the Twin Towers. I can't recall the title, but what I most recall about that day was that the author stated that the Port Authority PR people originally thought of touting the Twin Towers as the "vertical pier." It didn't fly, but I remember thinking that the gray-colored, long structures did resemble sky piers in a way. The main theme in Yamasaki's WTC design was said to be “serenity and delight,” and the style "modern minimalism." Later in his career, Yamasaki's style changed to a softer, decorative romanticism, but one could even see that in the Trade Center if you studied it closely. An eclecticism pervaded Yamasaki’s design work in structural, cultural motifs. In his work, he was always looking for architectural ideas from other cultures to incorporate. What didn't make sense in regards to the 9-11 official story that it was only Muslim terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center, is the fact that a big motif in the Twin Towers design was actually "Islamic." The World Trade Center's Islamic influences were evident in several architectural characteristics. Firstly, the Twin Towers themselves could've been thought of as "minourette"-like. And the World Trade Center plaza was based on the Mecca-like “Qa’ab,” or square. The curvatures in the outer steel beams, the "facade tridents," which rose from street level into the uniform lines that shot up the sides of the Twin Towers, were actually Islamic, with the space between tridents resembling mosque arches. So for devout Muslim jihadists to have attacked the World Trade Center twice would have actually been "blasphemy." It could be likened to attacking a mosque. J ust as imams in Spain declared a fatwah against UBL after the Madrid train bombings, maybe they should have included 9-11 as well, citing the Muslim crime of “Istihlal,” or "Islamic apostasy?" At the time of the World Trade Center’s completion, it landed Yamasaki on the cover of Time Magazine, but not all of Yamasaki's designs were greeted with such fanfare. The Yamasaki-designed St. Louis, Pruitt-Igoe Housing project in 1955, was deemed a failure by city officials and dynamited in 1975. After three marriages and an impressive body of work, Minoru Yamasaki died of cancer on February 7th 1986, at the age of seventy-three. J ust some of Yamasaki's works include: italics: demolished 19 20 Urban Redevelopment Plan, St. Louis, 1952 Gratiot Urban Redevelopment Project, Detroit, 1954 University School, Grosse Pointe, 1954 U.S. Consulate, Kobe, J apan, 1955 Pruit-Igoe Public Housing, St. Louis, 1955 Lambert-St. Louis Airport Terminal, 1956 McGregor Memorial Conference Center, Wayne State University, Detroit, 1958 Reynolds Metals Regional Sales Office, Southfield, 1959 Michigan Consolidated Gas Co., Detroit, 1963 U.S. Pavilion, World Agricultural Fair, New Delhi, India, 1959 Dhahran Air Terminal, Dhahran Saudi Arabia, 1961 Federal Science Pavilion, Seattle World's Fair, 1962 Queen Emma Gardens, Honolulu, 1964 North Shore Congregation Israel, Glenco, Ill., 1964 Northwestern National Life Insurance Co., Minneapolis, 1964 Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, 1965 Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, 1966 IBM Office Building, Seattle, 1964 Manufacturers and Traders Trust Co., Buffalo, 1967 World Trade Center, New York, 1976 Eastern Airlines Terminal, Logan International Airport, Boston, 1969 Horace Mann Educators Insurance Co., Springfield, Ill., 1979 Temple Beth El, Birmingham, 1974 Century Plaza Towers, Los Angeles, 1975 Colorado National Bank, Denver, 1974 Bank of Oklahoma, Tulsa, 1977 Performing Arts Center, Tulsa, 1976 Rainer Bank Tower, Seattle, 1977 Federal Reserve Bank, Richmond, Va., 1978 Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency Head Office, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1981 Founder's Hall, Shinji Shumeikai, Shiga Prefecture, J apan, 1982 Eastern Province International Airport, Saudi Arabia, 1985 *"Slurry wall": FEMA Building Performance Study. +1: Plans for another Twin Towers, another World Trade Center in Bahrain,* took an ironic tragic swing when party- ers celebrating progress on the sail-shaped fifty story towers, were aboard a boat in the Persian Gulf when it capsized, killing fifty-seven---Associated Press, "Party in full swing when ship capsized." +2: Daredevil Phillippe Petit successfully walked a tight rope between the Twin Towers in 1974. +3: I once heard a rumor that a hotel Yamasaki had designed in Japan was destroyed by an earthquake, but I was not able to corroborate this. +4: Spiderman: George Willig, a mountain climber from Queens, climbed the South Tower on 5-26-77. It took him 3- 1/2 hours, and Mayor Abe Beam, whom I remember quite well, as he used to come into the restaurant where I worked quite often, fined Willig $1.10---one cent for each story. His stunt landed him on many famous talk shows and got him jobs on TV programs. After 9-11 Willing said he regretted the climb, because it may have directed too much attention to the terrorists, yet he re-thought the comment later---Wikipedia. 20 21 Dash for the Trade Center: America's Mayor "...it's like this…it's 9-11 and those towers are burning. I’m going in. Are you with me?! Are you with me?! Because if not, I'm running into those fucking towers by myself then!" -just an ordinary call to a features editor This chapter was not meant to be an ass-kiss on Rudy Giuliani, but it was written in the post-9-11 time and spirit, when people really liked Rudy for his leadership role. Later, it seemed to become Vogue to dislike him. How quick people forget. Perhaps most today have mixed feelings about Giuliani. At 8:58 A.M., the time of attack, it was estimated that approximately 58,000 people were inside the World Trade Center complex. The NYPD called for a "Level 4 Mobilization," and the FDNY (Fire Department New York) code called for "10- 60" or major emergency. Mayor Giuliani was at the Peninsula Hotel on W. 55th St. on the morning September 11th 2001, having breakfast with some friends and associates. Sometime after 9 A.M., Deputy Mayor J oe Lhota called the Mayor’s security detail telling him that a plane had just struck the North Tower. They weren’t sure if it was an errant small, private plane or if it was intentional, but they knew there was now a raging fire at the World Trade Center. Rudy Giuliani walked out onto 5th Avenue thinking that it was such a beautiful day, why would a plane hit the World Trade Center? His intuition 21 22 was at work, and keeping to his personal philosophy of ‘seeing things for yourself,’ he and his detail piled into a van and made for the Trade Center and the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) located at 7 WTC. OEM was the command post created by the City of New York for emergency scenarios, a place well-stocked with everything from fuel, water, antidotes, sleeping accommodations, generators to computers and television screens. Seven WTC had been personally chosen by the mayor, but it was blasted by critics post-9-11 as an unsafe location due the terrorist strike on the Trade Center in 1993. But at the mayor’s initial request, the OEM had to be within walking distance of city hall, and the site couldn’t be below ground in case of flooding from a hurricane. It also had to be at least seven floors from street level because of the possibility of a chemical attack or street incidents. I guess that narrowed it down to 7 WTC? Hindsight-ers like Police Commissioner Ray Kelly* was later among the harshest critics of the choice for the 7 WTC for the OEM site. He also blasted the use of obsolete radios and recalled that when he was interviewed by Giuliani for the police commissioner's job, there was no discussion on terrorism or the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. From the vantage point in the mayor's van barreling down 7th Avenue on the morning of 9-11, Giuliani could already see the flames shooting out of the North Tower. At 9 A.M., they passed St. Vincent’s Hospital and Rudy could already see the doctors and nurses mustering, preparing for the worst. He suddenly realized the enormity of the situation. When the mayor’s car passed Canal Street, a jet [UA Flight 175?] slammed into the South Tower, and they could see the immense flash of fire from the explosion. Rudy took notice of the concerned, stunned faces of his fellow New Yorkers as they raced by. When they reached Barclay Street, a small battalion of mayoral staffers and officials were waiting for him. They stood at attention as the mayor's car approached, then this small but lean squad of talent and professionalism raced for the mayor’s car, determined and prepared, yet caught off guard. They needed to consult with the mayor and perhaps even look into Giuliani's eyes. Perhaps they desired reassurance, or to hear a word from him that even given the seriousness of the situation, somehow everything was going to be okay---somehow, some way. The first major decisions of that day, and the most urgent of Giuliani's Administration, were cut then and there on the street in a hurry-up offense with Deputy Mayor J oe Lhota, Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, 1st Deputy Commissioner J oe Dunne and Chief of Police J oe Esposito among others. It was not unlike calling a last- second play in a Superbowl that would decide victory or defeat. No one wasted words and everyone listened closely. There would be no time for rehashing. The tension was palpable, the energy unnerving. Like many others in positions of authority that day, it was as if Rudy was driven back into the shotgun offense like a come from behind Eli Manning, calling audibles at the line of scrimmage if he happened to see something he did not like, the clock ticking away. Rudy, along with several key staffers then made for the FDNY Command Post that had been set up on West Street for immediate counsel with FDNY Chief of Department, Peter Ganci. Along the way, J oe Lhota pointed something out to the mayor. Lhota thought he saw people jumping from the towers. As the debris careened off of the burning towers, someone in the group suggested that they all look up so as not to get 22 23 struck by any falling rubble. The mayor then saw for himself. He saw a man leaning out of a window in the North Tower at about the 102nd floor, then jump and fall to his death on the roof of 6 WTC. The mayor said to Bernie Kerik they were in uncharted waters and they were going to have to make it up as they went along. After all of Rudy’s training, he was now in unfamiliar waters. Perhaps for the first time in his professional life, Rudy was in a situation where he wasn't the one in control, and had to make up his course of action as he went along. There were no case studies to rely upon, no textbooks. Even the playbook went out the window. They observed more jumpers*, some alone, some in two’s holding hands as they fell. At the FDNY command post, the mayor met Chief Ganci and Daniel Nigro, and it was decided that the fire department would be “incident commander” for the site, because it was largely a rescue operation at that point. The NYPD would be responsible for keeping the rest of New York City safe. FDNY Chaplain, Father Mychal J udge* rushed by. Rudy requested that the Father pray for them. For a brief moment the mayor’s attention was diverted. “I always pray for you,” Father Mychal pointedly replied, while rushing to minister to his flock of hundreds of FDNY firefighters, where he gave some the Last Rites before they went into the burning towers. Rudy turned back to his personnel, gathering data, trying to prioritize, decide, calculate and delegate at twice the speed he usually had to. The mayor and his personnel then made for 75 Barclay, eschewing the unsafe OEM command post in 7 WTC. Some semblance of order came out of the chaos surrounding them that morning, with logic and priorities serving to tone down the nervous energy and the butterflies. Eventually, orders were executed, questions asked, sparse facts given, moves prioritized, perspectives attempted and tasks delegated. One by one, a seemingly impossible mountain of responsibilities was whittled down before them one chip at a time, just like Rudy Giuliani had always done: take care of first things first and to put one foot in front of the other. Hundreds of firefighters filed past as thousands of World Trade Center evacuees escaped with their lives in the opposite direction, causing many firefighters to consider their own fates no doubt, their own loved ones. They pressed on, some carrying sixty pounds of gear on their backs. Even though no one had suspected the towers to collapse, there must have been a certain intuition among many of the firefighters that they knew were in a really serious situation. Maybe even realizing that some of them might not be coming back. Especially, after one FDNY Chief turned to and engine company and said, “240, you’re going up. Don’t bring those roll-ups, just bring the air.” The firefighters thought it odd that they wouldn’t be bringing any lines to attack the fire. But it had become just a rescue operation by that point. They realized that the fire could not be fought. “God be with you,” the chief then added. At times I've asked myself why Rudy?---cosmically speaking of course. Why did God have Rudy Giuliani in the post on 9-11? But it made logical sense. Rudy was a leader with just about the hardest coconut you could find when you think about it. At times he'd been called almost unfeeling. But that is precisely the kind of leader you want in position on a 9-11. Somebody who wouldn't go to pieces---couldn't---didn't know how to. 23 24 I for one would find it very hard to swallow that Rudy Giuliani---billed “America’s Mayor” by Time Magazine in December 2001 for his response to the 9-11 attacks---wouldn’t seem to think that there was anything more to the 9-11 attacks. There was even a time when I thought, however unrealistic, that it could be Rudy, if anyone, who could ferret out the clandestine keys to the whole 9-11 riddle and bring those responsible to justice. But let me just say Ba-Hahaha! to that. Even though it was Giuliani who actually seemed most interested in repaying those responsible for 9-11--- Rudy Giuliani had actually asked President Bush during an early visit to the World Trade Center, if he could be the one who 'pulls the switch' on UBL (executes him)---I don’t think his mind works in the more shadowy realms. But conspiratorially speaking, did Giuliani know about 9-11? I don't think so, because he and his detail wouldn't have tried to make for 7 WTC then. But I’m not saying he isn’t on the "home team” now though either. I won’t expound on that though. Similarly, I believe Mayor Mike Bloomberg was in position to take over the reins of NYC post-9-11 because of his fiscal experience. He had the city out of the red and into the back in the black in no time. If you’ve read any of Giuliani’s book Leadership, you may find it somehow ironic how, in what I feel is the most touching part of the book, when Giuliani worked at an Upper East Side law firm, that through community service and caring he got involved in a noontime church fire at St. Agnes Church near Grand Central Station, risking his safety to get people evacuated, then thwarting looters ready to make off with the altar’s sacred objects. The end of the tale left Rudy christened by an ash and soot- covered mess. Afterward, he received a special commendation medal from the FDNY. In my mind I imagined a humble little Mayor Giuliani still in his ash and soot-covered coat, getting a medal of valor pinned to his lapel, all smiles and gratitude. Again after the Twin Towers collapsed, Giuliani was leading a shaken group of officials and civilians through a maelstrom of smoke and ash---his clothes and skin once again ordained with that same metaphorical soot and ash symbolizing some sort of lost rite of passage, like a St. Stephen leading the procession from the Sanhedrin. Returning home the next morning at 2:30 A.M., Giuliani, after a harrowing day and night of decision-making and disbelief, he restlessly flipped to a section in the book Churchill by Roy J enkins, and found the chapters dealing with World War II. “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil and tears,” Churchill soliloquized. Rudy told Time Magazine in December 2001 how proud he was of the people he saw on the streets of New York, how there was no chaos. They were frightened and confused, but it seemed to him that the people needed to hear from his heart about their plan to deal with the situation. Giuliani was thinking about where he could go for some similar situation in history, some lesson about how he could handle such a thing. And so he started thinking about Churchill and how they were going to have to rebuild the spirit of the city. What better example than Winston Churchill and the citizens of Great Britain, London to be exact, during the Blitzkrieg of 1940? Churchill had to keep the people’s spirits up during the sustained bombing. Bush seemed to be invisible post-9- 11, and so Giuliani became America’s taskmaster. He kept the New York City as open as possible after 9-11, even though some Washingtonians wanted it locked down. That was not London during the Blitz, he might have reasoned. The British went about their 24 25 business during the day, they kept busy. That was the model Rudy had in mind for New York. For Giuliani, this was his chance to become wonderfully human and silence his critics. This was his time of great reckoning in American history. What if Giuliani were killed, or God forbid, had buckled under the pressure, hiding himself away from the public, leaving no tangible leadership in the city and none from the White House? The post-9-11 climate would’ve been that much more frightening. I’m sure we would have survived, but imagine the contribution to sheer panic, fear, grief and uncertainty that it would have added? Author Roy J enkins told Time Magazine that Giuliani succeeded in doing what Churchill had done in the summer of 1940. That was Churchill managed to create the illusion that the people of Britain were bound to triumph over the extreme situation. Had the book had blundered into Giuliani’s hands for a reason? A few months later, Giuliani pondered Churchill’s rock hard stance again and wondered how much of what Churchill achieved was bluff? Rudy assumed that much of it had to be bluff. Churchill couldn’t have known that the British and its allies would win in the end. He could only have hoped so much, but couldn’t have been one-hundred percent sure. If Rudy Giuliani bluffed as well, we can’t blame him for that. When asked specifically if his own demeanor was partially a façade, Giuliani responded that some of it was because in a crisis you just have to remain optimistic. Giuliani said that in time the spirit of the city would become stronger, but there was no way he could have known that for certain. He reasoned that there are parts of people that felt maybe this was the end, but you don’t listen to those feelings. Rudy spent his first seven-and-a-half years as Mayor of New York City living out his father’s advice that it is better to be respected than to be loved. But there was another part to the axiom that Rudy had forgotten about: the end of his father’s saying, the part about people eventually loving you too. At the firehouse command post on the morning of 9-11, Beth Patrone- Hatton walked in. Rudy had officiated at her wedding to Rescue 1 Captain, Terry Hatton, and they had all become close. Giuliani asked Beth if Terry was working. She replied yes, that he had been. Rudy tried to say something more, but she cut him off, saying plainly that he was gone and immediately got back to work. People tried to avoid eye contact with her, yet some who noticed were amazed at what they saw: the pain mixed with strength in her eyes. Beth Hatton saw the same thing in Rudy that day, that he was perhaps the most “on” she had ever seen him. She noticed he was devastated because he had lost a lot of friends, but she also knew that he had a job to do. He had to try to calm the city down somehow. She noticed that everything Giuliani did was very well orchestrated as if he had prepared for it all his life. And he had basically. When Terry Hatton’s remains were found, Giuliani broke the news to Beth. She said she wanted to be taken to him, but Giuliani said he’d already been there to identify the remains personally. This was done to spare his friend the grief of the ordeal. Rudy told Beth that she did not want to see him like this. Giuliani’s future fiancé at the time, J udith Nathan, said that she believed God spared Rudy from cancer in order that he could lead the city during and after 25 26 September 11th. Rudy concurred, saying that when he was going through his daily radiation treatment, he couldn’t have led the city. On faith and happenstance, Giuliani mused that he wasn’t quite sure about the God part, which may concern many if he is elected president. Giuliani stated that he admired the widows who have such great faith, but that he still vacillates on the subject. On one hand, he views things as destiny, instances that just happen in which you have no control over. On the other hand, Rudy sometimes feels that everything is part of God’s plan. God just gives us free reign to work out who we are as human beings. He gives us free will and choices. The heroes made those tough choices on 9-11 to save others. Evil choices were also made that day. On fear, Giuliani reasoned that here’s no reason for it because you must do what you have to do anyway. By the night of September 13th 2001, Giuliani was already an exhausted physical wreck, even though he only requires a few hours sleep per night. Except then he wasn’t even getting that. And with the president due in that morning, Rudy was becoming beleaguered. No one had been found alive at the WTC site since the first day and city Medical Examiner, Dr. Charles Hirsch, told him that any other rescues there would be unlikely. Nonetheless, Giuliani reasoned that these were New Yorkers, so give them a chance, give them another week. Giuliani held onto hope, not wanting to succumb to the inevitable. J udy Nathan snuck Rudy out the back of the command center at the Police Academy and into an awaiting SUV for some quiet time. They drove a few blocks and Rudy got out to stretch his legs and walk through Peter Cooper Village*. Some New Yorkers who saw him couldn’t believe their eyes. Most stayed back though, giving him space at this most sensitive time. Others approached meekly and offered some quick words of thanks, but then let him walk onward. And his perambulation ended where it always does in New York---the river. Giuliani said that he just wanted to look at the river to see that it was still there. It was, and thankfully, so were most of us. Inside the “Agents of 9-11” scheme of things, maybe the mayor was supposed to have been killed in 7 World Trade Center that day? Maybe for some reason, some twist of fate, that part of the plot wasn't realized. Could that have been why 7 WTC was demolished so late in the day? After the squirrel wouldn’t go for the bait so-to- speak? The evil controllers sat on their hands for the better part of the day wondering what to do with the building---if you believe in the controlled demolition argument---then these agents couldn’t very well have left the structure up with all the incriminating evidence inside, so it was detonated. I tend to agree with Giuliani's decision to reject a $10 million dollar cashier's check from Saudi Prince Alaweed bin Talal* when he toured the World Trade Center site post-9-11. Bin Talal and his entourage, Giuliani said, were saying the right things, but something was a bit off about them. There was a smirk on bin Talal’s face and on those of his entourage. Bin Talal had been the only visitor to the WTC site who seemed unmoved by what he saw. Rudy did the right thing and bin Talal and friends quickly packed up and flew back to Saudi Arabia. Still at the time a debate raged over whether Giuliani was putting what he felt personally above the public good by turning down the money. But how could people choose money over what is right? 26 27 When mayoral election time came around in post-9-11 New York, rumors swirled about changing city law to allow Giuliani to lead the city for an extended period into 2002, citing that it would be the worst time for a change in leadership. The other mayoral candidates were good sports about it, but former Bronx Borough President, Fernando Ferrer, nixed the idea saying that he didn't need an apprenticeship for the job. In the summer of 2004, rumors began to swirl about Rudy being considered for a Presidential Cabinet post under George W. Bush. But it was only rumor and Giuliani told Time in the week of 8-29-04, that it would be presumptuous to rule it out, because it was never offered. Yet it wasn’t something Giuliani sought, nor wanted. Before the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden on 8-30-04, Giuliani spoke of courage and the war on terror, and informed the house that he was not there to focus on anything else except getting the President re-elected*. But speculation arose after the speech, saying that it proved he was considering a presidential run in 2008. It turned out to be true. Some likened it to Bill Clinton’s use of speaking before the Democratic National Convention in 1988 as a presidential launching pad. As of summer 2004, Giuliani remained thumbs up to the idea of running for president, with 59%* of New Yorkers choosing Giuliani over then New York Governor George Pataki. But late in 2004 and early 2005, America’s Mayor’s image began to unravel a bit. Firstly, Giuliani’s backing of ex-NYPD Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik for the head of Department of Homeland Security was a slight tarnish. He had to do some apologizing and back peddling after that, but it didn’t make a permanent dent in his political goals. It was essentially not his fault. Then former aide Russell Harding* was charged with stealing $400,000 dollars in city money to bankroll a lavish lifestyle, and was allegedly found to be in possession of child porn on his computer. Probers investigated whether former city housing commissioner, Richard Roberts*---who then became chairman of the city's Health and Hospitals Corporation---received a credit card and used it at a New Orleans strip club, as well as the use of an expensive SUV, both courtesy of Harding. Vincent La Padula*, a former top Giuliani aide and senior adviser to Mayor Bloomberg, was also under scrutiny for his being treated to a trip to Portland, Oregon in J uly 2000 by Harding. It was alleged that Giuliani was good friends with Bernie Ebbers*, the CEO accused of cooking Worldcom’s books to the tune of $11 billion dollars. Bill Fugazy*---who Giuliani supported during his legal problems stemming from a perjury charge for lying to authorities about who really owned his consulting company, Fugazy International---had business woes to the tune of $10 million dollars owed to banks and tax collectors, which caused him to file for personal bankruptcy. Prosecutors charged that Fugazy transferred assets to his children’s company, but continued to run the parent company. Under a deal, he pled guilty to one felony count of perjury, and at sentencing he submitted a letter of character from Rudy Giuliani. He was sentenced in September 1997 to two years probation and six months of home detention. But once again, this was all really peripheral and none of it sunk Giuliani as a presidential candidate. On the flipside, one ex-Giuliani associate did quite well. Frances Ragos Townshend*, who after Giuliani hired at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York, went on to bigger things: working under J anet Reno, the Coast Guard and eventually for 27 28 President Bush in the National Security Council as the top White House advisor on counterterrorism. Fragos Townshend was also a friend of World Trade Center head of security, J ohn O’Neill, and had been paging him desperately on the morning of 9-11. She eventually got a text message from him telling her he was okay, before the collapses that killed him. In March 2002, Giuliani was Knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his leadership role in the wake of the 9-11 attacks. Knighthood is traditionally not offered to non-British subjects. In 2005, Giuliani and a former corporate counsel, Michael Hess, opened a New York law office for Bracewell and Patterson, to be re-named “Bracewell and Giuliani*." Giuliani* didn't rule out a presidential run as of 2005 and hunkered down with his top advisors that spring to “set the direction” of his political ambitions. Giuliani mulled over a run as Governor of New York in 2006, hinged upon the decision that if he could not secure a 2008 GOP presidential nomination, but the kibosh was put on a Gubernatorial and Senatorial run in April 2005*. It looked like it was the presidency or nothing for Rudy in late summer 2005, when Giuliani announced he’d return to politics. He announced his presidential exploratory committee in 2006. Some Republicans warned that Giuliani’s liberal views on gays and abortion made it too difficult for him to win the Republican nomination. One conservative group amassed a four-page document of liberal statements made by Giuliani going back to 1989. This was widely distributed on NewsMax.com. One source said that Giuliani had been impressed by Arnold Swarzenegger's (R-CA) ability to win the governorship and draw national attention. At that time it was mutually agreed at Camp Giuliani that he could easily win the Governorship, then run for president in 2012 or 2016. A documentary titled Giuliani Time* cast the ex-mayor as a vengeful demagogue who was wrongly credited for turning the city's crime rate around in the early 1990's. The film centered around Giuliani's "quality of life" and "zero tolerance" policies to policing NYC streets. But where are these zero tolerance and quality of life barons when you need them? Illegal immigration ran rampant on their watches. At the trial for 9-11 plotter and would-be hijacker, Zacarias Moussaoui*, in Alexandria, Virginia, the jihadist sang "Burn In The USA" in court and smirked when the prosecutors listed the loss of life on 9-11. He scowled and shook his head when someone suggested their loved one went to Heaven. Mayor Giuliani took the stand and was poignant in his testimony, pointing to a model of the World Trade Center at a point where he saw one man plunge to his death from the 101st floor. He also saw two people jump while they were holding hands. That's the one Rudy said haunts him and comes back to him every day. Rudy's game plan that day was to ignore Zacarias Moussaoui even during his outbursts. "America can go to Hell!" Moussaoui shouted at one point, but Giuliani would not lower himself to give him the satisfaction of even looking at him. Giuliani only glanced at Moussaoui once that day, biting his lip as he listened to the prosecutor catalogue the loss of emergency first responder lives that day. Mossaoui, on the other hand, kept his eyes glued on Giuliani. But the stare down Moussaoui craved that day never came. Giuliani went on to describe how you could actually smell the carnage, 28 29 the body parts. He explained how he said goodbye to several good friends unknowingly that day including Peter Ganci, Ray Downey and Father Mychal J udge. Giuliani told the court softly about the hardest thing he had to do afterwards, which was to go to all the funerals, especially when the victims had young children. Afterwards, Giuliani seemed generally shaken by the experience of reliving the events and did not take reporter's questions. *Reelected: New York Post, “Rudy: Kerry Shift-y,” 8-3-04. *59%: New York Post, “Nyers want Rudy over gov for prez,” 9-04. *Peter Cooper Village: Peter Cooper Village is a residential apartment complex on Manhattan’s East Side stretching from around East 16th Street to East 23rd Street, between 2nd Avenue and the FDR Parkway. *Russell Harding: New York Post, “Rudy’s former aide admits 400G theft,” 3-16-05. *Pasquale D’Amuro: Associated Press, “Rudy taps FBI big,” 3-22-05. *Giuliani: New York Post, “Rudy holding summit to plot his next move,” 3-21-05. *Bracewell and Giuliani: New York Post, “Rudy to be strong arm of the law,” 3-05. *April, 2005: NY Daily News, “Giuliani nixes Senate and gov bids,” 4-5-05. *Bill Fugazy: NY Daily News, “Another New Bill of Sale: Fund-raiser pushed Prez to pardon perjurer,” 3-3-01. *Richard Roberts: Village Voice, “Scandal Repair,” 2-12/18-03. *Ebbers: New York Post, “Ebbers: Toss My Verdict,” 4-05. *Giuliani Time: Daily News, "'Giuliani Time' show's Rudy's rough edges." *Frances Fragos Townshend: New York Post, “How Rudy’s tough aide came to be president’s new Condi,” 8-28-05. *Moussaoui: Daily News, "Rudy Rivets As Thug Smirks," 4-7-06. *Prince Alaweed bin Talal: New York Sun, "A Saudi Prince's Indecent Proposal," 12-21-05 / Leadership by Rudy Giuliani. *Mychal J udge: Catholic FDNY Chaplain, Father Mychal J udge, was waked at the chapel across from the FDNY on 34th Street. A photograph by David Alan Harvey showed a very peaceful Father Judge. *J umpers: It has been estimated that as many as 200 people plunged to their deaths from the Twin Towers on 9-11. *Peter Ganci: Chief of Department Peter J . Ganci J r., who after surviving the collapse of the South Tower, went to survey the North, but was killed in the collapse, having nowhere to hide---ABC News Primetime Thursday, 9-20-01. *Engine 240: ABC News interview with firefighter Tommy Dunn. *Daniel Nigro: Daniel Nigro was promoted to Chief of Department post 9-11. *Police Commissioner Ray Kelly: From book: Grand Illusion; The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11. Kelly also didn't understand who was marshalling the NYPD's response on 9-11, saying he didn’t know who was directing. Kerik retorted that perhaps Kelly could talk to Chief of Department J oe Esposito, who was both Kelly’s and Kerik’s Chief of Department---Daily News, "Mike strikes at Giuliani's 9/11 critics," 9-11-06. Kelly was also critical that there didn't seem to be an unified command post between the NYPD, FDNY and the OEM on 9-11. +1: This chapter was partially compiled thanks to the Time Magazine feature article, “Mayor of the World,” from December 2001. +2: Ex-Giuliani aide, Martin Barreto, was found slain in his Greenwich Village apartment. The murder was said to be the outcome of a gay tryst gone bad---New York Post, "Gay Exec Slain,"8-24-06. +3: Rudy Giuliani, while giving a commencement speech at his stepdaughter’s graduation at York Prep Academy, stated, concerning danger, that it is a matter of how you manage it, the way you get through it---New York Post. +4: President Bush visited the World Trade Center site on September 13th 2001. +5: Governor Pataki* inspected the World Trade Center site on 9-11 at 11:29 P.M. +6: President Bush addressed the nation on TV the night of September 11th 2001 at 8:30 P.M. 29 30 +7: The Borough of Staten Island lost 271 people on 9-11. Brooklyn lost 283 people. +8: The North Tower was struck between the floor 94th and 98th floors at 8:46 AM by something [AA Flight 11?] traveling an estimated 470 mph. The North Tower collapsed at 10:29 AM, 1 hour and 44 minutes after impact. The South Tower was allegedly struck [UA Flight 175?] at 9:03 AM, between the 78th and 84th floors at approximately 590 mph. The South Tower collapsed at 9:59 AM, 56 minutes after impact. [AA Flight 77?] crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 AM. [UA Flight 93?] crashed in Pennsylvania at 10:03 AM. +9: The hijack times reported for the four principal planes were: AA 11: 8:14-8:20 AM; UA 175: 8:42-8:46 AM; AA 77: 8:51-8:54 AM; and UA 93: 9:28 AM. 30 31 Soon After 9-11 No way…they didn’t just destroy the World Trade Center yesterday…. -first thought, morning, 9-12-01. The specific chemical-like odor after the WTC collapses was pungent, and it lingered in Lower Manhattan for months after 9-11. The brown smoke plume on the New York horizon from the Trade Center site was pronounced, and was prevalent for weeks. I didn't make it back into the city until early November 2001 for different reasons. At the time, I was yet to be interested in the incident as a research topic, and the general consensus in New York was that if you didn't belong down there, to stay away. No one wanted to get in the way of the recovery/cleanup operation. I soon began to question this though. I began to verbalize a: "Why shouldn't we see what was done to our city?"-type response to people. The earlier sentiment meant well, but it was also a politically correct axiom in a way. Nobody wanted to be "in the way," yet I’ve talked to people who were commuting through Downtown Manhattan as early as September 2001, and that amazes me! Had I known I would soon be taking on a major interest in the subject, I would've been right there also. The World Trade Center was a major communications hub, with its TV and radio antenna on the North Tower, and TV channels having offices inside the towers. Some TV and radio stations were knocked off the air after the collapses. It was also said after 9-11 that the complex was an important telephone hub, which was either inside the 31 32 Trade Center, or passed through there. Phone service was affected or cut off by the attacks also. I know personally, that computer service was either down, or became too slow to use well into late September 2001. This may have been because of the phone service, but I began to blame the slow internet on the government/s, because that year, it seemed like every time there was some new potential threat or “chatter”---the internet would slow down. The "Towers of Light*" were cast at the heavens near the World Trade Center site soon after 9-11. If you have never seen them, or an image of the lights, they were two, powerful and striking coral blue beams of light that reach to the clouds above the site and beyond with ease. I wonder what they look like from space? The Towers of Light, actually titled Tribute in Light, was designed by artists J ulian LaVerdiere and Paul Myoda, along with architects J ohn Bennett and Gustavo Bonevardi. The Tribute in Light used high intensity beams of rectilinear volumes of blue light. The project was actually conceived pre-9-11 by the two above artists, who were originally commissioned by Creative Time Inc., and the Municipal Art Society, to create a light installation at the WTC that would draw attention to genetic research by linking beams of light atop 1 WTC with small, single-cell, luminous organisms called "dinoflagellates," which emit light in seawater when agitated. The prehistoric organisms would essentially drive the light installation through electronic impulses. The beams were to be installed in autumn 2002 atop the radio / TV tower on the roof of 1 WTC. But after 9-11, the artists proposed a new project called Phantom Towers. But at that very same time, the two above- mentioned architects were developing a similar project called “PRISM,” independent of the artists. PRISM stood for "Project to Restore Immediately the Skyline of Manhattan." Except the architect's plan was to emit the lights from a barge anchored in the Hudson River near BPC. But when the two parties discovered each other, they decided to collaborate. The artists and architects then teamed up with lighting designers Paul Marantz and J ules Fisher, along with engineers to bring the project to fruition. At first, I recalled Tribute in Light was on every night for some time after 9-11. I believe it was shut off at midnight---or by the last one out---but I recall this was discontinued altogether because of residents who complained that light was leaking into their windows at night. What a CRIME! I thought. Tribute in Light was and still is amazing. I think it should have been a permanent, integral part of the WTC reconstruction to represent what was lost. Tribute in Light is still resurrected for a few days on 9-11 anniversaries. But an even larger issue here is that sometimes the complainers, the squeaky wheels, seem to dictate city policy and get the most grease. The same curmudgeons who retire at 6:30 P.M. sharp every night, seem to complain about everything in the city from the noise to the bicyclists to the dogs to the zoning laws to this and that. I disappointedly noted for the 9-11-05 anniversary that Tribute in Light was resurrected for one night only that year and at that rate, “Would soon be reduced to flashlights taped to a stick.” I’m not sure if it was just me, but there seemed to be a very peculiar day in October 2001. I believe it was either the 10th or possibly the 15th of October, but something was very wrong with one day in New York. Everywhere I went, people were just bouncing off the walls with agitation and stress. I awoke with a huge pressure 32 33 headache that morning---my head was in some sort of pain or pressure from some unknown force. But I didn't start tinhatting because of it. I didn't let it get the better of me, but I observed that the same thing was happening to other people. Everywhere they were just going bonkers. They were cranky, pissed off, screaming and argumentative. This was not coincidence either, because when I even verbalized my observations to people and to a store clerk for example, who had been handling large volumes of miserable customers for hours that day already, that something was just wrong with people that day, observing a hornet's nest of noise and activity around me, she agreed. "It seems like a really crazy day..." I noted. "Seems like it," she agreed. "Seems like something's gonna' happen," I added sullenly, meaning 'terror- relayed.' "I wouldn't be surprised," she concurred. She had felt it too, as the customers around us whined, threw merchandise, bickered, bitched and kvetched, it was obvious they were feeling the same 'cranial blastoma' that I was. And I really thought that either some sort of large-scale experiment was taking place on that day on a "Project H.A.A.R.P.*"-scale, or we were being tormented by evil forces. I felt that something big, possibly on a terror-level was about to happen. It never did, thank God, but during at least the three months after 9-11, we were all on edge that something big was about to happen. On my first day back in Downtown Manhattan, even in early November 2001, the most obvious thing was the pungent odor. To me it smelled like some sort of burning plastic. Perhaps it had a biological smell to it too, I don't know. The second striking characteristic was the fine white dust still covering the pavement everywhere as I rode a mountain bike up Nassau Street. I wish I had collected some of the telltale dust at the time, because it may have held telltale clues. It may have been pulverized not only by the collapses, but by explosives. But I never thought of it then. I read that others did save this dust though, as noted in some 9-11 Transcripts. I believe Nassau Street was the closest you could get to the Trade Center even then. Broadway was still closed down and would've still been a toxic disaster area. The most you could do was take a peak down Vesey Street towards the burned-out hulk of 5 WTC, and a ten-story or so section of the North Tower's steel wall. Utter destruction. The third striking characteristic was the debris. WTC debris and debris from the cleanup operation was everywhere. It was so omnipotent that it was hazardous. You had to watch where you were going, riding and walking. Nails, pieces of shattered wood, dust, glass, garbage from the recovery, sawhorse barricades etc. littered the streets. On my way up Nassau Street I got a front flat tire because of the debris. I'll never forget that. It felt metaphorical in a way. The whole area was just awful. It seemed ruined forever. When Broadway opened back up, you could see a giant piece of WTC facade sticking up over a humongous debris pile that alone must've been 15-stories high. It was especially striking at night, when by glowing floodlight, there'd be a lone fireman high above the debris pile, hosing down the smoldering remains from a cherry picker. It 33 34 had an eerie, volcanic glow about it. It was like a glimpse of Hell. That's how I remember it. I also remember strange installations on street poles in Battery Park City post-9-11 of which I was informed were EPA air-monitoring devices. Christmas Eve 2001 was probably the most cathartic ever. I recall surfing the internet and reading ghosts of Christmas tales that afternoon and sending last-minute emails to friends and family. Maybe the ghosts of those who could not be with us were around. There was just this overwhelming feeling of loss. I find it difficult to describe. Soon after 9-11, I think most recall the endless 9-11 clichés like: “you have to live your life"; "it’s like we're living in a climate of fear"; “the threats were not specific enough”; “it was just chatter"; and my favorite: "if you don't [insert desire here], the terrorists will have won." I had a very strange notion after 9-11 in which I began to think of the attacks occurring on a Monday morning instead of a Tuesday. I don't know where that came from, or whether I was alone in this notion, but I even recall being surprised when I was corrected. Maybe the extreme off-guarded nature of the attacks made me think of a Monday morning, but this gave 9-11 an even more surreal quality to me. I recall the reports of large candlelight vigils in Washington and Union Square Parks at night, and even an “open mic” at Union Square, where anyone who wanted to could get up and vent their feelings about what happened. I recall waking up on the morning of September 12th thinking, No way…they didn’t just destroy the World Trade Center yesterday… It was just too surreal. As much as I liked Mayor Bloomberg's performance post-9-11, I still have to question the "ticket blitz" that took place on the backs of New Yorkers soon after. I recall that the mayor and NYPD spokespersons suggested that good citizens just don’t argue with police officers, and accept whatever summonses is issued them in good faith. The obvious inference was that the city needed the revenue. Even though I wasn't arguing with any police or anything, I remember resenting the treatment because after all, we were New Yorkers and we'd just been through a lot. And now we were being blitzed and made to pay for it as well? New York City wasn't a very nice place to live after 9-11. What I most recall post-9-11 was an investigation centered around an Egyptian who had left some sort of aeronautical device at the Millennium Hilton Hotel across from the World Trade Center on Church Street on 9-11. The device was said to possibly be a GPS unit that was left in a room or in the hotel’s safe. The Egyptian, Abdallah Higazy*, 30, returned to the Millennium Hilton on December 17th 2001 to retrieve possessions he had left in the digital lock safe of room 5101, which is on the 51st floor (out of 58 floors) of the hotel. But Higazy said the device was not his (see Towering Questions). I doubt if it was just I who noticed, but after 9-11 in New York, all of a sudden I saw all these Muslim women walking around in scarves (half-burkhas) who I swear I never saw pre-9-11. All of sudden these people were coming out and displaying their Muslim faith in extreme and constantly telling us Islam was a religion of peace. I didn’t understand it. Where were they pre-9-11? Was this a covert declaration of war? One thing I was particularly impressed with was “The Concert for New York City” held at Madison Square Garden on October 10th 2001. The concert was said 34 35 to have grossed $30 million dollars for 9-11 victim’s families. To think that these rich and famous artists would hop on planes and risk coming to New York at that time was impressive. I was not in attendance, but I was glad to hear that the old stalwarts “The Who” were taking the stage to perform their old classics Who Are You, Baba O’Reilly, Behind Blue Eyes and We Won’t Get Fooled Again. Pete Townshend attacked his guitar with particular fervor that night with his trademark windmills. The show was headlined by Paul McCartney, who actually witnessed the collapses of the Twin Towers from the window of his jet on the tarmac at J FK. Paul performed the Beatles songs I’m Down, Yesterday and Let It Be. Mick J agger and Keith Richards performed Salt of the Earth, and their bittersweet valentine to New York, Miss You. David Bowie began the gig quietly with Simon and Garfunkle’s America, then launched into the appropriate Heroes, backed by Paul Schaeffer, Will Lee and the rest of The Late Show with David Letterman band (who then backed other artists that night as well). Billy J oel sang his mood provoking New York State of Mind. J ames Taylor did his beautiful signature song Fire and Rain. Elton J ohn & J oel sang J ohn’s Your Song, J ohn Mellencamp did his catchy Peaceful World. And New J ersey’s Bon J ovi did Livin’ on a Prayer. Radio personality Howard Stern did some sort of shtick, and other big name actors, comics and sports figures made appearances. Mayor Giuliani, Governor George Pataki, former President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump worked the crowd. Firefighters and cops danced in the aisles throughout the six-hour show and tears flowed. The only thing that could've topped it off I thought, would've been a Clash reunion performing the fitting Rock The Kasbah, and perhaps The Kinks performing Catch Me Now I'm Falling. *"Towers of Light": Art in America, "Towers of light for New York City," 11-01. *Abdallah Higazy: CNN, “Egyptian man near WTC on Sept. 11 charged,” 1-11-02. +1: I recall while riding the Staten Island Ferry post-9-11 the unfinished “30 Hudson Street,” the new Goldman Sachs building in J ersey City, N.J . with a giant cross lit by construction lights at night as a 9-11 Memorial. +2: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer Service was held at Yankee Stadium on September 23rd 2001. +3: Secret Service officers were in New York in September 2001 to do advance security for President Bush's September 24th U.N. address. This was regarded as a "NSSE," or National Special Security Event---Associated Press, 10-29-01 / Reuters, 9-12-01. International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings were being prepared in Washington, DC, on 9-11-01, and were also classified a NSSE---UPI, 9-6-01 / The 9-11 Commission, 5-19-04. 35 36 Who Knew? On the involvement of a foreign government in the 9-11 plot, Sen. Bob Graham said that the information won’t become public until it's turned over to the National---twenty to thirty years from now. National Security Advisor, Condoleeza Rice*, said not long after 9-11 that she felt nobody could have predicted that the terrorists would have taken an airplane and slam it into the World Trade Center, then take a plane and slam it into the Pentagon. No one thought they would use a hijacked airplane as a missile. But either way you slice it, there were a myriad of reports, warnings, PDB’s (Presidential Daily Briefs), intelligence tips, telltale language in government literature, foreign government warnings, inside informants, internet "chatter," NORAD exercises* that all red flagged the impending "planes-as-missile" scenario. David Schippers*, chief prosecutor for the impeachment of Bill Clinton claimed he was contacted by three FBI Agents who informed him they may have uncovered a possible attack plan on Lower Manhattan. Schippers contacted Attorney General J ohn Ashcroft five weeks before 9-11, but was told they do not begin investigations 'from the top.' Schippers claimed the tip went back to a 1995 warning about an attack on Lower Manhattan using a nuclear device. On J uly 25th 2003, the Daily News reported that U.S. intelligence agencies had at least twenty-five credible tips forewarning them about an upcoming attack on the U.S. in 2001---from the 7-10-01 "Phoenix Memo*" to FBI informant Omar al-Bayoumi, 36 37 who roomed with two of the hijackers in San Diego. Time Magazine called al-Bayoumi the FBI's best chance at stopping 9-11. European intelligence agencies allegedly sent several warnings* as well. The Phoenix Memo, sent to the New York Bureau from FBI Agents in Phoenix, Arizona, red flagged aviation students there, sent by Usama Bin Ladin. Much of the eight-page memo was blacked out, but it featured the title: "Zakaria Mustapha Soubra," and specifically warned New York of the threat of students securing jobs in the aviation industry for future terrorist activity. It also featured seven other blacked-out individual's names involved with Soubra. Soubra was interviewed by FBI Agents twice, once on 4-7-00, and again on 5-11-00 at his residence, where agents noticed pictures of UBL on Soubra's walls. Soubra referred to the U.S. military’s presence in the Gulf as ‘Legitimate military targets of Islam.’ His attitude towards the FBI Agents was described as "defiant." He clearly was not intimidated by their presence. What else the Memo may have contained, we'll probably never know. One question those online were asking was, “who told Mayor Giuliani that the Twin Towers were going to collapse?” Rudy Giuliani commented on a live ABC News TV broadcast on 9-11 that he went down to the site and set up headquarters at 75 Barclay Street. Also there, were the police commissioner, the fire commissioner and the head of emergency management. They were originally going to operate out of 7 WTC, but then were told that the World Trade Center was going to collapse. It took the mayor’s team ten to fifteen minutes to get out of the building, but they finally found an exit. They walked north and advised as many people as they could to do the same. No one knew the Trade Center would collapse, yet through transcripts it seemed likely that many seemed to have been given some sort of privileged information, regardless if they knew the source of that information or if it was insider knowledge. FDNY Chief Pfeifer said in transcripts, that right before the South Tower collapsed, all the high-ranking officials suddenly exited the lobby, causing him to think they had some sort of inside knowledge. Using a plane as a bomb was not completely new---if they were used at all that is. J apan's Kamikaze pilots were the originators. Then on December 24th 1994, four Algerian, Al Qida-linked terrorists hijacked Air France Flight 8969* shortly after takeoff from Algiers bound for Paris. They planned to slam the plane into the Eiffel Tower, but French commandos stormed the plane during a refueling stop in Strasbourg, Germany, killing the four terrorists. Three of the 267 passengers were also killed by the hijackers. U.S. authorities were also aware of “Operation Bojinka*,” authored by 9-11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) in 1995. Although a bit different than planes as missiles---blowing up several airliners over the Pacific---the emphasis was still on aircraft. Even still, the plan was said to be flexible in that it could’ve called for some of the airliners to be flown into key structures inside the U.S., such as the Transamerica Tower, the Sears Tower, as well as the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the White House. Philippine authorities foiled the plan. Again in 1997, according to Qatar intelligence*, KSM was planning on hijacking planes. There were several other plots in which Al Qida-connected terrorists desired to fly planes into structures, which may have contributed to “warning fatigue” in the U.S. intelligence community. 37 38 Why was it that certain individuals seemed to receive prior warning about the 9-11 attacks and/or were warned not to fly? Attorney General J ohn Ashcroft began flying private, leased aircraft in the summer of 2001; this was reported by Dan Rather on Imus in the Morning. Rather reasoned that this was an indication that somebody somewhere was starting to get a bit worried. Why wasn’t the warning shared with the public at large? In response, J ustice Department spokesperson, Barbara Comstock, stated that the air travel warning concerned Ashcroft’s personal safety, as in a threat to his life. Similarly, it was widely reported that Mayor Willie Brown of San Francisco got an early warning, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle*. In the article, it was made known that Brown was warned eight hours before the 9-11 attacks by his “security detail at the airport.” It said that Americans should be cautious about their air travel that day. Who did the tip come from? Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie was actually banned by U.S. authorities from taking domestic flights beginning on September 3rd 2001. Allegedly, the FAA* told Rushdie’s publisher that they had “intelligence of something about to happen.” How about telling the rest of us guys? The London Times reported that the FAA had increased security measures concerning Rushdie, but they would not cite a reason. Some theorized that the reason Rushdie was given this pass was that it would have been a tremendous PR victory if Muslim terrorists had happened to catch Rushdie aboard one of their flights; in light of his past death threats. Did the rap group “The Coup” know anything about the upcoming 9-11 attacks? I ask this due to the CD cover for their controversial Party Music. The cover depicted Coup leader, "Boots," pressing a detonator button and exploding the Twin Towers. It uncannily looked like the real thing. The explosion in the South Tower was amazingly similar. The CD cover was made in May and J une of 2001, and Warner Bros. quickly pulled the album cover after 9-11. Boots explained in an interview with a "Davy D.," that although The Coup talks about revolution and overthrowing the system, they did not endorse what happened on 9-11. Does this author think that The Coup knew anything? From what I read of Boot’s interview, he didn't sound stable enough to be given any inside knowledge. One of the most well known 9-11 investigators, radio host and video maker, Alex J ones*, allegedly predicted the 9-11 attacks in a J uly 2001 videotaping. I watched the clip, but the claim was a bit tenuous. An Imam ready to be sworn in as only the second FDNY Muslim chaplain, admitted in September 2005 that he doubted that nineteen hijackers brought down the Twin Towers, and that 9-11 was a much broader conspiracy. Imam Intikab Habib*, a Guyana native who studied in Saudi Arabia, doubted the official story. He stated he did not know who was responsible for the attacks, and that there were so many conflicting reports that it was hard to believe it was the said nineteen hijackers. He went on to state that he heard the professionals say how never in history did a steel building come down by fire alone, and that it usually takes two to three weeks to demolish a building like that. These were demolished in a couple of hours. He wondered if it was a conspiracy. FDNY spokesman, Frank Gribbon, said the chaplain was hired on his credentials alone and that they never question new hirees on their political beliefs. Habib was called into a meeting by FDNY brass and told to resign or be fired. Habib resigned. 38 39 According to Newsweek on 9-13-01, the overall governmental state of alert had been high over the two preceding weeks before 9-11. A potentially specific warning may have been received just before the 9-11 attacks, on the eve of 9-10 specifically. This might have caused some top Pentagon officials to cancel their travel plans. The article questioned why the information was not made available to the 266 victims aboard the aircrafts and that it may become a hot topic on the Hill. Newsweek informed readers on 9-17-01 about this group of top Pentagon brass canceling trips at the last moment before 9-11, due to security concerns. No one knew eh? Newsweek also reported in March 2005, that Dick Cheney warned of a large-scale terrorist attack on U.S. soil way back when he was Chief of Staff for Gerald Ford in 1976. An *Iranian defector allegedly told a CIA operative about a planes attack, referring to the Persian calendar date of September 20th 2001. But the CIA operative erroneously translated the date to September the 10th 2001---one day off. The CIA had been tracking eight of the hijackers through Iran. Italian authorities* gave the U.S. a warning based on wiretaps of possible Al Qida members there. One of the cell members was caught on tape saying, “I’m studying airplanes. I hope, God willing, that I can bring you a window or a piece of an airplane the next time we see each other (laughter)." In J anuary 2001, another would-be terrorist asked if forged documents were for, “the brothers going to the United States.” He was then sharply rebuked not to talk about the “very, very secret” plot*. Information about the wiretaps* was given to U.S. authorities in March 2001. On 9-6-01, priest J ean- Marie Benjamin* was attending a wedding in Italy and was told by a Muslim that the U.S. and Britain would be attacked by terrorists using hijacked aircraft as weapons. He notified a judge and several Italian politicos of the plot. Prior knowledge of the 9-11 attacks seemed to be commonplace in some other countries. In Cairo, Egypt, it was the subject of common street gossip. Connecticut banker, Richard Dennison*, overheard a Cairo shopkeeper talking while vacationing there in August 2001. Other men in the shop were very interested in playing a video game called “Flight Simulator,” and Dennison thought that was odd and so he asked why it was so popular. “You’ll find out,” came their cryptic reply. They warned him to stay clear of New York City and Washington. Another thing that doesn’t add up is that the names of supposed nineteen hijackers were said not to be on any official passenger lists of the four planes. This brings up the obvious answer that the hijackers simply used aliases, but then which fake names on the lists are those of the hijackers? A tragic irony is that ex-FBI Agent, J ohn O’Neill*, was killed at the hands of those he made a career out of trying to apprehend. O’Neill had just taken the job as "head of security" for the World Trade Center a few weeks prior to 9-11, and had just moved into his new office on September 10th 2001. As far as what O'Neill knew, he knew a lot more than most about Al Qida and terrorism in general. While with the FBI, O’Neill had a deep distrust for the Saudi’s; his work investigating the two U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa was extensive; he was working on the USS Cole bombing investigation in Yemen, leading to a tiff with U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, Barbara Bodine*; he apprehended 1993 World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef. But O'Neill's "J ames Bond" style won him enemies within the Bureau. Attorney and whistleblower, 39 40 J ohn Loftus*, claimed that O’Neill resigned from the FBI in disgust after being ordered away from the Saudi-Al Qida* connection, because it threatened an oil pipeline deal* with the Taliban. Oliver North claimed to have had the same problem in dealing with the Saudis. J ohn O’Neill reportedly told a friend* on the night of Sept. 10th 2001, that we were due for something major to happen. O’Neill didn’t like the way things were shaping up in Afghanistan. Why was the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence Directorate (ISID) Chief, Lieutenant General Ahmad Mahmud, breakfasting with Congressman and ex-CIA Agent, Porter Goss (R-FL), and Senator and ex-Florida Governor, Bob Graham (D-FL), in Washington on the morning of 9-11-01? Keep in mind how vital the Bush Administration considered Pakistan* in regards to an invasion of Afghanistan. Also keep in mind that General Mahmud was basically accused of ordering $100,000 dollars wired to Mohammed Atta in Florida. There was a strange Florida connection to the whole 9-11 plot. After this mysterious breakfast, Mahmud was then reportedly whisked over to CIA headquarters where he was worked on further, then bounced over to the State Department where Colin Powell had his turn with him when he returned from Florida, basically reading Mahmud the riot act in relation to cooperating with the United States in an invasion of Afghanistan. In Bush At War, Powell described their meeting as a pitcher's brush back pitch, the kind that is thrown hard and fast to the head as a message to the batter. It worked. By the time Powell phoned President General, Pervez Musharraf, in Pakistan, the demands had been accepted. President Musharraf, this one-time pariah whom George Bush refused to be photographed with during a stopover in Islamabad in 2000 was still an S.O.B. (as the saying goes)---but he was our S.O.B. In Bush At War it also stated that Donald Rumsfeld*, in cabinet meetings after the 9-11 attacks, wanted to draw up plans for invading Iraq before Afghanistan, but Powell balked, saying it would be a tough sell to the American public. Still, they had their temporary Iraqi leader, Ahmed Chalabi*, on deck and ready to go. Although Chalabi didn’t last long, it was rumored that the Pentagon had been grooming him for years as their future man in Iraq. Bob Graham was quoted in the Daily News on J uly 25th 2003 as saying to the effect that it was his conclusion that agents of a foreign government aided and abetted the 9-11 terrorist attacks. But then, rather cheekily, Graham referred to a nine-hundred- page report about 9-11, of which twenty-eight pages were “blacked out.” Graham said that the Bush Administration decided to censor the information from American citizens. I interpreted this in different ways. Was Graham being genuine, or was it a case of, "gee…I’d love to share this information with you, but gosh darn I just can’t because of all these blacked-out pages…” What furthers the debate on whether Graham was good guy/bad guy, was an interview Graham did for PBS*. Graham, when asked if there were any elements to The 9-11 Report that were classified, replied, “Yes,” but then meandered off topic. When asked if there was a foreign government connection to 9-11, he seemed to gravitate back over to “our camp” so-to-speak by saying that there was compelling evidence that a foreign government assisted the terrorists and not just in funding, but we were derelict in our duty in finding out who. Interviewer Gwen Ifill asked Graham if he thought that the 40 41 information would ever become public, specifically which foreign countries he was referring to, Bob Graham replied that the information would become public at some point, probably when it is turned over to the National Archives twenty to thirty years from now. Graham even went on to say that we need this very relevant information now because it’s directly connected to the present day threat we now face in this country. It kind of sounded like Graham was on our side. But then again there are some great actors in politics and it harkens back to one of the central themes of this book: interchangeable villains. Graham was saying that our justice and intelligence agencies know what foreign country was complicit in aiding the Agents of 9-11, but they will not tell us. What good does that do anyone? We knew that $100.000 dollars was forwarded to two accounts held by Mohammed Atta in Florida, and so was one of the foreign countries that was complicit in 9-11, Pakistan? It was also alleged by Afghan Interior Minister, Younis Qanooni*, that the Pakistani ISID was shielding Bin Ladin in some way. The 9-11 blame game was initially aimed at the soft target Saudi Arabia. The Saudis of course responded with exasperation. My thinking was sure, rich people like to pay to make a problem go away and perhaps the Saudis even fund terrorist groups, but one should look at certain quotes by Saudi officials and try and read between the lines as to “how much” the Saudis were really to blame for 9-11. They may underwrite some nefarious things, sometimes by proxy, but I don't believe they were the secret country Graham was talking about. Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar Bin Sultan* said that in a 900-page 9-11 report, twenty-eight blacked-out pages were being used to incriminate Saudi Arabia. He also said that they were criticized firstly by unnamed sources then they were being maligned with blank pages. The Saudi Foreign Minister then traveled to Washington to hand deliver a letter from Prince Saud Al-Faisal, requesting that Bush release the documents saying that the Saudis had nothing to hide and don’t need to be shielded. The letter said the Saudis were “indicted by insinuation.” It’s not that the Saudis are alter boys, and I know because of certain Saudi / Bush connections they were given softball treatment, but if you go and read the exact quotes, they don’t sound like the rhetoric of a guilty party. There was a tone of exasperation to the dialogue. One unnamed U.S. official who viewed the classified pages told the Los Angeles Times that it “looks like the Saudis were connected in a coordinated and methodical way (to 9-11)." But another anonymous official source* called it, “certainly not conclusive.” What didn't help the Saudis any was when Prince Alaweed bin Talal* visited New York and toured the World Trade Center site with Mayor Giuliani, all the while displaying a little "smirk" on his face. One theory why Saudis were used in the 9-11 attacks was that Al Qida wanted to destroy U.S.-Saudi relations as retaliation for its religious and philosophical differences with the Saudis. And if figuring out what the Saudi’s knew about 9-11 wasn’t difficult enough, the U.S. under George W. Bush began investigating what potential connections Iran might have had to 9-11. I don’t believe there was any substantial connection to Iran even though then CIA boss J ohn McLaughlin* said that the CIA knew that some of the September 11th hijackers had passed through Iran. Iran does not stamp passports of travelers coming from Afghanistan. 41 42 Yet it was our own CIA who had been tipped off about the 9-11 attacks and seemingly did nothing to thwart them. In a CIA intelligence report* for the White House on J uly 5th 2001, it told of a “spectacular attack, designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning.” The NSA* intercepted two important messages on September 10th 2001, stating, “the match is about to begin,” and, “tomorrow is ‘zero hour.’” Does that sound like mindless chatter? On the NSA*, Bush claimed that if they were given the ability to wiretap the San Diego hijackers, Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almihdhar, it would have prevented the 9-11 attacks. Bush claimed they didn't realize they were here plotting the attack until it was too late. It had the tone of passing the blame onto the citizens ala, “see, if you guys would only give up more of your civil rights, we could’ve caught these guys.” Nine-eleven Commissioner, Bob Kerry (ex-D-NEB), said it wasn’t true we knew about Alhamzi and Almihdhar, but the CIA lost them in Malaysia and Thailand in 1999. For a time, most Americans were made to believe that the first President Bush heard about the attacks was on the morning of 9-11, when Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, whispered ‘sour everything’s’ in Bush’s ear at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. But some sources* reported that before he entered the school, when asked about the impending catastrophe by a press person in the caravan, Bush allegedly replied that he knew what was going on in New York City, and he’d have more to say about it later in the day. He knew about it before the classroom? The trail on who knew what about 9-11 must have gotten noticeably poorer when the National Security Agency* chose shortly after 9-11 as the opportune time to begin destroying loads of electronic data it had collected on corporations and individuals. Even an ex-CIA Director of Counter-Terrorism, Vince Canistraro, was quoted as saying they should’ve saved the data. The clear question is are the days and weeks immediately following 9-11-01 the time you start destroying electronic information? Sure, if you want to make sure that it never sees the light of day. If that wasn't enough, a Senate investigation* was underway as to why FBI Agents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, shredded mountains of documents after 9-11. The documents were said to contain thousands of potential leads to the 9-11 plot. A FBI supervisor ordered the documents destroyed a year after 9-11, citing security measures. Once again, is this the time you start destroying data? On May 22nd 2002, FBI Agents*, J effery A. Royer and Lynn Wingate, were charged with pre-9-11 insider trading, specifically: racketeering conspiracy, securities fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice in New York City District Court. This was in an unsealed federal indictment, “United States vs. Elgindy, Royer, Wingate, Cleveland and Peters,” by U.S. Attorney Alan Vinegard. These agents also used the ACS* telephone monitoring system to pass information on to corporations and individuals. Another U.S. government agency received yet another tip-off when a “walk in* to the FBI” told of a terrorist plan to attack New York City, Boston and London. 42 43 On the show Democracy Now! in J une 2004, a former FBI translator, Sibel Edmunds, said that [he/they?] claimed to have seen documents warning of an attack by Al Qida on the World Trade Center. An eyebrow-raising issue was that Marvin Bush, George W. Bush’s younger brother, was on the board of directors and a shareholder in a Kuwaiti-backed company "KuwAm," which provided security for the World Trade Center, Washington’s Dulles Airport, Los Alamos National Laboratories and United Airlines between 1993 and 2000 under the name "Securacom*." Securacom changed its name to Stratesec Inc. [date?] and was located in Sterling, Virginia. Stratesec’s stock was de-listed from the American Stock Exchange in October 2002. Securacom added a government division in December 2000, and counted customers such as the GSA, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force and the Department of J ustice by providing “state-of-the-art security solutions for classified or high-risk government sites.” Securacom was also one of the contractors hired for the post-1993 WTC bombing revamp-ment, and acquired an $8.3 million dollar contract there in 1996, according to the SEC. CEO Barry McDaniel said the company had a contract to provide World Trade Center security up to the day the World Trade Center was destroyed. Securacom or Stratesec were not listed as the gate security for United Airlines on 9-11, but one expert called it somewhat unusual for a foreign-backed company to handle security for an airport and airlines (Dubai Ports anyone?). Securacom handled the airfield access system, the CCTV and the electronic badging system at Dulles Airport. This was also the case at the World Trade Center. Another red flag was that President Bush pushed for last-minute protections for foreign- owned security companies in the Homeland Security bill. How convenient… As far as foreign government 9-11 involvement, should we be looking at Kuwait and not Saudi Arabia? Once again, the FBI was accused of lightweight treatment of the Saudis*. In a telling article in the New York Post on 7-14-04 entitled, “FBI Takes a Dive on Terror,” attorney and talk show host Debbie Schlussel, exposed how J ohn Roberts, a former chief of the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility wrote in a letter to Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), that he was told by FBI Assistant Director, Robert J ordan, and Deputy Assistant Director, J ody Weis, to deceive and misrepresent the facts pertinent to this matter (from the J ustice Department) in regards to the actions of FBI Agent Bob Wright. Agent Wright did counter-terrorism for the FBI’s Chicago office in the early 1990’s. His operation, “Operation Vulgar Betrayal”, uncovered several Hamas and Al Qida financiers within the United States. But Wright had to battle his superiors the whole way and the FBI eventually shut down his investigation in August 1999. He was told, in so many words, that his investigation was too embarrassing to the Saudis. Wright had even seized $1.4 million from Yassin Al-Qadi, a Bin Ladin financier, but the J ustice Department wanted to give it back! Saudi Defense Minister, Prince Sultan*, canceled a trip to J apan in early September 2001. Did he know something we did not? Allegedly, an associate of Sultan’s warned CIA Agent, Robert Baer, about an upcoming terrorist strike on the U.S. He even gave Baer a computer disk containing the names of six hundred Al Qida operatives inside Saudi Arabia, but was rebuked by Prince Sultan. The information was passed on to the CIA however. 43 44 According to Russian intelligence*, the anti-aircraft guns and closed Italian airspace for the Genoa G-8 summit six weeks before 9-11 were to protect against Arab suicide planes and the Egyptian government warned about an Al Qida attempt to assassinate President Bush and other officials by using “an airplane stuffed with explosives." Bush stayed the night on an aircraft carrier* off the Italian coast for security reasons. The attack may not have been attempted because it was reported in the media*. Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister, Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil*, learned of Usama Bin Ladin’s upcoming “huge attack” on America in late J uly 2001. He learned this from a rebel Islamic group leader in Uzbekistan. Muttawakil sent an attaché to warn the U.S. Consul General and another unspecified “U.S. official,” but the warning was not taken seriously. Argentina’s J ewish community* warned the U.S. in J uly 2001, of “an attack of major proportions” against the U.S., Argentina or France. An undercover agent from Morocco*, who penetrated Al Qida learned that Bin Ladin was disappointed about the failed 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and so he was plotting a large scale attack in New York in the summer or fall of 2001. He warned U.S. authorities in August 2001. Vladimir Putin* stated publicly that Russian intelligence alerted the U.S. in the summer of 2001 that suicide pilots were training to attack U.S. targets. A top Russian intelligence stated that they had clearly warned us, but we did not pay the necessary attention. The British appeared to do their part in warning us, first in 1999. British intelligence* informed the U.S. Embassy that Al Qida planned to use “commercial aircraft” in “unconventional ways, possibly as flying bombs." British intelligence then notified the U.S. that Al Qida was in “the final stages” of an attack on western countries. They gave the U.S. another warning in August 2001, saying that there would be multiple airline hijacks emanating from Al Qida. The tip was part of Bush’s notorious August 6th 2001 PDB*. British investigators joined authorities in the Cayman Islands* in early 2000 in a probe of three Afghan men who entered the Caymans illegally. The men were then overheard discussing hijacking attacks on New York City and were arrested. Authorities there notified U.S. intelligence. Late in August 2001, an anonymous letter* was sent to a Cayman radio station saying that the men arrested were Al Qida agents “organizing a major terrorist attack against the U.S. via an airline or airlines.” In J une 2001, German intelligence* warned the U.S., Britain and Israel about Middle Eastern men hijacking aircraft and using them as weapons to hit “American and Israeli symbols that stand out." The warning allegedly came from the spy satellite system "Echelon," which is partly based in Germany. After 9-11, Egyptian President Hasni Mubarak claimed that Egyptian intelligence* warned American officials that Al Qida was in the final stages of planning a large-scale attack, probably in the U.S. Egyptian intelligence also warned the U.S. in J uly 2001 that they received a report from an undercover agent in Afghanistan that, “Twenty Al Qida members had slipped into the U.S. and four of them had received flight training on Cessna’s.” They passed the information on to the CIA, expecting a request for further data, but that reply never came. 44 45 J ordanian intelligence* intercepted a transmission in the summer of 2001 saying that a large-scale attack was looming for the U.S., and that aircraft would be used. The code name for this operation was the “Big Wedding.” The information was passed along to U.S. authorities. In August 2001, two Mossad* agents went to Washington to warn the CIA and FBI that somewhere between fifty to two-hundred Al Qida terrorists were in the U.S. actively planning a “major assault ”on a “large scale target.” For years it was written in several news outlets about Israeli spy rings posing as “art students” in the U.S. A pre-9- 11 U.S. DEA report (6/01) noted that Israeli spies were living in a retirement community in Florida at 4220 Sheridan Street, a few hundred feet from Mohammed Atta’s residence at 3389 Sheridan Street. Israeli intelligence agents appeared to be close to several of the hijackers. Was this for surveillance purposes? The Forward* then admitted that the purpose of the Israeli spy rings was to track Muslim terrorists in the U.S. On August 23rd 2001, the Mossad gave the CIA a list of nineteen terrorists* living inside the U.S. who they suspected of planning an attack. Four names on the list were Nawaf Alhazmi, Khalid Almihdhar, Marwan Alshehhi and Mohammed Atta. Alhazmi and Almihdhar were put on the terror watch list* the same day. It was reported that Israeli spies were videotaping the WTC attacks and seemed to be in a celebratory spirit after the collapses and were detained by police. Others said Ariel Sharon was warned by Shabak to stay away from New York. Uncorroborated reports said that four thousand J ewish WTC workers stayed away from work that day, but I think that was propaganda. Sure, the Mossad usually knows about things before they happen, but I don’t believe Israel is our secret enemy and complicit in the 9-11 attacks. French intelligence* backed up the Israeli warning in August 2001. Not that anybody had read it, but there were hints of the 9-11 attacks in an UBL's friend, Rifai Ahmed Taha’s*, book which came out in J anuary 2001. In it, Taha allegedly urged Muslims everywhere to kill J ews and Americans, and to use planes as weapons. The book came to light in accused lawyer, Lynne Stewart’s trial. As I will go into in a later chapter, add government informant, Randy Glass, and the ISID to the list of parties who might have had foreknowledge of 9-11. An account given by J ohn Peeler, an alleged ex-government agent, in literature distributed by Tony Alamo Ministries contended that the Trade Center attack was a choreographed performance similar to Waco and Oklahoma City. He claimed they were all black operations with purposes to their destruction. This harkens back to the shock nature of these types of operations---the stripping down of the onlooker’s sense of security, to breach the threshold of their shock tolerance: i.e. psychological warfare. Peeler alleged that the government maintained a “hit list” of certain citizens they wanted to do away with, and that the government had wanted to kill Pastor Alamo for years. It made me wonder about the fates of others. Peeler described the Trade Center attack as a “turkey shoot,” and even named names in regards to the J FK assassination. He claimed that a government agent was bragging about being the one who had gotten the shot that killed J ohn F. Kennedy. This was before Peeler’s time though he said; the information was confided him by other agents. Peeler also claimed that the purpose of Waco was not to arrest the Branch Davidians, but to annihilate them and that David Koresh’s followers were not exchanging 45 46 gunfire with the BATF, but that the agent on the roof, the one who was fatally shot, actually shot at the agent inside the house to sacrificially kill him so that they could bulldoze the place, but that agent then returned fire. The story got pretty wild I admit. Peeler also claimed that his son had been framed by the government and imprisoned after they could not set him up personally. An important claim about Peeler’s 9-11 allegations is that he says he wrote letters to President Bush, Mayor Giuliani and the CIA warning them that the WTC attacks were going to go down in the first part of September 2001. If this allegation were true, what did the Giuliani administration do with the correspondence? Did they act on it or just dismiss it as the ramblings of a crazy person? Lyndon LaRouche* claimed he forewarned us pre-9-11 that the Bush Administration would stage a "Reichstag Fire" to grab dictatorial powers ala the Fuhrerprinzip (unitary executive), in which dictated Hitler's emergency dictatorial rule on February 28th 1933. This was twenty-four hours after the Reichstage Fire. Going through piles of notes & references, I found a memo reading: (Nico Haupt; who was present at the hearing). And then there is the 9/11 connection: Haupt said, “During a testimony at the 9-11 panel this May, Kerik revealed that ex-FBI anti terror chief J ohn O'Neill told him that there would be a pending attack on the Twin Towers. I couldn't find the original answer transcript anymore, so you have to rely on my claim because I was there at the testimony. I will try to find more. Kerik was also authority, when handed over a passport from one of the Sep11th planes, first located by FBI agent Barry Mawn, coincidentally best friend of O'Neill." Nico Haupt* is an investigative journalist originally from Germany and living in New York. His English was a little rougher then, but he was present at The 9-11 Commission hearings in New York City at The New School. I originally met Nico at the World Trade Center site in 2003. Some of this critical Kerik testimony did not make it into the final 9-11 Report and I brought this to Nico's attention and he responded that it must have been edited out. It made me wonder how much other information was redacted from The 9-11 Report from other speakers? And once again, it was J ohn O'Neill who was doing more from the grave in regards to 9-11 investigation than the living. *Dan Rather: CBSNews.com. *San Francisco Chronicle: ”Willie Brown Got Low Key Early Warning About Air Travel,” 9-12-01. *"Phoenix Memo": The Phoenix Memo warned of Islamic terrorists training at U.S. flight schools and a significant portion of the ten-page memo is blacked out (see the memoryhole.org). *Richard Dennison: as reported by NewsMax, May 29, 2002. *FBI Agents: Washington Post, 5-23-02. *Walk in: New York Post, “Our Gov’t Failed Us,” 7-23-04. *Another source: New York Post, 8-2-03. *National Security Agency: Boston Globe, Oct. 27 th , 2001. *J ohn O’Neill: Ex-FBI and WTC security chief J ohn O’Neill. Frontline, “The Man Who Knew.” *Friend: 9-11 Visibility Project, Buzzflash, “The Great Whitewash…” 5-22-04. 46 47 *Barbara Bodine: Allegedly, Bodine wouldn’t allow O’Neill back into Yemen after the Thanksgiving holiday because he was too heavy handed with the Yemenis. *J ohn Loftus: J ohn Loftus was a former Federal Prosecutor and government whistleblower. He was also a well-known radio talk show guest frequently on WABC's John Batchelor Show, and whose Loftus Report featured breaking news from his intelligence community contacts. I liked J ohn. He seemed affable and would even take a minute to return an email here and there, but he was never a believer in any of the 9-11 conspiracies. I wondered if he was basically "given the script" by his intelligence contacts on that one. What really broke Loftus was his snagging of terror financier Sami Al Arian. Al Arian was charged with racketeering and contributing to terrorism. What didn't make sense about Loftus was it seemed like he could find conspiracy in just about any place he wanted to, except 9-11 or the J FK assassination. His narrow view of the J FK assassination triggered the exasperation of J ohn Batchelor's then-co-host, Paul Alexander, which seemed to trigger Alexander’s leaving the show suddenly. After too many wild press releases from me I guess, including one about strange "orbs" seen near the Woolworth Building on 9-11, Loftus blocked my email address. *FAA: London Times, 9-27-01. *Pipeline Deal: Loftus cited that O’Neill found a document pertaining to this in the rubble of one of the Embassy bombings in Africa (the pipeline deal being with the Taliban). According to the 9-11 Visibility Project and Buzzflash, O’Neill complained of obstructions into investigating Al Qida from the White House because of, “U.S. oil corporate interests and the role played by Saudi Arabia.” *Porter Goss and Bob Graham: First reported by MSNBC on Oct. 7, 2001. In the wake of the George Tenet resignation, House Intelligence Committee Chair Porter Goss remained a favored contender for replacement and eventually got the post, only to resign over a Watergate poker party scandal. Goss was an ex-CIA Agent and Army Intelligence officer from the 60’s and 70’s---New York Post, “Giuliani could be waiting in the wings,” 6-4-04. *Lyndon LaRouche: Essay: Children of Satan. *Prince Sultan: Wall Street Journal, 10-22-01 / Financial Times, 1-12-02. *J ewish community: Forward, 5-31-02. *Pakistan: Bush At War, by Bob Woodward. Colin Powell informed Bush that it couldn’t be done without the help of Pakistan. *Aircraft carrier: CNN, 7-18-01. *PBS: News Hour with Jim Lehrer, guest host Gwen Ifill. *Media: Los Angeles Times, 9-27-01. *Donald Rumsfeld: It had been widely reported that an invasion of Iraq was on the table pre-9-11. Rumsfeld resigned in early November 2006, and was replaced by ex-CIA head Robert Gates. *Ahmed Chalabi: Associated Press, 5-22-04. Chalabi was caught meeting with a nefarious Iranian Agent, and suspected of giving U.S. secrets to the Iranians---CBSNews.com, 5-21-04. *ACS: Washington Post, 5-5-02. ACS is a phone tapping software activated at the telephone company's offices and used by U.S. law enforcement authorities and is completely noiseless. *British intelligence: Sunday Times, 6-9-02 / London Times, 6-14-02. *PDB: Sunday Herald, 5-19-02. *Cayman Islands: Miami Herald / Los Angeles Times, 9-20-01 / Fox News, 5-17-02. *Anonymous letter: Miami Herald, 9-20-01 / Los Angeles Times, 9-22-01. *Russian intelligence: The New York Times, 9-26-01. *German intelligence: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 9-11-01 / Washington Post, 9-14-01. *Egyptian intelligence: Associated Press, 12-7-01 / New York Times, 6-4-02 / CBS, 10-9-02. *J ordanian intelligence: International Herald Tribune, 5-21-02 / Christian Science Monitor, 5-23-02. *Mossad: Telegraph, 9-16-01 / Los Angeles Times, 9-20-01 / Ottawa Citizen, 9-17-01 / Fox News, 5-17-02 / Salon, 5-7- 02. 47 48 *Forward: 3-15-02. * Rifai Ahmed Taha’s: New York Post, “Hints of 9-11 attacks in bin Laden pal’s book,” 10-04. *Nineteen terrorists: Die Zeit / Der Speigel, 10-1-02 / BBC, 10-2-02 / Ha’artetz, 10-3-02. *French intelligence: Fox News, 5-17-02. *Vladimir Putin: Fox News, 5-17-02 / Agence France-Presse, 9-16-01. *Morroco: Agence France Presse, 11-22-01 / International Herald Tribune, 5-21-02 / London Times, 6-12-02. *Prince Bandar Bin Sultan: Daily News, 7-25-03. *Watch list: American Free Press, 9-22-01 / Berliner Zeitung, 9-24-01 / Observer, 9-30-01 / New York Times, 9-21-02. *Several warnings: J ohn Loftus, The Batchelor and Alexander Show, 5-02. *J ohn McLaughlin: New York Post, “W. eyes Iran tie to 9-11,” 7-20-04. *Saudis: It is ironic that the Saudis should receive lightweight treatment over anything as a WorldNetDaily, 6-25-04 article, “Saudi Arabia---Beheading Capital of the World,” told of horrid Saudi Arabian public executions by sword. One heinous crime is for being a "Christian.” What if that sentiment were returned here for being a Saudi Muslim? *CIA intelligence report: Newsweek, 5-1-03; The Hill 5-1-03. *Younis Qanooni: BBC, 12-30-01. *Wiretaps: Fox News, 5-17-02. *News sources: TomFlocco.com. *NSA: The American Prospect, “Our Pearl Harbor.” / Daily News, "9/11 spy claim whacked." *Senate investigation: New York Post, "Pols press FBI on files," 6-20-05. *Italian authorities: Washington Post, 5-31-02. *Prince Alaweed bin Talal: New York Sun, "A Saudi Prince's Indecent Proposal," 12-21-05 / Leadership by Rudy Giuliani. *Muttawakil: Independent / Reuters, 9-7-02. *David Schippers: Wikpedia. *Securacom: Unansweredquestions.org, “Security, Secrecy and a Bush Brother,” 1-13-03. *Iranian defector: Countdown to Crisis, by Ken Timmerman, The John Batchelor Show, 7-21-05. *Intikab Habib: Newsday, “Chaplain Doubts 9/11 Story,” 9-30-05. *"Operation Bojinka": The 9-11 Report / Center for Cooperative Research. *Qatar intelligence: UPI, 9-30-02. *Plot: Los Angeles Times, 5-29-02. *J ean-Marie Benjamin: Zenit, 9-16-01. *Alex J ones: www.infowars.com. *Air France Flight 8969: Charles de Gaulle Airport Reference Library / New York Times, 10-3-01. *Nico Haupt: "911 Skeptics Unite," http://911skeptics.blogspot.com 48 49 9-11 Sickness, The Forensic Search The World Trade Center on 9-11-01: 102 minutes of Hell. The subject of 9-11 illness, in which WTC survivors and cleanup workers suffered health problems even leading to mortalities, would definitely be a voluminous, detailed, forensic investigative book with much of the research still forthcoming, and so do not delve into the subject in any length here; but just a word or two. Firstly, it is my suspicion after studying the attacks and transcripts that there may have been a plan to distribute biological or synthetic toxins to sicken and kill off Trade Center witnesses and workers. The EPA signing off on the safety issue of the WTC site so soon afterwards raised questions also. There was a blurb in a NY Press* column stating that around 1 P.M. on 9-11, the author heard someone screaming something about poison in the air, and that, "the planes were full of poison." Who knows? I met a volunteer who complained of chest and lung pains, pneumonia and backaches associated with his cleanup construction work at the site. This was echoed by countless other recovery workers. Somebody call Tom Cruise! Several news outlets reported the statistic that 46% of Americans polled believed that the government knew about 9-11. With that in mind, a disgruntled group of Americans who disbelieve the 9-11 story would surely grow and grow, possibly hitting a critical mass by 2010. And so would the Agents of 9-11 want all these pesky little 49 50 witnesses still around by then, recalling things, telling stories, poking their noses where they shouldn’t be?---of course not. Many of the 9-11 witnesses could die off so there's not many left around to spin conspiracy yarns about the “New Pearl Harbor.” An interesting fact that was reported was that most WTC rescue dogs* didn't seem to suffer from the same 9-11 respiratory ailments that people do. Could this point to the possibility that a biological agent more attuned to humans was used? The death of Staten Island Borough President J ames Molinaro's son may or may not have been linked to 9-11 illness. Stephen Molinaro*, 40, was involved in cleanup operation at the WTC site after 9-11. Stephen died suddenly and was found in his kitchen. Researchers feared that the stress of the 9-11 attacks could have been passed on to infants* in the womb, based on low cortisol, a hormone which indicates post-traumatic stress. Time is the great tonic to the healing and the forgetting of misfortune and tragedy, but there is still no closure for some, specifically for family members of the numbers: 19,915; 9,429; and 10,486*. This is because these numbers stood for the number of human remains recovered from the World Trade Center site, the number of remains linked to a victim and the number of remains of unidentified victims respectively. These remains sat in New York City Medical Examiner Office trailers off of FDR Drive, waiting to be moved to the World Trade Center Memorial. "I never took a course in mortuary science,” an anonymous, retired fire marshal said, protecting his anonymity so that he and his colleagues, in his terms, wouldn’t be made into "heroes." They were only doing their job, “we just did it,” he said. Somebody said, “you guys, you guys, you guys. You’re the morgue detail. Okay? Okay? People don’t know the horror, the real horror in this. They don’t know what we saw. They don’t even know most of the people are still at the Medical Examiner’s Office. They hung onto the smallest possible measure of hope, giving family members some sort of finality as hope. That’s the only thing that kept people from jumping in the Hudson River and swimming to New J ersey. If we found a human remain, we put it on a gurney, we covered it with a flag, and we ceremoniously carried it out. They were finding remains up to the point we scooped the last bit of dirt up in J une, 2002.” The remains will eventually be taken to The Memorial at the World Trade Center site. It was reported by the Associated Press that the Memorial would include a special chamber*, where more than 9,000 pieces of human remains would be stored. Family members would enter a private room, look through a window and view the remains in a climate-controlled, low humidity chamber. The remains will not actually be visible though, and medical examiners would need access to the room, in case they would have to come in and retrieve remains for investigations. The public will pay their respects to a symbolic, empty urn in the "contemplation room" next door. As of 2-23-05, the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office* exhausted every means of identifying 1,161 of the 2,749 World Trade Center victims. It was reported that 9,720* (9,069 in early 2006) unidentified remains would be entombed* permanently in the World Trade Center Memorial. The Medical Examiner's Office remained positive that future breakthroughs in DNA technology might allow them to identify more victims in the future. Forensic specialists documented forensic breakthrough* techniques they 50 51 pioneered in the WTC identification process, including one new method of extracting DNA* from bone tissue. The Medical Examiner's Office also hired a company to use a sophisticated computerized system to identify partial DNA remains. One month after February 2005, still more victims were ID'd, raising the total of identified victims from 1,161 to 1,588*. Pulverized remains of 9-11 victims unintentionally ended up at Staten Island’s Fresh Kills Landfill*, along with the 1.8 million tons of World Trade Center steel and debris. Nine-eleven victim’s families sued the city over its refusal to relocate these remains, but Mayor Bloomberg called the move “Impractical,” and said that it would be an environmental problem that would take years to solve. In a compromise move, Bloomberg supported a plan that would transport a small amount of Fresh Kills material to The Memorial, as well as a small Memorial at the Fresh Kills---which was officially closed as a dump in 2000---which was slated to be transformed into a new city park. I think victim's family members felt slighted that 9-11 remains were located at an ex-garbage dump. What was quite common after 9-11 was for building maintenance personnel to find human remains on area rooftops of skyscrapers near the World Trade Center site. There was no central news source for this pre-2005, but the story came to the forefront in 2005, when 10 bones* found on one rooftop were declared to be human. In September, 2006, more body parts*, including large leg and arm bones and personal effects such as ID cards etc., were found in debris that Con Edison workers had vacuum pumped out of some manholes at the WTC site. Construction workers at the site noticed human remains where Con Ed had been working and called Con Ed and the Medical Examiner's Office, who sent officials to Con Ed's West Side Operations Center at West 29th Street & 12th Avenue, to comb through the debris. One 52-year-old machine operator called the find "a mother lode." This was after Con Ed workers encountered things "too big to suck out." Mayor Bloomberg called an emergency meeting at City Hall, ordering his staff to put all the heads of the different city departments together in one room to determine what happened. Bloomberg did the right thing and ordered all manholes at the WTC site to be searched thoroughly. It was reported that as many as twenty manholes (eventually more sites, utilities, roads), like the one where human remains were first located, were in proximity and were to be searched. One might say that it was a tremendous oversight not to have searched the manholes previously, but the manholes were soon paved over in the days after 9-11 to create a service road they called “The Haul Road,” so that heavy machinery could operate in the pit, and so it was just one of those unforeseen things. It was sad that some remains may have been lost because of operational necessity. But how can you investigate a crime seen without walking into it? Family members of the victims, as well as New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton, urged the city and the Port Authority to allow the "J oint POW / MIA Accounting Command" to take over the forensic search at the site. The group specializes in unearthing remains of soldiers. It was not a bad idea, concerning the fact that whole FDNY companies seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth. Yet critics inside the city's Medical Examiner's Office said that the group expertise was centered around finding missing soldiers, and not identifying bone fragments. Yet on the J -POW/MIA-AC* website, it stated that every grain of soil from a site is screened for any 51 52 sign of life or personal effects, and so I don't know what the problem would have been with using them. Again, human remains* were found on 10-25-06, including skulls and ribs, an earring and a pendant. In the week before Christmas* 2006, more bones were found in a manhole under a service road. Officials investigating the recovery recommended expanding* the search underneath roads such as Liberty, Cedar and Washington Streets, all near the old Deutsche Bank building. The Deutsche building was slated for demolition, beginning in 2006, pending an internal cleanup of toxic materials. Over five hundred pieces of human remains had been found on the roof of the Deutsche Bank* building, during preparations for its demolition. The remains had been mixed in with the gravel on its roof. One oversight that could have been avoided was that two nearby buildings, CUNY's (City University of New York) Fiterman Hall*, and 130 Cedar Street, had never been inspected as of mid-2006. Fiterman Hall is next to 7 WTC. A more extensive search of buildings off limits because of toxic dust was proposed as well. The city determined as many as 12 utility sites along West Street were still waiting to be searched for remains. Critics charged that the project went from a rescue to recovery to construction effort too quickly. I understand the concern of the family members in that. Hindsight is 20/20, but the World Trade Center site sat dormant without much going as far as forensic investigation for far too long, time in which much more could have been accomplished. The site sat log-jammed by design, finance, insurance, safety and property squabbles, yet finally, when construction got underway, they began to find human remains, then the operation was 'going way too fast.' It was just troubling. Starting in 2006, any forensic search was racing against time and construction dozers. A lot of precious time was lost at the site. I know it’s woulda’, shoulda’, coulda’ at this point, but if there only could have been some intuitive genius who could have guessed so much regarding the thinly-concealed remains, much more could have been recovered. But going back to one of my earlier contentions regarding the WTC site, the place seemed to defy creativity, with only a couple of exceptions. There is just something about the site post-9-11 that just draws a “big blank” in people’s minds. Perhaps it’s the enormity of it all. Back to the remains though: In the days after 9-11, the immense energy expelled by the towers collapse, combined with the thousands of gallons of water poured onto the site to quench the fires burning deep beneath the rubble, probably caused human remains to enter into the bowels of the Trade Center and surrounding areas. Add this to the phenomenon of super-high temperatures and molten metal, and small catacombs could've been carved out in the ground by this super-heated material, in which debris and remains could have entered. But as 'just a NYC girl' said on my website Para-Realities: "...it's a burial ground." And it will always be. *19,915; 9,429; 10,486: New York Post, “The Unknown Memorial,” 9-11-04. *Medical Examiner’s Office: New York Post, “LOST SOULS, DNA can’t I.D. 1,100 9/11 victims,” 2-23-05. *9,720, Entombed: Daily News, “Final WTC Ids bring new bouts of sorrow,” 2-24-05. *Breakthrough: Daily News, “DNA pro learned from the living,” 2-24-05. *Fresh Kills Landfill: Staten Island Advance, “9/11 families sue city over debris at landfill,” 8-18-05. *Deutsche Bank: Daily News, "400 bits of bone on bldg. roof" / Associated Press, "More 9/11 bones found." *10 bones: WCBS News, 10-28-05. 52 53 *DNA: New York Post, "More WTC IDs expected." *More body parts: New York Post, "More Body Parts, Surprise at WTC," 10-20-06 & "'Lode' Of Remains, Mayor wants a new search at 9/11 site after grim discovery," 10-21-06. *Fiterman Hall: Daily News, "More Ground Zero remains are found," 10-23-06. *J -POW/MIA-AC: New York Post, "Bone Hunt Block," 10-23-06. *Expanding: New York Post, "WTC hunt to expand," 10-27-06. *Remains: Daily News, "DNA hope at WTC as 43 bones found," 10-26-06. *1,588: New York Post, "3 more 9/11 victims ID'd," 3-23-05. *Special chamber: Associated Press, "Victims' remains to be at WTC memorial." *Christmas: Associated Press, "More bones found at WTC," 12-06. * NY Press: "To Reflect And Serve," 9-13-19-06. *Rescue dogs: Daily News, "9/11 dogs dodge ailments," 9-9-06. *Stephen Molinaro: New York Post, "S.I. Beep: 9/11 ills may have killed my son," 5-2-06. *Infants: New York Post, "Gen-9/11 Born To Stress," 5-4-05. +1: Coroners examining workers who died from 9-11-type illnesses were required under new medical guidelines to check for asbestos, pulverized glass and metals. A tissue bank system was also proposed to retest old specimens. A Mount Sinai Hospital study found that 70% of 9,442 official World Trade Center recovery workers suffered respiratory problems. Thirty-seven percent suffer "persistent mental health consequences"---New York Post, "Coroner's guide to 'WTC disease,'" 9-20-06 & "In Toxic Cloud, Doctor's shocking proof: 7 of 10 rescuers suffered lung damage after WTC collapse," 9-6-06. +2: NYC Dept. of Transportation reportedly rushed environmental tests showing lead contamination 10x higher than the accepted level at its headquarters on 40 Worth St. in Lower Manhattan. DOT's union health & safety director Lee Clarke said that the city tried to argue that the lead contamination was from before 9-11. The tests were performed by an outside consultant---Daily News, "9/11 lead tests covered up," 8-25-06. +3: Former head of the city’s Medical Examiner’s Forensic Unit, Robert Shaler, said that three 9-11 terrorists identified remains were kept separate from innocent WTC victims, and a makeshift Memorial. According to Shaler’s account of the identification effort, Who They Were, he believed the three terrorists were situated in the back of the planes and that is why their remains survived incineration. Shaler doubted that any remains of the pilots who died at the WTC still existed afterwards. He believed they were vaporized as well as other victims. Curiously though, the remains of the three terrorists could not be identified by name. This was because the FBI provided "10 DNA profiles"---used to make some of the earlier matches---without names attached to them. Not "samples," but "profiles." These profiles contained a "K code," which is the way the FBI classifies "knowns," or specimens they know the origins of. Shaler wrote that they had no direct knowledge of just how the FBI went about obtaining DNA of the terrorists. Does this seem like sound forensic evidence to you? Shaler said he did not know where the terrorist’s remains were now, but assumed they were somewhere in New York City. Ellen Borakove, the Medical Examiner’s spokeswoman, said that the reason why the MEO did not say where the terrorist’s remains were, was that it was “not important.” Borakove added that she did not know the location herself. Could somebody scour the city for some Mason jars labeled "Atta?" An independent investigation might think that these whereabouts are important. But I bet those remains are not in Kansas anymore--- Daily News, “9/11 parts split by good and evil,” 10-12-05. +4: The "Flight 93 Advisory Commission" intended to meet in San Francisco in April and in New York in October 2007, to decide on a permanent Memorial for Flight 93 victims. The Memorial will be on a 1,700- acre site in Shanksville, PA---New York Post, "Pa. 9/11 panel's plan." +5: New York City Medical Examiner Office investigator, Shiya Ribowsky, told the Daily News that Bill Clinton introduced himself in 2001, saying that he wanted the MEO to know that his administration tried to have the CIA use mercenaries from Pakistan to get Usama Bin Ladin. He said that what he was relating to Ribowsky was “probably 53 54 classified." It probably was. Ribowsky practically lived at the Medical Examiner's Office for a year-and-a-half after 9- 11, and was there when Mayor Rudy came in to identify his close friend, Terry Hatton at 2 A.M. one night. Rudy asked that if he was not the mayor, would they still make this I.D.? Ribowsky was sure though---Rush & Molloy, "9/11 med aid & Bill are on same 'Path,'" 9-11-06. +6: "Natarjan Venkataram" and "Rosa Abreu" of the New York City Medical Examiner's Office were arrested for stealing millions of dollars in funds meant to ID 9-11 victims. Authorities caught them in Rego Park, Queens, NY, as they were attempting to flee the country for India, where half of the embezzled $10 million dollars had already been deposited in bank accounts. The duo funneled contracts and payments to companies working for the Coroner's Office, who in turn kick-backed money to fraudulent companies set up by the two---New York Post, "M.E. big, gal pal caught in $10M 9/11 fraud: feds,"12-10-05. Also charged was "D.V.S. Raju," head of a computer services company in India for helping stash the stolen money in banks in India---New York Post, "Coroner honcho in new 9/11 $cam: feds." +7: Oral Surgeon J effrey Burkes, who was chief of the city's Medical Examiner's Office's Dental Identification Unit, was charged with writing dozens of prescriptions to his druggy mistress, Shari Perl Herman, a real estate manager--- New York Post, "9/11 Doc Shock," 11-17-06. 54 55 The Money Trail Richard Wagner of Germany’s Convar Co. said that people had advance knowledge of the 9-11 attacks to the tune of $100 million dollars or more. This knowledge was used to move out money through WTC computers. Upon checking the money trail leading up to 9-11 and even during the attacks, so much doubt can be arisen, that it is impossible not to believe that 9-11 wasn’t some sort of carefully orchestrated hoodwink. Some have speculated that as much as $15 billion dollars worldwide was generated in illegal trading through the foreknowledge of the attacks. The most obvious clue was the number of "put options" purchased on the stock of certain corporations affected by 9-11, including American Airlines (AMR) and United Airlines (UAL). A put option gives the purchaser the right to sell a stock at a certain price by a certain date, and one put option is equal to one thousand shares. It was also reported that there was also a 20% rise in “short selling” stocks, which is borrowing shares to sell them, then buying them back at a lower rate. American Airlines (AMR) was one of those stocks according to the Chronicle.* According to theAssociated Press,* between September 6th and 7th of 2001, 4,744 puts were purchased on United Airlines (UAL) stock, many through Deutschbank America and much has been made about Deutschbank’s CIA connection---formerly managed by ex-CIA Executive Director A.B. Krongard. 55 56 Bloomberg Business News reported on September 18 th , 2002, that there was a 60% increase in the daily average of put options on AMR stock on September 10th, 2001. NewsMax estimated 2,282 puts on AMR on September 10th. The Israeli Herzliyya International Policy Institute for Counterterrorism reported 4,516 puts on the Chicago Stock exchange on September 10th, 2001. Morgan Stanley Dean Witter allegedly saw 2,157 puts pre-9-11. Merill Lynch & Company allegedly saw 12,215 total put options. But I'd say that although the activity was suspicious, an "exact" accounting we’ll probably never find. Another odd or ironic thing was that on the morning of 9-11, Morgan Stanley was conducting an “emergency trading operation*” on Varick Street, while the towers collapsed. I'd like to know what that was all about. Was the meeting called before the attacks? During? Tim Coughlin, son of NFL New York Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin, was on his way there, having escaped the 60th floor of the South Tower. CBS News reported on September 19th, 2001, that the afternoon before the 9-11, there was unusual trading in the U.S. stock options market. Their sources had never observed that kind of trading imbalance before. Hmmmm.... NewsMax reported on J une 3rd, 2002, that an estimated $22 million dollars was made on the put options. The Securities Exchange Committee conducted an investigation immediately following 9-11, and eventually compiled a “control list” of some 38 companies to participate in an investigation. This was not an indictment of guilt, only that they were participating in the investigation. The list was leaked by Canadian securities officials and included: General Motors, Raytheon, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Lehman Bros., Bank of America, Marsh & McLennan, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest, US Airways, Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean, American International Group, AXA, Chubb, Cigna, CAN Financial, J ohn Hancock & Met Life, American Express, Bank of New York, Bank One, Bear Sterns, Citigroup, Hercules, L-3 Communications Holdings, LTV Corp., Lone Star Technologies, Progressive Corp., Royal & Sun Alliance, XL Capital and WR Grace*. Marvin Bush sat on the board of Houston Casualty Company (HCC*) until November 2002. HCC is a reinsurance company which handled some of the coverage for the World Trade Center. Bush remained as an advisor for HCC, as well as a member of its investment committee. Meanwhile, European regulators similarly investigated activity in Munich Re, Swiss Re and France’s AXA, which owns a percentage of AMR. Ernst Welteke, President of Bundesbank told the London Telegraph on September 23rd 2001 there were signs on the international financial markets that activity was carried out with expert knowledge. Welteke told The New York Times on the September 29 th 2001 that there were fundamental movements in these markets, plus the spike in oil prices rise after the attacks didn’t make sense. According to theWall Street Journal article, “Treasury Bonds Enter Purview of U.S. Inquiry Into Attack Gains,” investigators from the Secret Service investigated bond traders who purchased high volumes of five-year Treasury notes shortly before the attacks. One trade was for $5 billion dollars. The Journal reported that five-year Treasury notes were one of the best investments during a world crisis. 56 57 The Convar Company of Pirmasens, Germany, told Reuters* in the story, “German Experts Press for Truth of Pre-9-11 Stock Activity,” on December 19th 2001 that Convar was awarded a contract by World Trade Center tenants to retrieve data from surviving computer hard drives. The drives analyzed were among those from banks, telecommunications companies and other tenants. Peter Henschel* of Convar stated that the explanation could be just that Americans went on an absolute shopping binge that day (9-11), but there were so many transactions that it was inexplicable. He said that not only was the volume higher for an usual day like that, but the size of the transactions were larger and these were possibly planned to take advantage of the chaos. Richard Wagner, a data retrieval expert for Convar, told Reuters that suspicions arose that some people had advance knowledge of the approximate time of the attacks in order to move out vast amounts of money. These conspirators thought that their tracks would be covered by the destruction of the mainframes. Former German Parliament and intelligence services official Andreas Von Bulow*, stated that $15 billion dollars worldwide had been transferred in illegal inside trading based on foreknowledge of the 9-11 attacks. But was profit made off of 9-11 through illegal financial tips, or simply through the access to information? Whether it could be through something like Echelon or some other procedure remains a question. The earlier mentioned FBI Agents, J effery A. Royer and Lynn Wingate who were charged with pre-9-11 insider trading, specifically: racketeering conspiracy, securities fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice in New York City District Court (“United States vs. Elgindy, Royer, Wingate, Cleveland and Peters,” by U.S. Attorney Alan Vinegard), could be just the tip of the iceberg in regards to officials in high positions having access to sensitive fiscal information. The practice of corporations hiring ex-intelligence personnel, who in turn may bring a little "too much" information and know-how along with them, could lead to a fiscal catastrophe. It was reported by the Houston Chronicle on 1-23-02, that Enron had ex-CIA & FBI working for them. This could have been the classic dumping and thumping ground for these types. These agents may pose a financial threat by having access to data that the rest of the financial community does not. In the Royer & Wingate case, stock adviser, Amr Ibrahim Elgindy, was also charged for trying to sell $300,000. dollars in stock, telling his Saloman Smith Barney broker pre-9-11, that the Dow J ones would soon plunge below 3,000. One source* claimed that 95% of the UAL put options were purchased by a single U.S.-based investor on September 6th, 2001. This institutional investor also bought 115,000 shares of AMR stock on September 10th. Most of the options trading on AMR on September 10th were traced back to a U.S.-based options newsletter that had been faxed to its subscribers on September the 9th, 2001. Maybe someone could investigate this newsletter? Usama Bin Ladin appeared to continue to roll in money, despite claims that he had been cut off financially by his family after getting the boot from Saudi Arabia. UBL inherited $50 million dollars in the 1970's from his father, Mohammed Bin Ladin, who started the family's construction company, a company that grew into Saudi Arabia’s largest. Some U.S. companies* continue to do business with the Bin Ladins, even after post-9-11. The “Binladin Group” now uses another name to deal with U.S. 57 58 companies: "Beemco Enterprises." Companies that continue to do business with Beemco are, of course, The Carlyle Group*, Haliburton, Bechtel, most of the big oil companies, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, General Electric and a dozen other firms on Wall Street. Allegedly, George W. Bush was good friends with a man named J ames R. Bath*. They served together in the National Guard. Bath then became Salem Bin Ladin’s money manager in Texas. After 9-11, the FBI vowed to investigate companies that did business with the Bin Ladins in order to see if money was funneled to terrorists, but the FBI won’t comment on the investigations, or even if there is an ongoing investigation. What good is it? Most statements from the corporations in question seem to parrot the “we don’t comment on investors” policy. Cantor Fitzgerald,* a tenant of the World Trade Center and corporation that lost the highest number of employees, as of summer 2004, were filing suit against Saudi banks, charities, institutions, relief organizations and officials, as well as Usama Bin Ladin and Al Qida. Cantor put together a dream team of lawyers to trace 9-11 terror financing---or the “Golden Chain”---that allegedly snakes back to the Saudis through the Muslim zakat concept, which could be likened to Christian “tithing.” Silverstein Properties also joined the suit. The suit alleged that three Saudi Princes, Prince Sultan, Prince Naif and Prince Salman funneled money to terrorist sponsors like the Islamic International Relief Organization (founded by a relative of UBL), the Muslim World League and the Mercy International Relief Agency. One-hundred thousand dollars* was wired to two bank accounts held by Mohammed Atta in Florida by order of Pakistani ISID chief Lieutenant General Ahmad Mahmud. India helped the FBI trace the terrorist-Pakistani ISID link. Remember our old pal General Mahmud? Having breakfast with Bob Graham and Porter Goss on 9-11? Although US Airways was not one of the airlines which had a plane hijacked on 9-11, but its future parent company was American Airlines, and so it comes in question. There was suspicious activity at US Air gates at LaGuardia Airport on 9-11 (see transcripts). And US Airways received favorable rulings through its 2 bankruptcies in three years time after 9-11. US Air then merged with America West. And United Airlines received four proposals* from banks for $3 billion dollars to help it emerge from bankruptcy. Two-and-a-half billion dollars was offered to them by several lenders even before they even looked over any business plan. Makes you wonder. UAL expected to emerge from Chapter 11* bankruptcy in 2006. Lawyers for United and American Airlines were being sued* by 9-11 families, prompting a government lawyer to coach witnesses in the Moussaoui trial. It continues to point to a trend of favorable situations surrounding all those in proximity to 9-11. In April, 2006, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau* shut down a major cash conduit used by drug dealers to funnel $3 billion dollars to terror groups in the Mideast, including Al Qida. Former Assistant District Attorney J ohn Moscow complained before the House International Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, that there were a plethora of banks around the world that take deposits from anyone, mostly in U.S. dollars, and most of it goes through Manhattan. South America's Tri-Border area of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil was named as one area where the drug cartel, arms dealers, terror groups, corrupt politicians and businessmen 58 59 used money transmitters to launder $1 billion dollars through New York. Six billion dollars was believed to be laundered through New York from 1997 to 2003. J .P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wachovia, and Israel Discount Bank were among the largest banks being investigated. An article by the Daily News* contained a demand by Representative Pete King (R-NY) for an investigation into misappropriation and reneging of $21 billion dollars in 9-11 aid Bush promised New York. King asked why so much of the money was mired down with charges of kickbacks, payoffs, mob contracts and free payoffs to the undeserving. This is all fine and well, but it just made me wonder where the comprehensive SEC investigation was? No one seems to care about that money. You might be surprised to learn that money seemed to be the reason that motivated some people on 9-11. In a letter* to the New York Post on 8-10-06 a woman related that her husband had rushed into a burning tower at the WTC to rescue bonds left in safes by stockbrokers. I don't know if something like that is worth risking your life for, to each his own, but it made me wonder how much of what went on during the 9-11 attacks was a race to rescue money and valuables? In the Trade Center on 9-11 there were safes, bank vaults, safe deposit boxes, bonds, at least one armored car* and perhaps the stray "cookie jar" or two. The value would've been in the millions of dollars. Perhaps even a couple of last-ditch mercenary money-rescuing deals were cut out on the pavement of Lower Manhattan that day? WTC site cleanup workers posed for pictures with gold bars worth hundreds of millions of dollars from a vault belonging to the Bank of Nova Scotia. It’s easy to believe that the SEC* was warned off of the 9-11 insider money trail by shadowy figures, especially after the SEC's building was destroyed, 7 WTC, and they were then given space in the telltale “Woolworth Building” afterwards. And after that, Larry Silverstein offered the SEC no sweetheart deal at 7 WTC, asking $50. dollars per square-foot, which the SEC balked at. The SEC 9-11 investigation as a whole could be described as: Bahahaha!! Conspiracy theorists cited the insurance companies, that 9-11 was "the mother of all insurance scams." And as if that weren't enough, allegations swirled over a surge in British sterling after 7-7-05, to the tune of 20 billion pounds in short selling trades. *Chronicle: San Francisco Chronicle, 9-20-01. *Associated Press: Associated Press, 9-18-01. *WR Grace: Associated Press, 10-3 & 4-01 / San Francisco Chronicle, 10-3-01. *Salomon Smith Barney, New York Times, 5-5-02. *U.S. Companies: New York Post, “In Bad Company,” 6-13-04. *"Emergency trading operation”: New York Post, “Coughlin’s son escaped 9-11,” 9-04. *Cantor Fitzgerald: New York Post, “Cantor vs. the Kingdom,” 9-16-04. *Armored car: I recall a report post-9-11, that gold or silver bars were recovered in an armored car that was trapped on a WTC garage ramp by the collapses, and that it belonged to a Canadian bank. But then I heard that another bank, possibly J P Morgan Chase, reported that valuables stored in safe deposit boxes were unrecoverable. It made me wonder. *Article: New York Post, “FBI agent fed stock guru risky information,” 11-5-04. 59 60 *SEC: The SEC then left their 150,000 square-foot digs at The Woolworth Building for 3 WFC and 235,000 square- feet at $10. per square-foot. This was because Larry Silverstein wanted $50. per square-foot at 7 WTC--- New York Post, “SEC signs up for downtown,” 3-15-05. *The Carlyle Group: The Carlyle Group was allegedly holding an annual investors conference on the A.M. of 9-11 at the Ritz-Carlton in D.C. In attendance were: Shafiq Bin Ladin, UBL’s half-brother, and George Bush senior, who left the morning of 9-11---Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader pg. 160. *HCC: Unansweredquestions.org, “Security, Secrecy and a Bush Brother,” 1-13-03. *Chapter 11: Associated Press, “United Air to file reorganization plan.” *Source: Wikpedia. *Proposals: Bloomberg Business News, “UAL offered $3B.” *Robert Morgenthau: New York Post, "NYC's terror bank, DA shuts $3B acct.," 4-3-06. / Daily News, "Top banks face terror scrutiny." *$100,000.: ABC News, 9-30-01 / Times of India, "India Helped FBI trace ISI-Terrorist Links," 10-9-01. *Andreas Von Bulow: Tagesspiegel, 1-13-02. *Daily News, "Probe 9/11 funds," 12-11-05. *Letter: By Nancy J okipii. *Sued: New York Post, "Airlines fueled Zac goof: att'ys," 2-17-06. *J ames R. Bath: The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader. +1: George W. Bush was investigated by the SEC for dumping stock of Harken Energy in 1990. Harken bought out his floundering Arbusto Oil. Robert J ordan, of J ames Baker’s law firm, helped Bush beat the rap and was appointed Ambassador to Saudi Arabia when W. became president---Washington Post, “Bush Sold Stock After Lawyers Warning,” 11-1-02 / Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader. +2: It was reported that Brokerage firm Morgan Stanley used 9-11 as an excuse to say millions of emails went missing. The emails could have been used by former clients in their suits against the firm, possibly resulting in huge payoffs for the suitors. NASD reported that Morgan Stanley destroyed data by overwriting backup tapes and allowing staff to delete emails between 9-11-01 and 3-05---New York Post, "Morgan used 9/11 to hide evidence," 12-20-06. 60 61 Numerology Car 666 where are you? -Last PATH train into the WTC station. Numerology surrounding 9-11-01 has huge conspiracy potential. As I said in the beginning chapter, numerology could have been used as a power witness to ensure the success of the evil operation, "9-11." Some of the numerology might have even been extreme coincidence, yet possibly even evilly "fateful," which fits the argument anyway. But what I have tried to do in this section is concentrate on the numbers "9," "11," "33" (or "3") and even "6," the number of man (or as in "666"). Six-six-six, you may know is the number of the beast in the Bible. Nine and eleven are significant power numbers for occult or numerological reasons. Nine in numerology is said to represent endings. The Twin Towers themselves could've been thought of as a huge number "eleven." Three, or at times thirty-three, I believe is used as a power number by evil to imitate the Holy Trinity (God, The Son and the Holy Spirit), making it the beast, the false prophet, and the anti-Christ. Thirty-three was also the age of J esus when he was crucified; 11 x 3 = “33.” Nine-eleven added: 9 +1 +1 ="11." Nine-eleven is the 254th day of the year: 2 +5 =7, 7 +4 ="11," with "111" more days to go to the new year. There is the "911" emergency phone call symbolism. New York City has "11" letters in it. New York was the "11th" state to join the union. Afghanistan has "11" letters. George W. Bush has "11" letters. Groundbreaking for the Pentagon came on 9-11-41. George H. W. Bush announced the "New World Order" on 9-11-90! 61 62 AA Flight "11" was the primary pawn in the 9-11 shell game. AA Flight 11's tail number was "N334AA": 3 x 3 =9, 9 x 4 =36, 3 +6 =9. The flight had 81 people on board: 8 +1 =9. It had a total of 92 people counting the crew: 9 +2 =11. Flight controllers tried "9 times" to contact Flight 11 after takeoff. A man seated in business class "9B," who had served four years in the Israeli military, was stabbed on Flight 11. The man, who was said to have entered the cockpit, came from seat "10B," which put his attackers in the 9th row: "9D" and "9G." No evidence has been found as to why Atta and al-Omari drove to Portland, Maine to catch Colgan Air light 5930. Although 5930 does not compute to numerology, the plane was a Beechcraft "1900," flying Portland to Boston. Atta and al- Omari sat in row "9" of the flight. The plane was aboard a "19"-seater, and departed from Gate "11." It arrived in Boston at 6:45 A.M. at Gate "B9." I did theorize, however, that much like the Madrid Spain bombings, where the train cars seemed to add up to sequential numbers, the main flights in question on 9-11 were uniform also (some in this chain were missing, but that could have been due to operational glitches or unforeseen data), equaling 11, 12, 13 and 14, with Colgan being up there in the numerical sequence at 17? Example: AA Flight “11” UA Flight 93 =9 +3 =“12” UA Flight 175 =1 +7 +5 =“13” AA Flight 77 =7 +7 =“14” The tail number of UA Flight 175 was "N612UA": 6 +1 +2 ="9." Aboard UA Flight 175, Hamza and Ahmed al Ghamdi were seated in "9C" and "9D" respectively. The flight had a capacity for "10" people in first class, "33" in business class. There were 56 passengers: 5 +6 ="11." And a total of 65 people on board: 6 +5 = "11." "Eleven" of the first class seats were occupied. Thirty six of the 125 coach seats were occupied: 3 +6 ="9." UA Flight 11 departed from Gate "19" (1 & 9). UA Flight 175 was said to be a "code share" with Air New Zealand NZ9051: 90 x 51 =4590, 4 +5 =9, 9 +9 =18, 1 +8 ="9"; or: 9 x 5 =45, 45 x 1 =45, 4+5 ="9." At 8:47 A.M. on 9- 11, UA Flight 175 switched its beacon code twice within a minute, returning with the unidentified code "3321": 3 +3 =6, 6 +2 =8, 8 +1 ="9." On AA Flight 77: 65 passengers, 6 +5 ="11." Moqed and Mihdhar missed the symbolic row by one, sitting in the 12th row in seats 12A and 12B, but perhaps they couldn't get in the 11th row? Hanjour was in "1B" of first class. The tail number was N644AA: The only thing to be made out of that was: 6 x 4 =24, 24 x 4 =96, 9 x 6 =54, 5 +4 ="9." But some sources have also listed this tail number as "N624AA." AA 77 allegedly crashed at 9:37 A.M.: 9 +3 +7 ="19." Plane N624AA was also listed as "AA Flight 181" on September 10th, 2001: 1 +8 =9, 9 +1 ="10"; or 18 x 1 =18, 1 + 8 ="9." On Flight UA 93: 9 x 3 =27, 2 +7 ="9." Haznawi sat in 6B of first class, Ghamdi in "3D" and Nami in "3C." The tail number was N591UA: 5 +9 =14, 14 +1 = 62 63 15, 1 +5 ="6"; or: 9 x 5 =45, 45 x 1 =45, 4 +5 ="9." It had "33" passengers on board minus the crew. And a total of 44: 4 x 4 ="16" ("1" & "6"). 27 people rode coach: 2 +7 ="9." The capacity for the plane was 182: 1 +8 =9, 9 +2 ="11." The FAA report stated that they could not figure out why the hijackers waited so long to storm the cockpit, waiting 46 minutes at 9:28 A.M. But maybe it was the time? 9 +2 =11, 11 +8 ="19." The last PATH train car into the WTC was car number "666." It was then put on track "3." This was on page "66" of the transcript. Other oddities: Flight Delta 1989: 1 +9 =10. 10 +8 =18, 18 +9 =27, 2 +7 ="9." Delta 1989 had "69" passengers, the 6 being an upside down "9." 2,749 people were killed at the World Trade Center: 2 x 7 =14, 14 x 4 = 56, 56 x 9 =496, 4 +9 =13, 13 +6 ="19." Nineteen,"19," alleged hijackers ("1" & "9"). On Boeing 757's: 7 +5 =12, 12 +7 ="19." Each tower was 110 stories high: "11." The North Tower was 1,368 ft. high: 1 +3 =4, 4 +6 =10, 10 +8 =18, 1 +8 ="9." The South Tower was 1,362 ft. high: 1 x 3 =3, 3 x 6 =18, 18 x 2 =36, 3 + 6 ="9." The radio/TV tower atop the North Tower was 360 ft. high: 3 +6 ="9." The North Tower collapsed at 10:29 A.M.: 1 x 2 =2, 2 x 9 =18, 1 +8 = "9." There were "99" elevators in the WTC. Larry Silverstein obtained a "99" year lease on the WTC in J uly, '01. Usama Bin Ladin was 6' 5" tall: 6 +5 ="11." New York State Governor George Pataki inspected the WTC site on 9-11 at 11:29 P.M.: 1 x 1 =1, 1 x 2 =2, 2 x 9 =18, 1 +8 ="9." Hunter S. Thompson was murdered on 2-20-05: 2 +2 =4, 4 +5 ="9." The Freedom Tower will be 1,776 feet high: 1 +7 =8, 8 +7 =15, 15 +6 ="19." The Sears Tower is "110" stories high. The Patriot Act was 342 pages long: 3 +4 =7, 7 +2 ="9." The 2-13-75 WTC fire broke out on the "11th" floor of the North Tower, at 11:45 P.M.: 1 +1 =2, 2 +4 =6, 6 +5 ="11." The date 2-13-75: 2 +13 =15, 15 +75 ="90." 380 swamp white oak trees were chosen for The Memorial: 3 +8 ="11." A "110"-foot model of King Kong was dropped from the roof of the Trade Center for the filming of the remake movie. On the date "11-11-01," an UFO sighting was reported over Manhattan--- NUFORC. Arizona FBI Agents interviewed Zakaria Mustapha Soubra, the subject of the Phoenix Memo, on 5-"11"-00. The Iraqi area code was said to be "119." 63 64 The North Tower exploded at 8:46 A.M.: 8 +4 =12, 12 +6 =18, 1 +8 = "9." The South Tower exploded at “9:03:11” A.M. One witness claimed that "9" explosions brought down the South Tower. The Pentagon exploded at 9:37 A.M.: 9 +3 =12, 12 +7 ="19." The vertical steel beams in the Twin Tower's walls were spaced "3.33 feet" apart. On Coast to Coast AM with George Noori (11-06), they were talking about the number "11-11" being magical, akin to a portal. There may have been a loss leader flight on 9-11, UA Flight "91," which was similar to UA 93, but later, causing many to take UA 93 instead. The original 9-11 attacks, were first allegedly scheduled for 5-12-01*: 5 + 12 =17, 17 +1 =18, 1 +8 ="9." On 1-"19"-06, the CIA releases another UBL tape. The WTC was said to have a 98% occupancy rate: 9 x 8 =56, 5 +6 = "11." AA Flight 587 crashed in Belle Harbor, Queens, on November 12th 2001, missing the "11-11-01" date by a day, but the plot may have reached its ritualistic finality on 11-11-01. If a mysterious KC 135 landed at Cleveland Hopkins Airport on 9-11, it equaled "9." There were “11” total 9-11 Commission hearings in different U.S. cities. Three U.S. trademark hotels, Days Inn, Radisson SAS and Grand Hyatt Amman, were targeted by suicide bombers in J ordan on "11-9"-05, "9-11" obviously being inverted. A Federal J udge suspended the trial of Usama Bin Ladin's driver, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, on "11-9-04." On September 11th 1776, our founding fathers held a peace conference with British commanders at Conference House in Tottenville, Staten Island, in an attempt to circumvent the American Revolution. It failed. The first steel beam for the Freedom Tower was erected 63 months after 9-11: 6 +3 ="9." A search of the Verizon Building next to 7 WTC by FDNY firefighters on 9-11 began on the "11th" floor on up to the 20th. The 3-“11”-04 bombings in Madrid, Spain occurred "911" days after 9-11 and on the “11th" of March. 3-11 is significant in keeping with my theory of the use of the number 3 to mimic the Trinity (3 x 11 =“33"). And the date 3-11-04 added equals 18; 1 +8 =“9.” There were 190 to 191 people killed: "190" & 191: 1 +9 =10, 10 +1 ="11." There were 1,450 to 1,460 wounded; 1,460: 1 +4 =5, 5 +6 ="11." The train numbers were: 17305; 21431; 21435; 21713, which, like the planes on 9-11, add up to “11, 14, 15 & 16" respectively. Were there two missing trains on 3-11-04, trains 12 & 13? Or perhaps the mindset was to use one "power number," then the rest were ordered uniformly. The times of the blasts: 6:39; 6:41; 6:42; were uncannily significant in keeping with the power numbers. Added, 6:39: 6 +3 =9, 9 +9 =18, 1 +8 ="9." 6:41: 6 +4 =10, 10 +1 =“11." 6:42 equals "3." 64 65 Nine-hundred-and-eleven (911) days after 3-11-04 bombings, on 4-19-04, an attack was planned for the Sears Tower: 4 +19 =23, 23 +4 =27, 2 +7 ="9." On the 7-7-05 London bombings: 7 +7 +5 ="19.” On the follow up attempt, the London 7-21-05 incident: 7 +21 +5 ="33.” There were "333" days between 7-7-05 and 6-6-06. You can have endless fun with "333." And 6-6-06 +333 days ="5- 17-07," which was right around the corner when this was being proofread. Rescuers tried to get at survivors in the tubes "110" feet underground. Bombers struck again in London on 7-21-05: 7 +21 =28, 28 +5 ="33." A friend dreamed several times of an attack on the Sears Tower in Chicago on 6-6-06 and the zip code there is "60606." Missing the "6-6-06" by a mere two days, were the explosions set to begin at the World Trade Center site starting on 6-8-06, when engineers tested the use of explosives to clear bedrock for the Freedom Tower. *5-12-01: New York Post, "Doomsday Plan," 6-17-04 65 66 Para-Realities The truth is out there somewhere, and I want to believe, because I know what I saw, and I know that it is stranger than fiction…. "PARA-REALITIES" Portal To The Para-Real trust everybody, believe no one… During the summer of 2001, I was running an internet message board called Para-Realities, and the above is what the home page read. I guess the board was originally inspired by The X-Files, a show that I loved from the start, and the board dealt with speculative subjects such as time travel, UFO’s, Bigfoot, esoteric energy, ghosts etc. It was an interesting site with its own band of not-ready-primetime posters and received intelligence surveillance I believe, largely because of the “Montauk” theme; I had previously graduated from the Montauk BBS, whose heyday was in the late 1990's. I even received thinly veiled threats from agents who called themselves “The Management.” The somewhat ironic part was that during the early summer of 2001, I had been training a telescope at the World Trade Center, on the roof mostly, and wondering about certain structural things. The North Tower had an unusually shaped television / radio antenna on its roof. At the very tip of this antenna was an inverted pyramid shaped structure. I found that interesting because my message board hosted the discussion of the 66 67 peculiar energy fields and antennas with alternate applications. One of these antennas was pyramid-shaped. Then I trained the spyglass on a large, peculiar shaped, orange satellite dish (I believe on the South Tower) that looked like an over-sized half an orange. I wondered what its purpose was? Microwave probably. They said that there were radiation hazards on the roof of the World Trade Center and this could've been why---all the various antennas and communications dishes. I recall referring to this half-orange dish on Para-Realities as the “wok dish antenna,” which caused a couple of cantankerous postings by those who weren’t my biggest fans: “oh…so now the Chinese are involved now?” “No,” I replied, “but I’ll take an order of chicken moo goo gai pan with curry sauce from that wok dish just the same.” I then began speculating about the windowless areas at approximately the 25th and 75th floors of each of the towers. These sections were approximately 2 floors high and I speculated that they were probably utility / technical support floors. The internet was down in some parts of New York for some time post 9- 11-01. This was said to be due to a large telephone hub that was destroyed. I wasn’t able to log on until briefly on September 29th 2001 and not again until early October. I hadn’t saved all the posts on Para-Realities dealing with the World Trade Center, and so much of it is by memory, but below are some of the relevant posts pre and post-9-11. They are reprinted exactly as they appeared: Para-Realities Bill Cooper Murdered in AZ Tom 11:59 am Wednesday December 5 2001 Has anyone seen the video stills from the 9-11 UFO story? Matt Drudge posted it as well as others. It was a “Gamma Press” video showing something streaking away from the towers towards the Hudson, probably plunging in. A CNN still showed an object with 2 lights hovering. It does not appear to be a plane as there are no outlines. www.geocities.com/jim_bowery/wtcufo.html www.geocities.com/salecreekjrotc/wtcpics.html Anyone notice that the pics of Special Forces in Afghanistan all seem to include that one guy in the beard? He’s calling in air strikes in the prison, he’s walking around posing with a rifle. He’s in every picture! Only with different hats and stuff. WTC Chase Safe Deposit Boxes have CONVENIENTLY been reported “unrecoverable” by bank officials due to the heat and weight. More than 1,000 boxes are believed to be in the rubble. Are diamonds now incineratable? J P Morgan Chase in effect says “unless you got a claim ticket (insurance) you’re @#!$% out of luck babe.” Funny that the Brinks truck recovered the bank gold and silver, but money in the private sector was doomed. Para-Realities TV Suicide/The Coup/Hotmail… 67 68 Tom 12:22 pm Monday December 10 2001 As you may or may not know, as reported by Matt Drudge last night, bin Ladel might be planning a TV suicide to go out as a martyr and hoping to cause a catastrophic series of terrorist attacks on Paris, London, and New York. This, reported first by the London Times, then picked up by the AP. The Tubes song “TV Suicide” immediately came to mind. There are so many rumors going around that it’s impossible to filter it all out. Twenty five pickup trucks allegedly escaped into Pakistan with Taliban in them to try and escape via a small ship to Yemen. Could bin Ladel have been in one??? But, Cheney claims they have him cornered somewhere in the Eastern party of the country. Geuss Tora Bora went bust. A reiteration, a hip-hop group named “The Coup” released a CD sometime before 9-11 with a picture in the cover of a guy blowing up the WTC. It’s so ironic. This came from Texxe Marrs. I’ll do a search for a link. “Mail well done please.” People are now reported to be “microwaving their mail” due that it is the same as “irradiating” it for anthrax. I geuss they the postal service set a lot of mail on fire by this proicess too, woops! :P MSN could sue for infringement on “Hotmail.” :P I can be corny too…………. Para-Realities September 11 th , 2001 Tom 1:36 pm Wednesday December 12 2001 I don’t know if it is burnout, wich comes from time to time on the net, or a paradigm shift after 9-11. But, lately I find myself just surfing the net, looking at pictures of the WTC that fateful day. At first, I thought “What Ghouls!!” of those who ran to photograph the event. Now, I’m sort of glad. It really is a great tonic to bring you to reality. I feel worst for those that lingered in the WTC windows, either choking or jumping. They were “out of choices” and they knew it. No more days or hours, just some final thoughts or phone calls to loved ones or answering machines. This is the hardest part. The ones that may have died instantly were the lucky considering, or is it the other way around?? Or, none were lucky if you look at it that way. See what I mean? Maybe it’s because I am a New Yorker ) it’ll be 10 years in 02 God willing), I don’t know. I’m surprised I’ve kept the board even going til now. Not that I’d tale it down, but that it’s been active. I’ve seen first hand the effect it’s had on people’s lives. Like, the little boy that just put his head down on the table and cried in a McDonald’s. It wasn’t until I realized it was the song they were playing on the Muzak system “Daddy’s Home.” No, Daddy was not home anymore….Or, the collection jar I laced with some greenbacks because it was for a firefighter’s widow and 3 small children of 9-11. This was in a store she used to work in. Now, I seem to think in terms of 2 things “pre-9-11” and post 9-11.” We seemed so innocent before then, so care-free. Hopes and dreams still had meaning for some. They pale in comparison now and seem silly. A war is on, people are being killed and suffering a lot more than we. A song I used to have (more dreams) comes to mind “They’re Fighting, I’m Dancing.” It was about how out of touch with reality I felt in the cold-war 68 69 80’s when we weren’t sure if we were going to be nuked by Russia or something. It somehow seems pertinent again. And, how the WTC was part of my personal daily life up until say 2001. I often tell myself to stop into the bookstore there, only to remind myself “what bookstopre?” Ilook into the news and it seems the daily papers here are back to “business as usiual. The Cindy Adamses’ and the Liz Smiths’ of the world are back to the usual meaningless gossip. The resat of the worls is nothing but “ths one tried to screw that one/his one tried to kill that one/his one’s new lover du joir/this one dies in an accident etc. None of it good. Sensationalism? Maybe. But sometimes I wonder if it’s just accurate. These are just some of the things I struggle with. New Yorkers are welcomed to join this thread and share their thoughts on 9-11. You don’t have to be from New York to post, just indicate please. Para-Realities September 11 th , 2001 J ust a NYC girl 5:02 pm Wednesday December 12 2001 New Yorker, born & raised. I know how you feel. I know the whole county and the world is mourning over 9-11 but no one knows it quite like those of us who live in Manhattan. I feel as if my heart or a lung has been torn out of me. Went down to Ground Zero last Saturday, finally got the guts to do it. When I started approaching the WTC area the tears started, uncontrollably. I foudn myself hysterically crying by the time I got there. Secty. Rumsfeld’s assistant was touring Ground Zero and they would not let sightsee-ers near the area to look. But a cop saw me standing there, hysterical and he started to talk to me. He told me it was OK to be crying , that it was very difficult for everybody. He tried to comfort me. I told him how I lost a friend from cantor Fitzgerald and how my best friend’s brother died there too , he was a firefighter and a luitenant. The cop felt bad for me.. he said “c’mon I’m gonna give you the VIP tour”. He put me in a little green jeep and gave me a tour of the whole Ground Zero area. He took me in, behind the gates for what he called “the Penthouse” tour. I thought he would be taking to a building and up an elevator to see everything from above, but NO, that’s not what the Penthouse tour is. We drove in, thru the barriers to the edge of a huge huge huge crater, and I looked down, maybe 6 stories underground. That’s Ground Zero. It’s a hole in the ground the size of two football feilds. It looks like a bomb was dropped there, but it was actually the collapse of the two buildings that dug that deep hole as the buildings went down, deep into the earth. Men are bulldozing, going through shards, chunks, twisted remnants of buildings. The skeletal remains of the WTC still stands amongst piles of destruction. The buildings that survived are charred, windows blown out, bldg. #7 now looks like a gigantic soda can that has been crushed. On the sidewalks there is dust, twisted metal, glass….and it’s a burial ground. I sensed that as I looked around. I don’t know how people go there with cameras…I feel its disrespectful. YOu can smell the burning embers and the death. To this day, (the cop told me) when they remove large pieces of metal from this huge gaping hole in the ground, it is seering hot. It breaks my heart. Like I said before, I am not the same person I was. 69 70 Para-Realities September 11 th , 2001 Omega 10:13 pm Thursday December 13 2001 I find the situation surreal. I remember the first time I went to the World Trade Center in the late 1970’s when I was a boy scout and my boy scout troop went there on a field trip. I remember going to the observation floor and thinking how amazing it was that mortal men could build such a thing. In the early to late 1990’s I worked downtown and would occaisonally go to the observation deck just to do it. I would shop at the mall there. My favorite store was Borders books. I was about 5 blocks away {having lunch at a restaurant called Hamburger Harry’s} in 1993 when the bomb went off and remember the fire trucks, the chaos, the smoke, the cold/wet weather like it was yesterday. A few days after the 1993 bombing I went to the WTC mall and recall seeing Geraldo Rivera interviewing Port Authority Policemen. I remember talking with friend after the 1993 bombing and everyone saying “imagine if they succeeded in bringing one of the towers down?” And then 9-11-01. I guess like a lot of New Yorkers in a strange way I felt the World Trade Center as my own personal property. On 9-11-01 I saw one of the towers collapse and went to the site in the early morning hours of 9-12-01. I got within 5-6 blocks on 9-11-01. On 9-12-01 I was directly at the site, standing on the debris. Those 2 days will always be with me. I don’t know what else to say….. Para-Realities I Read The News Today Oh Boy……. Tom 1:00 pm Friday December 14 2001 They will be tearing down the last façade of the Twin Towers this weekend. I wonder if they could preserve it like a piece of the Berlin Wall? It’s probably too dangerous though. This Massoui guy picked up before 9-11 had plans to fly into the Sears Tower. J ust like Pearl Harbor, somebody knew about it. I believe however, that they were ordered off the trail by somebody higher up. And, this other hijacker visiting the Winter Garden in the WFC…surreal. The tape, the tape. Speaks for itself. It’s probably real. Some guy on A.B. says that there are a lot of Eubola victims along the Afghan border, and that this is being suppressed by the gov’t. He believes Al Qeuda has Eubola (which there is no cure or vaccine for) and if it were aerosolized, could be sprayed on a city. Iraq already has this technology as reported by an ex-Iraqi official today. A good diversion and alter reality I’ve found is a trip out to the burbs at night where all the (I’m talking close together) houses and condos have Christmas lights up. It’s cool as some of them really go overboard. Who knows, you might see a snowman move like in the Twilight Zone or something……*burp* Para-Realities Germany’s CONVAR Uncovers WTC SHAM!! Omega 70 71 9:41 pm Thursday December 27 2001 There are a lot of questions that need to be asked. The biggest question I have is how did 4 commercial airplanes go off coarse, cut off radio communications with air traffic control, and fly into the WTC and the Pentagon (and almost the Capital building or White House) and not be shot down by American military jets. I could see the first plane getting through and hitting the WTC, but after that…., I mean what the hell is going on? I saw the second tower collapse as I posted on this board about 2 months ago. There was a huge explosion about 30 stories below where the plane hit and the building collapsed. This explosion originated in the center of the building. The explosion was HUGE(!!!) and vertically oriented, not horizontally oriented. By this I mean the explosion shot out the sides of the building. I know what I saw and I am convinced it was a bomb. Thousands of others witnessed this and I find it absolutely amazing this has been remained covered up the way it has. The explosion was to “perfect” and well placed to be a ruptured gas line or whatever other bullshit someone wants to throw out there. These are scary times. Para-Realities An observation……. Omega 5:05 pm Saturday December 29 2001 Ever notice when the news networks show the north tower collapse (the one with the antenna on it) that they never show the whole building. They show the top of the building collapse and then pan down to show the whole building collapse. I would like to see footage from say the New J ersey side of the Hudson river showing the whole north tower just before it’s collapse and then collapseing. I’m sure the explosion I saw would be on there. The building collapsed immediately after this explosion and detonated at approximately the 55 th floor of the tower. There must be some videos out there in private hands that exist. Para-Realities Florida Election Bamboozle Tom 1:37 pm Sunday December 30 2001 Thanks to British journalist Greg Palast and Lance for providing the info here. He has made a shocking discoveries about all of this. Greg states in an interview on GNN, that the Civil Rights Commission said that the issue on the Florida Election was not the vote count, but the “No Count.” This means votes that have to be thrown out not due to chads or imperfection or voter intent-but people who have committed a felony and so their vote is no good. What Katherine Harris and J eb Bush MAY have done, all BEFORE the election, was run a sophisticated computer program that picks out a list of black voters. You must claim race in voter reg. there. Most of these voters would be Democrat or back Gore. So what they allegedly did was allocate thes votes to “no counts.” Therefore, this was all out of the public eye done by computer and may have led to 80,000 to 100,000 71 72 votes less for Al Gore. Probably only 10% of the votes were real no counts. Some of them may have been “out of state: records too wich you cannot enter into consideration in the voting of another state. This was printed in the British press like 3 weeks after the election. It did not appear in the US press until 7 months later; it was buried and in bits and pieces Palast says. The only reason it WAS printed at all was due that the Civil Rights Commission found Palast’s findings to be true. So, there you have it. How Election 2000 was possibly Bamboozled and stolen by the Bushes. Para-Realities Tom 9-11, Bush, OBL, Saud 1:54 pm Sunday December 30 2001 A bigger shocker now. Palast drew a tangled, shadowy trail between 9-11, OBL, the Saudis and Bush. GWBushes company “Arbusto Oil” was basically drilling dry oil wells in Texas-making no money. He suddenly got financing from Saudi financiers and it was taken over by “Harken Oil,” who recieved a contract to drill in the Persian Gulf. Arbusto shares suddenly became valuable. Another company, a huge defense contractor called “Carlyle,” has Bush senior on it’s Board. This company is allegedly invested in by the bin Laden family as well--!! So, what you have here is the Saudis and the Bushes in business together by more than one connection. Meanwhile, the reasons why the CIA and the Saudis were so nice to OBL was because it was basically “Protection Money.” Pay us or we will blow you up-real good!! Clinton’s admin. May have been bad at payments- who knows. So…..in exchange for all of this new-found wealth the Bushes were accumulating, the Saudis took ole’ W around the shoulder and said “Hey, look, we’re in business now, we’te family, so how about calling off the dogs a little eh?” (meaning CIA, FBI, NSA). So, probably on advice from Bush 41, they said “Yeah these are good guys, all Intel Agencies I issue you a “no look” order on Saudi Arabia.” Meanwhile, they are funding Al Qeuda! This is not an Intelligence “Failure,” but a DIRECTIVE to NOT look at the Saudis up until 9-11! A Saudi Diplomat defected with 14,000 doc’s for the FBI. The lower level wanted them, the higher-ups would not touch them with a TFP!! Hot Potata! Hot Potata! Nobody wants it. So, OBL bombs New York throught this window of opp. that the Bushes handed him. The Saudis were powerless, they’re paying the guy off for their own safety. W is caught with egg on his face-Woops!! How could he know that the very people he was in business with, would turn around and blow us up!? Also, “Barrick Mining” is a company Bush 41 chairs in Nevada. Palast was sued for even mentioning this! (from online elsewhere) Board Deletions? Posted by Tom on December 31 1901 (Y2K had struck finally!) at 10:28:48: A couple people mentioned here they had deletions at my board. If Omega’s post was dated 9-11, I would not have saw it as the ISP I was using was down until late October. I 72 73 think I logged on briefly around the 15 th , but don’t recall. I highly doubt anyone got access to my message board and did some deletions. BUT, I am NOT ruling it out as I reprted recently that TWO Yahoo accounts went missing in one day (one of wich was storage of all like-minded data over 3 years wich had some duzies!). I am not ruling it out due that the last time I tried to log-inton the shell acct. for the home pager (angelfire) to change my email address on it, I had trouble with that too. So, if there were any deletions, and they were NOT caused by being dated messages as new messages knock off the old ones (they probably were?), then could someone have accessed my shell acct. on Beseen and is editing??? First I’ve heard of it. Para-Realities WTC Survivor Or Head Mannequin? Tom 10:23 am Monday March 11 2002 I used to pass through the WTC a lot to the subway and the bookstore, and I used to see this [name] guy a lot who was a tramp. Not your tramps’ tramp mind you, he was clean, extremely well-dressed and groomed. I geuss he had been a professional at one time but got too crazy. He used to lug around this luggage dolly with about ten briefcases, portfolios and suitcases around. These were his sales plans, his legal doc’s etc. He was extremely paranoid of security gaurds and said that they had stolen his cases while he was sleeping once. That, and he was constantly sueing* everybody. Maybe that’s how he made his money? Anyway, I didn’t see him for about a year and wondered where he went. Then, on't ahed\e day I was walking down one of the streets in the high 20’s where all the wholesale shops are located. I was walking by this one shop in particular, it was a wig shop with all these different, goofy wigs on head mannequins in the shop window. Then I froze. There-in the window-was […..’s] head!! AAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!! AAAAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!! It was a spitting image, a car-bone copy. It looked just like him, and his hair too; that well-groomed 40-ish salt & pepper style, parted at the side. Could it be that they coveted his hairstyle so bad that they cut off his head? The eyes were peering at me to the right too, as if “he knew that I knew.” He looked at peace though-so I left it at that. Go figure….. *Richard was his name. I think he popped up in the New York Post eventually. Someone fitting the description to a T sued a library in New J ersey for kicking him out because he smelled bad, and he won the case and a monetary award. It said he wasn't really ahead though (no pun intended), and he was still largely broke. Para-Realities WTC Revisited Tom 10:20 am Wednesday April 24 2002 Not too long before the WTC was destroyed, certain things were discussed at this site concerning it. At first, I reported that once I was waiting for a train in the PATH Station, which is the lowest level under the Trade Center. On the platform I heard what I thought 73 74 was jackhammering , only it was coming from underneath!! There were also rumors of an underground installation beneath it or a bunker. In today’s Post, a picture of the cleanup site shows a structuyre which resembles a bunker. Could just be a temporary shelter- probably is but if there was something down there, what now? And, I was peering at it’s antennas through a telescope and trying to figure out why the main abntenna’s design was so elaborate. I then noticed what resembled the “bottom half of a Delta-T Antenna” at the very tip-this would have been the WTC’s highest point-a Pyramid!! Not to mention the various inconsistencies surrounding the attack. What you have is a sacrificial attack. One FBI guy dies, conveniently. Another FBI man commits suicide in the WFC Winter Garden, putting his gun to his temple at 1 PM one day in (early 1990’s?). I also vaguely remember now, one night not too long before 9-11, maybe 2-4 months before, curious things going on near/around the Trade Center. One thing was 4 helicopters around the WTC area hovering at 5 AM, doing God knows what. Training exercise?? At that hour it was not traffic. Another strange thing was a chopper w/spotlight strafed the WFC buildings. When I asked a top security guy (they look more like G-Men and not in grey dumpy security suits), he said that they got a report of a suicide jumper atop the Merrill Lynch building-???? Ha!, that building is deader that a doornail at night! (Lynch?). Aside from coincidence, what if “there were no coincidences?, like Para-realities, everything had a purpose, everything was connected. I would remind you that the real purpose of this site is not to CSICOP or judge from skeptical angles, but that these things are going on “probably” and “definitely” somewhere if not here. Para-Realities WTC Revisited BOMB ALL SANDNIGGERS 2:03 pm Sunday April 28 2002 …………….AND ALL THIS STUPID SHIT YOU MORONIC WASTES OF LIVES ARE SAYING HAS WHAT TO DO WITH A BUNCH OF SAND-NIGGERS FLYING PLANES INTO OUR TOWERS???????????????? NUKE ALL THOSE SAND NIGGERS I SAY……..IF VIOLENCE IS WHAT THEY PERPETRATE……THEN WE SHOULD UNLEASH OUR FULL NUCLEAR ARSONAL ON THEM………AND SHOULD HAVE DONE IT SEPT. 12 TH . FUCK’EM AND KILL’EM ALL…..LET ALLAH SORT THEM OUT!!!!!!!!!!! *The above posting may have been written by the notorious “Crash,” who everyone who was there would no doubt recall as he was a frequent rebel rouser on all the conspiracy boards in the late 90’s, early 00’s. Para-Realities Beware Fake FD/PD/MD Tom 11:22 am Thursday J une 20 2002 So now terrorists might use Fake Fire Engines to hit their targets or Fake Police cars or Fake Ambulances. What next? Fake Bloomberg’s, Fake buildings. Fake Stat o’ Lib 74 75 that’re really clones packed with explosives? Bush is impossible, they should Impeach the Bastiche! I see what’s really going on here. It’s not Republicanism, Conservatism or anything like that-its “BUSHISM,” all fueld by Bush Senior to the effect that they are trying to ensure a Legacy for “Little Bushes” (Thousands of Bushes-Thousands of machines--More of Us than there are of Them…). Replace “Bush” with Rockefeller, de Rothschild, DuPont or any other Industry Elite name and there you have what’s really happening: Me and Mine-Where’s Yours?; Whoever Dies with the most Toys, Oil, Filthy Lucre, Biggest Name, Legacy-Wins. Bush and Powell are really trying to “Set-Up” Israel by stalling their reprisals -waiting for Israel’s Weakest moment, then sit back while the A-Rabs attack. Its inevitable anyway, let them bomb Syria and get it over with. If 20 people per day were kidnapped, murdered, blown up here every other day, we would be dishing out some 100% WOOP ASS. You can bet on that. Why the Double Standard when it comes to Israel? We don’t want a full-scale war in the area? Well what do you think is going to happen, they’re gonna play Hippoty-Hop-To-The-Freaking-Barber- Shop!? Get out of Afghan and let those Camel J ockies sort things out for themselves- Who Cares!! If it gets out of hand-Nuke the Bastiches. We need our troops “Available” and not hunkered down in some 3 rd World country (And never mind the “4 th World, where things are really difficult.” -F. Zappa). One Stalinist Axiom (they had a top 10 list to keep Democracies down) that these Morons don’t realize is that it is a red ploy to “Keep Democratic Nations involved in 3 rd World Countries-therefore weakening them and eating up their capital). Is that the ploy? To keep troops committed to finding “Boogeymen”--OBL-while Israel fries and the USA is weakened? Para-Realities Watch Out For Fuel Tankers Too Tom 4:23 pm Friday J une 21 2002 Now they say they might use one to attack a J ewish (are there any others? Re: Wash. Post) Synagogue or a school. Is that Gomer Pyle drivin’ that truck? “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!!-Kkkaaa-bbllammmm!!!” And here in NYC, we have a lot of those fuel oil trucks, but one seen in the summer would be mucho weirdo. Watch out for exploding watermelons and cantelopes at the market. Para-Realities FBI/Paki/God Tom 10:23 am Saturday J une 29 2002 FBI Director Robert Mueller is throwing luncheons with the Moslems. Seems he can find perpetrators of “hate crimes” against Moslems, but can he find OBL or the terrorists before 9-11?? Wasn’t 9-11 a hate crime? Well-there you have it. All we have to do is file it as a hate crime and we could get the gay lobby, Shillary, Schumer, Dead Kennedy, Diane Frankenstein and friends to go after‘em. OBL could be TOAST today! And another faux paw, letting the Afghans fight most of the Tora Bora Battle was a mistake. 75 76 While we were waiting, there up there cutting a deal with OBL to escape into Pakistan. And don’t get me started on Pakistan….The reasons the Pakis wantd a towel war with India was that most of the Al Queda escaped there! And AQ hates Indians, Americans and J ews and just wants J ihad. And this Pledge Of Allegiance thing, if they take it any farther (which they will do-give ‘em time) and take “In God We Trust” off of our money, then I want “Annuit Coeptis, Novus Ordo Seclorum, and Eplurabis Unim and that butt- ugly Egyptian Pyramid with that All-Seeing Eye of Lucifer” Off Too!! +1: Evidence of Para-Realities may still be found on waybackmachine.com . +2: I had no luck in tracking down the story of the FBI Agent who allegedly committed suicide in the Winter Garden at 1 P.M. on a day in the early 1990's. I sort of recall the story though. The story seems to have been made extinct. 76 77 The Woolworth Building and the Feature Story that Would Never Be Last night, the "Towers of Light" were recreated on Staten Island. I watched as a commercial jet purposely flew “straight through” the blue beams. It was awesome. -journal entry, 9-6-03 Were missiles fired at the World Trade Center from the Woolworth Building on 9-11-01? Several accounts said so. The Woolworth Building is located at 233 Broadway, and was built by Cass Gilbert in 1913. It was the world’s tallest building until 1930, when it was dwarfed by 40 Wall Street. The Woolworth Building’s Gothic ornate eventually earned it the name the “Cathedral of Commerce.” It once offered an observation deck, but it was closed in 1945 after the Empire State Building opened its own. The building is rumored to have a military past*, but I hadn’t much luck in tracking down the details. And I never found a list of Woolworth Building tenants who were there on 9-11. NYU had much space there. Online sources* said the Woolworth Building was well connected to the DoD. The Woolworth building today remains a prominent figure in the lower Manhattan skyline, and possessed the critical trajectory from its roof for a shooter to be able to hit the Twin Towers and possibly 4 & 5 WTC. That was in 2001. Today, a new 77 78 high rise apartment building on Barclay Street blocks the Woolworth's view of the World Trade Center site. The Woolworth Building’s owner was the The Witkoff Group, who bought the property in 1998 for $155 million. The building was closed to the public in approximately March 2003 for unspecified “security reasons.” This was right around the time that my research into 9-11 was really heating up, but I am not saying I was any catalyst for this, because the story had not really gelled yet, but I’m not ruling it out either. When the story hit the internet, broken by yours truly, it could have facilitated that. I had first heard of the alleged missiles coming from the Woolwoth Building when I opened the New York Post on August 29th 2003, and saw that a judge had ordered transcripts* from Port Authority and radio transmissions from 9-11 released to the media, after a motion in court brought by The New York Times. The blurb in the Post (and reported in several other major American newspapers that day) referred to someone shooting at the Trade Center from the Woolworth Building. The Philadelphia Inquirer, not wanting to be left out, chimed in as well that day, reporting that an unidentified male on World Trade Center police channel 07, stated that he thought the first report regarded what they thought was a guy shooting missiles from the Woolworth Building. The second report they thought concerned an airplane that was circling to watch it, then it hit the World Trade Center. WNBC.com led with the article: “Innuendo, Erroneous Reports Abound In WTC Transcripts,” 9-1-03. A Port Authority Police Officer asked if his superiors could send someone over to the Woolworth Building to check out the roof because there was a possible second explosion caused by a missile fired from the roof of the Woolworth Building. From an article in the Bradenton / East Manatee Herald, “Transcripts reveal 9-11 chaos,” 8-29-03, it actually reported one witness account that missiles from the Woolworth Building were from, “the Palestines.” A Port Authority Officer issued a "Mayday," and dispatchers took calls from citizens saying Manhattan was under siege by “rockets” and “kamikaze jets.” "This isn't an emergency or anything," a Port Authority employee told a police officer, but "we just had an explosion at the World Trade Center." My uncovering of who the security company who held the contract for the Woolworth Building on 9-11 proved to be a huge eye-opener. For legal reasons, we’ll just call this security company “CEB.” This revelation was obtained by myself in perhaps the same fashion as Detectives Mendenhall and deMello* did on 9-11, by walking over to the Woolworth and into the lobby and asking the security officer at the front desk. I do not recall the exact date, it may have been in March 2003, but the security officer at the front desk could have been the same officer on duty on 9-11 when the two detectives walked in. It sounded like the same guy. I recall he was very professional, no-nonsense, more motivated than other run-of-the-mill security guards. He was a black male, meticulously groomed and his demeanor and well-spoken nature was significant enough for me to take notice. It suggested a higher-level background and salary than would normally be allocated for the typical security guard position. It seemed more like an operation. I asked him who the security company was for his building. He replied instantly, "CEB." His reply wasn’t the usual "Huh? Wha? Wha' Happen?" like the usual 78 79 security guards I’d come to experience when I was a messenger. I had what I needed though, and not noticing much on the building tenant list, I walked out. Further investigation into CEB revealed a trove of 9-11 conspiracy. On the CEB website at that time, I learned that its founder was a known ex-NYPD Detective who listed his various achievements. He was a consultant to the Director of Security for the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego. He served as Director of Security for the Republican National Convention in 1992 in Houston. He has advised the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia and officials from the Peoples Republic of China on security measures. President Ronald Reagan, Vice President George Bush, Senator Alfonse D’Amato, The New York Times and the New York Post all endorsed a failed bid for Congress he attempted in 1986. A movie was made about his life and he had been a regular contributor on Imus in the Morning as a film critic. He also has branched out into film and real estate. This founder consulted on several movie projects along with his partner Steven Witkoff* (president of the Witkoff Group, owner of the Woolworth Building) and started a movie production company of his own. The duo also had a real estate partnership, possessing several ownership stakes in major buildings across the U.S. One CEB security consultant was a Military Specialist, a Colonel in the U.S. Army. He was taken aboard CEB in February 2001. The Colonel brought with him an impressive military record to say the least. He had overseen readiness evaluation for the Commanding General for the Army’s Special Forces; was Saber Squadron Commander for the Army’s 1 st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta (Delta Force); and worked Special Ops and the Green Berets. He held a Top Secret / SCI Clearance* standard. The services CEB offered were varied and included: guidelines for “Patriot Act Compliance,” to assure companies that they were dealing with qualified employees and businesses who were not funneling money into the wrong hands; “Surveillance and Undercover Operations,” where CEB offered to put male or female operatives into a specialized situations to achieve a client’s special needs; and “Economic Espionage and Technical Surveillances Countermeasures,” for those pesky kidnappers, extortionists and various intruders---prime territory for CEB’s specialized electronic bug zapping. In all appearances, it seemed to me like CEB’s founder got even more famous and wealthier post-9-11, keeping with a motif theory in this book. A bizarre Christmas wish appeared in one of the dailies here in late 2004 titled, “[** ****’* holiday cheer.” The blurb talked about his appearance on The Daily Show, where he encouraged kids to sit in their “f’n apartment” and play Christmas music and wait for the “jolly fat f’n guy" to come down the chimney I guess---bizarre. An acquaintance informed me that he had heard on Imus in the Morning, Don Imus say on the radio say something to the effect of, “[**] works for the CIA.” His response was an exasperated rebuke to not say that on the air. The mention of “rockets” is a very acute description; not all of the missile accounts could be blamed on the insignificant little smoke streamers seen emanating from the first explosion in the South Tower as seen in video footage, no matter what the Koolaid drinkers would have you believe. A rocket is an exact connotation: a missile, a 79 80 projectile. Furthermore, a missile has the speed advantage over a plane, making it even harder to photograph. On August 30th 2003 I was more than ecstatic. I had been associated with New York Press, the free weekly by publishing a feature story for them in April 2003, and so I decided that same summer to pitch them a "9-11 as inside job" idea for a feature and see if they’d bite. I prepared a special proposal featuring a graphic of "Capatin America" standing on top of a tank, along with the text to the chorus of The Kink's song Catch Me Now I'm Falling* beneath it. More text from the Captain said that he would have loved to have been at the Trade Center on 9-11 to help save fellow Americans, but sadly he could not, so the least he could do now was ask the newspaper to run this story by his friend, Tom Modern. It worked. I was given the go ahead. I had pulled off a coup of major proportions I thought. New York Press editor, J eff Koyen, informed me they would run the piece, titled: Smackdown 9-11: What Really Happened? for the 9-11 anniversary that year---this giving me ample time to make it "rock solid." And on August 29th 2003, I felt that we had stumbled upon fate when the New York Post article came out pertaining to missiles from the Woolworth Building. I felt it was compelling support to the strange explosions I was viewing in video footage online. I made an excited call to the editor and left a message explaining that it looked like we had this thing nailed down---we had something unique, something huge on the line. Between the video footage, the Woolworth Building missile allegations and my soon-to-be discovered CEB revelation, I felt we had the goods to become whistle blowers on at least part of 9-11. The timing was perfect, the energy palpable. To me it was Watergate---bigger. Yet something nagging in the back of my mind told me that this story would never see the light of day. The video I was speaking of at the time, was a piece of footage on a website called Fakelabs, a German site I believe, similar to Youtube.com but pre-dating it. It seemed to contain clever, fake little video skits etc. Except the piece of 9-11 footage I am speaking of was no fake, it was quite real and authenticated by three or four other angles. The video I believe may have popped up later in 911 Mysteries or other DVD’s such as Rick Siegel’s 9-11 Eyewitness, shot from New J ersey, but to this day I’m not one hundred percent sure, because I recall that there seemed to be two different, yet very similar video clips of what appeared to be explosions emanating beneath or at street level at the Trade Center. One was shot on West Street, the other was shot from Broadway & Fulton Streets. Authenticating angles were shot from New J ersey and Midtown Manhattan. The year 2003 was still the wild-west days of the 9-11 conspiracy as far as I’m concerned. In the footage shot from the corner of Fulton & Broadway, the one I can’t seem to find anymore, it showed a giant smoke / dust plume rising twenty stories high above 4 & 5 WTC's. The more obvious footage of this same, above locale I noticed surfaced in the 9-11 Mysteries DVD, and may have been in 9-11 Eyewitness also. I believe the missing video may have been shot by Euronews, but my attempts at contacting them about the matter failed. After I brought this to the attention of the fledgling 9-11 truth movement at the time, the footage soon disappeared off of Fakelabs and the internet. I do acknowledge that I may have a couple of videos confused also, but I am just covering all the possibilities. I had originally thought that these videos depicted 80 81 the result of missile blasts from the Woolworth Building, but sans that, they were probably dust plumes emanating from blasts in the WTC sublevels. Another option could be secondary devices left at street level. I had turned in a functional draft of the story Smakdown 9-11 which was 6,000 words. I turned it in a month early also, so as to give New York Press ample time to decide what kind of animal they wanted it to be. This was all pre-Fahrenheit 9-11 days, before "9-11 as inside job" had become such commercial pegboard. Most of the 9-11 research at the time was considered the wildest of conspiracy theories (still is to some), but with the commoner still not having heard about much of it. I recall that New York Press in the summer of 2003 was burgeoned with the start-up of a new publication in Baltimore that had not been folded into a barfbag yet, and so I was told and that it might affect Smakdown 9-11's chances. I suggested taking somebody off of something else, and putting them on it, so as to give the editor the option to get to the piece as soon as he could. I tried to convey that Smackdown 9-11 was not the kind of feature you could just amp-up on caffeine and crank out at the last minute, defying the clock and topic with your sheer talent and willpower. This story was bigger than that. I heard from the editor by email on August 20th 2003, but then curiously heard nothing from the paper concerning the feature until September 4th, when the editor began flimflamming about whether New York Press would run the story at all. He began by complaining that the piece was too long---he had only wanted 2,000 words; I had argued from the get-go that a piece of this magnitude was impossible to cram into 2,000 words, but we had settled on seeing about using sidebars later. I also suspect they didn't leave themselves enough time to tackle the piece, and may have been making excuses. The editor then said he wasn’t sure if Smakdown 9-11 would run the week of 9-11, or the following week, citing that so much on 9-11 would be published during the anniversary week, that it wouldn’t get much notice. He also cited not wanting to draw the ire of people. I knew the feature was dead right there. The strange thing was, very little on the 9-11 subject came out in the local print media during the week of the 2003 anniversary. Regardless, I fooled myself and tried to play the Polly Anna, but as the crucial date approached, the reasons for not running the piece seemed to change like the wind: for the sake of space; the deluge of 9-11 material that week; letting people have their anniversary (ire, etc.); it was too long; there were too many theories; I covered too much ground; the sun was in their eyes etc., etc. The final nails in the coffin were the editor’s comments: “There’s not enough forward thinking to it,” and “much of the facts have been published already,” and “it is just a compilation of aberrations.” Whatever; they blew it. Because of the timing, they passed up the biggest feature in their useless existence. Imagine the Washington Post passing on Watergate? But then again, didn’t EMI pass on The Beatles? People went on to forge careers on only about 10% of what Smackdown 9-11 presented. And it did not matter if some of the stuff had been published in bits and pieces elsewhere already, I was the first one who ever tried to bring it all under one umbrella in a way that made sense to people. The feature was a task of monumental proportions (let alone the book). My philosophy on the piece had been that I found it more important to "ask" the critical questions about 9-11 and put the information out there for the readers to decide. I believe 81 82 that when you start trying to answer all the difficult questions, is when you get into trouble. It was crunch time. I recall a last-ditch plea by myself to the editor for the feature, probably becoming a bit too animated I admit, but it wasn't really about "me" after all was it? I recall a heated phone exchange: “J eff, it’s like this: it’s 9-11 and those towers are burning. I’m going in. Are you with me?! Are you with me?! Because if not, I’m running into those fucking towers by myself then!” If that didn’t get him nothing would, I thought. It might sound corny now, but I was passionate. It was the square off in my mind. I felt we had a last-ditch chance (metaphorically speaking) to turn back time and dash into those burning towers again to discover the truth. The truth of what might really have happened at the World Trade Center that day. And it was like watching sand slip through my fingers. Full court press: “J eff, when you’re in a championship game and there’s three seconds left, and you have a clear path to the basket---You Dunk! You dunk and you swing from the F-ing rim! You don’t pass until next week...!” Maybe I ruined it with that one, but the situation was desperate. Who knows? Maybe the death of Smackdown 9-11 was simply attributed to ego; perhaps no writer had ever screamed at this editor before? Yet I doubt that. As schmaltzy as it may sound, I felt I was fighting for New Yorkers and Americans, for the ones who didn’t particularly subscribe to the theory that the Twin Towers collapsed exclusively by the impact of planes, or the attacks were not known about beforehand, by trying to resuscitate the feature. But it was on life support. Looking back, perhaps I could've done more. Perhaps I could've shown up at the offices on a Friday afternoon about 4:45 P.M., tipsy with a case of beer, demanding a last-second boardroom pow-wow with the principals, maybe a buddy FDNY Firefighter in tow, screaming, alternately sobbing, then screaming. But it was all in vain. I think I got the confirmation email officially killing the story on September 11th 2003---of all dates! The nerve, I thought. The next week, a feature article ran in Smackdown 9-11's place. I forget what it was about---basically nothing as usual--- but I did a word count. This garbage can liner of a story was 6,000 words long! I never wrote for New York Press again. This is how Smackdown 9-11 essentially became a book. About six months later, a contributor to New York Press wrote a piece about 9-11 that none other than seemed to “catalogue” some of the fishier points about the attacks. The following are some of my personal log entries during that period: 82 83 9-4-03: J eff Koyen informed me that the 9-11 article, “Smakdown 9-11,” may not run for the anniversary. He cites work load/space, but I told him that is why I delivered the draft so early, with the advice that even if you have to pull somebody off of something else, to get on it. They’ve had it for one month. The real reason seems to be second thoughts about putting it out on the anniversary, that they do not want to invite the ire of people (although I said “Its tempting”) and to let them have their anniversary and a lot of people will be putting out 9-11 stuff so maybe it is better to wait a week. I see their point, yet they have a hell of a round chambered and it’s up to him if he wants to pull the trigger. I say just do it, don’t be wusses. Everybody dilutes things with apprehensions, so the outcome might be a less powerful story. I don’t wish to grieve anybody with this---only enlighten. Those police officers---possibly some dead---may have returned from the grave with lines like that “There’s fucking bombs going off on Vesey Street!” If people got pissed off about the piece, their qualms would be with the sources---The New York Times, Washington Post, The Daily News etc. Not with me. There are relatively few opinions in the piece, it’s mostly presentation of what if’s and known facts. Anything that comes to light about 9-11 should---how can anybody be against that? Anyway, tomorrow J eff is going to make the decision aye or nay. I think it’ll be nay (and is already). I just think he was cushioning it to me over the phone. Fingers crossed. 9-5-03: Waited all day to hear from New York Press on whether they are going to run the 9-11 story. It seemed like they may, because I couldn’t get through to J eff all day, but then called his cell phone at 7:30 and found the answer was still “no.” Was very animated, told him those officers returned from the grave with that testimony, throwing it right in our laps and for what? Next week it’ll be old news I said---no one will care. The victims die all over again. I did what I could, threw in every trick in the book, but I doubt---even though he says there is still a chance---it’ll change (the decision). Sometimes all your efforts and passions are all in vain. The horror of life. 9-6-03: Last night, the Towers of Light were recreated on Staten Island. I watched as a commercial jet purposely flew “straight through” the blue beams. It was amazing! If we could interview the victims what would they say? I think you would hear a chorus of things like “DO SOMETHING! Stop listening to everybody else, get off of your butts and do something!---anything! (regarding discovering what really might have happened). It would be insensitive not to run the 9-11 story I feel. But now I wash my hands of it. The internet is down today and I’m not calling J eff again. I may not even check in with the Press at all now, nor ever submit anything again because of this. 9-8-03: Story definitely not running this week. Oh well…. J eff doesn’t want to get lost in the deluge of other 9-11 stuff, but now I wonder. Will they just weasel out next week too? Other publications aren’t available for free (like NY Press) and I think people will be looking for something to read this week---very contemplative, meditative. Beautiful 9-11-like weather lately. Even getting suspicious. Had a dream Al 83 84 Qaeda attacked Las Vegas. I’m thinking that the Press will balk and not run it at all. If so, I have no qualms with taking it to the Village Voice or any other entity. Sometimes people don’t know when they have a perfect opportunity in their hands. 9-10-03: Not sure if the story’s in the works. Don’t even want to call or email. Beautiful weather. 9-11 story is still by far the best, most complete piece on the subject I’ve seen so far. Will they back out anyway? The overall vibe is depressing right now. Plan on going down to the WTC site anyhow. J ust feel a big letdown over everything. 9-11-03: It’s a beautiful day! Weather hauntingly similar to 9-11-01. Not a cloud in the sky, except no day could be clearer or a bluer than 9-11. The sky today is dirtier---more smog. Heard an explosion this morning at 6:25 A.M. Immediately expected the worse. Switched on the radio---nothing. Later that day: "New York Press" passed on "Smackdown 9-11." Several reasons cited, but no real excuse. They really blew this one. All that work for nothing. Nothing will ever come to light about 9-11 with outlets such as this. Don’t know the real reason as to why, but don’t much care---I disagree---end of story. Another horrible conclusion to something potentially great. Big deal. Pretty classless to lead me on for 3 months then make all kinds of excuses and finally kill it on 9-11. It's like the towers fell all over again today. The following are some of the original emails during and after that period: From: [email protected] Sent: August 29, 2003, 4:30 PM To: J eff [email protected] Subject: YES!!! J eff, Today’s release in the Daily News and the New York Post is a welcoming sight dude. Time to dunk and swing from the rim for a while…. : P The transcripts that document Port Authority transmissions and emergency calls made to the PA were ordered released by a judge at the insistence of The New York Times. The transcripts came out 8-29-03. Both the Daily News and the New York Post reported on 8-29 that there were multiple reports of missiles fired at the WTC from the Woolworth Building and so far, the icing on the cake appears to be a police officer screaming: “There’s fucking explosions going off on Vesey Street !!” The video of a blast near Vesey & Church Streets---as filmed from Broadway---was one of the catalysts that gave me the go ahead from you in the first place. And with the backup evidence coming from the 84 85 transcripts, well all I can say is it’s been a long time comin’! The New York Times article stated that the audio portion of the tapes was not released and there were several parts of the transcripts that were garbled, missing or fragmentary. THE WTC ATTACK WAS A CAREFULLY ORCHESTRATED……. [rest of email missing] From: [email protected] Sent: September 5, 2003 To: J eff [email protected] Subject: Urgent: Your Decision J eff, My take after sleeping on it is the truth is painful, it’s never easy and medicine sometimes tastes bad. You’ve got what is “possibly” the most illustrious round-of-a-piece chambered and ready to fire, and you’re not going to use it? After 9-11, after we see how the same old people exploit 9-11, using it as a photo op etc., etc., I think we will be standing at the gates of another grave mistake in our lives and be angry that we did not fire it anyway…. To run it, however, at this late a stage in the game would obviously call for a “Gonzo” session on your part huddled with your top generals. My advice would be: After you have the whole story “upstairs” and understand it beginning to end, look at some of the video. Punch in “people jumping wtc” into Google. You’ll be amazed at how this stuff pumps you up. Then, after the adrenalin’s high maybe organize a beer run (night). Do some debating, some theorizing, some good-natured SHOUTING. People died in order so we can “pussyfoot it around, agonizing over stories." In the end it’s me, you and your staff running into those towers again. The time is “September 11th, 2001.” What would you do? -Tom From: [email protected] Sent: J uly 13, 2004 To: J eff [email protected] Subject: Wait one minute…. J eff, Your reply is a rebuttal. It was NYP's job to help get a story of that magnitude into shape. It was practically virgin territory and we blew it and you know it. By saying there was no way that it could have been used is ridiculous. You were right about Operation Achilles or whatever, I was referring to the 6,000-word piece--- not that one (when I misspoke about which piece ran in Smackdown 9-11's place). I just find it hypocritical that a boring 6,000- word piece ran in Smakdown's place and the one Alan wrote (the 911 things piece) did the pretty much the "same thing" that you said my story did. That is, just present the facts and coincidences. 85 86 Some 9-11 investigators called that trifle article "brilliant." It was anything but. Imagine what they would've said about the real feature??? This thing's finally come home to roost J eff and those vultures is hungry! I had hoped you would have taken it a little better. By not cementing your argument, who is going to end up looking stupid? I am also publishing my daily log entries during that period and I have your original emails. Your excuses did change like the wind. A future tsunami could still be avoided here, but time is of the essence. I'm willing to bury the ratchet somehow...... -Tom From: J eff [email protected] Sent: J uly 13, 2004 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Wait one minute…. You want the on-the-record rebuttal Tom? Okay, here it is: Your arguments about 9/11 were no better than any of the other bullshit found on the web. "Virgin territory"?? Are you out your mind? Your article contained no original thought, no original research. I follow the 9/11 investigations. I agree with a great deal of the contrarian theories; I distrust our government and I question their role in the attacks. But your article didn't advance beyond what I already knew. Hell, it didn¹t even provide a coherent summary of the state of skepticism. Instead, we decided to run an excerpt from an internationally known thinker whose arguments about the coming global food crisis were more valuable--and more original and more compelling--than just another amrchair conspiracy theorist rambling on. And I LIKE armchair conspiracy theorists. For fuck's sake, I AM an armchair conspiracy theorist. (By the way, Alan Cabal's piece* later in the year connected the dots and questioned the holes in a vastly superior manner.) Be sure to include this entire email in your fucking book, else don't publish any of it. And if I understand you correctly, you're threatening to print my personal emails. Which is fine. But draw my ire, Tom, and I'll slam you at the first sign of libel as to the reasoning behind my decision to not run your story. Regards, J eff Koyen 86 87 From: [email protected] Sent: J uly 13, 2004 To: J eff [email protected] Subject: Now were talking…. Hey Now!.... If you had only been this passionate about the 9-11 story, maybe we would've had a feature and Michael Moore wouldn't be getting all of this limelight WITH ABOUT 10% OF WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN OUR ORIGINAL-? Thing is, it seemed like you didn't really seem to care then. As far as "virgin territory"---it was. No one had ever tried to put the entire 9-11 story all under one roof. I at least tried. On no original research, are you forgetting the fact that I linked the detonation videos (one of which YOU saw and is now mysteriously missing from the web) to the New York Post and Daily News Woolworth accounts (this fell right into our laps pre-9-11-03 and you didn't even see it!), paired with the suspicious BDA security company of the Woolworth Building, which "I" uncovered. That's just one example. Fine, if Smakdown 9-11 wasn't a coherent summary---than what was at that time? Alan's piece? Give me a break... That piece answered jack squat (neither did Smakdown). But that is my point. You wanted the riddle answered. It couldn't be then and still cannot. I wanted it presented. As far as your ire---bring it. You ripped off New York City with your decision and if I have to take the brunt of that---an insignificant price. But I'm trying to extend an olive branch really. Like why not run this whole bitchfest as a feature? Now there you'd have a story! -Tom *No cee-gar on any bitchfest though. *Alan Cabal's piece: “Miracles and Wonders” (7-28 / 9-3-04). After all the back and forth between Koyen and myself about whether Smakdown 9-11 had been a viable product---this bugaboo came along. It was found that USA Today reported that Qualcomm and American Airlines grouped up on a project that would allow passengers to make “cell phone calls” in mid-flight. Using a “Pico cell,” (whatever that was) it would let the obnoxious jibber-jabber of cell phones not only ruin your life in public places on the ground, but now it could make your flying experience a miserable, skull-splitting Hell as well. The article went on to point out that Beamer, Bingham, Glick and Felt---all who allegedly placed calls from Flight 93 on 9-11--- technically speaking, should not have been able to do so as cell phones were supposedly said to be ineffective at speeds over 230 mph and at altitudes over 8,000 feet. That’s not all: Hanson phoned from Flight 175, Sweeney from Flight 11 and Olson from Flight 77. Some of these calls are believed to have all come from cell phones---although they quickly cited Airfones. It was then pointed out that Satam Al-Suqami’s indestructible passport survived the World Trade Center. This article prompted one last email letter to the editor: 87 88 From: [email protected] To: J eff [email protected] Subject: Miracles and Wonders Date: J uly 29, 2004 Dear J eff, 7-29-04 I failed to see my name highlighted in Alan’s article. I trust this was a mere oversight, but I’ll still assume full credit as the catalyst. Cheerio… Tom Modern But wait! Because this was not the end of "Modern vs. Koyen" We were becoming pen pals at this point. From: J eff [email protected] Sent: August 17, 2004 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Miracles and Wonders Tom, You’re a moron. -J K From: [email protected] Sent: August 18, 2004 To: J eff [email protected] Subject: Stop giving me material! J eff, 8-18-04 You’re only providing me with more funny stuff to print (but by all means keep it flowing). On me being a moron, that’s nothing unique. Show me somebody who “isn’t” a moron---now there you’d have something! Too bad “Page Six*” wouldn’t bite on any of this stuff… It was quite obvious that you engaged in “spin doctoring” with that article. And cut the “group think” crap. Give the power back to the writer---the individual. Tom Modern The "group think" snipe was aimed at how the paper had come to believe that the individual writer experience was "bad" and that the writer had to be the impartial journalist, as if people went to the rag for news anyhow and not to be entertained. Koyen then traded barbs with Howard Stern on his show. This after New York Press included Stern as one of "50 Most Loathsome People." This was done because they felt that Howard hadn’t fought hard enough for free speech issues. The argument quickly digressed into name calling with Howard calling Koyen naïve, a punk, an idiot and maybe a couple of other things. I’d never heard Howard lose an argument. The fact that Koyen sounded misinformed, didn’t help any either. Howard was always one step ahead of the person he was arguing with, while that person was still bogged down on Howard’s last comment. 88 89 Soon after, in March 2005, Koyen got the heave-ho from New York Press by owners David Unger and Chris Rohland over a parody of Pope J ohn Paul II’s death by Matt Taibi: “The 52 Funniest Things About the Upcoming Death of the Pope.” Koyen in Page Six* branded his bosses weenies and little spineless turds who couldn’t handle the controversy. Huh? Couldn’t handle the controversy? I was shocked at Koyen accusing others of not being able to handle "controversy" eve though he was right about the paper. Koyen just seemed too cynical and potentially “anti-everything” for the publication. There was even one funny, knock-down, drag-out bitchfest between Koyen and ex-pal, Alan Cabal in the paper’s mail in the following week. When the chips fell, old alliances seemed to be history. I didn't really dislike Koyen personally, it was just business. Back to the Woolworth though: in late 2004, 9-11 investigator and producer of the documentary Loose Change*, Dylan Avery, noticed in news video stills what appeared to be white plumes of smoke protruding from the very top of the Woolworth Building on 9-11. This was just after the collapse of the North Tower. The smoke appeared to have been concentrated at the very top of the copper top building, and very telltale. Was it the residue of a rocket launcher? Or an explosion in itself to conceal any signs that anyone was up there? Either way, it was suspect. Nothing from the Trade Center could have affected the Woolworth Building that far up. It was far too high to have been damaged by the collapses. Someone named "Phil" wrote online some time ago of what looked like 3 gaping holes in the green copper top on the Woolworth Building immediately after 9-11. He said it was kept secret and repaired ASAP. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I thought I even recalled seeing a picture online somewhere of a bird's-eye view of the top of the Woolworth Building with a tarp covering part of it. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. Others went in search of this image, speculating that it probably would have taken a few days to repair. Further speculation said that they may have used pieces from the copper top from one of the smaller spires on the tower for the repair of the main section; this due to more copper being missing from the lower sections in the subsequent days after 9-11; if we had only known about the story when the evidence was still fresh. I recall they said online that Dylan Avery was the first who noticed the bomb damage* atop of the Woolworth Building. Nico Haupt speculated that missiles were actually fired from lower in the Woolworth Building than previously thought, so as to easier hit the 22nd floor of the North Tower where the security office was located. This is a possibility. After physically perambulating the site before the new Barclay Street high rise went up, taking the Woolworth's air rights and view of the WTC site, I found that I was partially wrong as to where the missiles could have struck the Trade Center. The trajectory would have been more towards 4 WTC and the Liberty Street WTC entrance, and perhaps the 22nd floor of 1 WTC. As far as explosions on Vesey Street, I’m not sure. I think another culprit was to blame for that; perhaps secondary devices at street level. Or, could as the transcripts said, the Amex Building have been used to fire missiles? Either way, there were too many references in transcripts to missiles fired from the Woolworth Building for all of them to have been mistaken. One telling passage might have been: 89 90 NYC EMS Direct Line: Male: “(overlap/inaudible) deck.” Male: “J ust be advised, (inaudible) office, just be advised that it looks like (overlap/inaudible).” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) what’s up?” Male: “What’s he doing up there?” *TS/SCI: "Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information.” SCI clearance is considered above Top Secret. *”Page Six”: I had tried to get Page Six to carry the whole shebang, but I guess they felt I wasn’t famous enough. *Cell phones: Andrey Kosyakov, a former assistant to the chairman of the Russian Congress, and a security specialist, pointed out in an interview about the investigation into the Pentagon strike, that the physical descriptions of the 9-11 hijackers was not noted by any of the callers, which seemed to suggest that they were “European” in appearances or unordinary. He made a good point. *Detectives Mendenhall and deMello: see Port Authority Transcripts chapter. *Steven Witkoff: Witkoff was once pictured with CEB’s owner in a Page Six-like picture in the New York Post at a celebrity shindig. CEB’s owner appeared in Page Six many times after 9-11. *Transcripts: The audio was not released and the transcripts contained blank and garbled areas. *Page Six: “Editor out over pope parody,” 3-8-05. *Online sources: media.portlandindymedia.org *Loose Change: Dylan Avery tended bar on the opening night of Sopranos star J ames Gandolfini's restaurant, and when given a few moments alone with the actor, mentioned he'd someday like to direct films. Gandolfini told him if he wanted to be a successful director, he had to have something he wanted to say to the whole world. Avery was inspired to write about 9-11---The Village Voice, "The Seekers," 2-21-06. *Bomb damage: I viewed online a picture of what was said to have been bomb damage in the copper top of the Woolworth Building. The picture was very grainy however, and was probably a video still. 90 91 Kerikgate Kerik, on losing the Homeland Security gig said that it was like he stole a piece of bubble gumwhen he was fucking eight and somebody told on him. I didn't intend for this chapter to be a scathing expose' on Bernard Kerik, but there was just so much going on with poor Bernie, that it seemed to become just that. Kerik* was chosen to replace the first secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, by President Bush in December 2004. Kerik had been at home in New J ersey that day when he got the 8 A.M. call from Chief of Staff Andrew Card, saying that the president wanted to see him immediately. And so Kerik got in the car and drove two hours to Washington, checked into a hotel and heard military choppers approaching overhead, telling him he had made it in time before Bush arrived back in Washington. At the White House, Bush said he was looking for a new secretary of Homeland and congratulated Kerik, telling him that the job was his. At the time, the New York Post called Kerik a "Cabinet-level [owner of CEB],*" but within a week, the gig was off. This was after it was learned that Kerik had failed to file taxes and legal documents for an immigrant nanny he employed. Kerik had been chosen by the White House to recruit and train Iraqi* police forces after 9-11. Bernie had intended to stay six months, but left after three months---possibly narrowly avoiding a bombing he might have been present at. Approximately 25% of the Iraqi recruits under him had to be let go after background 91 92 checks revealed that many were hardened criminals; this, to the tune of $60 million dollars in severance pay. Kerik was hired essentially without the typical background check* for Police Commissioner of New York City. He did not fill out a customary form on backgrounds, although he filed one as Corrections Department Commissioner. After 9-11, it was learned that he had used a donated Battery Park City apartment for police rest and recovery for personnel trysts with girlfriend J udith Regan*, and female corrections officer J eanette Pinero. Regan---in a story by the acid-penned, misandrist New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser*---called Kerik maniacal and insane, saying he was following her around and threatening her. Who knows when it comes to love gone bad? The thing is, I would be very interested in finding out which building and suite this pete au tair was located, and if it was at all possible that it was the same apartment that caught fire on 9-11. I'm not alleging anything here---just curious. The apartment that burned has been placed on anywhere from the "5th or 6th floor" or the "9th floor" at "South End Apartments" or "Gateway Arms." No address was given for this donated apartment. Kerik allegedly blocked the promotion* of a corrections officer who had a run-in with ex-flame, J eanette Pinero. More than 100 of the Pinero’s* co-workers were arrested or fired in a 1990’s tax scandal over excessive tax exemptions. Kerik then suffered allegations that he got his brother Donald, and a friend, Lawrence Ray, jobs with a contractor that was allegedly “mobbed-up.” Emails* sent to a friend of Kerik’s in 1999, suggested he was willing to divulge information to the target of a city probe---Interstate Industrial of Clifton, N.J . A probe* also investigated whether the company made renovations on Kerik’s apartment in 1999, or paid him in other ways. The New J ersey State Gaming Commission subpoenaed Kerik for all records in the renovation of his Riverdale apartment, and records of any money transfers between Kerik and Interstate’s owners, Frank and Peter DiTomasso. A mob turncoat fingered Interstate as being under the control of the New J ersey DeCavalcante crime family. Tom Antenen*, former spokesman for Bernie Kerik under the NYPD and Corrections Department, was fired by the city from his current Corrections Department job after he was wiretapped by investigators discussing what he and others would say to authorities probing Kerik about the apartment renovation. Bronx DA Robert J ohnson* wiretapped Kerik's cell phone during the probe. In March 2005 it was reported that Kerik received approximately $76,000. in royalties from Regan Books for his book In The Line Of Duty. He donated much of it to families of 9-11 victims. Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Esson wrote a foreword to the book. Kerik had resigned as CEO of the security consulting branch of Giuliani Partners, "Giuliani Security and Safety," in December 2004. It was then learned Kerik made millions off of the stungun “Taser” stock, a company he sat on the board of. Kerik dumped 102,166 Taser shares* in November 2004 for a cool $5.47 million. He sold another 58,334 shares on 3-17-05, for $703,342. In early 2005, the SEC* and the Arizona Attorney General announced a cursory investigation into Taser International. In early J anuary 2005, Taser stock tumbled 60%. Amnesty International and the USAF contributed to the decline by issuing reports that the weapons may be unsafe. Taser 92 93 International was also looking to do business with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security*. Kerik used NYPD investigators to research the death of his mother, who was murdered when he was four years old. Kerik paid the City of New York $2,500. to the Conflict of Interest Board in a settlement. Kerik also allegedly sent five homicide detectives to the homes of Fox News staff members because girlfriend J udith Regan suspected them of stealing her cell phone. Kerik allegedly ordered correction officers to strip-search* prisoners held on misdemeanor charges, violating a federal court order that led to a $50 million dollar fine for the City of New York. Eight-hundred thousand dollars* went missing from the Correction Foundation, an organization overseen by Kerik. It was funded by $1 million dollars in rebates from tobacco companies for cigarettes bought for Riker’s Island inmates. An investigation was launched after suspicions arose over police department-issued credit cards* while Kerik was commissioner. Computers were seized and poured over to see what was purchased with the cards---with credit limits between $2,000 - $4,000 dollars---between August 2000 and December 2001. An investigation began into Kerik’s involvement with a Long Island penny stock company called Dataworld* Solutions Inc. Trouble started after a business deal with a long-time acquaintance’s company, Georal International Ltd. Its owner, Alan Risi, was indicted for defrauding NYC of services and contracts, and federal investigators were trying to determine exactly when Kerik severed his ties with Dataworld. Four high security doors were purchased from Georal Intl. to be installed in 1 Police Plaza, but they were never used because they were found to be too heavy for the floors. They were then shipped and stored on Riker’s Island, where only one was used. Some sources reported that there were a total of 19 doors. Another scandal surfaced involving the city's decision to auction* off the unused doors in March 2006. Alan Risi and J oanne Ruscillo, director of Integrated Security Corporation, were busted on charges they colluded together on their bids, using the same address for their submitted deposit checks. Georal had also been haggling with a Florida-based company called Finx* Group Inc. over the licensing of the door’s entry system. The city eventually got pennies on the dollar for the doors, fetching $1,138 dollars for each of the $50,000-dollar doors. It was discovered by the SEC that in the summer of 2003 that Lawrence Ray* held 36 million shares in Finx Group Inc. Ray pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a stock fraud case involving a mobbed-up company called The Bridge of New York; the case involved Ed Garafola, brother-in-law of Sammy Gravano, and members of Colombo and Bonanno crime families. Ray was also the one who introduced Kerik to Frank DiTommaso*, co-owner of Interstate Industrial. It was reported that Interstate bought a garbage dump on Staten Island, but it’s unclear what that was about, because I believe there is only one, the Fresh Kills, and that is owned by the city and was closed in 2000. Perhaps it was a clean fill? It said Interstate was having trouble getting the landfill licensed because of Interstate’s rumored ties to organized crime. Kerik allegedly convinced DiTommaso to hire Ray to lobby city regulators for the license to the tune of $100,000 dollars per year as director of security for a sister company called "Interstate Materials Corp.," which ran the dump. Can anyone 93 94 follow all this? Alleged DeCavalcante member, Anthony Rotondo, testified that he allegedly collected protection money from Interstate owners to ensure peace while employing non-union laborers. Kerik eventually pleaded guilty* to accepting $165,000 dollars in gifts from Interstate in 1998 when he was NYC Corrections Commissioner. Interstate* was denied city permits by the Bloomberg Administration in spring of 2006. It was learned that Kerik’s lawyer, J oseph Tacopina*, was part of the criminal defense team that defended the late Gambino crime family boss, J ohn Gotti. Kerik cronies got into trouble as well. One associate was sentenced to one year in prison for embezzling $142,733 dollars from a charity* Kerik sat on the board of. Former NYC Corrections chief, Anthony Serra*, went on trial in New York State Supreme Court in the Bronx on dozens of counts. The charges were in regards to Serra's paid role in running Republican campaigns, and work on his house using taxpayer labor and materials. Twenty-six Glock* pistols, valued at $500 dollars each in the late 1990’s, which belonged to the corrections department, were given to top city officials as perks under Bernie Kerik. J ohn Picciano*, Kerik’s former chief of staff who resigned from Giuliani Partners a day after Kerik, received one of the firearms. Kerik allegedly had 50 medals* of valor made up when he became commissioner in 2000, and handed them out to government and foreign visitors. A few extra were given out to cops. The medallion is not an official NYPD honor. The shield- shaped trinket depicts a toga-garbed woman knighting a subject with a sword. It contains the word, “Valor,” and read: “Bernard B. Kerik, 40th Police Commissioner, City of New York,” on the back. He also had 30 plaster busts of himself made, which he handed out to friends and dignitaries, reportedly paid for by the Police Foundation. Most of the busts were believed to have been destroyed. Ex-NYC Mayor Ed Koch* called Kerik a disgrace, saying that he had two mistresses and a wife and used a BPC apartment that was supposed to be used by cops to rest after 9-11 duty. Koch also called Giuliani’s appointment of Kerik to police commissioner sloppy and crazy. The City of New York quietly removed three "Bernard B. Kerik Complex*" signs from the corrections center---or "The Tombs"---on Center Street in the middle of the night, as not to draw attention. On the extensive vetting* process used for the Homeland Security job, and his subsequent loss of the nomination, Kerik said that it was like he stole a piece of gum when he was “fucking eight” and somebody saw it and decided to snitch him out. This was after he learned that his nanny had a phony Social Security* number. When told by a staffer of the snafu, Kerik allegedly said that he wanted to take his fucking gun off of his desk and shoot the bearer of bad news. It's no fun being the messenger. Michael Chertoff*, who led the J ustice Department’s Criminal Division was eventually picked to head the Department of Homeland Security in Kerik’s place. My thinking was maybe they should've just given Kerik the job anyway. I mean, if you were to ask me if he would have done a good job at the post, I’d reply yes. They're all gangsters in Washington anyway and feathering their own nests, why is Kerik any different? Kerik's testimony to The 9-11 Commission even seemed like he may have been "on our side." Although some critical comments from his testimony were 94 95 expurgated from The 9-11 Report, Nico Haupt was present at the NYC hearings and said that Kerik stated that ex-FBI anti-terror chief, J ohn O'Neill, told him that there was an impending attack on the Twin Towers. Kerik claimed that on 9-11, he narrowly avoided being struck by a falling airplane wheel. In the picture section of his book, Lost Son, he posed next to a jet engine. *Kerik: Daily News, “Kerik’s royalties shocker,” 3-14-05 / New York Post, “Bernie: 9/11 Spurs Me On,” 12-4-04 & "'It will be OK,' Bush told me in my darkest hour: Kerik," 12-5-05. *Iraqi / "Cabinet-level Bo Dietl": New York Post, “Bernie’s Stunner,” 12-6-04. *SEC: Time Magazine, ”From Zap to Zzzzz,” 3-25-05. *Plead guilty: New York Post, "Kerik takes a bashing from best man." *Robert J ohnson: Page Six, "DA snooped on Kerik phone," 2-28-06. *Iraqi, Promotion, Saudi Arabian, Charity & U.S. Dept of Homeland Security: NY Daily News, “Bernie Bows Out,” 12-11-04. *Strip search / $800,000.: New York Post, “Kerik’s ‘Dept. Of Corruption,’” 12-26-04. *Glock: New York Post, “Brewing scandal over stunning gun giveaway,” 12-26-04. *Pinero’s: New York Post, “Kerik Tax ‘Break,’” 12-19-04. *Ed Koch: WABC radio. *Emails: Daily News, “Bye Bye Bernie,” 12-23-04. *Medals: New York Post, “Medals In Vain,” 3-27-05. *Vetting & Social Security: New York Post, “Bawling Bernie: Disgraced tough guy’s sob story,” 3-27-05. *Probe: Daily News, “N.J . probes Kerik ties to suspect firm,” 4-9-05. *Michael Chertoff: Chertoff appears to be another 9-11 appointment by favor in a long series of appointments by the Bush Administration to those who towed the line after 9-11. Chertoff was ordered by Attorney General J ohn Ashcroft to use every available tool to prevent another attack including holding Arab men in prisons for extended periods. Ashcroft ordered minor immigration glitches to be used against numerous Arabic and Muslim men to hold them until they were cleared by the FBI. Chertoff was also a federal appellate judge---NY Newsday, “Nominee’s tactics get a new look,” 1-13-05. *J udith Regan: TheDaily News reported that Regan’s move to L.A. also concerned the shopping of a movie deal called Thug: A Love Story, loosely based on her affair with Kerik---Lowdown, 4-13-05. *Anthony Serra: NY Newsday, “Many scandals on Kerik's watch,” 12-16-04. *Taser shares: Bloomberg Business News, 3-22-05. *Background Check: New York Post, “Rudy’s Hire Mess,” 12-17-04. *Andrea Peyser: “Bad Bernie’s livid mistress: ‘He’s insane & maniacal,’ 12-15-04. *J ohn Picciano: NY Newsday, Kerik aide leaves Giuliani company,” 12-24-04. *Credit Cards: Daily News, “Credit cards in Kerik mess,” 1-9-05. *Dataworld / Tacopina / Finx / Ray / DiTommaso: New York Post, “Fed’s Double-Take,” 12-20-04. *Auction: New York Post, "2 busted in 'Kerik' door deal," 10-18-06 & $1M out door in buying fiasco." *Tom Antenen: Daily News, "Kerik aide gets boot," 4-14-06. *Interstate: New York Post, "'Mafia' Firm Is Closed," 5-4-06. *"Bernard B. Kerik Complex": New York Post, "Bernie's Bad Sign." +1: Kerik also worked as chief of investigations for a Saudi Arabian* hospital in the 1980’s. It was alleged that Kerik took certain liberties by investigating women’s private lives for his boss. +2: Westchester DA J eanine Pirro allegedly steered a no-bid contract to Kerik and Giuliani's security firm---New York Post, "Pirro Steered D.A. Contract To Kerik," 10-5-06. 95 96 The Government Studies “...what we were really dealing with was the load shift in a redundantly constructed eighteen-story building.” -the author, in regards to the load shift causing the collapse of the North Tower. FEMA The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) “Building Performance Study” (BPS) was based upon the joint FEMA-Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) / American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) investigation which tried to determine how and why the World Trade Center failed. The Building Performance Study was no doubt the precursor for future debunking of theories that the World Trade Center collapse was an assisted demolition. The BPS utilized scientific arguments very well, but it is not difficult to make your argument appear like the correct one by hiring qualified people to present highly technical statistics, graphs, data and findings. The same has been done in response by the controlled demolition camp, but it is either quelled or you just don't hear much about it. The most famous line from the BPS study, and probably their biggest faux pau---one of which if they had a chance to re-do, they'd no doubt omit it---was the admission: "The collapse is particularly significant in that, prior to these events, no 96 97 protected steel-frame structure, the most common form of large commercial construction in the United States, had ever experienced a fire-induced collapse." That says a lot. Up to the 39th floor of the North Tower, a spray coating containing asbestos covered the floor trusses. The rest was mineral fiber. On the South Tower, a spray adhesive of mineral fiber was applied. The thickness on both towers was 3/4" thick. The thickness was increased to 1-1/2" thick in the North Tower in the 1990's, including the impact floors on 9-11, but only the 78th floor of the South Tower. This fireproofing had a 3-hour burn rating. The steel I-beams had a 1/2" thick fire coating. On the theory of this protective coating being knocked off by the planes and debris, the BPS stated: "Because fires were not ignited in combination with this structural damage, the damaged fireproofing did not affect performance of the building." The stairwells were insulated with 5/8" gypsum board, metal studs then another gypsum board and had a 2-hour burn rating. Each tower had three electrical pumps (750 gpm) to supply the water standpipes at different levels. Sprinklers had been installed in 1990. The primary electrical power system for the towers was located in 7 WTC, in a substation by the Barclay Street entrance. The secondary power generators (six, 1,200 kilowatt) were located on the B-6 level. The BPS stated, "It is believed that almost all of the jet fuel that remained on the impact floors was consumed in the first few minutes of fire." It stated that some of the fuel may have traveled, which it would have been bound to no doubt, but the burn rate is still believed to be 5 minutes under good oxygen supply. Wind speed was approximately 10-20 mph that day. The study then tries to compute building temperature by tenuous means to temperatures as high as 1,800-2,000* F. Bahahaha! Anyone who's ever built a campfire knows that when something is smoking a great deal, it's not really burning properly. But science and common sense rarely mix in this case. The BPS even admitted the speculation of these temperature estimates: "A major portion of the uncertainty in these estimates is due to the scarcity of data regarding the initial conditions within the building and how the aircraft impact changed the geometry..." It then reluctantly admits that the temperatures may have been as low as 800* F! On the collapse of 7 WTC, the BPS said, "...it can be concluded that the SSB system did not discharge diesel oil as hypothesized." The diesel tanks may have ruptured, but the level of oil or spillage was unclear. "Currently, there is no data available on the post-collapse condition of the OEM 6,000-gallon tank located between the 2nd and 3rd floors." There was also a 275-gallon tank on the 7th floor, and the Secret Service had a tank capable of holding 50-100 gallons. A funny observation in FEMA's BPS was that in one picture of the Twin Towers (taken by the OEM), after they had been both struck (or exploded), there is this strange black object in the upper left hand corner of the photo. A bird? It kind of looks like one, but if it was a bird, that would be an unlikely place to be at, at that time. The image is rather large and jet-black. See for yourself (BPS, chapter 1, Introduction, figure 1-6). In another diagram in the BPS (2-15 & 2-16), it shows the hole that whatever hit the North Tower made. It kind of reminded me of one of those impressions 97 98 Wily Coyote would make after falling through something, but it can also tell us the shape of what may have hit 1 WTC. It was winged side to side, but it seemed to have two apparatus that were above and below it, by the way the metal was knocked out---like a missile. NIST A Congress-appointed engineering investigation ordered in 2003 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST*), released the "Federal Building and Fire Safety Investigation of the World Trade Center Disaster" on April 5th 2005. The World Trade Center attacks on 9-11-01 killed 2,749 people. It said that the World Trade Center attacks could have killed as many as 14,000 people and that an estimated 17,400 people were in the buildings during the attack. Approximately 8,900 people were in the North Tower, 8,500 in the south. The NIST study focused on the World Trade Center’s steel, its performance of the floors and fireproofing, and the human areas of what decisions kept people alive or imperiled them. The NIST study stated that the plane’s impacts knocked off the crucial fireproofing from the Twin Tower’s structural steel, making it susceptible to high heat and weakening. I began to wonder if this fireproofing was missing, then perhaps it was removed purposefully? This theory came to fruition when the NIST study revealed that some World Trade Center workers noticed that crucial fireproofing* was missing from World Trade Center steel beams BEFORE 9-11-01! The NIST study eventually cleared the radio repeaters* in the FDNY communication problems, but cited faulty use of radio equipment. NIST said there were several conflicting PA announcements on 9-11, some instructing occupants to return to their offices. They then instructed people to evacuate if the situation warranted. Over ninety percent of those in the South Tower evacuated after 1 WTC exploded. NIST said the reason the South Tower may have collapsed first* was due that the fire was more concentrated there than in the north, even though it is believed that most of the jet fuel had burned off within minutes. In that case, what you most likely would’ve had in the South Tower was normal office fire temperatures far too low to compromise steel. Lead federal investigator, Shyam Sunder, at the NIST press conference at a Times Square hotel admitted that the Twin Towers had no design flaws* that would have contributed to their collapse. It was widely reported that the chief structural engineer for the World Trade Center, Leslie Robertson*, specifically designed the towers to withstand the impact of an aircraft and said that he specifically designed it durable enough to withstand a strike by a 707 jet airliner. The NIST people tried to claim that the WTC engineers didn't crunch the numbers right in regards to wind loads*, citing a 20-60% error margin. A common saying 98 99 was that the Twin Towers were built to withstand a 150-year hurricane. I think the smart money is usually on the engineers of private industry over government. The NIST report complimented the WTC's dense spacing of perimeter columns, resulting in a robust building able to redistribute loads. It also said that the truss system protected the inner core, and the fireproofing thickness did not play a factor in the collapses. I was left wondering what NIST was saying caused the collapses; temperatures, given the conditions, that were impossible to achieve? Load shift was a favorite theory by engineers when all else failed. People assume that the load shift in the towers would’ve been tremendous after they were compromised, and to a certain extent it they would’ve been, but it's important to put it in proper perspective. Because the towers were so tall and intimidating, one might assume that monstrous forces were at work there after the explosions. And they were, but just not as magnificent as you might have thought. In the case of the North Tower---being compromised between the 92nd and 96th floors; taking common sense into mind---what we were really dealing with was the load shift in a redundantly constructed eighteen story building: 110 – 92 =18. The 110-story statistic goes out the window. An eighteen-story building fire starved for oxygen, probably leveling off at common office fire temperatures. As showed in the NIST study, the South Tower's rectangular, hollow service core pointed north to south, and so if a plane hit it at its southeast corner, it was in a better shape to absorb damage, more so than the North Tower, whose service core faced east-west. Add that to another list of questions as to why the South Tower collapsed first. An engineer, Kevin Ryan*, from a firm that originally certified the steel used in the Twin Towers, was allegedly fired after writing a letter to NIST finding fault with their assessments. *Molten metal: The New York Times, “Engineers Are Baffled Over The Collapse of 7 WTC," 11-29-01. *Fireproofing: Daily News, “Probe clears radio gear in WTC chaos," 4-6-05. *NIST: New York Post, “WTC report cites flaws,” 4-5-05. *Repeaters: Daily News, “Probe clears radio gear in WTC chaos,” 4-6-05. Protection Engineers (SFPE) and the Masonry Society (TMS). Where were the Freemasons? *Collapsed First: Associated Press, “Why the feds believe Tower 2 suffered a faster collapse,” 10-20-04. *Design flaws: New York Post, “WTC’s ‘what if’ toll,” 4-6-05. *Leslie Robertson: Chicago Tribune, 10-12-01. *Kevin Ryan: The Village Voice, "The Seekers," 2-21-06. *Wind loads: New York Post, "Wind risks 'blown' in WTC specs," 6-19-04. 99 100 The 1993 World Trade Center Bombing FBI informant Emad Salemtold his FBI handlers that he told themthe World Trade Center would be attacked, but nobody listened. On February 26th 1993, at 12:18 P.M., an attempt was made to bring down the World Trade Center. The attempt failed, but it killed six people and injured one-thousand others. In order to better understand 9-11-01, it is important to realize that certain factions within our intelligence and law enforcement communities probably knew about the 1993 bombing beforehand as well, just like 9-11. The blast, detonated in the World Trade Center parking garage, was made by a van filled with 1,500 lbs. of urea-nitrate*. It blew a hole five stories high up through the Trade Center complex that was fifty-yards wide, causing $500 million dollars in damage. As one story goes, after the bomb was set, the terrorists went to the second floor of J &R Music* near City Hall to watch the effects of the blast. At least one quick- thinking FDNY Firefighter on 9-11, J immy Boyle, recalled the 1993 story and walked over to J &R just to have a 'look-see’ to see if anything was going on. 100 101 The World Trade Center was reopened in less than a month. The only real change I noticed there after, aside from increased security, were the massive concrete tree planters placed around the complex to keep out truck bombs. It was pretty much business as usual in New York after that. The terrorists tried and failed. We won. I don't think it occurred in many New Yorker's minds that it would ever happen again. Regardless of that, after the 2-26-93 bombing the FBI found a note left by one of the terrorists declaring, “Unfortunately, our calculations were not very accurate this time. However, we promise you that next time it will be very precise and WTC will continue to be one of our targets unless our demands have been met.” To understand the 1993 WTC bombing, we can go back to at least November 5th 1990, when Rabbi Meir Kahane was shot dead by a gunman in a New York City hotel ballroom. The gunman was allegedly El Sayed Nosair. But two men were identified by NYPD 17th Precinct cops as assisting Nosair in the murder. Even so, Nosair was acquitted of the charge, but eventually charged in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The interesting thing about Nosair's involvement in the Rabbi Kahane murder was that the FBI insisted he had acted alone. It had the makings of the same old shenanigans. Two file cabinets that NYPD Detectives had seized from Nosair’s apartment were suddenly taken from a NYPD precinct by the FBI, while the NYPD Captain in charge was out on a dinner break. The NYPD Detectives kept investigating Nosair anyway, even visiting a shooting range in Connecticut that Nosair and a couple of friends had frequented. There, they were informed that the FBI had already been there. The FBI took their sweet time* in translating the contents of the seized file cabinets and meanwhile, a truck bomb exploded in the parking garage beneath the World Trade Center. One of the terrorists turned out to be the cab driver that the NYPD had investigated three years earlier as a possible co-conspirator in the murder of Rabbi Kahane! Maybe the FBI got busy with those file cabinets after that? They were said to have contained documents with the name “Al Qida” in them. Maybe useful information was gleaned from those files, because soon after the 2-26 bombing, in J uly 1993, the FBI announced that they had foiled a bomb plot to destroy the United Nations and two Hudson River crossings. But not so fast, because the FBI might have been taking credit undeservedly, because FBI informant, "Emad A. Salem," penetrated a group of Muslim extremists plotting to bomb the World Trade Center in 1993, the United Nations, the Hudson River tunnels and other New York City landmarks. For his own protection, he secretly taped hundreds of hours of conversations with his FBI and police handlers. Among them were one “Nancy Floyd,” and one “J ohn Anticev” of the FBI, plus NYPD Detective "Louis Napoli." Originally, there was a FBI plan for Salem to substitute harmless powder for the explosive material, but the plan was nixed by an unnamed FBI supervisor because he said it would then collar Salem into the bust as well. Of this supervisor, Salem said that they were handling the case perfectly well until he came along and messed it all up. Napoli allegedly said to Salem in one conversation that the authorities could give Salem total immunity towards prosecution, but that he’d still have to testify if he was their only asset. 101 102 After the bombing, Salem told his handlers that he told them the attack was coming on the World Trade Center, but nobody listened. Of the FBI supervisor, Salem said that he requested to meet him in a hotel to convince him to testify. He told him if that was not the game plan, then they’d build the fake bomb with the phony powder and grab the people involved. But since Salem was technically involved, it would’ve been too tricky to do it that way. Salem wanted to complain to FBI headquarters in Washington about the New York Bureau's bungling of the bust, but allegedly J ohn Anticev somehow persuaded him not to. Anticev allegedly said that he didn’t think that the New York agents would like information about their business going to Washington. Nancy Floyd agreed, saying that nobody here wants to get their butts chewed. And so you may have had the FBI deliberately ignoring evidence and testimony, and failing to act in collaring the members of the 1993 WTC terror cell before the 2-26 bombing. Between Emad Salem, Nosair and his accomplices, it appears that the FBI, for some reason, did not want to investigate these people or prevent the attack. Why? Head of the FBI New York Field Office, J ames Fox*, denied the Bureau had any knowledge of a terror cell plotting to bomb the World Trade Center in 1993, and claimed the story was just misconstrued plot to the 1996 movie, The Long Kiss Goodnight! Lawyers for a retroactive lawsuit on the 1993 WTC bombing charged that the Port Authority put profit before security in conducting an “open door policy*” at the World Trade Center, which gave easy access to terrorists. In October 2005, a jury* ruled that the Port Authority was negligent and put profit and greed before safety by not putting more stringent security in its parking garage. The Port Authority planned to appeal. *This chapter largely based on articles: The New York Times, “Tapes Depict Proposal to Thwart Bomb Used in Trade Center Blast,” 10-28-93 / Daily News, “FBI 9/11 flubs no surprise,” 4-14-04. *Sweet time: As of early 2005, the FBI was still years away fromdeveloping a comprehensive computer database to fight terrorism. FBI Director Robert Mueler told the House Appropriations Committee it would take “3-1/2 years to complete.” After years of delay, the Bureau scrapped its Virtual Case File software and had to explore using "off the shelf" software, which they never like to do because of the hacker threat. The program they had been using was the same one that spy Robert Hanssen sold to the Russians. The program used a green screen and a keyboard, no mouse--- Daily News, “FBI computer net years off,” 3-9-05. *Urea-nitrate: CNN, “New York remembers 1993 WTC victims,” 2-26-03. *Open door policy: New York Post, “Tower terror trap,” 9-27-05 & “WTC bombing suit to get day in court,” 12-3-04 & “WTC bigs play defense at trial.” *A jury: WB11 TV News, 10-26-05. *J &R Music: Report From Ground Zero, by Dennis Smith. *J ames Fox: Wikipedia. +1: FBI blunders the norm? WTC survivor, J oe Webber, who was chief of U.S. Customs in New York, was pulled out of debris of the U.S. Customs House by firefighters on 9-11. He then became head of Customs and Immigration in Houston, where he uncovered an Al Qida fundraising plot. He told Dateline NBC that he had told the FBI that a wiretap was needed, but since the tip came from outside the Bureau, his request sat on a desk for four months---Daily News, "FBI hurt terror probe: customs chief," 6-4-05. 102 103 All Roads Lead to Oklahoma City Melvin Lattimore was also allegedly seen with Timothy McVeigh, Iraqi agents and other suspects and informants in Oklahoma City. This could easily be a book in itself---it has been and will be again no doubt---but I will try and touch on some of the weird inconsistencies that seem to follow a path from about 1993 to 2001. When I thought of Oklahoma City, I usually thought of two things: Waco, and author J im Keith, who wrote the book Okbomb. This was because I had corresponded with Keith before he died, not that I had not read the above- mentioned book. In an interview, Keith touched on some of the outstanding points of Okbomb, and what I learned was that he was onto this stuff way before any of the rest of us were. Keith said in an interview that most people he contacted who knew Timothy McVeigh did not want to talk about it the Oklahoma City bombing. He also the first one I heard to say that there was a CIA consultant for every major newspaper in the country, which is common knowledge now, especially for OK City. In one instance, Keith read that the unemployed McVeigh had $225.dollars in his pocket upon his arrest---when he actually had $2,000.! McVeigh was executed in 2001, and mirrored Lee Harvey Oswald in many ways. 103 104 I won’t touch on Waco, but the BATF fiasco there might follow a nefarious trail all the way to Oklahoma City. The April 19th 1995 destruction of the Murrah Building killed 168 people, and spawned various conspiracy theories. One, being a “gas cloud” explosion was used, in which an area is filled with explosive gas and ignited. There was also said to be more than one explosion. Even J ohn Loftus on The John Batchelor Show came over to the conspiracy camp on that one, which amazed me. He speculated that there must have been another explosion, not just the one planted by Timothy McVeigh. Loftus pointed to pre-planted explosives as a probability. NewsMax* cited that the same kind of ANFO fertilizer bomb was used in the 1993 WTC bombing as for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Which brings us to Melvin Lattimore*. Melvin Lattimore, it was learned at his gun trial in Oklahoma City in 2001 during testimony from a BATF Agent, was actually a FBI informant who had used a credit card to buy bomb-making materials for Yousef, Salem and Yasin for the 1993 WTC bombing. Were Lattimore and Salem aware of each other’s allegiances? Lattimore was also allegedly seen with McVeigh, Iraqi agents and other suspects / informants in Oklahoma City. Lattimore was also Zacharias Moussaoui’s roommate in Norman, Oklahoma where they attended a flight school. Lattimore was visited in Norman by 9-11 hijackers al Hazmi and al Shehhi. The media has largely avoided these alarming links. J ohn Loftus stated that McVeigh’s associate, Terry Nichols, was trained in bomb making by a branch of Al Qida, Abu Sayyaf, in the Philippines. NewsMax* reported that Nichols repeatedly phoned a boarding house in Cebu City, the Philippines, an address that has been linked to 1993 WTC bomber Ramzi Yousef. He also called a “Star Glad Lumber*,” whose operator has allegedly been linked to terrorists. Loftus reported that there was something about Moussaoui’s roommate, an FBI informant (another sketchy FBI informant), being a chauffer of McVeigh’s, and further stated that the 9-11 hijackers first went to Oklahoma City to begin flight training, because there was a support network there. They only changed schools after the Oklahoma City school became too hard for them. After digging a little more, what I found out was that Ali Mohammed*, a former Egyptian Army officer who was tried in 1998 for his role in the 1993 WTC bombing, and the U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa, reportedly trained FBI recruits such as Emad Salem. Salem, it’s been alleged, worked for the CIA, the FBI, U.S. Special Forces and allegedly chauffeured Dr. Ayman Zawahiri and Khalid Sheihk Mohamed around Oklahoma City in March and April 1995, to survey targets. The details of Ali Mohammed’s conviction are a secret. Loftus drew an interesting connection between neo-Nazis, what he called “Arab Nazis,” and Islamic J ihad. I'll add one possibility to the list in this shady cabal: a super-secret, elite branch of our own special military forces. Timothy McVeigh visited “El ohim City,” a then white-separatist compound in northeastern Oklahoma before the Oklahoma City bombing, and it’s been alleged that McVeigh was recruited by U.S. Special Forces, this through letters he allegedly wrote family members. To take it a little further, in 1941 the Islamic Mufti first distributed anti-Semitic literature such as The Elders of Zion and Hitler’s Mein Kampf, to the Arabs. Radical Muslim leaders are also said to have participated in the Nazi conference, “Final Solution,” where the Holocaust 104 105 was essentially mapped put. The Mufti and Hitler both used each other for their own devices. The Muslim leader’s concerns at the conference were that no J ews ended up in the Middle East. Loftus cited that there is a strong link between American neo-Nazis and Islamic extremists (they both hate J ews and some Americans), and so there’s been an information and know-how-sharing going on between them for some time. An Associated Press* article revealed that the FBI originally dismissed a tip from jailed mobster, Gregory Scarpa J r., that Terry Nichols had hidden explosives that might be used for an attack on the tenth anniversary of the Oklahoma City City bombing. Nichols is serving life at the same federal prison in Florence, Colorado. The reason for the dismissing of the early March 2005 tip, was that Scarpa failed a lie detector test, so it was not until March 31 st that the tip was explored. But Scarpa's info about the explosives turned out to be credible, because they were found in Nichol’s vacant house in Herington, Kansas. Scarpa allegedly testified in 1998 at his trial that he spied on four suspects for the FBI while they were jailed together, including Ramzi Youssef. Scarpa informed the FBI that associates of the four men planned to kill a prosecutor of Yousef’s, a federal judge, and attack government installations. Scarpa’s claims were originally scoffed at by FBI counsel, Valerie Caproni, and U.S. District J udge, Reena Raggi. Investigative writer, Peter Lance, in his book Cover Up, claimed that Scarpa’s information was accurate and could have led the FBI to Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, planner of the 9-11 attacks and Ramzi Yousef’s uncle, long before the 9-11 attacks. Much of this was obtained by Lance through the transcripts of Scarpas’s interviews with FBI Agents. Scarpa’s late father was an FBI informant permitted to work for the Bureau in the 1990’s, even though they suspected him of murder. Peter Lance wrote that Gregory Scarpa J r. tipped the FBI off that Al Qida was connected to the crash of TWA Flight 800---by planting a bomb on board---and the Oklahoma City bombing. Peter Lance claimed that Ramzi Yousef was the real planner of 9-11, hatching the plot in the Phillipines in 1994. Lance alleged that the FBI became aware of the plot in 1995, after Yousef’s* bomb-making apartment was found in the Philippines and raided by Philippine police. There, they found three terror plots on his laptop computer: Bojinka, a plan to blow up planes over the Pacific; plans to destroy planes over U.S. territory; and the third, 9-11, mentioning the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by name. The usual excuses were cited for this failure to act on credible information; intel was hindered by all the usual communication failures. Yousef's partner, Abdul Hakim Murad, was caught at the scene. Murad reportedly told a prison guard at the Metropolitan Correction Center in New York City on April 19th 1995, the day of the Oklahoma City bombing, that he and Yousef were responsible for the blast. Insight Magazine reported in 2002, that prison guard, Lt. Philip Rojas, asked Murad what he thought about the bombing. After Murad’s response, the FBI was called in and arrived within hours, where Murad stated the, “Liberation Army” was responsible for the bombing. "Liberation Army" being an Al Qida pseudonym. Other operatives*, Anas & Asad Siddiqy, and Mohamed Chafti, were recruited at Brooklyn’s Abu Bakr mosque, and were later seen with McVeigh in Oklahoma City in April 1995. They were arrested, but later released by the FBI, DOJ and CIA; a witness to the three men was allegedly coerced by the FBI to remain silent all 105 106 throughout the Oklahoma City trials. A letter from Khalid Mohamed to the Siddiqys was allegedly found on Yousef’s laptop computer. Peter Lance drew a connection between Terry Nichols and Yousef, when they were both in the Philippines. Lance stated that both McVeigh and Nichols were patsies, used by Al Qida to carry out their plans. Lance furthered on Coast to Coast AM (4-05), that the 9-11 plot originally included the Sears Building, the TransAmerica Pyramid, the White House, CIA headquarters and the destruction of planes over U.S. territory. The feds were tipped off to all of this by the Philippinos back in 1995. Nine- eleven was the plot Usama Bin Ladin eventually chose from Ramzi Yousef’s plans presented by his uncle, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, after Yousef was captured, and so the real mastermind behind the Muslim involvement in 9-11 was Ramzi Yousef*. Loftus cited that Moussouai wanted to blow the whistle on a lot of the FBI’s bungles in the 9-11 investigation, and that the feds were getting worried. Moussaoui did reveal certain things, that Al Qida intended to use him for a future attack, but much of what he wanted to convey was lost. All these intertwined, twisted roads, weaving in and out of the 1993 WTC bombing, Oklahoma City and 9-11 are very difficult to follow, but I don't like where they go. *Associated Press: “FBI Waited to Check Out Tip on Nichols,” 4-14-05. *NewsMax / Ramzi Yousef’s / Star Glad Lumber: NewsMax, “OKC Bombing Linked to al-Qaeda,” 4-17-05. *Melvin Lattimore: First brought to my attention by J ohn Loftus on The John Batchelor Show, then online. *Operatives / Ali Mohamed: NewsWithViews.com . This article also claimed that plans for the OKC bombing were also on Ramzi Yousef’s laptop computer. 106 107 Oil’s Well that Ends Well Michael Scheuer, on the ultimate decision not to kill Bin Ladin in the Afghan hunting camp because it might hit a Saudi, wrote that the world was “lousy with Arab princes” anyhow, and that you couldn’t do anything without killing one. The Bush connection to oil stems back to 1964, beginning with George W. Bush's great grandfather, Prescott Bush, and then grandfather George Walker who secured oil ties in the Mid East. When George Bush senior was running for senate, it was alleged that he had ties to the Sheik of Kuwait, because Bush's company had drilled offshore oil wells for them. Ever since, the Bush's have been intertwined with the Saudis and the oil business, even once having a connection to the Bin Ladin family. The energy wars started well before the Bush Administration, with Madeleine Albright* under Bill Clinton heading to the Caspian to find an oil alternative to OPEC. In 1998, the U.S. State Department estimated that as many as 178 billion barrels of crude lie beneath the Caspian Sea and Western Kazakhastan and was the largest untapped source in the world. That estimate may have been downgraded today. The BBC reported as early as 1997 that a senior member of the Taliban was in Texas for talks with the oil giant Unocal* about building a pipeline across Afghanistan. A common theory is that the Bush Administration had been in talks with the Taliban about building this pipeline, but the talks broke down and Al Qida decided to 107 108 attack, possibly paid by the Taliban to do so through funding from their lucrative heroin trade. One might wonder why the oil companies would've bothered snaking the pipeline all the way down through Afghanistan and then to Pakistan to the Arabian Sea anyway. But perhaps that was the only game in town at the time. But as things progressed, it might have become much more feasible for the oil companies to consider laying the conduit through the countries of Azerbaijan, Armenia and eventually to Turkey on the shores of the Mediterranean. So there is real clout to the “talks broke down” theory, with the Taliban enlisting UBL in the cause pleading, “We had a deal!” But I doubt it. If the oil companies did not want to work with the Taliban, so what? They’d go back to tending their goats and selling their opium. There must have been some other reason or deal going on that we don’t know about. The oil companies typically would rather not risk putting pipelines through outlaw territories with no means of protecting the resources. Even so, Prince Turki, head of Saudi intelligence, was said to be handling the Afghan pipeline talks with the Taliban for the oil companies, but the talks fell through in August 2001. Prince Turki was close to the Bin Ladin family. The Boston Herald exposed White House officials connected to investments in Saudi Arabian oil. The connection was called an "obscene conflict of interest." Bush junior eventually softened up on he Saudis, almost “sheiking his booty” as he was photographed "air-kissing" (I won’t go there) and walking hand-in hand with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah* on his Texas ranch in April 2005. He was trying to get the Saudis to increase their oil output. So it comes back to Iraq. The U.S. Government let the 9-11 attacks occur so they could invade Iraq---Afghanistan was just a sideshow. If the Bush Administration could have avoided that campaign altogether, I think they would have, and you only have to cite the advisors on that. If there was a pipeline / Taliban deal, The oil companies probably learned that the United States would soon be invading Iraq either way and said screw this!; in regards to throwing money away in Afghanistan. They respectively declined and opted to wait for the main course. The only problem with Iraq was how could we stay? If we pulled out, then what good was the oil to us? We couldn't leave because Iran, China or Russia could move in and get the oil. And I’m all for the environment and conservation, but no military super power in this world will ever run on hydrogen or cooking oil. At least not for a hundred years. I said very early on that we should've pulled back and just guarded the oil fields and guarded the pipelines from sabotage. I know there are problems with that theory too, with a country about to explode into civil war. And how do you do this without the American people running out of patience causing the U.S. Government to pull out only this time, to our detriment? It’s a quagmire of a situation. The Viet Nam comparisons are apples & oranges, when the Viet Cong took the south, they essentially didn’t inherit squat that hurt the U.S. in the bigger scheme of things. There are more stakes here. When it’s all said and done, I bet the oil companies were in cahoots with the Bush Administration all along, from 9-11 to Afghanistan to Iraq, with the spike in oil prices just ahead, feathering all the cronies nests. Original CIA claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and that Saddam Hussein had contact with Al Qida members, was not enough to hang a hat on, let alone an invasion on. Donald Rumsfeld* eventually said that he had not seen any strong evidence linking Saddam Hussein to Al Qida. Even still, rumor had it that Hussein had 108 109 WMD in the past, but it was smuggled to the Bakkaw Valley of Syria via a convoy of approximately 55 cars, some of which carried Russian envoys who were killed when their caravan was set upon by U.S. forces. Most of the convoy got away. Then Secretary of Defense, So why don’t terrorists focus on destroying the oil business? Some have, but have been caught in time. Pay-offs are one obvious answer, but Algerian Muslim fundamentalist leader, Abbasi Madani*, said oil is a gift from God to the Arabs and should be utilized for the glory of Islam. Only when all other bets are off, will the terrorists turn to destroying the oil fields, as we saw in Iraq and Kuwait. J ihadists hope to disrupt the flow of oil to the west, rather than stem the flow in the Middle East. Future attacks could be centered around pipelines, tankers and export terminals. In Saudi Arabia, attacks are focused largely on foreign oil workers who assist in the smooth supply of 10 million barrels of crude oil per day. This could change, however, if Islamic militants saw an opportunity to overtake Saudi Arabia because of its religious differences with the rest of Islam. This was said to have led to a split inside Al Qida itself, with UBL wanting to continue hitting the west, and his number two man at the time, Ayman al-Zawahiri*, wanting to take the war to the Muslim countries also: Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The Iraq oil-for-food scandal* involved over 2,392 of the 4,500 companies of 66 countries that did business in the humanitarian effort, said the final report by The Volcker Commitiee, spearheaded by ex-Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker. The 19-month probe found it to be one of the biggest financial scandals in history, and stated that top U.N. officials should shoulder much of the blame. The scandal reportedly netted Saddam Hussein $1.8 billion in kickbacks, and $10.9 million in oil smuggling. Significant names linked to the scandal were pardoned billionaire commodities trader, Marc Rich, New York oilman, Ben Pollner, British member of Parliament, George Galloway, former French Ambassador to the U.N. and adviser to Kofi Annan, J ean-Bernard Merimee, former French Interior Minister, Charles Pasqua, former Vatcian adviser, FatherJ ean-Marie Benjamin, Russian politician, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and former Kremlin chief of staff, Alexander Voloshin. The principal bank that handled the escrow accounts for the U.N. oil-for-food program was BNP Paribas, the New York branch of a French bank. But low and behold, one of the companies implicated in the oil-for-food scandal was none other than Enron subsidiary, "Bay Oil." Enron was America’s fifth- largest company in 2001, but imploded during August and September 2001. They couldn’t contain their laughter on The John Batchelor Show upon reporting the connection, because it had been the subject of some earlier humor when it was rhetorically asked who will be named next one named in the scandal---Enron? Enron bought huge tracts of land in Turkmenistan, in the Caspian, and allegedly convinced White House officials to tell the CIA & FBI to stay off the Saudi's back because it threatened the on-going Caspian pipeline talks. *Madeleine Albright: San Jose Mercury News, 4-4-00. *Unocal: The BBC. *Donald Rumsfeld: The New York Times, “Rumsfeld Sees Lack of Proof for Qaeda-Hussein Link,” 10-5-04. 109 110 *Abassi Mandani: New York Post,“What ‘Fueled’ the Saudi Raid.” *Ayman al-Zawahiri: New York Post, “Seeking Saudi Safe Haven,” 4-12-05. *Oil-for-food scandal: New York Post, “U.N. Oil Bombshell,” 10-28-05. *Prince Abdullah: Daily News, "End the pinch, prince," 4-26-05 / New York Post, "High Price Of Oil," 4-26-05. 110 111 The Pentagon Strike Pilot J ohn Lear said---on AA Flight 77 hitting the Pentagon---that the lift caused by approaching a target at such a low altitude and at that speed, would've been incredible. Several witnesses near the Pentagon on the morning of 9-11 reportedly heard a “wooshing” sound before the strike, not resembling the scream of a low-flying 757. The debris that the Pentagon strike left behind, and the deep hole punched through the Pentagon’s interior walls, some saying all the way to the “E-Ring,” of the Pentagon, suggested that it could even have been a smaller plane or a missile. Whatever it was that was bearing down on the Pentagon, it was traveling at least 460 mph or more, making it unlikely that it was a commercial airliner. Take in mind what veteran pilot, J ohn Lear, said on Coast To Coast AM with Art Bell, that for AA Flight 77 to have hit the Pentagon in the way it was said to, that would’ve been highly unlikely. He said that the lift caused by approaching a target at such a low altitude and at that speed for a 757 would've been incredible. If the vibrations didn’t destroy the plane, the wings would have been sheered right off by such a force. Washington eyewitness, Steve Patterson*, said a plane in the Washington area looked like a commuter jet (Lear jet). He saw this from his window at Pentagon City: a plane flying low and fast over Arlington Cemetery. Patterson described it as a small, extremely fast commuter plane. The FAA report had whatever hit the Pentagon making a 330-degree right turn, then descending 2,200 feet then pointing towards the 111 112 Pentagon. Radar controllers observing this plane’s aeronautical antics all thought it was a military plane, because they said that you don't fly a 757 in that manner, it's considered unsafe. On radar, the plane was observed to drop from 35,000 ft. to 31,200 ft., then back up to the same spot then spiral down in an amazing fashion. Dulles radar controller “O'Brien*” said that the speed and maneuverability suggested to all the experienced air traffic controllers in the radar room that it was a military plane. CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reported that AA Flight 77 basically did a circus act, spiraling downward and dropping 7,000 feet in two-and-a-half-minutes. It was even speculated that the plane hit the ground first then skidded into the building. An American Airlines employee in Washington heard "explosions" coming from the Pentagon, according to the FAA report. In a photograph by J ocelyn Augustino, a photographer for FEMA on 9-13-01, it showed part of a turbofan less than 3 feet in diameter. Boeing 757’s have engines 9 feet in diameter. An unmanned Global Hawk has even been speculated as possibly being used for the maneuver. It uses a satellite guidance system and is capable of hitting a target accurately within 12 inches. One eyewitness speculated when he saw the low-flying object, that it must have been hitting lampposts, but the trees in that area are said to be even taller than the lampposts, and there was no revealing damage. A J amaican-American returning to Washington D.C. by car, reported seeing two planes in the sky: one was a smaller commuter-type aircraft that hit the Pentagon. Was the other plane the mysterious C-130 reportedly asked by air traffic controllers to follow Flight 77 and report back? Some speculators still say it was the work of a cruise missile. The wing of the Pentagon that was hit was also under renovations at the time. Two employees from AMEC, the contractor doing the renovations, were witnesses to the crash: Frank Probst and Don Mason. AMEC was also involved in the cleanup of the WTC and Pentagon. Clocks on the Pentagon wall were shown in still photos at the time of attack and were both displaying the time "9:32" A.M. But some early reports had the attack not happening until 9:38 A.M. The Naudet brothers film also showed a clock at 9:30 A.M. in conjunction with news of the Pentagon strike. Other reports at the Pentagon reported it as 9:20 A.M. The attack video of the Pentagon* hit was released by the Defense Department on 5-16-06, and showed another blurry image of something striking the building. The footage was released due to another Freedom of Information Act brought by "J udicial Watch," a public interest group. Authorities speculated that AA 77 was pulverized on impact, and the lack of debris evidence angle of this theory was covered by yet another theory: that the aircraft basically melted with the exception of one landing light (and the black box). Once again, we were basically told that a jet fuel fire inside the Pentagon achieved abnormal temperatures and melted the aircraft down to scrap. As an online essay, ”Comments on the Pentagon Strike,” pointed out, why is it that in photographs, the structural steel directly around the point of impact is not melted also? The essay also made a good point in asking why the Pentagon? I thought about this, and the answer I came up with was “for an alibi.” Sometimes, when someone is involved in something they shouldn’t be, and they want to cover their tracks, the clever thing to do is to make it appear that they were 112 113 victimized also, diverting attention away from themselves. If this Human Behavior 101 theory holds any water, the military were the complicit party in 9-11, not the CIA or big business. It was reported by Newsday that Pentagon bigwigs canceled trips pre-9-11---not CIA. *Steve Patterson: The Washington Post. *Pentagon hit: Associated Press, "Pentagon releases 9/11 attack video," 5-17-06. 113 114 Clinton Tried, Intel Lied Say what you will about Bill Clinton, but he can defend his record in regards to terror, calling attention to a TV interviewer’s clever, little “smirk” on his face. Although some would have you believe that Bill Clinton was all but responsible for 9-11, I’d have to differ. If these same jingoists would’ve studied 9-11 at any deep level instead of just through the pop culture lens, they would’ve seen that it was Clinton who initiated more reaction and pro-active policy towards UBL and Al Qida than the Bush Administration. The most vilified public officials in the 9-11 story were more preoccupied with Al Qida and UBL than other key officials should have been. You can’t politicize 9-11 along party lines, but credit where due. It’s been reported that the CIA under Clinton had three chances to kill Bin Ladin in Afghanistan, but did not do so citing: moral reasons; collateral casualties; assassination as a policy error; inability for technical reasons, including HUMINT deficiency; and the uncertainty about the exact nature of permission to assassinate granted by Clinton. Allegedly, the Clinton Administration gave George Tenet and the CIA the green light for the assassination, and Clinton seems to say so much in his biography My Life. One Afghan CIA-linked operative, when given his mission to kill Bin Ladin replied, “You crazy Americans! You guys never change!”; his sentiment deriding the notion that it was just that easy. In Richard Clarke’s* book Against All Enemies, he blasted the Pentagon and the CIA for not acting against Al Qida. Clarke claimed that President Clinton put a higher priority on terrorism than Bush did, and if you believe The 9-11 Report---he did. 114 115 In testimony to The 9-11 Commission, Bill Clinton claimed that he told George Bush that Usama Bin Ladin would be his "number one problem." Yet, in response, George W. Bush stated that Bill Clinton seemed more passionate about North Korea’s nuclear program than about terrorism. It was he said / he said. But what didn’t fare well in Clinton’s legacy at fighting terrorism, was that in ex-FBI Director Louie Freeh’s* book, My FBI, he claimed that Clinton gave the Saudis a free pass on the bombing of Khobar Towers by not pressuring Crown Prince Abdullah to let the FBI question suspects in Saudi custody. Freeh claimed that Clinton told Prince Abdullah that he understood the Saudi’s reluctance to cooperate then hit him up for a contribution to the Clinton Presidential Library. Freeh alleged that Clinton began referring to him as ‘that fucking Freeh.’ Clinton became particularly miffed when Freeh returned a White House pass used to bypass security, preferring to keep all his visits "on the record." Richard Clarke told Bush on J une 25th 2001 that six intelligence reports warned of a looming terrorist attack. Clarke’s emails seemed to contradict his criticism of the Bush Administration for not taking the terrorist threat seriously, and so you might want to draw your own conclusions about that. I just called it “securing one’s resume.” A few hiny-smoochin’ emails can go a long way in future recommendations and connections. Some say Clarke’s ire was triggered by bad blood between him and Condoleeza Rice, that Clarke originally wanted Rice’s job but she got it instead. But that was not the case. The only reason Clarke may have been a bit miffed at Rice was that he was retained by the Bush Administration, but given a lesser role than he enjoyed under Clinton. CIA Director George Tenet*, before his resignation in 2004, claimed, ‘I told ya’ so,’ regarding a potential Israeli spy inside the U.S. government. This came to light as feds claimed that a Pentagon analyst had been giving Israel documents on White House deliberations on Iran (an accusation Israeli officials flatly rejected). Mossad chief, Meir Dagan, called Tenet’s bluff and demanded proof, calling the accusation baseless. Dagan dared the U.S. to go and arrest him because he said they had no spy in our government. A faction in our U.S. government has been said to be overly suspicious of Israeli spies. The CIA’s Chief of Counterterrorism, Coffer Black, was so confident about bagging Bin Ladin, that he ordered his top man to bring Usama’s head back on a platter*. And so the CIA operative in question allegedly ordered out for dry ice in order so he could preserve the head and bring it back to the White House on a silver platter. Talk about a delivery. Would someone have walked into the White House with a bowling bag for that? . *Richard Clarke: Intelligence adviser to president's Reagan, H.W. Bush, Clinton and W. Bush. Author of Against All Enemies. *Louie Freeh: New York Post, “Bill ‘Sold Out’ To Saudis,” 10-7-05. 115 116 Terror Policy Under Bush The New York RNC protesters found themselves in their own private Guantanamo*. Things were heating up leading up to the 2004 Presidential Election. Things were getting nasty, with the principal players getting down and dirty in the swill- sloshed muck of the political gutters where reputations are made and lost. Republican National Convention time in New York City wasn’t too cozy for some. There were approximately 1,800 arrests of protestors during the convention. The city violated people’s rights by keeping them in detention until after Bush and his cronies left town. Hundreds claim they were wrongly detained, abused by police and kept incarcerated longer than the legal limit. Say what you want about this lot, but a New York State judge held the Bloomberg Administration in “contempt of court” for the refusal to release hundreds of protestors even after repeated orders. The Bloomberg Administration and the NYPD were adopting the behavior of common criminals. State Supreme Court J ustice J ohn Cataldo*, threatened to fine the city $1,000 dollars for each person detained unjustly. As the RNC* partied on, Cataldo hauled the city into court several times during the period. Some detainees were kept up to 66 hours and not allowed to even see a lawyer. It was like these people disappeared into the belly of the beast, and did not even exist for days. Protestors were stripped of their Constitutional rights and essentially had their American citizenship revoked, all courtesy of the City of New York and the NYPD. 116 117 This is not the first time I’ve seen this happen. I recall the sweeps of protestors in San Francisco, collaring the peaceful along with the bystander into right-less netherworlds. Mayor Bloomberg* said afterwards of the protestors that they might as well just plead guilty. Isn’t that another crime? Telling defendants what to plead? Bloomberg speculated that most of the protestors had already done so (pleaded guilty), because they knew they didn’t have a case. This is what ruined Bloomberg for me. He sounded like a smug gang boss. Bloomberg went on to say that there was no wrongdoing because there was no evidence whatsoever of intent by law enforcement or officials to hold people longer than necessary to process them. Bullshit. Yet it was Bloomberg who said before the RNC that the city was ready to handle 10,000 arrests a day. Bloomberg and police Commissioner Ray Kelly should've been arrested for contempt of court and gone to the tombs---don’t drop the soap babe. Contempt of court was much more of a serious crime than the disorderly conduct the protestors were charged with. We can't allow another Tammany Hall to exist in New York City. The D.A. eventually dropped all the charges* against the 227 anti-Bush protesters arrested on day two of the RNC at the World Trade Center site, citing no useful point to the prosecution. Taking a closer examination of the Bush policy on the Al Qida threat, I’d say he got a "C-." As of August-September 2004, any admiration between the Bush Administration and the CIA* was over, because on September 15th The New York Times reported that a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq pointed too a “dark assessment,” and that a potential civil war could be a “worst case” scenario. Some CIA officers referred to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Under Secretary Douglas Feith, as “ideologues.” The J oint Congressional Inquiry into 9-11 released in December 2003, revealed that the Bush Administration did not begin significant terrorism policy review until April 2001, and that Bush fought to keep sensitive sections of that inquiry from the public eyes. 9-11 Commission member, J amie S. Gorelick, had been the one member of the board of The National Commission on Terrorist Strikes Upon the U.S. permitted to read Bush’s Oval Office intelligence briefings under a special agreement with the White House. She was allowed to read through the full library, although she was barred from discussing the data under national secrecy regulations. She said at the 9-11 Commission inquiry on March 23rd 2004, that there was an “extraordinary spike” of intelligence warnings about Al Qida pre-9-11, and that the warnings kept at a high level for months. She stated that information in the briefings could set your hair on fire. It’s particularly humorous in that amidst all the sniping and backbiting concerning inquiries by The 9-11 Commission, that Donald Rumsfeld, in response to Richard Clarke’s accusations that the Bush Administration was more interested in Iraq than Al Qida, tried to retort that we didn’t invade Iraq, we went into Afghanistan. Rumsfeld was identified in Bob Woodward’s Bush At War, as the one who was pushing for an Iraqi invasion before Afghanistan. Did anyone at the time inform Secretary Rumsfeld that Bin Ladin---you know...the tall Muslim* guy in the robe?---was actually said to be in Afghanistan or Pakistan, not in Iraq? 117 118 At one time, the CIA’s Chief of Counterterrorism, Coffer Black, was so confident about bagging Bin Ladin, that he ordered his top man to bring Usama’s head back on a platter*. And so the CIA operative in question allegedly ordered out for dry ice in order so he could preserve the head and bring it back to the White House on a silver platter. Talk about a delivery. Would someone have walked into the White House with a bowling bag for that? The Bush Administration dragged its feet in developing policy review on terrorism, saying that as long as seven months to three years was needed for an overhaul. The time needed was reported closer to five years though. A member of The 9-11 Commission asked Rumsfeld why he thought he had the luxury of even “seven months” to work out the kinks? Most of Bush’s counterterrorism efforts were said to have been focused on dealing with the Taliban pre-9-11. Yet Rice rebuffed a proposal to supply anti-Taliban rebels in early 2001*. And Condi Rice’s slight flub in admitting that a meeting on Al Qida between Clarke and Bush indeed did take place, after the White House denied that it ever did, didn’t help matters any. Colin Powell’s testimony before The 9-11 Commission backed up an earlier point on how important the U.S. considered Pakistan in an invasion of Afghanistan (bringing to mind Pakistani ISID Gen. Mahmud in Washington on 9-11 again) saying that to go after the Taliban, you would need the support of the surrounding countries for the access to get there. Bob Woodward’s book Plan of Attack, blew the whistle on the Bush-Saudi link, saying that Saudi Arabia’s U.S. Ambassador, Prince Bandar*, promised to lower oil prices for the 2004 election. “Bandar Bush*” visited the White House on September 13th 2001 for dinner and a talk with President Bush. Also in Plan of Attack, Secretary of State Colin Powell was quoted saying he subscribed to the “Pottery Barn” motto, in regards to the invasion of Iraq, saying basically if you break it, you bought it. Boy was that prophetic, because it’s really broken. Powell and Dick Cheney were not on very good terms after that, barely speaking. In the above book, when U.S. Army General Tommy Franks* was told they needed to take him out of Afghanistan right away to begin drafting an invasion of Iraq, he was basically quoted, “$#@! %$#&#*! *&$#! %$*@!.” They weren't even done with what they were doing in Afghanistan. It showed shoddy foreign policy. Bush’s Iraqi WMD Commission*, created to investigate the CIA’s Iraqi WMD debacle, also probed the Agency itself, regarding its post-9-11 intelligence gathering. It was believed that the CIA withheld information from the FBI critical to the 9-11 investigation. FBI Director Robert Mueler and CIA head Porter Goss, then met to discuss the matter. On at least two occasions, it was learned that the FBI arrested terror suspects inside the U.S., only to learn that they were CIA “assets.” A senior FBI official said, “We spent a lot of time investigating these people for nothing.” One CIA asset arrested at an airport, the FBI had even approached the CIA about earlier but never got an answer. Kate Martin, of the Center for National Security Studies, said that giving the CIA free reign inside the U.S. is a dangerous thing, because it eclipses the FBI system of constitutional restraint. The CIA’s job is to break the law where they operate. The FBI doesn’t. 118 119 *Platter: Daily News, “In Bin Laden’s tracks,” 8-21-04. *Richard Clarke: Intelligence adviser to president's Reagan, H.W. Bush, Clinton and W. Bush. Author of Against All Enemies. *Louie Freeh: New York Post, “Bill ‘Sold Out’ To Saudis,” 10-7-05. *2001: The New York Times, March, 2004 & “President Asked Aide to Explore an Iraq Link to 9-11 Attacks,” 5-29-04 / New York Post, “Kerry Puts 9-11 Heat on Clinton,” 5-30-04. *Guantanamo & J ohn Cataldo: Newsday, “City Faces Contempt” & "Redemption at Pier 57, city’s own ‘Guantanamo,” 9-3-04. *Mayor Bloomberg: New York Post, “Protestors should just plead guilty: Mike,” 9-20-04. *RNC: Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s Hardball, got into a verbal brawl with a Democratic Senator Zell Miller (D- GA), who got too smoochy-smoochy with the GOP at the RNC. During an interview Miller was asked by Matthews if he really meant it when he said that J ohn Kerry would defend America with “spitballs.” Miller, from the convention floor, replied that he wished he could get in Matthews’ face, or challenge him to a duel---Newsday, “What the Zell happened?” 9-3-04. *Muslim: An interesting point in the summer of 2004 was that U.S. Marines on patrol in Afghanistan noted that marijuana and opium were omnipotent, and had to deal with "stoned-out" Afghans constantly, all the while not allowed themselves to drink alcohol for fear of offending Muslim rules---New York Post, Parade, “Hunting 9-12-04. *CIA: New York Post, “CIA’s War on Bush,” 9-27-04. *Dropped the charges: New York Post, “Protest Pass,” 10-7-04. *WMD Commission: Daily News, “Feds spied on the CIA; WMD team dug for post-9/11 secrets,” 3-21-05. *Bandar Bush: The New Yorker, 3-24-03. +1: J ust as an example of how depressed anti-Bush voters were after the 2004 Presidential Election, the fiction editor of New Yorker magazine said there was a dearth of submissions, first after 9-11, then after the Bush re-election. This prompted her to wonder if imaginations dry up when terrible things happen---Page Six 9-27-05. +2: Author Kitty Kelly was on The Howard Stern Show dishing dirt on the Bushes, saying how the family hid the existence of a retarded Bush family member, even airbrushing him out of some family photos. The discourse then turned to Bush divorces, how difficult Barbara Bush was, and how George H.W. Bush deserved the alleged mistress he kept. 119 120 The Patriot Act Somewhat useful, yet digressive. -the author The “USA Patriot Act,” or “H.R. 3162,” or “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001," as it is officially titled (the first letters spell “USA Patriot”; yet curiously also, "USA PAT RIOT 2001”). The Patriot Act was passed by Congress on October 24th 2001. The 342-page document was passed a month and thirteen days after 9-11, and the common belief of the day was that most elected officials hadn’t even read most of it. In reading the Act, I almost can’t blame them. It’s a bunch of gobbledygook, with most of it seemingly good intentioned, yet there were some Orwellian parts too. And whatever rights we were left with after the Electronic Security Act in the 1990’s, the Patriot Act probably took care of the rest. On the morning of 10-12-01, one month after 9-11-01, members of Congress voted 337 to 79* to pass the bill. Dissenters argued that no one could have possibly had the time to read through the 342-page document that was printed out just hours before. 120 121 The following is a brief outline of some of the more Machiavellian points in version one of the Patriot Act (authors comment’s in *small font) : Title l Sec.102. Sense of Congress Condemning Discrimination Against Arab and Muslim Americans. *This characterized how Muslims have been attacked post-9-11. Muslimwomen had to change the way they looked to avoid becoming targets. Sec. 104. Requests for military assistance to enforce prohibition in certain emergencies. Title ll Sec. 212. Emergency disclosure of electronic communications to protect life and limb. *This sounded okay, but was it a pre-cursor to a futuristic Orwellian “Snitch Clause?”: squeal on your best friend and they give you an extra ration of soup. Sec.213. Authority for delaying notice of the execution of a warrant *This was the one that got the most publicity---the so called “Sneak and Peek Clause.” Sec.216. Modification of authorities relating to use of pen registers and trap and trace devices. *Sounds frightening. Sec.217. Interception of Computer Trespasser Communications. *Youse a trespassin’! Sec.223. Civil liability for certain unauthorized disclosures. *What constitutes an "unauthorized disclosure?" 9-11 Truth? Sec.224. Sunset *Now that’s illegal? Sec.314, 315 & 318. +(d) Reports to the Financial Services Industry on Suspicious Financial Activities---at least semiannually. +Inclusion of Foreign Corruption Offenses as Money Laundering Crimes. +Laundering Money Through a Foreign Bank. *How about starting with a SEC investigation? Sec.355. Authorization to Include Suspicions of Illegal Activity in Written Employment References. *If you thought your boss had your ass now? Forget about it.... 121 122 Sec.356. Deadline for Suspicious Activity Reporting Requirements for Registered Brokers and Dealers. *Here they mention the SEC and brokers to report suspicious trading activity. Are they for real? Sec.360. Use of Authority of United States Executive Directors. *This basically allows the president to become Hitler all in the name of an emergency. Title lV Sec.401. Ensuring Adequate Personnel on the Northern Border. *Wrong border schmucks. Subtitle C---Preservation of Immigration Benefits for Victims of Terrorism. *Give me break fromthis illegal alien ass kissing. How disrespectful this is to 9-11 victims to piggyback this clause. And the section went on for pages and pages about how illegal immigrants (criminals) might be accommodated. Sec.421. Special immigrant status. *Or, the "Scumbag Clause." + (c) Technology Standard to Confirm Identity. *Future “Mark of the Beast" by the Lucifer’s Agents? Sec.418. Prevention of Consulate Shopping. *Yeah, stop those damn foreigners always shopping in our cities. Yada, yada… The Patriot Act meandered on about DNA identification, electronic surveillance, disclosure of personal and public records, extension of law enforcement jurisdictions and powers etc. Anyone who wants to get sick or bored to sleep can go and read the rest of the whole pile of crap. Here com da’ judge! A federal judge ruled in October 2004 that the Patriot Act’s seizure powers were unconstitutional. Manhattan J udge, Victor Marrero, on a case brought by the ACLU* for an internet company, stated that a Democracy abhors unnecessary secrecy and the Act’s surveillance powers violated the U.S. Constitution because they were not approved by a judge. Marrero also said the Act violated free speech because companies that turn over records are barred from ever speaking about it. ACLU Executive Director, Anthony Romero, called it a landmark victory against the J ustice Department’s. ACLU attorney, J ameel J affer, said the ruling was wholesale refutation of government secrecy and unchecked power. J udge Morrero ordered the FBI to cease and desist demanding confidential customer records of communications-type businesses in the name of national security. The Patriot Act* came up for reauthorization in 2005, creating an opportunity for re-evaluation of certain powers within the Act. Access to public library records was one issue to be looked at, said Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) of the J udiciary Committee. George Bush and Attorney General Robert Gonzalez* urged the continuation of the existing Patriot Act. One example of Patriot Act abuses was the case of an Oregon lawyer falsely accused in the Madrid train bombings. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said 122 123 that certain provisions within the Patriot Act were utilized in that. Gonzales resorted to melodrama, citing that taking away provisions like business and library records was akin to taking away a cop’s gun just because he never got to use it. Arlen Specter didn’t think Gonzalez’s analogy was appropriate. It was also voiced why the U.S. transfers detainees to countries known for torture. In New York City public libraries, a software upgrade in May 2005 seemed to be in line with provisions of the Patriot Act. The new software most certainly contained tracking programs pinpointing the users. This new policy could have come into play after two of the 9-11 hijackers, Almidhar and Alhazmi, allegedly used public computers* four times at New J ersey state college, William Patterson, to purchase plane tickets for the 9-11 attacks.. This was learned in a hearing for the renewal for the Patriot Act. William Patterson officials confirmed that the FBI seized several computers shortly after 9-11, but did not say what or what they did not find. What's funny is that we've had a redundancy of Orwellian orders on the books way before the Patriot Act, so I'm not sure why they bothered. Presidential Executive Orders going back to the 1970's under Nixon covered much of the territory of the Patriot Act. Nevertheless, in October 2006, a couple of laws were signed under President Bush: the "J ohn Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007," and the "Military Commissions Act of 2006." The J ohn Warner Act allowed for federal troops to be deployed anywhere inside the U.S. to quell disorder---sidestepping the Posse Coma Titus Act---and appropriating the National Guard independent of local or state governments. The Military Act called for protocol for detention of prisoners abroad. The J ohn Warner Act is a bit frightening because it may come down hard on protestors, the civil disobedient and free speech-ers. The sad thing is, the Patriot Act might have just been a big horse and pony show anyhow when Bush even admitted* that the NSA eavesdropped on thousands of Americans at will, citing it was a "vital tool" against terrorism. Senator Russel Feingold (D-WIS) pointed out he didn't need the Patriot Act. The new Patriot Act* was signed into law in March 2006 and included provisions to limit the sale of certain over-the-counter drugs like pseudoephedrine, used to make methamphetamine. Amond the sticking points in the ratification of the Act was making it easier for the federal government to get the death penalty in terrorism cases through the changing of jurors after a hung jury. *Admitted: Daily News, "W: We spied on Americans," 12-18-05. *ACLU: “Patriot Act snooping slapped down by judge,” Daily News, 10-04. *Roberto Gonzales: Daily News, “Gonzales is grilled on Patriot Act flap,” 4-5-05. *Patriot Act: Daily News, “Patriot Act power cut?” 3-14-05. *337 to 79: After 9-11: How America Confronted the September 12 Era, Steven Brill 2003. *Public computers: New York Post, “Library Fiends,” 4-30-05. *New Patriot Act: New York Post, "Bush inks terror law," 5-10-06. +1: The New York Times sued Attorney General J ohn Ashcroft to prevent federal prosecutors from obtaining phone records from two of it's Chicago-based reporters. Prosecutors were investigating leaks compromising the investigation of terrorist funding. The Times retained attorney Kenneth Starr---The New York Sun, “Starr Emerges As Key Lawyer For N.Y. Times,” (vol. 120 no. 116). 123 124 Questions From Real People Does the intelligence community have indubitable proof that it was Al Qaeda? Were the names of the hijackers their real names? The "Family Steering Committee," a group of family members of World Trade Center victims prepared a list of questions about Al Qida, and what they would've liked to ask President Bush under oath, had they the chance. The publication is copyrighted work and so I have paraphrased the questions in another way. The Steering Committee did an excellent job in coming up with some of the hard questions about 9-11. I even learned some things I did not know. Questions about Al Qaeda and State Sponsored Terrorism July 2003 1. What contacts were made by the U.S. Government with Osama Bin Ladin, Al Qaeda and the Taliban pre-9-11? 2. What was the exact nature of a pipeline proposal through Afghanistan? When was the deal made, by whom? Who would've been the principle profiteer from such an endeavor? 3. Were the Saudi’s sponsoring terrorism? If so, were they on a terrorist watch list? 4. Why does it seem that our intelligence community is constantly protecting the Saudis from investigation or indictment concerning terrorism? 5. Did this approach concerning the Saudis contribute to 9-11? 124 125 6. Why was Saudi Arabia given Visa Express, which expedites immigration? 7. Why was Bin Ladin’s relatives permitted to fly out of the U.S. when all other flights had been grounded? Whose call was this? 8. It has been proven without a doubt that President Bush had a plan drafted up for invading Iraq a long time before September 11th---why? 9. Was our intelligence community told in March 2001 to back off investigating terrorists? Why, and on whose orders? 10. Donald Rumsfeld said after September 11th, Saddam Hussein was involved---why? 11. Does the intelligence community have indubitable proof that it was Al Qaeda? Were the names of the hijackers their real names? 12. Was Atif Ahmad connected to Atta and Moussaoui? Was Atif Ahmad working for the British? 13. What’s the deal with “El Atriss,” who made fake IDs for two of the terrorists? The New York Times and Washington Post articles don’t match up. Has Atriss been deported? If not, why? 14. Were there any terrorist informants working for the FBI? What did they learn from them? 15. Did policies of the oil companies directly contribute to Islamic terrorism? Which companies? Dick Cheney’s energy task force? 16. How does American big business shape foreign policy? 17. Did American think tanks play a role in American foreign policy and the spread of Al Qaeda? 18. Was there a sharing of intelligence with other countries concerning Al Qaeda? 19. For what purpose did President Bush request a briefing about Al Qaeda in August 2001? 20. Is there any connection between the Bush family and Bin Ladin? 21. Did the J oint Terrorism Task Force (a collaboration between the FBI and NYPD, NYS Police, Port Authority PD and the Secret Service) receive the 20 or so warnings pertaining to terrorist attacks in New York City pre-9-11? 22. Why did ISID (Inter Services Intelligence Directorate) Chief General Mahmud of Pakistan order Saeed Sheikh to wire $100,000 to hijacker Mohammed Atta? Did Pakistan have foreknowledge of 9-11? On the morning of 9-11, why was General Mahmud having breakfast in Washington with Rep. Porter Goss and Senator Bob Graham? 23. Will the CIA, in other countries, monitor the activities of those collusive in the terrorist attacks in the future? Will they be banned entry into the country? How long will they be on a watch list? 24. Who---inside the U.S. and out---was involved in short selling and put options on airline and other stocks directly affected by 9-11? 125 126 September 11 Inquiry: Questions to be Answered January 2003 The INS 1. Why did the INS approve visa requests of Atta and Al-Shehhi after they were already dead? 2. Who is responsible checking up on student visas and Hani Hanjour’s entry? 3. Were all the terrorists from Saudi Arabia? Were these their real names? 4. What happened to the $800 million Congress gave the INS in 1996 to upgrade INS computer systems? 5. The National Commission on Terrorism in 1998, advised the INS to use the CIPRIS system, or "Coordinated Interagency Partnership Regulating International Students," created by Congress in 1996 to track foreign students. Why wasn’t this done? 6. Why was it that Visa Express had only been in place for three months before September 11, 2001, and three of the hijackers were able to use this to enter the U.S.? Who’s responsible for this, and why were incomplete applications waved through? The FAA 1. An attendant on AA Flight 11 notified her supervisor within the first few minutes of the hijacking, who would this have been? What did he do with this information? Why wasn’t North American Aerospace Defense Command notified immediately? 2. Were the planes---even with their transponders turned off---detected by radar? 3. An FAA executive summary concerning AA Flight 11 stated that a gun was fired aboard. Was this true?; was it determined by whom? 4. How do we know that the terrorists were armed with box cutters? Furthermore, why was the public told after 9-11, that box-cutters had been allowed aboard planes, when we have since found out that they were listed as airline contraband? Who is dispensing this disinformation? 5. Where are the "black boxes" and the transcripts from the four airliners? Has the FBI at any time invited the NTSB into the investigation? If not, why? 6. Nine of the hijackers were stopped at airports for security screenings due to irregularities in ID’s, for scrutiny by a computer screening program and one because he had a questionable traveling companion. What were the specifics in regards to these irregularities? Whose decision would it have been to let these men board the planes? What questions were asked during detainment? Was anything confiscated? Who personally permitted these men to board the planes? Where are the logs and records and incident reports from the interrogations? 7. Why wasn’t Logan Airport cited for its repeated failure to meet FAA standards for airline security? Were they fined? 8. Where are the Air Traffic Control transcripts? Where are the FAA logs and records? 9. Why were three foreign owned airline security screening companies given liability leniency in the Homeland Security Bill? Who’s responsible? On what reasoning? 126 127 Port Authority / WTC / City of New York 1. The World Trade Center’s fireproofing allegedly was not up to "code" Was this true? If not, whose responsibility was this? 2. Were WTC emergency evacuation protocols followed? 3. Why were roof access doors* locked? 4. Why were the sprinkler systems locked? 5. Why wasn’t any rooftop evacuation attempted? 6. Who told workers in an announcement in 2 WTC to return to their offices? 7. After the 1993 WTC bombing, what extra security measures were taken? 8. The Port Authority of NY/NJ told people that 2 WTC was safe and secure even though they allegedly had eleven minutes notice that UA Flight 175 was heading towards them. Why, and whose responsibility was this? 9. Why won't the Port Authority release all of the 9-11 emergency transmission transcripts? 10. What specific warnings about terrorist attacks did the City of New York and the Port Authority have? 11. If nothing, why? If so, what measures did they take? 12. Why was the World Trade Center steel removed and recycled so quickly, as it may have held telltale evidence of a crime scene? On whose orders was this done? Secret Service 1. Why wasn’t President Bush immediately evacuated from the Sarasota school? Why did he remain in the building after the second building was hit, knowing the U.S. was under attack? 2. Where are the Secret Service logs and records and incident reports? North American Aerospace Defense Command 1. At what time was NAADC notified of each hijacking? What was decided and who determined from which bases the F-16’s should be scrambled? Who are the pilots? 2. Why didn’t the F-16’s fly at maximum speed? Whose decision was that? 3. Did F-16’s intercept the airliners? If not, why? 4. Why didn’t the F-16’s shoot down the airliners? 5. Please explain the NAADC response to the Payne Stewart Lear jet* incident vs. the 9/11 incident. Why wasn’t the same protocol followed on 9/11? Whose fault is this? Where are the transcripts from the F-16 fighter pilots and logs from NAADC? 6. What satellites were orbiting North American airspace on 9-11, and what can be learned from them in regards to what happened with these planes? 127 128 FBI-CIA-NSA 1. Why weren’t NSA warnings translated on time, while this high level of “chatter” was still ongoing? What was contained in this surveillance? 2. What agency obtained the photo of Atta at the ATM machine in Maine less than 48 hours before September 11th? Was Atta under direct intelligence surveillance at that time? Where are the logs from the Boston FBI Field Office from J une through September? 3. Exactly what was suspected of Moussouai in mid-August before 9-11? Who turned down the request for the search warrant? Who, at the FBI, directly oversaw the Moussouai case? Where are the transcripts from the detainment hearing for Moussouai? 4. Who is the CIA Agent who delivered Bin Ladin to the American hospital in Dubai in J uly of 2001? 5. Who flew the Bin Ladin family back to Saudi Arabia on September 11th? 6. What defensive measures did this country take on the morning of September 11th? 7. At what time was this “shadow government” put into operation? 8. Was the White House a potential target on 9-11? 9. When was it evacuated? Who was in charge of the country at 10:00 A.M. on the morning of 9-11? 10. What part did the U.S. Government play in connection to an UNOCAL pipeline across Afghanistan. Did we have any U.S. troops in Afghanistan pre-9-11? If so, where and why? 11. In regards to the Hart Rudman Report*, issued in 2001, what steps were put forth in that report? 12. A briefing* prepared for senior government officials in J uly, 2001, stated, “Based on a review of all source reporting over the last five months, we believe that UBL (Usama bin Ladin) will launch a significant attack against U.S. and/or Israeli interests in the coming weeks. The attack will be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning." What did Bush do about this warning? What intelligence information was this based upon? 13. What warnings did the FBI give the NYPD about potential terrorist attacks in New York? If so, what specific agent did this? 14. What dealings did the U.S. government have with the Taliban pre-9-11? 15. Were any warnings received from foreign governments concerning the 9-11 attacks? What? Where? When? What was done? *"Hart Rudman Report": The Hart Rudman Report suggested the framework for stopping terrorist attacks in homeland, which it called very poorly prepared for such a strike. It was prophetic in its glimpse into what could lead to a 9-11. *Payne Stewart Lear J et: Golf Pro, Payne Stewart, and four others aboard a Lear jet experienced cabin depressurization, with the jet flying as a ghost flight for hours on autopilot, until finally crashing while out of fuel. F- 15’s and F-16’s in tandem tracked the plane closely and looked into the cockpit windows, which were heavily frosted over, suggesting the temperature inside was well below freezing *A Briefing: This later came to be known as the “August 6th PDB.” +1: The root of the 9-11 attacks was actually illegal immigration and the tampering of entry visa standards. Nobody had voiced this better than New York State Assembly candidate, Mario Bruno, in August 2004. Bruno said at a press 128 129 conference near "Postcards," Staten Island’s 9-11 Memorial that illegal immigration was the root cause as to why 9-11 happened, and if we don’t act on this issue, we obviously learned nothing from 9-11---Staten Island Advance, 8-13-04. And although the Saudi Visa Express was officially closed after 9-11, an editorial in the New York Post pointed out that 90% of Saudi visa applications still get approved. Congress’ General Accounting Office found that visas to Saudis were still being issued to applicants without an interview by Consular offices in Saudi Arabia. This was with incomplete applications and without supporting documentation. The article goes on to point out that the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh sent a message to Washington in late 2003, calling for a loosening of Saudi visa restrictions---“9 in 10 Still Get Saudi Visas,” 8-20-04. 129 130 Bin Ladin "It appeared to him that a little girl’s talk about her goat and its butting was more important than the planes and their butting of the skyscrapers." -UBL on Bush Much was made about Usama Bin Ladin being a CIA asset going back to the Soviet-Afghan war days, when we would've wanted UBL on our side, and that he was a guest at an American hospital in Dubai in the summer of 2001, receiving kidney treatment. Some say he still is an American intelligence asset. At first, Usama Bin Ladin (“Bin” meaning “son” or “son of Ladin”) didn’t appear to want to take credit for “The Big Wedding,” or what some inside the U.S. military / intelligence community called “P- Day*" or "D-Day.” Bin Ladin allegedly said, “I stress that I have not carried out this act, which appears to have been carried out by individuals with their own motivation…” This was reported in the Guardian, 9-17-01. The simple fact is, who can really be sure what messages are from Bin Ladin, and which might be psychological propaganda? Add the fact that Arabic doesn’t translate very well into English, and with the splice and build potential of sound recordings, what we were getting from Bin Ladin may have been adulterated intentionally or unintentionally. On 10-28-04 Bin Ladin* popped up on Al- J azeera TV in Qatar in a video message timed for the 2004 election, and to regain the terror limelight after Al-Zarqawi started upstaging him in Iraq (even though he pledged a loyalty oath to Bin Ladin that same month). Wherever Bin Ladin taped the message, he appeared healthy in white turban & tunic and golden cloak. His hands were steady, but some said that the voice sounded “sick” and “tired." Some said Bin Ladin’s appearance was in order to make himself appear a martyr or Muslim cleric, and not a soldier. Sources differed on how much of the tape aired, but Al-J azeera spokesman, Ali Ballout*, refused 130 131 to characterize the unaired portions of the tape. In this video, UBL stated: “Your security is not in the hands of Kerry, Bush or Al Qida. Your security is in your own hands. Any state that does not mess with our security, has naturally guaranteed its own security.” The last sentence of the statement concerning “Any state,” was not translated until 10-30-04. The Middle East Media Research Institute, a group that monitors and translates Arabic media and internet sites, translated the tape. UBL went on, “To the American people, my talk is to you about the best way to avoid another Manhattan. I tell you: Security is an important element of human life and free people do not give up their security. Despite the fact that we have entered the fourth year from September 11th, Bush is still misguiding you by hiding the real reason from you. Therefore, the factors necessitating the repeat of what happened are still standing.” And in a dig at Bush and the U.S. forces trying to apprehend him, Bin Ladin said, “We have not encountered any difficulty in dealing with Bush and his administration.” Of course, what do you expect the guy to say? But in my mind, I got two concepts from this part of the speech: one, we don't know the whole 9-11 story; and two, it sounded like the beginning stages of UBL wanting a "truce." UBL went on: “We fought you because we are free…and want to regain freedom for our nation. As you undermine our security, we undermine yours. While I was looking at these destroyed towers in Lebanon, it sparked in my mind that the tyrant should be punished with the same, and that we should destroy towers in America, so that it tastes what we taste and would be deterred from killing our children and women. God knows that it had not occurred to our mind to attack the towers, but after our patience ran out and we saw the injustice and inflexibility of the American-Israeli alliance toward our people in Palestine and Lebanon, this came to mind. It never occurred to us that the commander in chief of the American armed forces would leave 50,000 of his citizens in the two towers to face these horrors alone. It appeared to him that a little girl’s talk about her goat and its butting was more important than the planes and their butting of the skyscrapers. That gave us three times the required time to carry out the operations, thank God.” I think Lebanon and "Palestine" were just an excuse. I don't really think UBL really gives a damn about the Palestinians. Bin Ladin went on to compare the Bush Administration to corrupt Arab regimes ruled by the military, kings and sons of kings and presidents. He spoke of Bush senior: “He wound up being impressed by the royal and military regimes and envied them for staying decades in their positions and embezzling the nation’s money with no supervision. He passed on tyranny and oppression to his son, and they called it the Patriot Act under the pretext of fighting terror.” UBL at least nailed that one. “Bush the father did well in placing his sons as governors and did not forget to pass on the expertise in fraud from the leaders of the Mid East to Florida to use it in critical moments.” This video was probably even expurgated, because the State Department was awarded an envelope of time to lobby the government of Qatar before airing it. Bin Ladin was too dumbed-down in the dialogue. I doubt that all he had in his verbal arsenal was The Pet Goat and The Patriot Act. By then enough 9-11 information had come out that he could've really ripped into some 9-11 conspiracy. Either there were areas that were edited out, or does he really have some sort of CIA deal?; play the boogey man for the American public and we’ll let you live? 131 132 “We fought the unjust superpower, waging attrition along with the mujihadeen against Russia for ten years, until they became bankrupt and decided to withdraw in defeat. We will press ahead with this policy of attrition against America until it is bankrupt.” MEMRI* later said that Bin Ladin specifically meant that any state (aywilaya) that doesn’t, “toy with our security automatically guarantees its own security,” and that he specifically meant "U.S. States." If that were true, it meant that the State of New York wouldn’t be the one to be hit next, since it was a "Kerry" state in the election. Michael Scheuer stepped out of the shadows of the CIA after 22 years as an intelligence officer with the agency’s Bin Ladin Unit (codenamed “Alec”). He had already written an anonymously published book, Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror, published in J uly 2004. After resigning from the agency, Scheuer told 60 Minutes on 11-14-04 that our leaders continue to say that we’re winning the war on terror, but he didn’t think we actually were. During the Afghan Usama Bin Ladin “hunting camp” strike proposition that was nixed because it may kill a Saudi prince, Scheuer opted to decimate the entire place because, as he said, the world was lousy with Arab princes anyway, so how can you do anything without killing one? Scheuer went on to theorize why Bin Ladin hadn’t hit us again by saying that it is a failure of the intellectual community to assume that if someone hasn’t attacked you, it’s because he can’t or he’s been defeated. If he wants to, he’ll do it on his own schedule. Scheuer expressed that it was pretty close to inevitable that Bin Ladin would use a nuclear weapon of some sort whether it be radiological or a dirty bomb. Scheuer stated that after Muslim criticism post-9-11, Bin Ladin obtained a fatwa, or Islamic decree, from Saudi Sheik “Hamid bin Fahd,” justifying a large-scale attack against the United States. It was also known that UBL met with a Pakistani nuclear scientist* about designing a nuclear bomb. Scheuer wrote in the book that UBL was a “great man.” When asked what he meant about it, he expounded that minus the good versus evil, he is great in the sense that he’s influenced history and until he’s given proper respect, many more are going to die. UBL Vowed never to be taken alive and allegedly gave orders to his bodyguards* to shoot him if it appeared he was about to be captured. The Pentagon eventually admitted that UBL gave us the slip during the battle of Tora Bora* in December 2001. A commander for UBL confessed this while detained at Guantanamo Bay. He probably slipped into Pakistan, or perhaps the Afghan fighters leading the battle let him go or were bribed. Or something even more nefarious. As Bin Ladin's position as terror master began to recede, Usama's favorite son, Saad Bin Ladin*, traveled from Iran to Lebanon in the summer of 2006, to coordinate terror attacks with Hezbollah against Israel. Saad is suspected of being involved in a 2002 bombing of a synagogue in Tunisia and helped plan suicide bombings in 2003, in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. *Daily News article: This information was based off an interview with Philip Smucker for Targeted: Osama Bin Ladin, on the History Channel. *Bodyguards: New York Post, "Death over surrender: Bin Laden," 12-7-05. *Tora Bora: Daily News, "Detainee placed Osama at Tora Bora," 3-23-05. *"P-Day": Did “P-Day” stand for "Pay Day??" *Bin Ladin & Ali Ballout: Staten Island Advance, “Bin Laden lays claim to 9-11,” 10-30-04. *MEMRI: New York Post, “Monster’s deadly warning to ‘red’ states,” 11-1-04. 132 133 *Saad Bin Ladin: New York Post, "Satan's Son, Bin Laden boy new war chief," 8-3-06. *Nuclear scientist: Daily News, "U.S. raid nets perilous uranium at Polish site." +1: Federal J udge J ames Robertson suspended the trial of Usama Bin Ladin driver Salim Ahmed Hamdan, 34, on the grounds that the Bush Administration’s military tribunals violated the Geneva Convention. Hamdan claimed he was never supported terrorism and was no Al Qida member---New York Post, “Fed judge suspends trial of Usama driver,” 11-9-04. +2: Allegedly, UBL was obsessed with American singer Whitney Houston and even considered taking out then- husband Bobby Brown. This, according to Sudanese writer Kola Boof, author of Diary of a Lost Girl, which says she was once kept as UBL's sex slave. Boof claimed Usama told her that, “Houston was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen." Although he proclaimed music to be evil, Bin Ladin would make an exception with her and wanted to travel to the U.S. and arrange a meeting. Boof said she would come across pictures of the singer, along with Playboy magazines in his briefcase---New York Post, Page Six, "Did Osama lust for Whitney?" 8-21-06. +3: It was reported at least twice that UBL had a knack for communicating with his Al Qida lieutenants via satellite phones. Bush tried to claim this was untrue (the source coming from a government leak). But the Washington Post had already reported this in 1996---New York Post, "Rumsfeld doubts that Osama still runs Qaeda," 12-22-05. +4: UBL thinking hijackings as early as 1993? During a pre-trial of accused terrorists involved in the U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa, a witness testified that he had bought a plane for UBL in 1992, and that he was interested in pilots- --The American Prospect, “Our Pearl Harbor.” Wafah bin Ladin, Yeslam Bin Ladin You know life sucks when UBL’s niece is a looker. Wafah bin Ladin, Usama’s niece, lives in New York and had dreams of becoming a pop star when 9-11 struck. Although some acquaintances characterized her as a “pushy, spoiled brat*,” in an exclusive interview with gossip columnist Cindy Adams*, Wafah came across as the poor misunderstood girl who was caught between the Bin Ladin name and the west. She stated she does not speak Arabic, is not Muslim and had never even met her Uncle Usama. She said she hadn’t seen her father, Yeslam, in years and has no contact or financial help through him. She said she went by the name "Wafah DuFour," her mother's maiden name. Wafah took a pretty picture in the blurb, a real beauty. The New York Post then weighed in with Wafah bin Ladin’s mother in the article, “Osama’s sister-in-law speaks,” 9-9-05. Carmen Bin Ladin, author of Inside the Kingdom: My Life In Saudi Arabia, said she wanted to see Osama Bin Ladin pay for his crimes. Carmen Bin Ladin fled to Geneva, Switzerland, and became involved in a long divorce from UBL’s brother Yeslam. Carmen said she didn’t know where UBL was, but wished the authorities would get him. She did not think they’d ever get him alive though. It would be too much for him to live as a prisoner of non-Muslims. He’d probably kill himself, she surmised. But even suicide would get rid of him because it would make him a martyr. Carmen sensed something terrible was about to happen on September 9th 2001, but did not know what. Carmen was leaning towards her husband Yeslam as knowing about 9-11 also. When people asked her impression of Osama, she’d say that in all her years there, they never even spoke. She didn’t see him at her wedding. She guessed that even if UBL would have walked past her, which he didn’t, he wouldn’t have looked at her. If he came to speak with her husband Yeslam, Carmen had to go into another room and wait. She was home without her bhurka once and UBL saw this and turned his back and left. Carmen Bin Ladin said to tell all Americans that she loves their country and Wafah is an American. She said she loves New York. 133 134 Iraqi actress, Yasmine Hanani*, was itching for a catfight when she slammed Wafah in the news, saying she doesn't really respect America or what they went through on 9-11, and calling anything she earns “blood money.” Dufour's publicist hit back saying the actress was just using the slight for her own publicity. Wafah posed for GQ Magazine in December 2005, and made a deal with executive producer, J udith Regan, for a reality TV* show in March 2006. Yeslam* Bin Ladin was sued by families of victims of 9-11. They alleged that Yeslam helped Usama launch the attacks on the U.S. The families in part claimed that: Usama received money from accounts managed by Yeslam at Deutsche Bank in Geneva, Switzerland; Yeslam paid for individuals to enter the U.S. to attend flight training at Huffman Aviation in Venice, Florida. Huffman was the same school Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi attended; He also funded students at a flight school in Tucson, Arizona; Yeslam was investigated for money laundering by "Tracfin," a monetary intelligence service for French Customs after complaints filed by banks in Britain, France and the British Virgin Islands; Yeslam acquired dual Saudi-Swiss citizenship only four months before 9-11. *"Pushy, spoiled brat": New York Post, “Living it up in Manhattan…Bin Laden’s niece,” 3-15-05 & Cindy Adams, ""Osama’s N.Y. niece weeps: ‘I Love U.S.,’” 4-14-05. *Yeslam: New York Post, “Osama Bro Sued; 9/11 kin say he paid for terror." *Hanani: Page Six, "Wafah’s turn,” 4-18-06. *Reality TV: New York Post, "Being Bin Laden," 3-10-06. 134 135 The Hijackers "I couldn't believe it when the FBI put me on their list. They gave my name and my date of birth, but I am not a suicide bomber. I am here. I am alive. I have no idea how to fly a plane. I had nothing to do with this." -Salem Al-Hamzi, Saudi Arabia, post-9-11 The alleged nineteen: American Airlines Flight 11, Boeing 767, Boston to Los Angeles, crashed into North Tower: Mohamed Atta, Wail Alshehri, Waleed Alshehri, Satam Suqami and Abdulaziz Alomari. United Airlines Flight 175, Boeing 767, Boston to Los Angeles, crashed into South Tower: Marwan Al-Shehhi, Mohand Alshehri, Fayez Rashid, Ahmed Alghamdi, Hamza Alghamdi. American Airlines Flight 77, Boeing 757, Washington to Los Angeles, crashed into Pentagon: Hani Hanjour, Khalid Almihdhar, Majed Moqed, Nawaf Alhazmi, Salem Alhazmi. United Airlines Flight 93, Boeing 757, Newark to San Francisco, crashed in Stony Creek Township, or Shanksville, PA.: Ziad Samir J arrah, Ahmad Haznawi, Ahmed Alnami, Saeed Alghamdi. This chapter is not intended to be a step-by-step description of how the so- called hijackers gained access to the cockpits of the four, principal airplanes on 9-11, that’s been covered to death by the media. But the real truth is, we aren't sure what happened on those planes. And who can be sure if they all are---or some are---still alive. 135 136 Following are paraphrases of some of the more peculiar reports (author’s comments in *small font): BBC News, “Hijack 'suspects' alive and well,” 9-23-01: Saudi Arabian pilot, Waleed Al Shehri, was one of five who crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the World Trade Center. His photograph was released, but said he was innocent, speaking from Casablanca, Morocco. He had nothing to do with the attacks, he told journalists. He said he was in Morocco on 9-11, and contacted both the Saudi and American authorities afterwards. He did attended flight school at Daytona Beach, Florida, and is the same Waleed Al Shehri to whom the FBI has been referring. But he left the United States in September of 2000, he said. He became a pilot with Saudi Arabian airlines and was training in Morocco. Abdulaziz Al Omari, another of the AA 11 hijack suspects, has has also spoken to the Arab news media. He is an engineer with Saudi Telecoms, who lost his passport in Denver, Colorado. Another man of the same name surfaced on the pages of the Arab News. The second Abdulaziz Al Omari is a pilot for Saudi Arabian Airlines, the report says. Asharq Al Awsat, a London-based Arabic daily, interviewed Saeed Alghamdi. Alghamdi was listed by the FBI as a hijacker aboard UA Flight 93. Khalid Al Midhar may also be alive. Even FBI Director Robert Mueller admitted that the true identities of the hijackers were in doubt. *This may show that these identities were usurped by [authorities] and presented to the American public as the hijackers. Arizona Daily Star online, “Hijack suspect profiles,” 9-28-01: The FBI gives notice to banks on 9-19-01 that Almihdhar might still be alive. They did not elaborate how that could be possible. *Banking activity was continuing after the 9-11 attacks. CNN, “Details of hijacking suspects released,” 9-28-01: Khalid Almihdhar: There were reports that he was still alive. The names used by the suspects may have been stolen identities. Independent, “’Suicide Hijacker’ is an airline pilot alive and well in J eddah,” 9-17-01: The U.S. Department of J ustice named a suicide hijacker aboard American Airlines Flight 11 was very much alive and living in J eddah. Abdulrahman al-Omari, a pilot with Saudi Airlines, found himself accused of hijacking as well as being ‘dead.’ He went to the U.S. Consulate in J eddah to demand an explanation. *Stolen pilot identity again; “Why am I dead?!” ABC News, “Who Did It? FBI Links Names to Terror Attacks,” (date not avail.): The FBI listed Abdulaziz Alomari as a hijacker, but he said his birth date was the same also, but he was not involved in 9-11. He told this to the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. *Same birth date too. Can't be coincidence. 136 137 Telegraph, “Revealed: the men with stolen identities,”9-23-01: Four innocent men had their identities stolen by Usama bin Laden's teams to conduct the hijackings. They were all from Saudi Arabia and mistakenly named by the FBI as terrorists. None of them was in the United States on 9-11. And one had never been to America. Another was a Saudi Airlines pilot training in Tunisia at the time of the attacks. Saudi Airlines said it was considering legal action against the FBI. Saeed Al- Ghamdi and Abdulaziz Al-Omari, an engineer from Riyadh, said their personal details, including name, place and date of birth, and occupation, were stolen. Al-Ghamdi was named as a terrorist aboard UA 93. Al-Ghamdi said he was completely shocked and he had been based in Tunis for the past 10 months, along with 22 other pilots training on Airbus 320’s. He said that the FBI provided no evidence of any involvement in 9-11 on his part, and that one cannot even imagine what it’s like to be called a terrorist---and a dead terrorist. Officials took Al-Ghamdi back to Saudi Arabia for 10 days to avoid arrest or interrogation. A Saudi official said, "We are consulting lawyers about what action to take to protect the reputation of our pilots." CNN used a photograph of him around the world, and the FBI published his personal details, but with a photograph of somebody else. But then CNN showed a picture of the real Al-Ghamdi. CNN probably got the picture from the Flight school he attended in Florida. CNN has since issued a clarification. They said the photograph might not be him. Al-Omari, who was accused of being aboard AA 11, said he was working for Saudi Telecommunications Authority in Riyadh on 9-11. He said he couldn't believe when the FBI put him on the terror list, giving his name and date of birth. Al-Omari said he was no suicide bomber, and still very alive. He said he has no idea how to fly a plane and had nothing to do with 9-11. Salem Al-Hamzi had just returned to work at a petrochemical complex in Yanbou after a holiday in Saudi Arabia on 9-11. They said he was aboard AA 77 that hit the Pentagon. He said he’d never been to the United States and hasn’t been out of Saudi Arabia in two years. The FBI said his possible residences were Fort Lee or Wayne, both in New J ersey. Al-Nami, meanwhile, from Riyadh, was an administrative supervisor with Saudi Arabian Airlines. He said he was in Riyadh on 9-11. He said he was shocked to see his name mentioned as one of the hijackers and claims to have never even heard of the State of Pennsylvania where the plane crashed that was supposedly hijacked. He never lost his passport. He didn't know how his identity could have been "stolen." The FBI had said his residence was Delray Beach, Florida. The FBI admitted that there was doubt about the identities of some of the hijackers. A spokesman said, "The identification process has been complicated by the fact that many Arabic family names are similar. It is also possible that the hijackers used false identities." *But the exact birth dates and personal details also? CNN, “FBI: Early probe results show 18 hijackers took part,” 9-13-01: CNN issued a correction. They said that based on information from multiple law enforcement sources, they reported that Adnan Bukhari and Ameer Bukhari of Vero Beach, Florida, were suspected as two of the hijacker pilots. They later learned that Adnan Bukhari is still in Florida and was questioned by the FBI. They were sorry for the misinformation. Bukhari passed an FBI polygraph test. He was linked because, as his 137 138 attorney said, his identification had been stolen. "Some of those involved in the plot left suicide notes, but they are not believed to have been the hijackers," a government source told The Associated Press. It was unclear whether those who left the notes actually killed themselves. Only one of the black boxes had been found, from United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in rural Pennsylvania. The debris site had been cordoned off six to eight miles away from the original crash site. Crowley said the debris was very light material like paper and thin nylon. These things could’ve been easily blown by the wind. The FBI in Vero Beach searched four homes according to witnesses. Adnan Bukhari, a tenant in one, cooperated with federal agents. His brother, Ameer Bukhari, died in a small plane crash in Florida in 2000. Authorities identified the brothers as possible hijackers for one of the Boston planes. Their names had been linked to a car at an airport in Portland, Maine. Bukhari's attorney said their identifications were stolen. Cairo Times, 9-27-01: Mohammed Atta's father claimed that his son called him two days after 9- 11. He described it as a “normal conversation.” When asked to provide further details, he "snarled." When asked what country his son called from, he said he couldn’t say because the name of the country wasn’t written on the phone. Smart ass. When asked where Mohammad was, he said, “Ask Mossad.” *Could Atta be alive somewhere? Los Angeles Times, 9-21-01: Wail Alsherhi is a pilot, and his father is a Saudi diplomat in Bombay. Gaafar Allagany, head of the Saudi Embassy’s information center, said he personally talked to both the father and son today. Washington Post, “Four Planes, Four Coordinated Teams,” 9-16-01: Hani Hanjour's name was not on the passenger list for AA Flight 77. He may not have had a ticket. *How did he get on the plane? Saudi Gazette, 9-18-01 / The Khaleej Times, 9-20-01: Marwan al-Shehhi is still alive in Morocco. CBS News, “Bin Laden Names Hijackers On Tape,” 12-20-01: Usama bin Laden named some of the Sept. 11 hijackers, dedicating them to Allah. But he identified only three: Nawaq Alhamzi, Salem Alhamzi and Wail Alshehri. Alshehri was on allegedly on AA 11, Alhamzi and Alhamzi were on AA 77. 'Michael,' one of two translators hired by the government, said you'd have to talk to the Pentagon to get the rest of the story, speaking of a more detailed transcript given to the Pentagon. What was he redacting? Bin Laden appeared calm and amused on the hour- long tape of 11-9-01. The government-hired translators claimed parts were ‘inaudible’ when they didn't agree on an interpretation or couldn't make out the words. The first government translation claimed Bin Laden said the name 'Mohamed Atta': "Not everybody knew (...inaudible...). Mohammad (Atta) from the Egyptian family (meaning the Al-Qida Egyptian group), was in charge of the group," Bin Ladin supposedly said in the first translation. "Michael," who is Lebanese, translated the tape with Kassem Wahba, 138 139 an Egyptian. They had trouble understanding the Saudi dialect. Michael said some of the passages were a mystery. Bin Ladin's Saudi guest even named the person who smuggled him out of Saudi Arabia into Afghanistan, but Michael and Wahba were unable to make out the name. Ali al-Ahmed, a Saudi who listened to the tape, told the AP that the guest attached the words “jalad alhayaa”---a name for the Saudi religious police---to the smuggler's name. Bin Ladin told his guests that 15 of the hijackers knew they were on a “martyrdom operation,” but only learned that shortly before boarding the planes. The casualties were also greater than Bin Ladin originally imagined. BBC, “The last moments of Flight 11”: The FBI named five hijackers aboard AA 11, but Flight Attendant Sweeney said there were only four. And the seat numbers given were different from those registered in the hijacker's names. BBC, “FBI probes hijacker’s identities,” 9-21-01: It was believed that the hijackers used false identities, possibly names of people still alive. This was feared to significantly complicate the manhunt. *Fake identities would’ve made it easier to disappear after the completion of the operation. Boston Globe, “Hijack suspect lived a life, or a lie,” 9-25-01: A Brooklyn apartment lease from 1995-1996, bear-ed Ziad J arrah’s name, the landlord even identified his photograph. But his family insisted J arrah was in Beirut on 9-11. Two days before 9-11, J arrah called and told the family he’d be coming home for a cousin’s wedding in mid-September. “He said he had even bought a new suit for the occasion,” a family member said. CNN, “September 11 hijacker questioned in J anuary 2001,” 8-1-02: The CIA suspected Ziad J arrah of terrorist activities pre-9-11, and learned he had been in Afghanistan, and wanted him questioned UAE sources said. A CIA spokesman vigorously denied this, or that they had anything to do with his questioning in Dubai. New Yorker, “What Went Wrong,” 10-1-01: Some of the initial clues uncovered about the terrorist’s identities, preparations, flight manuals, were meant to be found. A former high-level intelligence official told me that whatever evidence trail that was left behind, was done so deliberately for the FBI to find. Other high-level intelligence officials doubted UBL’s capabilities. The consensus was that a guy sits in a cave somewhere in Afghanistan and he’s running a highly elaborate, synchronized operation? He couldn’t have done this alone. And because of the visas and other documentation needed, a senior military officer said, a major foreign intelligence service might also have been involved. 139 140 Washington Post, “Some Light Shed on Saudi Suspects,” 9-25-01: Alghamdi's father told Al Watan that the picture provided by the FBI was not his son and had no resemblance to him. *You'd think a father would know his own son. Newsday.com: Flight instructor Sheri Baxter, at Freeway Airport in Bowi, MD., instantly recognized the name Hani Hanjour when the FBI released a list of 19 suspects in the four hijackings. Hanjour had come to the airport a month earlier seeking to rent a small plane. Baxter and fellow instructor Ben Conner had taken Hanjour on three test flights in August 2001, but found he had trouble controlling and landing the Cessna 172. Chief Instructor Marcel Bernard declined to rent him a plane without more lessons. WashingtonPost.com: Radar controllers observed the unidentified pilot aboard the alleged AA 77 executing a pivot so tight, it reminded observers of a fighter jet maneuver. The plane circled 270 degrees to the right for the approach to the Pentagon from the west, then AA 77 fell below radar and vanished from controller’s screens, the sources said. Sources said the plane was flown with extraordinary skill, as if a highly-skilled pilot was at the controls. They even knew how to turn the transponder off, a move that is not obvious. 140 141 9-11 Congress Joint Inquiry In the The Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism in September 1999, it warned of Al Qida suicide bombers crashing aircraft packed with C-4 and Semtex into the Pentagon, CIA headquarters and the White House. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence of the 107 th Congress: Bob Graham, Florida (D), Chairman; Richard C. Shelby, Alabama (R) Vice Chairman Staff Director; and included 8 Republican panel members and 9 Democrats. The Congress J oint Inquiry was an intelligence committee from the US Senate and the House, which convened from J une to October 2002, to investigate 9-11. The investigation hit several roadblocks along the way. It took Congress five months to even announce the inquiry, and another four months before it got started. Bush and Cheney both asked then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to narrow the scope of the probe. Senator Richard Shelby complained about the lack of cooperation they received from the FBI, intelligence agencies and others. Closed sessions were held from J une to the first half of September 2002. Open hearings were convened for the second half of September. Hearings in October alternated between being open or closed, and their final report was issued in December 2002, but only 24 pages were released publicly (out of over 800). Newsweek reported in May 2003 that the Bush Administration was working to block the release of the full report. Officials at the time were quoted as saying they'd like to retroactively classify parts of the report. They were concerned about certain 141 142 parts divulged by senior intelligence officials and Inquiry staff leader, Eleanor Hill. They came to regret giving Hill and her team access to classified intelligence documents. Instead of a chronicle of the entire Inquiry here---which may be redundant and mirror The 9-11 Report---I have examined critical testimony by those principals that "ruffled the most feathers" with their testimony. Specifically being testimony from Kristen Breitweiser, Stephen Push and Eleanor Hill. Eleanor Hill, Staff Director, Joint Inquiry Staff * Usama Bin Ladin was considering attacks in the U.S., including Washington, D.C. and New York. This information was provided to senior U.S. Government officials in J uly 1998. * In August 1998, the Intelligence Community obtained information that a group of unidentified Arabs planned to fly an explosive-laden plane from a foreign country into the World Trade Center. The information was passed to the FBI and the FAA. The FAA found the plot highly unlikely given the state of that foreign country's aviation program. Moreover, they believed that a flight originating outside the United States would be detected before it reached its intended target inside the United States. The FBI's New York office took no action on the information, filing the communication in the office's bombing repository file. The Intelligence Community has acquired additional information since then indicating there may be links between this group and other terrorist groups, including al-Qa'ida. * In September 1998, the Intelligence Community prepared a memorandum detailing al- Qa'ida infrastructure in the United States, including the use of fronts for terrorist activities. This information was provided to senior U.S. Government officials in September 1998. * In September 1998, the Intelligence Community obtained information that Usama Bin Ladin's next operation could possibly involve flying an aircraft loaded with explosives into a U.S. airport and detonating it; this information was provided to senior U.S. Government officials in late 1998. * In October 1998, the Intelligence Community obtained information that al-Qa'ida was trying to establish an operative cell within the United States. This information indicated there might be an effort underway to recruit U.S. citizen Islamists and U.S. based expatriates from the Middle East and North Africa. * In the fall of 1998, the Intelligence Community received information concerning a Bin Ladin plot involving aircraft in the New York and Washington, DC areas. * In November 1998, the Intelligence Community obtained information that a Bin Ladin terrorist cell was attempting to recruit a group of five to seven young men from the United States to travel to the Middle East for training. This was in conjunction with planning to strike U.S. domestic targets. * In November 1998, the Intelligence Community received information that Bin Ladin and senior associates had agreed to allocate reward money for the assassinations of four ‘top’ intelligence agency officers. The bounty for each assassination was $9 million. The bounty was in response to the U.S. announcement of an increase in the reward money for information leading to the arrest of Bin Ladin. * In March 1999, the Intelligence Community obtained information regarding plans by an al-Qa'ida member, who was a U.S. citizen, to fly a hang glider into the Egyptian Presidential Palace and then detonate the explosives he was carrying. The individual, who 142 143 received hang glider training in the United States, brought a hang glider back to Afghanistan. However, various problems arose during the testing of the glider. He was subsequently arrested and is in custody abroad. * In the spring of 1999, the Intelligence Community obtained information about a planned Bin Ladin attack on a U.S. Government facility in Washington, DC. * In August 1999, the Intelligence Community obtained information that Usama Bin Ladin's organization had decided to target the U.S. Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and DCI. "Target" was interpreted by Intelligence Community analysts to mean ‘assassinate.’ * In September 1999, the Intelligence Community obtained information that Usama Bin Ladin and others were planning a terrorist act in the United States, possibly against specific landmarks in California and New York City. The reliability of the source of this information was unknown. * In late 1999, the Intelligence Community obtained information regarding the Bin Ladin network's possible plans to attack targets in Washington, DC and New York City during the New Year's Millennium celebrations. * In February 2000, the Intelligence Community obtained information that Usama Bin Ladin was making plans to assassinate U.S. intelligence officials, including the Director of the FBI. * In March 2000, the Intelligence Community obtained information regarding the types of targets that operatives in Bin Ladin's network might strike. The Statue of Liberty was specifically mentioned, as were skyscrapers, ports, airports, and nuclear power plants. * In March 2000, the Intelligence Community obtained information indicating Bin Ladin was planning attacks in specific West Coast areas, possibly involving the assassination of several public officials. The Intelligence Community had concerns that this information might have come from a source known to fabricate information. * In April 2000, the Intelligence Community obtained information regarding an alleged Bin Ladin plot to hijack a 747. The source, who was a "walk-in" to the FBI's Newark office, claimed that he had been to a training camp in Pakistan where he learned hijacking techniques and received arms training. He also stated that he was supposed to meet five to six other individuals in the United States who would also participate in the plot. They were instructed to use all necessary force to take over the plane because there would be pilots among the hijacking team. The plan was to fly the plane to Afghanistan, and if they would not make it there, that they were to blow up the plane. Although the individual passed an FBI polygraph, the FBI was never able to verify any aspect of his story or identify his contacts in the United States. * In April 2001, the Intelligence Community obtained information from a source with terrorist connections who speculated that Bin Ladin would be interested in commercial pilots as potential terrorists. The source warned that the United States should not focus only on embassy bombings, that terrorists sought ‘spectacular and traumatic’ attacks, and that the first World Trade Center bombing would be the type of attack that would be appealing. The source did not mention a timeframe for any attack. Because the source was offering personal speculation and not hard information, the information was not disseminated within the Intelligence Community. * In August 2001, the Intelligence Community obtained information regarding a plot to either bomb the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi from an airplane or crash an airplane into it. 143 144 The Intelligence Community learned that two people who were reportedly acting on instructions from Usama Bin Ladin met in October 2000 to discuss this plot. * In 1997, one of the units at FBI headquarters became concerned about the possibility of a terrorist group using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for terrorist attacks. The FBI and CIA became aware of reporting that this group had purchased a UAV. At the time, the agencies' view was that the only reason that this group would need a UAV would be for either reconnaissance or attack. There was more concern about the possibility of an attack outside the United States, for example, by flying a UAV into a U.S. Embassy or a visiting U.S. delegation. The CIA acknowledged after 9-11 that Muslim fundamentalists long thought of using planes as weapons. The following is from a November 19th 2001 draft analysis titled: The 11 September Attacks: A Preliminary Assessment: "We do not know the process by which Bin Ladin and his lieutenants decided to hijack planes with the idea of flying them into buildings in the United States, but the idea of hijacking planes for suicide attacks had long been current in jihadist circles. For example, GIA terrorists from Algeria had planned to crash a Air France jet into the Eiffel Tower in December 1994, and Ramzi Yousef---a participant in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing---planned to explode 12 US jetliners in mid-air over the Pacific in the mid-1990s. Likewise, the World Trade Center had long been a target of terrorist bombers." Kriston Breitweiser, Co-Chairperson, September 11 th Advocates Mrs. Breitweister represented the families of 9-11 victims after she and her daughter lost their husband and father, Ron Breitweiser, in the South Tower. She provided some good information. * In 1993, $150,000. was commissioned by the Pentagon to study the possibility of planes being used to bomb national landmarks. This was circulated to other critical government agencies. *In 1994, a disgruntled FedEx employee invaded the cockpit of a DC-10 with the intentions of crashing it into a company building in Memphis, TN. *In 1994, a pilot crashed a small plane onto the White House grounds. *A September, 1999, report prepared for intelligence by the Federal Research Division titled, The Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism, warned of Al Qida suicide bombers crashing aircraft packed with C-4 and Semtex into the Pentagon, CIA headquarters and the White House. Breitweiser railed over the government's being on high alert over what Bin Ladin seemed to be planning, but the public not warned. An example was Richard Clarke’s advice to counterintelligence offices to cancel vacations and non-vital travel, put off scheduled exercises and place rapid response teams on short notice. *Thanks a lot Richard. The U.S. Government was at its highest state of alert, but we knew nothing. Authorities also ignored the high amount of trading on the Chicago Exchange and markets overseas, commerce that is routinely monitored through use of the Promis software. Massive amounts of trading occurred on United Airlines, American Airlines, re-insurance companies and leaseholders in the World Trade Center, and the authorities 144 145 did nothing. Breitweister then asked if the terrorists were already under surveillance. This, because The New York Times reported on September 12th, hours after the 9-11 attacks, that the FBI had descended on flight schools, neighborhoods and restaurants in search of leads. The FBI was seen within hours of the attacks at Embry Riddle Aeronautical School. They questioned store employees at a cell phone shop in Bangor, Maine, where five terrorists rented cell phones, paying $3,000. cash after employees initially refused them service for lack of identification. The FBI provided contact information and complete biographies of the men shortly after 9-11. How could the authorities have gathered this information so quickly? Were the terrorists already under surveillance? And: Were F-16’s* and Stealth bombers seen and tracked on radar near the New York City area at 8:05 A.M. on the morning of 9-11? *F-16’s: Was this why NORAD exercises were conveniently being conducted that day? As an alibi? Stephen Push, Treasurer, Families of September 11 th Inc. Sometime in 2000, a female flight attendant was assaulted in front of a witness by a man with a box cutter, who boasted that he routinely smuggled them aboard. She drew many similarities between her attacker and the hijackers of 9-11. She was told by the FBI that they could not locate the male flight attendant who had witnessed the incident. Frustrated, a year later she wrote Congress who then contacted the FBI. She received a letter from the FBI a few weeks later saying that the matter fell outside their jurisdiction 145 146 The 9-11 Commission Winds Down “Put us on the panel!” a heckler voiced. Plus, “Stop kissing ass! Let’s ask a couple of real questions! No more softball questions!” another yelled. -The 9-11 hearings at The New School in New York City The 9-11 Commission, or the “National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States,” was not the end-all in 9-11 investigation any more than the Warren Commission was the last say in the J FK assassination. As the New York Post Op Ed, “Bumpy Road to Better Security” pointed out in J uly 2004, The 9-11 Commission was just one of several committees bent on making recommendations on improving national security. There were also: The Scowcroft Commission; the Gillmore Commission; the House’s intelligence reform legislation; the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Iraq WMD report. And add to these the Congress J oint Inquiry and the Hart Rudman Report, theAl Gore's commission etc. I heard it originally reported that The 9-11 Commission would be under the guidance of none other than Porter Goss and Bob Graham (talk about foxes in the hen house). Then it was reported that Henry Kissinger would head The Commission. And at that time, presidential hopeful and 9-11 Commission Chairman, Senator J ohn Kerry, complained that restrictions put on The Commission by the CIA and White House would limit the thoroughness of The 9-11 Report. Kerry basically said of the Commission’s 146 147 findings that flawed would not be the word for them, and the public shouldn’t expect much and needs to be realistic. Did we really think we were going to get the real deal from The 9-11 Report? Condoleeza Rice, it was said by one 9-11 Commissioner in response to the White House refusal to make her available to The Commission stated that she had appeared everywhere except the local Starbucks, but could not make The Commission hearings. But it looked like too much of a cover-up, and so the White House either had to cancel Rice's upcoming Starbuck's appearance (that nobody knew about) or re-think that Commission thing. Rice had met with The Commission on a preliminary basis, but the White House insisted that she not be put under oath. One rumor had it that she couldn’t testify because of “scheduling conflicts.” Rice had done a recent interview for 60 Minutes though, and it just looked plain bad, and so the White House reneged and let Condi testify. *Some stellar statistic I heard had the Clinton Administration talking under oath something like sixty times to the Bush Administration’s five or six times. At the New York City 9-11 hearings, the sparks flew and the rhetoric got good as Commissioners and New York City officials slung it out at The New School in Greenwich Village. Commission member J ohn Lehman called the way the city responded to the crisis a scandal and a response not worthy of the Boy Scouts, let alone the great City of New York. Former FDNY Chief, Thomas Von Esson, disagreed, saying there was nothing scandalous about it. “Yes there is!” one woman cried from the peanut gallery. Mayor Giuliani appeared before the panel on May 18th 2004. Of the hearings, Rudy wished language like the above response were excluded, speaking of the above. He said he thought people get overly emotional. He said that catastrophes* always have acts of heroism, ingenious creativity and mistakes attached to them when human beings are put under that kind of stress. About PAPD-NYPD-FDNY cooperation Rudy said there was no cooperation problem and no assertion of ego. Giuliani told reporters afterwards that nobody expected they’d be dealing with an emergency of this enormity*. On commenting on The 9-11 Commission’s final report that 911 operator* failures contributed to the disaster, Rudy rebuffed the insinuation, saying that what happened on 9-11 exceeded any level of human bravery. The ten-member 9-11 Commission panel treated Giuliani with kid gloves, prompting some victim’s relatives to become agitated. One widow said in regards to Giuliani at the hearings that they were going to take his crown off so they can’t shine it. Another widow said that it was a big joke* and was glad there was an outburst or two. One heckler said to Rudy: “because that was a very important message, that tough questions aren’t being asked." “We leave frustrated,” still another widow added. They let Rudy Giuliani polish his crown. When Tom Kean called for order, saying that the hecklers were wasting time, someone yelled, “You’re wasting time!” One mother who lost a firefighter son waved a sign reading “LIES” on one day, and “FICTION” on the next. The frustration was palpable. Another widow conceded that they may never get the answers to these questions. 147 148 “Put us on the panel!” another heckler voiced. And “Stop kissing ass! Let’s ask a couple of real questions! No more softball questions!” A notable question victim’s relatives thought should have been asked of city brass was who ordered the rooftop doors* of the towers to be kept locked? The World Trade Center security measures were something to look back and shake your head at. Security is one thing, you do not want people gallivanting on the Trade Center roof, but it should’ve been accessible in an emergency. The World Trade Center had a questionable system called “defend in place,*” in the event of an emergency, instructing people to stay put. In light of the 1993 bombing, you really have to question that. Some never heard the shocking public address system announcement in the Trade Center on 9-11: “Your attention please: ladies and gentlemen. Building 2 (South Tower) is secure. There is no need to evacuate Building 2. If you are in the midst of evacuation, you may use the reentry doors and elevators to return to your office.” Some who had even made it all the way down to the lobby of the South Tower were enticed to return---some only to perish. Evacuation announcements were given within minutes of the strike on the North Tower too, but no one heard those announcements except Port Authority personnel; The Port Authority* had no plans for rescuing people trapped above a fire. Stanley Praimnath*, assistant VP for a bank in the South Tower, said they were about to exit the building, but a security guard asked him, “Where are you going?” Praimnath said he was going home. “Why?” the guard asked. *Why not? Praimnath said he saw fireballs falling down. “No, your building is safe and secure. Go back to your office.” After Praimnath’s return, he said he was looking out at New York Harbor, looking at an airplane making a beeline straight for him. Yikes! He said it was a giant gray airplane and he saw the letter ‘U’ for United on its tail. He dropped the phone and dove under his desk and heard the most ear-shattering sound he ever heard. The bottom wing came right through his office was stuck in his office door twenty feet away from him. The ceiling caved in and part of the 82nd floor collapsed, while Praimnath was trapped under his steel desk. That was the only thing that saved him. Everything else was destroyed. Morgan Stanley, the World Trade Center’s biggest tenant, prior to 9-11, began crafting an evacuation plan. Nine-eleven Commission member J ohn Lehman said that Morgan Stanley had a “bitter dispute” with the Port Authority over its refusal to make their employees remain at their desks during an emergency. Rick Rescorla*, Security Chief for Morgan Stanley and a Vietnam Veteran, died after helping 2,700 people evacuate the WTC on 9-11. He was last seen going up the stairs in the South Tower. A statue of Rescorla was unveiled in April 2006 at Fort Benning in Georgia, where he attended officer's school. It was learned by The 9-11 Commission that it was not FDNY Battalion Chief J oseph Pfeifer’s job to turn the repeater on inside 5 WTC in an emergency, but that of a fire security contractor named Lloyd Thompson, an employee of OCS Security. The 148 149 Commission at first claimed they could not locate Thompson for an interview, but the New York Post found him hiding in plain sight in Westchester, New York. Thompson said he was not hiding and was no criminal. Thompson disagrees that he may have made an error while handling the repeater, and planned to meet with The 9-11 Commission. An interesting point regarding the repeater was that after the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 AM, and the repeater atop 5 WTC was allegedly wiped out, the FDNY un-amplified radio channels then worked fine in the North Tower and firefighters were able to hear Pfeifer’s orders to evacuate. Was this just because the airspace had been freed up, but how could the South Tower have blocked radio waves from reaching up into the North Tower? Was there RF jamming that day? Another unforeseen problem that may have contributed to deaths at the Trade Center was the lack of information passed between the NYPD and FDNY with 911 operators. The 911 operators had no useful information to forward to the desperate callers inside the towers. For instance, the callers wondered if they should evacuate, and how? What was the elevator or stairway availability etc.? But the situation was unprecedented, and there were no case studies to base such protocol upon. One central theme remains that in light of The 9-11 Commission investigation, it became obvious that there were too many chiefs and not enough Indians in New York. The point was driven home in the Daily News article, “Chief problem with city terror plan? Too many of ‘em,” 5-19-04; officials are obsessed by rank and authority in New York City. Everybody wants to be a big shot and no one wants to be told what to do. And nobody wants to take the blame when something goes wrong. As The 9-11 Commission wound down in J une 2004, some of the parting shots were that there was no credible evidence* that Iraq had any connections to 9-11 and Al Qida, and that the military could have shot down the hijacked jets if they were given sufficient warning* by the FAA. If air-traffic controllers had asked for help sooner, NORAD’s Northeast Air Defense Sector could have responded more accordingly. Waiting until 8:37 A.M., it left Otis Air Base F-15 fighters with only nine minutes to intercept. The military also wasn’t told about the hijack of UA Flight 175 until after it struck the South Tower. General Ralph Eberhart said that if the FAA had told them sooner, they could have shot the planes down. It is questionable if permission could have been given in those extra 13 minutes though, doubtful even, because Cheney allegedly did not give the official shoot-down order until 10:02 A.M. One eye-opener is that it is alleged that Flight 77 disappeared from radar* at 8:56 A.M. and did not reappear until 9:32. For 36 minutes the plane flew undetected. Various reasons were given for the discrepancy, including switching between transponder identification to manual radar (The 9-11 Report), in which the controller searches for the radar signature on the scope the old fashioned way. Sources then attributed the problem to a software “glitch.” Come on... A “glitch” is when I can’t get into my email account. Planes just don’t disappear. As The 9-11 Report was finished and published in book form, a furor erupted over 9-11 chairperson and former National Security Adviser, Sandy Berger’s* swiping of top-secret documents from the National Archives dealing with Al Qida and counter-terrorism, mostly under President Clinton. A key document is the review of the 1999 millennium terror plot. The report is said to be critical of the Clinton policy. The report also contained 29 proposals for improving national security, but only one of those 149 150 recommendations was heeded under Clinton. It looked like just a favor to Bill, but what was he trying to hide? The 9-11 Commission report did bring to light, however, a previously classified document under Bill Clinton---another PDB*. This one was dated December 4th 1998, and warned of a terror plot gathered by the CIA from a foreign government. The brief was titled, “Bin Ladin Preparing to Hijack U.S. Aircraft and Other Attacks.” Here we go again... More specific warnings leading up to 9-11, but we still got slammed. The plot called for Al Qida to hijack U.S. aircraft to try and spring three Arab terrorists in U.S. custody. Among the three were Ramzi Yusef of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and its ringleader, the blind Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman*. What also came to light was a question of to what extent Egypt could have been involved in 9-11, or past or future Al Qida attacks. An unidentified intelligence source was quoted in the brief saying that as of late October 1998, Egypt’s Al Qida cell, “ally Gama al-Islamayiyya,” was set to go through with the hijackings, but two of its members were arrested. There were no specifics about the arrests or what the charges were. It harkened back to the Cairo / Richard Dennison account about talk of the 9-11 attacks in Cairo. The December 4th PDB was at least followed up, with counter-terrorism agents issuing warnings to New York metropolitan airports, the NYPD, the FAA, the FBI and the airlines. An investigation by Tomflocco.com titled, Rookie in the 9-11 Hot Seat?, 6- 17-04, uncovered discrepancies involving the National Military Command Center (NMCC) and their secure phone bridges on 9-11. In testimony to The 9-11 Commission*, U.S. Navy Captain Charles Leidig J r., revealed that he was asked on September 10th 2001 to relieve the duty of Brigadier General Montague Winfield, as Deputy Director for Operations for the NMCC, for part of the day on September the 11th. He would be responsible for necessary communications as watch commander. Captain Leidig assumed General Winfield’s watch at 8:30 A.M. on 9-11. Nine-eleven Commissioner J ohn Lehman asked Leidig about the controlled phone bridges and he, Leidig, informed him that they were classified and secure lines, which could include the president if needed. He confirmed that Cheney and the White House had been connected on the morning of 9-11. The questioning was quickly cut off by Chairman Tom Kean though, but picked up again by Commissioner Timothy Roemer, wherein Leidig confirmed he was connected to the White House during the “Significant Event Conference,” which eventually became the “Air Threat Conference.” The phone bridge also had the capability of including Air Force One, but did not do so during the critical time of the attacks. Why was this? When asked why the NMCC had not been connected directly to Air Force One, Leidig replied he didn’t recall. He didn’t recall? How could you not recall something as important as that? That would almost be like saying you can’t remember your own name. Flocco wrote that this was the period in which Leidig seemed to lose facial control on camera, betraying a poker face. Leidig confirmed that General Winfield relieved him of his watch at around 10:00 A.M. Transcripts pertaining to the phone bridges have been classified* for national security reasons. Leidig and Winfield were both nominated for promotions by Bush in May 2003: Leidig to Navy Admiral, and Winfield to Major General. Surprised? The angles for conspiracy here could be several, but the obvious one was where did Brigadier General Montague Winfield have to run off to on the morning of 9-11? *Catastrophes: New York Post, “Rudy Strikes,” 5-20-04. *Enormity: Daily News, “Rudy: We Did All We Could,” 5-20-04. 150 151 *Today was a joke: New York Post, “Kin fury boils over,” 5-20-04. *Rooftop Doors: Daily News, “Panel accused of softball questions,” 5-20-04. *Defend In Place: Daily News, “Evacuation was delayed,” 5-19-04. *Stanley Praimnath: Daily News, “Sudden Impact,” 5-19-04. *Port Authority: Daily News, “Probers cite turf battles and miscommunication,” 5-19-04. *No Credible Evidence: New York Post, “Doomsday Plan,” 5-17-04. *Sufficient Warning: New York Post, “13 Minutes: Delayed warning cost fighters time to shoot down hijacked planes,” 6-18-04. *Radar: New York Post, “Feds’ Stunning Hijack Bungle,” 6-18-04. / Daily News, “How skyjackers managed to go off the radar and thwart air controllers,” 6-18-04. *Sandy Berger: New York Post, “Sandy storm,” 7-23-04. *PDB: New York Post, “Clinton received red flag on hijackings in ’98,” 7-23-04. *911 operator: New York Post, “Wusses of Washington get rotten with Apple’s heroes,” 7-23-04. *Classified: U.S. News, 9-8-03. *9-11 Commission: Flocco pointed out that Captain Leidig’s testimony is among the shortest given to The 9-11 Commission: practically one page, double-spaced, large font. *Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman: Rahman’s attorney, Lynne Stewart, was charged with providing material support for terrorist activity by conveying the sheik’s messages to his jihadist followers. She was convicted on 2-10-05, but was expected to appeal. Stewart allegedly got free food from Middle Eastern food vendors outside the courthouse during the trial, according to the New York Post. Egyptian food vendors would lavish free food and coffee on her as thanks for representing the blind sheik---“Sheik And Bake,” 9-29-04. *Rick Rescorla: Staten Island Advance, "Statue of Sept. 11 hero unveiled," 4-3-06. +1: A California woman named Sarah Olson was married to an Al Qida agent in the U.S., and had the Blind Sheik over for dinner in October 1992. She said she was duped into marrying her husband, Hisham Diab, by Usama’s agents. She tried calling the FBI, but the FBI was not interested she said. Their neighbor, Khalil Deek, was arrested in J ordan for plotting to blow up the U.S. Embassy in a millennium terror plot. Olson also claimed to have witnessed the recruitment of American Al Qida agent, Adam Gadahn, also know as “Azzam the American”---ABCTV, Prime Time Live. 151 152 9-11 According to The 9-11 Report A Secret Service Agent allegedly told General David Wherley of the 113th Wing, that he had a telephone in each ear, and that the President was on one giving him instructions---??? -The Secret Service, ordering defense takeout on 9-11 The following is a dissection and overall summary of The 9-11 Report; The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States for those who may never get around to reading the entire 608-page* report. This summary is focused upon the common themes of this book, and not an end-all, cliff notes-type section. At times The 9-11 Report was like wading through brackish sludge; particularly, because the report seemed to repeat itself over and over at times, and so forgive any redundancies. The 9-11 Commission and The 9-11 Report basically happened due to a core group of 9-11 victim’s relatives, the "J ersey Girls," who went to Washington to convince Congress and a reluctant White House to convene these sessions. The J ersey Girls are: Kristen Breitweiser, Patty Casazza, Lorie Van Auken and Mindy Kleinberg. President Bush originally named Henry Kissinger to lead The 9-11 Commission, raising eyebrows that the fix was in from the get-go. The same Kissinger who claimed he found wiretapping* distasteful in the Watergate hearings. But Henry quit because of a conflict of interest that would’ve called for him to disband his consulting firm, "Kissinger Associates," and so Bush named former New J ersey Governor (R), Tom H. Kean, to chair the committee. Other members were appointed by Bush as well and included: Lee H. Hamilton, Vice Chair; Richard Ben-Veniste; Bob Kerrey; Fred F. Fielding; J ohn F. Lehman; J amie S. Gorelick; Timothy J . Roemer; Slade Gorton; and J ames R. Thompson. There were a total of 11 public hearings ("eleven?" numerology 152 153 again?) in several U.S. cities where testimony was gathered. The 9-11 Report began with a look back at reports and analysis by The New York Times: By J uly 2003, the investigation was already becoming bogged down by the critical government agencies, especially the Pentagon and J ustice Department, of which The Commission needed documents from. The White House was also difficult in that they would not allow officials to be interviewed without the presence of government handlers. Kean hinted that the practice resembled “intimidation” of the witnesses. This harkened back to one of my basic points about 9-11, that you don't know who the real villains were in regards to 9-11 foreknowledge, and more specifically in regards to whomever Bush appointed to The Commission. Conspiracy theorists assumed they must be in on it. But by October 2003, Kean complained again that the White House was continuing to withhold critical classified documents, and that he was considering subpoenaing them. He said that critical documents pertaining to the 9-11 investigation must not be held beyond their reach, because he would not stand for it. In November 2003, The 9-11 Commission struck a deal with the White House, giving them limited access to the President’s Daily Brief’s before the 9-11 attacks. In December 2003, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg agreed to release emergency 911 records to the investigation. He had originally balked at the request and intended to challenge it, calling it ghoulish and an invasion of the privacy of the victim’s families. At the time, I recall I originally misconstrued the reasons as to why The 9-11Commission wanted those records. At the time, I thought they were demanding the documents in order to whitewash and sterilize them---expurgating any allusion to abnormal explosions or missiles. I immediately fired off a letter to Mayor Bloomberg saying so much, urging him to stonewall The Commission. But it actually turned out to be the other way around---the polar opposite! Bloomberg seemed like the skunk, not wanting to cooperate with the investigation. In early February 2004, as the clock ticked on the investigation, it became evident that The 9-11 Commission would need more time. The White House originally balked on that, but reversed its decision again, and allowed The Commission to extend its deadline to late J uly 2004. The previous deadline had been May 27th 2004. At first glance, it appeared to be a kind-hearted move on the part of the White House, but it was really a choosing of the lesser of “two evils” in that they were actually preempting Congress, who could have extended the deadline themselves well into the next year, and Republican advisers worried that an extended investigation could harm the president’s re- election bid. Even so, the Bush Administration withheld The 9-11 Report's official release* until after the 2004 Election. The J oint Committee in the Senate and the House encountered the same problems pertaining to limitations on intelligence in their 9-11 one year anniversary report. Presidential historian, Michael Beschloss, said we don’t know what we will learn 20 years from now about what information The Commission had access to and followed up on, and other areas that may have been ignored that were important. (End New York Times analysis). *Wiretapping: The American Police State, David Wise. *Release: Staten Island Advance, "Dems: Probe delay of 9/11 report that rapped FAA," 2-16-05. 153 154 The 9-11 Report The 9-11 Report begins by noting how balmy the weather was on 9-11-01. Mohammed Atta and Abdul Aziz al Omari arrived at the J etport in Portland, Maine, in the wee hours of 9-11-01, but the report didn’t actually say where they arrived from. Atta and al Omari boarded a plane to Boston’s Logan Airport at 6:00 A.M. But beforehand, Atta was singled out for a security screening by the CAPPS system (Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System), to screen out passengers subject to special security measures. Atta’s bags were held until he boarded the plane, and he arrived in Boston at 6:45 A.M. where he took a call form Marwan al Shehhi in another terminal at Logan. A company called “Globe Security” operated the gate to AA Flight 11, under contract with American Airlines. “Huntleigh USA” operated the gate to UA Flight 175. Anyone suspected of carrying a weapon would be hand-wanded with a detector. X-ray machines screened passenger’s bags. None of the screeners recalled anything unordinary about the hijackers. Suqami, Wail al Shehri and Waleed al Sherhi were selected by CAPPS in Boston. Atta, Omari and Suqami took seats in business class. The Sherhi brothers in first class. Shehhi and his group boarded UA 175 without any CAPPS delays. At Dulles Airport, Hani Hanjour, Khalid al Mihdhar and Majed Moqed were flagged by CAPPS boarding AA Flight 77. The Hazmi brothers were also delayed by security, because they appeared suspicious: one brother did not have a photo ID or could he speak English. Moqed was wanded, but passed inspection. Nawaf al Hazmi set off detectors, and videotape revealed that a metal object---probably a knife---was clipped to the back of his pants. The gate was protected by “Argenbright Security." A screening expert who watched the videotape, called the security screening “marginal at best,” and said that he would have “resolved” what had set off the alarms. At Newark International, Haznawi was selected by CAPPS for UA Flight 93. The security company was Argenbright. Once again, security persons could not recall anything spectacular about the men or security measures. What was going on here? If the gates were not rigged with operatives, then there seemed to be an overall mental breakdown as far as the perception by the personnel, almost akin to memory loss. This, or was it just job routine burnout? At around 8:14 A.M., AA Flight 11 was instructed by ATC to climb to 35,000 feet. It did not respond. One of the Shehri brothers allegedly stabbed two flight attendants, and they do not know how they gained access to the cockpit. Hijackers Atta and Omari made a move for the cockpit, while passenger Daniel Lewin, who served in the Israeli military, was stabbed by a hijacker probably trying to stop them. To force passengers to the rear of the plane, the hijackers sprayed a chemical irritant. Flight Attendant Betty Ong contacted an American Airlines office in Cary, North Carolina, at 8:19 A.M. allegedly via an AT&T Airfone. The call lasted twenty-five minutes. Ong said, “The cockpit is not answering, somebody’s stabbed in business class---and I think there’s mace---that we can’t breathe---I don’t know. I think we’re getting hijacked.” 154 155 If you study Ong’s words, there seemed to be far too many ‘I don’t knows?’ going on. Ong wasn't even sure that they were being hijacked. And why were passengers being permitted by the so-called violent hijackers to use Airfones? Was this just a cover story to cover up the cell phone gaff? Flight Attendant Sweeney tried contacting American Airlines in Boston, but was cut off twice. At 8:26, Ong reported that the plane began “flying erratically." At 8:44 Sweeney told airline authorities, “We are flying low. We are flying very, very low. We are flying way too low. Oh my God we are way too low.” Then the call ended. AA Flight 11 crashed at 8:46:40. It carried 76 passengers. At 8:42 A.M., UA Flight 175 reported a “suspicious transmission” from another plane. It was UA 175’s last message. Two passengers and a flight attendant reported that the hijackers used knives, mace and a bomb threat. They stabbed members of the flight crew and both pilots were killed. At 8:47 A.M., UA 175 changed beacon codes twice within a minute. At 8:52 A.M., Lee Hanson of Easton, Connecticut, got a call from his son Peter, who told him, “I think they’ve taken over the cockpit---an attendant has been stabbed---and someone else up front may have been killed. The plane is making strange moves. Call United Airlines---tell them its Flight 175, Boston to LA." A call by a male flight attendant to United Airlines in San Francisco was made at 8:52 A.M. At 8:59 A.M., passenger Brian Sweeney called his mother and told her that they were thinking about storming the cockpit. Peter Hanson called his father again at 9:00 A.M., “It’s getting bad---a stewardess was stabbed. They seem to have knives and mace. They said they have a bomb. It’s getting very bad on the plane. Passengers are throwing up and getting sick. The plane is making jerky movements. I don’t think the pilot is flying the plane. I think we are going down. I think they intend to go to Chicago or someplace and fly into a building. Don’t worry dad. If it happens, it’ll be very fast. My God, my God.” The call ended suddenly after his father heard a woman scream. UA Flight 175 allegedly struck the South Tower at 9:03:11. It carried 51 passengers. American Airlines Flight 77 made its last routine radio transmission at 8:51 A.M. Hijackers were reported by a passenger to have box cutters. The transponder was turned off at 8:56 A.M. At 9:12 A.M., passenger Renee May called her mother in Las Vegas and told her that they were being hijacked by six individuals. The FBI presented us with 5 hijackers aboard AA 77. Who was the sixth hijacker? And once again, there was no mention as to the identities or appearances of the hijackers, as in: "Middle Eastern or Arabic men." Why? Solicitor General Ted Olson’s wife, Barbara, called her husband around 9:20 A.M. and reported hijackers with knives and box cutters and that they were not aware of her call. They had put all the passengers in the rear of the plane. This call was cut off as well within a minute. A NYC Medical Examiner's Office expert theorized that the reason some terrorist’s remains and DNA could not be recovered was because they were probably vaporized due that they were in the rear of the plane. But we're told the passengers were forced to the rear. Which was it? And once again, cut off calls and the question of was it Airfone or cell phone? Olson called a second time, but that call was cut off too. Was there signal jamming on 9-11? At 9:34 A.M., AA 77 was five miles southwest of the Pentagon and began a 330-degree turn, heading for the Pentagon at maximum power; AA Flight 77 crashed at 9:37:46 A.M., it carried 53 passengers. 155 156 United Airlines Flight 93 was hijacked between 8:42 and 8:46 A.M. Sometime around 9:07 A.M. Boston Center began speculating that Delta Flight 1989 might be hijacked also. FAA officials told the airlines several times that it was the carrier’s responsibility to contact their planes about security problems. Why was the FAA taking this attitude and shirking responsibility? American Airlines made no measures to contact its airborne planes about security measures on 9-11. United Airlines did not do so until 9:19 A.M., with the ACARS message, a form of airliner text messaging: “Beware any cockpit intrusion. Two a/c (aircraft) hit the World Trade Center." UA 93 received the message at 9:23. A.M. At 9:26 A.M., pilot J ason Dahl responded, “Ed, confirm last mssg plz---J ason.” Two minutes later the hijackers stormed in. FAA ATC in Cleveland heard the captain or first officer cry, “Mayday, Mayday,” amid a physical struggle. A transmission thirty-five seconds later showed that the fight was continuing with the words, “Hey get out of here…get out of here…get out of here.” Because passengers on UA 93 described three hijackers, not four, investigators believed the fourth may have used the cockpit “jump seat,” which FAA rules stipulate can only be used by documented, approved persons. It's almost impossible that the fourth man would've been in the jump seat had that hijacker been an undocumented Middle Eastern man. The jump seat is situated in the cockpit, right behind the crew. At 9:32 A.M., an announcement from the cockpit was made: “Ladies and gentlemen: Here the captain, please sit down keep remaining sitting. We have a bomb on board. So, sit.” The planes autopilot was commanded to turn east. UA Flight 93’s voice recorder, the only one supposedly recovered, revealed that a female flight attendant was being held captive in the cockpit. She struggled with her captors and was either killed or silenced. At this point, The 9-11 Report claimed that passengers and crewmembers began making a series of GTE Airfone and cell phone calls. Two passengers reported that the hijackers knew they were making cell phone calls, but didn’t seem to care. I found that odd. It reeked of the so-called hijackers not fearing any interception by fighter jets then. Wouldn’t they be concerned that authorities could use cell phone transmissions to key in on their location and shoot them down, therefore nixing their evil mission? At 9:39 A.M., ATC (Air Traffic Control) Cleveland heard another announcement made to the passengers about bombs and remaining seated, but the passengers never heard it. The pressing of the wrong button has been blamed. One caller reported that the hijackers were wearing red bandanas*. What was the significance of that? Other callers reported that a passenger had been stabbed and two people were lying on the floor of the cockpit---possibly the captain and the first officer. Another caller reported a flight attendant had been killed. Still another caller speculated that the hijackers might have a gun. Five more calls described how the passengers and surviving crewmembers were considering storming the hijackers. They took a vote and it was “yes.” The passenger uprising began at 9:57 A.M. The CVR captured the muffled sounds of the revolt. The pilot began to roll the plane back and forth, and dip the nose up and down, but the assault continued. At 10:02:23 A.M., the plane headed down, crashing in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The original target may have been the White House or the Capitol building. I reiterate the time discrepancy between when the FBI said that UA 93 crashed, when seismologists identified it as impacting, and the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) crash timing, fueling speculation that if UA Flight 93 was part of some sort of black operation, and if that operation was in peril due to a passenger mutiny, then the flight had to be shot down. The passenger count for UA 93 156 157 was only 33, well below normal. Three of the four flights turned off their transponders. The universal code for a transponder “squawking,” or revealing a hijacking code is “7500.” Lack of a transponder signal left the controllers to track the old fashioned way, with primary radar returns. After a hijack confirmation, an FAA hijack coordinator in Washington would contact the Pentagon’s NMCC (National Military Command Center) for a military escort. Before 9-11, permission to shoot down a commercial aircraft lied with the National Command Authority, or the president and secretary of defense. On 9-11, the four critical flights were in NORAD’s “NEADS” (Northeast Air Defense Sector) airspace based in Rome, New York. NEADS would then call on Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod, and Langley AFB in Hampton, Virginia. The first official notification to the military (NEADS) of a hijacking on 9-11, came from Boston Center at 8:37:52 A.M. NEADS ordered two 5-15’s from Otis to battle stations. Battle Commander Colonel Robert Marr contacted Major General Larry Arnold at NORAD for permission to scramble, and they were airborne at 8:53 A.M. But the officer directing the fighters said, “I don’t know where I’m scrambling these guys to. I need a direction, a destination.” NEADS was searching the primary radar returns for something to tell Otis. They were vectored toward military airspace off of Long Island, NY, to “hold as needed.” They stayed in their holding patterns from 9:09 to 9:13 A.M. Around 8:53 A.M., a commercial aircraft in the New York City vicinity reported to New York Center controllers of, “reports over the radio of a commuter plane hitting the World Trade Center." At 9:08 A.M., after the South Tower exploded, Mission Crew Commander at NEADS decided, “We need to take those fighters, put ‘em over Manhattan. That’s the best thing, that’s the best play right now…if there’s more out there, which we don’t know, let’s get ‘em over Manhattan. At least we got some kind of play." Supposedly, FAA radar showed that at 9:13 A.M., the Otis fighters were still 115 miles away from Manhattan, but if there were any military jets in the NYC area, they would not be flying with transponders or friend or foe signals on, as is usual military practice. The Otis jets arrived at 9:25 A.M., and began CAP (Combat Aircraft Patrol). Because commanders were worried about the fuel expended by the delayed Otis fighters, NEADS considered scrambling fighters form Langley. Langley fighters were placed on battle stations at 9:09 A.M. AA Flight 77 disappeared from radar from Indianapolis Center at 8:56 A.M. as it was turning southwest. The controller could not find any primary radar returns along the plane’s projected flight path, suggesting that the plane’s direction may have been a ruse to throw off controllers. Rumors surfaced after 9-11 about AA 77 being diverted and landed somewhere in West Virginia. Indianapolis Center contacted the West Virginia State Police about a possible downed aircraft on 9-11. AA Flight 77 was invisible to the world for 8 minutes, 13 seconds---a world of time for a game of shells perhaps? The blame for losing AA 77 was put on the way software processes radar information, as well as bad terrain. AA Flight 77 reemerged at 9:05 A.M., when The 9-11 Report stated that the plane began heading east. Did the plane make the turn to throw off radar controllers? Were there two planes, one plane flying southwest to destinations unknown, and another plane assuming its place? At 9:32 A.M., Washington Dulles controllers found a primary target heading eastbound at a high rate of speed. Reagan National Airport instructed a National 157 158 Guard C-130 in the area to help identify the aircraft. The C-130 radioed that it was a Boeing 757, and said at 9:38 A.M., “looks like that aircraft crashed into the Pentagon sir." This big, slow C-130 seemed like a miracle plane on 9-11, seeing everything, being everywhere. NEADS got a report from the FAA at 9:21 A.M. that AA 11 was still in the air and heading for Washington. This information would've been provided by either the Boston or New York Center. They even scrambled Langley after AA 11 at 9:23 A.M. According to The 9-11 Report, they mysteriously could never identify the source of this “mistaken” information. How convenient. At 9:36 A.M., the mysterious flight was six miles “southeast” of Washington. By the trajectory, I couldn't see it being confused with the Otis fighters as some have speculated. The Otis jets were headed for NYC. Was it AA 11 coming from the east coast, NYC area, or could it have been the real UA Flight 175? If you study the alleged flight paths of the jets, at no time was AA 77 or UA 93 approaching from the southeast towards the White House. At the time, even the Langley fighters were heading east over the ocean, and not to the White House as instructed. The 9-11 Report explained why this was, but it sounded like a bunch of bullshit. I couldn’t make any sense of the reasons given, and they needed three tries to make it sound convincing. The fact was, neither the Otis or the Langley fighters were being handled correctly. Why was this? At 9:38 A.M., this primary radar target heading towards Washington “kind of faded,” but the Pentagon was struck at 9:37:46A.M.---another slight time discrepancy in which the story almost jibes, but the sheer deluge of HUMINT data on 9-11 was just too difficult for anyone to manage. Whatever it was that was tracking in towards Washington was expertly timed as to drop off radar about the same time that another target exploded. The official story "kind of faded" for me. At 9:41 A.M., NEADS warned Cleveland Center that Delta Flight 1989 was a possible hijack, but Boston Center had known this since 9:07 A.M., getting the brush-off from the FAA. For almost an hour, air controllers had reason to believe something was wrong with Delta 1989. But Cleveland Center was also concerned with an approaching UA 93, and prepared to contact a nearby military base regarding the flight at 9:36 A.M., but once again, the FAA brass over-rode them, saying that higher ups had to make that decision. What was the FAA's problem on 9-11? Were they part of the black operation? Not until 9:49 was the option discussed by FAA headquarters, even after ordering all planes to land at the nearest airports at 9:42 A.M., after the Pentagon was hit. What were they waiting for? At no point did the FAA ever discuss UA 93 with the military. Scandalous. According to The 9-11 Report, UA 93 crashed in Pennsylvania at 10:03:11 A.M. And coming to the visual ID once again, was the same National Guard C- 130 that ID’d AA 77 after it hit the Pentagon. That magic plane! At 10:10 A.M., the Langley fighters were instructed: “negative---negative clearance to shoot,” over Washington D.C. At 10:15 A.M., NEADS got a report of a bomb aboard UA 93, and the FAA informed them for the first time that it had already crashed. But NEADS responded, “When did he land? ‘Cause we got confirmation……..” NEADS explicitly said, before they were cut short, that they had gotten “confirmation” that UA 93 was still around, that it landed. Confirmation is a strong word. So where did it land? Other sources had UA 93 heading towards Cleveland, but landing at J ohnstown Airport in Pennsylvania. Or what if it landed at Cleveland Hopkins Airport as it was reported? 158 159 It is here that The 9-11 Report basically stated that FAA personnel performed acts of personal heroics by recommending a 'nationwide alert' and grounding air traffic. Genius! I liked the FAA less and less as this story went along. White House Chief of Staff Andy Card told The Commission that he was standing with the President outside the Emma E. Booker classroom when Senior Advisor to the President told them that a small, twin-engine plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Firstly, it’s been reported by press traveling with the presidential motorcade that the issue had already been discussed outside the school. Secondly, lets just assume that certain personnel around the Bush Administration were not privy to the 9-11 plot beforehand, then what if they were uttering truth concerning what hit the North Tower: something far smaller than a commercial airliner. Condi Rice also recalls telling the President that it was a small aircraft. If you were one of the architects of 9-11, and the first shot---the hit on the North Tower---was largely a free-bee, with a low-percentage chance of being captured on video, then why bother using a commercial airliner right? At 9:29 A.M., the NMCC called a “significant event” teleconference. At various times over the next eight hours, key government officials and military personnel participated. The FAA had no hijacking expertise or decision-making presence in the conference, and was absent for the first 48 minutes. What didn’t reflect very well for Bush is that after Card informed him of the second tower being hit, saying, “America is under attack,” is that the president just sat there while time passed. If this had been news of the first hit, it may have been more believable, but there was a flawed script at work here, and you do not ad lib when you’re going by a script. Once again I cite that if 9-11 were a black operation, how humongous of an operation it would’ve been, and would’ve been impossible to manage perfectly. At 9:34 A.M., the alleged AA 77 turned south away from the White House, before turning west and doubling back. The Secret Service evacuated the Vice President to the White House bunker at 9:36 A.M. Cheney tried to contact the President from a secure phone in a hallway inside the bunker, then in the shelter conference room, but the line “kept cutting off.” This was another circumstance that made me question who the real villains were on 9-11. Between 10:10 and 10:15 A.M., Bush allegedly gave Cheney shoot down permission for fighters pursuing hijacked aircraft. Yet Scooter Libby, Cheney's Chief of Staff, didn’t recall Cheney taking a call with the president when he entered the conference room. Was it a make believe call, where Bush gave shoot down orders he never gave? Similarly, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, J oshua Bolten, suggested Cheney get in touch with the President and confirm this engagement order. Bolten wanted the President to know that Cheney had executed the order, because he had not heard of any prior discussion about it with the president. And so a second official did not recall the engagement order being given to Cheney. What was going on here? Cheney was then logged as calling the President at 10:18 A.M. for the reconfirmation of shoot down orders. Ari Fleischer noted at 10:20 A.M., that Bush had told him about the order. Pre-designated engagement order? Dictator Cheney anyone? Or did officials already know that a shoot down order would not be followed anyway by Agents of 9-11, and so it was just a scripted show. At 10:30 A.M., the White House bunker got a report of another incoming aircraft 5 to 10 miles out. This reportedly turned out to be a medevac helicopter. But are we to believe that medevac's were flying without transponder codes on 9-11 also? Didn't 159 160 they own a radio? The 9-11 Report quoted one controller as saying, “it drops below the radar screen and it’s just continually hovering in your imagination, you don’t know where it is or what happens to it.” The only orders radioed to the fighters by NEADS on 9-11 were to “ID type and tail” of any aircraft. Commanders were unsure of how the pilots would or should proceed with the shoot down order. I don't understand that one. Technically, the rules of engagement for this type of shoot down run from the president to the secretary of defense, and from the secretary to the military. Bush spoke to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld first at 10:00 A.M. that morning, and shoot down options were not discussed. By 10:45 A.M., the 113th Wing of the District of Columbia Air National Guard out of Andrews AFB was in the skies over Washington, with its own rules of engagement. This was in response to intelligence given them by the Secret Service. A Secret Service Agent allegedly told General David Wherley of the 113th Wing, that he had a telephone in each ear, and that the President was on the other line giving him instructions. Wherley decided that this meant flying “weapons free,” or that the decision rested with the pilots on whether to shoot. This is another little riddle about who was really in charge on 9-11, because both Bush and Cheney indicated to The 9-11 Commission that neither of them had been aware that the fighters had been scrambled out of Andrews. Hmmmmm…Once again, who are the villains and who are the heroes? Did Bush and Cheney not want to go on record saying they knew about the scrambled fighters, making it appear that the Secret Service had to pick up the slack on 9-11--- ordering takeout for some ANG fighters to protect the capitol---to take a return swat at our own traitorous military that had been infiltrated by turncoats on that day? Or, were Bush & Cheney and the military the real villains, in on the horse & pony military air show that day, thus leaving The Secret Service out of the loop and compelling them to do the right thing as Americans and try to get some real air cover over Washington? And what about what one lead Langley fighter pilot said, “I reverted to the Russian threat…I’m thinking cruise missile threat from the sea. You know you look down and see the Pentagon burning and I thought the bastards snuck on by us…You couldn’t see any airplanes and no one told us anything.” Does this absolve the pilots themselves, leaving complicity possibly only resting on the military brass? Does anyone’s head hurt here yet? Take your pick or mix & match. It harkens back to my statement about polar opposites and the real villains on 9-11. Throw everything you thought you knew about 9- 11 right out the window. Why They Hate Us One thing The 9-11 Report did an excellent job with was explaining why a great proportion of the Muslim world seems to hate us here in the west. In 1996, Bin Ladin attempted to issue a “do it yourself" fatwa calling for Saudi Arabia to expel American soldiers, but I guess that press release went into the trashcan. This 1996 declaration especially gloated about the 1993 Somali firefight, saying that the United States rushed out in shame and disgrace, but it made me wonder did anyone ever inform UBL that we actually won that?; approximately 1,000 Somali fighters were killed by American soldiers. Not to be deterred, UBL issued “son of fatwa,” or the“Fax war.” This fatwa was issued by fax in 1998---Bin Ladin had declared war on America by fax! In an 160 161 Arabic language newspaper, World Islamic Front, The 9-11 Report stated, that the fax said America had declared war on God. This fatwa wasn’t signed by a Muslim cleric either, violating Muslim law. Perhaps UBL was considering following up the fax war with a really nasty email? In May 1998, Bin Ladin was interviewed in Afghanistan by ABC TV and said that it was far better for him to kill an American soldier than to waste his efforts on anything else. Bin Ladin whipped up his troops by telling them that he will restore pride to his people---victims of oppressors both amidst and abroad. He drew from select bits of history, Islam, and regional political and economic conditions that fit his argument. Bin Ladin liked to quote from a 14th Century scholar named Ibn Taimiyyah, who lashed out at corrupt rulers and the weak clerics who refused to criticize them. He also liked to derive from Egyptian writer, Sayyid Qutb, who was executed by Egyptian authorities in 1966 for attempting to overthrow the government. Studying in the U.S. in the late 1940’s, Qutb mixed Islamic principles with surface level western thought. He left with a loathing for “materialistic” America. Al Qida believed that Americans should leave the Middle East and convert to Islam. Islamic fundamentalists succeeded in gaining some anti-colonial headway in the 19th and 20th Centuries, but most Muslim rabble-rousing was initiated by western educated lawyers, soldiers and officials. Is that not Islamic Apostasy? After World War II, the Arab Middle East went from a place of pride and optimism into a slide into ruin. Ruling dynasties popped up that still survive today; some of these governments were overthrown by secular movements that promised a brighter future that never materialized. The secular autocracies went bankrupt, and exiled any factors that would attempt an even peaceful coup. Then the 1970’s and 1980’s produced sudden oil wealth for some un- modernized Middle Eastern countries. This allowed them to establish large social welfare programs and subsidized education and other projects that gave root to a “sense of entitlement,” without any obligation to the state. It was strikingly similar to what's happening in America. But dropping oil revenues and population growth in the Arab world culminating in the late 1980’s, made it impossible to sustain all the handouts to the parasites. This breaded resentment to those who had become accustomed to being subsidized even though most of the oil revenues went into the pockets of the oligarchs. The dynasties placed more value on the continuity of rule than anything else. *Red bandana: Welles Crowther, an ex-Rockland County Volunteer Firefighter, and hero equities trader on 9-11 who helped numerous people escape the Twin Towers, also wrapped a red bandana around his face and spent the last hour of his life doing what he really loved, saving lives. Posthumously, the FDNY made Crowther an honorary member--- New York Post, "'Man in red bandanna' honored for 9/11 sacrifice," 12-11-06. Bin Ladin Usama Bin Ladin was the seventeenth of fifty-seven children. He stands/stood six feet, five inches tall, and is thin. He iss the son of a Saudi construction mogul, now deceased. He attended Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia, was a gifted athlete and became interested in religious study after hearing sermons by "Abdullah Azzam," a Palestinian disciple of Qutb. Bin Ladin arrived in Afghanistan in 1980 at the age of 23. He only participated in one actual battle, and was largely a financial interest used by the resistance because of his family's fortune. Through Pakistan’s ISID, the 161 162 United States and Saudi Arabia also funneled billions of dollars to the Afghan resistance, providing a perfect environment for Bin Ladin. Moscow pulled out of Afghanistan in 1988. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Bin Ladin went to Saudi Arabia and petitioned the Saudi government to allow him to summon a jihad in Kuwait. The Saudis declined though, and allowed American soldiers to enter the country to stage operations there. Bin Ladin and some Islamic clerics began to denounce the Saudi monarchy for that. The Saudis, in kind, took away UBL's passport, and expelled any problem clerics. Bin Ladin was able to leave the country in 1991, through a well-placed connection within the royal family. He fled to Sudan. Saudi Arabia froze his assets in 1994. In Sudan, Bin Ladin attempted to establish a large network of businesses and complexes that inevitably failed, but he used them to acquire weapons, explosives and technical equipment. Bin Ladin envisioned his eclectic, multi-national army as an international jihad confederation. It was much more than Al Qida: a network of loosely linked global terrorist organizations. He even provided equipment and training to the Philippine “Moro Islamic Liberation Front,” and aided an anti-Kashmiri Pakistani group. He was causing trouble all over the place, and this network even extended itself to the Muslim organization “al Khifa” at the Farouq mosque in Brooklyn. As Bin Ladin’s fame and notoriety rose, he began attempting to purchase weapons grade uranium from a Sudanese military officer for 1.5 million. Al Qida inspected a cylinder of material, but ended up buying a bogus batch of whatnot. Bin Ladin even explored opportunities with working with Saddam Hussein in his quest for uranium. They reached a temporary truce that called for Bin Ladin to stop providing assistance to the anti-secular Hussein government. But in 1996, Bin Ladin lost his lease in Sudan and during that time, the Sudanese actually approached the United States and Saudi Arabia about what they could do to ease international pressure upon them by offering to expel Bin Ladin to Saudi Arabia. But the Saudi's didn't want him. U.S. officials became aware of the talks. Bin Ladin was feeling uneasy in Sudan, and survived at least one assassination attempt. UBL fled Sudan on May 19th 1996 significantly weakened, and returned to Afghanistan. The 9-11 Report stated that it is unlikely that Bin Ladin could have returned to Afghanistan without the help of the ISID, who hoped that he would expand his operations and help train Kashmiri militants. Bin Ladin solidified his ties to the Taliban in late 1996. It was not a smooth marriage though. Bin Ladin felt that he had become a jihad star by that time. Bin Ladin’s financial situation greatly improved back in Afghanistan, thanks to Saudi and other financiers within the Golden Chain. This helped Al Qida put roughly 10,000 to 20,000 terrorists through terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. Former Egyptian army officer, Ali Mohamed, who enlisted in the U.S. Army in the 1980’s and became an instructor, and who trained extremists at the Farouq mosque in Brooklyn (some of which were involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing), began helping Al Qida case the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi in 1993. On August 7th 1998, two truck bombs killed 12 Americans at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi and 11 more at the embassy in Dar es Salaam. 162 163 The 1993 WTC Bombing At 12:18 P.M. on February 26th 1993, a huge bomb was detonated in the parking garage below the World Trade Center. The blast ripped a hole seven stories upward. Six people were killed and over 1,000 injured. An FBI Agent present described the low number of casualties as a miracle. Ramzi Yousef, hoping that the towers would keel over like trees, hoped to kill 250,000 Americans Yousef fled to Pakistan and was on the lamb for two years afterwards. FBI arrests of Salameh, Abouhalima, Ajaj and Ayyad, led the FBI to the Farouq mosque in Brooklyn and blind Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, who had moved to the U.S. from Egypt in 1990. Rahman also preached the messages of Qutb’s Milestones. The U.S. legal system applied to the 1993 bombers was not successful in that it did not lead to the larger Al Qida component. Materials recovered by the FBI from Ajaj indicated that the plot came from a terrorist training camp near the Afghanistan- Pakistan border. In 1999, the FBI head of its Counterterrorism Division, Dale Watson, created a plan called “MAXCAP 05,” which would bring the FBI up to a feasible level of counterterrorism by the year 2005. But a developmental block to his plan was that the NSA began putting caveats on its Bin Ladin information, which required prior approval before sharing it with prosecutors and investigators. Beginning in 1986, INS brass repeatedly ignored proposals by midlevel staffers to increase its counterterrorism measures, like CIA background checks before naturalization. Anything the INS did try was hampered by not having access to terrorist watch lists, and facing difficulties with uncooperative politically incorrect city mayors who imposed limits on employees cooperation with immigration agents; more law flouting by the municipal gangs. The J oint Terrorism Task Force, created in 1980 and managed by the FBI New York Field Office, sought to share information in real time with other critical agencies, but had limitations because of priorities focused locally and low staffing. The Secret Service, Customs Service and the BATF, all housed in the Treasury Department, weren’t a critical part in counterterrorism, except for the alert Customs Agent who detained an Al Qida operative set on bombing LAX in late 1999. Airline Safety Al Gore, in his 1996 presidential commission, explored the issues regarding aviation safety and security. This was after the crash of TWA 800 and by order of President Clinton. The Gore Commission addressed the threat of SAM’s against planes, seeming to suggest that there was something to the rumor that TWA 800 was shot down by a missile. Yet the Gore Commission did not foresee the threat of suicide hijackings at the time. The Gore Commission did call for the FBI and CIA to provide terrorist watch lists to airline ramp agents, but this wasn’t done. The chief of FAA civil aviation security was not even aware of the State Department’s “TIPOFF” list---a database with 60,000 terrorist names on it pre-9-11. A paragraph in the FAA report after talking about the Gore Commission was redacted. The FAA’s own “no fly list,” contained the names of just twelve terrorists (including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed). The Gore Commission also implemented the 163 164 CAPPS system. The CAPPS screening measures were never executed vigorously though, due to potential discrimination suits, and so the mainstay of the screening process remained metal detectors and X-ray machines. Under FAA rules, knives with blades shorter than four inches long were still permitted on board flights pre-9-11, and such metal objects were difficult to detect without increasing the sensitivity of detectors the FAA said. Pre-9-11, the FAA taught that the best strategy to deal with hijackings was to appease to the hijacker’s demands in order to get the plane to land safely. Proposals had been made in early 2001 to install reinforced cockpit doors on planes, but that was never realized. FAA rules did specify that cockpit doors were to remain locked during flight. There were only 33 armed federal air marshals pre-9-11, and none of them were assigned to domestic flights! The dominant view at the time was that domestic hijacking had been basically put in check. The FAA distributed a CD ROM in spring 2001 allegedly dealing with hijacking planes and using them as weapons. The CD went to major air carriers and cited the possibility of suicide hijackings, but said, "fortunately, we have no indication that any group is currently thinking in that direction." The next paragraph in the FAA report is blacked out. Another paragraph went, "An act of sabotage or a traditional hijacking to obtain hostages was the threat to aviation foremost in the mind of FAA security officials during the summer of 2001." [ Next Sentences Redacted ]. Other redactions in the FAA report continued, involving the credible threats to airline safety circa 2001. Intelligence Agencies With all the intelligence agencies that exist in the United States, it is amazing that an operation of the magnitude of 9-11 could have been pulled off without anyone knowing about it. With: the CIA; the FBI; the NSA; the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency); the NRO; the NGA (National Geospatial Intelligence Agency); Army intelligence; Air Force intelligence; Office of Naval Intelligence; the BATF; Customs; the Secret Service; Office of Intelligence of the Coast Guard; the Energy Departments’ Office of Intelligence; the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research etc. According to The 9-11 Report, the Watergate-era Church Committee in the Senate, and the Pike Committee in the House, published evidence that the CIA had secretly planned to assassinate Fidel Castro and other leaders. I always thought that this was just rumor, but the CIA took all the blame to preserve the president’s “plausible deniability.” And problems persisted in the CIA more recently. A lack of trainees to make new officers was one problem. It takes five to seven years to bring a CIA trainee up to par excellence, and very few American universities offered studies in Middle Eastern languages and Islam. Six undergraduate degrees in Arabic were granted in American universities in 2002. Another problem is the competition inside the agency among officers. One of the main things that an agent bucks for in the CIA is the quantity and quality of their classified publications, which if critical, could end up on the president’s desk as part of his morning PDB, or in the “SEIB” (Senior Executive Intelligence Brief). It’s like making the front page for an agent. The arrest of Aldrich Ames in the early 1990’s for espionage for the Soviet Union, in which he sold the names of U.S. operatives, which led to many deaths, and the failure of the CIA to foresee India and Pakistan’s nuclear tests in 1998, brought morale at the CIA to an all-time low. 164 165 The 9-11 Report proposed the president's cabinet include a “Czar of intelligence." Technical problems persisted, as intelligence policymakers tried to upgrade old communications systems like computer-to-computer and digital communications, all the while maintaining the old guard like HF and VHF radios. The HUMINT problems at the CIA, The Commission stated, were rooted in attracting brilliant people averse to risk, the institutional non-sharing of information and the difficulty of its personnel to assimilate. Ex-9-11 Commission Chairman, Tom Kean, in December 2005 called it "scandalous,*" how Homeland Security funds were being distributed nationally, not being based on threat or risk. Kean rose from the ashes a year later in 2006, to tell us that the U.S. was still not prepared for another terrorist attack. *Scandalous: New York Post, "Panel rips 9/11 $hortchange," 12-6-05. After The 9-11 Report came out, there existed an online form-like letter* disputing The Report's findings. It was pretty good, and so I filled it out on J uly 1st 2005 and emailed it to Representative Vito Fossella (R-NY). Some of the finer bullet points were: 1. How did the 110 story WTC Towers collapse to the ground through a huge mass of steel and concrete resistance as fast as if they were falling only through air, defying "Galileo's Law of Falling Bodies?" 2. How could 425,000+cubic yards of concrete in each tower be pulverized to fine dust particles of 10 to 100-micron size by a building's collapse? Even if you dropped a block of concrete from an airplane it would not disintigrate into a powder the consistency of flour. 3. Why were there large pools of molten steel found 70 feet below ground under the WTC Towers for weeks after 9-11? A jet fuel and debris fire lacks the requisite heat to melt steel to liquid. 4. Why hasn't the destruction of WTC Building 7 been adequately explained? WTC 7 was situated hundreds of feet from WTC 1 & 2, yet it was not hit by any aircraft and only suffered minor fire damage; yet WTC 7 mysteriously collapsed that same afternoon without any structural compromise. 5. Why has Larry Silverstein (who collected billions in insurance claims following 9-11) not been investigated at all? His comments in a PBS documentary about "pulling WTC 7" implies he had personal knowledge that WTC Building 7 was to be demolished. *Letter: From barremore.net. 165 166 Danger, Diamonds and Debacles They would contact a “Nancy Abernathy” in former Congressman Bill McCollum’s (R- FL) office, and Abernathy would claim an “official congressional inquiry” then the files would be secretly removed from Adjudications Officer Mary Scneider’s office and approved for a green card. The Able Danger story essentially broke on talk radio---even though Congressman Curt Weldon (R-PA) spoke of it first on the floor of the House in J uly 2005. I hear it break first on Coast to Coast AM then on The Savage Nation. Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer was part of a military unit called “Able Danger,” which was a sophisticated computer data mining program pinpointing terrorist profiles. The unit fingered Mohammed Atta and three other 9-11 hijackers: Marwan al-Shehhi, Khalid al- Mihdar and Nawaf al-Hazmi in an Al Qida cell known as “Brooklyn” in as early as 1999. But a barrage of Pentagon and White House lawyers impeded the whistle blowing. Colonel Shaffer tried three times to alert the FBI, but was barred each time by White House lawyers. One reason given by Pentagon lawyers was that since the individuals were here legally, they could not be investigated. But are we supposed to believe that none of these lawyers knew that U.S. law only prohibits intelligence investigation on U.S. citizens and legitimate green card holders? There were no such restrictions on visa holders. Weldon said all they could do was put “stickies” (post-it’s*) on the faces of Mohammed Atta on the chart that the military intelligence unit had completed. They 166 167 were told they couldn’t talk to Atta because he was here legally. It hit the print media during this time and reputations were tested with the Department of Defense stonewalling by preventing key witnesses such as Colonel Shaffer and Able Danger contractor, J ohn D. Smith, from testifying at a Senate J udiciary Committee hearing. The hearing was sparsely available---on an obscure C-Span channel. Attorney Mark Zaid* testified on behalf of Colonel Shaffer and said that Able Danger did not identify Mohammed Atta as being present in the United States, which was odd as the lawyers said he was here legally. Where was Atta? Here or in Germany? Former Army Major, Erik Kleinsmith*, who worked on Able Danger, told the J udiciary Committee that he was ordered to destroy Able Danger documents by Army lawyers. One lawyer jokingly told him, “remember, delete this data or you guys will go to jail.” Yet according to another source*, contractor J ohn D. Smith did tell Congressional members---whether he was eventually allowed to testify before the committee is not the point---that Mohammed Atta’s name came up after a probe of the blind sheik, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman. Atta’s link to Rahman mirrored those of the 1993 WTC bombers, and so Able Danger’s connection came about not from Atta’s immigration status, but from his association with radical clerics. A California researcher was eventually able to buy a picture of Atta from an Islamic website. I personally told Michael Savage on The Savage Nation that I thought Able Danger was only the tip of the iceberg---and it was. After all, comparatively speaking, Able Danger was just a computer flow chart where a few hijackers names came up, next to a plethora of 9-11 inconsistencies that I’d been working on. Savage asked me to expound on one and I did, letting him know about a White House contingency present in New York on the morning of 9-11 (see transcripts). After that, the show would not take any 9-11 calls. But Able Danger was useful had it been followed up on. The John Batchelor Show reported at the time that 2.5 terrabytes of information (equal to 1/4th of the data in the Library of Congress) on Al Qida was destroyed by the Pentagon. It was alleged that White House deputy attorney under Bill Clinton, J amie Gorelick, who chaired The 9-11 Commission, blocked the FBI from tracking Mohammed Atta by denying Able Danger personnel from giving key information to the Bureau on 3 different occasions. Nine-eleven Commission spokesman, Al Felzenberg, said that after reviewing all critical memos in the archives, no reference to Atta could be found. Felzenberg also denied Gorelick enforced a dividing wall in 1995 between intelligence and law enforcement, while working as a top deputy for Attorney General J anet Reno. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Mary J o White---a Clinton appointee herself---wrote to Reno herself and called the wall disaster waiting to happen, and “Deadly.” Senators J on Cornyn (R-TX) and Christopher Bond (R-MO) demanded that Gorelick testify publicly about the wall, but The 9-11 Commission flatly refused in 2004. Cornyn said that either The Commission wanted the real truth or it did not. I guess it did not. Colonel Shaffer tried to tell The 9-11 Commission about Able Danger and Atta, but was rebuffed by former Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA), saying that the assertion that the information was excluded to protect Gorelick was ridiculous. Naval officer, Captain Scott Phillpott, head of Able Danger, also tried to warn The Commission about the program according to the Associated Press. Gorton* was quoted as saying that Able Danger just did not happen after the Pentagon search 167 168 turned up no such files as Able Danger. The 9-11 Commission at first denied* any knowledge of the military unit, but eventually admitted it was briefed on Able Danger “twice.” Commission spokesman, Al Felzenberg*, then confirmed that four Commission investigators were briefed on Able Danger in October 2003 while on a trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan, but said that Atta’s name was not mentioned. Maybe Atta's name was not mentioned because, as Colonel Shaffer stated, that Atta's name was actually "Amir," and so technically speaking, government authorities were not lying. Felzenberg also said that The 9-11 Commission obtained documents from the Pentagon on Able Danger, but did not include them in their final report. Why? Congressman Weldon had said a Pentagon employee was prepared to testify before The Commission, saying that he was ordered to destroy* a large quantity of Able Danger documents. Shaffer pointed out on The Savage Nation that his security clearance was permanently discontinued, but Sandy Berger’s was lifted for only three years! Shaffer said that the FBI was kind of familiar with some of the names of the men who were enrolled in flight training and should’ve been prompted to do something. The Pentagon has been unable to locate the Able Danger files, but Shaffer said they were in a DIA facility in Northern Virginia. A similar program, Terrorism Information Awareness, which was run by ex-National Security Advisor J ohn Poindexter, was shut down by Congress in 2003. Why, I do not know. On October 19th 2005, Congressman Weldon appeared again on The Savage Nation to protect Colonel Shaffer’s reputation and catalogue the things that the Defense Intelligence Agency was trying to do to smear him. Minutes later, Weldon stepped onto the floor of the House of Representatives and gave an impassioned speech to Congress. Congressman Weldon even dropped a couple of new bombshells: a once- elected official of impeccable credibility who worked on Able Danger, would soon come forward; that a new non-destroyed cache of Able Danger data still exists; and that certain U.S. officials had two days forewarning about the USS Cole bombing---yet they still let the ship come into port! Of course, there were people in high places whose vested interest is in ensuring that things like this don't come out, and the aforementioned points probably never surfaced. The Able Danger unit uncovered Al Qida activity in Aden harbor 3 weeks before* the Cole bombing. Captain Phillpott allegedly briefed General Schoomaker, former head of Special Operations Command, who was then Army Chief of Staff, weeks before the attack. Able Danger had uncovered the link from contractors investigating UBL’s business ties in the area. Able Danger’s eventual undoing was inevitably after the unit pinpointed National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice*, along with other prominent Americans as a potential security risks! The team, which included private contractors and J ames Smith, produced a controversial chart that identified the proliferation of sensitive technology to China. The program had deciphered a complex pattern of strategic Chinese business contacts in the U.S.: specifically, associations of Rice’s at Stanford and contacts with Chinese leaders raised the red flags. American businessmen and former U.S. officials were also tagged by the software. The Pentagon said that the China project was separate from Able Danger’s terrorism sector. Able Danger was transferred to another DoD 168 169 contractor then expired later the same year. The dissolution of the team came in May 2000. Was Condi a little too friendly with the Chinese? "Operation Diamondback*” was an illegal weapons sting operation conducted by the U.S. Government in the spring of 1999. The government used accused fraud suspect-turned government informant, Randy Glass, to orchestrate a weapons and wiretaps deal. The deal included Egyptian-American, Mohamed el Amir (was this actually Mohammed Atta?), weapons dealers Diaa Mohsen and Mohammed Malik from J ersey City, former Egyptian judge Shireen Shawky, and Pakistani ISID Agent, Rajaa Gulum Abbas. These men met at a restaurant within view of the World Trade Center during that time and FBI Agents* pretended to be customers at a nearby table. ISID Agent Abbas* said he wanted to purchase a shipment of weapons for Bin Ladin, including Stinger missiles, then pointed at the World Trade Center and said the towers would be coming down. He later made two more claims that the World Trade Center would be attacked, calling Americans “the enemy” and they wouldn’t have a problem blowing up the whole restaurant because it was mostly Americans. The group met again at a warehouse in West Palm Beach, Florida, where they were shown the Stinger missiles*. U.S. intelligence then discovered links between Abbas and Malik with ISID- supported Kashmiri terrorists* fighting India and the Taliban. Abbas also expressed interest in nuclear material for a dirty bomb. Their primary targets* seemed to be Kashmir and Afghanistan, but the aforementioned Trade Center showed the desire and intent to strike there. Glass later complained that this critical information* was toned down by high-ranking U.S. officials. Abbas and Malik were finally indicted by the U.S. in J une 2002 for trying to buy $32 million dollars worth of Stinger missiles. But it was MSNBC who found Abbas---who had fled to Pakistan in August 2002---by looking him up in the Pakistani phone book*! Mohsen and Malik* of J ersey City were arrested on J une 12th 2001 for trying to buy the Stinger missiles for the ISID. Others* from the same neighborhood were arrested after 9-11 and held by authorities. Mohsen pleaded guilty and got a mere thirty- month sentence, which showed that he was probably saved by his connections. All references to Pakistani officials* were stricken from the record as the U.S. continued to smooch Paki hinny. Malik’s case was amazingly dropped* and remains sealed. Abbas and Malik are presumably missing in Pakistan somewhere. Kevin Ingram and Walter Kapij were also arrested in the plot. Ingram*, a former senior investment banker with Deutschebank, pleaded guilty to money laundering and was sentence to eighteen months in prison. Kapij*, a licensed pilot, was given thirty- three months. Randy Glass* asked the question of why there wasn’t a wiretap on Diaa’s and Malik’s phones, stymied that agents couldn’t get prosecutor approval for the wiretaps. Glass later claimed that he contacted breakfast of champions Senator Bob Graham and Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) personally, and warned them about the impending World Trade Center attacks* If this were true, did Glass in fact know dates as well? And if he did, and his story was credible, it kind of puts a little more emphasis on Graham's choice of breakfast guests. Glass told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on 8-7-01, that there were many more unrevealed ramifications to his informant work, and that they 169 170 could put thousand of lives at risk. Senator Bob Graham acknowledged the contact with Glass before 9-11, but stated that he was so concerned about so many other pieces of information in the summer of 2001. Graham* then claimed that his office was contacted, but he wasn’t aware of it personally. Yet before the 9-11 Commission, Graham stated cryptically that he told the inquiry about specific documented evidence he had. It's assumed that this was 9-11 evidence, but it wasn’t expanded upon in The Report. Glass stated that the arms* were going to be shipped to Al Qida and used against Americans. As a result of his government informant work, Glass had 13 felony fraud counts reduced and served only seven months in prison. Although most of Glass’s case was sealed, he stated that his sentencing document* (6-15-01) contained the threat against the World Trade Center and Americans. agents working on the case were astonished that senior officials didn’t give the case top priority. The FBI* didn’t even classify it as counterterrorism! If FBI Agents refused to act on the Glass information because it might have been the word of a potential felon, well then that was their first mistake. Other ISID Agents* in Florida---who wanted to pay for the purchase partially in heroin, and filter weapons to the Taliban and groups associated with Bin Ladin---made another boast that the World Trade Center would be destroyed, but they all escaped arrest and presumably fled to Pakistan. Mohammed el Amir’s brother, Dr. Magdy el Amir, (there’s that name again) of J ersey City, knew one of the arms dealers: Diaa Mohsen. Mohsen had been paid at least once by Dr. el Amir. Congressman Ben Gilman (R-NY), learned in 1998 that Dr. el Amir owned a HMO that was allegedly funded by Bin Ladin, with prophets skimmed off the top for terrorist activities. The State of New J ersey eventually bought the HMO*, then learned that approximately $15 million dollars was skimmed from the fund, tracking it to off-shore banks. Although I refuse to wade into the mire of the 2004 presidential election* and its Florida aberrations---that would be an entire book---there was some interesting developments regarding an Orlando Florida / hijacker / Al Qida / INS / illegal Muslim immigrants connection put forth by online investigator Tom Flocco. Citizenship and Immigration Services District Adjudications Officer for the Department of Homeland Security in Orlando Florida, Mary Schneider, told Tom Flocco.com in a series of interviews that an illegal alien, a Moroccan Muslim identified only as “Abad,” with ties to Khalil Bin Ladin, Usama Bin Ladin’s brother*, and an ex- roommate of Mohammed Atta, allegedly bribed immigration officials for the ratification of a sham marriage, but was later allowed to leave the country on one of the ‘free to flea’ flights on September 16th 2001 arranged by Richard Clarke. Much of this information was learned from one of five of Abad’s illegal wives. Schneider said in a deposition on 2-11-03, that Orlando* supervisors Susan Dugas, Stella J arina, and supervisory special agent Richard Walker, allowed illegal Moroccans involved in a sham marriage ring to leave the INS premises freely, but it was Schneider who was given a written reprimand the next morning because she mentioned the ring to the INS investigations section. Christine Sharrit, one of the victims of the illegal marriages, informed Schneider that Abad lived with Muhammed Atta in years prior to the 9-11 attacks, and 170 171 that he frequently used to pick up someone at the Orlando International Airport known as “The Czar.” Schneider said that Christine Sharrit’s husband Abad probably had foreknowledge of 9-11 and other criminal activities of these radical factions in Florida, specifically Orlando. Abad was said to have direct links to the 9-11 terrorists as part of an Orlando faction of Al Qida. Schneider said he bribed immigration officials in her office for a green card in order to stay in the U.S. before 9-11. Subsequently, the U.S. Government wanted to get him out of the country so he wouldn’t stand before a grand jury where his pre-9-11 activities and immigration official bribes might come to light. Schneider said that the illegal Moroccan files was surreptitiously removed from her office and locked away in supervisor Susan Dugas’s office. They were later moved to officer in charge, Stella J arina’s, office for six years without denying Abad an application for a permanent green card. Schneider then said it was now being processed so authorities could remove him from the U.S. within three weeks. Allegedly, Ed and Bonnie Sharrit [Sharrit’s parents?] have copies of two money orders the illegal Moroccan purchased for $1,500 dollars each from a bank in Tampa. The money orders were allegedly made out to INS supervisors Susan Dugas and Stella J arina. Abad even had J arina’s home telephone number on them---a privilege not even Schneider had. A terrorist picked up in New York City also had Orlando ties. Egyptian immigrant and Orlando cab driver, “Ihab Ali*,” was arrested for involvement in the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. A defendant in the trial revealed that Ali was a trusted lieutenant of UBL’s and a one-time pilot living near Orlando International Airport. According to theSt. Petersburg Times on 10-28-01, Ali helped slam one of Usama Bin Ladin’s planes into a sand pile just off of a runway in Khartoum, Sudan, in 1992. It was undoubtedly some kind of terrorist training exercise. A troubling point in Schneider's story is that there appeared to be some kind of “ace in the hole” held by the illegal Moroccans when they ran into trouble getting approval by the INS. They would allegedly contact one “Nancy Abernathy” in former Congressman Bill McCollum’s (R-FL) office, and Abernathy would claim an “official congressional inquiry” through INS Officers Dugas and J arina then the files would be secretly removed from Adjudications Officer Mary Scneider’s office and approved for a green card. The Sharrit’s home was eventually raided by the FBI and certain materials were removed. They were allegedly told by the FBI to forget all about the bribes and keep quiet. A taxicab connection in Orlando leads to hijacker ringleader Mohammed Atta. According to MadCowMorningNews.com, cabdriver Bob Simpson alleged he ferried Atta to and from Huffman Aviation School in Venice, Florida several times in August 2001, and that Huffman owner Rudi Dekkers was in company on at least two of the trips (confirmed by the company’s Sarasota log books). Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi also allegedly lived for a week at the residence of Huffman employee Charlie Voss in Venice. Dekkers denied that the relationship with Atta had been close, and had ended long before August 2001. MadCow also reported that on 9-13-01, local police in Venice, Florida, confiscated all files dealing with Dekkers’ contact with the hijackers. But as usual, afterwards one officer complained that, “the FBI took all our files---everything.” 171 172 He added, “they loaded two Ryder trucks right outside that (police station) window, then drove them right onto a C-130 military cargo plane at Sarasota airport which flew out with J eb Bush aboard.” George W. Bush had met with his brother, Governor J eb Bush, along with Florida politicians at Colony* Beach and Tennis Resort in Longboat Key, Florida, on 9- 10-01, and stayed the night. Colony is an upscale tropical island not far offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. An AWACS plane circled overhead while SAM’s were placed on the roof of the hotel. Bush awoke the next morning at around 6:00 A.M. and went for a jog. About this same time, a shoddy looking van with several Middle Eastern men inside was said to arrive at the Colony’s guard station. They claimed to be a TV news crew who were there to interview the president "poolside." They even asked for a certain Secret Service Agent by name. The Secret Service inside hadn’t heard of the interview, and dismissed the bunch, telling them to contact the president’s PR office in Washington. This Colony visit by this strange news crew was most likely an assassination attempt resembling the murder of Afghanistan Northern Alliance leader, Ahmed Shah Massoud*, on 9-9-01 by two North African men posing as journalists from “Arab News International.” A bomb hidden inside the camera exploded, killing the three men. Massoud's assassination was probably timed because the Taliban anticipated the 9- 11 attacks and their probable reprisals, so they decided to take out Massoud while they could. The Northern Alliance* then blamed the murder on Pakistan’s ISID and Al Qida. A Sarasota man, Zainlabdeen Omer*, notified local authorities just before 9-11 that President Bush’s life was in danger. The FBI, acting on Omer’s tip, searched a Sarasota apartment on the morning of 9-11 and questioned two Sudanese men for about ten hours. They also raided a beauty store whose owner told them that one of the men was a member of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army, a group fighting the Muslim fundamentalist government in Sudan. A few days after this, both Zainlabdeen Omer and the beauty store owner were suddenly mysteriously missing. The Secret Service told ABC News 40 in Sarasota that the president was never in any danger, and it was all just coincidences. I differ. It looks like Bush's life was in danger on the morning of 9-11. But does this only lead to one of the hybrid themes of this book?; nothing makes sense in regards to 9-11; all the dark allegiances seem to be intertwined. Later that morning, Bush listened to a story being read at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, called The Pet Goat. According to the Washington Times on 10-7-02, Press Secretary Ari Fleischer held up a sign for Bush that read: “DON’T SAY ANYTHING YET.” What exact time that was is in question. Was it before Andrew Card’s whispered "sour little everything's" in Bush's ear? It was speculated that authorities unknown were overruling Bush and his security detail on security matters that morning, and so why he was not taken out of that elementary school immediately might not have even been the Secret Service's call. Allegedly, Air Force One* was also a potential target while on the ground that morning, but allegedly, the Secret Service only learned of this minutes after Bush left Emma E. Booker. Andy Card later spinned this by telling MSNBC on 9-9-02, that this was mistaken---Air Force One had not been targeted. Some said Bush knew about the 9-11 attack in progress before he got to the Booker Elementary School. According to Sarasota Magazine, 11-01, Bush was 172 173 traveling on Highway 301 north of Main Street when he got news of a plane hitting the World Trade Center. And the Observer [Longboat?] on 9-16-01, said that Bush was travelling to Emma E. Booker in the motorcade when he got a phone call of an airline accident in New York. Even a CBS producer* traveling with the motorcade got the message about the first plane crash, saying that as the motorcade headed Emma E. Booker, a photographer* overheard that Press Secretary Ari Fleischer would be needed when they got there. A United States Navy Captain, Captain Deborah Loewer*, Director of the White House Situation Room, received a message about the first crash while in the presidential motorcade, and told Bush about it at Booker Elementary. White House Communications Director, Dan Bartlett*, said he was there when Bush was told about the plane crash in the World Trade Center. Bush’s personal assistant, Blake Gottesman*, said as they were walking into the elementary school Andy Card said matter-of-factly that an aircraft hit the World Trade Center. Congressman Dan Miller* (D-FL) was told about the crash by an assistant at 8:55 A.M., out in front of Emma E. Booker before Bush arrived at approximately 9:02 A.M. Katie Klauber Moulon*, a manager at Colony Resort, marveled at the electronic equipment inside the presidential limousine. To think that these guys were wired to the gills, and didn't have the head's up about what was going on at the Trade Center, is just naïve. Karl Rove* traveled with wireless email as well. The St. Petersburg Times on 9-8-02, said that when Bush arrived at Emma E. Booker, Andy Card told him that he really needed to take an important phone call. He also told the school principal, Gwen Tose-Rigell*, that he had to make a phone call and he’d be right back; it was Condoleeza Rice* on the blower who updated Bush about the Trade Center situation before he entered the school. This proves at least that Bush and company knew about the situation at the World Trade Center before entering the elementary school classroom, and that they were essentially just mugging for the American cameras. Still nagging questions remain. Exactly when were they told? Why the act inside the classroom? How much more did they know? Spin and historical revisionism were at work a year later with Andy Card* saying that after he told Bush about the second plane crash that it was mere seconds before Bush excused himself from the classroom very politely and left. The Booker video defies that. The teacher at the elementary school, Sandra Kay Daniels, remembered things a bit differently also, telling the Los Angeles Times on 9-11-02 that after Card told Bush of the second plane crash at the WTC, Bush told her he had to leave and with the looking on his face, she knew something was wrong. Daniels said a prayer for him right there as they shook hands and Bush left. She also said that she sensed something was wrong when Bush didn’t pick up the book and read along with the students. Air Force One then took off without the benefit of a fighter jet escort at either 9:55 or 9:57 A.M., and climbed in altitude for the next ten minutes, according to Dan Bartlett. This was in order to get out of anti-aircraft missile range. Fighter jets were not even scrambled to protect Air Force One on 9-11. Homestead Air Station is 185 miles from Sarasota, Tyndall Air Station 235 miles away. But if there was no threat to Air Force One, why did they want to get out of anti-aircraft range? Supposedly, the Secret Service had received a call saying, “Air Force One is next.” The caller knew certain codes pertaining to AF1’s procedures also. Air Force One’s pilot, Mark Tillman, suggested that an armed guard be placed at the cockpit door. Bush wanted to return to 173 174 Washington, but an argument* ensued between Bush, Dick Cheney, Andrew Card and the Secret Service over whether to return there or not. They bickered like Boy Scouts as the plane lingered over Sarasota going nowhere until 10:35 A.M. J ournalists* on board felt like the plane was flying in great big circles. Bush then got a report on 9-11 that a high-speed object was headed for his ranch* in Crawford, Texas, which turned out to be a false alarm. Air Force One touched down at Offut Air Force Base* in Nebraska, the most secure AFB in the country, at 3:00 P.M. Bush was taken to the underground nuclear blast bunker* for a secure teleconference with officials. Billionaire Warren Buffet just happened to be holding an “unpublicized” charity benefit upstairs at Offut also. I also heard it reported that allegedly Bill Gates was there, including several executives from the World Trade Center, including Anne Tatlock* of Fiduciary Trust Company International. Were there cryptic speeches given that day at Buffet’s bash on the New World Order and unlimited financial solvency? Who knows? Bush didn’t stay long, leaving Offut at 4:30 P.M.*, AF1 being escorted by three fighter jets, then landing at Andrews Air Force Base* at 6:34 P.M. Bush arrived at the White House* at approximately 7:00 P.M. *Able Danger partly compiled from: Daily News, “9/11 panel denies Atta’s ID blocked,” 8-15-05. *Gorton & destroy: Staten Island Advance, “9/11 relatives charge cover-up,” 9-20-05. *Mark Zaid: Staten Island Advance, “9/11 hijacker not tracked in U.S., lawyer says.” *Denied: New York Post, “Commission Coverup?” 8-12-05. *Kleinsmith: New York Post, “Qaeda data haunts Able Danger guy.” *Weeks before: New York Post, “Terror alert wks. Before Cole attack.” *Post-it’s: New York Post, “‘Post-it’ blunder,” 8-10-05. *Al Felzenberg: Staten Island Advance, “Reopen 9/11 Probe, Kin Demand,” 8-10-05. *Condoleeza Rice: New York Post, “Military ‘spied’on Rice,” 8-27-05. *Another source: New York Post, “Probe of blind sheik led to Atta.” *Randy Glass: WPBF, Channel 25, 8-5-02. *World Trade Center attacks: Palm Beach Post, 10-17-02. *FBI: Washington Post, 8-2-02 / MSNBC, 8-2-02. *Other ISID Agents: New York Times, 6-16-01 / Washington Post, 8-2-02 / MSNBC, 8-2-02. * Condoleeza Rice: New York Post, “Military ‘spied’on Rice,” 8-27-05. *"Operation Diamondback": This story was sourced through an article on Randy Glass by Paul Thompson from the Center for Cooperative Research. *"Ihab Ali": Orlando Sentinel, 10-25-00. *Kashmiri terrorists: It’s been said the reason that Bin Ladin found a home in Afghanistan, after being booted out of Sudan, is that the Pakistani ISID got him set up there in the hopes that he would train Kashmiri fighters at his terror camps. A detainee at camp Guantanamo, Cuba placed UBL at the battle of Tora Bora, but helped him give U.S. and Afghan forces the slip during the battle---News Wire Services, 3-23-05. *Sentencing document: WPBF Channel 25, 8-5-02. *Air Force One: Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9-16-01. *Graham: Palm Beach Post, 10-17-02. *Ahmed Shah Massoud: International Policy Institute for Counterterrorism, 10-30-01 / Newsday, 10-26-01. *Arms: Palm Beach Post / South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 3-20-03. *Stinger missiles: South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 3-20-03. 174 175 *Northern Alliance: Radio Free Europe, 9-10-01 / Newsday, 9-15-01 / Reuters, 10-4-01. *FBI Agents: MSNBC, 8-2-02 / WPBF Channel 25, 8-5-02. *Agent Abbas: Cox News, 8-2-02 / Palm Beach Post, 10-17-02 / MSNBC, 3-18-03. *Another source: New York Post, “Probe of blind sheik led to Atta.” *Zainlabdeen Omer: Daniel Hopsicker, 7-22-02 / ABC News 40, Sarasota. *Dan Miller: Sarasota Magazine, 11-01. *Karl Rove: Newsweek, 10-14-02. *Andy Card: San Francisco Chronicle, 9-11-02. *Condoleeza Rice: Time, 9-12-01 / Christian Science Monitor, 9-17-01. *Katie Klauber Moulon: Sarasota Magazine, 11-01. *Primary targets: MSNBC, 8-2-02 / MSNBC, 3-18-03. *Information: WPBF, Channel 25, 8-5-02. *HMO: MSNBC, 8-2-02. *Colony: Longboat Observer, 9-26-01 / Sarasota Magazine, 11-01 / Washington Post, 1-27-02. *Phone book: MSNBC, 8-2-02. *Mohsen and Malik: Jersey Journal, 6-2-01 / South Florida Sentinel, 8-23-01 / Washington Post, 8-2-02. *Others: New York Post, 9-23-01. *Pakistani officials: Washington Post, 8-2-02. *Dropped: MSNBC, 8-2-02. *Ingram: Jersey Journal, 6-20-01 / Associated Press, 12-1-01. *Kapij: Palm Beach Post, 1-12-02. *CBS producer: CBS 8-19-02. *Photographer: Christian Science Monitor, 9-17-01. *Captain Deborah Loewer: Associated Press, 11-26-01 / Catholic Telegraph, 12-7-01. *Dan Bartlett: Daily Mail 9-8-02 / CBS, 9-1-02. *Gwen Tose-Rigell: Telegraph, 12-16-01 / MSNBC, 9-02. *Blake Gottesman: Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism, 10-02. *Argument: Telegraph, 12-16-01 / CBS, 9-11-02 / Washington Post, 1-27-02. *J ournalists: Telegraph, 12-16-01. *Ranch: Fighting back: The War on Terrorism. *Bunker: Telegraph, 12-16-01. *Anne Tatlock: San Francisco Business Times, 2-1-02. *4:30 P.M.: CNN, 9-12-01 / MSNBC, 9-22-01. *Bin Ladin’s brother: Khalil Bin Ladin was permitted to leave the Unites States without an investigation. Informants allegedly told Schneider that Khalil was interested in bringing foreign Muslims into Florida to attend a flying school in the Daytona Beach area. *Orlando: In the book American Jihad---The Terrorists Living Among Us, author Steven Emerson stated that UBL was able to set up a group of terrorist cells in Orlando, Florida. Channel 9 News of Orlando on 2-1-02, said of Emerson’s work, that he believed that a large infrastructure of Al Qida is still in Orlando. This points to a support network for the alleged 19. *The Big Wedding: Terrorist code-name for the 9-11 attacks---International Herald Tribune, 5-21-02 / Christian Monitor, 5-23-02. *Andrews AFB & White House*: CNN, 9-11-01 & 9-12-01. *2004 presidential election: I can suggest the very compelling Rolling Stone article by Robert Kennedy on the Bush election / voting machine inconsistencies. 175 176 +1: President Bush offered no criticism to Pakistan’s pullout of the area where UBL was believed to be hiding along the mountainous Pakistan/Afghanistan border. Bush said of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf that he was pleased with his efforts. Musharraf, at a White House visit to congratulate Bush on his second term, said that the Middle East conflict was the most important world peace issue in the world. Huh? Musharraf claimed Bush said that settling the Mid-East conflict was a core issue in fighting terrorism---Daily News, “W OK with Pakistani pullout,” 12-5-04. +2: Sources for parts of this chapter were possible through Center for Cooperative Research's, An Interesting Day, 5-9- 02. +3: Compiled from: Daily News, “9/11 panel denies Atta’s ID blocked,” 8-15-05. 176 177 We Could Be Zeroes ...if they changed the title from the word “hero” to “dirtbag,” then perhaps so many wouldn’t feel the need to throw the title around so willy-nilly? A phenomenon after 9-11 I noticed was the usage of the term “hero.” The term was rightfully used to describe New York City emergency first responders who rushed to the Trade Center to save lives, but after a while it began to get a bit overused and thrown around so that it kind of lost its meaning. The gist of what I am saying here is largely lost today, and even I had to stretch to recover it, but in the recent past the term hero was assigned to just about anyone who stopped and considered someone else for a change, which is what you are supposed to do. If you do not recall anything about this subject, just think back to post-9-11 when American flags popped up everywhere, leading some critics to deride all the "flag wavers." How distant this all seems now, but it’s interesting to think back to a time not too long in the past when we were a bit more naïve and more patriotic. I wouldn't call a volunteer a hero. It’s always been my understanding that when doing charitable work, you just do it. You do it and zip it. You don’t sit around waiting for thank you’s and accolades and I don’t want to visit installations or museums about it. When doing public service, God knows about it and you shall have your reward. Let me just say that if they changed the title from the word “hero” to “dirtbag,” then perhaps so many wouldn’t feel the need to throw the title around so willy-nilly?: "Congratulations, you're a dirtbag!" Somehow it just doesn't have a ring to it. But if we put the hero title against rigorous moral standards, it will fall upon the deserving few. 177 178 A homeless woman living near the World Trade Center site after 9-11 was said to be a comfort to the rescue and recovery workers who toiled at the site every day in the months afterward, greeting them with an American flag and blessings in the morning. The woman, originally from Connecticut, landed in the New York dailies as the "Angel of Ground Zero." That was great, but I wondered was anybody greeting the bag lady if she were still around downtown today? Nine-eleven compassion had a short shelf life. I decided to visit to St. Paul’s Chapel by the World Trade Center site one Saturday afternoon sometime in the months after 9-11. A plethora of memorabilia hung on the iron fences around the church, put there by visitors and well-wishers to the WTC site from across the nation: hats, T-shirts, signs etc. Aside from being a principle staging site for the post 9-11 cleanup operation, St. Paul’s is also a historic site dating back to 1776 when President General George Washington worshipped there before the nation's capital was moved to Philadelphia in 1790. I went inside St. Paul's and found a makeshift “shrine” dedicated to volunteers around the World Trade Center site. I had mixed feelings about the exhibits. There was a video of recollections of people, some making coffee and serving the recovery workers. I had mixed feelings about it at the time. I guess I would have much rather heard about the lives of the victims or even those who worked in the recovery operation. They worked incredible hours in the WTC pit, then collapsed filthy and exhausted in cots at the church or in tents. At the time I also thought a lot about how many New Yorkers would’ve given their left leg to volunteer at the site but couldn’t--- you needed proper credentials to even get near the place, and no New Yorker wanted to just be “in the way.” Maybe that’s what kind of turned me off to this particular hint at ‘volunteer worship,’ but it is what it is also. I acknowledge that. I gathered that St. Paul's Chapel was in the process of being transformed from a church into more of a community center at the time, largely due to the countless visitors to the site after 9-11 (one million as of 3-04). This was understandable given the massive interest, but according to one Muslim at the church, an “interfaith” transformation was taking place there. That kind of solidified it for me right there. It just seemed too PC to me. Many charitable organizations were also represented at the World Trade Center site. The usual suspects, which is all good, but I notice you never see some of these big organizations unless it is a situation where somebody "had something to lose." When it comes to these big charities, if you had nothing to lose to begin with, well guess what? You're not going to have anything to gain either! FEMA was there, the social “Army” was there (the one which some wish would just invade already), the Marchers etc. I always recall the acquaintance of mine who regularly gave to one of these large charities from out of his paycheck every week, but when faced with hard times himself, he approached the organization to see if he could get some assistance. What do you think he was told? After the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, I learned personally that FEMA was not really set up for disaster relief at all. Countless displaced homeowners camped out in tents on the San Francisco Marina green for months afterward, waiting for disaster relief. A very small percentage of the organization was allocated to this. At the time, FEMA basically existed for the continuity of government in a crisis. FEMA has since regrouped though. 178 179 +1: Compiled from personal visits and The New York Times, “Historic Chapel Embraces Role as Monument to Sept. 11,” 4-28-04. 179 180 Hopkins Airport Mystery ...Delta 1989 didn’t land with 200 people on board, it was sixty-nine remember? Stick to the script man! On the morning of 9-11-01 there was a mystery over two planes that landed at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. That morning a jet made an emergency landing at Hopkins and was quarantined at a secluded area of the runway. The flight was Delta Airlines Flight 1989, a flight out of Boston’s Logan Airport bound for Los Angeles. It was rumored that it had been hijacked, or that it had a bomb on board. Hopkins Airport was evacuated and nobody was allowed to go to their cars. They had to catch a ride or a bus at the nearby highway. The area around the airport was cleared also, onlookers were told to "hit the road.” The Associated Press and area newspapers reported the plane as landing at 10:45 A.M., yet Delta tracked the plane and had it landing at 10:10 A.M. The plane sat on the south end of the runway at Hopkins near the IX Center, an exposition center, for nearly two hours before the FBI and bomb-sniffing dogs boarded the plane. Then the sixty-nine passengers were taken to a nearby FAA building where they were interrogated and finally released at 12:30 P.M. This was corroborated by several witnesses and passengers. On the morning of 9-11, Delta 1989 stopped responding to radio contact at 9:40 AM, prompting the hijack scare. But then another flight landed at Hopkins Airport that morning, which we 180 181 will call "Flight X." It seemed like a similar scenario the plane was instructed to taxi to the west end of the runway, miles away from Delta 1989, near an evacuated NASA facility (NASA Lewis Research Center). The Associated Press* even referred to this flight as UA Flight 93 for a time, landing at 10:45 A.M. with approximately 200 people on board, with the passengers being evacuated at 11:15 A.M. The passenger count (200) was off though, so was the evacuation time (11:15). It seemed like a mix-up involving two different planes. Although the FAA report stated that there were only 37 people aboard UA 93, the capacity was 182, so the 200 count could be possible if Flight X happened to be UA 93. Cleveland Center was handling UA Flight 93 beginning at 9:23 A.M. too, so it was in Cleveland's airspace. The passengers of this Flight X were taken to the NASA facility. It was reported that the first flight’s passengers were taken to a FAA building. One source* said the plane was even wheeled into the NASA hangar. God knows what happened to them in there. I'd like to think---as I went into earlier already---that at least one of these two planes was actually Flight AA 11 or UA 93, with the passengers off- loaded----perhaps not put aboard other planes that were shot down or crammed aboard Flight UA 175 as some have theorized---but debriefed, programmed and taken to a secret location where they still may be alive with no memory of 9-11-01. Is this just wishful thinking? I and many others believe that the mind altering technology exists. Richard Kettel, head of tower operations at the Cleveland Air Traffic Control Center in Overland, Ohio, when asked about a second plane commented that it was something the FBI was working on and he couldn’t talk about it. A FBI Agent confirmed that the Delta flight landed with 200 people on board and had not really been in danger after all. But Delta didn’t land with 200 people on board, it was 69 remember? Stick to the script man! The thing about 9-11 is that it was most likely an amazingly technical, comprehensive false flag operation, but the aspect they could not manage was the enormous amount of humint data, the media and the human error factor. They could master the pawns on the chessboard, the clock and the like, but they could not manage the human element or the blowback. Could Delta 1989 have been a mirror flight to obfuscate "Flight X," with the data becoming intermixed with the authorities releasing the wrong information at times? It's the 9-11 bloopers in the end that provided us with the most clues to the mysteries. For instance, the Akron Beacon Journal said on 9-12-01, that the passengers had been taken to the NASA Lewis Research Center to be interviewed by FBI Agents. I thought they were officially taken to the FAA building? There was also testimony from a passenger on the Delta flight who said they "were taken to the FAA/airport building where our personal effects were examined and we were interrogated at great length." The Cleveland Plain Dealer also must have gotten the story of Flight X, because on 9-12-01 they reported that the plane sat on the west end of the runway near the NASA Center with 200 people on board. A witness by the name of "Rudy K" was driving by on I-480, and saw from the northern end of the airport, a plane with emergency vehicles around it. This would confirm the Flight X, NASA plane, because Delta, by the IX Center, would've been miles away. And a Cuyahoga County firefighter saw the Delta flight from his stationhouse, which is only a few hundred yards from the south side of the airport. United Airlines at one point 181 182 allegedly referred to the one of the mysterious planes as Flight 93! Something also popped up online over a possible KC 135* landing at Hopkins at 10:08 A.M. on 9-11, but details were sketchy. KC 135's are used to simulate weightlessness and conduct experiments by flying to high altitudes, then falling straight to earth, producing the weightless feeling. Scenes from the movie Apollo 13 were filmed in a KC 135. The account said that a team of scientists from J ohnson Space Center in Houston flew to Cleveland on this KC 135 to conduct micro-gravity experiments, and could not return to Houston so were put up in a hotel. The flight number equaled "9" too. Yet another flight was allegedly diverted from landing at Hopkins Airport on 9-11 to Toledo, Ohio. If there was some sort of stealth operation going on at Hopkins, they sure weren’t going to let another flight land there at the time, and risk witnesses seeing what was transpiring. But what was this flight? Was it another innocent airliner or a pawn in the 9-11 shell game? It gets tricky here, but with all the phantom flights, we may even be able to insert AA Flight 77 into the mix somewhere here at Hopkins on the morning of 9- 11. Colonel Alan Scott testified to The 9-11 Commission on 5-23-03, that Boston FAA reported at 9:27 A.M. that a fifth missing flight on 9-11, Delta 89, turned out to be the first red herring of the day. At 9:49 it was reported as a possible hijacking, but Delta 1989 had not been hijacked. Colonel Scott was then questioned by Ben-Veniste of The Commission about Operation “Amalgam Virgo 2,” which was a military exercise involving the hijack scenario. General McKinley ultimately fielded the question, as Scott had retired by then. *This section was compiled through the investigation by “Woody Box” from Germany. *News sources for this story come from: the Plain Dealer, the Akron Beacon Journal, the Associated Press, the Bergen Record, The 9-11 Report, and eyewitness accounts. *Associated Press: This preliminary AP story came from WCPO, a Cincinnati ABC news affiliate. *One source: WCPO online. *KC 135: Woody Box, 12-4-06. 182 183 AA Flight 587 The media and the government seemed too quick to declare that the crash of AA 587 wasn't terrorism. J ust as an example of how our media and federal government conduct a form of “mind control” is by the control and dissemination of information. Specifically, I’ll cite the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in Belle Harbor, Queens, New York at 9:17 A.M. on November 12th 2001. The Airbus A-300 crashed shortly after taking off from New York’s Kennedy Airport on its way to the Dominican Republic with 265 people on board. All the passengers and crew were killed. At the time, at least one local New York newspaper reported witnesses seeing an explosion aboard the plane then crashing in flames. These witnesses were basically discounted. Then a captured Al Qida operative in Canada finally told Canada’s Security Intelligence Service that a Canadian “shoe bomber” brought down the flight. Terrorist Richard Reid almost brought down a jet this way, so why couldn't AA 587 have been destroyed in this way? Opponents to this revelation would obviously say that the Al Qida source is lying, but the Al Qida source said that the shoe bomber had trained in Afghan terror camps alongside the 9-11 hijackers. Under interrogation, he confessed that a Montreal man named Abderraouf J dey (aka Farouk the Tunisian) was the bomber responsible. NTSB* officials claimed that the crash was attributed to the planes vertical stabilizer bar falling off. The New York Post followed up with a 10-27-04 article 183 184 slamming the destructive tailwind theory home, but New Yorker’s who lost loved ones said, ‘excuse, excuses...’; the proof being from the “black boxes,” which can be the flimsiest proof in the world and can be adulterated, fabricated and presented to the media as anything they want it to be. A call for the investigation of Flight 587 investigation was made by Senator Chuck Schumer* (D-NY) in April 2005. This was after it was learned that a Canadian Airbus A310 from Cuba to Quebec City made an emergency landing with the rudder torn off. But theoretically, it would have only taken a small amount of RDX* or HMX plastic explosives to bring down a flight such as 587. This is what shoe bomber Richard Reid tried to use. In Iraq alone, large quantities of the material went missing from the Al Qaqaa ammunition site. Belle Harbor Residents did not want the AA Flight 587 Memorial* in the residential neighborhood, with J onathon Gaska, district manager of Community Board 14, saying that the residents just didn't think it was appropriate to be reminded of the tragedy every day. Members of the Washington Heights community visited the site and threw bouquets of yellow roses onto lawns in the neighborhood as protest. The Memorial was instead being constructed 15 blocks away in Rockaway Park, on Beach 116th Street. *New York Post, “Al Qaeda downed Flt. 587: terrorist,” 8-29-04. *New York Post, “Nyers vent rage at gov’t ‘excuses, excuses,’” 10-27-04. *RDX: Daily News, “New twists in missing Iraqi ammo,” 10-30-04. *Memorial: Daily News, "Flt. 587 kin, nabe split over marker," 11-12-06. *Chuck Schumer: Daily News, “Cuba plane scare spurs call for new 587 probe,” 4-6-05. +1: I recall a controversy in New York regarding people playing the flight number 587 in the Pick 3. I seem to recall people winning with certain numbers such as this, and thinking who would want to win such blood money? 184 185 Terror Roundup and the 9-11 Climate There was also a man on board one of the flight to freedom flights by the name of "Ahmad Alhazmi," D.O.B. 11-22-81, who shared the same name as one of the hijackers, "Nawaf Alhazmi," who was twenty-five years old in 2001. -the Sept. 13th Saudi flights Although the importance of parts of this chapter may have waned over time, it was compiled to capture the feeling of a society hinged upon the next potential terrorist strike, and was included because it was not known at the time of writing what the value of this data would be in the future. It also examines the post-9-11 climate with other 9-11 related developments. President George W. Bush informed the American public, that in February 2002, the U.S., in cooperation with Asian authorities, uncovered a KSM plot to hijack a plane, blow open the cockpit door with a shoe bomb, and fly the plane into "Library Tower" in Los Angeles (now named U.S. Bank Tower), the tallest building west of the Mississippi. Condi Rice’s testimony before The 9-11 Commission only solidified the theory that the Bush Administration did have forewarning about 9-11 and knew that Usama Bin Ladin and his band were looking to strike the U.S. I didn't see how there was any question considering Bush's August 6th 2001 PDB* (President’s Daily Brief) CIA briefing titled: “Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States*.” Rice dismissed the memo, stating there was no specific new threat information there and besides, “circulars” had been sent out to the FAA: A CD flyer. The Bush Administration 185 186 bitterly opposed a 9-11 Commission to begin with and only caved in after his advisors most likely said it would be good spin to look as if they weren’t hiding anything. Richard Clarke stated that he had asked to brief Bush on terror “several times.” Acting FBI chief at the time of the 9-11 attacks, Thomas Packard, briefed Vice President Cheney on counterterrorism and said that he was surprised that Al Qida was inside the U.S.-! He also said in so many words, that terrorism did not seem to be a top priority for Attorney General J ohn Ashcroft. After briefing Ashcroft in the summer of 2001, Ashcroft responded that he did not want to hear any more about it. Ashcroft has denied this. A day after Ashcroft told the Senate that combating terrorism was his highest priority, a May 10th 2001 memo came to light outlining the J ustice Department’s strategies, and made no mention of counterterrorism*. Former Senator and Presidential candidate, J ohn Kerry, read a telling line from the top-secret memo, much to the alarm of 9-11 chair members: “The FBI indicates patterns of suspicious activity in the United States consistent with preparations for hijacking.” The memo also went on to say: “Clandestine foreign government and media reports indicate Bin Ladin since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the U.S.,” and that “the CIA and FBI were investigating a tip to the U.S. Embassy in the UAE in May 2001 about Bin Ladin supporters inside the U.S. planning attacks with explosives." J ohn Kerry produced some of the most colorful discourse at The 9-11 Commission hearings, telling Condi Rice not to filibuster him, that it wasn’t fair because he only had ten minutes. And on Bush’s line of being ‘tired of swatting at bugs,’ regarding counterattacking the enemy, Kerry told Rice that the U.S. only swatted one fly and that was on August 20th1998, in regards to the Clinton’s missile strike on Afghanistan after the two African embassy bombings, so how the hell could Bush be tired already? LOL. As The 9-11 Commission hearings continued in New York, Commissioner J ohn Lehman* told former FDNY Fire Commissioner, Thomas Von Esson, the miscommunication between the different emergency response agencies qualified as a “scandal.” Lehman said it wasn’t even worthy of the Boy Scouts, aside from New York City. LOL again. We have been made to believe that the 9-11 WTC response was not only heroic, but organized and effective. That may not have been the case. The relatives of 9-11 victims exploded in applause. In all fairness, Bernie Kerik argued that everyone was trying to judge the response using the ‘woulda,’ shoulda,’ coulda’’ criteria and that first responders worked in cooperation, doing the best they could given the circumstances. Nine-eleven has been blamed on everything including “the wall.” If that were true, maybe Pink Floyd were to blame? Seriously though, this is in speaking of intelligence budgets, structures and walls, bad CIA-FBI links and bad war footing. HUMINT pre-9-11 was a definite failure, with agents losing trails of hijackers in foreign countries and documents sitting on desks going un-analyzed for far too long. Government hiring practices may have also been to blame, as The New York Sun pointed out, reporting that Sami Al Arian lobbied George W. Bush in 2000 to weed out “moderate” Muslims in the U.S. government’s employ, in favor of fundamentalists! Inevitably, all work and no play made the September 11th hijackers “Dulles boys*,” because it was learned that four of five of the September 11th hijackers aboard AA Flight 77, had set off metal detectors at Dulles Airport in Washington that 186 187 morning, but were allowed to board the plane. But at that time, it was not illegal to carry a blade shorter than four inches onto a plane, so it is not known if security had found anything on the men, then returning it to them to be used as a hijacking weapon. What's more, I don't recall if it was ever speculated about disposable plastic guns being smuggled on board a plane on 9-11. There was an initial report about a shooting aboard AA 77. It was said one of the contributing factors to the great loss of life on 9-11 may have been the lack of critical information being passed on by 911 operators and FDNY dispatchers. And those in command at the Trade Center were deprived of even the most basic information that even the TV viewers had. When 9-11 Commissioner Slade Gorton asked Bernie Kerik about the 911 problem, Kerik suggested he ask post-9-11 NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. But Gorton responded he was asking them what happened, to a packed house of applause. Some pertinent information learned by The 9-11 Commission was: pre-9- 11 WTC emergency drills excluded the stairwells; the WTC had no active rooftop evacuation plan---the doors to the roof remained locked; people inside the WTC were told by 911 operators to stay where they were (one man in the South Tower had seventeen minutes to attempt to escape, but was told to stay put); somebody concluded that the WTC repeater was malfunctioning, although a second, necessary button was not pushed; most of the fire rescue team did not know that a South Tower stairwell was still accessible; much like the CIA-FBI rivalry, the NYPD and FDNY experience the same difficulties; a caller from the 106th floor of one of the towers told 911 that the collapse of the tower had begun. The image of one woman at the hearings seems to sum up the frustrations of many, holding up a sign that read “LIES.” At times it seemed that the powers that be assumed that 9-11 could be another J FK assassination aftermath, with a neat, little, stacked Warren Commission sweeping the whole nasty, little mess right under the rug. Except that over time, more and more Americans are determined to look underneath whatever rug they try and sweep it under. It was basically not known by most, because of the unsavory topic no doubt, but New York City officials actually had to bait the World Trade Center site with rat poison after 9-11 because of infestation problems. The rats had everything they needed there: they were feasting on human body parts and had nearby warmth from the smoldering embers below. It was a little too accommodating. This is more than a little believable to me, because the most gruesome sight I ever encountered was nearby there. Once in an alley behind Park Place, there were hundreds of rats feasting on an over- stuffed dumpster of deli garbage. Think Willard, yet possibly worse. Rats have even eaten cadavers at the NYC Coroner's Office, and have attacked and killed homeless people sleeping on the streets and in the subways. Homeland Security was even said to periodically capture rats and inspect the fleas to see if Black Death has been released by terrorists. Up to eight airliner flights* were permitted beginning September 13th 2001 for Saudi nationals and relatives of Bin Ladin to leave the U.S., amid fears of retribution. This was at a time when grieving relatives couldn’t even access the not-so- friendly skies. All in all, 142 people were aboard the flights, but only 30 of them were questioned by authorities; even in lieu of the first passenger aboard being Prince Achmed 187 188 Bin Salmon, now deceased, who was a wealthy Saudi and owner of the racehorse War Admiral. It had been alleged that he had links to Al Qida. Not only Saudis were aboard those flights either. A closer examination of hastily written passenger lists, included an American by the name of "Dean Earl Knect," D.O.B. 1-11-48; three Brits: Abir Walid Mouamad, D.O.B. 10-17-76, J ack Rusbridge, D.O.B. 11-22-32, and Anthony J ohn Stafford, D.O.B. 3-[illegible]-46; and two Philippinos. Who were these people? Clearance for the flights came from the White House and Richard Clarke. But there was also a man on board one of the flights by the name of "Ahmad Alhazmi," D.O.B. 11-22-81, who shared the same name as one of the hijackers, "Nawaf Alhazmi," who was 25 in 2001. Michael Moore’s film, Fahrenheit 9-11*, implied that it was Bush who authorized those flights. Richard Clarke has stated that it was he who ordered the flights. George Stephanopoulus brought this to Moore’s attention on ABC’s This Week*. But Moore believes Bush allowed the flights because of his family's business ties with the Saudis. The funny thing is that Bush supposedly wouldn’t listen to Clarke much before 9- 11, so why was letting him call the shots afterwards? Rudy Giuliani* even played film critic to Moore’s film while speaking at a GOP rally in Boston during the 2004 Democratic Convention, bashing him saying that he didn’t need Michael Moore to tell him about September 11 th because he was there. Giuliani also panned the film, calling it politically motivated propaganda used for profit. Rudy then jumped on J ohn Kerry’s* back in early August 2004 saying that J ohn Kerry was a frustrated armchair quarterbacking taking cues from Michael Moore. What had set Rudy off was Kerry’s quote on 8-5-04 that if he had been reading to his children, much in the way of the Bush / Emma E. Booker scenario, and his top aide whispered in his ear that America was under attack, he would have rose immediately and excused himself to attend to the problem. But as we all know, J ohn Kerry lost the 2004 Presidential Election, getting 252 Electoral Votes to Bush’s 279. Democrats in the Kerry camp were eager to mount a challenge to the results, but Kerry would have none of it, even when running mate J ohn Edwards said that the fight was not over. He did not want to go forward with a lawsuit* in a time of war, or put the country through lengthy litigation. It was learned that six radar controllers who had contact with the hijacked planes on 9-11 were interviewed on tape* by a superior, but the recording was later destroyed and no transcript of it survives. A manager at the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center, who made the one-hour recording, promised controller union officials that after the tape was utilized to provide critical evidence to federal investigators, it would be destroyed. This was said to be common procedure to save the controllers any further stress, but it was my guess that this usually the case when it involved non-national security situations. The tape was destroyed sometime between December 2001 and J anuary 2002 by this manager. He did so by manually crushing the tape by hand then cutting it into pieces and dispersing the remains in several different trash cans in the building. The tape was never even presented to federal investigators, and the managers regretted that it had ever been made. Critical evidence may have been lost here forever. Al Qida general and 9-11 mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, was captured in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on 3-1-03. U.S. intelligence agencies learned in 2003 of an Al Qida plot to release 188 189 deadly cyanide* in New York City subways, and warned the NYPD of the threat. But few officers below the rank of "chief" knew exactly what kind of threat this was. The police department flooded the subways with officers, stationing one officer on every train. Operation Hercules* units also cruised the streets in armored vehicles. It had been my prediction in early 2003 that Bush would not go quietly in regards to the 2004 election. I predicted that if Bush officials ascertained that he could not win the election, he would cite some Draconian Executive Order to stay in power. Not long after this, I learned that the White House was looking into legal procedures that would allow the Bush Administration* to remain in power in the event of a large terrorist strike before the election. We've had a long list of frightening Machiavellian presidential Executive Orders on the books since Nixon, so I wonder why they even bothered. On 3-11-04, four trains near Madrid, Spain, were bombed, killing 190 to 191 people (depending on the source). Thirteen backpack bombs were carried onto four trains south of Madrid, with ten detonating. Four exploded at the Atocha Rail Station. Approximately 1,450 to 1,460 people were wounded. Initial suspicions pointed to a Basque separatist group, ETA, or "Euskadi Ta Askatasuna," meaning, “Basque Fatherland and Liberty,” but Islamic extremists were then suspected. The component used was said to be “titadine,” a form of compressed dynamite. Eight people* were indicted by a Spanish judge for providing logistical support to the terrorists, including Ramzi Binalshibh, who could not get into the U.S., but was an Al Qida financial figure and a connection to Al Qida-Hamburg. Binalshibh was captured in Pakistan on September 11th 2002 in Karachi. The eight suspects were: Reda Zerroug, Redouane Zenimi, Samir Mahdjoub, Mohamed Ayat, Hedi Ben Youssef Boudhiba, Khaled Madani, Tahar Ezirouali and Francisco Garcia Gomez. A Spanish newspaper reported that a Muslim associate of Al Qida operative, "Mustafa Setmariam*" (also known as "Abu Musab al-Suri"), a Syrian- Spanish fugitive, helped plan the 9-11 attacks and ordered the Madrid, Spain, bombing. This mystery man was in attendance at a last minute meeting in Tarragona, Spain, along with Mohamed Atta and Ramzi Binalshibh to plan the 9-11 attacks. The U.S. put up a $5 million dollar reward for information leading to Setmariam’s arrest. The suspected leader of Al Qida in Spain, Syrian-born "Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas*" (a.k.a. "Abu Dahdah")---one of 24 suspects who went on trial after being accused of being members of Al Qida---denounced 9-11, the Madrid train bombing and terrorism, saying it was a violation of Islam. Yarkas was convicted of conspiring with the 9-11 plotters and was sentenced to 27 years. Al-J azeera journalist, Tayseer Alouni, was also convicted and received 7 years. "Ghasoub al-Abrash Ghalyoun*" was tried by a Spanish court in April 2005 for recruiting Al Qida members in Spain, beginning in 1995. Ghalyoun allegedly scouted American targets for Al Qida pre-9-11, by shooting video of New York landmarks like the World Trade Center, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. This was during his stay in August 1997. The Drudge Report reported that a carload full of explosives had been stopped by Spanish police just before the 3-11-04 Madrid, Spain, bombing, but was “waved through” and allowed onward to continue with its evil mission. Radio host Matt Drudge is exquisitely paranoid of big brother and security cameras, but never seemed to take the 9-11 conspiracy seriously. The San Francisco Chronicle* reported that Egyptian American, and 189 190 former U.S. Army Sargeant, "Ali Mohamed," pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in 2004. Mohamed had approached the CIA fifteen years prior, offering informer work on Middle Eastern terror groups. The CIA tested him out, but broke off contact because he bragged about his connections. He was later used an informant for the FBI. But Ali Mohamed's allegiances were duplicitous, once bringing Ayman al-Zawahiri to the San Francisco Bay area for a covert fund-raising mission. His commanding officer in the U.S. Army, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Anderson, said Mohamed told him at their first meeting that he was part of the unit that assassinated Anwar Sadat, causing Anderson write detailed accounts to Army Intelligence about Mohamed, thinking he was a dangerous fanatic. The writings were ignored. Anderson assumed Mohamed was under the control of the CIA, especially after Mohamed went on vacation in Afghanistan, returning to boast that he had killed two Soviet soldiers. He was not punished for being an American soldier fighting in a foreign war. After this, Mohamed spent years abroad serving Al Qida and planned the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing in Nairobi. How could this double agent have operated within our top U.S. intelligence agencies? But some law enforcement sources claimed that the intelligence agencies were only following procedure that when using an asset, you don't know if they're being 100% honest with you, or 10%. Senator Ted Kennedy* (D-MA) landed on a terror watch list in 2004 after some practical joker placed him on it. He was barred or delayed from more than one flight. George Tenet took the fall for Bush and resigned due to various misinterpretations the CIA made concerning: WMD in Iraq (it was a “slam dunk!”), preceding the invasion; The CIA said that Iraq tried to purchase “yellowcake” from Niger; The missile strike on Saddam Insane which missed (Tenet then ringing up the White House, telling the president that we got that SOB; Failing to foresee the testing of a nuclear bomb by India in 1998; Inaccurate information contributing to the military bombing of the China’s Belgrade embassy in 1999 in the Kosovo conflict. Porter Goss* (R-FL) got the nod for CIA boss in the summer 2004, which was a real surprise. This, in keeping with how all the cooperative alleged 9-11 Agents got cushy appointments and perks in the aftermath. I liked how the media suddenly presented the fact that Rep. Goss’s breakfast with Pakistani ISID chief Mahmud Ahmad-- -in which it was revealed that they were discussing Usama Bin Ladin---was an amazing coincidence! How about that? It was just another humdinger of a happenstance. Goss was an ex-CIA man, serving for ten years everywhere from Europe to Santo Domingo to Mexico and Miami during the Cuban Missile crisis. Many politicos remained split on the confirmation, but he was confirmed 77-17. Many accused Goss of having a history of being too partisan on intelligence issues in the past, including Senator Hillary Clinton* (D-NY). Michael Moore came out with some unreleased footage in the summer of 2004 from an interview Goss* gave producers from his production company during the making of Fahrenheit 9-11. Ironically, in the interview, Goss admitted he was not qualified to work for the CIA these days because he didn’t have the language skills you needed like Arabic, didn’t have the right cultural background and didn’t have the technical skills. Nonetheless, he was touted by the White House as the most qualified man for the job. But soon enough, it was reported that Goss had quit the CIA Director's post after contracting a bizarre case of blood poisoning from an exposure to a toxin doctors couldn’t identify. But then later it was reported that Goss quit amid the poker party scandal at the 190 191 Watergate and Westin Hotels, where alleged bribes and prostitution took place. Which was it? Goss was another wealthy Washington insider, with as much as $40 million tucked away according to the New York Post*. In the summer of 2004, Homeland Security informed us about a three or four-year-old Al Qida plan to blow up U.S. financial interests. This was learned through a computer owned by captured Al Qida figure, Abu Talha, in Pakistan by Pakistani officials acting on a CIA tip. The Washington Post called it a “treasure trove” of information and New York and Washington leaders took the threat very seriously. But that didn’t explain why the Bush daughters were making an appearance at the time at one of the alleged targets, the Citigroup Center. I believe if this threat were as real as they said, the president's daughters wouldn't have been there. The terror roundup went pretty well in the summer of ’04, with the Pakis getting an Al Qida bigwig who participated in the 1998 American embassy bombings in Africa, and more Al Qida members were snagged in New York State and in Britain*, but it just got too voluminous to go into here. A Federal Grand J ury here indicted three British nationals* in British custody since 8-3-04. The indictment said that "Dhiren Barot*, Nadeem Tarmohamed and Qaisar Shaffi" conducted surveillance operations between August 2000 and April 2001 on buildings that included the Prudential Building in New J ersey, the NYSE, Citigroup headquarters in New York and the International Monetary Fund in Washington. Barot also allegedly planned bombings in Britain. Information leading to the suspects was gained through the arrest of Pakistani computer engineer, "Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan," as well as the capture of other Al Qida operatives by the CIA there. Barot, who also went by the names "Issa al Britani, Abu Eisa al-Hindi and Abu Musa al-Hindi," was said to have acted on orders from Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. Barot applied to an unspecified college in New York as a cover for his exploits, but never attended classes. Condoleeza Rice tied these threats to the November 2004 presidential election. A September, 12th 2004 New York Post* article informed that “Task Force 121,” a stealthy CIA / Army Special Forces unit which caught Saddam Hussein in Iraq, was now in Afghanistan hunting for UBL in the South Waziristan region. Pakistani troops were said to have been trying to flush out Al Qida troops into 45 U.S. checkpoints on the other side of the border. Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell reported on September 13th 2004 that the federal government contacted remote viewers privately to see whether the sea wall in Lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center was in any danger of collapse. I never thought about that one, but there would be a scenario for you: Lower Manhattan sinks into the sea amidst a giant tsunami. They also wanted RV’ers to try and view where UBL was. In September 2004, federal authorities informed us that, ‘UBL was now in U.S. sights*.’ All of a sudden they had him cornered! They knew he’d been in a rugged, mountainous region on the Afghanistan / Pakistan border since 2001, but this could in no way have been tied to the upcoming 2004 presidential lection. The Republicans also said in September 2004 that a Democratic presidential win would be a "terror risk," with Vice President Dick Cheney* saying that there was a danger that we’ll be hit in a devastating way again. He was correct too, because we were hit again with the Bush regime. Condi Rice echoed that a potential terrorist strike could occur close to the November 2004 election, stating it might be too good an opportunity for the terrorists to pass up”; this 191 192 caused some to speculate about an “October surprise*.” Talk about "fuzzy math," Bush and Rice would not head off 9-11 based on rumor or chatter, but boy could they campaign on it! But in all fairness, the roundup of three British nationals accused of plotting to blow up major financial institutions on the east coast, may have been a legitimate reason to raise the terror threat. Yet again, so was all the pre-9-11 warnings but they did nothing. Bush clumsily stated in October 2004, that a terrorist attack was still ‘up in the air.’ An odd choice of words and it made me wonder about a series of painted arrows I found all over in a certain area of Staten Island circa 2003-2004. The white arrows, obviously aviation signals, were painted on public streets, private parking lots, medians etc. and were numbered up into the thirties, with the first coming right off the beach. They all pointed true north, towards Manhattan. "Assam the American," in an audio tape in 2004 ranted that a new operation would “dwarf” 9-11, and that the streets would run with blood. The tape came to ABC from Pakistan, sent from "Assam the American," who was really allegedly "Adam Pearlman," an American raised in California who was recruited by Al Qida. There were eventually five such tapes in question. It was confirmed in a small blurb in the New York Post that Pearlman had left California for Pakistan six years prior. Pearlman became the first U.S. citizen to be charged with treason* since the 1940's, and was placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list. Info surfaced about Las Vegas* being a possible terror target. This was particularly interesting because I had a dream approximately a year before, sometime in 2003, about Al Qida attacking that city. Bombs were going off up and down the strip. I thought it odd that I had a dream* so specific, and I warned approximately seven people via email to stay away from Las Vegas. A year later, in 2004, the Al Qida Las Vegas bombing plot was revealed, but city authorities knew of the plot since August 30th 2002! They kept mum about it, not wanting to hurt commerce no doubt, and only two Las Vegas city officials showed up at a screening of an alleged terror video shot by a tourist who filmed casinos. The FBI investigated cases of RNC* protesters in 2004 to determine if New York City Police Officers violated citizens Constitutional rights. Mayor Bloomberg and the NYPD basically turned the Penn Station area into a lockdown for the president and the GOP. It was reported in November 2004 that British intelligence had foiled an Al Qida plot---one of possibly five plots---to attack London’s Heathrow* Airport and three skyscrapers at Canary Wharf, including the 50-story "One Canada Square." News of the plot conveniently surfaced just as the British government was preparing to propose legislation for a “citizen ID card,” and the creation of an FBI-like agency there. Ex-CIA Agent, Michael Scheuer, in his book Imperial Hubris, claimed that Usama Bin Ladin, as of 11-04, had a nuclear bomb and had obtained “religious permission” from Islamic leaders to use it. Time Magazine*, in November 2004, reported that Al Qida might try and smuggle nuclear weapons into Mexico for use against the United States. This was confessed by Egyptian, "Sharif al-Masri," captured in Pakistan near the Iranian border, who told his interrogators of the plot. The CIA promoted “J ose*.” The CIA promoted a new undercover manager, code-named "J ose," who would supposedly oversee all human spying activities 192 193 for the intelligence communities. J ose was said to be director of the new National Clandestine Service. J ose will coordinate between the CIA, FBI and other agencies. Surprisingly, there were only minor mentions of this in the media, and the “J ose” as a choice of names had a PC ring to it. Is J ose an illegal alien? It would be quite fitting. Saudi Al Qida members attacked the U.S. consulate* in J eddah, Saudi Arabia, on 12-6-04, killing nine people. The thugs managed to burn the American flag and take staff members as hostages before they were killed or apprehended in a four-hour shootout with Saudi police. The mujahideen gained entry by sneaking on foot behind a consulate car through a checkpoint. They then lobbed grenades at the guard gate to gain entry. No Americans were killed. "Haji Baz Mohammad*" was arrested in Afghanistan in J anuary 2005, and extradited to the United States in October 2005, for plotting to smuggle heroin onto the streets of New York. The proceeds would’ve been funneled to terrorist groups. The Flaming Informant*, or FBI informant, "Mohamed Alanssi," set himself on fire outside the White House to protest his treatment by federal agents. He was to play a major role in the trial of "Sheik Mohammed Ali Hassan Al-Moayad*," a Yemeni cleric accused of raising terror funds for Al Qida and Hamas, and who was eventually given the maximum 75-year sentence. Al Moayad was also a customer of terror financier and Brooklyn ice cream shop owner, "Abad Elfgeeh," who was found guilty of funneling more than $20 million dollars overseas in an unlicensed money-wiring program. Elfgeeh had reputed ties to terrorism---which the jury wasn’t permitted to hear. Alanssi, in a letter to a Washington Post reporter, said he feared that the feds would incarcerate and torture him if he refused to cooperate. And so he decided he would, “SUICIDE myself.” Al-Moayad," who claimed to be UBL’s spiritual adviser, and allegedly gave Usama Bin Ladin $20 million dollars for terrorist activities, according to Alanssi, was convicted on 3-10-05 by a Brooklyn federal jury without the help of Alanssi, for scheming to finance terrorism, specifically Al Qida and Hamas. Al-Moayad’s assistant, "Mohammed Yahya Zayed," was also convicted. The defense tried to call Alanssi as a witness, a move that seemed to backfire*. Alanssi snared Al Moayad and Zayed in a hotel in Frankfurt. An Islamic scholar was found guilty on 4-26-05 for recruiting followers to join the Taliban after 9-11, and fight U.S. troops. "Ali al-Timmi*" often gathered with his followers for games of paintball in the Virginia woods. A New York City jazz musician, martial arts expert and son of a Malcom X lieutenant, "Tarik Shah*," along with, "Dr. Rafiq Sabir," of Boca Raton, Florida, were arrested in May 2005 for attempting to provide material support for Al Qida cells. The pair had met with an undercover FBI agent posing as an Al Qida operative. They were accused of hatching the plot in 2003. Shah was accused of scouting places where martial arts training could be provided, including a Long Island warehouse. Shah allegedly tried to enter an Afghan terror training camp, and attempted to recruit brothers for Al Qida in Phoenix. Shah held telephone numbers of others who attended the terror camps overseas. The Flaming Informant, Mohamed Alanssi, stated that Shah was eager to take the “bayat*,” or loyalty oath to Usama Bin Ladin. Alanssi was considered a key witness* in the case against Tarik. Dr. Sabir, who was to be employed at a Saudi military base and expressed interest in treating wounded jihadists. Lawyers for Shah accused the government, saying the prosecution was a set up. A student of Shah's, Mahmud Faruq 193 194 Brent*, was also arrested after training with "Lashkar-e-Taiba," a group that ran a Pakistani terror camp. The British Consulate* in Manhattan was bombed on May 5th 2005 at 3:35 A.M. by person/s unknown. Two grenades filled with black powder and fuses were used to blow out glass panels on the building. Surveillance videotape held potential leads, including a taxi driver, a woman jogger and a bicyclist, but no arrests were made. The 5- 5-05 bombing coincided with the British national election and the communist holiday "Mayday." Ka-Blammm! was the blast almost heard around the world, as someone lobbed a grenade* within 100 feet of President Bush during his visit to Tbilisi, Georgia, in May 2005. The grenade was a dud that first hit an individual in the audience then fell harmlessly to the ground. A Georgian official scooped up the grenade and took it out. Bush and his Secret Service detail were unaware of the incident until afterward, but the FBI later maintained that it was a live, Soviet-issue grenade. On 5-24-05, terrified passengers aboard a New J ersey PATH* train kicked out windows and raced for the exits at the World Trade Center station, from what turned out to be just a smoke bomb. There were no injuries and no arrests were made. Terror pranks were on the rise in the few years after 9-11---some intentional, some not---like the one involving a soda bottle filled with a mysterious green liquid, which got Penn Station evacuated for a couple of hours. Then a Bronx resident, Raoul Claudio, closed down Penn Station* on 7-25-05 after he threw a suitcase at an Amtrak ticket agent, saying there was a bomb inside. This was after the agent refused him a ticket because he lacked identification. That same day, a Gray Liner double-decker tourist bus was stopped in New York at 51st & Broadway, after a bus dispatcher made a report about five Middle Eastern men with backpacks. The NYC Port Authority Bus Terminal was evacuated for an hour-and-a-half after what looked like a hand grenade was found. It was actually a grenade-shaped cologne bottle. It had a pin and everything, and a suspicious title to boot: "Cease Fire*." A hunt began for Bin Ladin deputy, "Abu Faraj al Libbi*" (the Libyan), who had taken control as Al Qida’s chief strategist. Authorities said he was believed to be the mastermind behind any potential pre-presidential election attacks on America in 2004---attacks said to rival the 9-11 attacks. But I thought, don't you have to do something to be a mastermind? The Daily News reported on 12-22-05 that al-Libi was working on a plot to assassinate President Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. He was captured by Pakistani forces and grilled repeatedly. He did not yield much useful information at first, but eventually sang under intense pressure (oh no, someone call a NYU lawyer!). Information from a satellite phone showed he was in contact with operatives in New York also. An Al Qida “sleeper” in Queens, New York, "Mohammed J unaid Babar*," may have had information on an Al Qida summit held in Waziristan, Pakistan, where the 7-7-05 London bombings may have been planned. Babar allegedly brought cash and supplies to terrorists there, prompting British authorities to ask the FBI for permission to interrogate him. Babar was arrested in Queens in 2004. The irony was that Babar’s own mother may have narrowly escaped the World Trade Center with her life on 9-11. If you have a name like Babar, shouldn’t you just try and be good? A FDNY Captain was suspended after he allegedly tampered with a pipe 194 195 bomb* found at a Queens, NY, fire scene. After finding the device in a dumpster, he allegedly took the device back to the firehouse. Fire officials suspended Captain J ames Goelz of Engine 320, while they investigated the incident. Officials were looking into why Goelz did not call the NYPD Bomb Squad after finding the device. This was two days after the 7-7-05 London bombings. The bomb rolled out of a recycling bin after firefighters overturned it. The bomb then broke open and Goelz allegedly rolled it under his boot before taking it back to headquarters to give to the fire marshal. Other witnesses said that the men unscrewed one end of the bomb, spilling powder onto the ground. When cops were called to the firehouse, they found the bomb---much to their horror--- sitting on the stationhouse radiator! Experts said the bomb could have killed or wounded anyone within a 100-foot radius. There was probably more to the story, but the Goelz’s declined comment. I saw that the incident caused one cop to wisecrack online: "those FDNY guys'll steal anything…." A $5 million dollar bounty was placed on "Mustafa Setmarian Nasar*," a.k.a. "Abu Musab Al-Suri," or "The Syrian". Nasar ran terror camps in Afghanistan and was under indictment for the Madrid train bombings. Also wanted was "Mohamed al- Guerbouzi," a Moroccan friend of Nasar's. Also placed on the top-3 list was, "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi," who was later killed in Iraq. Zarqawi was first wounded by an American missile strike while in Afghanistan. Nasar responded with a smart-alecky threat in May 2005, threatening to turn the light of our morning into the black face of Condoleeza Rice. But I don’t know what he was saying, because Condoleeza Rice isn't that dark. Author of The Big Wedding and owner of Brooklyn’s Vox Pop Café, Sander Hicks, told New York Post, "Supa-bitch*," Andrea Peyser, in October 2005 that the 9-11 attacks were either carried out by the U.S. Government, allowed to occur, or was the mother of all insurance scams---which was a decent point right there. Hicks said Arab rage was a factor, but that the CIA was smart enough to use that anger for their own means. He raised the point that the Arab world didn’t benefit from the 9-11 attacks, only Bush and company. Good points. Pakistani men at a nearby business agreed that 9-11 was a government-sponsored atrocity. They think they (the government) let it happen, and said their kids teachers in school even agreed! A spy of Philippine descent was arrested on charges of spying for the Philippine Government in autumn 2005. "Leandro Aragoncillo*" had worked for two U.S. Vice Presidents and even rode aboard Air Force One! Aragoncillo reportedly admitted taking documents from White House computers while in the Marines, and stealing others from FBI computers. His alleged accomplice was named as former Philippine police official, "Michael Ray Aquino." Three U.S. trademark hotels, Days Inn, Radisson SAS and Grand Hyatt Amman, were targeted by suicide bombers in J ordan* on 11-9-05. The attacks killed 67 people. It was learned in early November 2005, that the CIA had been running eight secret prisons, or “black sites*,” to hold terrorists worldwide. The facilities included sites in Eastern Europe, Thailand and Afghanistan. Nothing was known as to who was being held at these sites, citing national security reasons. “Everything was very reactive,” said an unnamed former intelligence official. “That’s how you get to a situation where you pick people up, send them into a netherworld …” Sent into a netherworld where you don't even exist…. 195 196 Investigations were ongoing in 2005 over who leaked the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame*. It was first mentioned in Robert Novak’s New York Times article of 7-11-03. Times writer, J udith Miller, then spent an amazing 85 days in the poky for protecting her confidential source. It was thought that since Plame’s husband, former Ambassador J oe Wilson, was critical about the Bush Administration and Iraqi WMD claims, which led to Plame’s outing. Wilson blamed Bush adviser Karl Rove for the leak, and Miller was freed after Cheney Chief of Staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, gave her permission to reveal him as the source. Another source alleged that Libby was “obsessed” with Wilson. Karl Rove was ordered to testify on the matter, and other high-level names came up as possible leak sources. Rove had told Time Magazine, that because Wilson’s wife was a CIA officer, he was able to get on an Iraq-linked CIA mission to Niger to learn about Iraqi attempts to purchase “yellow cake.” But Rove claimed he did not know her name (Plame), or if she was undercover. Bush tried to deflect the matter as “background noise,” and “chatter." Rumors arose in the media that some high-level indictments were forthcoming because of the leak, and conservative spinners tried to deflect the gossip, but an indictment against Scooter Libby did come down. Libby was charged with perjury and obstruction. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage* was also fingered in the 3-year probe as a leak-er. Armitage told columnist, Robert Novak, and Washington Post reporter, Bob Woodward, in 2003 about Plame. Plame’s outing was obviously politically motivated. Armitage said he made a big mistake, but did not do so maliciously. Plame sued* Cheney, Rove and others. Bush and Cheney were also implicated* in authorizing Libby to launch damaging leaks against Iraqi war critics. "Omar al-Farouq*," once one of UBL’s top lieutenants in Southeast Asia, escaped from an U.S.-run detention facility in Afghanistan on 7-10-05, and was later seen bragging about it on Arabic TV. But al-Farouq was later recaptured and turned over to U.S. authorities by the Indonesian Government in summer 2002. Congressional investigators reported in J une 2005 that as many as one million people could die if 100 substantial nationwide chemical plants*, were attacked simultaneously. Seven were located in New J ersey. Yeah, sure, now it's possible...now that the terrorists know. What began as a rumor about Middle Eastern men casing an airport turned out to be true. This was in regards to a trio of Middle Eastern men aiming shoulder-fired missiles at an aircraft at Tinker AFB* in Oklahoma. They were also taking pictures and looking through binoculars. Security chased them away from the area. The aircraft in question was a "Stealth B-1 Bomber," and the weapon, a “MANPAD” (not a male sanitary napkin), but a rocket launcher. The FBI found the account to be credible. The story was also verified by Captain Sean Carter, Public Affairs Officer at Hill AFB. This underlined the fact that many missing SAM and Stinger missiles are thought to be in the hands of terrorists, with UBL even alluding to this in one interview. Los Angeles officials were investigating whether a Pakistani man, "Hammad Riaz Samana," arrested there on August 2nd 2005, was communicating with a California State militant Muslim prison gang called “J amatUl-IslamIs Saheeh” (whatever that means). It was feared that they may have been plotting terror attacks on L.A.-area targets on a September 11th anniversary, or on J ewish holidays. Samana was arrested after authorities found what seemed to be a terror target list at the apartment of one of two other men arrested in an investigation into a series of gas station robberies there. The 196 197 list included three National Guard facilities, the Israeli Consulate and synagogues. Imam* for New York City's jails, "Umar Abdul-J alil," once said that the biggest terrorists in the world are in the White House. Although possibly partially correct, he was suspended for the inflammatory remarks. A huge story exploded in August 2005 about the Mexican M13* street gang being paid $30,000 dollars a pop by Al Qida agents to smuggle nukes and sleeper agents across the Mexican border into the country. There was warning that nuclear devices could be detonated simultaneously in Washington, New York, Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Some of the smaller suitcase nukes were allegedly sold to Al Qida by Russian Special Forces. It was reported that the U.S. J ustice Department began rounding up illegal M13 members on the east & west coasts without stating what the real reasons were. They just needed to continue and expand the roundup. On an even more terrifying note, locations of nuclear warheads on U.S. soil that were smuggled into the country by Russia during the cold war to be used against us, were being sold to terrorists. Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from J FK Airport on 8-27-05 after Transportation Security Administration officers found a suspicious device* in a terminal there. The suspicious item was a package found in an American Airlines confiscated-items bin. The device was wrapped in duct tape and was said to be “ticking.” One source said it was an intentional fake used for training and testing ramp agents and was probably misplaced---woops. Another source said it was an IED (improvised explosive device) that was “inert,” but “well built." The TSA wouldn’t stake claim to the device until the FBI and J oint Terrorism Task Force showed up and started asking questions, still another source said. The entire incident was taken very seriously. October 2005 saw a terror attack on Nalchick*, Russia, by Chcechen rebels who killed as many as eighty-five people. Nalchick is the capital of the Muslim- dominated republic of Kabardino-Balkariya. A federal judge unsealed details about an American-born terrorist, "Ahmed Omar Abu Ali*," of Falls Church, Virginia. He was scheduled to go on trial in November 2005 after he joined an Al Qida cell while attending college in Saudi Arabia, where he was asked to research nuclear facilities in the U.S. by the reported number two Al Qida man in Saudi Arabia, "Sultan J ubran Sultan al-Qahtani." Abu Ali reportedly could not convince the terror cell there to adopt his plan to assassinate President Bush, and described the cell members there as lazy and engaging in idle chit-chat too often. Abu Ali, a one-time U.S. high school valedictorian, was first indicted in Saudi Arabia, on 2-22-05 for supplying an Al Qida cell there with material support and resources intended to be used in preparation to kill the President of the United States. "Shahawar Matin Siraj*," a Pakistani immigrant, and "J ames Elshafay," were arrested in 2005 for plotting to blow up New York City subways* with bombs carried in backpacks. The men were caught speaking on tape to an informant about blowing up Herald Square subways and the Verrazano Bridge. Siraj argued in Brooklyn federal court that he had never had any serious jihadist goals, but was being constantly persuaded by NYPD informant, "Osama El Dawoody*." Elshafay pleaded guilty. Another terror plot to bomb New York City subways* had city official’s nerves on edge in October 2005 after GI’s in Iraq caught wind of the plot from informants in Iraqi. It was then learned that persons with close connections to the 197 198 Department of Homeland Security tipped off select individuals in New York in the arts community via email*, warning them of the plot and not to ride city subways. The plot, which warned of “19” bombers, largely turned out to be a hoax, but caused Mayor Bloomberg to err on the side of caution and warn the public. Two federal employees were stripped of their security clearances after it was learned that they had shared the warning with family members. This was three days before the FBI and the mayor ever went public with the news. William Ross*, of the Homeland Security's Transportation Safety Administration at Philadelphia Airport, warned his son, who in turn warned others. And Chief Knowledge Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard, Nethenial Heiner*, turned himself in after his email made the rounds. One email was even dated 90 minutes before Mayor Bloomberg was even told. Rudy Giuliani came out in defense* of Bloomberg, saying he did the right thing. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said in 2006 that Bin Ladin* was still hiding in Afghanistan, and had not died of the rumored "typhoid." At the trial of post-9-11 plotter and would-be hijacker, "Zacarias Moussaoui*," in Alexandria, Virginia, the evil jihadist parodied the song Born In The USA, making it “Burn,” and smirked when the prosecutors tallied the loss of life on 9-11. Moussaoui scowled and shook his head when someone suggested that a loved one went to Heaven. Agent, Harry Samit*, of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office, testified at Moussaoui's trial that he tried for four weeks to warn the FBI about the terror suspect. One memo mentioned Moussaoui seventy times. His last communiqué` was on August 30th 2001. Samit called it a blown chance to halt the 9-11 attacks. Rudy Giuliani* took the stand and was poignant in his testimony, pointing to a model of the World Trade Center where he saw a man plunge from the 101st floor. He described how he saw two people jump while holding hands and that it comes back to him every day. Giuliani went on to describe how you could smell the body parts at the Trade Center. He explained how he unknowingly said goodbye to several good friends that day, including Peter Ganci, Ray Downey and Father Mychal J udge, and that the hardest thing to do afterwards was to attend all the funerals, especially when the victims left behind little children. Rudy's game plan that day was to ignore Moussaoui, even during the combatant’s frequent outbursts, like telling America to ‘go to Hell’ at one point. But Giuliani would not lower himself to even give the swab of scum the satisfaction of looking at him. Giuliani only glanced at Moussaoui once that day, biting his lip as he listened to the prosecutor catalogue the loss of emergency first responder lives. I think if Rudy could have volunteered to pull the switch on Moussaoui, he would have. Mossaoui, on the other hand, kept his eyes glued on Giuliani. But the stare down Moussaoui craved never came. Afterwards, Giuliani seemed to be generally shaken by the emotional testimony and did not take reporter's questions. Victim's relatives called for public trials for Zacarias Moussaoui, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh. Moussaoui faced a potential death penalty, but dodged it and was sentenced to life in prison at Colorado's "Supermax" federal penitentiary in May 2006. Eleven Egyptians* with student visas disappeared in New York City en route to Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, in August 2006. They became the subject of a nationwide alert, but all were eventually found, and not believed to have had any terror connections. It did serve to cast light upon our broken and totally unnecessary immigration system though. 198 199 The Supreme Court* ruled in J une 2006 that Al Qida terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay could not be tried under military tribunals in violation of the Geneva Convention. It reminded me of Hogan's Heroes where all Hogan had to do was cite the Geneva Convention and he was practically off the hook. Perhaps future terrorists could get off because they weren't read their Miranda Rights properly? One of the reasons military tribunals were needed, was because normal methods of interrogation were useless on such hardened terrorists. One extreme method they called "waterboarding*," which simulated drowning. It’s probably no fun and goes on forever---perhaps for twenty-four hours. In J uly 2006, the FBI uncovered a terrorist plot to bomb New York City's Holland Tunnel*, hoping to cause a massive flood in Manhattan. The plot also included attacks on subways and other tunnels. One conspirator, "Andalousli," was arrested by authorities in Beirut. The plan called to use vehicles packed with massive amounts of explosives that would rip a hole in the Holland Tunnel, triggering the deluge. But experts said that even if the attack had occurred, it wouldn't have worked. The plot was discovered by monitoring internet chat rooms and appeared to be more advanced than the Miami seven arrested just a week before. The Miami seven conspired to bomb FBI offices, but did not have the wherewithal to carry out the plot. The Holland Tunnel mastermind, "Assem Hammoud*," told authorities that he was following a religious order from Usama Bin Ladin and that he was proud to carry out UBL’s orders. Hammoud was apprehended in Lebanon. On September 7th 2006, Arabic TV network, Al-J azeera, broadcasted a new Bin Ladin tape* said to have been made pre-9-11 and showed the terror chief conferring with his top lieutenants. This brought to mind the New Yorker cartoon I once saw, depicting a man taking a package out of a mailbox and saying something to the effect of, ‘Gee, a new Bin Ladin tape? We haven't even watched the last one.’ UBL was gradually shrinking away from any relevance in the worldwide terror radar. Another somewhat comical development may have been that UBL was said to have become flustered by his increasing irrelevance in the Muslim jihadist sect, causing the ex-terror master to offer the United States a "truce*" in J anuary 2006. This truce tape was broadcast on Al J azeera in April 2006 then promptly "ignored" by the U.S. and other western officials. It was a mere 'blurb' in the media. UBL had finally been pushed to play his "trump card" only to have it completely ignored. Dang! Bin Ladin had been marginalized to an “I mean it this time”-type scenario. Not to say that UBL will not make a comeback someday, or that he is not forever revered by terrorists, but it seemed kind of rough from there on out for the washed-up terror lord, staring at the cave wall, the same one he’d been staring at for years, feeling like a has been. Only suddenly that cave probably became a little more boring after the truce tape. Al-J azeera* made its New York City debut in 2006, launching an English language version to about 10,000 subscribers. Through massive electronic surveillance, British authorities in August 2006, crushed a horrendous plot to simultaneously blow up several passenger jets* while in the air en route to the U.S. Dozens of suspects were bugged, tracked and followed by helicopters and airplanes, with 1,500 analysts monitoring more than fifty suspects. The attackers planned to sneak TATP (or "triacetone tiperoxide": also called "The Mother of Satan" by terrorists) inside of normal sports drink bottles* aboard at least ten airliners and detonate them with a cell phone or an iPod. This brought on a ban on carry-on liquids on 199 200 airliners and led the call to develop liquid scanners* at airports. Mastermind, "Rashid Rauf*," along with his brother, "Tayib Rauf," were arrested, along with twenty-two others in Britain and seventeen in Pakistan. Four heavily armed terrorists tried to blow up the U.S. Embassy* in Damscus, Syria, in September 2006, precariously close to the 9-11 anniversary, but were foiled by Syrian security forces. Conspiracies abounded, with the Syrians claiming that the U.S. was behind the attack so they could make Syria look bad. Some things are even too conspiratorial for this author sometimes. The U.S. military missed an important strike against the Taliban in September 2006 due to U.S. military rules of engagement barring attacks on cemeteries*. This is where a group of Taliban had been gathered in a tight formation for a funeral procession. Britain continued to have its terror problems with, "Abdula Ahmed Ali*," and his wife, "Cossor," allegedly plotting to blow up a jet airliner using a baby bottle as a liquid bomb in August 2006. A newspaper picture depicting the attitude-filled Ali, with hand extended in the thuggish "gun-like" pose told the tale. Attorney Lynne Stewart* was convicted of providing material support to 1993 WTC terror mastermind, "Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman," in October 2006 and was sentenced to just twenty-eight months in prison in federal court, dodging the potential thirty-year sentence. Co-defendant, "Abdel Sattar," and Arabic interpreter, "Yousry," did not fare as well. They received twenty-four and twenty years respectively. Ironically, on October 11th 2006, Yankee pitcher, Cory Lidle, was killed when his single-engine Cirrus SR20 slammed into a high-rise condominium, The Belaire, on New York's Upper East Side. The mishap was ruled an accident, but the federal response was serious as dozens of fighter jets scrambled to cover the airspace over New York, Washington and major west coast cities; the NAADC* scrambled jets over New York within ten minutes. Within twenty minutes, jets were scrambled over Washington and the west coast. This was the fifth such incident I know of involving aviators* slamming planes into New York City structures, including: Cory Lidle's accident; The 9- 11 WTC attacks; The Empire State Building crash; the George Washington Bridge accident; and the Pan Am Building helicopter crash. Specifically, on J uly 28th 1945, A B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building, killing fourteen people. On May 16th 1977, a helicopter crashed into the Pan Am Building---now the Met Life Building---killing four. And a small plane struck the George Washington Bridge in the early 1900's. Investigative webmaster, Daniel Hopsicker, released a world exclusive report about the FBI issuing a terror alert in the South Pacific involving a German pilot, Wolfgang Bohringer, who has been identified as a one-time close associate of Mohammed Atta's. The Associated Press reported that U.S. authorities uncovered a plot to set up a flight training school in Kiribati. News stories caused Bohringer to flee small south Pacific "Fanning Island" in his yacht. The population of the island was said to be one-hundred and the island had no electricity, yet Bohringer wanted to open a flight school there, training pilots to fly DC 3's. Bohringer deleted his online data before departing. As more and more Democrats were elected circa 2006, it's hard to wonder why, given that the Republicans actually wanted to hand over the control of the ports of 200 201 several major U.S. cities to Dubai Portsworld*, a company based in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai Portsworld bought the rights to operate several major U.S. ports for $10 billion dollars. This actually led to the departure of White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. First open borders, then open ports? What were these Bushes thinking? Bush actually whined to Congress that nixing the Dubai Portsworld deal concerned him about the message it would send to people around the world, specifically in the Middle East. You know what that meant don’t you?: Muslim countries once again. American policy has become rife with Islamic tuckis-smooching. The Dubai Ports deal could've been disastrous. Republicans lamented that the United Arab Emirates had been the most instrumental country in tracking down Al Qida terrorists post-USS Cole bombing. Yet some of the 9-11 hijackers passed through that country, and at one time, the UAE formally recognized the Taliban. The new terrorism could soon be economic* by bleeding the U.S. dry economically. What with the foreign debt and the trillion of dollars being thrown to the wind in Iraq, the dollar will become so devalued it’ll be almost worthless. I once read that this was actually an original plan by our enemies leftover from the old cold war Socialists: to bleed America dry by causing us to get overly-involved in every under- developed country. As it is, our troops are all over the globe propping up every other third world shit hole in the name of compassion and goodwill---which is constantly taken advantage of---meanwhile an increasing sense of lawlessness pervades domestically; illegal immigration, emulation of gang/thug culture, increasing antisocial behavior by our youth, our corporate culture of greed in relocation of manufacturing business to foreign countries, sense of entitlement to social programs etc. are pointing to a far worse sin than global inactivity---suicide. This while our soldiers are busy dying confused and alone on foreign soil seemingly for ingrates and aliens. Cultural terrorism from the inside. The first commercial 9-11 movie release that I knew of, United 93*, opened in April 2006, and told the story of the hijacking and crash of United Airlines Flight 93, which allegedly crashed in Pennsylvania. In the summer of 2001, I recall huge floodlights around the top of the World Trade Center, and helicopters hovering nearby. Later I was informed that it was a scene from either the movie Spiderman, or the remake of the movie King Kong, in which they dropped a 110-foot model of King Kong from the top of the Trade Center. Director Oliver Stone released his movie, World Trade Center, starring Nicolas Cage and based on the story of a Port Authority cop on 9-11. The movie received good reviews. An acquaintance of mine played a Port Authority cop in the movie. Director, Woody Allen*, told Der Spiegel that as a filmmaker the 9-11 concept appeared too small for him and that history overwhelms it. Allen said it was just another case of people killing each other and a repeat of history. Well excuse me Woody. We'll try to make the next national disaster a little more horrific so you are not so bored with it. A controversial TV mini-series, The Path to 9/11*, drew criticism from former President Bill Clinton. The drama featured then National Security Advisor, Sandy Berger, refusing to give the CIA the order to kill Bin Ladin, then hanging up on the CIA operative. The ABC network toned down the segment, but did not edit the scene out entirely. Clinton then went on a news show vehemently defending his role in the effort to get Bin Ladin, with salvos fired at Team Bush. And running to her man's defense, it was 201 202 Senator Hillary Clinton who got her nails out for Condi Rice for her failures to take the Bin Ladin threat seriously. There was an eerie similarity in a forthcoming documentary titled, Bin Laden: The Failings of a Manhunt*, which claimed a French sniper had Bin Ladin in his sights in Afghanistan in 2003, but the order to shoot never came. The anonymous soldier said the request took roughly two hours to reach U.S. officers for authorization, and that there was a hesitation in the command. There was another sighting six months later. Unnamed French military spokesmen were said to deny these claims. U.S. military and government officials may have hesitated while weighing the value of having Bin Ladin dead or alive, with the issues of martyrdom in the balance. Or, was it that the snipers could not get authorization because there was a secret deal with UBL? A pilot X-Files spin-off episode featured a government plan to fly a remote-controlled plane into the World Trade Center, triggering a war. The episode, The Lone Gunmen, premiered on March 2001. The characters realized that the plane would be remotely controlled just like a character's car had been, leading them to try and hack into the aircraft controls. They tried to warn the aircrew, but they didn't believe them, causing the character to lunge at the controls, deactivating the autopilot. Except that they then realized they were not in control of the aircraft, giving them twenty-two minutes before the jet impacted into the WTC. But they could not get past the plane’s computer encryption and the computer kept freezing. The characters garner help from an outside source, who helps them get past the computerized controls at the last minute, causing the jet to narrowly miss the towers. Was this just coincidence? Or was it a desperate attempt by someone at a 9-11 warning? Was it the 9-11 Agent's idea of a sick joke, or subtle psychological warfare to indoctrinate us into the upcoming 9-11 grand illusion? The cartoon Southpark featured a character wearing a 911truth.org T- shirt. DC Comics was also poised to unleash Batman* against UBL and Al Qida in a graphic novel titled, Holy Terror, Batman! Two comic book artists turned The 9-11 Report into a 144-page graphic novel*. Superman was also depicted as saving lives at the World Trade Center site on 9-11. A child's hand-held video game called "Laden vs. USA*" went on sale on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn for $4.98. The box featured pictures of President Bush, UBL and FDNY Firefighters lining up to enter the Trade Center. The game depicted images of planes flying into the World Trade Center, with the object of the game being to drop bombs on the planes before they hit the towers. The game was for sale in a deli in a Pakistani / Bangladesh enclave, and was recommended for children "ages five and up." It reportedly came from a wholesaler in Manhattans' west 20's and was made in China. Due that I was an artist for many years, it's usually obvious to me why so many artists feel the need to produce controversial work. They know that most of the little press releases announcing upcoming shows depicting cute little paintings of landscapes, fruit bowls and puppy dogs go right in the wastebasket. They get tired of not making money, being ignored. I used to produce some conceptual art, some of it even around the World Trade Center circa 1998-2000. This was from what I like to call “The School of Self Promoters,” that is, a group of loosely associated downtown artists whose heyday (in renegade art anyway) was in the late 1990's or "pre-9-11." It’s all safe and done behind studio doors now. 202 203 In 1999, I briefly did a conceptual project titled "Individuals," which were fake people sleeping on the floors of public places. Individuals were adequately disguised so as to the onlooker, it wasn’t easily obvious that these figures weren’t real people. The torsos and limbs had real weight to them. The heads had wigs & hats. They were ambiguous. I experimented with one at the Trade Center and took photos before leaving it there. But this was all pre-9-11 and a project I would never attempt today. Another project was an installation in a nearby, unnamed cemetery. It featured an earthen-looking arm protruding out from a crack in a crypt. It was unbothered long enough for me to get a picture of it and gage people's reactions. Some kid’s reactions were among the most animated. None of this was meant to be disrespectful, just to break up the monotony of mainstream art. And as I said, this was all pre-9-11 when, as an artist, you could still get away with things like that. I wouldn't recommend it today. I never really produced "9-11 art," per se, which many have but is usually frowned upon as “contrived.” I did, however, produce a piece of conceptual art spoofing the national terror alert color code system. My fictional press release from 'The U.S. Office of Homeland Security,’ announced that today's terror color code would be: "Apple Butter," with "Bee Balm Red" and "Batter Bowl Green" as the hues on deck. This, was of course, all possible courtesy of "Martha Stewart Everyday Colors(R)." The concept was essentially: hey, just because we have a national terror color code doesn't mean we can't make it nice. Brooklyn photographer, Kerry Skarbakka*, evoked the images of people plunging to their deaths from the Twin Towers by jumping off the roof of a Chicago museum thirty times. He said it was his way of asking questions about what went through the minds of those who had to jump, and the bystanders who watched. For the project, Life Goes On, Skarbakka wore a safety harness and made the leaps flailing in different "poses." He later apologized for the project, saying that he was just trying to produce art that made people think. Sculptor, Eric Fischl*, created a bronze sculpture of a falling woman called Tumbling Woman, which was displayed at Rockefeller Center. Artist, Paul Richard, painted a large oil painting of Usama Bin Ladin in 2001, featuring UBL with the Apple Computer graphic logo and the text, "Think Different" next to him. He displayed the painting on Prince Street in SoHo, causing quite a stir. President Bush awarded medals to families of hero cops, firefighters and EMS workers who perished at the World Trade Center. The “9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor,” was approved by Congress and featured the victim's name set in a gold plated finish, with the letter “V” for “victory”---New York Post, “Prez to award 9/11 medals,” 12-9-04. Well, the “V” for victory then was changed to “H” for hero, and the gold medal was set against a star, “Often seen on the badges of public safety officers” ---New York Post, “Sept. 11 heroes’ precious medal,” 9-90-5. Well, except the star wasn’t really a star as much as it was a "pentagram." A star is not normally depicted with its tip pointing downward. The occult 9-11 imagery continued. *Saudis: The Saudi government and Saudi Aramco, a government owned company was accused of funneling tens of thousands of dollars to Columbia University’s outreach programs of the University’s Middle East Institute, which trained NYC public school teachers how to teach Middle East politics. Yikes!---New York Sun, “Saudis Funded 203 204 Columbia Program at Institute That Trained Teachers,” 3-10-05. *PDB & Condi Rice: “Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States” & Daily News, “Condi Reveals A Hijack Hint,” 4-9-04. *Eight Flights: Craig Unger, House of Bush, House of Saud. *Counterterrorism: Washington Post “Officials Assail Ashcroft on Terrorism,” 4-14-04. *Al-J azeera: New York Post, "'Osama's channel' hits N.Y." *J ohn Lehman: Much of this section was taken from the New York Post, “Heroes Rage At WTC Probe,” 5-19-04. *Tape: The Washington Post, “FAA Managers Destroyed 9/11 Tape,” 5-6-04. *This Week: Village Voice, “Mauling Moore,” 6-30 / 7-6-04. *Fahrenheit 9-11: In regards to the screenings for this film, actress Sally Fields, of all people, nailed it in a statement to the Washington Times, saying that the worst sin in this country is to be uninformed. She even went as far as to say that you don’t even have the right to live here if you are unwilling to be informed. Who knew Sally was such a hardliner?--- New York Post, Page Six, 6-29-04. Not to be outdone though, Donald Trump weighed in on Bush in Esquire, saying that it was seemingly impossible for the Bush Administration to find a six-foot-six guy who supposedly needs dialysis on a regular basis---Page Six, ”Still at large,” 7-12-04. But Mad Magazine spoofed it best for me, saying that we couldn’t find UBL, but boy could we bust Martha Stewart and nail her to the wall! We popped Cat Stevens or “Yusef Islam” too (born Stephen Georgiou). His named appeared on a terror watch list on a flight from London to Washington- --New York Post, “No U.S. ‘air’ play for Cat Stevens,” 9-22-04. He was originally suspected of funneling money to a group connected with Hamas---WABC John Bachelor Show---but this was later cleared up as a misunderstanding, as he shared the same name with a suspected terrorist. Poor Linda Ronstadt got the worst of the Fahrenheit 9-11 backlash though. After praising Fahrenheit 9-11 at a show she was doing at the Aladdin Casino in Las Vegas, making some [unspecified] remarks, many audience members walked out. Aladdin’s president happened to be in the audience and Ronstadt was immediately kicked out!---Page Six, “Ronstadt tossed out,” 7-20-04. Maybe that’s who the song Poor Poor Pitiful Me was about? J anet J ackson weighed in, Page Six 8-24-04, telling the October issue of Genre magazine, saying that the basic witch hunt to get her for her Superbowl halftime costume malfunction, was orchestrated by Bush to take the focus off of him and she was just a vehicle for him to do this. She basically called it a lot of bullshit and regretted apologizing, insisting that it was an accident. She said a confession was just an admission of guilt, and that she wouldn’t be voting for Bush. And Babs, Barbara Streisand, turned in a doozy, saying that if you cross the Bush Administration, they hand you your head. This was in light of axed economic adviser, Lawrence Lindsey---Daily News, Lowdown, 9-30-04. Rapper M & M recorded an anti-Bush / Iraq war rant called Mosh. As of 11-04, a sequel, Fahrenheit 9-11-1/2 was announced. But not to be outdone, Buried in the Sand: The Deception of America, a grisly documentary said to counter Moore’s film was made available in stores in November 2004. I don't know who made it, but I believe it was unceremoniously buried in the sand. *"Dulles boy”: New York Post, “Monsters Slip Past Security,” 7-22-04. *Rudy Giuliani: New York Post, “Rudy’s Sore Over Moore,” 7-30-04. Rudy hadn’t seen the film at that point. *J ohn Kerry’s & quote: New York Post, “Rudy: John is Moore’s stooge,” 8-6-04. *"Laden vs. USA": New York Post, "Rage At 9/11 'Game,'" 6-2-05. *Time Magazine: Time threw the yearly “Time 100 Dinner,” on April 19th, 2005. Usama Bin Ladin made the preceding year’s invite list, along with Kim J ong-Il, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Vladimir Putin---Page Six, 3-27-05. *Bin Laden: The Failings of a Manhunt: Wire Services, "U.S. delay let Osama live: docu," 12-20-06. *Lawsuit: New York Post, “Drama Behind Kerry Decision,” 11-4-04. *Aragoncillo: New York Post, “VP ‘Spy’ On Air Force 1,” 10-7-05. *San Francisco Chronicle: "Al Qaeda terrorist worked with FBI Ex-Silicon Valley resident plotted embassy attacks," 11-4-01. *Skarbakka & Fischl: Daily News, "Kick Him In The Arts" 6-16-05 & "'Artist' Sorry For Stunt," 6-17-05. *J ose: Associated Press, “CIA’s ‘J ose’ will behead of U.S. spies.” *Plame: Daily News, “Cheney aide scrutinized,” 7-18-05 / New York Post, “Rove faces ‘insecurity,’" 7-15-05. *Bush Administration: WABC News. *Implicated: Staten Island Advance, "Bush, Cheney implicated in CIA leak," 4-7-06. *Sued: Reuters, "Outed spy Plame sues veep, Rove over leak." *"Supa-bitch": New York Post, “B’klyn café sells ‘U.S. did it’ swill,” 10-5-05. It's a bird! It's a plane! No---it's Supa- bitch! *NAADC: Newsday, "Fighters scan U.S. skies," 10-12-06. *Aviators: Planecrashinfo.com . *Bin Ladin Tape: New York Post, "Osama's 9/11 prep," 9-8-06. *Armitage: New York Post, "'Spy' leaker Armitage: Sorry I outed you," 9-8-06. *The Path To 9/11: New York Post, "Clean 'Bill' For 9/11 Movie," 9-8-06. 9-11 Commission Chairman, Thomas Kean, was a paid consultant for the filmand reportedly had no problem with the Sandy Berger scene---New York Post, "Kean OKs 9/11 show 'liberties,'" 9-6-06. *United 93: New York Post, "See-sickness over 9/11 flick," 4-3-06. *Ted Kennedy: New York Post, "Kennedy: I landed on terror watch list," 8-20-04. *Dubai Portsworld: New York Post, "Arab biz may run NYC port" & "Arab port deal 'terror threat'" & "Bush: Port nix 204 205 was a bad signal," 5-11-06 & "Prez pier-ouette," 2-23-06 / Daily News, "Dubai sells U.S. ports biz." *Batman: New York Post, "Ka-Pow!er To You, Batman," 2-14-06. *Graphic novel: New York Post, "Drawing From The Tragedy," 4-17-06. *"Truce": New York Post, "Desperate bin Laden growling from cave," 4-24-06. *Woody Allen: Page Six, "Bored by 9/11." *Porter Goss: New York Post, “House GOPer gets CIA nod,” 8-11-04. Five top CIA officials resigned in the wake of Goss’s appointment, including, John McLaughlin, acting CIA chief after Tenet stepped down. It raised eyebrows that Goss was purging the agency and replacing them with political appointees---NY Newsday, 12-30-04. *Senator Hillary Clinton: New York Post, “Chuck, Hill split on vote for CIA boss,” 9-04. *New York Post, "Terrorists aim to kick our a$$ets." *Interview with Goss: Reuters, “Filmmaker Moore Quotes Goss on Lack of CIA Credentials,” 8-11-04. *Flaming informant & backfire: New York Post, “Flaming Informant a witness in B’klyn terror case,” / Daily News, “Suicidal tipster: Cleric gave Osama $20M,” 2-18-05. *Al-Moayad: New York Post, “Brooklyn jury nails bin Laden’s sheik,” 3-11-05 & “J ust desserts for sheik cohort.” & “‘Moneyman’ cleric to rot in U.S. prison for his bid to boost Qaeda,” 7-29-05. *British Consulate: New York Post, “Midtown Bombing,” 5-6-05. *Abdula Ahmed Ali: New York Post, "Bomb Beasts," 8-16-06. *U.S. Embassy: New York Post, "Syrians save U.S. embassy," 9-13-06 / The Drudge Report. *Nasar: New York Post, "3 top list in bombs probe," 7-11-05. *"Assam the American": New York Post, “'Qaeda’ vote-terror vow,” 10-04. *Mayor Giuliani: Daily News, "Rudy Rivets As Thug Smirks," 4-7-06. Pataki wanted the death penalty for Moussaoui, but Bloomberg, life in prison---"Mike, gov divided on doom." *PATH: Daily News, ""Bomb' triggers panic on PATH," 5-25-05. * Treason: Newsday, "Wanted for acts of treason." *Waterboarding: Daily News, "What of the other fiends." *Las Vegas: Associated Press, 8-9-04. *U.S. sights: Daily News, “Osama’s in U.S. sights agent says,” 9-5-04. *al Libi: New York Post, “All-out hunt for Osama’s new deputy,” 9-04. *“Black sites”: The Washington Post, “CIA runs secret prisons for terrorists,” 11-2-05. The Israeli Haaretz reported that U.S. held Al Qida suspects are secretly interrogated there using methods banned in America. CIA staffer Mary McCarthy was fired as the leaker of information that the CIA operates secret prisons abroad---Daily News, "Secret prison leaker at CIA gets canned," 4-22-06. *Supreme Court: New York Post, "Gitmo trials KO'd in Supreme shock," 6-30-06. *Harry Samit: New York Post, "70 'Zac' warnings," 2-21-06. *Cyanide & Operation Hercules: New York Post, "City's cops were kept in dark about plan," 6-19-06. Operation Hercules was a NYPD anti-terror operation. *Dick Cheney: New York Post, “Dem win a terror risk: VP,” 9-8-04. *William Ross: Daily News, "Feds hit for leak on terror," 10-18-05. *Dream: I believe I once called an airline disaster of which I attributed to two Russian jets that crashed simultaneously. I was through, however, by that point with telling people about prophetic dreams. *Britain: An interesting tidbit in conjunction with “who’s on whose side anyway?” was that Al Qida-linked terrorist, Abu Qatada, had been working with the British MI5, hoodwinking them into believing that he could help them prevent plots of dangerous terrorists, meanwhile he was working on his own terror plans---Times of London, 3-25-04 / New York Post, “Manhunt for Osama intensifies. *Eight People: Daily News, “8 indicted in Spain as enablers of 9/11,” 1-18-05. *Witness: New York Post, "Terror case rests on fiery witness." *Cash-strapped: Daily News, “Terror cop: Qaeda ‘heavily damaged,’” 1-18-05. *Setmariam: New York Post, “9/11 thug OK’d Madrid blasts,” 11-29-04. *RNC: The New York Times, "F.B.I. Is Seeking To Interview J ailed Activists," 5-17-06. *U.S. Consulate: New York Post, “Al Qaeda thugs led Saudi raid,” 12-7-04. *Heathrow: New York Post, “’9/11’ plots in Britain,” 11-23-04. *Yarkas: New York Post, “Qaeda man talks ‘peace,’” 4-27-05 & “Qaeda plotter nailed,” 9-27-05. *Imam: New York Post, "Imam: I stumped for Bush," 4-13-06. *al-Timmi: New York Post, “'Paintball’ imam guilty of jihad,” 4-27-05. *Ghalyoun: New York Post, “WTC ‘target’ vid,” 4-28-05. *Tarik Shah: NY Newsday, “Feds: 2 Men From NY To Be…Loyal to Al-Qaida,” 5-30-05. *Subways: Daily News, “Didn’t jump the gun: Mike,” 10-12-05. *Samana: Associated Press, “Terror plot in Los Angeles linked to prison.” *Emails: Daily News, “Rich Got Terror Tip,” 10-13-05. *October Surprise: Associated Press, “Rice: U.S. bracing for attacks before election,” 4-18-04. *Grenade: Daily News, "Near miss for W?" 5-11-05. *Defense: Daily News, “Rudy hails Bloomy’s threat response,” 10-13-05. 205 206 *Nalchick: Associated Press, “Rebels turn Russian city into war zone,” 10-14-05. *Assem Hammoud: New York Post, "Terror Path," 7-8-06. *Abu Ali: New York Post, “Al Qaeda passed up Bush plot,” 9-21-05 & “Qaeda plot to kill W.,” 2-23-05. *Haji Baz Mohammad: New York Post, “J ihad Devil,” 10-25-05. *Heiner & Ross: New York Post, “E-mole probe turns to those in know.” *New York subways & Siraj & Elshafay: The first New York subway terror plot is believed to have been in 1997, when the NYPD burst into the Brooklyn apartment of Palestinian immigrant, Gazi Ibrahim Abu Mezer. Mezer was shot in the leg after he reached for a toggle switch to detonate a pipe bomb. He reportedly wanted to kill J ews riding the subway to Brooklyn. He was given life in prison, but was deported on immigration violations after only three years in prison---Staten Island Advance, “‘Lone wolf’ terrorists worry security officials,” 8-10-05 / New York Post, "Bomb plot pray deal." Siraj ranted about wanting to kill billionaire Bill Gates, and thought he could dig up uranium at the secret government site, "Area 52!" (a place so secret, those at Area 51 don’t even know about it!)---New York Post, "Herald Square plotter wanted to waste Gates." *Bayat: NY Newsday, “Real terrorists, or big talkers?” 5-31-05. *Suspicious device: New York Post, “Terror Scare At J FK,” 8-28-05. *Pipe bomb: Daily News, “Blowup in bomb bungle,” 7-12-05 / NYPDrant.com . *J ordan: New York Post, “Qaeda Kills 67 In J ordan,” 11-10-05. *Brent: New York Post, “‘Terror camoer’ busted,” 8-5-05. *M13: Worldnetdaily.com / Coast to Coast AM / Imperial Hubris by Michael Scheuer. *Mossaoui: Mossaoui claimed he trained on a 747, not for 9-11, but for a subsequent attack on the White House. *Bin Ladin: New York Post, "Osama still in Afghan, miffed Musharraf says." *Rauf: Associated Press, "Brits: Send us 'jet plotter.'" *British Nationals: The New York Sun, “Charges Filed In Terror Threat That Shook City,” 4-13-05 / Daily News, "Terror plot vs. finance centers,” 4-13-05 / New York Post, “3 In Terror-Plot Rap,” 4-13-05. *Cemeteries: New York Post, "Grave Escape," 9-13-06. *Lynne Stewart: New York Post, "Wrist Slap For Smirk J erk Terror Attorney," 10-17-06. *Tinker AFB: New York Post, “Mad For Missiles,” 7-27-05. *Eleven Egyptians: New York Post, "Egypt Trio Found, 8 students still sought," 8-10-06. *"Cease Fire": New York Post "'Stink bomb' at PA Bus Terminal." *Penn Station: New York Post, “Bomb Scares J olt Midtown,” 7-25-05. *Holland Tunnel: Daily News, "Tunnel Bomb Plot," 7-7-06. *Passenger jets: Daily News, "Brits 'were on them 24/7,'" 8-11-06 / New York Post, "Blood Bros., Bomb plot Mr. Big and sib seized," 8-12-06. *Liquid scanners: Daily News, "Liquid Scanners In Test Mode," 8-13-06. *Bottles: The book, Terror In The Skies, talked of Syrians practicing to build bombs in plane bathrooms. *Chemical plants: New York Post, "Toxic Terror Hit List," 7-6-05. *Al Libbi & Babar: Daily News, "Al Qaeda big spills beans," 5-6-05. / New York Post, “No peep out of Qaeda creep.” *Babar: New York Post, “Queens Qaeda Connection,” 7-15-05. *al-Farouq: Associated Press, “Top al-Qaida operative escaped U.S. custody,” 11-2-05. *"Michael”: Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell, 11-14-04. +1: To me, Art Bell really started carrying water for the, ‘there was nothing to 9-11’ camp by hosting 9-11 debunkers and alienating listeners by continually saying that he didn’t entertain those kinds of theories (9-11). And there was always a thinly disguised anger when doing so. I heard Art broadcasting this sentiment many times. +2: A furor erupted in New York over the sale of a CD of 911 calls on 9-11. This was probably the precursor to the official release, which redacted the victim’s voices. The CD was reportedly going for $2.99 and a copy was obtained by the New York Post / WCBS News. I never saw the ad, nor could I find anything online. This CD may have been the complete version. +3: Tommy Chong of "Cheech & Chong" fame was busted for selling a bong through his company across state lines. Chong did nine months in prison over the ordeal. This may have been because he had been critical of the Bush Administration, and the bust may have been payback. When asked by police if he had drugs in his house, Chong responded he probably had pot in every room, but the Feds couldn’t find any, prompting Chong to ask what kind of narc officers were they? Their excuse was they did not have their dogs. Even the arresting officers felt a little embarrassed---New York Post, “Chong and bong,” 12-7-04. Sounded more like a scene from one of their movies. +4: A despondent Georgia man, Andrew Veal, committed suicide at the WTC site on 11-7-04. He was found dead in the WTC pit with a bottle of J ack Daniels by his side, a shotgun lying across his lap. A suicide note was found in a nearby car---New York Post, “Anger at WTC suicide,” 11-8-04. +5: PAPD Officers, J ohn McLoughlin and Will J imeno were trapped beneath WTC rubble only to be rescued by two mystery Marines who were freelancing at the site, looking for survivors. The story was the centerpiece of Oliver Stone's movie, World Trade Center, in which Nicolas Cage played McLoughlin. The New York Post then revealed that one mystery Marine was Sgt. Jason Thomas, 32, born in Long Island, but living in Columbus, Ohio. The other was Staff Sgt. David Karnes, who went on to re-enlist in Iraq---New York Post, "WTC cop eager to meet 'one of my angels'" & "Semper find, 'WTC' Marine hero still unnamed," 8-3-06. 206 207 +6: Agents of 9-11 even seemed to have their hand in the asbestos cover-up. The EPA claimed that federal and New York City officials concealed information that the air in lower Manhattan was rife with asbestos post-9-11---New York Post, “9-11 memo reveals asbestos ‘cover-up,’” 7-16-04. +7: California millionaire, J immy Walter, according to the New York Post, believed the U.S. Government had its hand in the 9-11 plot. +8: The PAPD and NYPD were involved in a squabble over the WTC security. The NYPD could not enter WTC property without permission from PAPD brass, but the NYPD had been insisting that security at several WTC gates was lax, and soon began posting squad cars with lights ablaze at each of the gates---New York Post, "'Cop out rule gets WTC big axed," 7-31-06. Gus Danese, PAPD PBA head, called the NYPD's response a waste of taxpayer money, and that it was just Ray Kelly's runaway ego---New York Post, "PA's union rips 'stupid' NYPD move," 7-25-06. The NYPD countered, saying they strongly urged the PAPD to strengthen security at the gates, but complained that they were unresponsive. When the NYPD's requests went ignored again, squad cars were placed at the gates 24 hours a day, calling for a dozen cars. No one got in unless the NYPD cars allowed them in. The PAPD then posted their cars inside the gates. It became a turf war---New York Post, "WTC police war," 7-24-06. +9: A furor erupted over the NSA's maintaining massive databases of American's phone calls. After 9-11, AT&T, Verizon and Bell South allegedly gave the NSA access to massive databases---USA Today / New York Post, "Bush bids to clear 'spying' static," 5-12-06. But a federal judge in Detroit struck down the NSA's warrant-less surveillance program, saying it violated free speech, privacy and the separation of powers---Associated Press, "J udge strikes down secret spy program." It was reported that NSA officials raced to the bedside of J ohn Ashcroft, who was in the hospitable for a gall bladder operation, to get him to sign off on the program, but even he would not. Bush sidestepped the attorney general. +10: Chef Michael Lamonaco worked at Windows of the World Restaurant on the 107th floor of the North Tower. His life was spared on 9-11 by a slight twist of fate. He had decided to have some repair work on his eyeglasses that morning before he headed up to work. Upstairs, were seventy-two employees and a hundred guests. Ironicallly, the company holding the breakfast meeting at WOW was called, "Risk Management." WOW had a fire plan and drills every month, but there was no way for them to escape. Lamonaco spent a year and a half after 9-11 working on the, "Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund," which grossed $22 million for 9-11 victim's families. He eventually started a restaurant in Manhattan called "Porter House" in the Time Warner Center---New York Post, "9/11 chef happy in new world," 11-1-06. Four other WOW survivors opened an eatery called "Colors" in NoHo---New York Post, "'Windows' Back Open." +11: American Airlines was in the process of settling suits brought by thirty-two 9-11 victim's families. No dollar amounts were given---New York post, "Airline in 9/11 $$ Deal," 7-27-06. +12: Former President Bill Clinton was in Manhattan on 9-11, near the Armory with his daughter Chelsea, and conducted himself very respectfully and somberly that day. +13: 7 WTC even had it’s own clandestine CIA substation according to The New York Times, “Secret C.I.A. Site in New York Was Destroyed on Sept. 11,” 11-4-01. +14: At 1:44 P.M. on 9-11, five warships and two aircraft carriers were deployed from Norfolk, Virginia, to protect the east coast---official WTC website. +15: In late 2006, airports were set to begin using, "Verified Identity Pass," to help streamline passenger boarding. The $100 dollar pass would include biometric information, and is used by scanning irises or fingerprints. It was said to detain customers for approximately thiry seconds---New York Post, "A 'lace'-saving step at airports," 11-27-06. +16: The National Collector’s Mint Inc. of Westchester County, NY, offered a refund for its silver medallions, the 2004 Freedom Tower Silver Dollars, which commemorated 9-11. Deceptive advertising was cited---Daily News, “9/11 silver medal maker offers refund, disclaimer,” 3-31-05. +17: Members of the NY-NJ maritime community were presented with the, "Department of Transportation 9/11 Maritime Medal," at the WFC’s Winter Garden on 9-17-05, for their transportation of some 500,000 persons in the days after 9-11---New York Harbor Watch, “Maritime heroes recognized with 9/11 Maritime Medal,” 9-23-05. +18: The NYPD launched a special website where family members of 9-11 victims could claim loved one’s jewelry. A group of evidence and property-control specialists handled personal property of 9-11 victims in the basement of 1 Police Plaza---New York Post, “9/11-gem Web site.” +19: Curiously, the State of Alaska got 80 German-made "Mobotix" security cameras to spy on a fishing village of about 2,400 people. This came from a $200,000. Homeland Security grant---New York Post, "Mooseland security," 4- 3-06. +20: A New York Post picture of Condoleeza Rice's New York visit in J une 2005 was worth a thousand words. It depicted a frustrated-looking Mayor Bloomberg gesturing with an open hand, while a fed-up-looking Condi Rice with held an underhand, as if to say, "hey Mike...whatta' ya' want from me, huh?"---New York Post, "Rice goes cold in farewell to Mike," 6-29-05. +21: Two persons at an El Al airline ticket counter at LAX were shot to death by Egyptian immigrant, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, in 2002. Federal authorities were quick to say that it was not terrorism, even though it probably was. +22: Before terrorist, al-Zarqawi, was killed in Iraq, he was labeled “the new Bin Ladin” after his laptop computer was seized. Al-Zarqawi narrowly escaped that time---New York Post, “Zarqawi the new Osama,” 4-27-05. According to 207 208 J ohn Loftus on The John Batchelor Show, the Saudis made Bush pledge to stay out of Syria---where Zarqawi had fled for a time in 2005---or pursue Zarqawi for increased oil allotments. +23: Mayor Bloomberg, in May 2005, decided to put the NYPD in charge of potential hazmat incidents over the FDNY, causing a furor with FDNY Chief Peter Hayden who felt it didn’t make sense. If he was going to put his men at risk, he felt he needed to be an important player in a plan of action. Hayden’s response was viewed at first as a tremendous morale booster within the FDNY, but the sentiment was quickly beaten down by Mayor Bloomberg who responded that anyone who agreed with Chief Hayden, can't work here. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’s clout within the administration was fingered as the catalyst for the move. New York Post, “Bravest chief blasts Mike’s terror move as hazardous to city safety,” 5-10-05 & "Mayor down rebel 9/11," 5-11-05. I think the mayor was the real rebel here. He wouldn’t be the one dying when responding to a terror incident. +24: Spanish imams declared a fatwah against UBL in March 2005 for the Madrid train bombings and the crime of “Istihlal,” or Islamic apostacy---New York Post, “Spanish imams declare good fatwa vs. Osama,” 3-11-05. +25: U.S. counterterrorism officials were engaged in a cyber war with a high tech Al Qida terror hacker calling himself “Irhabi 007,” or “Terrorist 007.” Terrorism expert, Rita Katz, of the SITE Institute, an organization that monitored Al Qida internet operations said they didn’t know whether Irhabi 007 was male or female, a terrorist or just a teenager in his room somewhere. Irhabi 007 had hacked into the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department’s website, changing the site into an Al Qida message board. Irhabi also is suspected to have been the catalyst in the spreading of horrifying videotapes of beheadings. Iriabi claimed to be U.S.-based, and an American citizen---New York Post, “U.S. Shaken By Qaeda 007.” +26: The State Department capitulated to the Saudis once again, by pulling a top official from testifying at a Senate hearing on terrorism links to Saudi Arabia---New York Post, “Diplo won’t testify in Saudi probe,” 11-8-05. +27: Australian authorities busted a cell of seventeen followers of UBL bent on staging a major bombing there. Muslim cleric, "Abu Bakr," was the alleged ringleader---Associated Press, 11-05 / New York Post, “Australia foils huge terror hit,” 11-8-05. +28: "Noureddine Malki," an Arabic translator working with Army Intelligence, was found to be in possession of phone numbers to terrorists and classified DoD documents in his Brooklyn apartment---New York Post, “B’klyn militant link,” 11-8-05. +29: "Noshir Gowadia," a former Northrop Grumman engineer was arrested by the FBI in Hawaii for allegedly trying to sell B-2 bomber secrets to a foreign country. Gowadia took credit for the development that allows the Stealth Bomber to avoid heat-seeking missiles---NY Daily News, “Man held in sale of Stealth info,” 10-28-05. +30: "Haroon Rashid Aswat" was detained in connection to the 7-7-05 bombings in London, and charged in New York for providing material support to terrorists. This was for his part in the plot to set up a Bly, Oregon, terror camp in 1999-2000. Aswat was originally taken into custody in Zambia after twenty calls to the four suicide bombers were traced to his cell phone---New York Post, “London fiend set up Ore. terror camp: feds.” James Earnest Thompson of Denver, Colorado, originally given a two-year jail sentence for operating the Bly camp, in exchange for agreeing to testify in terrorism cases, was arrested in Belize on parole violation charges and flown back to the U.S. Thompson went by the name "J ames Ujaama"---New York Post, "Terror fugitive nabbed in Belize." +31: Terrorists fired three rockets at docked U.S. Navy ships docked in the J ordanian port of Aqaba on 8-19-05. Among the ships were the USS Ashland and the Kearsarge. The rockets were fired from a nearby warehouse. U.S. ships fled port afterwards, causing some raised eyebrows, but that's evidently Navy procedure: turn and run--- Associated Press, “Rocket nearly hits U.S. ship,” 8-20-05. +32: Terror drills were conducted by the Urban Dispersion Program in three areas of Manhattan by releasing a colorless, odorless gas that was measured by sonic anemometers placed around Midtown Manhattan---New York Post, “Terror gas hit Midtown." Homeland Security released a non-toxic, "tracer gas," in Grand Central Station in NYC, to determine how it would travel---Daily News, "Secret 'gas' test staged at G. Central." +33: So much for upgrading the safety of New York MTA subways. The MTA couldn't agree with the U.S. military on a $250 million dollar work plan in 2003. The MTA accused the military of wanting too much control and payment up front---New York Post, “Army fires back at MTA,” 7-14-05. +34: Islamic scholar, "Ali al-Timimi," of Fairfax, Virginia, was sentenced to life in prison for soliciting others to wage war against the United States. This was after encouraging followers to join the Taliban and fight U.S. troops. It was reported that the U.S. native-born, al-Timimi, had "rock star status" among young Muslim devotees. Now he Rocks The Kasbah I guess---Associated Press, “Taliban supporter gets life for anti-U.S. rants,” 7-14-05. +35: Scotland Yard foiled an Al Qida plot to attack the House of Commons with sarin gas. The information was garnered from emails seized from computers of terror suspects in Britain and Pakistan---NY Daily News, “Brits foil Qaeda plan,” 8-21-05. +36: Housing cop, Ed Polstein, of the NYPD ran a website called NYPD Rant, a destination in cyberspace that allowed police officers to express their discontent with the mayor, the police commissioner, their supervisors, the police union etc. Polstein was dismissed for the act, but planned to sue in federal court, saying that it was his constitutional right to kvetsch. This was after signing a retirement agreement only to be fired. Polstein may have become disgruntled over the years for constantly being passed over for special unit assignments, because of not having “a hook,” or a connection to a high-up officer. After 9-11, Polstein, in a demonstration showing lax security at 1 Police Plaza, gained entry with a bogus ID card and carrying a gym bag with plastic knives, a stun gun and a fake pipe bomb. Revealing the ruse to the 208 209 sergeant on duty, he offered to help with training. Unceremoniously, he did not hear back about the matter, but instead received an inquiry into his website dealings. Some of the funnier posts at NYPD Rant included those by “63Delayed” about the fire lieutenant who brought the pipe bomb home to his firehouse. It quipped about how members of the FDNY would steal anything. And “Door Kicker” satirized some of his perp’s funniest lines like when he asks them if they can name five U.S. states besides New York. They’d say things like Puerto Rico, Brooklyn, up-state Elmira. And “RMP54Whereareyou” dispersed street wisdom on how you can tell when you’re in a ghetto: when a four-year-old pops you the bird from her car seat. This happened to him in Queens south---Daily News, “Cop Tangled In Web.” +37: An amazing old news clipping came into my possession from out of the pages of an old book. Congressman Lester Wolff (D-NY), while speaking to the U.S. Mission to the U.N., charged that thousands of weapons and explosives were being plundered from U.S. military bases and bought by international terrorists with illegal drugs--- New York Post, “Stolen U.S. weapons ‘sold for drugs,’” 10-30-80. +38: NYPD cops in "Operation Kaboom" built a truck bomb big enough to blow up a skyscraper to show how easily such a feat could be done, arousing little suspicion in the city---New York Post, "NYPD boom: Bomb shock," 9-13-06. +39: The New York Times received two envelopes filled with suspicious powder in summer 2006. One was stamped with a 9-11 image. Both were deemed non-hazardous by city authorities---New York Post, "Another Times powder scare," 8-3-06. +40: The NYPD under the name, "Operation Nexus," sought to limit the sale of chemicals such as industrial strength hydrogen peroxide by chemical companies. The chemicals could be used to manufacture explosives such as TATP--- Associated Press, "NYPD's chemical reaction." +41: Osama Awadallah was charged with perjury in federal court for lying about how well he knew two of the 9-11 hijackers while in San Diego. Although it was believed that he did not know anything about the 9-11 plot, he is thought to have lied when he told a grand jury that he couldn't remember the name "Khalid al-Mihdhar"---Associated Press, " 9/11 'liar' rejected." Awadallah was later acquitted---Daily News, "Man not guilty of 9/11 perjury," 11-18-06. +42: Three men were arrested in Caro, Michigan, in August 2006 after police found approximately one-thousand prepaid TracFones in their van. It was feared that the phones could be used as bomb detonators, or the batteries disassembled to make methamphetamine. The men claimed they bought the phones for resale in Texas---Daily News, "3 face terror rap after cell fone spree," 8-12-06. +43: In J uly 2005, the NYPD wisely disconnected cell phone service in the city's vehicle tunnels---New York Post, "Cell Out, Terror-wary cops disable tunnel phones," 7-11-05. +44: An Al Qida manual with a chapter called "Guidlines for Beating and Killing Hostages," was found by British cops in a house raid in 2000---New York Post, "Take Osama at his evil word," 9-6-06. +45: Authorities in Denmark raided homes in an immigrant neighborhood on August 5th 2006, arresting 9 men for preparing explosives for a terrorist attack---Associated Press, "Danes bust 9 'bombers,'" 9-6-06. +46: Al Qida lieutenant, "Mohsin Musa Matawalli Atwah," was killed in Pakistan by missiles from a Pakistani helicopter. Atwah had a $5 million dollar bounty on his head placed by U.S. authorities for his involvement in the bombing of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998---Associated Press, "Key Qaeda fiend killed in Pakistan." +47: Seven Muslim men and one Hindu were detained after 9-11, subsequently trying to argue that they were unlawfully detained. But a Brooklyn federal judge dismissed the charges, saying that it was within the rights of authorities to hold illegal immigrants after 9-11. Some of the men were deported---New York Post, "J udge To Muslim Inmates: Tough---It's War," 6-15-06. +48: Would-be top NYPD terror cop, FBI Agent Daniel Coleman, considered a top authority on Al Qida and UBL, resigned before he took a new post at the NYPD. At a briefing session at 1 Police Plaza, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence, David Cohen, allegedly launched into a tirade against the FBI after Coleman asked if he had talked with the FBI-NYPD J oint Terrorism Task Force. Cohen’s tirade prompted Coleman to walk out---New York Post, "Fed Up, New top Qaeda cop quits NYPD," 4-29-06. +49: Dutch F-16's escorted a Northwest Airlines flight to India back to Amsterdam after twelve passengers began acting suspicious over Germany. The passengers were attempting to use cell phones, passing them back and forth--- Associated Press, "12 busted in Dutch air scare." +50: Pakistanis Uzair Paracha and his father, Saifullah, were arrested in Brooklyn for joining an Al Qida chemical attack plot, and called UBL a "Humble guy." The older Paracha was sent to Guantanamo Bay---New York Post, "Bin Laden great guy 'terror dad.'" The younger received a thirty-year sentence. +51: As of 2005, the NYPD had terror cops stationed in eight foreign countries---New York Post, "NYPD's global eyes and ears," 11-28-05. +52: Canadian Police busted seventeen individuals in connection with a terror plot to blow up targets in southern Ontario---Daily News, "Terror On New York's Border," 6-4-06. +53: Former NYPD Cop, J oseph Rodriguez, said he was trying to commit suicide when he exploded a pipe bomb in a Times Square subway station on 7-19-04---New York Post, "Bomb cop's 'suicide' bid." +54: Paul Charles Steeves of Santa Cruz, California, was arrested for allegedly sending letters containing a mysterious white powder to four buildings in Manhattan. Steeves had become flustered after years of sending letters and emails to actress, Drew Barrymore, and never getting a response. He also claimed that secret chemical attacks had been conducted on him for the last twenty-five years by agents of a secret government (you had to love that one at least). Steeves also said it was “payback time” and made a statement saying that he expected Barrymore to contact him in a 209 210 civil manner---but now it was war. Yikes!---New York Post, "'Anthrax' Wacko," 1-25-06. +55: The U.S. normalized relations with Libya after Momar Khadafy decided to scrap its WMD, beginning in 2003. +56: Expert bomb maker, "Haithman al-Yemeni," was killed by a missile fired from a CIA drone plane in Pakistan near the Afghan border---New York Post, "Take that, Qaeda," 5-14-05. +57: Taliban-connected, "Bashir Noorzai," was busted by DEA Agents in New York for trying to smuggle five- hundred kilograms of heroin into the U.S. and Europe. The drugs were worth an estimated $50 million---Daily News, "Feds: 'Unholy' druglord tied to Taliban busted." +58: Iran, in a military parade, marched forty-thousand suicide bombers with explosives strapped to their waists and the detonators held over their heads. They were intended to be used to attack U.S. and British interests if their nuclear facilities were targeted---Times of London, "Iran: Suicide squads line up to strike U.S.," 4-16-06. +59: A student pilot got drunk and swiped a Cessna 172 from an airstrip in Danbury, Connecticut, then flew around the New York City metropolitan area along with his buddies for five hours. Phillipe Patricio landed the plane without incident at Westchester County Airport at 4:10 A.M. low on fuel---New York Post, "Wing Nut Exposes Our U.S. 'Err Farce,'" 6-22-05. +60: Egyptian, "Ehab Elmaghraby," was awarded $300,000 dollars for being wrongly detained at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center for nearly one year after 9-11. Elmaghraby was cleared of terror charges, but deported for credit card fraud!---New York Post, "Feds to pay innocent 9/11 detainee 300G," 2-28-06. +61: Lodi, California, ice cream man, "Umer Hayat," and son, "Hamid Hayat," were accused of plotting terrorism. The older Hayat paid to have his son sent to a terrorist training camp in Pakistan. Their potential targets included hospitals and food stores---Daily News, "California father-son terror bust," 6-9-05. +62: Yusuf Islam, or "Cat Stevens," was let back into the country after winding up on a terror watch list. But it was actually another, "Yusuf Islam," and a case of mistaken identity, so the matter was cleared up as a misunderstanding--- Page Six, "Mission of peace," 11-17-06. +63: According to author, Paul Williams, on Coast to Coast AM with George Noori, allegedly, terrorists planning a future 9-11 were trained in nuclear technology at McMaster's University in Toronto, Canada. McMaster's lost its license to handle radioactive material after radiological material went missing there. +64: German authorities uncovered a plot to bribe an airport worker at Frankfurt International Airport in order to sneak a bomb aboard an Israeli-bound El Al jetliner---New York Post, "J et Bomb Plot," 11-21-06. +65: A unnamed Guantanamo Bay enemy combatant and ex-Iraqi soldier and Al Qida member, schemed with an Iraqi intelligence agent to attack the American and other foreign embassies with chemical weapons in Pakistan in 1998. The prisoner, an alleged “trusted agent” of UBL, was arrested in Pakistan in 2002---Associated Press, 3-31-05. +66: Canada Al Qida cell leader, "Adnan G. El Shukrijumah," entered Canada in 2003, seeking elements for a dirty bomb. He had a $5 million bounty on his head---Washington Times, 9-24-04. +67: Two Queens, New York, girls, one from Guinea, the other from Bangladesh, were detained by immigration officials after “associations” were discovered with a London mosque that drew people like shoe bomber Richard Reid. The FBI also discovered writings in their possession interpreted as advocating martyrdom bombings. Luckily for the girls, they were cleared of the charges---Daily News, “2 Qns. teens cleared of suicide bomb plot,” 4-8-05. +68: Al Qida, at one point post-9-11, was reported to have become so cash-strapped that it had difficulty making payments to its dead fighter's families. +69: Louie Freeh wrote an article called What Can Be Done About Terrorism? for USA Today magazine in J anuary 1996. One section was titled “Expanding the FBI’s Powers Is A Necessary Response To Terrorism.” 210 211 7-7-05 In London on 7-7-05, two dark colored cars held Bus 30 up and diverted it to Tavistock Square. -According to “Daniel,” a Bus 30 passenger The British tubeway bombings could easily be a book unto itself, and so I do not delve into it at any great length here, but I will just raise a few interesting questions regarding the attacks---much like 9-11---that don’t quite seem to add up. The bombings commenced at 8:51 A.M., unusually close to the 8:46 A.M. curtain call in New York City on 9-11-01. The other explosions occurred at 8:56, 9:17 and 9:47 A.M. Allegedly, on 7-7-05, Bus #30---a vehicle one of the bombers rode on--- had four security CCTV cameras aboard, yet none of these cameras on this bus seemed to work? Scotland Yard speculated that perhaps the driver forgot to switch them on, yet The Mirror reported that they are always on. In general, there seemed to be a shortage of eyewitnesses who actually saw the four bombers aboard the buses. London bus driver, George Paradakis*, said that his bus had been re- routed by police to avoid an area cordoned off near the underground then an explosion ripped the roof off. This was verified by Ade Soji, a parking attendant. But there was a discrepancy surrounding the account of a passenger named "Richard J ones*," who said Bus 30 continued on its way, even when the bus had actually stopped near Soji to ask 211 212 directions of the parking attendant. Then J ones may have changed the story and said some people may have gotten off at that point, because after all, they would’ve been miracle survivors. Were those who say they were on Bus 30 actually aboard Bus 30? And why would an experienced driver need to ask directions? Why weren’t other buses diverted? There was also suggestion that Paradakis was not interviewed after the blast, and he walked home westward for seven miles. Other reports have him being whisked into hiding by police. When Bus 30 exploded, there was a "Kingstar" van beside it. Was there any significance in that? A witness, "Daniel," who said he was on the lower deck of Bus 30 when it blew up, rang London's emergency hotline before the explosion to report that two dark colored cars were holding the bus up, then diverting it to Tavistock Square. Most of the passengers got off the bus because of this delay and detour. He was not asked to provide a statement, but instead endured seven months of police surveillance and harassment. This was to be included in his forthcoming book, Statement: The 4th Bomb. A policeman allegedly said to "mind the hole*," referring to a hole in a seat in a subway car where an explosion had obviously taken place underneath, blasting metal upwards. Did this suggest that the bomb may actually have been on the tracks? It had been reported that authorities believed that the bombs were composed of "TATP*," or triacetone tiperoxide, which can be made from certain household products. Yet two weeks later, Scotland Yard* admitted they still did not know the composition of the explosives. It was reported that one of the bombers had spent seven-hundred British pounds on perfume. Why was there no statement as to the final composition of the explosives? Would it have been too confining of an explanation? Investigators reportedly found another nine bombs in one of the bomber's red Fiat. What was their exact composition? There was also a question over whether a timing device* had been found or not. Confusion arose over the exact age of accused bomber, Germaine Lindsay*. British authorities supposedly had asked the FBI to keep Lindsay under surveillance beginning in 1994 and 2000 during visits to America. But that suggested that Lindsay was under surveillance starting at the ripe old age of “eight.” It remained unclear if Lindsay---whose name may actually be Lindsay J amal or J ermal---was in contact with a man named Lyman Faris* from India during these visits to the U.S.. Faris had changed his name from Mohammed Rauf in 1994, and had traveled from Columbus, Ohio, to Pakistan and Afghanistan to make contact with Al Qida members and meet UBL. Investigators believe that Faris was instructed to sever cables on a New York City bridge. A passport photo thought to belong to bomber Hasib Hussain*, was actually that of a 16-year old British boy by the same name, casting doubts whether three of the bombers had visited Pakistan the year before. It was rumored that French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy* told the press that three of the bombers had been previously arrested in 2004. And if the bombers were so aware of their suicide missions, why did they purchase return train tickets*? It was even reported that one of the bombers had paid up certain parking fines beforehand. And with the absence of suicide belts and the like, the backpacks they carried suggested that they might even have been tricked* into participating, thinking they were just leaving the devices behind. A man identified as the “fifth bomber,” Haroon Rashid Aswat*, might 212 213 have been apprehended by U.S. authorities if it were not for British officials. U.S. authorities were set to close in on Aswat in South Africa* weeks before the 7-7-05 bombings to question him about the 1999 plot to establish a Bly, Oregon, jihadist training camp. But South African authorities notified British authorities, who and declined to grant permission for the bust. London cleric, Abu Hamza al-Masri, sent Aswat to inspect the camp according to the U.S. J ustice Department. The Firth of Fifth continued with British authorities finding what appeared to be a fifth explosive device* in some bushes in the Wormwood Scrubs area northwest of London. Why did Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Ian Blair, speak of "six explosions*," or "events?" And there was talk about two unexploded bombs*---who planted those? A Brazillian, J ean Charles de Menezes*, was shot dead in a subway in Stockwell by British Police on 7-8-05. This was after he allegedly ignored orders to stop and fled. To the British Police’ credit, de Menezes exited an apartment building that was under surveillance in connection to the 7-7-05 bombings, and his clothing and behavior added to their suspicions. One witness, Anthony Larkin*, said that the man seemed to have some sort of suicide belt with wires protruding. Furthermore, according to London Mayor, Ken Livingstone*, the police were under strict orders to shoot to kill with a round to the head anyone they encountered they believed was a suicide bomber. This was because if a bomber were to remain conscious, they could trigger whatever explosives they had on their person. The shooting was later said to be a tragic mistake, and de Menezes was found not to be connected to the 7-7-05 bombings. It was also alleged that a Reuters reporter may have witnessed police shooting* somebody on 7-7-05. On 7-7-05, there were closures on specific areas of the "line," the "Northern line" and the "Picadilly line" due to "defective cars*." A company called "Vizor Consultants" was allegedly conducting a bombing drill in the London underground on 7-7-05---coincidence? And was it coincidence that former New York City Mayor, Rudy Giuliani*, was in Yorkshire on 7-6-05, then in a hotel extremely close to the first explosion on 7-7? J ust like on the morning of 9-11, Rudy was having breakfast at a hotel. What was the exact nature of Giuliani’s business visit? It has never been made public to my knowledge, and I am not leveling any allegations here, but it was ironic. It made me think at the time: "Hello President Giuliani." I thought the fix was in. It turned out not to be the case, but who knows what might have happened? Did he have a falling out with the globalists? Will he run again in the future? Rudy told the Daily News that the acts were dastardly, cowardly, horrible, and calculated evil. Dastardly?, I hadn’t heard a word like that since The Wacky Races. "Schmedly" was dastardly---these guys were killers. Rudy said the Brits showed they were brave, resolute and determined in the recovery effort, thwarting the chaos that the terrorists tried to achieve. Rudy described it as being “very eerie" to be in such a place where terrorists killed innocent people again. Conspiracy aside, if Giuliani wasn't ‘in the know,’ perhaps he was lured there by these nefarious globalists as some sort of weird, psychological indoctrination of sorts. The nature of his visit may have shed some light on this. Benjamin Netanyahu* was staying in the same hotel as Rudy. And there were also the usual reports that he had gotten early warning about the blasts. Israeli radio 213 214 allegedly reported that Scotland Yard had received early warning of the attacks, and shared the information with Netanyahu, which the Israeli Embassy denied. Emergency workers dug desperately in the tubes, risking their lives to get to potential survivors 110 feet underground, but had to stop because of heat, asbestos and the threat of collapse. With the passage of time, authorities feared dangerous rats* would be another factor in dealing with working in the tunnels. Hauntingly similar fliers of missing people popped up in London, reminiscent of the ones in New York after the WTC disaster. Was there anything to the coinciding of the bombings with the re-approval of the American Patriot Act? Was there any insider trading pre-7-7-05? The British pound lost six percent against the U.S. dollar before 7-7-05, but allegations swirled over a surge in British pounds six hours before 7-7-05, to the tune of 20 billion pounds in short selling trades. Sound familiar? Why did Tony Blair* rule out a bomb inquiry? An Egyptian chemist, Magdy el-Nashar*, was freed by British authorities after three weeks of detainment after they found no evidence against him even though it was learned that he had contact with two of the 7-7-05 bombers: Lindsay and Nassar. British authorities* were enraged at the NYPD disclosure of certain details concerning the 7-7-05 bombings. The discrepancy was over Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’s revelation that the bomb liquids were composed of basic household products like peroxide and bleach, and that the recipe was readily available on the internet. British officials were incensed that the NYPD would put out such details about their investigation, but Kelly stated that he only wanted to provide building managers and business people with information on combating terrorism. TATP* can be found in basic ingredients such as drain cleaner, bleach and paint thinner and is almost undetectable by bomb-sniffing dogs. Only a small amount of TATP is needed to produce a powerful blast. As many as forty Palestinians are believed to have blown themselves up prematurely because of the unstable brew, causing terrorists to giving it the moniker “The Mother of Satan.” Shoe bomber Richard Reid hid TATP in his sneaker before he was subdued by passengers on a December 2001 flight. The London bombs were said to weigh only ten pounds. Bombers struck London again on J uly 21st * 2005 with the planting of bombs on three trains and one bus. Only the bus bomb detonated, but it was a weak blast. No one was injured. British authorities believe that the same bomb maker* built the weapons used in the two waves of attacks. This was determined by the discovery of sixteen unexploded devices found in a car parked by the 7-7 bombers. It is unclear if this was the same aforementioned red Fiat. The “welfare sheik,” or Sheik Omar Bakri Mohamad*, who lived largely on British government handouts since 1986, boasted of more violence against Britain until the government pulls its troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. He was subsequently deported under Britain’s new, stringent anti-terror laws. *George Paradakis: The Sunday Tribune, 7-10-05. *Richard J ones: Sunday Herald, 7-10-05. *"Mind the hole": Cambridge News. *TATP: LosAngelesTimes.com / New York Post, “‘Satanic’ explosive easy to mix and hide,” 7-16-05. *Scotland Yard: The Guardian. 214 215 *Timing device: The Guardian / NZHerald.com. *Germaine Lindsay: The Daily Mirror. *Magdy el-Nashar: Associated Press, “London ‘bomb’ chemist freed in Egypt,” 8-10-05 *British authorities: New York Post, “Brits Blast NYPD,” 8-5-05. *J uly 21st: Daily News, “New Bombs In London,” 7-22-05. *Hasib Hussain: BBC.com. *Lyman Faris: The Times of London, “J amaican killer linked to Brooklyn Bridge fiend.” *Nicolas Sarkozy: BBC.com. *Train tickets: The Mirror. *Tricked: Prisonplanet.com. *"Six explosions": BBC.com *Two unexploded bombs: TheGuardian.com. *Defective cars: Transport For London. *Shooting: TorontoGlobeAndMail.com. *Benjamin Netanyahu: JerusalemPost.com. *Tony Blair: HeraldSun.news.com. *South Africa: CNN, 7-28-05. *Aswat: New York Post, “Brits kept U.S. from nabbing ‘fifth bomber,'"7-29-05. *Fifth explosive device & de Menezes: Times of London, 7-24-05. *Mohamad: New York Post, “Evil welfare sheik cheers on jihad from within,” 7-23-05. *Larkin & Livingstone: New York Post,, “London Cops Kill ‘Bomber,’" 7-23-05. *Bomb maker: Times of London, “8 Brit bombs linked,” 7-28-05. *Rudy Giuliani: Observer / Guardian.com./ Daily News, "Visiting Rudy rips evil acts, hails Brits," 7-8-05. *Rats: Times of London, "Subway 'grave' diggers." *Nasar: New York Post, "3 top list in bombs probe," 7-11-05. +1: There was an iconographic photograph seen often in the press after 7-7-05, of a woman in a burn mask. The ghostly image was that of a 24-year-old lawyer, Davinia Turrell, who suffered severe facial burns---London Sun, "Burned woman unmasked as tragic daughter," 7-11-05. Another memorable photo of a portly man, his face severely bloodied, wearing a purple overcoat over a green trench coat over a pinstriped suit, and what looked like the remains of a yellow dress shirt, gauze wrapped around his head and neck looked almost to be wrapped into a bow tie. He would have looked like "Falstaff” on a better day---Daily Mail. +2: British Authorities deported UBL’s top man in Europe, Abu Qatada, along with several others---NY Daily News, “Brits to deport top Osama aide,” 8-12-05. +3: One of the bombers in the follow-up 7-21 attacks was ironically caught on video wearing a “New York” sweatshirt, later found discarded in Brixton---New York Post, “Brits on lookout for three stooges,” 7-23-05. 215 216 The FAA Transcripts On 9-11-01, Flight Attendant Sweeney informed an AA employee that someone was hurt aboard “Flight 12." The FAA Transcripts were ready for presentation in August 2004, but curiously not released until after the 2004 presidential election---much like The 9-11 Report---which caused some to cry fowl. The other problem I ran into was that somewhere along the line, I believe the transcripts disappeared from off the internet, and so I could not finish my paraphrase on them. Subject To Classification Review---Staff Report, August 26, 2004 *Asterisk precedes author’s comments. Colgan Air Flight 5930: The origin of Flight 11 began aboard Colgan Air Flight 5930 out of Portland, Maine, bound for Boston Logan International Airport. Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz drove a rental car, rented on September 9th by Atta in Boston, to Maine’s Portland International J etport to connect with the Colgan flight, arriving at 5:40 A.M. Atta and al Omari checked into the U.S. Airways counter at 5:43 A.M., where Atta became agitated at the ramp agent who informed him that he would 216 217 have to be re-screened for AA Flight 11 in Boston also. Atta and al Omari arrived at a security checkpoint at PIJ operated by Delta Airlines, who contracted it out to Globe Aviation Services. The checkpoint had X-ray and metal detectors. The checkpoint’s videotape was confiscated by the FBI and viewed by The 9-11 Commission. Neither hijackers set off any alarms. Al Omari retrieved a small black, unidentified case, which could have been a camera or camcorder. *Does a camera suggest that he was going to be alive after the operation to review it? Seating aboard Colgan 5930 was open and not assigned. There were eight passengers aboard the flight. Atta and al Omari boarded last, and sat in the back row--- “row 9.” Colgan 5930 was a Beechcraft “1900” that sat “19” people. It departed “Gate 11” at 6:00 A.M., and arrived at Logan at “Gate B9A” at 6:45 A.M. As for the purpose of Colgan Flight 5930, the FAA report speculated that Atta and al Omari wanted to fly into Logan separate from the other Middle Eastern men, so as not to arouse suspicion, or to preserve the operation’s success if the others were apprehended. PIJ was the nearest airport that offered a flight to Logan with time enough to transfer to AA 11. *Could the purpose have been its occult symbology of the numerical kind? Atta purchased two Swiss Army knives at the Zurich Airport on J uly 8th 2001. He bought a Leatherman multi-tool in Boynton Beach, Florida, on August 30th 2001.The following section contained a “blackened out section.” *Hereafter to be represented by [brackets]. Because Boston Logan airport’s security checkpoints [………] were not monitored by video surveillance equipment at that time, no conclusive evidence exists regarding when and how the AA Flight 11 hijackers passed through checkpoint screening. *Logan might have been the main airport chosen to be exploited that day because of the lack of video surveillance. Five hijackers: Mohamed Atta, Abdul Aziz al Omari, Wail al Shehri. Waleed al Shehri and Satam al Suqami were required to pass through one of two checkpoints at Logan operated by Globe Security. The smaller checkpoint opened up at 7:15 A.M. and was used to handle the “overflow” from the larger. The FAA believed that they most likely passed through the larger checkpoint to get lost in the mix. *I found it odd for the FAA to speculate about this, leading attention away from the smaller checkpoint, which could‘ve been a special checkpoint there for the purpose of expediting these men through. The hijackers would’ve had to pass through a metal detector calibrated to detect a substantial amount of metal such as a handgun, but not necessarily a knife. Flight 11 was a Boeing 767, tail number N334AA. AA Flight 11 had “119” seats in coach, “9” in first class and “30” in business class. The flight had 81 passengers. There were a total of 92 people on board. *All the crucial numbers were at work again here. There was no evidence found that the hijackers purchased additional seats on 9-11 in order that there would be less people to try and control. Every crew member possessed a key to the cockpit. It is speculated that a stewardess was stabbed in order to obtain a key or entry into the cockpit. FAA rules mandated the cockpit doors remain locked during flight, yet that wasn’t always rigorously enforced. American Airlines Flight 11 left Gate 32 at 7:40 A.M. After Flight 11 was 217 218 airborne, and after a last routine transmission, Air Traffic Control (ATC) tried to contact the plane “9” times unsuccessfully. Eyewitness accounts indicated that the hijackers commandeered the aircraft using knives; also mace may have been used and the threat of a bomb. Flight attendant Betty Ong contacted the American Airlines Southeastern Reservations Office in Cary, North Carolina, via an AT&T airphone. A man in seat “9B” of business class, seated behind Atta and al Omari was stabbed. He was a 31-year-old ex- Israeli military officer. It is not known how hijackers gained access to the cockpit at approximately 8:20 A.M. *I speculated that this may have been a numerical sacrifice. At 8:20 A.M., American Airlines got a message that an AA Flight, Seattle- to-Boston, was contacted to try and contact AA Flight 11. American Airline 11’s transponder was switched off at 8:21 A.M. The reports stated that at 8:21 A.M., Betty Ong used another line on the airphone system to contact Craig Marquis, manager at AA’s Systems Operations Control (SOC). *It's been said that there may have been up to 9 Airfone lines in the back of the plane. At 8:23 and 8:25 A.M., an AA flight dispatcher sent AA Flight 11 an email, or an ACARS (Aircraft Communication and Reporting System) text message: “good morning…ATC looking for you on 135.32.” They received no response. At 8:23 A.M., the tape recording of the call between Betty Ong and the AA reservation center ended because of an alleged “default time limit” on the system. The call lasted another twenty-one minutes however. Flight attendant Amy Sweeney unsuccessfully tried to contact AA’s Flight Services Office in Boston twice, before succeeding at 8:25 A.M. Flight Attendant Sweeney informed an AA employee that someone was injured aboard “Flight 12." The call was immediately cut off after that. This information was passed to manager Michael Woodward, who went into the airport terminal at Logan and learned that Flight 12 was a west coast-to-Boston flight that hadn’t even left yet. There was some confusion. *What was the deal with “Flight 12?” How could Sweeeny not get the flight number right? Was it a code of some kind or simply human error? I speculated in the Numerology chapter that “Flight 12” might've been some kind of code name for UA Flight 93: 9 +3 =“12.” If so, was it really Sweeney on the horn? Sweeney called again at 8:32 A.M. She said that she was sitting in the back of the plane next to Ong, who was also on a phone with Gonzalez. Sweeney’s call lasted 12 minutes and was “not taped.” Sweeney, in reference to a stabbed flight attendant on oxygen, said that a doctor had been paged and that there was a bomb in the cockpit. *Did she mean a doctor was paged who was aboard the plane or on the ground? This was for medical advice? And you have to take into consideration that if a call is not taped, the conversation can be manipulated afterwards. At 8:35 A.M., Ong, referring to one of the hijackers, said he was the one that was in the cockpit. Tom Sukani, Ong asked? She said he was the one in seat 10B and one of the persons that were in the cockpit. She then asked if all they had were knives. *It sounded as if Ong were being told what was happening by somebody who wasn’t even there. Satam al Suqami could easily be misunderstood as “Tom Sukani.” Commander Colonel Robert Marr at NEADS, who was stationed inside the “Battle Cab” on 9-11, preparing for the scheduled NORAD exercise, first received a call about the AA Flight 11 hijacking at 8:37 A.M. Two Otis fighter jets were scrambled 218 219 at 8:40. An AA employee standing next to Woodward as he talked to Sweeney, backed up Woodward’s account that Ong said the hijackers were Middle Eastern men seated in “10B, 9D and 9G,” and that they spoke very little English except for one who spoke excellent English. She said that she did not know how they gained entry to the cockpit, and the aircraft was descending rapidly. AA Flight 11 impacted into the North Tower at 8:46 A.M. At 9:21 A.M., NEADS received a report that it must have been another plane that hit the North Tower, because AA Flight 11 was still airborne and heading towards Washington. At 9:23 A.M., NEADS scrambled fighters from Langley AFB in Virginia in response to the Washington-bound Flight 11. *It was pointed out in The 9-11 Report that nobody bothered to let NEADS know that AA 11 had crashed, but also helps substantiate a "switch-a-roo" theory. At 9:24 A.M., the Otis fighters were called off the search for AA 11 over concerns about leaving New York’s skies unprotected. The FAA received a report about a shooting on AA 11 from an AA employee at their operations center. This report didn’t mention any stabbings. In interviews with The 9-11 Commission, the individual denied ever having made the report. The victim of the alleged shooting was the Israeli in 9B. The FBI and GAO investigated the gun on board theory, but could not substantiate the claim. There is no evidence on any other flights that the hijackers may have used guns. *Testimony or accounts that don’t seem to jibe with the official investigative reports or story are often discounted by investigators. UAL Flight 175 For the hijacking of UA Flight 175, Marwan al Shehhi bought a Cliphanger Viper and an Imperial Tradesman Dual Edge knife on August 13th 2001. Fayez Banihammad bought a Stanley knife tool. Hamza al Ghamdi bought a Leatherman Wave multi-tool. Ahmen all Ghamdi and Hamza al Ghamdi checked in at United Airlines at Logan at 6:20 A.M. A customer service rep referred them to a coworker, because one man had a “certificate” the employee was unfamiliar with. One of the men told this rep that he needed a ticket. She learned that in an envelope he was carrying, he already had a ticket and itinerary, and so she told him he didn’t need one. *Once again, the possibility existed that the hijackers could have been funneled to a specific ramp agent for a reason. And what was this “certificate?”; an “I am an ‘Agent of 9-11’ so I get-out-of jail and pass go pass?” The security checkpoint for UA Flight 175 was contracted out to the Huntleigh USA Corporation. Ahmed al Ghamdi was seated in business class seat “9D.” Hamza al Ghamdi was in “9C.” UA Flight 175’s tail number was N612UA. It carried “56” passengers and a total of “65” persons on board. “Nine” of ten first-class seats were taken, and “eleven” of 33 business class seats were occupied. “Thirty-six” of the 125 coach seats were filled. At 7:58 A.M., UA 175 left Gate “19.” At 8:41 A.M., the flight crew on UA Flight 175 heard a suspicious transmission like, “everyone stay in your seats,” but an UA flight controls manager in Chicago---who normally receives information of this nature from FAA traffic control--- never heard anything about an intercepted transmission by Flight 175 or a transmission about it. 219 220 *Once again this points out that minus a recording, anything can be said to fit a story line. All eyewitness accounts pertaining to the hijacking of UA Flight 175 were provided via phone calls form the back of the plane, even though the passengers calling had been assigned to the middle or front of the plane. *The FAA report banks heavily on the scenario that the hijackers would've allowed the passengers to roam freely around the plane to do whatever they liked and use the Airfones. At 8:47 A.M., UA 175’s transponder code changed twice within a one- minute period. Suddenly at 8:50 A.M., Delta Flight 1489 radioed in that there was “a lot of smoke in lower Manhattan,” and that the World Trade Center was on fire. At 8:51 A.M., the controller noticed UA 175’s transponder change. Attempts at phone calls were made by passengers, some successful, some not. At 9:00 A.M., passenger, Brian Sweeney, told his mother he thought they were somewhere over Ohio and that they were thinking about storming the cockpit. Also at 9:00 A.M., Lee Hanson’s son called and told his father about the threat of a bomb, knives and mace. He said he thought the hijackers intended to fly to Chicago or someplace and fly into a building. Then the call was cut off. *This plays nicely into the 9-11 shell game theory. Passenger Brian Sweeney thought they were flying over “Ohio.” Lee Hanson’s son mentioned “Chicago” and then the call was mysteriously dropped. We were told UA 175 went to New York. Things like this were the catalyst for the "Still Alive" chapter. At 9:02 A.M., a manager at New York Center told the FAA that they had other aircraft in similar situations. The FAA report then stated that the “other aircraft” was UA Flight 175. At 9:02 A.M., a manager at New York Center looked at the radar and saw UA 175 rapidly descending over lower Manhattan and said it looked like another plane coming in (New York). At 9:03 A.M., UAL sent two ACARS messages to the plane: “How is the ride. Anything dispatch can do for you”; and “NY approach lookin for ya on 127.4.” At “9:03:11 A.M.,” the plane impacted into the South Tower at 587 mph. At 9:07 A.M., Boston Center issued a “NOTAM” (Notice to Airmen) to heighten cockpit security. At 9:13 A.M., radar data showed that the Otis fighters were still one-hundred- and-fifteen miles away from New York City. The fighters arrived over Manhattan at 9:25 A.M. to establish “CAP” (Combat Air Patrol). AA Flight 77 For the hijacking of American Airlines Flight 77, Nawaf al Hazmi bought Leatherman multi-tool knives. It does not specify how many. American Airlines contracted its security screening out to Argenbright Security. Moqed and Mihdhar both set off metal detector alarms. Moqed failed a second detector test, and was hand wanded- --he passed. Video showed a black object clipped to the top of the back of his pants. AA Flight 77’s tail number was N644AA. No mention of violence was made by any flight attendants or passengers in the hijacking of Flight 77. At 8:54 A.M., AA 77 deviated from its course and turned to the south. Its transponder was switched off at 8:56 A.M. The controller searched on primary radar along its projected course, as well as to the southwest where it had turned. He could not find any primary targets. Managers did not order other controllers to switch on primary radar and assist. AA Flight 77 reappeared on primary radar scopes at 9:05 A.M., east of its last position. At “9:11” A.M., flight attendant Renee May tried to phone her parents but the call did not go through. Sometime between 9:16 and 9:26 A.M., Barbara Olson 220 221 phoned her husband, Solicitor General Ted Olson, and spoke to him for about one minute before the call was cut off. She called back again saying the aircraft was flying over houses. Another passenger said they were traveling northeast. When Ted Olson informed his wife of the other crashes, she displayed no signs of panic. The call ended abruptly. AA 77 hit the Pentagon at 9:37 A.M. Controllers at Washington Dulles TRACON, “observed a primary radar target tracking eastbound at a high rate of speed” at 9:32 A.M., and notified Reagan National Airport. At 9:34 A.M., Flight 77 was five miles west-southwest of the Pentagon. It began a 330-degree right turn. At the end of the turn, the plane descended 2,200 feet, and pointed toward the Pentagon and downtown Washington D.C. Reagan controllers vectored an unarmed National Guard C-130H cargo plane to identify the jet. The pilot spotted the jet and identified it as a Boeing 757. At 9:36 A.M., the aircraft tracking eastbound towards Washington still hadn’t been directly linked to the missing Flight 77. It was referred to "Aircraft VFR (Visual Flight Rules) six miles southeast of the White House…Six, southwest. Six, southwest of the White House, deviating away.” The commander at NEADS ordered an “AFIO” (Authorization for Interceptor Operations) that took control of the fighters from Langley from the FAA, and ordered the jets to the White House. But shortly after 9:36 A.M., the order wasn’t followed. The Langley fighters were headed east over the ocean. The commander stated he did not care how many windows got broken, to push the fighters back. *The report calls this aircraft AA Flight 77, but then states they still did not know it was 77. The commander’s order was not followed. AA Flight 77 allegedly hit the Pentagon at 9:37 A.M. at 530 mph. The Langley fighters were still one-hundred-and-fifty miles away. At 9:38 A.M., the magic C- 130 plane reported that the plane had struck the Pentagon. *Washington was a sitting duck. I'm surprised that the White House was not hit. The media blamed it on the sun! At 9:42 A.M., Herndon Command Center ordered the FAA to instruct 4,500 aircraft to land at the nearest airport. It was unprecedented. American Airlines informed United Airlines at 9:45 A.M., that an U.S. Airways turbojet struck the Pentagon. *"What hit what" on 9-11? UAL Flight 93 No monetary records exist for knife purchases by hijackers for UA Flight 93, but the FBI allegedly recovered 14 knives at the crash site. END OF TRANSCRIPT SECTION A Daily Operations Reports from the FAA’s New England Region office noted that a small private plane crashed in Connecticut at 8:23 P.M. EDT on September 10th 2001. The wreckage was discovered on 9-11-01 by police at 2:30 P.M. EDT. Bad weather and night flying were cited as the causes. The FAA's Eastern office refused to release further Daily Operations Reports for 10-12 in September 2001, to the Memoryhole.com, stating that the information sought was exempt from disclosure due that they contained intra-agency memos and letters not available by law in accordance with 5 U.S.C., Section 552 (b)(5), as implemented by 49 C.F.R., Section 7.13(c)5.” 221 222 The NORAD Tapes NEADS Commander Nasypany stated that when first told of the first hijack, he Thought that someone had started the exercise early. Thirty hours of NORAD tapes were released showing the Air Force's "NEADS" (Northeast American Defense Sector) response on 9-11-01. NEADS is located at the mothballed Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York. On 9-11, NEADS was faced with up to twelve potential hijackings---some real, some not. The tapes had been subpoenaed by The 9-11 Commission, but never available publicly until a military public affairs officer emailed Michael Bronner (producer of film Untied 93), saying she'd been cleared to release tapes. In testimony to The 9-11 Commission, none of the NEADS or NORAD military officers was placed under oath. Here are some of the pertinent and colorful passages: 8:37:56: WATSON: "What?" DOOLEY: "Whoa!" WATSON: "What was that?" ROUNTREE: "Is that real world?" DOOLEY: "Real world hijack." WATSON: "Cool!" 222 223 In a later commentary by a NEADS Commander, Nasypany, said he thought the first hijack was part of the exercise that day. This was the northeast corridor exercise, which included traditional simulated hijackings with politically motivated hijackers. Nayspanny said that the hijack was not supposed to be for another hour. *Crucial principals were at their posts on 9-11 for a "drill" involving some of the same scenarios, then they hit them with the real thing. Ingenius. F-15 Pilot, Major Dan Nash, conveyed the energy and suspense of a fighter pilot sitting in his seat on the runway, knowing he possibly has a mission to defend the U.S., saying that when the alarm goes off, it gets right to your heart. But NEADS couldn't find AA 11 on their old radar scopes, and with the other 3,000 planes in the air over the U.S. on 9-11, "thirty-five miles north of Kennedy," was not much help for NEADS controllers. After 9-11 NEADS got state-of-the-art radar. 08:43:06: FOX: "I've never seen so much real world stuff happen during an exercise." *Us either! 08:55:18: BOSTON CENTER: "Disregard the---disregard the tail number (given earlier for Flight AA 11)." ROUNTREE: "Disregard the tail number? He did crash into the World Trade Center?" BOSTON: "That's---that's what we believe, yes." DOOLEY: "...are you giving confirmation that American 11 was the one?" BOSTON: "No, we're not gonna confirm that at this time. We just know an aircraft crashed in and..." DOOLEY: "You---are you---can you say---is anyone up there tracking primary on this guy still" (primary radar). BOSTON: "No. The last (radar sighting) we have was about 15 miles east of J FK or eight miles east of J FK was our last primary hit. He did slow down in speed. The primary that we had, it slowed down below---around 300 knots." DOOLEY: "And then you lost 'em?" BOSTON: "Yeah, and then we lost 'em." This is one of the biggest smoking guns showing that AA Flight 11 DID NOT hit the North Tower as reported. And there had been no sightings, reports, beliefs, or even innuendo that AA Flight 11 ever circled around New York Harbor, then flew north again, turned around and hit smack-dab into the North Tower. That did not happen. This is most likely why American Airlines took so long to confirm that AA 11 was the plane that hit the North Tower. That plane must have been landed somewhere else. It was things like this that bolstered the "Still Alive?" chapter. It was not until the last moment that controllers at New York Center notified NEADS of a second possible hijack (UA Flight 175). 09:03:17: ROUNTREE: "They have a second possible hijack!" Dooley looked up towards the Battle Cab, the little atrium that is the main 223 224 command post, seeing Colonel Marr's jaw drop and everyone around him frozen. On the operations floor, they were unsure if this was UA 175 that hit the South Tower, or whether they now had three missing planes. 09:04:50: NASYPANY: "Is this explosion part of what we're lookin' at now on TV? Yes. J esus...And there's a possible second hijack also---a United Airlines...Two planes?... Get the fuck out...I think this is a damn input, to be honest." The word "input," was said to mean a "simulations input." This could be taken ironically, since there was an exercise going on that day, or to bolster the "no planes" theory, by increasing the possibility that this could have been video or CGI (computer generated imagery) editing simulation. Nasypany does not mention any plane strike either, just an explosion. *It’s pretty sad if it turned out that 9-11 was Photoshop! Nasypany wanted the Otis fighters over NYC, but civilian FAA controllers had authority over civilian airspace on 9-11. The FAA controllers feared a collision with other commercial jets still in the area. Nasypany reasoned that they had two hijackings go to New York, perhaps there would be more? He wanted the Otis fighters over New York, but the fighters were pushed back over the coast of Long Island to a place called "Whiskey 386." Nasypany was not a happy camper that morning, figuratively speaking, his water and electric to his RV were not hooked up. At that point, it would've been better had they scrambled “Barney Fife” instead of Otis! Then Hampton Came Alive (almost) so-to-speak because he then tells the Battle Cab he wants Major Fox of the Weapons Team to scramble two more fighters from Langley AFB in Hampton, Virginia, and put them over Manhattan. But that order was refused by the Battle Cab. They put the fighters on "battle stations" only. Marr explained that he did not want all four of our armed and ready fighters (five, if you count the biplane in the farmer's barn) in the air at the same time (just like buses, they’re always in a bunch dammit!), where they'd run out of gas. The end of the cold war saw the cut of the number of battle-ready fighters nationwide from sixty to a mere fourteen. Nasypany then begins asking all of his section heads if they are prepared to order the shoot down of a civilian airliner if necessary. But no one had the authority. That would've had to come from Bush himself. 9:19:37: Nasypany: "My recommendation, if we have to take anybody out, large aircraft, we use AIM-9's in the face...if need be." *This was, to hit the commercial jet right in its nose. 9:21:37: DOOLEY: "Another hijack! It's headed toward Washington!" NASYPANY: "Shit! Give me a location." Retired Major General Larry Arnold said it was their intention to try and intercept UA Flight 93. Could this point to the possibility of a shoot down on 9-11? The message was conveyed to the fighter pilots [Langley?] that they might have to intercept UA 93 and stop it: UA 93 will not be allowed to reach Washington D.C. Colonel Marr recalled that General Arnold had said something to the effect that they’d take lives in the air to save lives on the ground. And so the possibility remained that UA Flight 93 was shot down, and the heroic tale of Flight 93 might have only been a hopeful fable and not 224 225 what brought it down. Perhaps this is why when General Arnold said they scrambled aircraft out of Langley to put over Washington. This was not in response to AA 77, but to put them there in case UA 93 was actually headed that way! Whoopsie. Kind of makes it look like the fighters weren't concerned about AA 77, of which they were notified of at about 9:24 AM. Were they in fact zeroing in on UA 93 heading towards the Washington area? Was the Pentagon hit by something else altogether? And where the hell did AA Flight 77 go? General Arnold and Colonel Marr supposedly began tracking UA 93 at 9:16 AM, but at that time, UA 93 hadn't even been hijacked yet! The times given were misleading, and I don't go into it in depth here, because debating times in any excessive manner basically becomes gobbledygook to the reader. It was also said that the 9:24 AM scramble time on the Langley fighters was not given in reference to any particular flight, just a general scramble time. They could've been freelancing anywhere. At 9:21 AM, NEADS gets word of another (3rd) hijack headed for Washington, which Boston thought was AA Flight 11. Was AA 11 it still in the air? 9:21:50: "Okay, American Airlines is still airborne---11, the first guy. He's heading towards Washington, okay. I think we need to scramble Langley right now. And I'm---I'm gonna; take the fighters from Otis and try to chase this guy down if I can find him." Were the four supposed 9-11 planes part of a cat & mouse shell game? A con? Was this flight headed for Washington actually UA Flight 175 flying off to secretly land somewhere? And it has been speculated (surprised?) that AA Flight 11's trajectory, if flying low enough and undetected by radar, could actually have flown towards Washington. Boston Center thought this was a distinct possibility, so they made the call that AA 11 was still in the air. It could have given New York the slip over the Atlantic, Raritan Bay, and/or J ersey’s south shore then landed at an AFB in Washington or kept on going past. As a controller at NEADS realized their Otis fighters were off course off Long Island, they instructed the Navy air controller who was handling the fighters to turn them toward Baltimore. 9:34:12: NAVY ATC: "You've got 'em moving east in airspace. Now you want 'em to go to Baltimore?" HUCKABONE: "Yes, sir. We're not gonna' take 'em in Whiskey 386." NAVY ATC: "Okay, once he goes to Baltimore, what are we supposed to do?" HUCKABONE: "Have him contact us on auxiliary frequency 234 decimal 6. Instead of taking handoffs to us and us handling 'em back, just tell Center they've got to go to Baltimore." NAVY ATC: "All right, man. Stand by. We'll get back to you." CITINO: "What do you mean, 'We'll get back to you?' J ust do it!" HUCKABONE: "I'm gonna' choke that guy!" CITINO: "Be very professional, Huck." HUCKABONE: "Okay..." 225 226 9:34:01: WASHINGTON CENTER: "...we've been looking. We're---also lost American 77... they (Indianapolis Center) don't have any idea where he is or what happened." Indianapolis Center had lost contact with AA 77 at 8:54 AM, but no one had informed the military, even though Indianapolis Center had informed the FAA after learning of other hijacks. Indianapolis had assumed AA 77 had crashed. You know what happens when we “assume?” 9:35:41: ROUNTREE: "Rountree, can I help you?" BOSTON CENTER: "Latest report, aircraft six miles southeast of the White House." ROUNTREE: "Six miles southeast of the White House?" BOSTON: "Yup. East---he's moving away." ROUNTREE: "Southeast from the White House." BOSTON: "Air-aircraft is moving away." ROUNTREE: "Moving away from the White House?" BOSTON: "Yeah." ROUNTREE: "Deviating away. You don't have a type of aircraft, you don't know who he is?" BOSTON: "Nothing, nothing...I have no clue...hopefully somebody in Washington would have better---information for you." *I'm not sure why Boston Center was informing NEADS about AA 77 if it was a Dulles to LA flight. Wouldn't Washington or Indy have handled that? Huckabone sends an urgent message to turn and burn the Langley fighters back towards Washington. A few miles from the White House for a jet is nothing--- seconds away. The White House was in immediate danger. The Langley fighters, looking for UA Flight 93, could have done nothing about it and the Otis fighters were off course, heading back in. One of the NEADS trackers gets him on radar then loses him just as quickly. Not a shell game at this point, but a chess match---checkmate. They had our king had they wanted it. Why didn't they take it? Probably because something was rotten in Denmark. The media tried to use the old "the sun was in their eyes" theory. Damn, I hadn’t heard that one since little league. But luckily, the plane disappeared off radar and was either mysteriously landed, or it departed for destinations unknown. If you believe the planes theory---it hits the Pentagon. Largely, all Nasypany could do was posture, telling the handlers to push 'em back (the fighters) and not caring how many windows they break. They were pissed off on the NEADS Operations floor, causing Nasypany to curse “God Dammit!” that he couldn’t even protect his “NCA” (Naytional Capital Area). At 9:36 A.M., Cleveland Center asked Herndon Command Center if they should call a nearby military base to intercept UA 93 with fighters. Great, civilians were asking if they should call for take-out (air cover). Herndon informed them that the chain of command was that the FAA had to request that---the FAA report. This suggested UA 93 may have landed at J ohnston Airport in Pennsylvania, or Cleveland Hopkins Airport. At 9:40 AM, Boston Center is now tracking Delta 1989, a flight from Boston to Las Vegas, and it began to fit the familiar profile. The plane's beacon code was still transmitting somewhere south of Cleveland. Why they thought Delta 1989 was a 226 227 hijacking has never been disclosed. All NEADS could do was call two unarmed fighters from the Air National Guard in Selfridge, Michigan, to see if they could pick it up. But just as fast as that crisis began, a civilian air controller in Cleveland was in contact with the pilot and determined everything was okay. Hmmmmm...... Around 9:54 AM, a NORAD unit in Canada is tracking another suspected hijacking across the U.S. border, possibly heading towards Washington. At 10:07 A.M., a pilot reports Baltimore saying something about an aircraft over Washington. It seemed to have been taken seriously by NEADS, and shoot- down orders were discussed. The situation at that point seemed like chaos on the NEADS floor, with different people screaming things at the same time. These radar blips may have been blamed on the Langley fighters, but Cleveland Center was ready to receive UA Flight 93: 10:07:16: CLEVELAND CENTER: "We got a United 93 out here. Are you aware of that?" WATSON: "United 93?" CLEVELAND: "That has a bomb on board." WATSON: "A bomb on board? And this is confirmed? You have a beacon sir?" CLEVELAND: "No, we lost his transponder." *Perhaps Cleveland Center had radio confirmation that it was UA 93 on the way. Herndon Mission Crew Commander tried to locate fighter assets to chase down UA 93 at 10:11 A.M., and contacted Air National Guard in Syracuse, New York. The unit responded they could have fighters with guns (no missiles) launched in fifteen minutes. That was something at least---FAA report. Allegedly, UA Flight 93 was already down though, four minutes or so before this. NEADS, it was said at one point, tried to claim that it wasn't warned about the UA 93 hijack until four minutes after it crashed, but earlier statements said otherwise. NEADS didn't even have the coordinates for the White House on 9-11-01. They were trying to find them. Did someday have a damn Hagstrom map or something?; "You see...you take a left at Baltimore and..." The Canadian scare was said to be a MediVac or other helicopter. In all fairness, it was also said that NEADS may have intercepted their own guys (fighters) in one of the 'plane-heading-for-Washington warnings.' It was needle-in-a-haystack that day in regards to all the different flights and what was happening to them. But that’s the whole idea when you play ‘Black Op Switcheroo*.’ Poor NEADS couldn't catch a break though. At 10:31 A.M., NEADS received its first official ROE (Rules Of Engagement) from a NORAD instant messaging system, concerning shoot downs of commercial aircraft that were unresponsive to fighter jet’s orders. This ROE order was allegedly authorized by Vice President Dick Cheney. Colonel Marr allegedly withheld the order from the NEADS floor for several minutes because he was unsure how the fighter pilots would react to such a predicament---the FAA report. 227 228 10:50: 30: POWELL: Southeast just called. There's another possible hijack in our area." NASYPANY: "All right. Fuck......." *Well said, Nasypany. *This chapter was largely possible due to the Vanity Fair article, "9/11 Live: The NORAD Tapes." +1: AT 9:07 A.M., on 9-11, Boston Center issued a "NOTAM" (Notice To Airmen) to increase cockpit security---FAA report. *Switcheroo: I read that this was the name of a really bad porn flick Hugh Hefner used to put on when he was alone with a model. 228 229 The 911 Tapes 8:49 A.M.: CRO: "It says aircraft incident crash. It says Turkish Cargo, 22nd floor. That's where it crashed into, I guess. Unless that's where the call came from..." Hundreds of calls from people at the World Trade Center to NYPD and FDNY 911 operators on 9-11-01 were released by the City of New York's Law Department in March 2006 after a three-year legal battle with nine WTC victim's families. The voices of the deceased were eventually redacted from the tapes---only the operators could be heard. Exasperated operators struggled to console the panicked callers, but with little useful information. A lawyer for the families arranged a hearing of the unedited tapes at a Midtown* Manhattan building. The tapes were believed to have been leaked before this also, as an advertisement appeared for a CD* from Canada with the complete audio. "It's too hard to tell you what to do," an operator told one woman who was reporting that 14 people were trapped on the 83rd floor. At 8:59 A.M., an operator said, "They're not sure. But most people are saying helicopter." "I got a guy on the 106th floor and he wants to know how to deal with a hundred people," the fire operator asked a co-worker. "He wants some directions. I don't know." An almost despondent operator told another co-worker, "It's an awful 229 230 thing, it's an awful, awful, awful thing to call somebody and tell them you're going to die." This was after losing telephone contact with five workers on the 83rd floor. The operator heard the workers breathing hard, like snoring, after they went unconscious. There was confusion on 9-11 over whether a plane or helicopter hit 1 WTC on the 22nd floor: 8:49 A.M.: CRO: "It says aircraft incident crash. It says Turkish Cargo, 22nd floor. That's where it crashed into, I guess. Unless that's where the call camed from..." *I found no "Turkish Cargo" listed as a WTC tenant. 8:53: A.M.: CRO: "...I guess the guy was in a helicopter and just fell out of the helicopter." 8:59 A.M.: CRO: "Did you hear it was a confirmed helicopter ort plane?" OP: "They said it's a helicopter." CRO: "Helicopter, right? Yeah." 9:00 A.M.: OP: "No, he was calling from the pier. He seen a single engine plane hit the building." 9:04 A.M.: [Redacted Information]. Dispatcher: "Uh-huh. And you saw a plane go into the building?" Caller: [Redacted]. 9:08 A.M.: CRO: "Keeps blowing up?" Caller: [Redacted]. CRO: "How many times it blew up?" Caller: [Redacted]. 9:09 A.M.: CRO: "This call from the 22nd floor, I'm just going to put that back in." OP: "He didn't give the exact location?" CRO: "He said it's on the side of the building. The plane blew up on the side of the building and it blew up the building." Fire 9 OP: "Okay. Did they give you information about someone trapped on 22nd floor?" (1 WTC). Fire9: 9:00 A.M.: "All right. Listen to me. You said you are at Two World Trade?" Caller: [Redacted] OP: "And you're on the 105th floor?" Caller: [Redacted] At 9:17 A.M., an audacious public address announcement was heard in the background of the North Tower saying, "we are aware of it down here. The condition 230 231 seems to have subsided." What?! At first I thought that there was an outside chance that this was some sort of mercy announcement, so as to console the one's trapped and doomed on the upper floors, but who at that time had such information to be able to make such a call? Answer: no one. The situation was chaos, no one knew what anyone else’s fate was. And since the fire warden's phones were down (others worked perfect), the sprinklers weren't working, the fire alarms silent, the strobes dark, it made this PA announcement all the more suspect. Was it an announcement by an Agent of 9-11? The announcement also came minutes after the South Tower exploded. A fire operator related to a police operator, "how can you build big buildings, with no way to get out of it? Anyway, if you just slide down, that way the people don't have to walk down and more people can get out...But you can't tell the rich people around here. Have a nice day." Giant slides, not a bad idea, but probably couldn't be built. Some operators allegedly told those trapped to go to the roof*, not realizing that helicopter rescues were extremely unlikely that day or that the roof doors were probably locked. Rick Siegel, who made the DVD, 911 Eyewitness, claimed to have observed at least one helicopter rescue that day. The City of New York lost a legal battle in February 2006 to release the names* of those identified in the calls, of which there were twenty- four. *New York Post, "Last Calls," Drama of 9/11 tapes," 4-1-06. * Midtown: New York Post, "First relatives to hear tapes today," 3-31-06. *Roof: Staten Island Advance, "911 tapes capture operators grappling with the unthinkable," 4-1-06. *Names: Associated Press, "WTC callers must be ID'd," 2-30-06. *CD: A furor erupted in New York over the sale of a CD of 911 calls on 9-11. The CD was reportedly going for $2.99 and a copy was obtained by the New York Post / WCBS News. This CD may have been the complete version. 231 232 The Port Authority Transcripts Newark Airport Channel 023: Female: "(inaudible) individuals are DOA and (inaudible) be advised (inaudible).” Man: “All-right. Three-two-opera, we’re hooked up with, uh, (inaudible) DOA.” During the winter of 2004-2005, I poured over approximately two thousand pages of 9-11 Transcripts* from Port Authority Police, EMS, WTC maintenance workers, WTC operations & security officers and other PD Departments etc. I gathered critical information pertaining to missile strikes, secondary explosions, bomb threats & devices, aberrant gunfire, disruptions at area airports and general anomalies. These, including other transcripts, were a big contributing factor to what solidified my beliefs that 9-11 as an inside job. I believe it was reported very early on, post-9-11, that these transcripts were originally available for purchase only and were quite costly. The transcripts were released by federal order in a lawsuit brought by The New York Times. The Times originally requested the actual recordings, but settled for the transcripts. I’m also not sure why The Times was so instrumental in getting critical documents released, only to largely ignore them. There were many potential front-page stories in the 9-11 Transcripts. The 9-11 Commission apparently didn’t do a very good job of including the revelations in these transcripts either. They largely ignored them also. Other critical transcripts were released too late---after The 9-11 Commission was finished. After these transcripts were released, I was then deluged by twelve thousand more pages of FDNY transcripts released by court order brought yet again, by The New York Times. 232 233 Port Authority Police Command Recordings LaGuardia Airport Recorder Tape Channel 038 *Asterisk precedes author's comments Male Command Post: “Command post to all units. At this time all personnel are to evacuate the (inaudible) area, possible secondary…” *First transmission in the transcripts to identify a secondary device (bomb) near or in Stuyvesant High School (command post). I believe that PAPD command at LaGuardia Airport were ordering PAPD at the WTC. Male Command Post: “Command post vehicle to all Port Authority units, (inaudible) area and get uptown. There is a report of a secondary device in that location. (inaudible) area, and(inaudible) uptown NOW.” Male: “(inaudible) command post, do you copy that?” Male: “Command post, evacuating at this time.” Male Command Post: “(inaudible) J ay, command post vehicle from 1 World (inaudible) at this time (inaudible) uptown PAPD. Did you copy the last?” Male: “Command post, we copy. We copy.” Male Command Post: “Roger, once again, all Port Authority units evacuate the command post area, head uptown, there is a report of a secondary device.” *The word “device” suggests that something had been found. Male: “Roger, (inaudible), where is that secondary device located?” *There was no entry reply to this question. Male LGA: “LaGuardia to PA command post.” Male: “Do you know where that secondary device is supposed to be?” *Again, no reply in the transcript to the question where the bomb was supposed to be located. Male: “(Inaudible) K9, he’s en route to Stuyvesant High School.” Male: “Redirect them by North Moore Street and West Street….all personnel have evacuated the area by Stuyvesant High School. Possible secondary device.” LaGuardia Airport, Recorder Tape Channel 006 10:12:27 *Be advised that time signatures may or may not be accurate, as I've found that tape counter times sometimes resembled clock times in transcripts. (News broadcaster heard in background) Female News Broadcaster: “They think it’s (inaudible), it seems to be a terrorist attack…a major gathering of (inaudible)…” LaGuardia Airport, Recorder Tape Channel 014---B 10:13:54 Male 82: “Be advised, all phone circuits within US Air at this time are down." Male Dispatcher LGA: "Roger, ten-four thank you." *Why were phone circuits down at US Air? Keep in mind that it was the same gate location as some suspicious persons reports, also a man with a firearm. Could this have been sabotage by Agents of 9-11 to buy time to try and commandeer 233 234 another flight? 10:16:54 Male 82: “Responding down to Gate 3, unknown condition, I have a four-C with me. We’ll keep you advised if we need further.” *I don't know what a four-C was, but I hope it was BIG! 10:19:10 Male 82: “Roger, we have one of the agents reporting somebody with a possible firearm, Gate 3.” Male Dispatcher LGA: "Roger, Gate 3, possible firearm. Available eight-nine for LaGuardia.” Male 82: “Copy, that was US Airways?” Male Dispatcher LGA: “That’s affirmed, Gate 3.” Male Dispatcher LGA: “Fifteen, respond US Airways, Gate 3 area, report of an individual with a firearm at that location.” Male 15: “Roger.” Male 82: “Roger. Be advised there’s a possible eight-seven on a flight that was taken off because of cancellations. We are however checking the area, and we’ll keep you advised. No further at this time.” *I looked up 8-7 and it said it meant “Other Law Enforcement Agency.” Male Dispatcher LGA: “Roger, understand.” 10:20:55 Male Dispatcher LGA: “Roger. We need to make visual contact with this, uh…person with the firearm, copy? The agents can help you out.” Male 82: “We’re (inaudible) the area, we’re…we are clearing the entire area out, making contact at this time.” Male Dispatcher LGA: “Roger, thank you.” *It's unclear what happened in this situation. 10:29:26 Male: “I got two (inaudible). I went inside the (inaudible). I didn’t see anyone, but I’m going inside.” Male: “They were taking off.” Male: “Their vehicles were taken earlier.” *Sounds like they were tailing two suspicious guys. 10:31:24 Male 82: “LaGuardia, desk, I have a visual on him, he’s on the north end.” Male Dispatcher LGA: “Roger. Lot 2 units, that individual is on the north end. Eight-two Pasquarello, keep a visual on that individual.” *It is unclear what became of this individual/s. The next transmission in the series is not until 11:17 A.M. 11:17:06 Male 82: “Dennis, when you get a description on that individual, give it to me. There was an individual over here that was suspicious…some employee. Give me the description when you get it.” 234 235 Male Dispatcher LGA: Roger. “All units apply description when available.” Male: “Eight-two, Carbone, LaGuardia, I have him in sight.” Male Dispatcher LGA: “Roger. Proceed with caution.” 11:18:26 Male 82: “LaGuardia, eight-two Pasquarello, he’s walking towards the lot. I lost visual contact with him.” Male Dispatcher LGA: “Roger, Nicky.” Male 82: “LaGuardia, be advised, eight-two Spencer/Morales, we’re entering the lot. Copy?” Male Dispatcher LGA: “Roger, proceed with caution.” Male 82: “LaGuardia, eight-two Russo, we have the individual down.” Male Dispatcher LGA: “Roger, understand. All units slow it down. We have one under investigation at this time.” *What did they learn from him? Did he or the suspicious employee KO the phone lines? Did he have a firearm? LaGuardia Airport Recorder Tape Channel 015---E 9:14:16 Male: “I’m trying to get rid of this engineer that we had taken out. So we are going to take his stuff in the boat, pull it up and then put it back in the water.” *See, they were trying to get rid of somebody! But it was just a contractor they were clearing out. Female: “All right, that’s a copy. Roger, expedite it.” Male: “Yeah, I’m in the process. I’ve got to get (inaudible) off the two-two deck at this time, unless you have somebody else to take him off, they’re going to be taking the contractors off the field at this time.” 9:21:00 Male: “J immy, can you advise the police, I have a APA reporting in (inaudible) on the aircraft, of a 757 at Charlie-6, they have one bag remaining aboard that’s having him call (inaudible) and they are trying to pass along notification.” Male: “Repeat, you broke up. Repeat.” *Suspicious bag aboard a canceled flight. The transcripts then jump to 10:16, which made me question these time signatures. 10:16:03 Male: “Nine-three, copy the last?” Male: “Negative, repeat. You broke up. Repeat.” Male: “I got APA at Charlie-60, to walk through their aircraft, and in one of the overhead bins, they have one bag remaining that wasn’t claimed by anybody. They want to advise the police, but they could not get through.” LaGuardia Airport Recorder Tape Channel 018, Ground Control Radio *Time not evident, very early, sometime before 8:45 A.M. Male: “Ground, American 311, Spot 3 Victor.” 235 236 *I just thought this flight number was intriguing. Female Dispatcher: “(inaudible) call the US Air (inaudible) to monitor (inaudible) line.” *Call the US Air what to monitor what line? Somebody call Pat Sajak to solve the puzzle. Port Authority Memorandums and Correspondence Michael A. Scott Assistant Director Public Safety Department: “I received a telephone call from my good friend Ezra Aviles of the Office of Policy & Planning who said an aircraft had just struck the North Tower at a location above his office which was located on the north side of the 61 st floor. In our discussion he was very calm and stated he saw the logo on the aircraft (American Airlines) as it approached the building.” *Somebody said they saw the logo on what hit the North Tower? I highly doubt that. Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, 11-4-01 From: Sergeant QD DeMarco #244: “Captain Albin informed me to form up all PAPD Officers in the auditorium of St. J ohn's University and to record the names of all officers present. Once in the auditorium, an accounting of personnel was conducted. Information was received of a possible secondary explosive device in the building and an orderly evacuation was conducted.” *Suggests that things may have been done on the fly by Agents of 9-11, because how could they have known which buildings the police would try and use as mustering sites? “Officers were then forming up on West Street when 7 WTC collapsed.” *Other officers noted that there was some sort of explosion across the street and they had to evacuate, and so in some instances, the collapse of 7 WTC could've been misconstrued. Four school names for mustering sites were also given in the transcripts: St. J ohns; CUNY & BMCC; Stuyvesant High; and IS 89. “A secondary mustering site was obtained and all officers were informed to muster in the gym of CUNY located on W. Moore St.” Port Authority Memorandum, 11-12-01 From: Alan T. DeVona Subject: Chronological Report of the WTC Radio Transmissions on 9-11-01: “0853: 4-1 radios WTC Police Desk reporting an explosion on the lower level.” *Bombs destabilizing the WTC foundation? “0857: WTC requests an available unit to check Turner Construction, 1 WTC B-4 Level, report of broken water pipes.” *I saw a clip of a construction worker interviewed on NY1 News talking about explosions in the lower level, one, the force of which blew him backwards. “0912: PO Houston, PO Davis and PO Wholey advise Police Desk of trapped ABM workers on the B-4 level, as per a report from an ABM worker. The desk acknowledges.” *ABM workers trapped by an explosion. Practically no media reports on this. “0904: …there is a report of people trapped on the 13 th floor.” “0905: Sgt. Poland radios Captain Whitaker and states that second plane hit 2 WTC. Detective Sgt. Zika states he had a visual and it could’ve been a possible missile.” *Missiles were often said to be fired at the Trade Center while a plane circled, "watching it,” or while it impacted in the South Tower as diversion. 236 237 “0908: Detective Sgt. Zika reports possible missile launch off of the Woolworth building and requests to have CPD contact NYPD to check the Woolworth building." *CPD came up as “Central Police Desk.” 0913: Sgt. DeVona asks WTC Police Desk if there is any confirmation on missile launchers. The WTC Police Desk states there has been no confirmation.” *There couldn't have been confirmation at that time. An investigation needed to be done. Port Authority Memorandum, 3-6-02 From: William Ross: “At approximately 0845….I observed a commercial passenger jet flying over at an extremely low altitude, and heading south.” *Note that by the date 3-6-02, I noticed that the phrase “commercial passenger jet,” had become cliché`. It was widely used a year or so after 9-11, but wasn’t really colloquial right afterwards. “From the corner on 42nd Street, where we were standing, looking east there is an obstructed view of the top of the Empire State Building. We again spotted the aircraft for few seconds. It was just east of the Empire State Building and, to my best estimation, no higher than 500’ above it.” *I found this interesting because I, probably along with many others, had always assumed that AA Flight 11 followed the Hudson River, flying over the west side of Manhattan. A witness even told me this. Was there a decoy plane on the west side? Radar controllers lost AA Flight 11 fifteen miles east of J FK. Port Authority Memorandum, 3-9-02 From: William J . Zika: “As we exited the car near the Barclay St. intersection, Det’s Mendenhall and DeMello, who were already there, advised me that someone reported to them that a missile had been fired into the WTC from the top of the Woolworth building. I notified CPD via radio and instructed both detectives to check out the roof of the Woolworth building. I also observed Inspector Lawrence Fields, and Lt J ohn Kassimatis at this location.” Port Authority Memorandum, 3-6-02 From: Detective Sergeant Raymond DiLena: “…I was working a 7 x 3 tour at J FK Airport.” (DiLena then responded in a vehicle to the WTC) “Upon exiting the vehicle Detective Molina informed us that NYPD Citywide put out a report that a third aircraft was approaching and that persons unknown were shooting from the Woolworth Building.” *The NYPD put out a “Citywide” report on missiles being fired from the Woolworth Building. A third aircraft was approaching. Port Authority Memorandum, date not evident From: D/SGT. Ray… J . D…. *signature not legible: “While walking toward the auditorium there was some type of explosion across the street and resulted in the auditorium being evacuated. We then went to a high school gym where our command center would remain.” *“Some type of explosion across the street.” They were probably at the public elementary school, IS 89, north of the WTC, or CUNY College. He also states that the high school gymwas where the command post would remain. But we know that is not true, it was evacuated also due to a possible secondary device. He may have misspoken on that. Another mystery is that there was another illegible signature at the very bottom right hand corner of the page with what looked like the date “3/11/01.” It may have been a “9” and not a “3,” but I studied it for some time and it was clearly a “3.” 237 238 Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, 1-28-02 From: P.O. Anthony L. Croce: “As we were at the desk we kept hearing explosions that would shake the whole room. People were saying “there’s another one and another one.” “I heard reports of secondary bomb explosions, missiles being shot at towers and a couple of others.” “We were instructed to muster up in an gymnasium in a college close by.” “I kept trying my cell phone to call her but kept getting a busy signal. A firefighter was also trying to call his wife but had the same problem.” *Explosion after explosion. And was there frequency jamming on 9-11? Port Authority Memorandum, 2-8-02 From: Detective Michael Molina: “At approx. 0855 hrs.…” (Molina headed to the WTC) “After several minutes (upon his arrival) we heard the “all clear” and observed military aircraft flying overhead. By this time we were informed that the PAPD Command Post had been located on West and Vesey St.” *Military aircraft were on the scene much sooner than the time officially given. What were they doing there? The exact time of Molina’s arrival there was not given. “We made our way around the west side of the World Financial Center to the PAPD Command Post arriving at approx. 0930 hrs….” *Authenticates the initial PAPD Command Post. Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, 2-26-02 From: Sgt. Fong: “Initial regrouping of PAPD personnel took place in a NYC public school located on West St. north of the WTC. That site had to be immediately evacuated for fear of an explosive device thought to be placed inside the building. All command operations were then taken to Manhattan Community College after its building was secured.” Port Authority Buckslip, 3-4-02 From: Dennis P. Stafford: “Upon our arrival at the World Trade Center, Barclay Street ramp, the undersigned made contact with Detective D. Rogers who reported that initial information was being received from witnesses in the vicinity of West Broadway and Barclay streets that a missile may have been fired from the American Express Building into Tower #1.” *The Amex Building also? A crossfire. Port Authority Memorandum, 3-5-02 From: J ohn Flynn: “Shortly thereafter, it was reported there was a secondary device in IS 89, which was across the street.” “All units and equipment were evacuated from the auditorium and the courtyard and relocated to North Moore and West. I requested the Port Authority Police K9 EDT to search and secure the gymnasium prior to allowing Police Officers to enter. Once the area was secure…” 238 239 “…south on West Street to the Barclay Street ramp. It was here that we found vehicle 5308 at the base of the Barclay Street ramp. We attempted to make entry into the truck dock, however we encountered multiple rounds of ammunition were going off. Vehicle 5308 was removed and parked on the top of the ramp and two hat shields were recovered. (Command Post was advised of the numbers). *Was there shooting in the WTC truck dock? Two police hats recovered. Correspondence to Lt. E Gutch, 1-29-02 From: P.O. David Leclaire #759: “We observed that the glass at the bottom of Tower 1 was blown outwards.” *This was at 0910 hours. Port Authority Memorandum, 1-24-02 From: Sergeant Robert Greff: “At this time we heard several more explosions.” “A NYPD Captain told us that they believed there was a bomb in the Financial Center and told us to evacuate the area. We all proceeded north to a temporary Command post area. We were then evacuated farther north to the college on N. Moore St.” *Bombs in the WFC too? Port Authority Buckslip, 1-6-02 From: Michael Edwards: “While there an FBI Agent informed me that another plane was on its way, he was in a panic screaming, 'Get out!'" *This was while in the E-Room in 5 WTC where they were retrieving bunker gear. Port Authority Memorandum, 3-13-02 From: R.P. Mendenhall: “At this time Detective deMello and myself were in the intersection of Barclay and Greenwich when three unidentified white males in business attire ran up to me and started to scream that a missile had been fired into Tower Two from the top of the Woolworth building. I looked up to the roof of the Woolworth building and there appeared to be smoke coming from the very top of the building. At this time Detective deMello and myself ran to the Woolworth building. As we entered I immediately asked for the head of security. An un-identified black male in a security uniform ran forward and asked how he could help. I told him we needed a secure elevator to the roof, his response was “follow me.” We walked to a bank of elevators when the doors of one car opened. Two men stepped out of the elevator. A man appearing to be Hispanic identified himself as the building superintendent, he was wearing an ID card on his shirt. The security guard seemed to know him so we took him at his word. He advised Detective deMello and myself that the roof was secure. I told him that we had a report that a missile had been fired from the roof of this building and he advised us that it wasn’t a missile it was an aircraft, a big aircraft. He further advised that he was on the roof when it crashed into Tower Two. At this time we left the building and started to run back towards the Barclay Street ramp.” *This white smoke at the top of the Woolworth Building has been authenticated in still photos. If there was smoke and someone shooting RPG’s from the roof of the super’s building, and he was supposedly up there, you’d think he’d know something about it. But then again, a certain company there we’ll call CEB, specializes in covert operations. My learning about that was obtained in 2003 by walking into this same lobby as the above detectives and possibly asking 239 240 this same black security officer who was at the front desk. He was very professional, well spoken, well groomed and it just gave me the impression that this was a much more serious detail than most ordinary building security. The super’s urging that ‘the roof was secure’ seemed to be a strange phrase and offered up too easily. It may have even tipped off detectives. My feeling was that the detectives did have their suspicions, but had bigger fish to fry at the time. Port Authority Memorandum, 11-1-01 To: Lt. Ed Gutch From: P.O. Don Burns: “At this point we were told to muster in front of the financial district buildings across the street.” “At this point we appeared to be approx. 5 blks from the scene of attack. We were then told that all Port Authority personnel were to respond to an auditorium nearby. From there we were then told to respond to the gym at the college, where we remained until approx. 11pm at which time we were secured.” Port Authority Memorandums(s), 11-3-01 To: Lt. Ed Gutch Subject: Terrorist Attack---September 11, 2001: “On September 11, 2001 the undersigned responded to Bldg. 269 to assist in loading rescue equipment onto responding Police Academy bus and Vehicle #52945, the Motor Vehicle Inspector’s vehicle. After completion of loading, the undersigned along with P.O.’s Hocker and Myers escorted a Port Authority bus with J FK Police Officers to the WTC. Upon arrival at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel the first tower collapsed and we assisted with the emergency evacuation of the tunnel. We then continued our response to the WTC over the Brooklyn Bridge. Upon our arrival, the second collapse occurred and we attempted to respond to the Command Post. Upon arriving at Ground Zero we began to put on our equipment under direction of Sgt. Zuckerberg. We attempted a rescue effort into what was the WTC & locate the original Command Post on West St. but due to the dark clouds of dust we were driven back. We met up with Sgt, McGarry and he informed us that a new Command Post was set up 3-4 blocks north at BMCC. We assisted in bringing equipment into the auditorium. We were then told to evacuate the auditorium due to a possible secondary device. We were directed to stage on West Street till BMCC was cleared. After the building was cleared we responded to the gym to await further orders. While in the gym we assisted in bringing necessary equipment and medical supplies into the gym.” *The above report was a the same “form letter,” word for word, signed by Police Officers: J oseph Hocker #1322, Neil Halpern #541, and Craig Myers #1228, all on the date 11-3-01. I was initially outraged that 9-11 could be reduced to such a Xeroxed letter, but who knows why? Port Authority Memorandum, 3-27-02 From: Lt. Anthony Fitzgerald: “Once back at the College Gym……..” *Temporary command post Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, 4-5-02 From: P.O. Robles #1678: “As the cloud subsided it was replaced by a white ash which fell like snow.” “Our cell phones were useless.” 240 241 “The kids were crying as they ran.” *Stuyvesant High School Port Authority Correspondence, 4-6-02 From: Sgt. Thomas Marten J r., #125: “I exited the Police Desk area at Building Five and went down the stairs to the concourse level near the retail stores and ran into an F.B.I. Agent who informed me that a plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and there was at least two more planes headed toward the WTC.” “About this time we heard another tremendous explosion and saw Building One collapse.” “I tried to use my cell phone, a phone in the office building and the radio, but everything was silent and all communication broke down.” “Military jets flew overhead and we didn’t know what to expect at this time.” “A large group of officers started to make there way to the Boro of Manhattan Community College where we all started to regroup.” “The smell of dust and burning debris was overwhelming and I will never forget that smell for the rest of my life.” “Chief Hall jumped up on a table in the gym and told us the situation was very bad, but rescues were still possible.” Port Authority Memorandum, 4-15-02 From: P.O. Edward K. McQuade #1285: “At this time we were instructed to set up a temporary incident command post at St. J ohn’s College on West Street. During the staging of equipment a report was received via the New York City Police Department of a secondary device located in the school across the street from the staging area.” *So many reports about secondary devices at can't all be hysteria. Port Authority Correspondence, 5-21-02 From: P.O. J ohn C. Noble #1041: “After the collapses I remember reports of a third plane enroute to the area as well as a white van filled with explosives in the J ersey City/Hoboken area.” *I recall this report on 9-11 on live news radio about a white van filled with explosives in the Hoboken area. I don't know if they ever caught it. Port Authority Correspondence, date not evident From: Police Inspector Gene Ceccarelli: “…we assisted in finding a holding location for police personnel escaping from the disaster site. I believe it was Stuyvesant High School….” “Later, reports from an unknown source were circulating that there may be explosive devices planted in Stuyvesant H.S. and an adjacent building. A PAPD K-9 team was dispatched (P.O. Cottrell). In the meantime, we vacated the Stuyvesant H.S. location and proceeded northbound on West St. I hooked up with the Command Post Vehicle.” "The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), located on West and North Moore, had a large gymnasium inside. We (PAPD) took over the gym as a staging area 241 242 for police personnel.” Port Authority Memorandum, date not evident From: Sergeant J ohn D. Rienzie #107 J ohn F. Kennedy Police Command: “We continued in our efforts until the combination of dust, fire, smoke, explosions and reports of gas leaks, bombs and buildings about to collapse forced us to discontinue our search for victims.” Port Authority Correspondence, 1-4-02 From: Captain Trucillo Internal Affairs Division: “We also noticed that the fire alarm system had not been activated and subsequently found that the fire warden phones were inoperable. Oddly enough, we were able to make phone calls from our desks.” *How strange that fire warden’s phones were dead, but others worked fine. And no fire alarms also, yet emergency generators were working. Sabotage anyone? Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, 12-22-01 From: P.O. D. Vasquenz #1099: “I heard 5 to 6 bangs, gun shots. I knew they were gun shots and they were coming from the direction of the west side Highway. Half the crowd was running east away from the WTC and the other half was running west away from the gunfire. I was pinned against a fence and people were getting stepped on. I pushed through the people. I didn’t see any fellow officers. People looked at me with panic faces saying which way should we go? I thought we were under attack on land now. I thought I was going to die. I didn’t know what was happening at the WTC site, but I couldn’t direct the people in that direction. Gun shots or a collapsing building, what a choice. I figured, well…they can’t shoot all of us. So, I directed (more like screamed) everyone to head east to the West Side Highway and then north on 12 th Ave.” *Might have been sniper fire from one of the rooftops like the Amex Building where trouble had been previously reported. Ammunition on fire or a cop shooting a lock off is not going to answer this one. Port Authority Correspondence, 3-13-02 From: P.O. Anthony F. Gattullo #1767: “A military jet flew into the airspace over the WTC site and I wasn’t sure if his intentions were good or bad.” *You & me both. This was a short time after the second tower had collapsed. Port Authority Memorandum, 3-6-02 From: P.O. R. Morales #1608: “Everyone ran into a nearby school as the grey cloud of debris came north. I recall going into an auditorium where we reunited with numerous other officers.” “We were then forced to evacuate the school on the threat of an explosion.” “We reunited on West St where FDNY were also staging. I recall going north on West St to a gymnasium of BMCC where we stoodby until further orders.” Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, 11-4-01 From: P.O. Robert Arnott #1015: 242 243 “All PA units were directed to the theater in the southside of B.M.C.C.” “A general announcement was made of a threat of a secondary device in the area and evacuate the auditorium.” “After evacuation a staging area was established in B.M.C.C. gym at North Moore and West.” Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, 11-3-01 From: Lt. T. Innace #129: “Captain Whittaker instructed us to meet the Command Post at the front of the Financial Center.” Port Authority Memorandum, 11-1-01 From: P.O. Lawrence Guarnieri: “…we regrouped and attempted to make our way back to the WTC. This time we were thwarted by Con Ed workers screaming to get back, they had detected a gas leak.” *If this was pre-collapse, then why all the street-level gas leaks? Before the North Tower was even involved in an incident that day, FDNY was checking out one such leak. Port Authority Memorandum, 11-1-01 From: P.O. Steven Russell #1528: “As we were doing so, we were advised of a possible bomb threat to the school we were using, so we all evacuated the building until K-9 could do a search.” Port Authority Memorandum, 11-10-01 From: P.O. Daniel McCarthy #420: (approx. 9:00 A.M.) “Captain Whitaker arrived at the command post and advised all members of the department who were present not to enter the building. Capt. Whitaker further stated, 'that building is not stable, I don’t want any more of our guys going in there.' A short time later said building collapsed.” *There is no way Captain Whitaker or anyone else could have known about the structural stability of the World Trade Center at the time, but a good thing he did, it definitely saved lives. “All members of the department who were on-scene were ordered into the auditorium of St. J ohns University for a head-count. We were told to evacuate after being informed that there was an explosive device in an unknown location in the building.” *“Unknown location” might've suggested a phone-in bomb threat, because how could Agents of 9-11 have known St. J ohns would've been a police mustering site? It suggests on-scene operatives, or moles. “Our command post was now set up at Borough of Manhattan Community College gym.” “I strongly believe that Captain Whitaker was instrumental in saving the lives of approximately 40 more Police Officers.” Port Authority Correspondence, 11-1-01 From: Sergeant Conrad W. Krueger Emergency Services Section, Police Academy: “The fires that prevented us before had dwindled down and we were able to climb out onto the balcony of building six facing West St. There was a construction ladder that was left there, which enabled us to climb down one level, and after a few minutes another ladder was put in place by responding NYPD ESU, which got us down onto West Street.” *A construction ladder. My only question was, was this a Godsend or left there by persons nefarious? The landing 243 244 Krueger was talking about was easily twenty feet and jumping would have been out of the question. Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, 11-28-01 From: P.O. M. Schule #1630: “As we left building #269 we heard the Tower reports 1 rogue plane in the air unknown location.” “We had the radios on however they went dead so we search our cellphones to see which one would work, 2 out of 3 were dead.” “At approximately 1130hrs-1200hrs we were told we will be on stand by for deployment because the area was still too hot to go near. Various PAPD officers were now screaming “this is bullshit.” We have to go in now. Some walked off on they’re own to assist.” “They had supplied us with food and drink but that didn’t stop cops from leaving to go to the WTC site only to be turned away and come back disgusted and confused.” *Who was turning them away? “I returned to the auditorium to be reassigned when loud and piercing scream said “Run, Run, get Out.” J ust then approximately 200+cops ran for the exit. At the end of the hall was a small spiral staircase of which all 200+cops ran to. I made it to a second floor varanda when a huge explosion went off at the WTC site. There were people on the varanda and I told them to run and leave the area. I went down to the street where various police and fire were still running. I asked one of them what blew and they said it was a gas main.” *Even if gas mains did go up that day, they were all leaking way before any damage had been done to the Trade Center that day. “At this time it was approximately 0930 A.M. to 1000A.M.” *I didn’t know why Schule’s account went from11:30 to12:00 P.M., then back to 9:30 A.M. Port Authority Memorandum, date not evident From: Sergeant William Delgado: “We also began to inventory the available ESU equipment and due to a report of a secondary device, we evacuated north on West St.” Port Authority Correspondence, 12-15-01 From: Detective Albert R. Gachett: “The undersigned did interview several, and did obtain from a NYC Building Inspector still camera photo shots of the first Aircraft that was crashed into the WTC Tower.” *Let’s see some of those still photos of the first aircraft that allegedly struck the North Tower. I bet they’re nothing like AA Flight 11! Port Authority Memorandum, date not evident From: P.O. Stephen Maggett: “I then made it to the Borough of Manhattan Community College auditorium where several officers were staged. We then were immediately evacuated from said location on threat of an incendiary device was reported in the WTC complex.” *Could he have meant 7 WTC? That would’ve been the nearest building in the WTC complex. Port Authority Memorandum, 12-9-01 From: P.O. Middleton #1207: “I was approximately one block away from Tower One when Tower Two appeared to 244 245 explode at the roof top and several floors below. The fire balls and debris shot out of the windows and rocketed into the skies and fall below. As the building began to disintegrate before your very eyes….” “J ESUS! I can’t breathe, J ESUS! Once again I heard that soft voice say, ‘Take your Hat and place it over your face---Breathe.’ I quickly obeyed and to my surprise I found out that I could breathe.” *His faith in the Messiah obviously saved him. “As I continued to wave them back periodically you would hear a loud boom go off at the top of tower one.” “After approximately 15 minutes suddenly there was another loud boom at the upper floors, then there was a series of smaller explosions which appeared to go completely around the building at the upper floors. And another loud earth shattering blast with a large fire ball which blew out more debris and at that point everyone began to run north on West Broad Street.” *A well-orchestrated demolition in which bombs and squibs go around the building. Port Authority Memorandum, 1-22-02 From: Detective Thomas M. Inman: “We arrived at the Command Post located at West and Vesey Streets at approximately 0935 hours. As a roll call was being taken of the responding Detectives, Tower #2 began to collapse. This occurred after a secondary explosion on the west side of the tower that appeared to take place in the area of the high 60’s. The area above the secondary explosion actually leaned to the west and then the collapse took place.” *So many witnesses saw these explosions on the west side of the South Tower, precipitating its collapse. Blasts hidden on the west side of the South Tower would've been out of view of media central, the north portion of Manhattan, and partially blocked from view by the North Tower. It was the perfect position for its explosive death knell. It then leaned to the west briefly and collapsed. Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, 3-6-02 From: P.O. J ames Ludlow: “Kindly be advised that the above named officer did comply with Chief Morris order #64-01 and did submit a handwritten report. However, Lt. J ohn Podolak recently informed me that my original report was missing and I must submit another.” “…heard what appeared to be gunshots. I thought to myself not only did they crash a plane into my buildings, now they’re trying to shoot us. Someone had tried to enter the auditorium of the Manhattan Community College. However, the doors were chained shut. I later found out an industrious officer shot out the glass windows to gain entry to the premises to escape the smoke and dust.” *I wondered why Ludlow’s original correspondence disappeared and if there was anything in his original that may have facilitated that. “We were at Harrison and West when we were ordered into the B.M.C.C. auditorium. Inside the premises, Chief Fields was about to speak when we were told of a bomb scare and we were to get out quickly.” Port Authority Memorandum, date not evident From: Lieutenant J ohn R. Podolak Newark International Airport: 245 246 “…us to evacuate the auditorium as quickly as possible. The reason given was that an explosive device had been observed on the street outside the auditorium. This alarm was incorrect and later amended to a natural gas leak.” *An explosive device was visually mistaken for a gas leak? Port Authority Memorandum, 3-9-02 From: Detective Sergeant Thomas Bomengo: “As we began to walk north on West St. a uniformed New York City Police Officer yelled and motioned for us to run after he received a radio transmission that a possible third aircraft was approaching the Trade Center.” “Once we arrived on Rector Street….” “Members of the J FK Detective Squad took cover under the scaffolding when a transmission came over a New York City radio that ‘they are shooting from the Woolworth Building.’ Repeated attempts were made to utilize the PAPD 800 MHZ to confirm this but all attempts failed.” “We reached an intersection and I heard a tremendously loud whistling noise and observed Tower Two falling. I heard gun shots go off and people were running towards us.” “Once we arrived at the Federal building we were not allowed in due to an ongoing bomb threat.” *Missile threats, gunfire and the recurrent “whistling” noise preceding the tower’s collapses. And a bomb threat at 26 Federal Plaza too? This is where the FBI, the INS, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations along with several other government agencies keep offices. “Suddenly, emergency workers yelled out to evacuate the area for secondary devices.” *Warnings from EMS personnel who, according to transcripts, were well aware of secondary explosions. Port Authority Correspondence, 3-15-02 From: Lieutenant William Burns: “We parked our vehicle on the center island at the intersection of West Street and Vesey Street and proceeded to enter building via the VIP drive doors.” “Lt. Oorbeek and I observed a male black lying on the ground in an awkward position. He had a small amount of blood on the left side of his head and was not responsive. A check of his carotid artery revealed that he did not have a pulse and was apparently dead. I was not able to determine the cause of death because he did not appear to have sustained any significant visible injury.” *May have been a sniper victim. “As we made our way through the concourse we decided to ascertain where our Mobile Command Post and staging areas were. As we attempted to exit the building, we could hear what sounded like explosions outside.” Port Authority Memorandum, 3-25-02 From: Detective Phil Passaro #33: “After the second aircraft hit the World Trade Center the FAA shut down the New York air space, and all aircraft that were about to take off or on the taxiways were returned to their gates. There were numerous suspicious passengers removed from the aircraft’s and 246 247 returned to Port Authority Building #269 for investigation. The undersigned assisted in the investigations along with the FBI J oint Terrorist Task Force for the remainder of my tour, which ended at 2300 hours.” *What happened with these “numerous suspicious passengers?” It sounded to me as if there were a lot more airliner attacks that day planned out of Kennedy and LaGuardia that were foiled. Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, 3-28-02 From: P.O. Robert J . Essex #1828: “We were assembled in the gymnasium and informed that we could not go back to the site because building seven was going to fall. After building seven fell….” *How did anyone know 7 WTC was going to fall? Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, date not evident From: P.O. Rogers #308: “PAPD officers and supervisers met in the BMCC auditorium until a bomb scare forced everyone to the gym on No. Moore St.” Port Authority Hand Written Memorandum, 4-17-02 From: P.O. Kevin Capozzi #1321: “Bridge searches due to numerous calls we had for alleged terrorist activities at the Bayonne Bridge and perimeter searches of Port Authority property.” Port Authority Correspondence, 4-14-02 From: P.O. E. Luongo #907: “By this time we were standing in a large room waiting for orders when Chief Morris came in yelling there may be a secondary devise. We left that room and began to again run north towards BMCC where we mustered again.” Port Authority Memorandum, 4-10-02 From: P.O. William Connors #953: “We were instructed to respond to a temporary command post at St. J ohn’s College on West Street. PO R Cantelmo and myself were relocating Truck 1 to the temporary command post when a NYPD officer advised us that a secondary explosive device was found in a school across the street from this location.” *So far that was one secondary device in a school, one in the street and one in the WFC. “We approached the complex from the north side via Barclay Street Building 7 was burning and we spoke with a FDNY Chief who had his men holed up in the US Post Office building. He informed us that the fires in Building 7 were uncontrollable and that its collapse was imminent." *He would've only assumed that because of the other collapses before it. "We observed several PAPD vehicles in the area. ESU 5308 was at the bottom of the Barclay Street ramp just short of the inner doors under building 7. A truck was stopped in front of 5308 with its hazard lights flashing. There were no fires inside the loading dock at this time but we could hear explosions deep inside.” *Explosions in the WTC sub-levels. “A postal official approached us and stated that he believed that the postal vehicles may have had secondary explosive devices inside them as they all showed signs of internal 247 248 explosions. A closer inspection revealed that the Postal trucks were all damaged in the same place, near the fuel tanks, we then ruled out secondary devises.” *Were these postal trucks parked in the underground parking garage of 90 Church Street or out on the street? “We recovered several bodies from this area and carried them to the Temporary Morgue in the lobby of 3 World Financial Center.” *American Express Building. Port Authority Memorandum, 3-13-02 From: Detective Salvatore Piro: “At that point, I heard a low sounding boom and the smoke intensified. There was more debris falling and as I heard a big roar, I saw Tower One coming down.” Port Authority Correspondence, 3-12-02 From: P.O. Raymond N. Maniscalco J FK Airport: “We were prohibited from returning to the Trade Center area due to reports of possible gas leaks, bombs and incendiary devices.” PATH (Port Authority Transit Hub) Police Command Recordings: Channel 06- Sergeants’s Desk: Man: “I was told by the building and maintenance guy that 4 World Trade Center, there’s people trapped on the ninth floor down. And they called them on the phone, and they’re not getting out.” PAPD Tommy Cashin: “Okay, now, that’s Building Four?” Man: “Four World Trade.” PAPD Cashin: “Yeah, 4 World Trade.” Man: “Yes.” PAPD Cashin: “And they’re on what floor?” Man: “From the ninth floor down.” PAPD Cashin: “Ninth floor. Is there any report of any fire or anything over there?” Man: “Any fire or anything? No. Nothing. Nothing.” PATH Channel 07: (Due to technical difficulties with the transcription of Channel 07 of the PATH Police Command recordings, we are withholding that transcript at this time. We are currently working on rectifying the problem and as soon as that is done, the transcript will be available at no additional cost.) *Was there sensitive information on that tape? PATH Channel 019 Conference Room 1 Man: “One plane hit and (inaudible).” Man: “(inaudible) plane, it could have been separate (inaudible), you know?” Male on Radio: “(inaudible section) military (inaudible)…come down (inaudible).” *Not sure what this was. My guess was one incident involving a plane, and missile strike/s, and some sort of communication about the military. Male in Office: “I don’t know, (inaudible) that explosion was set up by (inaudible).” *It seemed like he was commenting on some sort of set up explosion. Did it involve the above? [military]. Critical portions of the transcripts all conveniently became “inaudible.” 248 249 Male in Office: “Well, maybe it’s (inaudible). Bad.” *Say the wrong word and it becomes “inaudible.” Male in Office: “Everything is…everything down, everything down, let’s stay careful. J ersey City (inaudible). (INAUDIBLE SECTION).” Man: “Move out (inaudible)! Move the (inaudible) there! (Sirens) (Loud Commotion)” *Seemed like complete chaos. PATH Channel 021 Radio Transmitter (R2) PAPD Officer 33: “Myself and (inaudible) to the Trade Center responding with Scott packs to the B-4 level. There’s a report of a cave-in, and people trapped.” PAPD Officer Desk: “Roger, three-three and eight-two Houston, World Trade responding B-4 level on a report of a cave-in.” PAPD Officer: “ESU units, do you copy?” PAPD Officer 33: “Three-three, desk.” PAPD Officer Desk: “Go, three-three.” PAPD Officer 33: “There’s also been a cave-in at the platform of the PATH plaza…there’s a live electrical, and water running. Turn off the power in that area.” *As learned through subsequent transcripts, it was explosions in the sub-level of the complex, not a cave-in. Either way, the PATH Station was being targeted also. PAPD Officer Desk: “Roger.” PAPD Officer Truck One: “Truck one, desk.” PAPD Officer: “Truck one, go.” PAPD Officer Desk: “Three-three is reporting that there is a cave-in, B-4 level, at the World Trade, copy? A possibility of people trapped.” PAPD Officer 2-Alpha: “Desk from 2-alpha…(inaudible) (static) explosion. (inaudible) desk, copy? Desk from 2-alpha!” PAPD Officer Desk: “Go, 2-alpha.” PAPD Officer: “Advise (inaudible)…there is something…looks like a missile coming out of the wall of the (inaudible)…the second building.” *Were missiles actually shot from the towers themselves pre-collapse? PAPD Officer Desk: “Roger…secondary (glitch in audio)…all units be advised EPA secondary explosion in the World Trade.” *The EPA was behind it! I always suspected themas no-good. PAPD Officer: “We have an explosion at One World Trade Center.” PAPD Officer Desk: “Units call and identify…” PAPD Officer: “(inaudible) four…that secondary device…building two…” PAPD Officer Desk: “Roger, all units at World Trade be advised, second device, building number Two, World Trade.” PAPD Officer: “Possible second device. Possible second device outside the (inaudible) center (inaudible) high school.” PAPD Officer Desk: “Roger, all units be advised we’ve got a report of a possible second device outside the command center by the high school.” PAPD Officer: “Where did that come from?” PAPD Officer Desk: “That came from eight-two Cantelmo, eight-two Cantelmo.” PAPD Officer: “Cantelmo, where did that come from?!” PAPD Officer Desk: “Eight-two Cantelmo, request, where did it come from?” 249 250 *Yeah, where the hell did it come from? PAPD Officer: “Confirmed, it was (inaudible)!” PAPD Officer: “(inaudible).” *Who did it? PAPD Officer PATH Desk: “(inaudible) go.” PAPD Officer: “Roger, (inaudible) reported a secondary (inaudible) device at the high school, across on West Street. We are evacuating the area, (inaudible) move the Command Center.” PAPD Officer PATH Desk: “Roger, we have an evacuation by the Command Center. We are moving the Command Center over by the high school. We’ve got an evacuation, all units. (inaudible) Center, secondary device in that location.” PAPD Officer: “Roger. We have a secondary device in the location at the high school by the Command Center. All units move.” (long pause) PATH Channel 026 Radio (R1) Trainmaster Male Voice 1 On Radio: “(inaudible) Exchange Place.” Male Voice 2 On Radio: “Military (inaudible), call for order.” *There was something going on at Exchange Place, which is a PATH Station in J ersey City. World Trade PATH Female On Radio: “(inaudible) we can’t (inaudible)!” PATH Dispatcher: “Train dispatcher, say your message again, slowly.” World Trade PATH Female On Radio: “There was a (inaudible)! And we (inaudible)!” Female On Radio: “(sounds desperate). This is (inaudible), all (inaudible) building.” Unidentified On Radio: “(inaudible).” *Sounded like she was saying there was an explosion and they couldn’t move. The transcript then meandered with this unidentified female saying something about 2 World Trade Center, with the dispatcher telling her, “Affirmative, you’ll have to stay off the air.” By chronology, this did not pertain to a second plane strike. PATH Dispatcher: “That’s fine. And if you would just leave the equipment on one, and give me your operator car number please.” PATH One Conductor: “Six, six, six.” PATH Dispatcher: All right, thank you. (Pause) All right, (inaudible) I’m going to put you on three track…” *”That’s fine, just leave the WMD on one please. Oh…your tip, I almost forgot…”Operator car 666?! This section also appeared on “page 66” of the transcript. I bet if any evil operatives were ferried to this PATH station to commit atrocities, they were aboard this symbolic car. PATH Channel 027 Radio (R30) Communications Radio 12: “Roger, (inaudible). We have a possible (inaudible) at the World Trade Center. (Rest of transmission obliterated by static).” PATH Control: “Copy Ron. We got similar reports over the police radio. Is it possible to call by phone?” . Newark Airport Channel 023 Radio, EWR Command 800 Mhz Man: “Respond to ground transportation, if possible, (inaudible), possible weapons, (inaudible) being used by the construction workers.” *I believe fake construction workers may have been at Newark on the morning of 9-11. The end game may have been to commandeer flights. Perhaps they were successful, perhaps not. 250 251 Man: “Thirty-two-opera, we copy, we’re going.” *Is this any time to go to the opera? Man: “Any available eight-nine to the PTA area, please respond.” *8-9 is “Patrol Car Officer.” ` Female: “Thirty-six, come in. (pause) Thirty-six come Newark.” Man: “Thirty-six plaza.” Female: “(inaudible) individuals are DOA and (inaudible) be advised (inaudible).” Man: “All-right. Three-two-opera, we’re hooked up with, uh, (inaudible) DOA.” *DOA’s at Newark on the morning of 9-11. Why? Man: “I’m a little busy. Is that courtyard in Terminal A the first one or the second one coming in?” Man: “(inaudible) leave the A-1 courtyard. It was a fingernail that was ripped off an individual finger.” *This was most likely a woman who saw too much for her own good, or tried to intervene in a situation and Agents of 9-11 got out their pliers. It was a message to never talk about what happened there or they’d return and finish the job. That, or there’s a really bad nail salon at Newark Intl.! Man: Roger, “(inaudible), going to check out the (inaudible).” Man: “Okay, thank you.” Man: “Hey Newark, did we identify the Command Post location in Manhattan yet?” Man: “That’s a negative.” Man: “Eight-one Victor, I’m trying to make my way to the Command Post, at (inaudible) set up, where the, uh…where the other command post was during the (inaudible) blast. Keep me advised.” *8-1 is a “Police Sergeant.” Man: “We’ve got our Command Post, we’re at Vesey and West Street. The main Port Authority Command Post, Vesey and West Street at this time.” (Entire remaining portion of audio file blank---no sounds until 3:18:19 when a few short high tones are heard, which are again heard at 3:19:10) *The times given are tape counter positions. The transcripts did not come with a correlation to real time. Newark Airport Channel 026 Radio---CPD Male B: “We’ve got an explosion in Tower Two, looks like, uh, at least the 96 th floor. Uh, tell personnel follow directions of support personnel. They can come down West Broadway, and right to the facility. But make it as nice and clear as possible.” Male O: “Okay, copy.” Male C: “We’re, uh, headed towards the Trade Center. Could you advise us if the Battery Tower is providing emergency access for us?” Male O: “I’m not aware, uh, of what they are or not.” Male C: “Could you…could you affirm that? Because there’s (inaudible) coming?” Male O: “Okay.” Male B: “Channel (inaudible) channel. (pause) Be advised, (inaudible), this could be a planned attack. (Sirens) Copy? A planned attack. Uh, be advised, units to respond to a staging area in (inaudible) downtown.” Male O: “We copy that. We understand all that.” (pause) Male C: “The Woolworth Building! The Woolworth Building! They’re shooting at the 251 252 Trade Center from the Woolworth Building!” Male O: “Eight-five, eight-zero, from EOC. Repeat your message.” (Pause) Male A: “Roger. It looks like there’s a second, uh, device of some sort, so advising to make sure that, uh, various commands are advised not to strip their areas, in the event that there may be a follow-up incident at their places.” Male O: “Roger, understand. Uh, can you confirm, do we have hits in both towers, or just Tower One?” Male A: “It’s both towers, uh and it was a separate incident on the second one.” *This shows that missiles were a separate incident form the alleged plane strike on the South Tower. Male C: “New York City, all we have is (inaudible), they may have another plane heading towards the Trade Center. Advise all units, there may be another plane heading in that way at this time, right now. (inaudible), they are advising of one more plane heading in.” Male A: “This is Command Post vehicle, go.” Male B: “Roger, (inaudible) eight-one relocation to the Financial Center, copy?” Male A: “Say it again please.” Male B: “(inaudible) wants you to relocate to One Financial Center, (inaudible) West Street, Frank.” Male A: “That’s One…One Financial Center?” Male B: “(glitch) World Trade Center, copy? (pause) EOC, do you copy that?” *EOC is the Port Authority’s “Emergency Operations Center,” which was located on the first floor of the Vista Hotel. Male O: “Unit calling EOC. Repeat.” Male B: “Roger. T- (inaudible) World Trade Center en route to (inaudible) reloc- (glitch) Financial Center, copy?” Male O: “Command Post, eight-five, eight-one, Sierra. Do we have any knowledge of location for NYPD defensive Command Post?” Male A: “(inaudible) units at this time, they’re shooting us all over the area, copy?” *Male A actually meant they were sending them all over the area, and not shooting them. Male C: “CPD, eight-one. CPD, J FK has been (glitch) eight zero Carbonaro, eight-one, an MD, and have him on board (inaudible) going.” *8-0 means “Police Lieutenant.” Perhaps they needed a doctor on board a plane at J FK.? Newark Airport Channel 028, Phone, Police Desk, Left P.O. J ohn Kannuzo: “Alls I know is a private plane hit on the 99 th floor.” Male Caller: “A private plane?” Male Airport Personnel: “Hi, we need an ambulance for the young lady in the A Courtyard. They ripped a nail off her finger.” *Who’s they? P.O. J ohn Kannuzo: “The A Courtyard?” Male Airport Personnel: “Right.” P.O. J ohn Kannuzo: “Okay, bye. (to office) “You got an A-20 in the A Courtyard.” *Kannuzo was probably saying “8-20,” which means “Aided Case.” There are also 8-20 B’s, C’s, U’s & P’s. (phone ringing) *Could someone answer the phone? P.O. J ohn Kannuzo: “Yes, Port Authority Police, A-1 Courtyard on a medical. Some girl had her fingernail ripped off.” 252 253 Male Airport Medical: “A-1 Courtyard?” P.O. J ohn Kannuzo: “Yeah, in the courtyard. Terminal A, on the side, where the busses are.” Ken Smart, Port Newark: “I’ve got people on the 64 th floor. Okay, they want to know if they should leave the building.” *Enter "K-Smart." P.O. J ohn Kannuzo: “Absolutely. (overlap) Yes.” Ksmart: “They called 911 and they were told to stay…” (overlap) P.O. J ohn Kannuzo: “Absolutely, absolutely.” Ksmart: “So they should get out of the building.” P.O. J ohn Kannuzo: “Absolutely.” Ksmart: “Even though 911 told them to stay where they are.” P.O. J ohn Kannuzo: “Absolutely. We’ve been told to evacuate.” J ay: “Tim, it’s Crafton.” Tim: “Hey, buddy.” J ay: “Apparently they have four more aircraft in the air that are hijacked. Uh, they don’t know where they are from or where they came out of. But the one that just landed in… Tim: “It landed in Pittsburgh?” J ay: “Apparently, it just went down in Pittsburgh.” Tim: “It crashed?” J ay: “Yeah, apparently that’s what they are saying right now. They’ve got four more right now in the air.” *This could have been the Shanksville incident, but he did say “Landed” at first. Was this the J ohnston Airport rumored landing? Tim: “And one crashed and four more.” Kim: “Yeah, they said another plane went down in Pennsylvania.” P.O. J ohn Kannuzo: “Yeah, and they shot another one down in Virginia, that they thought was headed for the Pentagon.” *A shoot-down in Virginia. Airport Officer Ben : “Yeah. There’s planes crashing all over the country.” Female: “Okay, where now?” Airport Officer Ben: “Huh?” Female: “Where now?” Airport Officer Ben: “One in Pittsburgh, another one just went down in, uh…Virginia. Then they got…they claim there’s still four more up in the air.” Female: “Oh my God.” Airport Officer Ben: “Big planes, 300 people on each one of them.” Female: “Oh, my God.” Airport Officer Ben: “They’re crashing all over the place.” Female: “Where in Pittsburgh?” Airport Officer Ben: “I’m not sure where. Uh…somewhere.” Female: “Because I had heard it was, you know, just flying around. So did they crash?” Airport Officer Ben: “One in Virginia by Camp David, down there. They tried to…they tried…they say the Pentagon.” Newark Channel 029 Phone, Police Desk, Center “Due to the tornado in the area you are calling, your call cannot be completed at this 253 254 time.” *? Newark Airport Channel 31, Phone, Police Desk, Right Police Desk, Morales: “Police Desk, Morales.” Female Caller: "Hi, this is (inaudible). I’ve got two things. I’m still waiting for the (inaudible) call for (inaudible).” Police Desk, Morales: “Yeah.” Female Caller: “And also we are waiting for an officer for the incident of (inaudible), level one.” *Was this still the incident with the girl with her nail torn out? Police Desk, Morales: “Okay. We got a problem right now, because we have a police emergency where the World Trade Center was just hit by a plane, all right? Most of our men were going to be sent over to that location. And you’ll have to just tell them to stand by. That’s gonna have to just wait.” Female Caller: “Okay.” Police Desk, Morales: “All right? J ust tell them it’s a police emergency at this time.” Female Caller: “Okay, all right.” Police Desk, Morales: “Police Desk, Morales.” Ksmart, Port Newark: “Hi, it’s Ken Smart, over in Port Newark.” Police Desk, Morales: “Yes.” Ksmart: “I need…I’m getting calls from Port Authority staff in the Trade Center.” Police Desk, Morales: “Yeah.” Ksmart: “Should they evacuate?” Police Desk, Morales: “Should they? Yes.” Ksmart: “Yes. They should leave the building?” *Yeah Ksmart, tell them to get the F out of there. Police Desk, Morales: “Hold on. Hold on a second. Lieutenant? Lieutenant, we have employees on the 64 th floor, should they evacuate?” Lieutenant: “Should they evacuate the building? Who is he talking about?” Police Desk, Morales: “A guy is calling from Port Newark.” Lieutenant Wesley: “This is Newark, this is Lieutenant Wesley, who am I speaking with?” Ksmart: “Hi, it’s Ken Smart, I’m the manager over in Port Newark.” Lieutenant Wesley: “Okay.” Ksmart: “I received a phone call from Port Authority staff, they’re on the 64 th floor.” Lieutenant Wesley: “Okay.” Ksmart: “They want to know if they should evacuate the building.” Lieutenant Wesley: “Okay, you’re saying they are on the 64 th floor of the Trade Center.” Ksmart: “Yes.” Lieutenant Wesley: “I would suggest that they do evacuate.” Ksmart: "Okay.” Lieutenant Wesley: “We’ve got…and I’m Lieutenant Wesley.” Ksmart: “Okay.” Lieutenant Wesley: “Okay? I’m not quite sure of what’s occurring other than we tend to 254 255 believe it may be a terrorist attack.” Ksmart: “I…I saw a plane hit the building. A second plane hit the building.” Lieutenant Wesley: “Yeah, a second plane, we did too, and it knocked all the other stations off.” Ksmart: “Yes.” Lieutenant Wesley: “So automatically we would suggest that anybody that you are in contact with up there, evacuate the building.” Ksmart: “Okay.” Lieutenant Wesley: “Thank you.” Ksmart: “Bye.” (for now) Newark Airport Channel 31, Phone, Police Desk, Right Police Desk, Artie Shecker: “Yes.” Linda, American Airlines: “We need to find out if we can get some dogs set up over here at the security check point, please.” Police Desk, Artie Shecker: “Yeah, we have dogs in the middle of the area. Are you just requesting for a specific? Or just setup? I mean, is there a specific… (overlap).” Linda, American Airlines: “Well…(overlap).” Police Desk, Artie Shecker: “What I’m trying to say, is there…(overlap).” Linda, American Airlines: “(overlap)…we’re in emergency procedures right now.” Police Desk, Artie Shecker: “Okay.” Linda, American Airlines: “So we need the dogs set up here. My general manager asked me to call you and get the dogs set up at security checkpoints. Our security is closed, I’m…the check point is closed. No one is being allowed down at the (overlap).” Police Desk, Artie Shecker: “Okay, just hold on. Hold on.” *It seemed like something was happening at the closed American Airlines' gates that specifically needed dogs there. Newark Airport Channel 036, Radio Channel Z, Operations & Terminals Male A: “Seven-two, seven-zero.” Male B: “Go ahead for seven-two.” Male A: “Bill, do you know the status of the luggage for the outbound London flight?” Male B: “Okay, last we heard, it’s still sitting outside the aircraft. They were instructed to return to the pastures. However, because of that loading incident…(inaudible), they (inaudible).” Male A: “Okay, sir, as of this point there’s no time when the London passengers will be getting their luggage.” *Some sort of loading incident---??? Newark Airport Channel 038, Radio Channel X, Facility Management Male D: “(overlap) copy. Be advised, he’s a retired FAA (inaudible).” Male C: (dialogue missing) Male D: “Copy. All right, he’s sent here supposedly to investigate packages.” Male C: “To investigate packages? Does he have any prior knowledge?” (pause) Male D: “Let me see if I can reach you by phone.” Male C: “Roger.” (missing dialogue) 255 256 Male D: “He claims to work for Northwest, copy?” Male C: “Tell him if he persists, he will be placed under arrest.” Male D: “Copy, disregard.” *Mysteriously just showing up to inspect packages. He was obviously persistent enough that they had to threaten him with arrest. Newark Airport Channel 039, Radio Channel B, Maintenance Male A: “Port Authority Police, (inaudible) speaking.” Male B: “(inaudible) here. Okay, (inaudible) to me, (inaudible) the tower (inaudible) tower.” Male A: (inaudible) Male B: “Said something about…(inaudible).” Male A: “I heard them explode.” Male B: “(inaudible) over by the Trade Center.” *Bombs exploding over by the Trade Center. Male A: “(inaudible) over by the Trade Center.” Male B: (inaudible) Male A: “Okay.” *All the critical data is inaudible. Female: “(inaudible)…street closed…(inaudible) street closed (inaudible). We have (inaudible) attack coming (inaudible)” (missing word/s) “(inaudible) coming off the turnpike, (inaudible) southbound, exit (inaudible) road, (inaudible) road.” (inaudible section) *Was this trouble coming to Newark from off the turnpike? *An addition to this section is the report of a suspicious fire in an airline hangar at Newark International on September 10 th 2001---source unknown. CPD Channel 015, SPEN, State Police *SPEN is “State Police Emergency Network,” New J ersey. Male Bridge: “Port Authority Police at the bridge on SPEN. All (inaudible), be advised, we have a bomb threat on the bridge right now. That’s the reason the bridge was shut down for the (inaudible). There is a bomb threat to the bridge (inaudible).” *Bomb threat on the GWB on 9-11. Male FBI: “FBI to state police, Totowa.” Female Operator: “FBI, go to state police, Totowa.” *Totowa is a township in New Jersey by the GWB and is said to be home of a little Dwarf hamlet. Maybe the Midgets did it! Male FBI: “Yeah, I’m trying to determine if the GW Bridge is available for emergency vehicles.” Male PA: “FBI, this the Port Authority, be advised we have a bomb threat on the George Washington Bridge at this time. (inaudible) get off.” CPD Channel 016, SPEN, State Police Male A: “We just transported the monitor scene, disregard it all.” (long pause, static) *What was “the monitor scene?” Monitor scene means pictures. Pictures of what? 256 257 Male A: (inaudible) Male Base: “(inaudible) to (inaudible) the walkway on the (inaudible). The walkway at Brooklyn Bridge, the right side the river, it’s a military base.” (pause) *Male Base was referring to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which is no longer a military base, but is just next to the Brooklyn Bridge. Female A: “(inaudible) copy.” Male Base: “The walkway over the Brooklyn Bridge is open. The right side of the (inaudible) by the Brooklyn Bridge, there’s military aircraft.” (pause) *Military aircraft at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 9-11. Isn’t that special? CPD Channel 017, Radio Channel A, PA Area Wide.wma Male FBI: “FBI, (inaudible). In about five minutes. This is the FBI bomb check division. I’m about five, six minutes out.” *Probably in reference to the bomb threat on the GWB. Male Cliffside Park: “201 phone lines are down, they have an office number if you can get in touch with them.” *Why would phones in the 201 area code be down? Sabotage? Male Lincoln Tunnel: “Lincoln Tunnel to New J ersey State Police, Turnpike. Lincoln Tunnel Port Authority Police to New J ersey State Police on the New J ersey Turnpike on SPEN.” Female Operator: “New J ersey Turnpike.” Male A: “I have White House Chief of Staff approaching 17, who needs a state police escort to Dover, (inaudible).” *White House Chief of Staff who needs an escort out of New York City on the morning of 9-11. Well don’t it all just start to fall into place right there? All White House officials have their own chiefs of staff, so we don’t know who it was. Male A meant Dover, New J ersey, by the way and not Maryland. Female Operator: “(inaudible) Male Lincoln Tunnel: “Port Authority Police Lincoln Tunnel to State Police New J ersey Turnpike.” Female Operator: “(inaudible) turnpike.” Male Lincoln Tunnel: “(inaudible) state police (inaudible) chief of staff.” Female Operator: “(inaudible)” CPD Channel 018, Radio Channel W, LT Police.wma *WMA may stand for “Windows Media Application or Audio.” Male B: “(inaudible) report of (inaudible) in the Hoboken area, the twin towers (inaudible).” *An incident in the Hoboken area? Was this the suspicious white van? Male A: “(inaudible), the FBI, the Winnebago, that’s it?” Male Operator: “That’s it, that’s it (inaudible).” *Have no fear, the FBI is here in a Winnebago! Male C: “(inaudible) from the Holland Tunnel exit, a tan Ford alpha van. New York tags, delta (inaudible), November 8970. Information has it this van was seen with possible terrorists in it, with explosives. That’s from the Holland Tunnel desk. (inaudible) 32nd. It’s heading eastbound towards Le Havre (?) at this time, but they haven’t caught it yet, 257 258 and it may be coming towards this way.” *Perhaps this van was busy down at the Trade Center and was beating their retreat? All I could find was a Le Havre Court I Trenton. Male CPD: “(inaudible) building five, (inaudible). 82 (inaudible), be advised (inaudible) building five.” (pause) “82 (inaudible)? Building five, I just emerged from it! (garbled)” *8-2 means “Police Officer.” Male Operator: “Port Authority.” Male CPD: “(inaudible) received that. (inaudible) exit building five, (inaudible) at this time.” *An explosion in or in front of building five? 5 WTC exited out onto Church Street. Male C: “(inaudible) information (inaudible) van just for informational purposes.” Male D: “(inaudible) Rudy. (inaudible) van New York (inaudible) November 8970. Report at (inaudible) hours to the Holland Tunnel.” Male C: “Roger, copy.” *The terrorist van again. Can some law enforcement officer out there run the plate N8970, New York & New J ersey and see what comes up? Male 80: “Yeah, we (inaudible) we have an unauthorized box truck. We have somebody (inaudible) take a look at it. Otherwise, (inaudible). (inaudible) copy response to that location. We are all going to (inaudible) animal.” *After 9-11 there was a report in the tri-state area to be on the lookout for a suspicious white box truck. They even gave some possible writing on the side, but it turned out to be nothing. What were they going to do to that animal? Male 81: “Eight-one, eight-zero. Eight-one to eight zero, I want an escort for (inaudible), see if we can (inaudible) at this time, copy?” Male 80: “Roger, got White House staff on (inaudible).” Male 81: “(inaudible) five-car escort.” Male 80: “Roger.” Male 81: “(inaudible), any escorts on the bridge. (inaudible section). Anyone on zero (inaudible)? This is (inaudible), where are they going to? Do you have (inaudible) destination?” Male 80: “Roger, I don’t know if they are coming the tunnel (inaudible). Male 81: “Eight-one to (inaudible), at this time. (inaudible section) westbound, you clean up (inaudible section), New York bound (inaudible) seven (inaudible).” Male 80: “(inaudible) there.” Male 81: “(inaudible).” Male 80: “(inaudible) car, stand by in that area (inaudible).” Male 81: “They’re not driving (inaudible).” Male 80: “Roger.” Male 81: “You want me to take them to the turnpike?” Male Operator: “I don’t know, he’s gone (inaudible), he’s gone now. He’s gone now.” Male A: “(inaudible) go to the (inaudible).” Male 81: “Where’s he going?” Male A: “Dover. New J ersey.” Male B: “(inaudible), they’re closed. (inaudible) there.” *Yeah, Dover, New J ersey’s already closed for the day. Male 81: “What I’m going to do, I’m going to go directly to the turnpike (inaudible).” Male Operator: “(inaudible), eight-one, just put it on the teletype as the (inaudible) tour 258 259 the building.” *Was this the code name for the White House Chief of Staff contingency on 9-11-01: "[........] Tour The Building?" Were they there to, in fact, tour and take in the attacks? Keep in mind what FDNY Chief Pfeifer said, that it seemed that all high-ranking government officials left the lobby of the South Tower at the same time before the collapse, giving him the feeling they had some kind of inside knowledge. Male 81: “Thank you.” Male Operator: “(inaudible)? Roger, the turnpike (inaudible), the turnpike north of 17 is clear. There’s a White House Chief of Staff that probably… (inaudible) copy?” *That probably knows a lot more than you think. Male B: “Yeah, the (inaudible) 81 go on to SPEN, and contact the state police (inaudible)?” Male 81: “(inaudible) OPD, contact the state police on SPEN and advise them for LPL.” *Not sure what the acronyms OPD and LPL are. OPD came up as “Operations Division” for the department of war though. Male B: “(inaudible).” Male Lincoln Tunnel: “Be advised that Essex County is (inaudible) just had an emergency (inaudible), and they’re heading to New York.” *What was going in Essex County on 9-11? CPD Channel 023, Sergeant’s Desk Greg At Trade Center: “We’ve had a second explosion, it’d be like about five minutes ago.” Police Desk Sergeant Wozack: “It looks like another plane just crashed.” Greg At Trade Center: “It’s either a missile or…it’s something with the Woolworth Building (inaudible).” *Another report of missiles and the Woolworth Building at the exact time as the second tower incident. If you study the streamers from the South Tower---which many skeptics cite---they don’t go anywhere near the top of the Woolworth Building. Police Desk Sergeant Wozack: “Oh, okay.” Mike Willack: “How bad is it?” Police Desk Sergeant Wozack: “It’s bad. It looks like either a missile or a plane crashed…two planes crashed into the Trade Center. And we don’t really know, we can’t even get a quote there yet. You know, there’s fire, there is big holes in the Trade Center. And after one, there was a second hit. We’re not sure if it was a missile or what, you know? It’s just not confirmed yet. It could be either a plane or a missile from another building, we don’t know.” Captain: “(overlap) open, there’s bomb threats for the bridge.” Police Desk Sergeant Wozack: “I know, but we have the military, and they have to have the bridge open. They just made a request. So you are going to have to keep people out of there.” *The question is, how soon were the military around? Captain: “Okay.” Police Desk Sergeant Wozack: “We’ve got a bomb threat, to the bridge itself.” Captain: “Okay.” Police Desk Sergeant Wozack: “We’ve got a couple of vans on the bridge…a man with a 259 260 van at the bridge, as we speak.” Captain: “Okay.” Police Desk Sergeant Wozack: “So I see an opening.” Captain: “I got you.” Police Desk Sergeant Wozack: “You follow what I’m saying?” *What the hell was Sergeant Wozack referring to? CPD Channel 026, Phone, Clerk, Extra Police Chief: “All right. You have nothing to tell me? What happened at the Pentagon?” PAPD Mulligan, Police Desk: “Yeah, it seems to be happening to be happening all over, they’ve grounded all commercial aircraft at this time. There’s…there’s various reports…terrorist vehicles, you know, on the crossings. So we’re…we’re doing the best we can at this point. They’ve got the bridge open solely for military traffic. There’s no inbound traffic to New York.” Police Desk Sergeant Wozack: “It looks like it’s under attack. It looks like a missile or a plane or something just crashed into the Trade Center.” P.O. Paul: (inaudible) Police Desk Sergeant Wozack: “Another one.” P.O. Paul: “The north, I know. There was another explosion, (inaudible), all right, bye- bye.” *A reference to “another” secondary explosion in or around the North Tower. WTC Channel 07, TC Office, 2135 Male A: “All right. What have you got so far?” Male B: “He’s telling me that the second one was definitely an airplane. A twin…double engine airplane. Circled the…the tower and then…” Male A: “And then hit.” Male A: “The first one they think was a guy shooting the missiles off the Woolworth Building. And the second one they think is an airplane that was circling to watch it, and hit the World Trade.” *Several others have said the jet circled the area, seemingly to watch the missile strikes, and then impacted. Male A: “This was such a twist of fate that the new Deputy Directors all had breakfast on the mall today.” Female: “Oh, God, honey.” Male A: “So I was down there at eight, when this happened.” Male A: “I’m at the police desk. I’ll tell them. I mean, you’re grabbing every (overlap) bottle to get up there. But we’ve got a photographer who had…a camera guy who has the stuff now, with the FBI. I’ll talk to you later.” *The new Deputy Directors dodged a bullet there… Male A was referring to bunker gear and Scott air bottles that the FBI and camera crew all grabbed. WTC Channel 08, Police Desk, 3541 Left PAPD Officer Brady: “Port Authority Police, Officer Brady.” Male Caller, B-4 Level: “Officer, help. We’re down in the B-4 level. This is Turner’s field office. There’s been a big explosion. We’ve got water lines open. There seems to be 260 261 steam and smoke in the area.” *Sublevel blasts were preparing the “bathtub” of the Trade Center so the debris would have somewhere to go, as is common in demolition. PAPD Officer Brady: “Okay. Where…where exactly on B-4?” Male Caller, B-4 Level: “Turner Construction, right outside the 50-Car. We’re across the hall from the 50-Car.” PAPD Officer Brady: “Is there any smoke condition there?” Male Caller, B-4 Level: “It’s…yeah, we got smoke. I don’t know whether it’s from fire, or just dust. We got broken water lines, water all over.” Male Caller, B-4 Level: “Yeah, you’re still with me?” PAPD Officer Brady: “Yeah, I’m still, I’ve just had a (overlap).” Male Caller, B-4 Level: “(inaudible), hey, I’m here. I’m on the phone with the police, how are you guys doing?” PAPD Officer Brady: “All right, eighth floor level, they need (overlap).” *So there was at least eight sublevels beneath the Trade Center. Male Caller, B-4 Level: “I need an escort to get me out of here.” PAPD Officer Brady: “Okay. Okay. We’ll get…we’ll get the escorts down there, as soon as possible.” Male On Portable Device: “I just (inaudible), the B-1 level, One World Trade Center. We had a…a minor explosion (inaudible). Or a major explosion.” Male: “Hey (inaudible), I got a report of (inaudible)." (phone ringing) Female Operator: “(inaudible), can I help you?” PAPD Desk: “Yeah, this is Port Authority Police at the Trade Center.” Female Operator: “Uh-huh?” PAPD Desk: “Can you send units over to the Woolworth Building to check the roof? There’s a possible…they said it was…we just had a second explosion, possibly a missile from the roof of the Woolworth Building.” Female Operator: “The Woolworth Building?” PAPD Desk: “Yeah, on…on Broadway.” Female Operator: “Okay.” PAPD Desk: “J ust, just, uh we got a report. So we just want to notify you to send units over, just to check and advise.” Female Operator: “Okay.” PAPD Brady: “Because we just had a second explosion, it’d be like around five minutes ago.” Sergeant Lozack: “Looks like another plane just crashed into it.” PAPD Brady: “Well, it’s either that or a missile, they said something with the Woolworth Building.” PAPD Officer Maggett: “Port Authority Police, Officer Maggett.” Ed Calderone, OCC: “Maggett, this is Ed at the OCC. I got word that there’s an explosion down on B-4. We got people hurt down there, B-4.” *OCC probably stands for “Operations Command Center.” PAPD Officer Maggett: “B-4?” Ed Calderone, OCC: “Yeah.” WTC 261 262 Channel 09, Police Desk, Center PAPD Officer Maggett: “Port Authority Police, Officer Maggett.” Mark, ADT Security Services: “Good morning, it’s Mark with ADT Security Services.” PAPD Officer Maggett: “Uh-huh.” Mark, ADT Security Services: “I’m calling because I have a commercial burglar alarm going off here.” PAPD Officer Maggett: “Is it in building one?” Mark, ADT Security Services: “Um, yeah, One World Trade Center, right.” PAPD Officer Maggett: “All right, you’re probably going to get a lot of alarms, because we just had some kind of explosion or fire going on. So that’s probably what set it off.” Mark, ADT Security Services: “Oh, the Nisi Nattan Bank (?).” PAPD Officer Maggett: “I’m sorry?” Mark, ADT Security Services: “Is that the Nissi Nattan Bank on the 102 nd floor?” PAPD Officer Maggett: “Right, that’s where the accident just happened.” PAPD Officer Murray: “Port Authority Police. Murray.” Female: “This is (inaudible) at ADT Services.” PAPD Officer Murray: “Yeah, is this, uh…2-6 floor, for One World Trade?” Female, ADT: “Uh, Four World Trade Center.” PAPD Officer Murray: “Four World Trade?” Female, ADT: “Burglar alarm.” PAPD Officer Murray: “Okay. Okay, uh, what’s the floor?” Female, ADT: “Uh…it’s on Bank of Nova Scotia…” PAPD Officer Murray: “Oh, Nova Scotia Bank?” Female, ADT: “Yeah.” *They were looting the banks in the chaos. GWB Barella: “Between the 87 th and the 89the floor. The doors are locked, and there’s people trapped upstairs." *This was in reference to WTC 2. Barella was informed of this by the Englewood, New J ersey Police Department, who had received a distress call. WTC Channel 10 Police Desk, 3541, Right PAPD Ray Murray: “Port Authority Police, Murray.” Tom, ADT Security Services: “Good morning, this is Tom with ADT Security Services.” PAPD Ray Murray: “Yup.” Tom, ADT: “I’m calling to report a commercial, uh, hold-up alarm.” *Tom at ADT specifically said “Hold-up alarm,” which is a specific button that’s pressed during a robbery, and separate from your basic burglar alarms. PAPD Ray Murray: “All right, where is it. Is it in One World Trade Center?” Tom, ADT: “I’m sorry?” PAPD Ray Murray: “Was it One World Trade Center?” Tom, ADT: “That’s correct.” PAPD Ray Murray: “All right, was it a…okay, what was the floor?” Tom, ADT: “Um…one-oh-two.” PAPD Ray Murray: “One-oh-two?” Tom, ADT: “That’s right.” PAPD Ray Murray: “Okay, that was…there was, uh, some sort of crash or fire upstairs, 262 263 that’s probably what set it off. We are evacuating the building right now.” Tom, ADT: “Okay, thank you.” *That could be, unless unknown parties on 102 had some sort of egress and an envelope of time to escape. PAPD Ray Murray: “Port Authority Police, Murray.” Female, ADT Security Services: “Uh, sir, Murray, this is ADT, an alarm (overlap).” PAPD Ray Murray: “Yeah, One World Trade Center, we are going to have lots of alarms. They are evacuating the building right now.” Female, ADT: “And Two World Trade Center, how is that?” PAPD Ray Murray: “What is it?” Female, ADT: “Two World Trade. (inaudible) on the 78 th floor, I got a hold-up alarm.” *Another hold-up alarm at a bank on 78 of 2 WTC. This was before the 2 nd incident involving that tower. They were looting the banks. PAPD Ray Murray: “Seventy-eight floor, Two World Trade Center. What’s the company? Female, ADT: 'ADT alarm.'" PAPD Ray Murray: “What’s the company up there?” Female, ADT: “ADT Alarm.” PAPD Ray Murray: “What’s the company up there?” *Duh. Tenth time. Female, ADT: “What’s the company?---That’s First Commercial Bank.” PAPD Ray Murray: “First Commercial Bank. In 1022.” Female, ADT: “Thank you.” PAPD Ray Murray: “A 767, hijacked out of Boston. You know what airline?” Male: “I believe it was, uh, TWA.” PAPD Ray Murray: “TWA. All right, thanks a lot.” *There may have been more missing flights on 9-11 besides American and United Airlines. George Tabeek: “People were using recycled air. The command center, the OCC…okay, Andy…one second. The twenty…let’s see…Ted Hanks saw a plane come right into the building.” Alan Reiss: “We have it one video. We have a press guy (overlap).” *Let' see that video! All we know is that a blurry video exists of the hit on the North Tower. Why hasn’t this video been released? What were they hiding? They then state that they have the second hit on video also. WTC Channel 15, NYC, EMS, Direct Line Male: “Plaza, all units respond to the plaza.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) ten, six-four, zero.” Male: “Be advised, there is an explosion on the plaza.” *This was the plaza between the Twin Towers where there was a fountain and a stage set up for performances. Male: “(overlap/inaudible) we’re coming.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) injuries.” Male: “(overlap) on Barclay and Church, it’s (overlap/inaudible).” Male: “Two, three, evacuate (overlap/inaudible).” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…we’re down at the B-4 level in (overlap/inaudible)…field office…” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…seen…the fucking area…(overlap/inaudible).” Male: “Right outside the…(inaudible).” Male: “They’re across the hall from the 50 car.” 263 264 Male: “Are there any smoke conditions there?” Male: “(overlap) three!” Male: “Yeah, we got smoke. I don’t know whether it’s (inaudible) soot or whether it’s dust, but we got smoke and water lines…(inaudible).” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…Two World Trade or One World Trade…(overlap/inaudible) the plaza.” Male: “One…One World Trade, up on the upper ten floors.” Male: “(inaudible)…on Church Street.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…One World Trade Center…” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) explosion…” Male: “Something happened out there.” Male: “An explosion (overlap/inaudible).” Female: “(overlap/inaudible)…the building…” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…fire bomb.” *A bomb went off on the plaza, setting the stage ablaze. Male: “Plaza one (overlap/inaudible).” Male: “PATH Train…something’s going on at the PATH Train. If you have somebody (overlap/inaudible) 310-B…people are running out of the PATH Train, copy?” *An incident in the PATH Station. I don’t know what a 310-b is. Male: “(overlap/inaudible) commotion…what floor?” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…anyone…B-3…” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…it hit World Trade Center One, but it’s on the side of World Trade Building Seven.” Male: “What floor did they hit?” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…side of the building…” *Was there something shot at 1 WTC from 7 WTC? Male: “Go…one.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…here…explosion…right here by West Street…” Male: “What floor?” Male: “(inaudible) floor…get her out.” Male: “This is the Colonel. Evacuate all buildings in the complex, you copy me? All buildings in the complex.” *This one I had a real problem with. After studying the transcripts and times to the best of my knowledge, it appears that this evacuation order given by this suspicious “Colonel,” was way before any official FDNY, PAPD, NYPD or EMS evacuation orders were ever given. Who was he? Was he the commanding Agent of 9-11? Either way, it was utter chaos with bombs in the plaza, incident/s in the PATH Station, explosions in the sub-levels, maybe something shot from 7 WTC at 1 WTC, explosion on West Street, more missiles from the Woolworth and "Colonel Carnage" barking evacuation orders. Male: “(overlap) Channel-W, this is eight-five, eight-one…(overlap/inaudible) reporting possible missiles (inaudible) from…the Woolworth Building.” *8-5 is “Detective or Plain Clothes.” Male: “PPG (?), if you are monitoring discussion here (inaudible) have them check the Woolworth Building, (inaudible) copy.” *I had no luck in finding what “PPG” was. Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…also have…heliport…” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…the Woolworth Building…” Male: “Roger, (overlap/inaudible)…stand by…he knows…he got radio transmissions 264 265 from…he got radio transmissions from the B-4 levels.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…B-4 level, (inaudible), copy? He says that, uh, he’s got some guys down there, there’s (inaudible) downstairs, and (inaudible) advised, copy?” Male: “Be advised (overlap/inaudible).” Male: “Be advised (overlap/inaudible) Two World Trade Center (overlap/inaudible) 89 th floor.” Male: “Roger, copy that.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible).” Female: “(overlap/inaudible) the building.” Male: “Nine-seven (overlap/inaudible) relay.” Female: “We have (overlap/inaudible) the building.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) seven-seven.” Male: “Ten-four. (overlap/inaudible) the building.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) nobody coming down this block right here! Back off! Back it up Back off! Everybody get away from…” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) back off! Back off!” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) and Church.” Male: “Back off! Back off!” WTC Channel 13 OFC, 3591 *Not sure what “OFC” stands for. Office? Curse words redacted in transcripts, not by author. Male A: “Yeah, I’m here. The whole building just rocked.” Male B: “I know, because they just showed it on…%&$#, as it happened, they showed…it was on the news. The building &%*$ exploded. And I swear to God, right as it happened, I saw another plane do a real hard left turn…” *Explosion before the second plane incident. Male A: “It probably was a hit!” Male B: “Like it…like it was going to hit the building. Now, I’m not…I don’t think another aircraft hit the building. At least I hope that’s not the case. But the building &%$#exploded. J ust as I saw this…another aircraft…just as I’m watching the TV screen, a…a twin engine passenger jet aircraft, &%$#…made a real hard, that was a…that would be a left turn. A real hard left turn, and it looked like &%$#…just crashed into the #$@! building again! And I didn’t see it come out the…the other side. And then the…the TV screen went dead. And now the TV screen is dead. And (inaudible), that’s where the antenna is.” Male A: “So it’s…that’s probably building two. I mean, the building one already had…(inaudible), that’s where the antenna is.” Male B: “Now the TV screen…my screen, there is a fixed picture, with black bars. And nothing is going on. There’s ‘due to technical difficulty,’ they just…they just lost the…they just lost the signal.” Male A: “Yup. Because Kelly called me just now too. And, um…while I was talking to her, I made a joke about it to her, ‘It’s not a big…oh,’ Because this whole…all the lights just shook. The building just rocked. I mean, really shaking like it was an earthquake.” Male B: “That’s bad.” Male A: “And that (overlap).” 265 266 Male B: “No signal. And I’m serious, %!$#, right before this happened, another aircraft appeared…another jet appeared on my TV screen. It was making a real hard left turn like it was trying to avoid something, and bam! The…the building exploded. I didn’t see the…the jet come through the other side. And then we lost the signal. It came back for a minute. And the guy said, ‘oh my God! The building just exploded again.’ Then the signal went %$#& Dead for Channel 7.” *TV stations lost the signal when the South Tower exploded, but the antenna was on the North Tower (they channel surfed in later dialogue). The“%$#@” sections I inserted as substitutes for capital letters the transcriber used. But, curse words in the sentences seemed clumsy and out of place at times, and so I do not know if the capital letters were used to redact areas. Male B: “Yeah. He just got reports in from the FBI that a plane was hijacked, from the Newark Airport, now, that’s all they said. And they don’t know if that plane was the one that crashed, but it more than likely was. They’re talking about a plot. Now, this dude that’s talking on the TV says, ‘oh, it was a fighter jet.’ No, it wasn’t. It looked like a DC- 10. It was a two…a twin engine (overlap)…passenger DC-10. That’s what it looked like. That’s all it was. That was not any freaking fighter jet. Where are they going to get fighter jets out of Newark Airport? (overlap) Dude, they’ve got F-22’s at Newark.” *But was the guy on TV actually referring to the first plane or the second? Male A: “Call that…passenger plane…(overlap).” Male B: “A fighter plane out of Newark!” Male A: “Right. They have a freaking base there.” *The only problem with their account is they were watching it on TV, not eyewitness-ing anything. Male B: “I guess the buildings have G-series sprinkler systems so that a fire wouldn’t last that long on those floors. It’s mostly just black smoke now, no flames. So I’m sure those other flames did, uh, break out. The sprinkler system de-soused them. So they can’t have the whole building burning up.” *Not certain if “G-series” was an actual system or if this was a text deletion. From what I have read, I did not come across any information suggesting that the sprinkler system worked at all that day. Even so, they note how the fires were basically just smoldering. Male A: “No, not this kind of structure. J ust like that’s why it didn’t fall from a bomb, and a plane crash, because of the…the infrastructure in the building, because they just put the foundation into it, and they made it, you know, so it can bend. I mean, it’s so high, the winds could even knock it over---you know?” Male B: “Yeah.” Male A: “So they really had to make it have a strong support.” Male B: “They said the towers can even withstand the blow of a 747.” Male B: “Yeah, I saw it immediately (plane/South Tower). But I didn’t believe it…because I said, ‘I know that ain’t another plane!’ I thought it was just another plane, passing close by. I don’t know, it looked like the pilot was %$#@ rubbernecking, like he wanted to see what was going on.” *Another account of someone who got the feeling that a jet was just watching the action. World Trade Center Channel 14 NYC FD Direct Line Male A: “…the plaza, all units respond to the plaza.” Male B: “310.” Male A: “Yes, be advised, there is an explosion on the plaza.” 266 267 World Trade Center Channel 15 NYC EMS Direct Line Male: “Roger, (overlap/inaudible)…stand by…he knows…he got radio transmission from…he got radio transmission from the B-4 levels.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…be advised…” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…at least 100 people.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible)…B-4 level, (inaudible), copy? He says that, uh, he’s got some guys down there, there’s (inaudible) downstairs, and (inaudible) advised, copy?” Male: “Be advised (overlap/inaudible).” *The “overlaps/inaudible-s” become almost ridiculous at this point. They’re all placed in strategic locations. There were many more I didn't even bother to include. Male: (overlap/inaudible) Female: “(overlap/inaudible) the building.” Male: “Nine-seven (overlap/inaudible) relay.” *I don’t know what”9—7” is. Female: “We have (overlap/inaudible) the building.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) seven-seven.” Male: “Ten-four. (overlap/inaudible) the building.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) nobody coming down this block right here! Back off! Back it up. Back off! Everybody get away from…” Male: “We have reports there’s a (overlap/inaudible).” *There’s a what? Male: (overlap/inaudible) Male: “All right, copy that. (overlap/inaudible) the building….” Male: (overlap/inaudible) Male: “I got two, I got J ohn and I got me.” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) back off! Back off!” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) and Church.” Male: “Back off! Back off!" Male: “(overlap/inaudible) deck.” *Could this be “Observation Deck,” as in the Woolworth Building? Male: “J ust be advised, (inaudible) office, just be advised that it looks like (overlap/inaudible).” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) what’s up?” Male: “What’s he doing up there?” *He’s probably firing a shoulder fired missile launcher, that’s what. Male: “(overlap/inaudible) real intense, we have the stage on fire at the main plaza. Stage is on fire on the ground level.” Male: “(inaudible) one, two-four (inaudible) Twin Tower explosion (inaudible).” Male: “(overlap/inaudible).” Male: “Location?” Male: “(inaudible) one.” Male: “(inaudible) four.” World Trade Center Channel 17 Fire Command, WTC 1 Male B: “Sergeant, DC-1 says be advised, (inaudible) ABM, repeat, (inaudible) from, uh, 267 268 (inaudible). We got a (inaudible) transmission from, uh, the B-4 level.” *The only thing that came up on DC-1 was “Device or Damage Control.” World Trade Center Channel 22 SHO PD Desk, 2131 Female A: “There’s a fire outside of 22! There’s a fire on 22!” *This would’ve probably been outside the PA’s Security Command Center on the 22 nd floor of Tower 1. Male: “Send an engine to Liberty Street! (inaudible) the building! A plane just hit the building!” Male: “On the upper floors.” Male: “Fire on 22, where? A or B tower? A or B tower?” Male: “(inaudible) tower (inaudible) two. I can see it!” Male: “It’s all the way on top of the World Trade Center!” Female A: “The SCC, 77.” *This would be Security Command Center on 22, 1 WTC, 77 was the employee code. Male: “What’s (inaudible)? What’s going on?” Female A: “We see a lot of debris. We are stuck in the…we are stuck on 22, at the SCC. The door is locked. There is a fire.” *This fire may have been staged to shut down the SCC’s ability to stage operations and use critical lock-release software on all WTC locks. Male: “ASAP, six-three, be advised, I have two ABM workers down here on the B-2 between the red and yellow lots. Be advised, I’ve got two ABM workers hurt. I need an ER ASP down here ASAP!” Male: “Where do you need the assistance for the ABM workers?” Male: “B-2 between the red lot, and the yellow lot, the walkway where the ABM office is.” Male: “This is B-6 security.” Male: “(inaudible) you know what’s going on here?” Male: “(inaudible) the building.” Male: “(inaudible) One World Trade Center, we’ve got (inaudible).” Male: “Dean, (inaudible) outside, right outside, Dean, honestly.” Male: “(inaudible), we have people panicking in the PATH trains!” Female: “That’s people by the PATH train, that’s a copy.” Female: “The SCC, 77? The SCC, 77, desk.” Female A: “Well, right now we have a lot of smoke coming into 22. And we do have on the (inaudible) but it’s getting a little heavy.” *“Inaudible” in this last line was in reference to the air recyclers or purifiers in the OCC later referred to in transcripts as “smoke units.” Male: “J osie, call the, see if they are still in operation and what the status of the Enron* desk is.” *The Enron desk?! This would’ve basically have been a pseudonym for an intelligence desk, as many ex-CIA types got jobs at Enron before it collapsed--- right about the same time as 9-11! Female A: “That’s a copy. Please also note that we are locked in and can’t get out.” Male A: “Hello?” Female: “Frank, is that you?” Male A: “Honey, honey! (inaudible) just hear the explosion! Honey, honey, I was crossing the World Trade Center Plaza.” Female: “Yes?” 268 269 Male A: “And…and they exploded the World Trade Center! And I’m locked in the police station.” (skipping over uninformative dialogue here) Male A: Honey, I was…I was walking across the World Trade Center Plaza, where the fountain is.” Female: “Yes?” Male A: “And…and there was these rocket attacks, or planes crashed into the building. And then I ran for my life, because the whole building started coming down on me! And…and I wasn’t doing anything!” *Yeah, he wasn’t doing anything wrong, why they harsh him like that? Female: “(inaudible) be advised, there is so much smoke on B-2 west, we’re evacuating and we’re coming up!” Male: “Copy.” Female: “SCC, go!” Male: “We are losing the power here, and the smoke is developing here. And we can’t even breathe, uh, the air, we have, uh, our eyes burning here.” Male A: “Because they can’t come down. There’s fucking explosions going off on Vesey Street. There is debris coming down. I don’t want him coming down that way. I want to bring him off of West Street, but I don’t know how secure the site is there.” Male B: “I know, did another plane crash?” Male A: “No, they said it, but we don’t think so. There’s been…been numerous explosions on the…like 89 th , 92 nd floor.” *This was interesting because Male A didn't think there was a real second plane crash. Male A: “I don’t even know where to go to look for the mayor, coming in.” Male B: “I know, I know.” Male: “Have the engines (inaudible) Two World Trade, also. We got…up on the 90 th floor, we got people stuck up there also, plus the OCC on the 22 nd floor, One World Trade Center. You have still lots of people from the OCC trapped up there. And they’re bringing…” Male A: “Yeah, loading…” Male B: “Yeah?” Male A: “Yeah, the truck’s not even picking up.” Male B: “All right. I see a lot of things are going out.” *What were they loading out of the Trade Center? Was this the looted booty? Male A: “Well, listen try to raise…keep on raising him on the portable. I don’t want him coming in here.” Male B: “Right, right.” Male A: “…to this site, because we got large debris coming off the building and everything.” Male B: “Okay.” Male A: “All right? If you get in touch with him...” Male B: “Yeah.” Male A: “…tell him to come down and off the West Side Highway. And page me if you can.” Male B: “Okay.” Male A: “All right? It’s…command post is set up in the front of One …Two World Trade.” 269 270 *This is a command post, in front of 2 WTC, was previously unmentioned in transcripts. Male: “Parking office for S-2.” *Some interesting things came up for S-2, including: “Intelligence Officer, or Office,” and “Smackdown 2” (Play Station). Male S-2: “Three, S-2.” Male: “George, what should I do down there?” Male: “Call PATH Police.” Male: “Repeat?” *Poor guy. He would’ve been better calling the Enron Desk. Female B: “Six-three to parking lot B.” Male: “Go, Evelyn.” Female B: “Linder, how are you doing down there?” Male: “Holding on.” Female B: “That’s a copy.” Male: “All (inaudible) be advised, we have one (inaudible) 22. (inaudible)." Male A: “(inaudible) lobby, we have (inaudible) fires down there, (inaudible) be advised, copy.” Male: “310-B to any units, be advised that building two (inaudible) only (inaudible) warden phones. We can’t pick up warden phones, we are just making straight announcements telling the people not to stay at the warden phones, because we can’t pick them up.” *Fire warden phones may have been sabotaged because others were still working. Male B: “Listen, I got…this is what I got so far, let me…let me tell you, I’m in the building now, I…we got two explosions.” Male C: “I just saw the second plane go in.” Male B: “Okay, but the first explosion, we don’t know what it is.” Male C: “It’s…the first one is a plane, they have it on video tape.” *Let’s see that videotape. What are you hiding? Male B: “Okay, so we (overlap).” Male C: “I just saw it on the…on the thing, it’s definitely a plane.” Male B: “Okay, all right.” Male C: “It’s a 707-type Boeing.” *Male C is talking about the second incident with the South Tower. Female A: “Go, S-2.” Male B: “How are you doing up there?” Female A: “(inaudible). We’ve got a lot of smoke.” Male B: “We’re on 16 right now.” Female A: “That’s a copy. We can’t use the software right now to try and release the doors. (inaudible) Trade Center.” *That’s the lock-release software. Male: “(inaudible) building A, (inaudible).” Male: “(inaudible), Rocko, where is it? (inaudible) WTC, I have to tell them.” Male: “Eight-one, Paulie.” Male: “(inaudible), we’re on the roof.” *Rocko, was on the roof of 1 WTC. Male: “You’ve got a (inaudible) on the A Tower, the (inaudible).” Male A: “J osie, we’re right outside your door, guys.” 270 271 Female A: “That’s a big ten-four, thank you!” *Those trapped in the SCC on 22 I believe were rescued and survived! Female A: “Six-three, be advised, I have, uh, firemen with me, and they want to go down to the B-1 level. I’m taking them over to B-1 level, ten-four?” Female B: “That’s a copy, B-1, B-1, identify yourself please.” *Enron: Ken Lay of Enron was Bush’s biggest campaign contributor---Washington Times, “Colossal Collapse: Enron Bankruptcy Scandal Carves a Wide Swath,” 1-13-02. World Trade Center Channel 24 Radio Channel A, CPD Male: “Yeah, this is the (inaudible), guys, (inaudible).” Male: “(inaudible) out there.” Male: “(inaudible) the fuck (inaudible).” Male: “Yes, (inaudible) a plane crash, up by eighty-eight, ninety.” Male: “(inaudible) what floor?” Male: “Uh…a helicopter crash.” Male: “(inaudible) seven-seven desk. Male: “(inaudible) Lennon (?).” *There were reports of a helicopter crash from other sources also, but may have been confusion. Is J ohn Lennon still alive? World Trade Center Channel 25 Radio Channel B, Maintenance & Electric Male: “(inaudible).” Male: “(inaudible) major explosion.” Male: “Try and open it. Three-nine, seven-seven, you copy?” Female: “Get off the fucking air! Help!” Male: “Vito, where are you?” Male: “I’m down by…B-4 parking lot.” Male: “Danny, (inaudible) six-four, are you all right?” Male: “(inaudible) plaza.” Male: “What happened?” Male: “Get out of there. Get on the concourse. Get out of there.” Male: “Get out of the building.” Male: “Yeah, we need the electrician down to the B-5 plant. We also have a smoke condition down here.” Male: “(inaudible) Owen, they’re moving, uh, they escaped through, uh, exit door near West Street.” Male: “Copy.” *Chaos. And some suspicious individuals may have escaped out onto West Street. Male: “(inaudible) seven-seven, we need the EMS, by the classroom, B-4 plant.” Male: “Yes, I think there’s a plane crash, up by eighty-eight, ninety.” Male: “(inaudible) what floor?” Male: “Uh…a helicopter crash.” *Perhaps a rescue or media helicopter crashed also? Or was one used by Agents of 9-11? Male: “It’s, uh…both shops, they got people down there. You can’t get down there, because there’s smoke.” 271 272 Male: “(inaudible), stay away from West Street right now.” Male 103: “One-o-three, Sally, where’s the fucking sprinkler system?” Male: “(inaudible) area, debris (inaudible), we had a second explosion on the upper floors of Tower B!” Male: “(inaudible) building four, the Church Street entrance, we need to get some police over here.” Male: “Three-four, three-four, requesting police assistance on the plaza.” Male: “Three-four, three-four, requesting police assistance.” *In addition, something was going on that required police assistance at the entrance to 4 WTC. World Trade Center Channel 26 Radio Channel W, Police Male: “(glitch) some kind of explosion.” Male: “(glitch) (inaudible).” Male: “Contact EMS (inaudible) immediately on the plaza.” Male: “(overlap) five, we have (glitch) injuries. Major injuries, World Trade Center.” Male: “All units respond to the plaza.” (screams in background) Male: “(inaudible) B-1 level. One World Trade Center. It’s (inaudible), we had a minor explosion or a major explosion, something happened down here.” *Yeah, there were bombs. Male: “Roger, there was an explosion on the upper floors.” Male: “(inaudible) the Trade Center.” Male: “(inaudible) outside.” Male: “Eight-one, T-C, CPD is aware, they’re mobilizing at this time.” *Who’s mobilizing? Was T-C “Tactical Command?” Male: “Roger, copy. Once you know, we want to have a count on injuries.” Male: “(inaudible) report from PATH in (inaudible), going down to the B-4 level. And (inaudible) copy?” Male: “Roger. (inaudible) to B-4 level, for evacuation.” Male: “That’s affirmative.” Male: “(inaudible) three, eight-one.” Male: “Could you have post 4 respond here by West Street?” Male: “Post 4, you copy, respond to West Street, meet up with eight-one.” Male: “Post 4 copy, do that.” Male: “Eight to T-C.” Male: “Go ahead, eight.” Male: “Did you begin (inaudible) colonel?” *Once again the “Colonel.” Earlier, the transcript talked about mobilizing. Was this only a PAPD channel, or was there bleed-over from other transmissions? The line meant have been: “Did you begin evacuation Colonel?” Male: “That’s affirmative.” *Hey, there’s the Colonel himself! And it ain’t Colonel Sanders. Male: “Roger, per the (inaudible), evacuate all buildings in the complex, you copy? All buildings in the complex.” Male: “(glitch) some kind of explosion in building two.” Male: “This is N-8-5, eight-one, Sea Air. We have visual on that. Uh, not known if it was a second plane. Possibly a missile.” *Sea Air? Was it a PAPD helicopter or was it Colonel Carnage’s squad? 272 273 Male: “Units on channel W, this is eight-one Sierra. That’s been a reported possible missile launching from the Woolworth Building. CPD, if you are monitoring, get in touch with New York City, have them check the Woolworth Building rooftop.” Male: “Eight-five McNeil, WTC, I got a report from, uh…eight-five, from the bomb squad, who have a visual on the (inaudible) twin-engine plane, and (inaudible) tell the troops.” *This was interesting because this was after Flight 175 had supposedly impacted. Male: “Eight-one, the NYPD has been notified to check the Woolworth Building.” Male: “Eight-five McNeil, be advised we have possibly (inaudible) the plane at Vesey and Church.” Male: “Roger, T-C World Trade, be advised, (inaudible) from ABM he got (inaudible) assistance from…he got (inaudible) assistance from the B-4 level.” Male: “Roger, be advised, (inaudible), I got a ABM worker, myself and another two people (inaudible) A-2 David, we’re going to go down to the B-4 level. The ABM guy says that he’s got (inaudible) from some guys down there, they’re trapped downstairs. We are going to check and advise, copy? Male: “Roger.” Male: “Be advised, (inaudible) sector fifteen car.” Male: “T-C, eight-one.” Male: “Go ahead, eight-one.” Male: “(inaudible) confirmation on, uh, missile launchers shooting this building.” Male: “No confirmation. According to NYPD, I got a (glitch) (inaudible) affirmed Woolworth Building. Be advised, we need you to respond to Windows of the World….” *With all that was happening, and the NYPD Detectives reaching a dead end at the Woolworth, there could not be any real confirmation. Male: “Roger, WTC all units on the complex, respond to One World Trade Center, eight- five, eight-one, DeVona, for instructions and evacuation.” *This seems to suggest that the PAPD were only beginning their official evacuation after Colonel Carnage already ordered his flunkies out. Male: “Roger, T-C one, copy. And also eight-two, (inaudible) and eight-two David, be advised, we (inaudible) B-4 level, there is a negative condition down there. No…no one down there. Also be advised there are four additional PATH Officers downstairs, copy? Male: “Roger.” Male: “I’ve just been advised (inaudible) the mayor’s office, he’s been advised that there’s another plane headed to this area, copy?” Male: “All World Trade Center units in the command post! All World Trade Center units, evacuate everybody over the land bridge on West Street to the Financial Center. Do not, repeat, do not send people out into the concourse or in the side streets. The land bridge to the Financial Center!” Male: “T-C-3 (inaudible).” Female: “(inaudible) be advised we’ve got (inaudible).” Male: “Roger.” Male: “(inaudible) three.” Male: “Please be advised all (inaudible).” Male: “Eight-five, (inaudible) desk, we have the stage on fire at the main plaza. The stage is on fire on the ground level, at the main plaza.” Male: (glitch) 273 274 Female: “This is (inaudible), are you aware that we have a fire by the stairs out in the courtyard?” Male: “Eight-one, be advised, there’s CPD, the command post is on Vesey and West, they can’t get over to the Financial Center, copy?” Male: “I copy. Why can’t they get over there?” (crowd noise, screaming) Male: “Roger, sir. That’s unconfirmed.” Male: “(inaudible), WTC, where’s the command post?” Male: “Be advised, it’s Vesey and West, they can’t move over to the Financial, uh, Center, uh, due to the unknown conditions and debris out there.” Male: “You’re okay, see you on the cross bridge, come over to the Financial Center.” Male: “Negative. I’m going to…stand by a minute.” World Trade Center Channel 27 Radio Channel X , Security Female Trapped on 22 nd Floor: “There’s a fire outside of 22! There’s a fire on 22!” Male: “Send an engine to Liberty Street! Immediately. A plane just hit the building.” Female Trapped on 22 nd Floor: “This is the SCC, A Tower, on the 22 nd floor. We see a lot of debris. We are stuck in the…we are stuck on 22, at the SCC. The door is blocked. There is a fire.” Male: “S-4 to S-14, I understand…I know you’ve been in an explosion on Liberty Street.” Male: “ASAP, six-three, be advised, I have two ABM workers down here on B- 2…ah…between the red and yellow lots. Be advised, I’ve got two ABM workers hurt. I need an ER ESP down here ASAP!” Male: “Where do you need the assistance for the ABM workers?” Male: “B-2 between the red lot, and the yellow lot, the walkway where the ABM office is.” Male: “(inaudible) conditions there?” Female 77 Trapped on 22 nd Floor: “Can you repeat that again, please?” Male: “J osie, what’s the condition on twenty-two?” J osie on 22 nd Floor: “Twenty-two is we cannot leave the area. There is a lot of smoke outside, we are stuck inside.” Male: “Please let me through! The PATH train, something is going on at the PATH train! Can you ask somebody to make an announcement, 310-B, people are running out of the PATH train---copy?!” Male: “Ten-four. (inaudible) to 63.” Female: “Yes.” Male: “See if you can make an announcement with PAPD with regards to people panicking in the PATH trains!” Female: “That’s people by the PATH train, that’s a copy.” Male: “J osie, do you know basically where the plane hit the building?” J osie: “Uh, George, it looks like it hit the side near the Marriott Hotel.” Male on Street: “It’s on the side of building six, on Tower One!” *It’s been reported in several accounts that there was substantial damage on the North Tower’s west side. J osie on 22: “Right now, we have a lot of smoke coming into 22. We do have on the 274 275 machines, but it’s getting a little heavy. Everybody’s okay inside.” Male: “J osie, call the OCC, see if they are still in operation and what the status of their alarm desk is.” J osie: “That’s a copy. Please note that we are locked in and can’t get out.” Male: “Be aware, we notified the emergency people.” Male: “I got a parking lot that’s on fire! It can explode at any time! The guard on A ramp.” Male: “The guard on A ramp is in a bullet and bomb resistant guard booth.” *The guard booths guarded ramp entrances to underground WTC parking lots. Although I never saw much of the WTC underground, judging by the distance from the Trade Center, which some of these ramps and booths were situated, the underground had to be extremely vast. J osie on 22: “Um, right now the…the smoke is getting real heavy in here and it is starting to burn my eyes. We still have trem…tremoring up here.” George Raggio: “J ust calm down.” J osie on 22: “That’s a copy. We are calm. I’m just reporting on what’s going on. *Tremors, being periodic secondary blasts. Female: “Six-three to S-4, be advised, there is too much smoke on B-2 west, we’re evacuating and we’re coming up!” Male: “Copy.” Male: “J ust hit the building! Another plane hit!” Male: “SCC to anybody?” Female: “SCC, go!” Male: “We are losing the power here, and the smoke is developing here. And we can’t even breathe, uh, the air, we have, uh, our eyes burning here.” Male: “Parking office, for S-2.” Male: “Three, S-2.” Male: “Sarge, what should I do down there?” Male: “(inaudible).” Male: “Repeat?” Female: “Six-three to parking lot B.” Male: “Go, Evelyn.” Female: “Linder, how are you doing down there?” Linder: “Holding on.” Female: “That’s a copy.” Male: (inaudible) Male: “That’s a copy. Door is completely closed.” Female: “That’s a copy, sir.” Female: “Francesca, is there (inaudible) down there? Fransesca, is there any smoke down there?" Fransesca?: "Sector four, Fransesca?" Fransesca: “Sector four.” Female Sector 4: “Leave the post.” Fransesca: “Sector four, I’m long gone!” *Francesca was no fool, she was hitting it like the best of them. Male: “We got a report that there was an explosion on two.” Male: “That’s a ten-four, sir, the side of building two.” 275 276 Male: “I heard it was four too, but I’m not sure.” *Was this speaking of the west side of 2 WTC also? "Four too," was possibly a reference to missile strikes by 4 WTC, with a trajectory from the Woolworth. J osie on 22: “Um, we’re okay. I’ve blocked the doors with some wet tissue. And that sucks up some of the smoke. But we still can’t get out." Gene Raggio: “Okay, and (inaudible)?” J osie on 22: “We have, uh, the cameras running on all the perimeter outside.” *This is probably one way the PANYNJ got videotape of the first incident. Was this the transmission of ‘Transferring the Monitor Scene’ from earlier transcripts? Gene Raggio: “Repeat?” J osie on 22: “We have all the cameras up on the outside perimeter….” Female SCC: “The SCC, S-2…George? The SCC, S-2, George! The SCC, S-4! The SCC, S-4? The SCC, S-2!" Male: “(inaudible). Go (inaudible).” Female SCC: “F-5, would you like me to release all the doors, the turnstiles, or do you want me to stand by on that?” Male: “All release (inaudible).” Female SCC: “(inaudible) all access…(inaudible) that’s a copy.” *I don’t know why the SCC thought they suddenly had the ability to operate the release locks, because below they said they could not use the software. Keep in mind that when the “F-codes," as in "F-5," popped up, so usually did “Colonel Carnage.” Female(J osie): “That’s a copy, S-2. Would you like me to release all doors and gates?” Male: “That is affirmative. This is the S-5, that is affirmative.” *S-5 comes up as “Civil Affairs Officer” for the Army. Female: “That’s a copy, we’re doing it now.” Male Security: “There is no access! Don’t let nobody come down this block right here! Back off! What’s wrong with you? Back up, back all the way! Everybody, everybody back!” J osie on 22: “That’s a copy. We can’t use the software right now to try to release the doors. But it can’t….” Male: “There’s a (overlap).” J osie on 22: “There’s no power for the doors.” Female: “Six-seven, six three!” Female: “Six-seven, go with your message.” Female: “(inaudible) my keys were confiscated by the fire department…(inaudible).” World Trade Center Channel 28 Radio Channel Y, Operations Male: “(inaudible) for emergency…” Male 29 (continuation of above): “Two-nine, uh, Patrick, be brief, tell me what’s going on with the truck dock situation (inaudible).” Male: “Two-nine, don’t even bother, get outside. There was an explosion in building one. Get outside!” Male 29: “Copy that.” Male 22, J ohn: “Rocko, what’s your location?” 276 277 Rocko: “(inaudible) fire, I got smoke…I got stuck on the roof…(cuts out).” Male 22, J ohn: “Rocko, where are you, on the roof?” Rocko: “I’m with (inaudible)…we’re up here on the roof. (inaudible).” Male 22, J ohn: “Rocko, stand by….” Male 22, J ohn: “Two-two, seven-one, Eddie? Two-two, roof, copy, Rocko?” Rocko: (inaudible) Male 22, J ohn: “Rocko, I want to know your exact location.” Rocko: “One-o-five north!” *It seemed like Rocko was on the roof, but he says the 105 th floor. There were 110 total floors. Male 22, J ohn: “Rocko, you stand by. I’m going to get right back to you.” Rocko: “You coming up here?” Male 22, J ohn: “I don’t think so, Rocko. I’m going to talk to someone, they may have to find another way to get you.” Rocko: “Don’t let no people up here…there’s big smoke! (inaudible)." Male 22, J ohn: “Two-two, roof, copy to Rocko?” Rocko: (inaudible) *Poor Rocko. Male 22, J ohn: “Rocko, I want you to go to the roof in the garage, and stay in the garage.” Male 22, J ohn: “Two-two, roof, copy, Rocko.” Rocko: “Go (inaudible).” Male 22, J ohn: “Rocko, are you able to walk down the stairwell?” Rocko: (inaudible) Male 22, J ohn: “Rocko, if you can make it up to the roof, and go in the garage, go there.” Rocko: “(inaudible) I cannot do it.” Male 22, J ohn: “Rocko, if you can get back, ninety-eight, it’s clear from there, there’s no smoke from there, down.” *I don't know why Rocko couldn't get all the way to the roof, unless the doors were locked, or down to 98. There was a helipad up there. Perhaps that’s what the garage was for. The smoke must've been horrendous. Many more of Rocko's replies were listed as inaudible. Male: “(inaudible) three, I’m in the second one, I’m on the 22 nd floor, fire command center. We have heavy traffic in the B staircase, making our way up, to try and make contact. They cannot release any of the (inaudible) locked doors due to fire or power loss.” *Yet generator power was working. Port Authority Police Memorandums: Lieutenant Michael Murphy Handwritten report: “…We came upon the NYPD Chief of Detectives with a couple of his men. They appeared to be appraising the situation. We proceeded past them and were within a block of WTC when a couple of loud explosions occurred in front of us.” Alan T. DeVona Chronological Report of the WTC Radio Transmissions on 9/11/01: “0853 4-1 radios WTC Police Desk reporting an explosion on the lower level. 0853 WTC Desk replies there was an explosion on the upper floors.” 277 278 “0933 PO Keane reporting from Stairway-C on the 66th floor, 1 WTC states that she heard another explosion.” P.O. Anthony C. Croce Handwritten Memorandum: “We kept hearing explosions that would shake the whole room. People were saying, ‘There’s another one and another one.’ I heard reports of secondary bomb explosions, missiles being shot at towers and others.” Detective Michael S. Shuhala The Port Authority of NY & NJ Memorandum Office of Inspector General, 12-2-01: “Conditions were slow going on the stairwell due to the volume of people. You would move two or three steps at a time and stop. Every second or third floor would be filled with smoke that lasted one or two floors then the stairwell would become clear. It was most surprising that the fire alarms and strobe lights were not activated." “When we reached the 15th floor, the building began to vibrate and shake. I heard loud explosions and rumblings in the background. The stairwell shifted and gave out a large metal on metal groan. The stairwell then twisted back into place with another loud groan. The lights went out. At that point the stairwell became filled with smoke and dust." Roger Fernandez Letter to Captain Trucillo Port Authority Police Department Internal Affairs: “As we descended Stairwell C, a large cloud of smoke with an odor of fuel, rapidly ascended and overtook us causing many on the lower levels to start choking and coughing. This immediately caused panic as the people on the lower floors were trying to go up while those above us were still making their way down.” *Smoke and odor “ascending.” Sergeant Michael McGarry Chronicle of Response and Rescue Efforts, 11-15-01: “Within a short period of time (approximately ¾ of an hour) one of the buildings to the World Trade Center collapsed. During this time period there were numerous explosions, causing us to leave and re-enter the incident area.” P.O. Sue Keane #826 Handwritten Memorandum, 3-14-02: “At some point we could hear another plane then a hit. Then what sounded like explosions one after another or like a train coming fast. At this point the explosion was loud; the area went completely black.” “Massive amounts of debris, concrete dust and bodies or parts were more frequent at this point. Then there was an eerie silence and it was like you knew something was going to happen. There just seemed to be one explosion after another. I was separated from the guys from the bridge (GWB) by another explosion, massive again, sucking the air out of your lungs and then just a wind more intense this time with larger pieces of debris flying.” *Explosion after explosion after explosion. 278 279 Port Authority Memorandum From: Lieutenant Daniel A. Carbonaro J ohn F. Kennedy Airport Command: “We continued our efforts until the combination of dust, smoke and secondary explosions along with reports of gas main leaks, bombs, small arms fire and buildings about to collapse forced us to again relocate further north on West Street.” Detective Salvatore Piro Port Authority of NY & NJ Memorandum: “At that point, I heard a low sounding boom and the smoke intensified. There was more debris falling and as I heard a big roar, I saw Tower One coming down.” FDNY Transcript 9-11-01; 9:59 A.M: Marine 6: "Tower 2 has had a major explosion and what appears to be a complete collapse surrounding the entire area." Dispatcher: "Marine 6, 10-4, we were notified." *This transcript appears innocent enough, but a firefighter reported in his transcript that he had heard a similar transmission form Marine 6 an hour before 2 WTC was even hit! Was it some sort of weird time loop? The New York Times, through a Freedom of Information request, went to the New York State Albany Court of Appeals to get critical audio and transcripts of firefighter* interviews given after 9-11 released, and won the ruling in March 2005---minus portions of personal nature. The ruling also determined what part of 911 calls would be released. But the drawback was that judges ruled 4-3 that only the operator’s portion of the calls would be released. I am also astonished at the mainstream media's culpability in the 9-11 cover-up, by ignoring these transcripts. Who would you believe more?: the professionals who were actually there, or the media? *Firefighters: Associated Press: "Court: FDNY must release tapes, transcripts from9/11," 3-25-05. 279 280 WTC Task Force Transcripts "...people just coming down like it was raining people." On August 12th 2005, the FDNY under court order brought by lawsuit (once again) by The New York Times*, released more than twelve-thousand pages of oral histories from firefighters, EMT workers, paramedics and OEM personnel recounting their experiences at the World Trade Center on 9-11-01. In addition, nine hundred minutes of FDNY radio transmissions were released. This was after The Times sought the records under the Freedom of Information Act. The Bloomberg Administration at first refused to release the records, and so The Times sued. On one hand, in regards to this book, it was a Godsend. It was a trove of information. Yet on the other hand, it was like being buried alive under a giant avalanche of 9-11 files. But as I found how compelling the transcripts were, I soon realized that they would be the backbone of this book, and so I accepted the deluge. What I've included from these transcripts are the passages that I felt showed: anomalies pointing to the possibility of 9-11 being a larger operation than was initially thought or reported by the media; passages depicting what it was like to be at the Trade Center that day; the human element and---if it were at all possible---even some funny aspects to the story. Graphic details were not expurgated from this story. I do not agree with those who make the gratuitous violence and gore argument. This is what happened. The raw details are representative of what was done to New York on 9-11--- lest we forget. The media and “Truthlings” would have you believe that including detail is disrespectful, all the while selling you down the river some squeaky-clean version of 9- 11. Nothing unordinary happened there to some and they draw from one set of select, sanctioned pictures by the media. To them, everyone was killed instantly and almost innocently, and Mickey and Minnie would only be too happy to greet you at the site for 280 281 the grand tour---thank you. Whole parts of certain transcripts were redacted, or blacked-out, either for personal or professional reasons---or for intelligence reasons. Someone didn't want you to see certain passages in the transcripts. I draw attention to these redactions when they were obviously uncalled for. When they appeared innocent, I did not include them. The Bloomberg Administration* fought hard to keep the public from reading and hearing these oral histories. They even balked at providing them along with dispatcher’s tapes to the NIST report. They eventually capitulated, however, under a signed agreement. What was Mike "Contempt of Court" Bloomberg hiding? What was in it for him to hold back the tapes? The transcripts, the city argued: were an invasion to the speaker’s privacy; FDNY material was exempt from the Freedom of Information Act; and that federal prosecutors said that the material was critical to the Zacharias Mousaaoui trial and would taint the jury pool. That was the best they could do? The J ustice Department found that only six of the testimonies were a key to the Moussaoui prosecution. I frankly did not see how. And regarding the first excuse, the Bloomberg Administration didn't seem to care about any rights of those arrested at the RNC, making them disappear into the belly of the beast for days on end despite court orders. Finally, they city tried to claim some sort of intra-agency exemption based on undetermined fact/fiction mumbo-jumbo. That is a lot to go through to keep people from seeing documents. The city hired McKinsey & Company to study the WTC response to the disaster. The company claimed they had “unfettered access” to the documents. Yet, that did not explain discrepancies between what McKinsey & Co., NIST and The 9-11 Commission all concluded. McKinsey & Co. was "hired" of course, so their findings would only make the city’s response to 9-11 look adequate, or better than it actually was. The Bloomberg Administration also proved to be uncooperative with The 9-11 Commission when it was in New York, and NYPD Commissioner Kelly and FDNY Chief Scoppetta came to their hearings together, when they were due to appear separately in order that critical questions could be prepared. This administration was defiant. *Bloomberg Administration: Village Voice, “Blots on the record,” 10-19-25-05. * The New York Times: “City to Release Thousands Of 9/11 Oral Histories Today,” 8-12-05. The Transcripts FromNewYorkTimes.comOriginal URL: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/20050812_WTC_GRAPHIC/met_WTC_histories_full_01.html Key: Q =Question A =Answer [ Brackets ] =Redacted Information *Asterisk precedes author’s comments. EMT Paul Adams November 1st 2001: A: “Her first words out of her mouth were where’s your triage tags? Where’s your triage 281 282 tags? There were people walking around with their green tags on and I just looked at her and I said are you kidding me? I said these people should be getting out of here. Get out of the site.” Q: “Did you come back the same way, down Broadway again?” A: “The same way again, yes. I was stopped by a Chief. But he asked me to---this is the third time I’m going in. He asked me to pull over to the side. He was setting up a triage. It was like five blocks away. He had three ambulances at the side. I said how many patients you got? He goes one. So I kind of cursed him out, and I said what, are you nuts?---and I just drove right back in.” Dr. Glenn Asaeda October 11th 2001: A: “By the same token, I had looked up at the same time and noticed what I thought was debris turning out to be people, and at first I just couldn’t imagine it would be people. I thought, well, they must be unconscious or falling out. Upon looking closer, there were some people that seemed to be on fire coming down, some that looked like rag dolls coming down, but at least 70 percent of them actually flailed until they hit the ground and one, I mean, they looked like he or she wanted to get to the next window.” A: “Also, at this point I noticed just women’s shoes all over. I guess they had taken them off to run.” *I can't blame them for trying to get to the next window. Paramedic Phillip Ashby J anuary 22nd 2002: Q: “What happened at that point after that, did you go back to the---." A: [ Two Paragraphs Stricken From Record ] ‘So I thought somebody launched a missile from the East River, or over the Hudson to knock it down. I mean that’s what I’m thinking. If they are, if they are still out there to launch another missile, I got to get the hell out of there, because we are in a war zone right, exactly.” Q: “Pace University?” A: “Pace University. I’m trying to get out of there again and as I’m trying to walk towards, not the Brooklyn Bridge, because I figured that would be another historic location for them to attack or launch a missile.” EMT Benjamin Badillo J anuary 22nd 2002: A: “When it cleared out, we were helping people evacuate the boats, going to New J ersey. I was asking anyone if they have seen my partner. I remember Karen Lamanna from Battalion 14, she said that she had saw him with another medic.” [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] A: “Then like 15 feet away I found a head to go to the torso. I don’t mean to be so graphic, but I would just like to describe whatever I saw. It was just the brains hanging out of the skull, just completely flapping over, like you just opened up a can or something like that. Out of curiosity, I don’t know why, but I just put on a pair of gloves and I 282 283 picked it up. I just started moving it around and you could see the face and everything, but it was all crushed and everything, no facial bones, no eyes, nothing, so we tagged it and we went along.” *Sometimes you just gotta’ tag it & bag it I guess… Firefighter Richard Banaciski December 6th 2001: A: “We were there I don’t know, maybe 10, 15 minutes and then I just remember there was just an explosion. It seemed like on television they blow up these buildings. It seemed like it was going all the way around like a belt, all these explosions.” *Watching the North Tower explode, then collapse. EMT Anthony Bartolomey October 9th, 2001: Q: “When you arrived there, did any civilians report anything to you? A: “Yes. Numerous civilians were telling me that a plane had hit the building. There were discrepancies as to the type of plane. Some were saying it was a Cessna or Leer jet type, a small jet plane. Some said it was a large passenger plane. One person actually said that it was like a military style plane that actually shot missiles into the building.” *In regards to missiles being shot into the building as the plane impacted, this account would appear outlandish on its own, if it were not for it being reported as happening to the South Tower as well. And this is aside from any video existing on the internet of this phenomena. A witness on live news radio also described what hit the North Tower as looking like a "military plane." EMT J ody Bell December 15th 2001: A: “There was debris almost to New J ersey. It was over our heads. It was just blowing. There were papers---the amount of paper, it was like a ticker tape parade. There were like a billion times more paper. We were swatting paper out of our face…” A: “Oh, wait, another major thing. When that second building came down, as we were running, you hear this thunder in the air. This was a scary part. We hear thunder. That’s when I’m like, oh, no, now they’re going to bomb us. You hear this thunder. You know it’s in the air, but you don’t see anything. You just hear this loud sound. Then you see our fighters in the air, F-14’s, whatever they are, F-18’s. Everybody just got a new sense of hope. We were all just cheering, like ‘USA’ and ‘shoot those motherfuckers down!’” Firefigher Dean Beltrami December 17th 2001: A: “At that time, there was a bomb threat in Stuyvesant High School, and we evacuated the area…” EMT Thomas Bendick October 15th 2001: 283 284 A: “I was on the north side of the North Tower at 6 World Trade Center when the South Tower collapsed. Got out of that, grouped, the North Tower collapsed, got out of that, went to the college, tried to set up and that’s when they said they blew up the school and there might be additional explosions and they said evacuate the downtown area…” Firefighter Eric Bernsten December 4th 2001: A: “When we got out onto Vesey, there was a Port Authority cop with us and he said that they were given reports that the second building was going to come down.” *Did he mean the North Tower or 2 WTC, the South Tower? Even so, no one knew this without inside information. David Blacksberg October 23rd 2001: A: “…we just watched and heard people jumping. Someone said, ‘there’s somebody that’s still moving. Somebody is alive.’ I also saw a dog that was tied up in front of the building, and I approached. I got hit with some debris, so I decided not to go…” *The North Tower. It’s strange, given the amount of human casualties, but I found myself hoping that someone was able to save the poor dog. Q: “Who was that?” *Who was what? The dog? A: “I don’t know his name. When the chief came, I told him what I had, and what was going on and what I had already done, and I already took down all the names of all the vehicles that had approached, and he didn’t seem really to care what was going on..” [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] *He might have been in a sort of shock. A: “We started hearing the building, and we saw it tipping. It was just leaning…and so we started booking.” Firefighter Paul Bessler J anuary 21st 2002: A: “…and there was all that white dust in the street. It was like a five-inch snowstorm, like just fresh powder. We were actually making footprints in it. I didn’t see anybody outside except for the jumpers. I mean, we really didn’t see anybody and it was really bizarre. It was surreal. It didn’t make sense. There were so many people on arrival and now there’s nobody…” *Upon exiting the North Tower after the South fell, the firefighters, not even knowing what had happened. Deputy Chief Charles Blaich October 23rd 2001: A: “The scene at that point where there were numerous fires burning through the pile. We were tentatively directing the volunteers to start fanning out on top of the pile to see if we could make any spot rescues, if anyone was alive… At the same time we were informed 284 285 that there was no water in the hydrant system… At some point during this, the difficult part was people were trying to make rescues of victims that they could see in the pile and we had to force them away because people had I-beams through them and things like that. We just didn’t have the time to invest in bringing out dead bodies. We were trying to find live bodies… I was informed that we had gotten word that people had got up and gotten [ Rest of Par. Stricken From Record ]… At that point a member of the fire department, in a blue uniform, informed me that the fireboat Harvey was on the scene. I stopped in disbelief, half knowing that the Harvey was sold a while ago, but he said it was here…apparently the fire boat flagged down a passing oiler and got fuel….they stretched from the fire boat [lines]. That was our only source of water at that point. I was also informed at that point that there was a fire, of all hands proportion broken out in the South End Apartments. All I could dispatch was one group of firefighters to work on that.” *Could the water mains have been sabotaged? There were problems with the water pressure even pre-collapse. This was the first mention of a fire in Battery Park City, near the World Trade Center (World Financial Center more specifically). I wondered about the cause of this fire, but I'm not saying that it wasn't a product of burning debris. There was damage there. Harvey reminded me of Thomas the Tank Engine coming to the rescue. Chief Blaich also described some people as looking like, “They had been in a bag of flour.” Lieutenant Robert Bohack J anuary 9th 2002: A: [ Par. Stricken From Record pgs. 4-5 ] ...while transporting a co-worker experiencing chest pains." A: “I thought our building was coming down. My mind was saying there’s some kind of wind compensator up there in the upper floors, a big, huge vat of cement….There’s some kind of huge ton of weight up there. It’s a huge vat filled with cement and it shifts. When the wind is blowing one way, it shifts to the other way with the wind to compensate. I thought if that thing shakes loose from its supports we’re fucking dead.” *The North Tower. A: “I looked out the window, and I saw like 30 floors of fire in the other building. I’m thinking, this guy is having chest pains. I have a report of a missile attack or other terrorist attack. Thirtieth floor, there’s a fire here, 10th floor there’s a fire there, missiles coming, heart attacks, this is ridiculous we’re out of here. We started going down. The building shook. I said, 'This one is coming down, let’s get the fuck out of here.'” *Fires on 30 and 10? A: [ Two Par's. Stricken From Record pgs. 10-11] "With that, as soon as I said that, the building made a groan like steel twisting. I didn’t have to tell those guys twice. We just started making a bee-line for West Street…” A: [ Par. Stricken From Record pg. 12 ] A: [ Par. Stricken pg. 15 ]. "We ended up pumping for two days. I heard that the water department shut off a lot of mains because they were flooding the subways.” Firefighter Nicholas Borrillo J anuary 9th 2002: A: “We were at a box for odor of gas in the street on Church and Lispenard. We were investigating that. We were just about ready to take up from that box and come back 285 286 when we heard the roar of the engines of the plane….Within two seconds it hit the North Tower.” *How many gas leaks were reported on 9-11 before the attacks? EMT Gregg Brady November 1st 2001: A: “We heard---I heard three large explosions. I look up and the North Tower is coming down now---1 World Trade Center…At the time, when I heard the three loud explosions, I started running west on Vesey Street towards the water.” *This was in keeping with what other personnel have said about a “belt” of explosions going around the North Tower. Firefighter J ohn Breen December 12th 2001: A: “…J eff J ohnson told me later on he did see part of the landing gear actually fell right through the roof and it was in one of the J acuzzis in another room.” *I hope no one was in the jacuzzi at the time! The water would’ve gotten too hot. This was in the Mariott Hotel spa. Firefighter Michael Brodbeck December 10th 2001: A: “Then the F-16 flew overhead." [ Sentence Stricken From record pgs. 11-12 ] *J ust after the collapse of the South Tower. EMT Richard Broderick October 25th 2001: A: “When we pulled in, we pulled in to West Street and Vesey…I saw Mayor Giuliani walk in front of us, and I assume that was before he got trapped in the Trade Center himself in the bunker.” *Got trapped in the Trade Center in the bunker? What bunker was he talking about? 7 WTC? A: “We came up the ramp right by One Police Plaza…People were in a daze. They were just---they looked like zombies. The word was zombies. They were walking. They were confused. I had to go really slow through the streets or I would hit them.” *Maybe that’s what happens to you when you’re exposed to that level of violence. I also cite the Psychological Warfare aspect to this title. Firefighter Derek Brogan December 28th 2001: A: “…we went up again, to the 23rd floor…There was a FBI guy I think on that floor or one of the floors just below it as we were walking up. He told us the Pentagon got hit and the other tower got hit. He misinformed us by telling us that NYU Hospital got hit… And he said, ‘We still have four planes in the air, and we don’t know where they are.’” A: “I found a girl on West Street talking on a cell phone like nothing had happened. I just grabbed her under the arm and went up to Stuyvesant High School and sat down there.” 286 287 *Was this any time to be picking up babes? A: “Until the second plane hit, we really thought it was an accident. We didn’t put together it was the clearest day, one of the clearest days I’ve ever had.” *It was like the clearest day ever. It was surreal. A: “I didn’t know until I got to Cabrini Hospital that another plane had hit the other building, that it was actually a plane. When they were decontaminating me, I thought maybe it was something a little more sinister, you know, because they wouldn’t tell me anything. They just told me---" Q: [ Sentence Interrupted by Interviewer ] “Of course. You go by sound or what you hear. It’s not like you know exactly what’s going on.” A: “They were just telling me that I was exposed, and I didn’t know what I was exposed to.” A: “There was no emergency lights. There was no intercom system in the building that I remember hearing. If you read the papers, they said that they were announcing to get out of the building. I don’t remember hearing any intercom system remarking that the other tower got hit or they were evacuating Tower 1. None of that. None of the emergency lights worked.” *So don't believe everything you hear in the media concerning announcements. Lieutenant Neil Brosnan December 12th 2001: A: “We were at quarters. We were assigned fourth on the fifth alarm. Our ticket gave us a response location, lobby command post of Tower 2… we’ll start with our response from quarters. We respond from quarters, we hit extremely heavy cab traffic on Park Avenue (Brooklyn), in the vicinity of Engine 207’s quarters. For four blocks, to get past the cabs we actually had to go through a parking lot. We were blocked out. We tried to move traffic. [ Next Section Stricken From Transcript ]. This was reported to the police detectives on my interview with them. We thought it was unusual, but we just went against traffic. We got to the Brooklyn Bridge.” *Was there some sort of purposeful taxicab logjam going on outside Engine 207’s headquarters? Did Muslim cab drivers know what was going on and were purposely trying to thwart emergency traffic on their own? Or were these "hired" blockers. I cite a similar scenario with a town car outside 10/10's headquarters on Liberty Street. A: “At this time, I caught the explosion, coming out from my left side. We were blown down the hallway. My left eye was blinded by debris. Our mouths were stuffed with, I guess, the concrete debris from the explosion…” *This was in reference to the South Tower collapse, but Brosnan specifically referred to an “explosion” of some kind. He also described how all the companies were bunched up in redundant areas. This was the case on 9-11 with so many first responders at the North Tower, with not nearly as many in the South. Brosnan described too many companies (20 perhaps) searching the Vista Hotel, which from 1993 he recalled as being a low occupancy hotel that was “self evacuating.” On 9-11, he informed FDNY personnel there that he was not assigned there---much to their confusion--- but to Tower 2 and proceeded further into the World Trade Center with only one other company following him. A: “They observed the explosion and the hallway disappeared.” Q: “In the lobby of Tower 1, did you notice any elevators, anything unusual about the elevators or the elevator doors? Was there fire in the elevator shaft? Were they blown in, the doors? Anything like that?” A: “No. They had asked me that, where the explosion came from that I encountered. The 287 288 explosion came right from the way I had entered. It came right from in back of me.” *In this, Brosnan refutes The 9-11 Report’s insistence that all aberrant explosions were from fireballs from the elevator shafts. It came from in back of him. Firefighter Peter Brown December 7th 2001: A: “We proceeded past the two towers up to Barclay, looked around…we grabbed a hydrant and started to stretch the 3-and-a-half… They had water problems.” *The fact is, firefighters had trouble getting water before any tower collapse. Were water mains turned off on 9-11? Firefighter Sean Brown December 14th 2001: A: “I radioed to the company, and they---their precise words were ‘Run, run for your life.’” *Collapse of the North Tower. Firefighter Timothy Brown J anuary 15th 2002: A: “…one of the thoughts that crossed my mind almost immediately was to get air cover from the military… So we sent that message pretty quickly back to our communications folks to try and get in touch with the White House and FAA and try and get some help.” *This firefighter appeared to be working closely with NYC OEM. A: “I remember running across a parking lot. It was across from the hotel, which would have been the southeast corner of Liberty and West. There’s a parking lot there.” Q: “The building that was up there, would it have been a church?” A: “It was gone from there.” Q: “Yes, obliterated.” *This was the small Greek Orthodox Church, St. Nicholas, in the small parking lot just south of the South Tower, 2 WTC. Brown was saying that the church was destroyed ‘pre-collapse of the South Tower.’ If so, it tied into the Ritual Slaughter subject of this title. It could have been some sort of Ritual Sacrifice, destroying a Christian Church, to empower the evil 9-11 plot. A: “…the west side of the core of the building there were elevators…there were people trapped in one of those elevators…. but the elevator car was only showing about two feet at the top of the door. You could see all the legs of the people that were in the elevator. I would guess there were about eight people in the elevator. The elevator pit was on fire with the jet fuel. People were screaming in the elevator. They were getting smoked and cooked.” *Smoke & cooked. I believe firemen were actually able to put that fire out and rescue those trapped inside. A: “I went to the command board---which before this I went to the phones which were in the southeast corner of 2 World Trade in the lobby area, trying to call the White House…trying to make sure that we had some kind of air cover… I could not get through to Washington…” *You know it’s gonna’ be a bad day when you have to try getting the White House on a payphone. I assume he was with OEM. 288 289 A: “I went to the command board which they were setting up right next to the doors on the Liberty Street bridge....I said to Charlie, ‘We need you guys in the lobby of number two.’ He looked at me like I was crazy… When we ran by the southwest corner of the hotel, I noticed that the doors to the Tall Ships restaurant were wide open and there were people inside there." *The simple fact is that some first responders, for whatever reasons, just didn’t want to go into or any closer to the theatre. I recall that Tall Ships was a new restaurant in the South Tower. Were people just hanging out in there like nothing was up. A: “I’m no meteorologist, but I’m guessing that the wind at its height was around 70, 75 miles an hour.” *Collapse of the South Tower. Robert Browne October 24th 2001: A: “…there was bodies scattered along West Street all the way back as far as the tunnel….” *Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. A: “…we started heading back towards Liberty and West Street… There was a lot of debris coming off the building…a large piece of debris was coming down…and it had to be the size of a Volkswagon car, and it was---it was burned. It was glowing red, and it just landed in the street in front of us…” A: “…if you’re a beach person and you ever been in the ocean, and you have a large wave come over you, and you can just feel it keep coming and coming. It’s like the debris just kept coming…” *The collapse of the South Tower. A: “I can remember Chief Wells coming out of the middle of the pile over on---over close towards the tower.” A: “…I think the other guy was just a regular J oe, just a civilian who followed us… I hope he didn’t follow me because he thought I knew where I was going, because he’d be shit out of luck if he did…” * In regards to taking refuge in the back of a bakery in the WFC during the North Tower collapse. This time though, he was shit in luck. But I’ve encountered in this project how some person’s split second decisions were the difference between life and death that day. EMT Freddy Burgos October 31st 2001: A: “I remember falling on my face a couple of times. I kept tripping over body parts. Like they were covered by dust, so couldn’t see where I was going.” Firefighter Timothy Burke J anuary 22nd 2002: A: “There was a calling for water, they had no water." A: [ Par. Stricken From Record Pg. 6 ] A: “Then the building popped, lower than the fire, which I learned was I guess, the aviation fuel fell into the pit, and whatever floor it fell on heated up really bad and that’s 289 290 why it popped at that floor. That’s the rumor I heard. But it seemed like I was going oh, my God, there is a secondary device because the way the building popped I thought it was an explosion.” *It didn't "pop" because of jet fuel.. A: “I think we were at Murray (St.). We ended up over there and all the second wave of firemen came in and you could see the difference between the first wave fireman and the second wave fireman, because the first wave firemen had the look in their eyes like oh, my God, you don’t even know what happened… All the guys who were there before the buildings fell had this gaze in their eyes, like holy shit… they were waiting for 7 World Trade Center to fall.” A: “I saw a couple of things in the water. They had no pressure. They had no water. I heard 131.” Q: “You mentioned earlier that Engine 10 was yelling they didn’t have any water. Do you have any idea where their location was?” A: “No, no. I think it was Engine 10 looking for water there. They had no pressure. There was people with no pressure fighting the fire. That’s from what I remember.” Q: “Do you know if they were in the towers or they were fighting fires in the street?" A: “I’m not even sure. It was at the beginning of everything. … I just remember, holy geez, there is no water anywhere…” *It seemed like there was no water available near the Trade Center pre-collapse. Firefighter J ohn Butler J anuary 9th 2002: A: “I heard one communication regarding a Mayday situation which was transmitted by Marine 6, that they thought they had observed a major collapse of Tower number 2. While we were operating at this spot, we were there for approximately one hour before the second plane hit Tower number 2…” *Bizarre. This referred to the FDNY boat in New York Harbor seeing some kind of collapse of the South Tower before it ever exploded. Was this some kind of weird, paranormal glitch? Firefighter Robert Byrne December 7th 2001: A: “I was by myself with 20 civilians... I was the only fireman. The whole line stopped because we had to stay in a single column to keep the overhead protection… So I went around to the front…I found this big lady and she couldn’t walk. Basically I was like, ‘Lady you got to get up. You’re going to kill everybody.’ She said, ‘No, just leave me here.’ So we couldn’t do that of course. I tried to help carry her, but I was so exhausted. She wouldn’t give any effort whatsoever to get up.” A: “…we had to get out of the way for a couple of people that had their skin hanging off their bodies, basically. They were pretty burnt up.” Lieutenant Grace Cacciola October 24th 2001: A: “We got out of the car, first thing we saw was a severed torso, like ten feet in front of 290 291 us. There was a cop guarding the torso…There were body parts and fragments and blood all over the place.” A: “So while we were standing there, one of the firefighters from SOC came over and I thought he had said he had a bag and he said…" [ Rest Of Par. Stricken From Record ] *SOC is “Special Operations Command.” Not sure if the censored section was in connection with the removal of FDNY Chief Ganci and Commissioner Feehan’s bodies, which they wanted to remove and get in the same ambulance together. They obviously didn't want to say anything like: 'This guy had this bag like, and he said there was a head in it, but I didn't believe him so…...' You know what I mean? Firefighter Edward Cachia December 6th 2001: A: “As my officer and I were looking at the South Tower, it just gave. It actually gave at a lower floor, not the floor where the plane hit, because we had originally thought there was like an internal detonation explosives because it went in succession, boom, boom, boom, boom, and then the tower came down.” *Okay skeptics??? Paramedic J oseph Cahill October 15th 2001: A: “Yes, the west side of Church had a---some kind of courtyard, like a building courtyard that was securely fenced off, because I remember seeing cops climbing over the fence, but it had trees, little trees… What was also there was a suspicious package on one of these side streets.” *Not sure where this could’ve been. There is no courtyard with trees on the west side of Church Street, unless it was further up towards Canal Street. But Cahill then said they, “Walked back up and met the rest of the group on Greenwich, at the Traveler’s building.” A: “The police had one of these eastern cross streets blocked off, like I said, with the suspicious package, which looked like a suitcase or an old-fashioned briefcase.” Lieutenant Michael Cahill October 17th 2001: A: “That’s when the second collapse started to come down… I was waylaid by an ATF guy, who was in such a---in his exuberance to leave where he was, took off like a linebacker, knocked me clean off my feet and I wasn’t the only one. He hit my watch. He knocked my watch off, knocked my watch off. Somebody found it in the rubble. Turned it into Metrotech." *Reminds me of that Seinfeld episode. The guy knocked his watch off! A: “…people were taking off, including the crew that was supposed to be taking care of her (a female EMT who was extremely upset)… So I stopped her for two seconds, because I knew she was with somebody. She wasn’t able to tell me where her partner was… She pulled away from me and ran into the dust... I turned around and started heading off after her. People were running this way and I’m running that way after this EMT. Ambulances going this way, ESU trucks flying down the street, cutting through the dust, people ducking out of his way. Absolute panic, absolute panic." *This was the beginning of the somewhat comical---if that is at all possible--- instances where people just couldn't seem to hold onto anyone on 9-11. They’d turn their back for a second and that longtime loyal partner would be gone in 291 292 an instant, not seeing them again for days. A: “Asked her to hang out, stay here and you and I will try to get some EMS people together… I turned my back and she was gone. No idea where she went. We didn’t find her till the end of the night. She turned up at one of the hospitals, not hurt, but at a field hospital." A: “He said his name was Pinky, he worked in Manhattan. I didn’t see him again. I was with him for half an hour and he kind of wandered off… There was a lot of---whatever looked interesting is where people were milling towards. Whatever people didn’t want to go anywhere near, they would go in the other direction. It was hard to get control of people… There was a group of people there one minute…” A: “There were people saying I can’t find my partner. This guy was going---very strange, very strange stuff. He took off. The chief grabbed him by the ear and said get in my car, we are gonna take a look at something. Where this guy ended up, but we never saw him again.” *Some at the Trade Center went completely around the bend that day, possibly never returning. Fire Marshal Michael Cain December 20th 2001: A: “…I started to run back towards the sea wall and as I was passing the sea wall, the J ersey State Police had a launch in the Cove Harbor and he was trying to pull out, but the bow line was still attached to the tire…” Firefighter Fernando Camacho December 12th 2001: A: “A second or two later everything started to shake. You could hear explosions. We didn’t know what it was.” *In regards to the collapse of the South Tower. Firefighter Frank Campagna December 4th 2001: A: “…as far as we knew… We just knew there was a fire up there. Any other explosions we felt from inside were maybe extra machinery or something like that. Those were the words that we were getting. So we just kept going up the stairwell. We got to about the 17th floor, and we felt another pretty big explosion.” *What does it take for people to believe a bomb is a bomb? Disinformation about secondary explosions may have contributed to the loss of life. A: “We had to switch staircases. I believe the staircase we were in, there was no way down it anymore on the lower level. There was word that it had been taken out; we don’t know what from.” A: “I looked back. You see three explosions and then the whole thing coming down.” Sergeant J ames Canham December 18th 2001: A: "It was a pile of rubble (the North Tower). All you heard were pass alarms." 292 293 Q: “You heard pass alarms?” *This was reported many times in transcripts, the pass alarms that were heard after the collapses, which are signals from trapped firefighters. Q: “…When you went into the lower level of One World Trade Center, the sprinkler heads were going off." A: “Right, they were heads off.” Q: “There was no fire; there was no heat. Their heads were off from a pressure surge like from the pressure created by the falling of building two or what do you think?” A: “What I believe set those heads off is when those elevators had dropped.” Q: “What did the elevators doors look like?” A: “They were buckled, cantilevered. The one woman was---how she was standing up, I didn’t know.” Q: “She was standing up? She was alive?” A: “She was standing up and alive…” *That’s amazing. Firefighter Richard Carletti J anuary 2nd 2002: A: “…directly south of Trade Center No. 2 there’s a pedestrian walkway… It was jet parts and body parts. I distinctly remember seeing a woman’s hand. It was cut off at the wrist. She had a wedding ring, so it had to be the left hand, and then I looked to the left and I just saw the rib cage with nothing in it and there was just debris.” Firefighter Owen Carlock December 5th 2001: A: “…they were on the ninth floor of one of the apartment buildings on the west side of West Street, fighting the fire on the ninth floor.” *This was one of many references to the apartment fire in Battery Park City on 9-11. I think it would be interesting to determine which apartment that was and what caused it. Worst-case scenario would be that it was a base of operations for Agents of 9-11, with the fire set to cover up evidence. A worse-er case scenario would be that this was the same apartment donated to police as a rest and recuperation center. Firefighter Craig Carlsen J anuary 25th 2002: A: “…I guess about three minutes later you just heard explosions coming from building two, the South Tower. It seemed like it took forever, but there were about ten explosions." Q: “When the North Tower was coming down, did you have any indication? Did you hear the explosions again? Did anybody warn you like they heard on the radio or anything like that?” A: “I didn’t have a radio…You did hear the explosions.” *Yeah, ten of them. Firefighter J oseph Casaliggi J anuary 9th 2002: 293 294 A: “So we got off the rig. I noticed there were several people sitting in the grass in front of the building burned head to toe, gray, just staring at us…we must have watched 50, 60 people jump. I was watching one guy hang onto the outside of the building, the outside of the North Tower…” Firefighter Tiernach Cassidy December 30th 2001: A: “We don’t actually see the second plane hit, but we see the impact. We were on of course the north side, so we saw the huge explosion engulf the whole top of that building. [ Sentence Stricken From Record ]." *What did Cassidy see after that? A: “I went for the life saving rope, give him one end he would tie himself off, and I would be up top and tie it to whatever substantial object I could. He would go give a quick search just to see---because there were still maydays being given all over. Finally we had this huge hole… So I unfurled the life-saving rope again, and he goes down in this hole… It was about 35 feet down… So he says there’s another gap, another void… He said he found him. It was the guys from 36, that Port Authority cop, three civilians and a friend of mine, Mickey Cross…. So the Port Authority cop comes out first. There was a chief there, two chiefs.” Q: “…Where were these guys?” A: “The fourth floor of the North Tower when it came down. The other hole was 60 feet deep… How they survived, I have no idea. I couldn’t believe it. They needed a life- saving rope to come down and get them. They were down that far. There was no---they didn’t know which way was up, which way was down. 110 stories comes down on your head and you’re 60 feet down…” Q: “Were they dazed?” A: “Oh, yeah…the Port Authority cop comes out first… I’m like. ‘Come on. This way. This way.’ He lies there on top of the girder, and he gives me the biggest hug and he starts crying. For me it was like, ‘All right, no time for sentiment. You’ve got to get going. You walk that way'… Everybody that got out…he had brass, white shirt… Mentally not with it. Totally dazed. Mickey was the third guy to come out. I grabbed his hand when he was coming up. He looks up… I said, ‘Hey, Mickey.’ He just looked at me. He didn’t remember who I was. He said, ‘Which way out?’… I just pointed… Then the guys from 36 came out next, 36 Truck. Then we started running civilians out.” *Amazing. Q: “…it really got going, that building seven. I saw it late in the day, and like the first seven floors were on fire. It looked like heavy fire on seven floors.” A: “It was fully engulfed… there were pieces of tower two in building seven… you could see the flames going straight through from one side of the building to the other. That’s an entire block.” Q: “I wonder what was burning in there. What do you think was burning? It’s an office building. There’s not a lot of wood in there.” A: “You figure, that jet fuel…” Q: “It was jet fuel, yeah.” *The jet fuel theory spread to 7 WTC ? That still was not the reason it collapsed. 294 295 EMT J ason Charles J anuary 23rd 2002: A: [ Sentence Stricken From Record Page 2 ] A: “…these two EMT females, they had this heavyset lady…she passes out on the ground…then I heard an explosion from up, from up above, and I froze and I was like, oh, shit, I’m dead…everybody who was sitting there hurt, oh, you know, help me…everybody together got up and ran…. I started running up the block. As I start running up Fulton, I see this lady who I left behind hauling ass up Fulton and her dress is like flapping in the wind, and I’m like look at her go, you know, and I’m just running and she had a nice lead on me, so she was like half a block up already.” *She was hitting it like the best of 'em! Goes to show you. A: “Mind you, before that, which I found a little weird, before the towers fell, there were a lot of people falling out of the building like…they were just throwing themselves out, like they were just lined up and going, like paratroopers, and at one point right before the towers came down that stopped. It was like the people that were coming out just stopped coming out the window for whatever reason. I found that a little weird.” *I wonder why that happened? Maybe explosions stopped the bailouts? A: (Tape side two) [First Part of Sentence Missing] "…towers and I heard six loud explosions, and those six loud explosions changed my mind real quick and I went back over to the triage center and it was like you know what? Let me wait here..." * Too bad that tape change occurred smack dab in the middle of the most important section. Dang! I hate when that happens…. Firefighter Roy Chelsen J anuary 18th 2002: A: “…we heard this big explosion, and that’s when the tower started coming down. We all started running.” Lieutenant J oseph Chiafari December 3rd 2001: A: “…you heard actually what sounded like another plane flying overhead…it sounded like the roar of a plane, and most likely we heard that that was like military jets that may have been flying overhead to monitor what was going on in the harbor area.” A: “I remember across the street from where we were, there was a high rise apartment building. I remember seeing a fire on the upper floor, the fifth or sixth floor that was burning pretty good inside the apartment building. It didn’t look like anybody was there." *This was the first of many accounts pertaining to the sound of a jet just as each tower collapsed. And the apartment fire again. Firefighter Ronald Cifu December 28th 2001: 295 296 A: “I think the standpipe system itself might have been severed, so I don’t know if the standpipes were ever used. If they were, I don’t think we had a good supply of water. I don’t think we had a good supply of water from the hydrants. It seemed like we were getting---the pressure was just dropping as we used all the hydrants in the area. The water pressure seemed to be a problem.” *This was pre-collapse of the towers. There was no significant pressure in the hydrants. Captain Charles Clarke December 6th 2001: A: “Definitely bring the second bottle (cylinder) because we saw smoke starting to issue from lower floors, you know, that lighter smoke. So we were wondering where that was coming from and I even heard some radio transmissions about fire in the elevator shafts from the jet fuel.” A: “…an elderly gentleman was coming down the stairs and he’s got a custodian patch on his shirt. I said, ‘You work here?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘You got a key for this door?’ He goes, ‘I do.’ He goes, ‘What are you guys doing in here?’ He had no idea what the fuck had just happened. He had no idea. So he opened the door and I opened the door up and looked out and it was solid smoke. So I closed the door. I said, ‘Where does this lead to?’ He said, ‘That’s outside.’ I said, ‘Are you sure?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’ I opened the door again. I looked along the floor. I saw it was concrete.” *That’s amazing that he didn’t even know what was going on. Battalion Chief Frank Congiusta J anuary 8th 2002: A: [ Sentence Stricken From Record ] "Then there was some deputy there from Queens that asked us to search the Customs building, which was still standing… we searched the eight floors of the Customs building on the west side. The whole middle of the building was blocked out by collapse… Chief Fellini… told us to search the sub-basements… I reported that the search was negative.” Captain Paul Conlon J anuary 23rd 2002: A: “We got about halfway there, and Dan Suhr gets hit with a jumper…. It was as if he exploded. It wasn’t like you heard something falling and you could jump out of the way. He gets hit. The guy’s are like, 'Oh, fuck.'” *Danny Suhr was the first FDNY Firefighter to die that day. He still had a pulse, and was put in an ambulance where a doctor looked at him, but she stepped out shaking her head. He died at the hospital or in transit. Firefighter Patrick Connolly J anuary 13th 2002: A: “…my brother had said to me---you know, the whole way down he was explaining to me that this is nothing like what you deal with, what you’re expected to deal with. He said, 'There is a lot of people gonna' be hurt on the outside.' He was a policeman so he 296 297 was all concerned about a secondary device. So he was saying that, you now, he kept drilling that into my head: 'Secondary device, secondary device, secondary device.' You know, it’s not over. There is something else that’s gonna’ happen. He goes if that first tower came down, he said, this might go down too. He was telling me not to go into the buildings.” *Smart guy. A: “…exactly one block west of West Broadway or one block east of the West Side Highway…somebody had screamed that one of the buildings, surrounding buildings was coming down as well. So we told that guy, 'You gotta come with us.' He was pretty hesitant. We said, 'You gotta come and that’s it…'" *He might have been kind of losing it. A: “…a call came through that there was a bomb in the area… we ran towards Manhattan Community College.” EMT J oseph Conzo J anuary 16th 2002: A: “…we proceeded to walk towards the water and I linked up with Captain DeShore, [ Middle of Sentence Stricken From Record] and a few other EMT’s." *Unsure of why something was so sensitive in that sentence. Could it have been a name they did not want released? Paramedic Louis Cook October 17th 2001: A: “…onto the foot bridge when I started to hear---I thought I heard an explosion of some sort, but I kind of dismissed it. I figured, ah, it’s just something burning upstairs… then I just remember hearing this rumbling sound that was really intense… I turned to look for the cop, and the cop was gone. I don’t know where the hell he went.” *An explosive blast preceding the collapse of the South Tower. And once again, someone else had no luck keeping other people around that day for very long. EMT Alan Cooke October 10th 2001: A: “We got to the beginning of the FDR Drive, by the ferry, and I guess because of the way the streets channel everything, one of the fireballs or whatever, had to have made it as far as the South Street Seaport, because what happened at that time, it seemed like an explosion was coming from there. I thought an explosion was coming from there. That’s when everybody started running towards us from the Seaport… That’s when all the ash and everything started coming down…” *The collapse of the South Tower. A: “Nobody could breathe and everybody was trying to climb up on to the wall of FDR Drive… the thing I remember most was when it got dark, when everything just clouded… I knew at that time there weren’t supposed to be any planes flying, but I heard planes flying… I thought that what happened was that there was an explosion at the Trade Center. Then I thought there was another one at the Seaport. I thought that was a secondary and herding everybody towards the Brooklyn Bridge… Now I’m thinking everybody is heading towards the bridge and now here comes even another plane or 297 298 rocket or something to take out the bridge.” *Several witness accounts talked of a plane in the area during the collapses. They seemed to be connected somehow. And could there have been an errant missile blast hitting the Seaport? One account talked about an unspecified incident over by the Brooklyn Bridge. Firefighter Dean Coutsouros October 11th 2001: A: “I look up and black smoke starts billowing out of the 9th floor window…" *That's two accounts naming the 9th floor for the Battery Park City apartment These were the guys that put it out. FDNY Captain Steve Grabher, Firefighters Coutsouros and Shroeck were sitting on the street outside a residential building in Battery Park City. It was probably one of the nearer buildings to the World Financial Center. But as I said, I am not alleging that it was beyond a doubt suspicious, just interesting. A: “…we tested the hydrant and there was no water… We grabbed two cans off that rig and walked up to the 9th floor to that apartment. There was someone there already forced the door. We went in with the cans to see what we could do. It was already vented, so it was just a lot of flame, not too much smoke, not too bad. We went in with the cans. It did nothing. We went back down to the 8th floor and Buffalo, Fireman Orloff, was pulling up. He dropped a Clorox bottle." *As far as, “He dropped a Clorox bottle,” I have no idea what this meant. Early firefighters found bleach to be flammable. I think he was saying that Orloff was from Buffalo. A: “He was pulling up two lengths of two and a half to hook to a standpipe (Orloff). A guy in front of me grabbed a nozzle [the mystery firefighter]. I had a knife. I was cutting the rope off the nozzle. We went up to the 9th floor. We got there and I figured I’d back this guy up and he just handed me the nozzle. Now I realize he didn’t have a mask. So I masked up, I got the nozzle, I went in… I went in, knocked down two rooms of fire, had absolutely no pressure. There was a couch next to me that was burning like directly by my shoulder, but every time I turned the nozzle, I was cutting off my water. I had absolutely no pressure. So I pushed the couch out of my way, knocked down the two rooms… and turned around and hit the couch. J ust as I finished hitting that area right there, I turned around. A little corner flared up again, and then I ran out of water. There was no water because the gravity tank must have took a hit or whatever or just that was it. I wound up shaking the hose to put the rest of the fire out." *Was the gravity tank sabotaged? Q: “The firefighter that you backed up, do you know who that was?" A: “…I have no idea who he was.” Q: “Was he on duty or off duty?” A: “I don’t know. He had a mask so… It’s hard to tell because masks were being traded. God knows. I didn’t even know what company he was from I really don’t know who he was or whatever happened. We were just trying to put this fire out, which we did.” *I think this mystery firefighter was later said to be a probie or an out-of-town firefighter. And Coutsouros said he had at first no mask, then he had a mask. Fire Marshall J ohn Coyle December 28th 2001: A: “J ust as we were about to pull out, the second plane hit… I actually said to him, 'What about secondary devices?' That was the only thing I remembered from terrorist training, was watch for secondary devices and don’t go rushing in…” 298 299 A: “There was a lot of people jumping. That was horrible I was shook up. I have never been that shaken up by anything before. I was standing there and I couldn’t believe that you could see people apparently holding their coats out to try and fly or something and then adjusting to the landing. It was fucking awful… It was a little foggy as to what anybody could do at that point… It didn’t seem you could put those fires out… I remember a middle-aged couple, a businessman, it looked like, but they seemed to be tourists or something standing near us. He was kind of smiling and pointing at the thing as if it was a tourist attraction, with is wife, I believe. He stood there for a few minutes. Finally he said something to me. I have no idea what it was, but still with this kind of dopey grin on his face. I said, 'What are you doing here?' He was like, 'Well this is something else,' or whatever. I said, 'If I were you, I would get the hell out of here,' or words to that effect. He kind of looked at me funny, and then started walking away, it seemed. There was a photographer there not far from us with a lot of cameras on him.” *I can’t blame the people for trying to fly a little. I was personally turned off while listening to live news radio describing the event and how everyone was lining up along the sidewalks, “J ust like the Macy’s Day parade.” Soon those people would be running for their lives. A: “The tower was---it looked to me---I thought it was exploding, actually. That’s what I thought for hours afterward, that it had exploded or the plane or there had been some device on the plane that had exploded, because the debris from the tower had shot out far over our heads. It was raining down. I ran south and then made a right onto Albany Street, which would be running west.” A: “…it seemed to have gotten so far beyond these massive pieces of stuff.” [Next Paragraph Stricken From Record] *Passages pertaining to the detonations in the Twin Towers were constantly being censored. There had to be some sort intelligence oversight of these transcripts. A: “But nobody knew what had happened. I still thought it had exploded, something had exploded… It seemed that the thing had blown up. I didn’t know what this dust was, whether it was part of the building or what the heck happened… It was senseless chatter on the radio. I couldn’t make heads nor tails of it… Then the other tower came down… Then I heard on the radio all marshalls are to report to…near the J ewish Memorial… We stood there for a few minutes, and I eventually said, ‘We shouldn’t even be here. This is the J ewish thing. This is a terrorist thing. This is a dumb place to be standing. This thing might blow up’... Everybody I think at that point still thought these things were blown up. So I was fully expecting anything else to blow up… There was a school…” Q: “Manhattan Community College?” A: “That might have been it. We drove back up there… Rumors were sweeping, that the Washington Monument was down, the Sears Tower was down, all the stuff like that… I finally got through to my father and said, ‘I’m alive.’… I said, ‘Yeah I was right there when it blew up.’ He said, ‘You were there when the planes hit?’ I said, ‘No, I was there when it exploded, the building exploded.’ He said, ‘You mean, it fell down?’ I said, ‘No, when it exploded.’ I still didn’t realize what had happened. I totally thought it had been blown up.” *Coyle went on to say that maybe it was just his perspective that it appeared as if the buildings were exploding. It was my experience in dealing with these transcripts that witnesses were constantly practically apologizing for thinking there were explosions---what they knew they saw and heard. Ronald Coyne December 28th, 2001: 299 300 A: “…I saw a woman impaled into a wall across the street from the building. I saw people jumping out of the windows when they were collapsing, going through cars…” Chief Frank Cruthers October 31st 2001: A: “And while I was still in that immediate area, the South Tower, 2 World Trade Center, there was what appeared to be at first an explosion. It appeared at the very top, simultaneously from all four sides, materials shot out horizontally. And then there seemed to be a momentary delay before you could see the beginning of the collapse.” *This corroborates with what other FDNY personnel saw. It was the same for both towers: a band of explosions at the top, then the collapse. EMT Allen Cruz October 11th 2001: A: “…somebody said, there’s another plane. That’s it, another plane is coming, another plane is gonna crash. We heard this rumble, that’s when the building came down. We all thought it was a plane… We actually thought it was another plane. That’s right. … Because we heard the rumble (BOOM).” Captain J ohn Kevin Culley October 17th 2001: A: “One of the Rescue 1 Firefighters recognized me as being an OEM and he said basically that there’s a U.S.A.R. cache from the New York City team located in Queens.” *This was Urban Search & Rescue. Captain Karin Deshore November 7th 2001: A: “…explosions, you know, dark smoke coming out of both buildings.” A: “This is funny, but Mr. Keller told me that I looked like an ass and I told him it was really unprofessional for him to say that…He said to me I had my helmet on backwards…. The bodies kept coming out of both buildings. Some of them were on fire.. Some of them were moving, others were not moving and the worst part was as they hit the ground, they would go like a splush sound. You could just see the whole body would just disintegrate into pieces and splatter all over…” A: “Somewhere around the middle of the World Trade Center, there was this orange and red flash coming out. Initially it was just one flash. Then this flash just kept popping all the way around the building and that building had started to explode. The popping sound, and with each popping sound it was initially an orange and then a red flash came out of the building and then it would just go all around the building on both sides as far as I could see. These popping sounds and the explosions were getting bigger, going both up and down and then all around the building…. So these explosions are getting bigger and louder and bigger and louder…” 300 301 *These were Squibs going off inside the World Trade Center, prepping the building for the final explosion. EMT Diane DeMarco December 14th 2001: A: [ One Paragraph Stricken From Record ] Lieutenant Rene Davila October 12th 2001: A: “I saw people coming completely burnt at me where their clothes were singed off with burns, probably from one to fourth degree going down into the bone. They were walking to me… They were jumping now one, two, three, four, smashing like fucking eggs on the ground.” Father J ohn Delendick December 6th 2001: A: “I remember asking Ray Downey was it the jet fuel that blew up. He said at that point he thought there were bombs up there because it was too even…. He said it was too even.” Q: “Symmetrical? A: “So his original thought was that he thought it was a bomb up there as well." *It seemed as though there may have been a sentence/s missing in the above. A: “I remember a cop running along next to me… He says: ‘Father, can I go to confession?’ I looked and said: ‘This is an act of war, isn’t it?’ He said: ‘Yeah, I believe so.’ I said: ‘Then I’m giving general absolution.’ I gave everyone general absolution, and I kept running.” *Father Delendick was no dummy, he was giving confession on the run! A: “Also ran into a bunch of guys from the Secret Service, about 25 or 30 of them, all in their suits.” EMT Michael D’Angelo October 24th 2001: A: “ Something I noticed from when I was standing in front of the Embassy Suites at the time, I saw that the US Secret Service were bringing somebody, an Arab man in a suit, covered in soot, walking away in handcuffs. I remember that distinctly, because the guy looked right in my eyes.” *What happened to this guy and what was he suspected of? Paramedic Kevin Darnowski November 9th 2001: A: “I see droves of firefighters running towards the buildings, but nobody’s coming out 301 302 on the West Street side. I questioned one fire department official---I believe he was a captain… He told me the Port Authority had locked the doors on that side of the building and was having everybody come out on the Trinity side by the church…” *Why were doors locked by the PA that weren't locked originally? Lieutenant George DeSimone October 22nd 2001: A: “The next thing I know, we heard a little bit of a rumbling, and then white powder came from the first collapsed building. I thought it was an explosion initially. We got hit with the powder.” A: “…it was almost as if it was the roller coaster at Coney Island. It seemed like a metal clanging on metal.” *In reference to the collapse. A: “After that, I still thought it was an explosion. I thought it was some kind of thermal explosion where I’m either going to get burnt---and I had kind of ideas that it was going to be something like Hiroshima where all this heat was coming at me and we were going to get burnt…” *This might give basis to speculation about thermite explosions and molten metal found in the foundations. A: “We saw jets overhead, commercial airliner, military jets, Air Force jets, and we didn’t know what the hell was going on.” *What was a commercial airliner still doing around the World Trade Center at that point? Q: “Between the first and the second building, the first one you only had the white smoke and the second building you had the black smoke?” A: “Yeah.” A: “I was fearful that there were bombs in the building. That was my first thought, being the military kind of guy that I am.” EMT Moussa Diaz J anuary 17th 2002: A: “All of a sudden we heard a big boom and I looked up and the tower started to collapse…” *Most likely 2 WTC, although Diaz stated the collapse was “Tower 1.” His location was, “Against the building. 5 World Trade Center.” Battalion Chief Brian Dixon October 25th 2001: A: “…hearing a noise and looking up and seeing---it actually looked---the lowest floor of fire in the South Tower actually looked like someone had planted explosives around it because the whole bottom I could see---I could see two sides of it and the other side---it just looked like that floor blew out. I looked up and you could actually see everything blew out on the one floor. I thought, geez, this looks like an explosion up there, it blew out.” A: “…I’m there when the second one comes down too…I hear the same noise again and look up and realize oh, this one’s coming down.” 302 303 Captain Michael Donovan November 9th 2001: A: “I thought there had been an explosion or a bomb that they had blown up there. The Vista International was my first impression, that they had blown it up. I never got to see the World Trade Center coming down.” Lieutenant Robert Dorritie December 11th 2001: A: “That’s when I looked up, and the tower started coming down, which at the time I said I thought it was a secondary device. I had warned the guys about secondary devices on the way down to be careful of that.” Assistant Commissioner J ames Drury October 16th 2001: A: “That was the North Tower coming down. I should say that people in the street and myself included thought that the roar was so loud that the explosives---bombs were going off inside the building.” A: “The sound it made. As I said I thought the terrorists planted explosives somewhere in the building. That’s how loud it was, crackling explosive, a wall.” Firefighter J ames Duffy J anuary 14th 2002: A: “I didn’t know the building had collapsed, actually. I thought it was a bomb. I thought a bomb had gone off… I thought it was a bomb or something that went off.” Firefighter Kevin Duggan December 14th 2001: A: “…the fellow sitting on the other side of the rig saw the South Tower explode. He saw an explosion. He told us the building just exploded. We looked over and we saw the South Tower, a lot of orange and a lot of smoke… We looked up and we could see the South Tower. Looked like the middle of it was just exploding out.” EMT Richard Erdey October 10th 2001: Q: “What route did you take?” A: [ Sentence Stricken From Record ] Q: “About what time was this?” A: “8:59.” *I don’t know why this part would have been censored. A: “They told us there’s always secondary devices. When we were coming to this area, I said to my partner, we’ll never feel it. The underground will blow up from us and we’ll 303 304 be dead. Because nobody’s counting on a secondary device, and whatever bonehead had us lined up around the World Trade Center, after hindsight, 20/20, that ain’t too bright either because there’s usually a secondary device. The Olympics showed that in Atlanta. Most bombings show that. There’s always something for the people and then, when everybody comes rushing in, there’s a little something extra. But we didn’t expect that the building was going to be the something extra.” A: “I went to a grocery store…and I said, I need water… I came back in there and I said where’s the EMT? Gone. I was furious because now he went back in there. I wish I knew his name…” *He was gone and who knows if he survived? Firefighter Kenneth Escoffry J anuary 16th 2002: A: “We went up to the mezzanine level (North Tower), and in the corner, which was exposure 4, we noticed it looked like it was jet fuel that was just running down the side of the building. The fire wasn’t spreading or anything.” *Does “exposure 4” mean picture four?. A: “On the way out between tower one and six, we heard something like an incoming missile,… that’s when the second tower came down.” *Again, hearing something like a plane or a missile before the collapse. Firefighter Peter Fallucca December 26th 2001: A: “It looked like a meteor came flying across the street. They said it was an engine (South Tower)… as we get out of the rig, there’s a cop, city police officer, in the street. He’s telling us, ‘I’m getting out of here. I just saw a rocket.’ He said he saw it come off the Woolworth Building and hit the tower. He says, ‘I just saw a rocket hit that building. I’m getting the F out of here. I’m getting out of here.’” *A cop saw a missile from the Woolworth. That pretty much solidifies the theory. Fallucca then went on to try and debunk the missile theory by saying it was just the debris plume extending to the top of the Woolworth, but in video, you can see that’s clearly not possible. What better way to obfuscate a missile launcher, than by using it when there was a distraction. A: “…we were on the 23rd floor (North Tower). There were guys in suits up there on the 23rd floor. Guys were telling me there were---the CIA’s got offices on the 23rd floor… They had a lot of information, these guys were giving us. They had told us that the Pentagon was hit…. They hit another place in Washington. They shot a plane down… we just got a report of a third plane headed this way…” *Another government source besides Rumsfeld saying that a flight had been shot down. Made sense that they were on 23, if OCC was on 22. Q: “Is there anything else that you can think of that might be pertinent? A: “When I came out, all the people that I saw in the lobby, I remember seeing a guy filming in the lobby. There was a guy with a video camera in the lobby filming. “ Q: “Fireman? Civilian?” A: “He look like---you know, might have been a light-duty guy. He looked like he had a fireman uniform, but he didn’t have bunker gear on. He just had the coat on and blue pants. It looked like a fireman, but it didn’t look like---he wasn’t wearing ---he didn’t have bunker gear on, and he wasn’t wearing a helmet. J ust he had a camera, and I 304 305 remember him filming with a camera, and it wasn’t like the amateur ones. It looked like a professional looking camera that he had. *The disclosure of how this cameraman was dressed was odd. It seemed similar to a video---fake or not, I’m not sure--- that popped up on the internet that showed what looked like an U.S. soldier in a WTC lobby carrying a rifle and wearing a FDNY jacket. Lieutenant Francis Farrington December 12th 2001: A: "...we were ordered...to move...under the overpass at Chambers Street, because at that point it was feared that Six World Trade Center was going to collapse. It did so later in the afternoon." *There may have been three independent collapses at the Trade Center that day: 2 WTC, 1 WTC, 7 WTC & 6 WTC. EMT Pasquale Felitti October 11th 2001: Q: “…is there anything else you would like to tell me?…” A: “…I think the engineers or somebody should have gotten there faster keep the firemen out. Like they said on the news about the jet fuel, it burns at 3,000 degrees or something.” *Once again, disinformation by the media and rumor. This was not Felitti’s fault though, he was going by what he heard. Even jet fuel, burning in a pool condition with plentiful oxygen, would only have burned at 495* F. Furthermore, British Steel, along with the BRE, found no structural steel collapse at 1,700* F in six controlled experiments. EMT J arjean Felton October 10th 2001: A: “…vehicles like haz-tac units, I seen the haz-tac units, I seen the guys with like the tinfoil suits.” *You got them there Haz-Tac Units, and those tinfoil suit guys. I see ‘em sometimes too. Firefighter Christopher Fenyo December 11th 2001: A: “There was an explosion at the top of the Trade Center and a piece of Trade Center flew across the West Side Highway and hit the Financial Center… the South Tower from our perspective exploded from about midway up the building... We went off to the right. There’s a big, big loading dock underneath there. You could probably fit three or four tractor-trailers with the doors closed…. At that point the smoke had gotten down to the floor…” A: “At that point a debate began to rage because the perception was that the building looked like it had been taken out with charges… many people had felt that possibly explosives had taken out 2 World Trade, and officers were debating whether or not to go immediately back in or to see what was going to happen with 1 World Trade at that point. The debate ended pretty quickly because 1 World Trade came down.” Firefighter Douglas Ferretti J anuary 24th 2002: 305 306 A: [ Par. Stricken From Record ] *Five lines were blacked out at the conclusion of the interview. Firefighter Vincent Fiorentino October 12th 2001: A: “…later we swung around and we were at a sub cellar fire at the Banker’s Trust building; 130 Liberty. We operated in 130 Liberty.” *This was after the collapses. Firefighter Brian Fitzpatrick December 6th 2001: A: “We just thought it was debris or an explosion or a secondary explosion or another bomb inside the building or another plane.” Deputy Commissioner Thomas Fitzpatrick October 1st 2001: A: “We assumed from the last explosion that there were big big chunks of glass coming down from somewhere.” A: “All we saw was a puff of smoke coming from about 2 thirds of the way up. Some people thought it was an explosion… I remember seeing like sparkling around one specific layer of the building… Then the building started to come down. My initial reaction was that this was exactly the way it looks when they show you those implosions on TV.” *It is interesting because in the DVD footage of 9-11 Eyewitness I spotted this exact phenomenon of “sparkling” around the upper portion of the North Tower. Was this broken glass from explosions? A: “One of the cops behind there said we have people trapped on the 22nd floor… And the 22nd at that point seemed like a relatively safe place to be. The 22nd would probably be the best… Last thing we saw, as opposed to (inaudible).” Q: “I just have one last question.” A: [ Not Recorded ] *Why not? Lieutenant J ames Fody December 26th 2001: A: “…I heard a transmission on the radio that the 66 th floor had collapsed. It had collapsed into 65, but the building felt sound at this time.” EMT J oseph Fortis November 9th 2001: A: “Like I said, when that blast came out, everybody got this little singe. Even like the little bands on our jackets just melted right off, the reflective bands.” 306 307 EMS Lieutenant Charles Fraser October 16th 2001: A: “Then we proceeded down into the subway station at Barclay Street and Church because they said that there were numerous people down there trapped towards West Street. We walked from Church all the way down to Barclay and West, and we couldn’t exit the subway because there was so much debris and everything above us, but there were people down there. So we ended up coming out by---I guess back to West Street…” *People may forget that the subway at the Trade Center---if my memory serves me correctly---would allow you to walk underground from Church Street to the West Side Highway. A: “…a Metro Care ambulance, and I remember there was a civilian dead next to that Metro Care ambulance but half under the vehicle and the legs were out, and as we pulled the person out to kind of see, the whole back of her head was blown off and it’s like she was just decapitated.” Firefighter Todd Fredrickson December 28th 2001: A: “…the other guy was in bad shape (fireman). We dragged him out. He kept laying down and saying leave me. Leave me. I’m going to die. I said listen, get up, because there is other people that want to get out of here, so don’t fucking play this game. He thought he was in the movies or something.” A: “As I was going back, the chief, he got turned around in the smoke or something and he couldn’t find the hole that we came back up…On my way there, they were pulling everybody out. So the chief is like, you can’t go in there, you can’t go in there. I’m like well, there is a chief trapped in there. I guess they thought I was delirious or something. They are like oh, no, we searched in there. I was like all right. Whatever. I wasn’t going to stand there and argue with them, so I just kept going to go where the hole I went in. We went back up that hole. The chief was---I had to go into the hole and then walk a ways until I finally saw the chief and I’m like chief, over here. I went back out that hole…We went back out…it was just me and the chief right now… We came back out to Trinity, I’m not really sure where we came out." Firefighter Thomas Gaby October 23rd 2001: A: “Army was there at that point, too. I don’t know how much after, but there was Army there. That was after the second building I remember. The Army was there because Steve told a general that this is what happened… and they had a couple of bulldozers going there already.” Q: “Already?” A: “Yes. There were a couple of bulldozers going there. So basically… wherever they got them from, they started picking up some of the rubble.” *Keep in mind that we couldn’t even scramble fighter jets to intercept aircraft on 9-11, but yet the Army had boots on the ground at the Trade Center? 307 308 Captain Ray Goldbach October 24th 2001: A: “And they dumped the 1060, which is a radio signal for a major emergency. " [Following Sentence Stricken From Record] A: “Everybody was evacuated in that building (7 WTC)." [Rest of Sentence Stricken From Record] A: [ Sentence Stricken From Record ] "At that point, this was now late in the afternoon.” EMT Brian Gordon October 30th 2001: A: “Out on the street I remember I saw a little shoe that still had a foot in it, a little girl’s shoe, and I could see body parts everywhere pretty much.” A: “…a little Chinese guy named Foo…was sitting in a chair and he wouldn’t let me touch him and he wouldn’t let go of his briefcase. I mean, I couldn’t even take his vitals because he wouldn’t let me go near him. So finally I basically forced him to move his hands so I could cut his pants and check his injuries… he still wouldn’t let me anywhere- --he was guarding his chest with his briefcase. So I told him, I said, look, I’ve got to take your blood pressure. So he said hold on, hold on, and he snapped open his briefcase and he took a wad of hundred dollar bills, it must have been four or five inches thick, out of his pocket and threw it in there, and I looked in the briefcase and it was already full of hundred dollar bills, stacks of them, all the way across, with plane tickets and passports. There must have been $500,000. in there at least, if not like a million. He took two wads out like that and threw it in the briefcase.” *Hey Fu, how’s about a loan? Firefighter Kevin Gorman J anuary 9th 2002: A: “…he said, ‘Aviation just reported that the North Tower is leaning.’ I said, ‘Which way is it leaning?’ He said, ‘This way.’… and as I looked at him I heard the explosion, looked up, and saw like three floors explode…” *Gorman went on to explain that the (mystery) firefighter at the apartment fire in BPC might have been a probie just out of the Academy, wearing old boots and turnout coat. It still didn’t explain how the fire had started. Firefighter Gerard Gorman J anuary 2nd 2002: A: “We were looking out the stairway for Manny, but you can only open the door so much. The doors open in and they were only going two across the stairs. The doors had nowhere to go other than against the wall, and any time you opened a door, we stopped the line. Now, if you’re stopping the line from way down there, can you imagine what it was on the 90th floor just below the hit and everybody’s trying to rush out and they’re fucking opening doors? Every time you opened a door, you stopped the line. That’s like 308 309 kicking me in the head. I bring it up to people now, these doors should be sliding doors in all the newer buildings.” *Good point. A: “So then I tried to call up by the fire phone, you know, the red phone, call down. There was no answer.” Q: “The fire warden’s phone?” A: “Yes. We tried the fire warden’s phone to call down to the lobby command post. Nobody picked up. Nothing. Dead. It seemed like it was dead. I mean, we still had electricity and stuff, we still had running water.” *Other phones were said to work fine, except the fire warden’s phone. A: “…a guy from Squad 18… they had just brought a heart attack victim down on a chair, a heavy guy, and had a hard time carrying him through… They were rolling him, you know, once they got him down on the lobby.” *At first I thought Gorman meant they were rolling him along on the ground, but then it dawned on me that they meant in a chair with wheels. A: “So on the overhang I remember seeing a frigging Bomb Squad cop and I asked him, ‘What the hell blew up?’ He goes, ‘I don’t know.’ Oh, shit. Fucking he don’t know…” A: “…I went down Warren Street… there was a bar to the left going towards West Street… So I went in there and I got like water or something to drink… It was the Brady Bunch Tavern… You wouldn’t believe that the bar was packed. There were people there in the bar drinking. I figured there was like three guys there." Assistant Commissioner Stephen Gregory October 3rd 2001: A: “…my radio cut out completely. Apparently the dust in the air cut the radio signal out. The radio just hummed for maybe about 30 seconds and then it came back on again. At that point I called Manhattan… I asked them if they were aware of an explosion at the Trade Center. I told them basically what I thought had happened.” A: “…for some reason I thought that when I looked in the direction of the Trade Center before it came down, before no. 2 came down, that I saw low-level flashes. In my conversation with Lieutenant Evangelista, never mentioning this to him, he questioned me and asked me if I saw low-level flashes in front of the building, and I agreed with him because I thought---at the time I didn’t know what it was… but I saw a flash, flash, flash and then it looked like the building came down.” Q: “Was that on the lower level of the building or up where the fire was?” A: “No, the lower level of the building. You know like when they demolish a building, how when they blow up a building, when it falls down? That’s what I thought I saw. And I didn’t broach the topic to him, but he asked me. He said, ‘I don’t know if I’m crazy, but I just wanted to ask you because you were standing right next to me.’ He said, ‘Did you see anything by the building?’ And I said, ‘What do you mean by see anything?’ He said, ‘Did you see any flashes?’ I said, ‘Yes, well, I thought it was just me.’ He said, ‘No, I saw them too.’… But it’s strange that two people sort of say the same thing and neither one of us talked to each other about it. I mean, I don’t know this guy from a hole in the wall. I was just standing next to him. I never met the man before in my life. He knew who I was I guess by my name on my coat and he called me up, you know, how are you doing? How’s everything? And, oh, by the way did you… It was a little strange." 309 310 Q: “On the television pictures it appeared as well, before the first collapse, that there was an explosion up on the upper floors.” A: “I know about the explosion on the upper floors. This was like eye level. I didn’t have to go like this. Because I was looking this way. I’m not going to say it was on the first floor or the second floor, but somewhere in that area I saw to me what appeared to be flashes. I don’t know how far down this was already. I mean, we had heard the noise, but you know, I don’t know.” *This is in line with what some others saw. White flashes at the lower levels of the Trade Center, presumably to take out the foundation. Q: “The airplane parts you referred to, they were on West Street?” A: “I saw airplane parts on West Street.” Q: “How did you know they were airplane parts?” A: “It looked like pieces of a plane, skin of a plane. I mean, they weren’t really discernible. I couldn’t say this was this part of a plane or that was that part. J ust knowing a plane had hit the building and I looked and I saw it looked like the skin off a wing or a fuselage or wherever it came from.” Q: “Clearly not building material?” A: “No. The building material was sort of gray and you could see it… how it differed from the plane. I was listening to the tape this morning… and they were describing the plane that hit the building. So many people saw it. They actually described the plane as it came in. They said it was a military-type plane and it was green and it was this. I mean, I never saw the color of the plane.” Q: “… just before we conclude, we’ll offer the commissioner an opportunity to give us any further recollections or observations before we conclude the interview…” A: [ Two-And-A-Half Pages Stricken From Record ] *Gregory may have saw a lot more than we were told in this transcript. Firefighter Pete Guidetti October 12th 2001: A: “I turn around and tell people, ‘Get out of here. The building’s coming down.’ Why I said that, I don’t know. I just really felt strongly about it. Talking to the upper echelon in this job, nobody thought the building was coming down… There were people all over the place. People were in a position they just wanted to watch. I said to them, ‘This building is coming down. Get out of here.’ A few women scattered, ‘Let’s get out of here, let’s get out of here.’ People just stayed there. Boom, the second plane hits.” A: “I look up at the Brooklyn Bridge, loaded with people, mass exodus coming out of fucking Manhattan.” A: [ Half Paragraph Stricken From Record ] "I keep walking, keep walking. I walked to the Manhattan Bridge, which had less people on it.” *Guidetti might have seen or experienced something by the Brooklyn Bridge that kept him from taking that route to Brooklyn. A: “Then as I’m walking up to the Manhattan Bridge, there was a car bomb. A car bomb went off in some car, because the cops were saying ‘Come on, people, shit is happening. Let’s go. Keep moving, keep moving.’ You could see another plume of smoke. Somebody yelled, ‘It’s a car bomb, a car bomb.’ I kept fucking walking towards the Manhattan Bridge.” *Car bombs as well. 310 311 A: “Then they said, ‘You should go in for debriefing’ (FDNY Headquarters).That was on the seventh floor, I believe [ Rest of Paragraph Stricken From Record ]… I get off on the seventh floor. I come in an office like this, a room like this… There’s six people: a marshall, a couple of EMTs, Ken Cox, a couple other people. I sit down. This one EMT says, ‘If you want to talk, you can talk. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. Whenever you feel like it, you can talk if you like or whatever.’ I’m just sitting there. Then there was quiet. There was silence. They’re all staring at me, six people staring at me. [ Next Sentence Stricken From Record ]. So the EMT girl says, ‘Okay. That’s perfectly okay if you just want to sit a while.’ [ Next Sentence Stricken From Record ] ‘Okay. That’s fine. If you want to come back later, you’re more than welcome to. We’re here to help you. We’re here.’ I understood all that, but maybe had they asked me questions I would have been responsive to each question rather than six people staring at me, waiting for me to start talking.” Q: “Right.” A: “…At that time with six people staring at me, I said, ‘You know what, I want to go upstairs.’ And they let me go upstairs. I just went back to my office.” *I don’t know why these specific individuals were in that room, but who knows if they were some kind of double agents there to gauge how much this guy saw, what he knew. A: [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] *This was while Guidetti was recalling things that happened at the WTC. Guidetti then recants an old story about how years before he got in a conversation with a construction engineer about the Trade Center and if it would topple if a 747, topped off with fuel, hit one of the towers. The engineer replied no, that it wasn’t designed to do that. EMT Mala Harrilal November 2nd 2001: A: “There were body parts on the street. I saw something that looked like a helmet, but it wasn’t a helmet. It was a head. A: “The second building came down… we heard the explosion.” Paramedic Mark Harris October 11th 2001: A: “I saw two firemen---I’m not going to use the word explode, but a body fell on them and they exploded along with the body. They were walking into the Trade Center…. One of them was cut in half and the other one exploded…. I saw a Port Authority Policeman, a few civilians killed by falling debris and also another few firemen as they were going into the building.” A: “A fireman broke the window to 145 and they piled into the back of that vehicle and this is like the Keystone Cops. Five of them, six of them in the back. Two on the bumper, one on the windshield wipers, one holding onto the mirror. We’re going back down South End Street towards the only safety we knew…” Chief Peter Hayden October 23rd 2001: A: “We attempted the repeater system. The repeater system was not in service. The repeater system wasn’t working. So we were at a distinct disadvantage because we had 311 312 none of the building systems to work with.” Firefighter Michael Hazel December 6th 2001: A: “You couldn’t tell at that point it was a jet (North Tower Hit). I thought originally it was a publicity stunt, especially after that guy with the parachute who got caught in the Statue of Liberty.” A: “’Anybody at the Battery Tunnel?’ They started rattling off the companies. ‘Respond.’… We got stuck in the tunnel for a while, probably a good ten minutes, but it seemed like forever… we pretty much got the feeling that it was a setup, that we were meant to get stuck in there… But we eventually got through the tunnel… the closer we got, the bigger the parts got, the plane parts and the body parts, and it finally got to the point where I was facing forward and I told the proby… not to look anymore because I told him the things he was going to see he’d rather not see and that he would never be able to get it out of his head if he did see them… We just passed a compact car where the engine was still running and the door was open, which looked to me like the driver had escaped, but from the back seat to the trunk was crushed by a jet engine. I said to the proby, ‘There goes the luckiest guy in the world right there'… Smitty ran over the part of the plane, but he did that to avoid the bodies because there were obviously bodies in the street that were hit by either apparatus or cars or something and it wasn’t a pretty picture. Like Smitty said, it’s just very hard to intentionally run over a body, even if you know they’re dead. So we tried to go around them as best as possible.” A: “So the one guy was getting pretty hysterical (after a collapse in which Hazel was sharing his O2 mask with three others). The other two guys were okay. They pretty much took their hits of the air and they gave it back to me when I asked. But the third guy kept grabbing it and screaming and yelling. So I told him, I said, ‘Listen, you keep it up, I’m not going to give you any more and then you’re going to pass out and I’m going to leave you here.’ So he pretty much calmed down after that.” Firefighter Todd Heaney December 6th 2001: A: “…there was a police officer and a woman, who were kind of just, like, curled up on the floor. I kind of just, like, curled up with them. I thought that was it. This is the end. You can’t outrun the Trade Center…” Fire Marshal Steven Heavey December 28th 2001: A: “…the whole area took on a sinister tone. We didn’t know what was coming next. Suddenly every mailbox and city bus was a bomb… every civilian was a terrorist…” A: “We stayed at the command post for a while… I remember seeing one of the Fire Marshals there, Andy Difusco, bring in a man in custody, in handcuffs, from some sort of looting incident." 312 313 EMT J ohn Heer J anuary 18th 2002: A: “We just heard a rumble and the smoke started coming around and people started running… I slowed down by old ladies and stuff. You feel bad, you are racing and running past like 70 year-old ladies walking with canes. I said, you can’t do that.” *Hey, their fair game when you’re gettin’ outta’ Dodge. A: “This time all our windows were busted out. All our equipment was gone. All of our personal shit was gone, except for actually this mug, because I had to save my sci-fi coffee mug. So I’m walking around with this coffee mug… and a de-fib. I had this mug and the de-fib.” * What more would you need? A defribulator and a sci-fi coffee mug! A: “The Lieutenant saw us walking down, he starts running up to us." [ Sentence Stricken From Record ] Q: “Both buildings are down?” A: “Both buildings are down. If anybody screamed, or anybody ran in a little hurry in any direction, everybody was just following them." *The pack mentality. A: “Got to Staten Island, we didn’t know how we were getting back to the station, so a bunch of firefighters, actually Rescue 5, there were 2 firefighters. They were the only two that survived, were on the boat with us and we were all really quiet. It was a morbid ferry ride back. We hopped on a train… We got off at New Dorp. *Parts of this book were written in New Dorp. Dorp means “Town” in Dutch. EMT J oseph Henderson October 22nd 2001: A: “Finally I was able to get inside an ambulance that was on fire. A female cop came running in and said, ‘One of your guys is on fire. One of your guys is on fire.’” A: “When they parked, they jumped out (FDNY). They were told we had a firefighter with a crushed face.” Captain J ohn Henricksen October 11th 2001: A: “When Seven World Trade Center did collapse, we were in the Woolworth Building.” *See anything peculiar there? Battalion Chief Edward Henry December 19th 2001: A: “There were all sorts of crazy rumors going on. The EMS woman in the ambulance told me that the Beekman Downtown Hospital had just been blown up so they wanted to take us to outlying hospitals.” *I began to wonder if the spreading of rumors was the natural product of chaos, or a form of psychological warfare? 313 314 EMT Stephen Hess October 11th 2001: A: [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] A: “I would just like to know how a plane can disappear from the radar for 40 minutes, and no one does anything.” Deputy Chief Howard Hill December 10th 2001: A: “At 3:00 then I got a phone call informing me to stay. They were worried about a second attack or some other things that might happen… There were some problems at that point to keep people at the firehouse. It was extremely difficult to just keep people standing by and maintain discipline… There was some screaming and shouting. I made several efforts to keep people focused, to keep them ready.” A: “…the site, I had people coming in… My priority was to get volunteers out, and anyone who should not be there and to keep our people in. I tried to set that up. I tried to get police assistance in setting up perimeters and that was less than successful. People would say yes we will take care of it and the police would walk away and then I wouldn’t see them.” *There were many examples of too many chiefs, not enough Indians on 9-11. In New York, no one wants to be told what to do, especially by other departments. Barrett Hirsch December 17th 2001: A: “I saw a lot of people, you know, jumping out of the building. Then I noticed, like, the top of the tower seemed to shoot up a little bit and start to fall down a little bit…” *An explosion would make the tower seem to shoot upward a bit before it collapsed. EMS Chief Randall Hirth October 24th 2001: A: “…we were pretty confident that that building was going to blow and we were going to get killed at that point…” * I believe he was referring to Stuyvesant H.S. I don’t know if the threat was gas leak or secondary device. A: “One woman wanted to go back to the Trade Center because she left something in the building and we tried to tell her it wasn’t a good idea.” Firefighter Scott Holowach October 18th 2001: A: “I heard the sound of a jet plane. I looked up and saw it pretty close and I was like holy shit. What’s going on with the flight patterns? All of a sudden, the wings turned and it dove right into the building and it was screwed up…I turned around and said ‘Chief listen, there is a second plane that hit the tower.’ He was like, ‘No, no, no, no, we have 314 315 another explosion.’ I said, ‘Chief, I witnessed it. I watched the plane hit the tower.’ He is like, ‘Are you sure?’ I said, ‘Chief, I’m 100 percent positive I watched the second plane hit the other tower.’ That’s when Ganci got on the radio and called for the military.” *All I wondered was why didn't the chief see the plane? A: “…they thought there was a gas leak and a bomb in the American Express building… I guess they put the PD in there to search it.” Firefighter George Holzman J anuary 17th 2002: A: “…a quite pregnant Asian lady who I kept screaming at her, please, whatever you do lady, don’t have this baby. I think she actually believed me. She realized that this wasn’t a good time to be having a baby.” *As if she had any real say in it? Firefighter Timothy Hoppey December 4th 2001: A: “Actually we were told we were going to go to the six sublevel. I’m not sure of what tower. We were going to go with an engineer who---I guess they were having standpipe problems up there. We were going to isolate a standpipe or something. Not that we knew how to do it, but this engineer was going to tell us what valves to turn or whatever.” *Were the standpipe valves monkeyed with? It would have been easy enough to do. A: “…we were standing there on the curb at West Street… that’s when we heard the rumble. I looked up, and it was just a black cloud directly overhead. At that point I was thinking it was a secondary explosion. It looked to me like it was much lower than where the planes had gone in.” A: “…a cop started screaming, ‘The North Tower is leaning.’” *If you ever had the chance to look up at the Twin Towers, and gotten that queasy feeling which they tended to give you, imagine seeing a tower suddenly lean and begin to collapse? Firefighter William Horel December 7th 2001: A: “We weren’t given any specific assignment until later in the day when we did the primary search of the Verizon building from the 11th floor to the 20th floor.” *This probably wasn't the more prominent Verizon Building by 1 Police Plaza, but the brown brick one next to 7 WTC. Firefighter Robert Humphrey December 13th 2001: A: “Well, we didn’t get the run normally, because our computer was out, and the department phone was not working. So the first time we heard was when a Spanish gentleman was running down the block saying there was a big explosion at the World Trade Center…” *Why was Engine 4, located not far away on Water Street, computer and phone both out? 315 316 A: “I went down pretty far down towards Church…Then I saw water shooting across the street in the opposite direction from the building, and I was…saying, ‘Who the hell turned ---pulled the gate?’ I was saying, ‘Who the heck pulled it?’ So I went down, and I wanted to see what was going on, if there was a malfunction or something, but somebody pulled the gate full blast and was shooting across the street. So I shut the gate, turned the pressure back up so there was water in the building. “ *Was this water pressure sabotage? Firefighter Paul Hyland December 20th 2001: A: “We…went into the staircase, I think it was staircase C… We went out and there were just people coming, constant amount of people, just a steady flow, but we couldn’t attack with the steady flow of people. I mean, the staircases weren’t that wide. We were shoulder to shoulder with these people with tools, we’re banging them, telling them to step aside, and they didn’t understand. They’re just panicking. It was a nightmare.” A: “Everybody was coming out of these doors because everybody was just going through glass. I saw chards of glass that guys were walking under. If they let go, they would have cut them in two.” *J ust some of what firefighters had to deal with that day. Battalion Chief Robert Ingram December 7th 2001: A: “As we were out there trying to notify units…we heard the second plane come in and observed it hit the second building, South Tower.” *It does not prove that it was the real UA Flight 175 though. Firefighter J ames Ippolito December 13th 2001: A: “…that’s when the building came down (North). I heard an explosion and turned around and the building was coming down.” *An explosion precipitating the collapse of the North Tower. EMT Curtis J ackson October 30th 2001: A: “The tower was on fire (North)… During that time I saw numerous people just coming out of---dropping out of the sky…landing all over the place, crashing through glass, crashing right on vehicles, on the street…I tried to use my cell phone, but I couldn’t get any transmission.” *It seemed a little early for cell phone disruption. This was before the South Tower was even struck. EMT Veronica J acobs October 30th 2001: 316 317 A: “When I got to the Goethals Bridge there was a checkpoint with state Troopers and police officers who were checking vehicles and stopping everybody and checking ID. I told them I needed to proceed over to Brooklyn to work overtime for the World Trade Center and they told me you are either going to the World Trade Center straight from here or you go home. So I told them lead the way. I got a police escort from the Goethals Bridge to Beekman Hospital…and we walked with my thumb out to the World Trade Center…We couldn’t see anything.” A: “We pulled out this obese man. He had to be like four or five hundred pounds and that’s the only thing that saved his life. They pulled a beam off of him. It took 20 firefighters…” *The only time being fat probably saved someone’s life. A: “After several hours of saving people…they needed more help, so I couldn’t just leave, you know what I mean?…it was about four hours later… I finally walked back…I’m a spaz since then too. I hear noise, you know. Holy shit. Well, anyway… I finally walked back…several blocks back…(and said) ‘You need to go in there.’ They are like, ‘we can’t go in there.’ They were just standing there. ‘You have to stay right here.’ ‘What?’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean? Go a couple of blocks in, they need help, they need ambulances. I’m telling you there is people laid out in the street that need to get the hell off and they can’t move. Their legs are broken. Their arms are broken. They can’t move, they are trapped, they are pinned and these people will be salvageable. Let’s go.’ ‘Oh, we can’t do that.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, so I’m going back. If you don’t want to, I will. J ust give me some shit, give me some oxygen, and some equipment.’… They were like, ‘you can’t do that. You have to stay here or you are going to be relieved of duty.' I’m like, ‘Relieved of duty?! I just worked four hours by my God damn self! If you relieve me now I don’t give a shit, you know what I mean? I will go back in on my own. I don’t care.’ I worked without any equipment. I had no equipment on me. No helmet, no nothing. I came from home to come here. After about an hour-and-a-half of sitting there like assholes, we finally got the word that we could go up closer, which is Ground Zero now, and the triage area, I set that triage area up. We had the morgue inside the building. I set all that up the first day. They are still utilizing it today. It was just wild, you know. It was just wild. All the bodies and people…I could chat for days about this shit. It was so disorganized and there was no help…I was there until one o’clock until the morning with not a sign of relief in sight… I finally left on my own. I told them look, I can’t stay here anymore. I need to leave. I worked 10 to 6 the night before, went home, walked my son, took a shower, came back and worked all day and all night again. It was one o’clock in the morning. I couldn’t work anymore… I finally left and they wouldn’t even give me a ride to Beekman Hospital. I had to walk from Ground Zero to Beekman Hospital to my car and I didn’t even know which way to go … I’m asking all these captain and chiefs who are standing there hot shit trying to look cute, how do I get back to Beekman Hospital? Can you get me a gator or anything? I don’t care what, a crane, anything. J ust bring me to Beekman. I’m exhausted. No, you have to find your way. I’m like okay. So I walked all the way back to Beekman… I got back here and everybody was sitting here. Fifty people in there. I’m like, ‘What the hell are you all sitting in there for?’ ‘Oh, well, we are waiting to go to Ground Zero’ I’m like, ‘What? What are you waiting for?'… there is a bus outside, it’s empty. A city bus sitting outside empty, waiting to leave with people with their equipment and they are on overtime sitting here watching fucking TV. When I just worked damn near 24 hours straight and I’m so tired and so sick and so 317 318 exhausted, and there is more people that need help with no relief in there and they are sitting here. So I asked the boss, ‘Do you know what’s going on, why aren’t they going?’ ‘You know, oh, well, we are not allowed to’ ‘What?’ Again stupidity. ‘What do you mean they are not allowed to? What are they supposed to do there, just sit there and just keep working without relief?’ and they are like, ‘well, that’s what we were told.’ They are pissed off and they are all asking me what happened and my side and I’m like, you know, I need some food… I put my feet up and I got a massage. I ate a Big Mac and I told everybody how it was there and they were like, ‘wow.’ I think I was the only person that went… That was a fucking experience. Fucking. I hope they like my language… So to this day I’m a spaz. I hear noise… There was thunder, I’ll never forget… there was this horrible storm… and all of a sudden this big kaboom… I got out of bed… ran and scooped the two kids up and jumped on top of them…. My husband is like holy shit, you need to see somebody about that…[ Sentence Stricken From Record ] Q: “Who?” A: “I don’t even know. [ Sent. Stricken From Record ]. We thought it was [ inaudible ].” Q: “At work you mean?” A: “Yes, at work.” Q: [ Inaudible ]? A: “I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s just weird you know……” Q: “Do you have anything else you would like to add………?” A: “No," [ Rest of Sent. Stricken From Record ] *Sheesh, could they have gotten J acobs an oxcart or something for a ride back to Beekman Hospital? In transcripts it seemed like those first responders who came in from the outer boroughs just went into the site, while citywide stumbled over procedure and stayed back more. It also seemed like J acobs was reporting some peculiarities at work afterwards. Firefighter Timothy J ulian December 26th 2001: A: “…we came back up Trinity Place, the corner of Trinity and Liberty, and we parked our rig, and I remember getting off our rig..." [ Rest of Paragraph Stricken From Record] (Possible Follow-up Question?) A: “He saw what was going on, believe me.” *What was going on? A: “At that point, I remember they were getting a report that a second---another plane--- the Pentagon got hit, and we got a report another plane was coming in, and I believe it was an FBI Agent…and he was saying it’s not another plane yet. It is a plane, but it’s a fighter jet, and in hindsight it turns out probably that was the fighter jet that was going to maybe shoot down that plane…” *But it didn't. A: “First I thought it was an explosion. I thought maybe there was a bomb on the plane, but delayed type of thing, you know, secondary device.” Q: “I was convinced for a week it was secondary devices.” *Then what happened? A: “You know, I just heard like an explosion and a then a cracking type of noise…” EMTD Christopher Kagenaar October 9th 2001: 318 319 A: “Then the 911 calls kept coming in, but it was like the calls that came in at 9:00 o’clock in the morning and we were backlogged.” *The 911 system was so overloaded they were getting the old emergency calls. Chief Medical Officer Kerry Kelly November 15th 2001: A: “So we finally got to a flower shop that’s there, which is open for business like nothing has happened. It was one of those Korean grocery things and they’re putting everything out like business as usual, and I’m thinking are these people crazy? So I took their hose and I’m like hosing down my face and head…” *Nothing stops the Korean deli owner! Firefighter Edward Kennedy J anuary 17th 2002: A: “We took two steps, there was a tremendous boom, explosion, we turned around, and the top of the building was coming down at us… When the building exploded, they ran down Liberty towards the water…” Chief Stephen King November 21st 2001: Q: “Anything else that you can think of?” A: [ Part of Sent. Stricken From Record ] "...I’ve been telling this story about 15 or 20 times and it seems like each time I tell it just little bits still come back.” *Only this time you told it, little bits were redacted! Oh well, maybe he'll include it in his next novel…. EMS Chief Walter Kowalczyk October 16th 2001: A: “I’m sure it wasn’t the last words that Chief Ganci said, but I remember words such as ‘Oh, shit, those bastards.’ That’s the last words I ever heard Chief Ganci say.” *Well said Chief Ganci. Firefighter George Kozlowski December 10th 2001: A: “There was another small explosion on that second floor. I guess it was that plate windows, everything going… As we were walking we heard---we thought it was another plane coming. It was like a big ‘Shhhhh.’ A thousand times louder than that. It sounded like a missile coming and we just started booking… We heard that loud and then ‘ba- boom.’ I just---it was like an earthquake or whatever. A giant, giant explosion.” *So many heard this loud “Shhh-ing” sound before the collapses. Firefighter Lance Lizzul December 10th 2001: A: “After a while just standing there, waiting to see what was going on, we heard some bangs. That made us look up, and that’s when the first Trade Center came down.” 319 320 Firefighter Kirk Long J anuary 28th 2002: A: “…they told us there was a command post with the Port Authority on the 22nd floor. We made it to the 22nd floor… We did locate somebody at the end of the hall, but everything was blown out. The ceiling had fallen. The drop ceiling had blown to the floor. Some of the walls were blown out. So Andy and I had crawled down the hallway to get to the Port Authority Command Post.” *Things were really blown apart on 22. A: “We were also with 16 Engine on the 22nd floor. When the building shook, I was right next to an elevator shaft… I was waiting for a flame to come up from the basement because I believed something in the basement blew up.” *The fire and brimstone was coming from the wrong direction to be the jet fuel NIST and FEMA. Long attributed this to the collapse of the South Tower. A: “We reached the lobby… There was a heavyset lady at the front door trying to get out. There was so much broken glass. So I took my gear off, laid it on the ground so she could roll out and get out of the building. As I was leaving, there were still guys running in.” *This one was really rolled out I think. EMT Valerie Longo October 11th 2001: A: “The next time something like this happens, tell people not to stand in front of the Goddamn building. Okay? First of all, they were getting killed by debris. A plane hits a building and where do you stand? Where do you park your vehicles? Underneath it? I don’t think so. That was wrong from the get-go. Do I have the right to say that? Q: “You can say whatever you want." A: “Well, wrong, wrong, wrong. I’m serious. I’m serious. If they had thought to even park half a block away or a block away or somewhere where you can walk to get access or something. A lot of these people probably wouldn’t have gotten killed if they---they were hit by flying debris. You don’t park under something that’s burning.” *This was true. Too many got killed by the falling debris. Captain David Loper December 13th 2001: A: “We got out of the rig and there was a torso up against the hydrant… I told him ‘Cover it.’… He moved it a little bit, covered it with a blanket and then hooked up to that hydrant… Then all of a sudden there was…a roar, and we looked up and we could see it looked like an implosion and the building kind of went in and out and kind of like shook… and then this thing started coming down… I think depending on which way you ran determined whether you lived or died.” *I wonder if water was like sprinkling onto the body & stuff? A: “…Mike was pretty upset about things…He was talking about car bombs going off and he got me really wired up with that kind of talk too. I started looking around saying, 320 321 he said, ‘Look for vans. They’re gonna start blowing.’” EMT Alexander Loutsky October 24th 2001: A: “Apparently that was the second plane hit. We lost all of our patients in the terms of running away. They---the noise and debris scared them all away and they ran off. We didn’t have any left.” *Dang! They got scared and ran off. A: “I couldn’t breathe at all… Then I thought maybe if I dug a hole in the cemetery and put my head in it or something.” *Probably wouldn’t work. A: “…at this point there was a radio going on at this time. I remember it saying the Palestinians are taking responsibility for this… it came off of that AM radio…” *I seem to recall an original report about Palestinians taking credit for 9-11, but it was very early on. Firefighter Michael Macko J anuary 25th 2002: A: “…the first collapse occurred. I looked up. I was awed by---I thought it exploded at the top.” EMS Lieutenant Dominick Maggiore October 19th 2001: A: “… there was a secondary collapse, which I think wound up taking the lives of a couple of the Port Authority Officers who were in the rubble… during the course of the night, I had a problem with an Assist ambulance crew… they had smuggled a reporter into ground zero in the back of their ambulance… they got a bit belligerent. So did the reporter, and I convinced him to leave the area… there was a bunch of problems… with doctors staying off the pile… narcotics being sent to the front line… via anyone who said that the doctor up front needed them… there were a of problems like that… Tuesday night again, there was a secondary collapse… in my opinion… that’s what wound up taking a couple of those Port Authority cops that were missing.” A: "There was some kind of other---another secondary collapse or something, because you heard the big crash…” (near West and Vesey) Captain Paul Mallery December 12th 2001: A: “I found out a couple of days later this is not a fire boat. It was scrapped by the city, and it’s a museum buff boat. So, I think you can get water out of that thing. The guy goes, 'I got no hose. I got no fuel.' I said, 'What the hell kind of fire boat is that? No hose, no fuel.' I said, 'All right, I will get you the hose. We will see about the fuel"… Long story short, he got the Circle Line tender to come and fuel up the boat.” 321 322 A: “We see water, broken pipe in the wall somewhere.” *This was while walking north through the 1 / 9 subway tunnel after the collapses, but who knows what happened before? A: “Couple of guys go off to Whitehall Hardware. They break in, enter the store and come back with flashlights, tools and stuff like that.” A: “It got to be four in the morning… we went over to the esplanade and we just laid down on a park bench like a bunch of bums… we had the socks hanging on the fence to dry… We cover ourselves with white sheets…people are walking back and forth, I guess from the Staten Island Ferry, walking up the esplanade and you hear them talking, and they see the white sheets over these three bodies and they figure we are dead so they ‘shh, shh, shh…’ so we were laughing. That worked a little while and we said enough of that shit.” *Get a job ya’ bums! A: “The day went on and they said 1 Liberty Plaza was falling. You know, Chicken Little and Henny Penny, the sky is falling. Tony Konczynski said no, that building has been looking like that for 20 years.” *I like Chicken Little & Henny Penny. Firefighter J ohn Malley: December 12th 2001: A: “People started to jump with such a---it was maybe one jumper every five seconds at one point, every ten seconds. They just started jumping like one every second, two seconds. There were people just coming down like it was raining people.” *The day it rained people. A: “I remember I think it was Ganci asking if we could get confirmation on whether the military can down the plane or not. I didn’t hear whether it was or wasn’t.” *In regards to a third plane. Firefighter Timothy Marmion December 28th 2001: A: “The thing that scares me---people say we weren’t lucky with this thing. I think we were. I think if this building would have collapsed an hour later, we would have had a thousand firemen in there. If it would have collapsed three hours later, we would have had 10,000 firemen in those buildings.” EMT Vincent Marquez October 22nd 2001: A: “We went back into the area, pretty much ground zero. It seemed like a nuclear bomb had hit. There were vehicles abandoned at the light. There were vehicles crashed into each other, vehicles on top of each other. I remember seeing firemen walking around in a daze.” EMT J ulio Marrero October 25th 2001: 322 323 A: “I heard a loud bang. We looked up, and we just saw the building start to collapse… At the bottom of the stairs… I could hear people screaming inside the subway station from a distance. It was horrifying…The screams I still hear at night.” Firefighter Fred Marsilla December 27th 2001: A: “Had a little scare there at Stuyvesant, saying there was a secondary device and we all ran.” Firefighter Patrick Martin J anuary 28th 2002: A: “My lieutenant said he looked down at the first floor, and he auto [ sic ] see the first floor of the South Tower like exploding out… We didn’t know that the whole tower had come down until later.” *The first floor exploded out just before the collapse. EMT Edward Martinez J anuary 24th 2002: A: “All I know is I saw a lot of destruction all around the place… I was put on the boat with some other firefighters that were there and taken to J ersey City Medical Center and they told me---" [ 2 Paragraphs Stricken From Record ] Q: “…Anything else that you would like to add or comment on?” A: [ 3 Paragraphs Stricken From Record ] Firefighter Kevin Martin December 5th 2001: [ Page Cannot Be Displayed ] *HTTP Error Message. Why was this entire transcript redacted? Firefighter Vincent Massa December 4th 2001: A: “There were reports over the radio that there was a secondary device in Stuyvesant High School… Seven World Trade Center came down… Everybody got up and tore ass west down Vesey Street. Everybody was trying to get into this building. I remember there were 150 guys trying to get through two revolving doors with full gear. It was like, ‘Aaaaggghhhh!’ Everyone is screaming. Guys were trying to smash the glass with their halogens to get through and ended up freaking out… everybody was shell-shocked… That’s when Salka came up and he said all right, now that Seven was down you can start getting closer and down things… He wanted to search the Verizon building to make sure there was no fire in there… There wasn’t much fire in there, but there was some.” 323 324 A: “Actually I remember as we were walking past 47 Truck’s rig, there was a civilian going through it. He was wearing one of our guy’s coats and one of our guy’s helmets. I recognized the helmet. We grabbed the guy, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ He said he was retired. He wasn’t retired. We grabbed the stuff and told him to get the hell out of here.” *They should’ve held the scumbag for the FBI and checked him out. EMT Mark Mazur October 19th 2001: A: “We were coming over the 59th Street Bridge. We were looking over at the towers, and you could actually see the people jumping. At first I thought it was funny, because you see these little X’s coming off. You say, ‘What the hell are those things?’ You’re thinking then those X’s are people coming off.” A: “…all of a sudden I heard this sound. There was like a rumble behind it. It was like a jet with a locomotive behind it…. I looked up and I saw the second tower coming down. The second tower was coming down.” A: “…when it hit you (debris cloud), it actually knocked you down, the motion of that pressure behind that.” A: “All of a sudden we heard the helicopters. They were guys coming in from New J ersey, Cobras, so they were our attack helicopters…. Then about five minutes later we heard a jet coming down. It was an F-16 that came roaring up the Hudson River.” *I hadn’t heard about the attack helicopters before. A: “Then a bunch of people came up and said, ‘You have to move your truck because this building is going to collapse.’ I think it was the American Express building. It was unsafe or leaning…” *The sky was falling, every building looked as if it were leaning. A: “…you hear these explosions going off.” A: “All of a sudden when the building came down (7), it started stampeding all the people. When the people started stampeding, he said, ‘Go out there and slow them down.’ Did you ever see Animal House? Remember that guy? I had that shot in my mind. I said, ‘You’ve got to be crazy.’ I’m a big guy. These people are out there trampling…People were getting stomped in front of us.” *That job would be right up there with “javelin catcher.” Firefighter Maureen McArdle-Schulman October 17th 2001: A: “They were sending us to Tower 2, sub-basement 6… all of a sudden you’re hearing, there is a guy dressed in army fatigues with automatic weapons shooting people, that there is four more planes missing.” Q: “You’re hearing all these rumors?” A: “Yes, rumors. There was a guy with a little TV, like a civilian, hooked it up to a building outlet. He said, there is eight planes all together and they only found four and…we’re getting bomb scares on this building and we’re running for our lives. I said, ‘Where are we supposed to go…?’” Q: “And there is supposed to be a guy shooting at you?” A: “Yes.” 324 325 *This rumor about a guy with an automatic weapon shooting people wasn't the same as "a building was leaning,” or “the Sears Tower got hit." It was more specific. This wasn’t the only allegation of these mystery Ops at the scene that day. And could the report about "eight planes" have been accurate? Firefighter Kevin McCabe December 13th 2001: A: “…leaning up on the steering wheel to look down, and it was an intestine. Clearly that’s definitely what I saw. Talking to the guys later on, they saw lots of other carnage that was on the street, but I’m trying to drive the rig..." [ Rest of Sentence Stricken From Record ] A: “I know you’re hearing bits and pieces of information…like two commercial airliners hit the building. I don’t think I was fully aware of that… this is unbelievable what we are watching. A little bit of excitement too, like wow, we are going to be---[ Middle of Sentence Stricken From Record ] but we were probably in the command post for probably not more than 5 minutes…” Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Richard McCahey November 2nd 2001: A: “I started heading up Hylan Boulevard towards the Verrazano Bridge… Coming down Father Capadanno Boulevard, there was debris, papers and just ash and I got my first glimpse, as I was getting on to the bridge of the towers. I could see it was bad.” *It's amazing that WTC debris was actually that far away on Staten Island. A: “At that point I just received a phone call from Murf who said that it appeared it’s a terrorist attack. He even thought that the second one was a missile. He said it looked like a rocket from there… We went up West Street…I remember seeing what I thought was one or two… bundles on the side of the road from the tunnel… Later I found out they were body parts. I just thought it was a couple of dogs. You know, a couple of dogs got hit. Your mind plays games.” A: “… I remember one of the Marshals going, ‘holy,’ whatever, pretty loud and I turned around and I noticed these black figures… were actually bodies… I remember turning to Marshal and saying listen, we are the professionals here, we got to compose ourselves . Relax, don’t be screaming that out. We got a job to do, okay?.. I think at that point we… watched maybe 2 or 3 people jump… One guy came down with a white shirt. It looked like he was waving it.” A: “When I got down to the esplanade it was like vacant, and the dust was starting to lift… and I run across a female, she had her shirt up over her head. No under garments. Quite a sight… So I remember grabbing her and telling her…’Come with me’… She said 'no, no, no.'” *J ust because it’s 9-11 that's no reason not to try and pick up a topless chick! : P A: “There was a desk there and a doorman and I remember asking if the phone’s working. He said, ‘Yeah,’ and I said, ‘I’m gonna’ use it.’ He said, ‘You can’t use it.’ He was a black gentleman. I think I told him we need the phone basically, and I used the phone. I don’t know what happened. He moved out of the way and I used the phone and I called headquarters.” *Typical security guard. A: “I’m getting confused with the second collapse now… I know we had Lechter Lane. 325 326 There was some sort of bodega or Gristedes or something there… It was locked… I remember seeing a girl and a guy. They weren’t going to open the door. I took my shield out and knocked my shield against the glass. Open the door. Then she opened up. She didn’t know who the hell we were. We went in there and their phone worked.” *A bodega or a Gristede's? Big difference there. Chief Thomas McCarthy October 11th 2001: Q: “You said before, Chief, that you heard bullets going off. Approximately how many did you hear? A: “Oh, it was like it was just constant. Constant. Whatever, I guess there were packages or something, and they just heated up, they were just pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. They were going off like at a steady rate.” Q: “And that’s when you were near 5 World Trade Center?” A: “That was on Vesey Street west of Broadway. That’s where ESU had parked a number of vehicles. Right outside the church.” EMT Dulce McCorvey October 3rd 2001: A: “I saw two other EMS vehicles. Where we had finally stopped (close to Canal)… Two guys came out. They were running… They said they weren’t in shock. One of them was crying… He said there were two patients in the back of the bus. They were strapped to a long board. He had to run, and the building fell on the ambulance… They were pretty upset.” A: “We just went up to chief and told them that J anice was under the building when the plane hit... [ Rest of Sent. Stricken From Record ] Then he said, ‘Well,’ to the captain, [ Rest of Paragraph Stricken From Record ]… We couldn’t get out of the city, so we ended up at NYU." [ Rest of Paragraph Stricken From Record ] Q: [ Question Stricken From Record ] A: “Yeah. [ Sentence Stricken From Record ]. We saw a couple of cops in the hospital.” Lieutenant J ames McGlynn J anuary 2nd 2002: A: “We made it up to approximately I believe it was the 31st floor. On the 31st floor we felt the building began to shake. It appeared that the building was starting to come down.” Q: “Your building?” A: “The North Tower.” Q: “Right.” A: [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] Q: “He didn’t appear to be excited?” A: “The building was shaking at this point, so I believe he was crying. But he was definitely upset. I don’t know whatever happened to him. I don’t know if he ever made it out.” 326 327 A: [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] Q: “Unbelievable.” Captain William McLaughlin December 17th 2001: A: “I was just trying to get out of this cloud… Eventually after walking with my hands in front of me like a blind man [ Middle of Sentence Stricken From Record ], I saw up and to the right and up high, instead of being dark black it was dark gray, and the dark gray turned into lighter gray.” EMT Kevin McLeon December 15th 2001: A: “Then we heard the loud explosion…” Mary McMillan October 12th 2001: A: “Then it calmed down somewhat and everybody started leaving the building. Now we are not making any friends, everybody is just trying to get out. I was like oh, my God. [ Sentence Stricken From Record ] I don’t think they had a plan. What’s going on with them?” Q “You lost sight of them completely?” A: “Yes.” EMT Linda McCarthy November 28th 2001: A: “…we had one man that kept fainting. He said he had escaped being killed and the firefighter next to him had died, was killed. He wasn’t hit or anything… I guess it was psychogenic shock, because he kept---even lying down he was fainting. He was syncopizing.” *I hate when I syncopize. Firefighter Edward Mecner December 26th 2001: A: “I saw Bruce Springstead from 9 Truck.” *Bruce was at the Trade Center on 9-11? He wasBorn To Run after all. A: (page 6) “ While we were on the 23rd floor… Then within a minute or two, it sounded like a missile was about to come through the windows, I guess maybe on every floor, but it sounded like it was going to come right through the 23rd floor. Everyone automatically just hit the deck, like you do in a war movie. We heard a crash and the ground was shaking.” A: (page 8) “I guess the South Tower fell at that point. Maybe it already fell. I’m not sure.” Q: “The South Tower was the one that fell and shook while you guys were upstairs.” 327 328 A: “...that must have come down already.” Lieutenant Bruce Medjuck October 15th 2001: A: “We went into the basement, and I remember [ Name Stricken From Record ] was with us. It was just me and him in this building. I told [ Name Stricken ]---I said, come on, we’ve got to go back upstairs. He said I’m not going back upstairs, I can’t, I can’t. Okay, stay down here, I’m going…” *Who was this? Was this some official they did not want to embarrass by saying he was cowering in the cellar? A: “I remember we started to walk north on Broadway, and we saw this unmarked car--- we didn’t know who it belonged to---and a cop, an ESU cop, in the car in the passenger seat not moving. We were banging on the window. He didn’t do anything. We opened the door, and he was in there petrified. We just closed the door and left him.” *As Ace Frehley sang: Shock Me. EMT Michael Mejias October 24th 2001: A: “Then there was a crowd of people there on Fulton and Broadway, and I was screaming at them, listen, get out of the way, go to north, go north. A lot of shrapnel and a lot of stuff going on there. Things falling off the building, I didn’t want anybody to get hurt…” A: “Then this kid comes up to me. He is around 20 something years old. He said he is an Army medic and that he wants to help and I didn’t have a partner at the time so I took off my hat and I said you are my partner now. I gave him my EMS hat…. Driving up Vesey past the Trade Center we see a severed leg. We run over that severed leg…” A: “As we are working up the patients and we are trying to get organized, there is rumors that there is a second plane coming. I thought nothing of it because you go on jobs, sometimes you get hysteria, people thinking there’s more than what is going on. Shortly after that, the second plane came. I hear a big rush, like a low flying jet and I see a massive explosion.” *How did a rumor start about a second plane coming? Shows that rumors at the WTC were not all baseless. A: “There was a package, when I---this is like a funny story about this job too. There was a package that when I came back to the ambulance with all the equipment, it was open, my ambulance. I had both keys. I said, what’s this package here doing in my ambulance? After all the building collapses… I didn’t even think about it again… We went to the hotel and then we went to Stuyvesant, then we went up to Chelsea as when I realized. I said there is a package, and I don’t know how it got there. So I took it out. Now I’m getting a little nervous… It’s not an ordinary Tuesday anymore, so paranoia set in. Because at the time I really didn’t think about it because there was such chaos. So I got my partner and I go ‘J ody man, there is a box, I had both keys and this box was found in my ambulance. What should I do with it?’ He goes, ‘Get that out of here. What are you, crazy man?’ So I was going to throw it in the garbage can, but I said that’s unsafe because what if somebody came and left another device. So what I did I put it in the island on West Street at Chelsea, and I flagged down a PD and the FBI and I told them 328 329 and they had the bomb squad check it out. It wound up being a wedding present or something. It was addressed to Norway…” *The weird thing was, how did it get in the ambulance in the first place? He said twice he, “Had both keys,” as if to say the bus was locked. Were “dummy packages” left around the WTC on 9-11 to stir up panic? Firefighter J oseph Meola December 11th 2001: A: “As we were looking up at the building (South Tower), what I saw was, it looked like the building was blowing out on all four sides. We actually heard the pops. Didn’t realize it was falling ---you know, you heard the pops of the building. You thought it was just blowing out.” Lieutenant Wayne Mera December 12th 2001: A: “Picciotto. So we went up with him. He said we’ve got a report of people trapped on the 21st floor… We went up to the 16th floor… So we went up to the 21st floor and that was locked. So we went up to the 22nd, which was open.” A: “So we got up to the 22nd… dropped back down to the 21st and forced the door.” Q: “It was clear?” A: “Clear as day. We started to search. We searched every room in there. The search was negative. There was nobody anywhere.” A: “They said North Tower was Tactical 1, South Tower was Tactical 2, and we were trying to find out in the north was number 1 and the south was number 2 because we weren’t sure when we went in.” A: “We’re in front of Stuyvesant catching our breath… a cop comes running up and tells everybody from the high school to go down the block, that they got a bomb scare…the high school is ready to blow up… We’re going up West Street and I’m looking over to the right and I saw all these buildings… and I’m thinking are these secondary devices? Are they planted to explode every 20 minutes now? Are they going to chase us all the way up the westside?" EMT Mary Merced October 23rd 2001: A: “Chief Goldfarb says, ‘Come on, Mary.’ I said, ‘Where are we going?’ He said, ‘We’re going into the South Tower’… I look up and I said, ‘Chief, we’re not going into this building.’ I said, Chief, the fucking shits going to fall,’… I said, [ Quote Stricken From Record ]. He said, ‘Mary, calm down.’… I was just putting my foot down. [ Sentence Stricken From Record ]… He said, ‘Come on.’ I said, [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ].'" A: “I look up at the North Tower, and I see colors… I’m thinking… is that clothes?.. I’m thinking maybe it’s the clothes from the luggage… And I look, and it was people. I could tell you almost every color clothing all the people that I saw fall had on, how they fell, if they tumbled, if they swan-dived. There was this one woman. She was dressed in white. [ Name Stricken ] by this time, he was in shock, almost catatonic. He said, ‘Mary, do you see that woman falling in white?’ He said, ‘My wife had the same clothes when she left 329 330 this morning’… [ Sentence Stricken From Record ]… I had to look because we were close to the buildings… and the ESU truck was there… ESU, anyway, they threw us out of that intersection. They said, ‘We want everybody out. This is a tactical area.’ I didn’t understand what they meant at the time, but I soon found out they expected some ground attack of some sort.” A: “Nobody expected those buildings to implode. They were thinking, it’s going to topple. When it’s falling, you think it’s going to topple. Where is it going to go?” *This was a common thought in the mind’s of New Yorkers: if the World Trade Center fell, which way would it fall, how far would it fall, could you outrun it, and how many casualties would there be? A: “It’s a funny thing, because I forgot to mention when Danny Rivera and I made eye contact there was a plane overhead. You couldn’t see up in the sky. You couldn’t see anything… At the time you didn’t know whether it was going to hit or not.” *I believe this was just after the South Tower collapse. A: “I remember the chiefs were in front of the Embassy Hotel Suites… I said, ‘Chief, I hear the rumbling noise. The other building’s going to fall.’ The other chiefs are looking at me like I’m going crazy. I said, ‘Chief Goldfarb, you know I have a keen sense of hearing. The other building is going to fall.’ Sure enough, another 30 seconds later, it got louder and louder. Then everybody is going to run… because we didn’t know it imploded because you couldn’t see anything.” A: [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] "It’s ironic because during this whole incident I wasn’t even concerned about my safety… [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ]… I never, never take my cell phone with me…" [ Three Paragraphs Stricken From Record, pg. 21 ] Firefighter Hugh Mettham J anuary 10th 2002: A: “The scene in the lobby now is complete chaos (after South Tower collapse)… met by a rescue firefighter saying that there are fire department members trapped on the 11th floor." A: “Unexpectedly, the loud crashing sound subsides. It is strangely quiet. [ Sentence Stricken From Record ]. I raised my head and move backwards, holding my hands up and touching the bottom of the apparatus chassis.” *Something happened while Mettham was underneath a FDNY rig as the North Tower collapsed, but it may have been of a personal nature. Firefighter Arthur Meyers October 11th 2001: A: “… they said the chief ordered them to move 39 Engine, my rig wasn’t there. I said, ‘Where the hell is 39?’ It’s like somebody stealing your car. … they took our rig and put it right in front of the North Tower. I said, Wait a minute. They’re full of shit. They’re not going to leave the rig there.’ Now you see bodies just falling down. So at that time a proby came over to me. He said… ‘I want to help.’ I said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t go in that building. You’re off duty. If something happens to you, they won’t pay your family nothing…’… The chief orders me to hook up to the Siamese. I said, ‘Bullshit. Get out of the way.’” Q: “Where is the Siamese? A: “Right by the entrance…” 330 331 A: “I said, ‘Bullshit. We’re not going to…’… So the chief was telling me, ‘Leave this rig here and supply this.’ I said, ‘Bullshit. I’m getting out of here.’ He kept ordering me. I pulled out and put our rig right back where it was.” *At times it takes a defiant type to assess the situation. A: “We look up, and you see the first building, the South Tower, coming down. I said, ‘Oh, shit. It’s falling.’ At that time, Giuliani, his crew and myself, we were running. We were running neck and neck out of there.” *If the mayor got in my way, I would’ve cut him off. No pecking order in my book when it’s shoe leather time. A: “The sweetest voice that ever came in my life I heard, J eff Coniglio and J immy Efthimiades. I hear, ‘Arthur. Arthur.’ I’m looking at these guys in amazement. They’re all covered up and everything. I said, ‘Get over here, you motherfuckers.’ I was running over, and the three of us were standing right by the command post hugging and crying. I was just so glad to see these guys… It was like seeing my own kids being lost and then I found them. We were just standing there crying.” *Not that there’s anything wrong with that… Firefighter Craig Monahan October 9th 2001: A: “Anyhow, as we were walking through the streets, the West Side Highway was littered with body parts. You could identify a hand, small pieces, but obviously body parts. It had that odor. I’ve been through this before.” A: “As we were walking past the towers… You had to watch where you were walking. You didn’t want to step on a scalp or a knee joint or something like that.” *Definitely not a scalp or a knee joint. They'd be like stepping on banana peels, especially a knee joint. Cartilage is said to be ten times slip-ier than ice. EMT Alwish Moncherry October 22nd 2001: A; “FBI Agents were telling us to move our vehicle from the corner of Vesey and West, cause there was debris from the airplane which they needed for evidence. I guess it was NTSB, they wanted the area secured.” EMS Lieutenant Amy Monroe October 17th 2001: A; “…during the collapse it was so silent, and then after that I think the---I believe I did hear over the radio, what I was hearing, what I thought I heard---was ‘Deploy the weapons of mass destruction, the antidote kits,’ and that’s the only thing I heard and that’s the last thing I heard and I didn’t hear anything over the air after that.” *This could have been whatever made people so ill afterwards; this, to eradicate the witnesses. Firefighter Michael Morabito J anuary 15th 2002: A: “…we helped rescue one civilian who was trapped on the 6th floor (North Tower)… 331 332 So we had to climb up and this guy is trapped at probably about the 7th or 8th floor and he was just sitting on a piece of concrete when the whole building came down. He was just lucky when he survived.” Firefighter David Moriarity December 4th 2001: A: “They kept announcing the collapse… (7 WTC).” *As if 7 WTC was slated for demolition. Firefighter J ohn Moribito December 12th 2001: A: “Pulled out of quarters and very gingerly was trying to go across the street. [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ]. We proceeded to make a left turn down Liberty Street. I stopped initially in front of 2 World Trade Center, and everyone on the rig was yelling up at me that it was 1 World Trade Center that was hit. At that point, there was a stalled Lincoln Town Car, livery car, that was in front of us, and there was a woman driver, and she couldn’t get the car to move. She couldn’t get it in gear. She was in shock. She was jumping up and down. Eventually, a police officer came over. He jumped in the car. He tried to move it for her. He wasn’t able to move it, so I did have to ram the car, and I pushed it out of the way. I opened up Liberty Street in order for the other engine that was behind us, Engine 10, to get up the block. I came to the end, to West Street… As I was approaching… there was a Chinese man in the middle of the street, and he had been burnt pretty badly… As I approached him, he lifted his head up off the street to look at me, and I stopped my rig and positioned it in a way that I would block him out so that no one coming around me would actually run over him… We wrapped him in a burn blanket. We actually wet him down with a water can… Then I proceeded into the lobby of the building (1 WTC)… two people in the lobby, a gentleman who was already burned and was dead, and a female. She was nude. Her clothes had burnt away. Her skin was burnt away. She was still alive. She was trying to communicate. Her eyes were sealed shut. Her throat apparently was sealed. She couldn’t really communicate. Within the next two minutes, she had perished right there. We never actually got her any assistance. We couldn’t get her an ambulance, and we didn’t get her out of there… there was fire showing around the entire perimeter of the North Tower… there were people approaching me and asking me if they should evacuate the building, I said, ‘Absolutely. Evacuate both buildings, if you can. Get out while you can now’… I noticed in the courtyard that there were valises, suitcases, strewn about… There were wallets everywhere, broken glass… airplane tickets… I also started to notice that there were what I thought was insulation or what I described as insulation. It was gray and pink, and it was all over the place, and it turned out that this was human flesh, people had been blown apart from the impact or the plane exploding itself, and I noticed that they were everywhere. They were all over the floor, all over the courtyard… Chief Pfeifer from Battalion 1 come in. Along with him was the battalion aide, and the French filmmaker, who happened to be standing in the lobby at the time, and he was videotaping everything that was occurring… As people were exiting to get away from the building, some of them 332 333 were running, and they would slip and fall, and they would get gashed wide open. They had major lacerations to the back of their head, to their back, to their lower torso. We were fortunate enough to have EMS nearby, and we put those people on stretchers almost immediately and got them out… The majority of the people did listen to our directions, and they did slow down… After a couple of minutes, we heard---I heard over the department radio, ‘Prepare for impact. A second plane is approaching the building.’ At that point, we all looked at each other and realized that it was now a terrorist attack… The chiefs were assured by the engineers of the building that there was no way that the buildings would come down. They actually said that the buildings could take---withstand ten airplanes hitting it, and there was no way that the buildings could come down… The building came down…and threw me about 30 feet back into the lobby of 1 World Trade Center… One of the female civilians that came out of the window with me kept falling… I’d pick her up by the seat of her pants. I was throwing her in front of myself… She’d get up, she’d fall… now thinking back, she had probably had a broken leg, if not two broken legs… I did manage to continue to throw her all the way across West Street and into the arms of an EMS worker…” Q: “After the first collapse, you said you heard people giving radio transmissions. Did they identify themselves at all?” A: “No, there was no identification given over the radio.” *Moribito and his company were from the 10/10 Firehouse right across from 2 WTC on Liberty Street and would've seen a lot of what went on there. Local EFR’s seemed to be more “in the loop” in regards to awareness and experiences at the WTC, possibly because of their familiarity with the site. Units from outside seemed more prone to be lost and confused. There just happened to be a stalled cab outside their headquarters. Was the "Prepare for impact" transmission a good guess that it would be another hit? EMT J onathan Moritz October 25th 2001: A: “With that we also received a burn patient, a lady who had walked down from the 78th floor, believe it or not, with third-degree burns head to toe. I don’t know if I could stand as badly as she was burned and she was walking.” Fire Marshal Steven Mosiello October 23rd 2001: A: “Chief Nigro said to Chief Ganci that it’s probably going to be one of the worst days of our career.” A: “At this point there was only one plane. I was told by somebody that we had an eyewitness who happened to be an off-duty firefighter who told me that he saw the first building get hit and it was hit by a prop jet… he said he was an eyewitness… I never got his name personally.” *A propjet. It does resemble that in the blurry Naudet film. A: “I was told by Chief Ingram, who was a terrorist and hazmat-type guy, that we’ve got to be careful of secondary explosions or secondary devices.” A: “I saw a police tow truck and asked him to tow our car out of there. It has been crushed by some debris. The trunk was popped open; I don’t know how. Steering column was all ripped out; I don’t know why. To this day I don’t know why the column was 333 334 disabled like that." [ Paragraph Stricken From Record pg. 30 ]. *That's kind of bizarre. You cold argue that this was done by debris, but just the column? There were other reports about inexplicable trunk openings, locked and unlocked doors, but not peeled steering columns. What is an errant car thief? What was redacted? EMT Farooq Muhammad November 1st 2001: A: “…I was actually telling people to run because there were people who were frozen, like civilians, people that were just frozen. They weren’t moving, women. I remember mostly women standing there and not running and I was telling them run, run, run, you know, because they were like frozen. They wouldn’t move.” A: “People were coming in totally covered. You couldn’t even tell what color they were, if they were black or white, because they were all covered in this debris. Everybody was like one color.” A: “J ust then a whole like large group of firemen arrived from Staten Island (ferry terminal) and everybody was cheering them and they went about their business.” *Yeah, Staten Island! A: “B-e-y is the last name. I-d-r-i-s. We sort of gave each other a big hug and everything because he’s actually a black Muslim and I happen to be a Muslim and we were both like were just shocked at this because why would anybody do this in the name of any religion… J ust a horrible thing that people were actually looking at Islam as the enemy, not just those people who did that… just reminding ourselves that there’s no way that we could ever accept anything like this as being Islamic… because we know from the Koran that this is an evil thing and Islam never teaches this.” A: “…I’d like to reiterate the fact that, as a Muslim who works for the fire department, that I can say that, as far as my family is concerned, as far as my friends who happen to be Muslims are concerned, that this is no way, you know, this no way reflects Islam. Islam does not teach this. Islam is a religion of peace and it teaches brotherhood amongst all people and races. Regardless of what religion they are, you’re supposed to treat them with respect, just like you would treat your own mother or father with respect. … I think not only was this an attack on the United States, but the people who did this also attacked Islam because now we are with millions of people in the world thinking that Islam is something that’s of violence, when really it isn’t, when really it’s these people who chose it as a means to get their---whatever they did, you know, to get that done, not to actually portray the true Islam. It’s just something that they tried to use to manipulate. That’s what a lot of people do out there who claim to be Muslims do manipulate people into thinking that killing innocent people is good when Islam clearly teachers you that it’s something that’s not tolerated by God and never will be and it shouldn’t be tolerated by any Muslim… It (Islam) teaches peace and love for all humanity, whether they’re J ewish or Christian or Buddha or whatever, rich or poor, men, women or children. *We keep hearing this sentiment, yet we keep seeing jihad and jihadist plots. Paramedic Tracey Mulqueen October 4th 2001: A: “At that point Captain Olszewski was who we kept with. [ Next Page-and-a-half Stricken From Record ] I remember what struck me most is when we were on the eastside 334 335 and stuck in all that traffic, people were just going about their day. People were sitting at cafes eating. I know life goes on and stuff, but to see people---it was almost like how could you just be going about your business? Don’t you know what just happened?" [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] *I hate people like that. Unless something directly affects them, they could care less. There seemed to be a lot of data missing in Mulqueen's account. A: “The next thing I know, it was nighttime and we were at Chelsea Piers and we were helping---we got the morgue set up, which actually they never used, on the ice rink, which I thought it was actually a good idea.” *I can’t print what came into mind here. And I doubt if the “Ice Follies” would be interested in the concept. In Staten Island, WTC victim's bodies were brought to Miller Field in New Dorp and placed inside the old WW II aircraft hangar there, where family members could come and identify them. It was kept cold, I believe, by the use of dry ice. A: “I remember at one point an unmarked truck pulls outside Chelsea Piers, and they start unloading it. You just see big brown boxes. I’m like, ‘Guys I know I’m Miss Panic here, but did anybody check those boxes? Where is this stuff from? It could be terrorist stuff.’ The FEMA guy standing next to me says, ‘Oh, maybe we should check the truck out.’… He was like, ‘Wow, that’s a good idea.’… I went with Dr. Richmond to ground zero from Chelsea… Words can’t describe… it just looks like the gates of Hell opened up… The only reason I wasn’t out the door…was because I was making my frigging bacon in the pantry. Who knows what would have happened had I been there… I had my bacon saved me.” *Saved by makin’ bacon! A: “The next day we were… setting up the northwest triage and treatment sector in the American Express Building all of a sudden you started to hear that rumble again. Everybody just took off.” Q: “This is on the 12th?” A: “Yes. Apparently in the back some of the façade had been falling down, but you didn’t know that. All you know is you heard that rumble again… All of a sudden I see one of our EMTs coming up towards West Street, and he’s starting to go in the building. I started screaming, ‘Get out of there!’ One of the cops turned around and said, ‘Why are you screaming?’ ‘Because you know what, I just ran for my frigging life again. If I’m a little high-strung right now, then you’re going to have to understand that.’… Why are you screaming? Because he’s walking towards a building that might be collapsing? I don’t know… It was just funny.” Lieutenant Murray Murad October 4th 2001: A: “It was about 8:41 that we heard a plane hovering over the firehouse. It sounded like the plane was right on top of us… The captain came out and said, ‘What’s going on? This is a no-fly zone. There should be no planes over here unless this is a military plane, a plane in trouble.’ Other than that, there was really no clue. So about two or three minutes after hearing it, you heard something like revving. We took a look, and, boom, the North Tower is hit… They all took off. The engine and the truck took off I guess they both were responding to a pre-arranged staging location when the World Trade Center is involved in some kind of major incident.” * The firemen at 10 House on Liberty heard a plane of some sort, which sounded like it was right above the firehouse, 335 336 then two or three minutes later, boom, the North Tower is struck. I always thought there were no “practice laps” before the North Tower was struck? Murad also used the word, “hovering.” I don't know what that meant. Maybe it was this mysterious “prop jet?” Also, there was a pre-arranged meeting site for local FDNY concerning a WTC disaster post- 1993. A: “I went around the corner to Liberty and Greenwich to tell the people, listen, just keep walking as far as you can, just stay away from the buildings… I got to the American Stock Exchange building. A guy came out and asked me what do you think we should do? I said listen, if it was me, I tell you in one word, R-U-N, run, just leave. Oh, we have a protocol, for this and that. Listen, you’ve to get your people to safety. I don’ think being in the building is that safe. But this is the American Stock Exchange. I said listen, you do what you have to do… I continued on my little excursion here trying to get people out of the stores, out of the buildings. I went to all the shops right behind the firehouse. I said listen, just leave your building, just leave… I told them just leave, just---don’t even close your business, just walk out and leave. They’re telling me they’re okay, they’re okay. Now it’s getting a little frustrating because I said listen, you should really leave. Don’t lock your door, but let your employees go. That didn’t seem to work.” A: “…all of a sudden I heard a plane… Someone said it could have been a B15, a U.S. plane up in the air. Actually, what I think it was, was simultaneously the plane and the North Tower coming down. So that’s what the sounds were.” *Once again, the sound of some sort of plane/aerial object preceding the collapse. A B-15 Bomber is an old four-prop bomber from the WW II era (1924). I don’t know if Murad was trying to say ‘B-1 Bomber’ or just trying to describe the intensity of the sound. A: “… within a couple of minutes (of the second plane strike) one guy jumped---an individual came out. It wasn’t like a jump, because they came out backwards. Evidently from the explosion up on those floors they got blown out…. I only saw two people come out.” A: “The awful sound of hearing that plane over the firehouse. It was like it was sitting right on top of the firehouse. That’s how close it was. And then revving up the engine and then hitting the North Tower.” *What's more is that the 10 House is on Liberty Street behind the North Tower. If it had flown over 10 House, it would have had to turn around and fly north, then turn around again and fly south and hit the north side of the North Tower.--- and all of this in three minutes. Not probable. Firefighter Christopher Murray December 12th, 2001: A: “…in my opinion, I don’t think there was anybody there who would have given anybody an order to go dig.” A: “All day. All you heard was Maydays, and whether it was from members in the building, I’d like to believe that it wasn’t, but that’s going to be a horrible thought for anybody that there were guys in there that survived the collapse. That’s just kind of sad. There would be no rescue. I’d like to believe that all the Maydays were from people out in the street… [Paragraph Stricken From Record ]. This is before the collapse… afterwards everybody pitched in. [Paragraph Stricken From Record ]… all the firemen were looking up.” Q: “90 West was largely involved in fire from the collapse?" A: “Yes… I know there was a pretty good fire condition on the first floor.” *90 West Street is a Gothic, Cass Gilbert, copper top building just south of the WTC. A: “We all wanted to go in there and…help get these guys out. But there was a lot of 336 337 guys… that were just incapable of doing that and I think a lot of the chiefs realized that…guys that were there for more than 24 hours, they released them.” Firefighter Keith Murphy December 5th 2001: A: “I do recall police officers kind of running up to us… they kept saying guys… We have a report of a third inbound aircraft… So we pass under the pedestrian bridge and now we are in the plaza… there was a tremendous amount of body parts. Then there were full torsos. I noticed a lot of people with heads missing, legs missing, arms missing. I almost walked into one and I wouldn’t even have believed, it looked like a bundle of rags and it was a body.” A: “We made it over to the entrance to the Marriott Hotel…we came into the lobby and we passed under a big awning, and I remember the awning was glass, one of those glass and steel encased awnings, and just as we got into the revolving doors to go into the lobby, the huge crash, a body hit the glass and the steel… it sounded like a bomb had gone off but it was a body hitting the glass." A: “Chief Galvin and he said that we are assigned to the 44th floor of the South Tower. He said there is a report of fire as low as 44…” A: “At the end of this elevator lobby there was---it just looked to be something had exploded… someone said I think an elevator---when the plane hit, it severed the elevator cable and it came all the way down and crashed. I don’t know a hundred percent if that’s what happened but it looked to me like that could have been true. It looked like something had fallen down, hit and like exploded out. I mean the whole area around it for maybe 25, 30 feet of really severe damage. But I couldn’t get close enough…” A: “I had heard right before the lights went out, I had heard a distant boom, boom, boom, it sounded like three explosions. I don’t know what it was. At the time, I would have said they sounded like bombs, but it was boom, boom, boom, and then the lights all go out.” Firefighter J ames Murphy December 12th 2001: A: “Then the guys on the news got a call from somebody who was on the West Side Highway… he said that a big tire came down and landed on a car in front of him… You think it’s a plane and then you see the hole in it (North Tower) and you still don’t think it’s a 747 or 767. You still think it’s like a Piper Cub. I was just thinking from the hole, it might have been packed with explosives. A: “Then we saw the second one come up. It looked like it was coming from the East River, which is what it looked like. I thought it made a left over the East River and went right into it going form east to west. But as it turns out, it came from the south. Then we saw it just go right into the building and explode… I was saying, ‘That plane is closer to us. It’s really not a big plane going towards the building.’ Two seconds later it rammed into the building.” *That’s odd. I’msure the CGI crowd could make a speculation or two about this one (hologram anyone?). Or, could Murphy have seen two different planes?: one, not very large, going east to west, and one going north? A: “…you could hear the noise. I was looking towards West Street, because that’s where it seemed that it was coming from. You just heard---thought it was a third plane that hit, 337 338 because when we were going in… they said, ‘Be careful, guys, there’s a third plane heading in.’ So that’s what I though it was. It just seemed like a long time that it was---it didn’t seem like an explosion. It was like boom, boom, and then just got louder and louder… all of a sudden I was looking out onto West Street and the whole area turned from gray to black…” *Again, someone stated that before the South Tower collapsed, it sounded like an incoming plane, then multiple explosions, then collapse. And so, could the rumors about a third incoming plane have been legitimate? A: “We found a guy, a maintenance guy…We put him in front of us… The guy said, ‘Oh, this is the watch store. I know where this is.’ He said, ‘The exit’s this way. Keep going straight.’ We went straight and we ran into a---what it was was a stairwell and a wall.” *Why I oughta’… That’s why he’s a janitor Murphy. A: “There were FBI guys down there at this point… they said, ‘This is your show, guys. You just tell us what to do.’" *Coffee, cream & sugar and a chocolate éclair please. Fire Marshal J ohn Murray December 28th 2001: A: “…we were all getting ready to go. The boss…goes this is going to be a long drawn out day. Anybody got to take a shit, anybody got to do anything, do it right now…. Okay, so some guys go to take a shit, get ready, we get all our shit together. We are getting ready to go out the door. The TV is still on. We see the second tower explode. There was nothing, at least those first few minutes, there was nothing about another plane. It was just that the thing exploded, so now we thought it was a bomb.” *Some believed that there was never really a second plane, that it was just spliced-in afterwards or just a hologram and that it was really a bomb explosion in the South Tower. Murray stated that there was no mention of any plane for the next few minutes by any newsperson also, which was interesting. I noticed in transcripts that just as many people who said they saw a second plane, have their counterparts who said they never saw any plane. This goes for TV also. A: “So we start walking up the bike path and the whole time you are hearing boom, boom, boom, you know, more fucking bombs. What the hell is this? They kind of sounded like block busters or something. We were walking and I’m like what the fuck is going on? More bombs going off? As we are walking, we see a detective looking, everybody is looking up…” *Squibs. A: “Looking up a the World Financial Center and saying this is a stupid place to be standing, because if they hit the World Trade Center, why not blow up the World Financial Center?" A: “I saw Dr. Kelly and her entourage… She was wearing a dress then and when I saw her on Albany, she was wearing like a T-shirt or something and she didn’t have her dress on.” *Dr. Kelly lost her dress? Bandages maybe? A: “So we go to the command post and they have some shit. They got some letter bomb or something they thought they had… But upstairs, they had food and stuff. We go upstairs… They were basically trying to keep people away from trying to go back to the towers and digging, which everybody wanted to do but they didn’t want you doing.” 338 339 Firefighter Dominick Muschello December 6th 2001: A: “As we watched the fire from the third floor, we saw the second plane fly right into the center of the building clear as day…” A: “I remember seeing Chief Nigro kneeling on the ground. It looked like he was saying a prayer… I tapped him on the shoulder, and I said, ‘Chief, are you all right?’ He just looked up at me." A: “A firefighter came across the street at that point… It looked to me like his fingers may have gotten cut off or something, but he was bleeding really, really bad. He was bleeding real, real bad. He was bleeding all over me… I wrapped his hand… I went into the garage… I walked the guy that was hurt along the search rope, and I said, ‘Follow the search rope and you’ll be able to get out through the rear.’… But he went into a closet and sat down and said, ‘I can’t walk anymore.’ I said, ‘You can’t sit in this closet. No one is going to find you.’ So I helped him back onto the search rope and started following the search rope… we heard a tapping noise… I said, ‘Do you hear that?’ He said, ‘Yeah, I do.’ I said, ‘It sounds like it’s coming from over there.’… I followed the noise… It was an OEM guy. His name was Powell… a big black guy, Calvin or something… He was in a closet. I guess he was scared. So I helped the guy out of the closet there, the OEM guy. I brought him to the search rope… I went back…towards the street again… I made it pretty close to tower 1 across the street. Some guys, firemen, came running out. I didn’t know where they came from. You couldn’t see no more than ten feet in front of you. I didn’t know where they came out from, but they came running and they were yelling something like a bomb or something. They were like, ‘Run, run, run!’ Everyone was running. I didn’t really know what they were talking about." A: “At that point they were saying all kinds of stories of gas, deadly gas, not natural gas, and stuff like that. So we really didn’t know what was going on.” EMT Naomi Nacional J anuary 23rd 2002: A: “I remember that the stuff was burning my skin (South Tower collapse) because I had short sleeves on… This one guy, he was a big guy… He jumped on me for me to help him. I didn’t know what to do. I think he broke his leg or something because his leg looked all weird. There was no way I could help him… For him to jump on me for me to try to try to carry him away from there was just not happening. I remember I fell to the ground because he jumped on me. I leaned against---I felt for the wall, and I leaned against it. I couldn’t see anything. I don’t know why---I don’t know if it was psychological or anything, but I couldn’t hear anything. I don’t think that I was deaf, but I think I blocked out whatever it was and I couldn’t hear anything… It was just weird… I couldn’t find anybody. I just found all regular civilians that were running to me… I couldn’t help them. I wanted to either take the shirt off or do something, because they were just asking me what to do and I had no clue. I forgot really what happened. I know I was in a bank. Somehow I was in a bank. I found my partner there. I walked right up to him, and I tapped him on the shoulder ands he was like, ‘Oh, my God, are you okay? 339 340 What happened?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know.’… This woman was having an asthma attack, and we couldn’t do nothing because we had no equipment. So I was basically just watching her suffer. Then after that I don’t know what happened. It was like a lot of gaps and whatever… I saw this one guy and he was helping a whole bunch of people. He was in a CVS… He was helping all these people. [Paragraph Stricken From Record ]. I thought it was kind of funny because I saw these firemen and cops running in there, and he was saving them. Some guy from the street that we underestimate, and here he is now like almost a hero, a regular guy. I was in the CVS… Eventually we got out of there. Somehow I was in a gym. I remember being in a gym where there were actual weights and stuff… I found this one kid that I knew… His name is Chris Londel… He helped me out a lot… He looked after me. I never really knew him. I just saw him once, and we just recognized each other. It was just like this unspoken thing that we just wanted to stay near each other… We went around trying to help out people. We took---it was weird, stuff like bananas and tried giving them to people so they wouldn’t get nervous. I don’t know what we were thinking. It was kind of strange. I was sticking with him… It was just a crazy thing. I saw all the firemen, and they were all having this look on their face that they didn’t even have to think about it. They just had to do whatever they thought was right and they didn’t even know if it was right, just like complete look of doubt and belief at the same time. As far as the towers… I just remember when I actually did turn around it was kind of stupid to me. I kept thinking to myself I always see in horror movies the girl will be running and turn around. Why does she turn around? What is she looking at? Keep running. I turned around and looked, and I thought why did I do that?… I kept walking towards the highway, and I found a lieutenant. Supposedly she said I was real out of it.” *Nacional’s account really had that Through The Looking Glass quality to it. Firefighter Robert Norris December 27th 2001: A: “…as we were going through the tunnel, it was eerie to see all the people on express buses going into the city, and they were on the same level as the engines and the trucks, and it was weird to see the eye contact being made from the people in the buses. It was eerie. They were making signs of the crosses, and lip-synching, ‘God Bless you, be careful,’ and such.” A: “…after the first impact, he called his wife, and she was in the Southern Tower. He said to her… ‘What I want you to do is I want you to get out of that building now and just don’t worry about it and just be safe.’… we saw the second plane hit, and Anthony had his cell phone with him, and he called his wife, and of course there was no answer… he felt that his wife was in danger or considerably injured, so he was pretty much in shock at this point. It looked as if he wasn’t ready to do anything… I jumped out, and I’ll never forget, a huge chunk of steel had fallen maybe 15, 20 feet from me, and Lieutenant Hawkins screamed out, ‘Get on the rig. Get on the rig. We’re going to move. We’re going to move.’ And I remember jumping on the rig and saying, I feel safe now, but had that piece of steel hit the rig, it would have split the rig in half, because it was such a considerable size piece… and we’re standing around in this group of---the engine men group. There were a number of people who looked physically shaken up. A priest had come down and was checking over the crowd to see who looked as if they needed some 340 341 assistance emotionally, and he pulled a few people to the side to speak to them… Anthony was by no means capable of gathering up his gear and going in. He just sat there in awe. He was shaking his head and putting his hand on his head, just---he was devastated… there was a chief randomly walking back and forth… It just looked as if somebody was saying, ‘you guys in, you guys in,’ based upon---in retrospect, those he looked as if were dressed and ready to go as a unit. Companies…were sent in by no other reason, I think, that they were all collectively together… I hear what was a third plane coming in. I heard the propulsion of an engine and then an explosion. We looked up and saw these huge chunks… piece of this building that fell in its entirety that I’ll never forget… Gonzalez, who was still shell-shocked, but even more so now that the collapse had taken place. We were speechless. There was a period of silence that was around us… it was eerily silent with papers flying around us…With that we stood there in awe for a while, not knowing what to do… We walked back to what says 4 World Financial Center, Merrill Lynch Building. I remember…I hear yet another---what I thought was a propulsion of a plane, and then an explosion, and then we all dove to the floor… I remember seeing one fireman. He didn’t have a helmet on. A young kid, he was walking with his jacket off on one shoulder, and he looked like he was shell-shocked, and I said, ‘Bro, are you okay? Are you okay?’ And he didn’t answer me, so I kind of like stopped him and shook him. I said, ‘You okay?’ Because he was just so deer in the headlights that I knew something was up with him, and he told me that he jumped out of the 2nd floor window, whatever that meant, whether that was before a collapse, after a collapse, during a collapse… they (people) were asking us to get them what they were calling our oxygen masks to put on people so they could be administered some oxygen, but I was kidding around telling my friends, you know, man, this is 4,500 pounds of compressed air, but they didn’t understand what it was.” *Again, hearing something strange just before a tower collapse, only this time with an explosion. Did stealth aircraft bomb the towers? A: “…it was a shame to hear that people were giving very urgent messages that were being cut off by other urgent messages… everyone was stepping on each other’s toes. After the first collapse… I heard…one officer [ Words and/or Name Stricken From Record ] it seemed as if they were talking to a dispatcher, because they said---again this is a memory… I don’t remember where I heard this, but they were saying such and such to command post…you have an officer down…I think they said Broadway. You have a fire officer down in the streets of Broadway, and then I remember a transmission coming back and saying, ‘Disregard, DOA.’ So I don’t know who it was or who they were speaking of, but it just seemed as if that was the beginning of a lot of bad transmissions to follow… People were dying to get out of New York, hopping on the ferries. I wanted to get back to help people down at the site… I requested a few times to---you know, can we get back down there? [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ]… we heard a report that there was a gas leak or possible gas explosion in Stuyvesant High School… There was a chaotic evacuation of Stuyvesant…even thought there might have been a leak, it just seemed as if it might have been connected somehow with what we found out was terrorist attacks… 65 Engine were giving Mayday transmissions. I heard Lieutenant Piambino, 65 Engine, saying, ‘We’re trapped. We’re trapped. We can’t get out. We’re trapped. We’re trapped. Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.’… but as we went up to the building of Stuyvesant High School… They all walked out… They just seemed they had been to hell and back.” Q: “65?” 341 342 A: “yeah, they all made it out… the officer…I told him he did a great job, and he wasn’t willing to relive it. He said that at the Christmas party. I understood, but I just said, ‘You brought your men home. You did a great job.’" A: “We went back up to the rig to get additional cylinders, and who did we see there at 202 rig but the Rescue 1 old timer.” Q: “Angelini?” A: “Angelini… said, ‘Kid, give me your chauffeur’s masks,’ he tells us, and he was by himself, and we said, ‘Our chauffer has it. You know, we don’t have it.’ He kept going through our compartments, and I remember him walking into the Northern Tower as cool as a cucumber, not looking up, not anything. Now hearing that him and his son---I don’t know what else to say, you know… we weren’t sent in.” *This Rescue 1 old timer and his son are listed as victims on 9-11. Q: “…If there is anything else pertinent that you can think of…” A: “…Well, there is, I guess." [ Three Paragraphs Stricken From Record ] *It was pertinent, but obviously not for us! EMT Michael Ober October 16th 2001: A: “You saw the towers right in front of you, and the first tower was hit. I couldn’t tell at first if it was papers or birds, but something white was you know, like flickering up in the sky. It just seemed weird…. The chief was trying to prepare us… He said, ‘You know, just get ready, this may be a bad day. You might see a lot of dead people. You might see a lot of bad things.’ He was also saying that, just be prepared, cause it may be a terrorist attack…. He said, ‘Be ready for secondary explosives.’… We got into the lobby of the building and it was like chaos… we left to go outside…it was like raining people. People were just jumping from everywhere. J ust all over it was bodies and parts just scattered… I saw one guy got split in half by a light post, his torso and legs weren’t together… Then we heard a rumble, some twisting metal, we looked up in the air, and to be totally honest, at first, I don’t know exactly, but it looked to me just like an explosion. It didn’t look like the building was coming down, it looked like just one floor had blown completely outside of it… Then I saw everybody running past me and I said, I better start running… After hearing this and looking up and seeing the building, what I thought was an explosion, everyone was running… it felt like I was looking at a black and white TV. Everything was a shade of gray. Everybody around me was just covered in gray… Every fire engine was just a different shade of gray. It was just crazy. Actually, with all the devastation that was going on, that was the real cool thing to see. I don’t know why, it was just really interesting.” *This flickering has been described before and is apparent in certain footage. A: “It’s like everybody who came out here who had bumps and bruises. Or they didn’t come out, they were dead… both victims that I saw parts from were like, someone’s face that I saw jump, and they landed 5 feet from me… The smell was just---it has a distinct smell. I’ve been to Manhattan many times since then, and that smell just brings back every single---I don’t know if it’s the World Trade Center cement. I don’t know what exactly it is. It’s just that like, the smell that we inhaled so many times … It’s a nasty smell. I mean, it’s not that bad, but I just don’t like the smell. Um, I don’t know, we were 342 343 down there, there was rumors about the other stuff going on. But nobody had definite information.” *I agreed. The smell was odd, not really that bad, but you just did not like it. I described it as plastic-like, but maybe yet with a little biological quality to it. Whatever it was, I don’t think it belonged there. Q: “About what other stuff?” A: “One rumor I heard was that they were taking out the tunnels, which seemed pretty damned scary considering… Then we heard about the Pentagon. Somebody also said the Sear’s Tower was hit… People were just talking. You didn’t know what was true and what was not true, you know?… some kind of like F-15 or something came like, screaming over our heads. That was the greatest thing I saw all day long.” A: “Someone was like, ‘I’m a retired Vietnam Veteran. I can help you now. I’m used to this kind of situation. What can I do to help?’ There were people everywhere, ‘I’m a lawyer,’ and you see them out there directing traffic.” EMT Renae O’Carroll October 18th 2001: A: “We went down Atlantic Avenue…and the heat was so intense…you could actually feel it while you were on the bridge.” A: “I had my back turned towards the building… I had my back to him. He was facing the building, looking over my shoulder. He looked up, and he had the look of fear on his face… I heard everyone say run. I looked behind me and it was a gigantic blob of ash and molt and fire… it actually lifted me off the ground and threw me… My whole life is just flashing in front of my eyes. What they say is true, everything is just flashing. I accepted it… *This is true, how in those types of situations, your life seems to flash in your mind all in just a few seconds. A: “I just felt safe like someone was cradling me… I was getting ready to die… Something told me…and I saw a red light. I don’t know what it was… And that’s when I put my hand to the left to see what the light was, and I felt glass. What happened to me was just a miracle. The glass door opened up… and it felt like someone put their hands under me just pulled me, picked me up and pulled me. I rolled down some stairs, and the door behind me closed. Down there it was a basement to somewhere. I remember there was a subway station that I ran past… The first thing I saw when I got up was a bucket of mop water. I needed to clean my eyes out.” *No, don’t say it….mop water in a subway? Don’t tell me… A: “I felt, whatever’s in this water, if that didn’t kill me, this is not going to… I took and washed my face off just to see, because I couldn’t breathe and I was blind… I felt that I was still dying… I saw something that said ‘men.’ It was a men’s room. I couldn’t get the door open. It had a padlock just like this station’s door. I couldn’t open it up. There was one that said ‘ladies’ room…and I started saying, ‘God, how am I going to get in here? You brought me in this far. You’re going to let me die down here?’ I started questioning him, ‘Why didn’t you let me die with everybody else up there?’ What happened next was very amazing. From out of nowhere I just pressed the numbers 325, and the door opened up. And that’s the same numbers we have on the station door. 325 was the only numbers I could think of. I couldn’t think of any other numbers to a padlock. It opened up… I washed my face. I cleared my airway out. I made myself vomit to get the stuff out of me. I cleared my nose out. I did it again… I crank… flush my eyes…but the water wasn’t 343 344 coming out fast enough in the faucet. So what I did, I went and kneeled down over the toilet.” *No.…don’t tell me...not water from a New York Cirty subway toilet? A: “I figured if upstairs didn’t kill me, the toilet water is not going to kill me either. I kneeled on it and I put my hand on the flush and I let the water go down. As it was coming up, I washed my eyes out.” *Yikes! The ‘olethe subway turlet. A: “I lie down… I don’t know if I lost consciousness… I went to sleep.” A: “When I woke up, they told me I was missing seven or eight hours… I closed the door again and I checked the numbers again to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. It opened up. I was afraid to close it. I put something there.” Q: “To hold the door open?” A: “Yeah… I took some tissue paper and I laid it out.” Q: “A trail of bread crumbs?” A: “Yeah, I did… I made a trail…so I could get back there, because that was a safe haven for me… It was basically a work area on the side of a subway station… I should have been afraid, but I really wasn’t…because I felt God was with me… I saw some stairways… The third floor let me in… doors to an office… I rang the doorbell, like somebody’s going to open it right?… I couldn’t get in… So I went back downstairs…and I went back to sleep… I got up again… I walked the opposite direction…I found my way out.” A: “I opened the door…and someone grabbed my hand. A police lady grabbed my hand… and she dragged me… She was crying and everything like that. We were pretty much holding each other up… She took me and threw me in the bus. She threw me in the bus… I said, ‘Please come with me.’ I grabbed her hand. She said, ‘I can’t. I have to stay.’ I have to stay and help people. She couldn’t breathe herself. I wish I could see her again one day…” A: “I don’t know who she was… She might have been an angel.” *If the second person wasn’t an angel, it seems like definitely the first one was. Angels are said to be incredibly strong and not subject to the hazards of our environment. Battalion Chief Brian O’Flaherty J anuary 9th 2002: A: “…you could see real heavy smoke pushing out of the North Tower upper portion of the building, heavy smoke. I didn’t see any fire; heavy smoke. [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ]. At one point I guess Mike gave me the binoculars. You could see them coming out. You could only see two sides of the building. J ust around that time, I handed the binoculars back after seeing a few people jump… I saw an FBI Agent… I said I thought that the second plane that went into the South Tower was a military plane, like a transport or small cargo military… It was a dark-color plane… the command post, where is it going to be?… I said, ‘We’ll go this way.’ I said something about the hotel. [ Two Sentences Stricken From Record ]. When we first go through those doors, it’s dark in there… All of a sudden there’s this guy yelling. I asked who he is, and he says something about hotel security. He said, ‘I’ve got a door. I think it’s an exit.’ I said, ‘Where does it go?’ He said, ‘Well, I think you have to go down one or two flights.’ I said, ‘Whoa, we’re not going down anyplace.’ He said, ‘Give me a light.’ I said, ‘Nice fucking try. You’re not getting the light either.’ 344 345 *Yeah, no light for your cigarette either! Firefighter Vincent Palmieri December 6th 2001: A: “…5 World Trade Center was burning. There was an aerial ladder up at 5 World Trade Center. I saw two guys operating up into 5 World Trade Center trying to do some sort of search. I’m sorry, let me correct myself. 6 World Trade near, right on the corner of West & Vesey… 6 World Trade Center was almost fully involved in fire… Basically Nigro---a lot of the officers were trying to get information from Chief Nigro as far as to what type of operations he wanted them to commence. [ Sentence Stricken From Record ] Chief Pfeifer was just saying I don’t know what happened.” Firefighter Sidney Parris December 14th 2001: A: “…I saw another FBI Agent come by, who was starting to log some of the things. He was on his transmission, talking to whoever. They told me another plane was in the area…some of the guys thought it was a third plane. At that particular time, I walked to the corner of Church, because I heard the plane, but I couldn’t see anything… As I got to the corner of Church & Vesey, that’s when the building, the South Tower, came down…” *Once again, a sound like a third plane precipitated a collapse. Division Commander Fran Pascale October 17th 2001: A: “From there I remember a woman coming out of the cloud, and that’s the best way of saying. She was coming, up it would have been off Vesey Street. Actually my first initial response was I told her, ‘What are you doing here? You have to get out of here.’ I remember her reply, and I only then did I realize she had a camera. She turned around and she said, ‘You don’t understand,’ and she disappeared, just disappeared. I would not be able to find out who she was, what she looked like. I know it was a woman. My reaction to her comment was that she must have been media and she wanted to take as much film as she could, because it was a large-size camera, movie camera, that she had. So it wasn’t just somebody just walking around with this. She just disappeared.” *Bizarre. People seemed to appear out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly. The camera she had was exceptional too. Who was she and why haven't we seen her footage? A: “I remember getting very angry at this particular vehicle because it happened to be…either a private contractor or one of their non-911 transport unit. I remember looking at their name, and I said if I could catch their number, I better not see them again, because they just blew the light. They just kept on going. That really ticked me off, in plain English.” A: “We had actually asked the police, because we were trying to stop the units from all the areas, as well as our own, just bypassing and heading down to West Street, because everybody wanted to be there. It’s understandable, but it wasn’t something that really should be. If we needed them, then they go down there.” *Too many units responding on 9-11 may have been a problem. They just blew by this commander, who may have needed a lift, or to log who was going where? 345 346 Lieutenant J oseph Patriciello December 20th 2001: A: “…I happened to be looking up and saw the explosion or the building fail with the ensuing fireball and cloud. It didn’t appear to me at that moment the building was coming down. But when the noise level began to pick up, it was obvious that something wrong was going on.” EMS Division Chief J ohn Peruggia October 25th 2001: A: “I reached 7 World Trade Center… As we reached the top of the escalators, there were lots of people running down the escalator… They indicated that the building was being evacuated. I questioned as to what the nature of the evacuation was. I was told that it was not because of what was occurring across the street. No one feared that the building was in any danger as a result of two airplane attacks and subsequent fires, but that there were reports of a third plane that had been hijacked. It was identified, the location, and they thought it may be coming in for an additional strike.” *The third plane had allegedly been located and ID’d by radar as a real threat, but it did not hit anything. Did it deliver the death knells to the towers? A: “We were always told by everyone, the experts, that these buildings could withstand direct hits from airplanes. That’s the way they were designed. They went through all of this architectural stuff, way beyond the scope of my knowledge. It was hit by an airplane. That’s okay. It’s made to be hit by an airplane. … We were all told long ago it was made to be hit by airplane." A: “I started making my way to the command post when I heard that horrible sound again, you know, that whining screeching jet engine. I looked up and at that point I knew the North Tower was coming down.” *Again. Firefighter J oseph Petrassi J anuary 13th 2002: A: “I’m not sure if it was at the 20th floor or 22nd, that’s unclear, but we felt a shake, the building shake, and things just started getting like different.” A: “We made our way down to the lobby. The lobby looked like it was blown out, like the elevator doors. We came out of the building and we were looking up and the tower seemed to blow out, but it was on fire, and the lieutenant said to run…” *Things got like different. The paradigm shift when things turned from a nasty high-rise fire into something anomalous, unexplainable. Chief J oseph Pfeifer October 23rd 2001: A: “…sometime about 8:15 or so in the morning we got a call to Lispenard and Church for a gas leak in the street… then we heard the loud roar of the plane come over, and we turned around and we looked and we saw the plane coming down, heading south towards 346 347 the Trade Center, and made a direct hit on the Trade Center.” Q: “You actually saw it hit?” A: “I saw it hit. Within about ten seconds after that or so I gave the first report on the radio and transmitted a second alarm for a plane into the Trade Center… I pulled in front of the building. I looked up and I saw no fire coming out, no smoke coming out, which would have been the west side of the building. If I can back up…we saw there was somewhat of a hole…maybe three or four of the stories… Again there was no fire coming out.” *This was supposed to be the result of a fuel-laden passenger jet hitting the North Tower? Where was the spectacular explosion? A: “We tried to get repeaters to work, The Trade Center had a repeater. We tried to get that to work. That did not work for some reason, and there were problems with the repeater in the car also. … both Orio and myself tried to get that to work . We tried it numerous times and we couldn’t get the repeaters to operate properly… At one point I was asked to get the operations with the helicopter into motion. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I could not get a hold of the dispatcher to do that. … there were no phone lines. The phone lines were out… or a cell line. We weren’t getting good reports from the police at all. There was one point there was a possibility of a second plane coming in and somebody said something and I turned around to try and confirm that and we couldn’t confirm that. There was also later on the possibility of a third plane. Again, we just heard somebody say it and we tried to confirm it. We could not confirm it with any law enforcement people… But right before the South Tower collapsed, I noticed a lot of people just left the lobby, and I heard we had a crew of all different people, high-level people in government, everybody was gone, almost like they had information that we didn’t have. Some of them moved across the street to the command post.” *The repeaters probably wouldn't have worked if the cell phones wouldn't have. There was probably RF jamming going on there. High-level people in government evacuated the lobby of the North Tower just before the South Tower collapse. They also had intelligence that a second plane was on the way. Pfeifer didn't mention anything about the "trial run" of a low flying aircraft that firefighters heard at the 10/10 House, three minutes before the North Tower strike. Lieutenant Thomas Pambino J anuary 24th 2002: A: “…I don’t know what point I heard this on the radio, but someone had said on the handie-talkie that there was a third aircraft inbound, and that is when I heard that, I specifically heard that… In retrospect I know what it was. The South Tower had fallen, but at the time I didn’t know what it was. All I heard was a tremendous explosion. The tower I was in shook really bad. It shook really bad, and my opinion, I thought it was another aircraft that hit the building… my perception was that when I looked back at the tower as it was starting to come down---I was booking…I thought it exploded… It looked to me like an explosion, and you could feel the---you could feel it coming…” *Once again, a third plane is reported inbound and a sound is heard preceding the South Tower collapse. It looked like the North Tower exploded. Firefighter Steve Piccerill December 12th 2001: A: “That’s when the bodies started coming down…I figured we were going to be going in the building soon, [ Sentence/s Stricken From Record ] I was walking back up to the 347 348 front of the tunnel, and I heard like a---to me, it sounded like thunder, and I just saw stuff coming down, and I heard someone… I finally made it back to my firehouse and..." [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] Q: “I don’t blame you.” A: “I just couldn’t---just for a couple of days it was---it was like a videotape going on in your head from the time it happened to the time it ended.” A: “I came to work. The captain says, ‘What the hell are you doing in work?’ I said, ‘I don’t know what to do, captain. This is---I feel I should be here.’" [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] Paramedic J oel Pierce J anuary 23rd 2002: A: “…I just watched people jumping. I must have counted about eight people. One of them was on fire as he hit the ground.” Q: “You were on Liberty Street then?” A: “Yes… That’s when we heard that sound again, and I swear it sounded like another plane coming in, just that rumbling noise, that steadily---that continuous rumbling that was getting louder and louder, and I think the last words I had were, ‘Oh, God not another one.’” *Once again. A: “I saw this one boat with a camera crew on it. …The Green Monster they call it. It’s like a high-speed tour boat that races up and down the water around the island, gives a tour of the island… I waved them over and I told them, go around south…and start picking up people and get them out of here, and they listened to me. They actually did that. It was pretty good.” A: “All I know is that I was on the clock for 32 straight hours. I was on the clock that long. Then I just---a bunch of people approached me and..." [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] A: “I don’t know if it’s like a Superman feeling or something, but I had to get up there because I know people needed my help and that was it.” *Superman! A: “I remember at one point… in front of Liberty Plaza and they said they needed morphine down there. They found somebody inside and they were going to have to take his legs off and they need morphine. They saw me and they said, ‘Are you a medic?’ I go, Yeah.’ ‘You got morphine?’ I go, ‘Yup.’ The guy…said, ‘You’re coming with me’ and they physically grabbed me. They said, ‘You’re coming with us, we need you now, we need your drugs.’ At that point I found myself on the pile…it felt like I was hallucinating because just looking around, I was on top of that pile a good way in, it was hot and I was looking at all these holes down. It was like ‘one wrong step and I’m dead.’ If I fell into that little hole, I’m dead and that was it, because I could see the flames below… I knew if I went in it was like the pits of Hell. It was like Dante’s Inferno… Then I got called out and I learned that they managed to free the guy’s legs up, so that made me happy.” *Got morphine? 348 349 Firefighter J ohn Picarello December 6th 2001: A: “In about a second or two, you just heard like a ‘Ba-ba-ba-boom!’ and everything just came down and everything was pitch black.” *Bomb or Baba-Booey? Paramedic Steven Pilla October 17th 2001: A: “…we’re going to move to Stuyvesant High School. Somebody comes in and says there’s a gas leak, there’s explosives going on, we have to evacuate…. The 20 people I’m treating again beat me to the door. I have no idea where these 20 people are. Someone is around with a triage cage around their neck.” *Dang! Ran off again. And could somebody check downtown for a guy with a triage cage around his neck? A: “So we run out. You try not to hear the explosions in the background, things just blowing up; vehicles I guess, that were on fire from the debris… You could hear them getting closer and closer…” *Some try not to hear the explosions even today. A: “I remember somebody saying, ‘Don’t forget to fill out an exposure form when you get back.’ God only knows what was in that. You could feel the fiberglass on your arms. You knew it was like pulverized glass and fiberglass. Everything was pulverized.” *Everything was pulverized in keeping with a controlled demolition. Captain J ace Pinkus October 11th 2001: A: “It was at that point when I personally heard a loud rumbling noise. I thought it was another plane hitting the tower, and that’s when the entire street filled with smoke…" Firefighter Vincent Plover December 26th 2001: A: “I was on 14th Street, and I saw the towers were still up. Both towers were still up at that point… I was going to the West Side Highway and I parked about seven blocks away…and it was then I noticed that there was dust on the ground. The dust increased, and I didn’t know what the dust was, and then I was approximately one block north of the tower, because I saw people at the windows…not having seen the damage to the other tower…” *Why was there so much dust pre-collapse? Deputy Chief Medical Officer David Preznant November 14th 2001: A: “I remember overhearing several chiefs saying that a collapse was not possible… there was not a lot of noise with this collapse. A little bit of noise. I don’t know why that is. Maybe because it imploded inwards… It was enough noise for all of these people to start running, but not enough noise for me to be all that concerned… I ran because they 349 350 ran.” EMT Frank Puma December 12th 2001: A: “…we got flagged down for another lady who got hit by the landing gear of the first plane. We then proceeded to put her on a longboard as best we could, because we couldn’t roll her because she had no back anymore.” A: “…one of the bystanders, one of the civilians, as he was running out of the towers ran up to us and told us, ‘You’ve got to help this guy.’ I turned to him and said, ‘All right. What happened? Where is he?’ He said, ‘He just jumped.’ I said. ‘From where?’ He said, ‘I don’t know. It looked like the 50 th , 60 th floor.’ I sad, ‘Brother, I’m sorry to say he’s dead. J ust keep running.’ I remember after the first tower collapsed hearing over the EMS frequency all the EMS members screaming, ‘Mayday, mayday. Somebody please help us. We don’t want to die in here.’ I listened to that for about two, three minutes. You had to lower the volume because you couldn’t stand listening to that anymore.” *Some of the jumpers were still moving, still briefly alive after impact. Firefighter William Quick November 1st 2001: A: “I didn’t go down into the subway…as soon as you go in this entrance, there is like either four or five escalators… What it was was all these people were bunched on the escalator. They all had darkened faces, smoke, bleeding, injuries, but they were in mass hysteria.” Q: “Where were they coming from, do you have any idea?" A: “What I think this policeman did is, I think, he took them from the North Tower, maybe the North Tower or the South Tower or what you have because of falling debris and I think he huddled them into this building.” *Quick’s speculation was understandable, but I think four or five escalators suggested that these people were coming not from the subway, but from the PATH station. There was an incident reported in that area as well as explosions. What’s more is it would not make sense to huddle people down there, as it is too far down and not that far from the exits. A: “…I’m breathing inside my coat, breathing inside my shirt… you are out in the middle of the street… With that, someone steps on me and the guy said, ‘Who’s that?’ I said, 'Fire department.’ The guy said, ‘I think I’m burnt.’” A: “He was a fire department EMT… I brushed off his arms and everything and he kept looking at his arm and he said, ‘Oh, man, my arms are so warm.' 'From what I could see it doesn’t look like any burns. Maybe you have like a sunburn or something like that.'” *Others had plastic on their coats singed by the high heat. Firefighter Richard Ratazzi J anuary 13th 2002: A: “…a gentleman threw a chair out of, I guess, the 6 World Trade Center. He was on the floor below the top, the second set of windows in from the corner of West Street and Vesey. He threw the chair out the middle window. I remember he was wearing a white shirt, black tie, had a mustache, black hair, like nothing happened to him. It was about the only windows left intact. Like his office door was closed. So we yelled up to him not to jump, that there would be people coming to get him. Which there was companies on the 350 351 way down going up there.” Battalion Chief Stephen Raynis December 21st 2001: A: “So I moved up to West and Vesey. I had a couple of companies there. We were doing a search for a secondary device before we officially set it up.” Firefighter Michael Regan December 28th 2001: A: “…a couple yelling and screaming about you know, fire over there, secondary explosions and we stretched a line off a rig…” Firefighter J oseph Rae December 10th 2001: A: “We started walking north to just about the second footbridge, which would be 6 World Trade, and all of a sudden we heard the explosion and the building started to come down…” Q: “Which tower?” A: “2 World Trade Center…” EMT-D Ralph Ramos December 12th 2001: A: “…we witnessed the first plane hit the first tower. Saw it flying low and we thought, that plane’s flying kind of low, and then it hit the building and we went over the radio and we told central that we had witnessed a plane hitting the building…” Firefighter William Reynolds December 11th 2001: A: “I was distracted by a large explosion from the South Tower and it seemed like fire was shooting out a couple of hundred feet in each direction, then all of a sudden the top of the tower started coming down in a pancake.” Q: “Bill, just one question. The fire that you saw, where was the fire? Like up at the upper levels where it started collapsing?” A: “It appeared somewhere below that. Maybe twenty floors below the impact area of the plane. I saw it as fire and when I looked at it on television afterwards, it doesn’t appear to show the fire. It shows a rush of smoke coming out below the area of the plane impact.” *Why didn't the boob-tube show fire exploding out twenty floors below where the plane hit? A: “…before the towers had fallen, two emergency service cops had come up to us in weird gear, carrying Uzis and asked us if we had seen any civilians. They said, ‘If you see any, come get us. Don’t go near the civilians.’ At the time there were no civilians around, in my eye-shot. I also remember, at that time, which I had also forgotten to state, 351 352 that in the North Tower there was a woman who may have been a security guard for the complex and she was just walking back and forth seeming to be oblivious of the people falling down, jumping down right on the other side of the glass. In hindsight, I would say she probably was in shock. There was also a police officer in there. He just seemed to be just standing there not paying attention to what this woman was doing… I remember then seeing a civilian, the first civilian I saw, he was carrying a bag and I thought, you have to watch out for the civilians and I was thinking, maybe I should take his bag and throw it in the water, because I didn’t know what it was. Then I thought maybe of throwing him in the water. Then I said, No. He’s walking south. I’ll walk north and get away from him. I remember discussing with other guys that maybe there is people around that would shoot us. Then we went over closer to the water and there was a barge there. I remember thinking, This might be an oil barge and there might be a bomb on it. So we started walking back towards West Street… I ran into a battalion chief. I don’t know who he was. I said to him, I said, ‘Chief, they’re evacuating the other building, right?’ He said, ‘No.’” Q: “You’re talking about the North Tower now, right?” A: “Before the North Tower fell. He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Why not? They blew up the other one.’ I thought they blew it up with a bomb. I said, ‘If they blew up the one, you know they’re gonna blow up the other one.’ He said, ‘No, they’re not.’ I said, ‘Well, you gotta tell them to evacuate it, because it’s gonna fall down and you gotta get the guys out.’… He said, ‘I’m just the battalion chief. I can’t order that.’ I remember looking at the radio on him and I said, ‘You got a fucking radio and you got a fucking mouth. Use the fucking things. Empty this fucking building.’ Again he said, ‘I’m just a battalion chief. I can’t do that.’” *Seems like the ESU cops got some tips about civilian operatives out to cause havoc. The civilian with the bag heading south was odd. The female security guard thing was bizarre too. Maybe she was in shock or had other purposes? The other building should have been evacuated immediately. Firefighter Arthur Riccio December 10th 2001: A: “Battalion 11 came to us and said we have people trapped on the 31 st floor. In the lobby was the Commissioner, Ganci, the Mayor was there, Father J udge was there… We walked up and got to 21. 21 was locked… We got up to 28… He (chief) said, ‘You know what, let’s go back down and force the door, we go in and searched all the occupancies. Nobody was in there…. The bathrooms were charred… Over the Brooklyn Bridge, you saw black coming down the side of the building. It was like drippings. I said, ‘Lieutenant, what are those windows, plastic? What’s melted on them? It looks like plastic going down the side of the building.’ They said it was jet fuel coming down the side.” EMT Chad Ritorto October 16th 2001: A: “…they were bringing up boats, power boats or regular boats. They were shoveling people off… People were just freaking out and trying to jump on the boats. It looked like a riot. Woman and children first and everybody… then an EMS Lieutenant, I met up with her, and she was like, ‘Oh, we have to go to Liberty Island.’" [ Paragraph Stricken From 352 353 Record ] Fire Marshal Salvatore Rignola November 5th 2001: A: “…pedestrian bridge near Vesey Street… someone starts yelling: ‘There’s an explosion!’ All of a sudden you could hear sound like crumbling. All of a sudden everybody starts running.” EMT J uan Rios October 10th 2001: Q: “Where did you get the patient form?” A: “She ran into us. She was having like, an anxiety attack.” A: “Then the second plane hit…” Q: “Okay, what happened to the original patient you had?” A: “…she got scared, she ran out of the bus, and I don’t know where she went…I hear people screaming and a loud explosion, and I heard like ‘Ssssssssss…’ the dust like ‘sssssssssss….’ So I come out of the bus, and I look and I see a big cloud of dust and debris coming from the glass…” *Damn runaway patients again! Could somebody at least devise a gun that attaches a bill to the running patient? : P Firefighter Angel Rivera J anuary 22nd 2002: A: “There was excitement going in the firehouse: ‘It’s a bomb, it’s a bomb, the World Trade Center is on fire!’ I never saw the plane hit, the first one… There were rumors it was a bomb. Some of the people said it was a plane. Some people saw the plane. We actually didn’t know what happened the first time.” A: “…the chief told us go to the Marriott Hotel… Then we hear the explosion and debris falling… when we hit the 19th floor, something horrendous happened. It was like a bomb went off… The whole building shook… We looked inside the lobby after everything calmed down, and everything was collapsed. The building was still shaking and we’re still hearing explosions going on… When the second tower came down, we had no idea what was going on. We thought another plane, another bomb, another as a second device… We walked out onto the rubble… So finally we found out there was a beam. Maybe God put it there… like it started where we were, all the way to the ground” Paramedic Daniel Rivera October 10th 2001: Q: “How did you know it was coming down?” (South Tower). A: “That noise. It was a noise.” Q: “What did you hear? What did you see?” A: “It was a frigging noise. At first I thought it was---do you ever see professional demolition where they set the charges on certain floors and then you hear, ‘Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop?’ That’s exactly what---because I thought it was that. When I heard that frigging noise, that’s when I saw the building coming down.” 353 354 A: “But again, I was prepared because I heard that same noise (collapse of North Tower). It was like a waterfall noise. That’s when I ran.” *Rivera running after he heard squibs may have saved his life. A: “Right around in between here and Five World Trade Center. This tower here, you saw about 20 ESU guys on the second floor. Don’t ask me how they got there. They were climbing down. So it looks like they were there when it collapsed. There was a ladder here. They were repelling down. I was shocked because I tried to figure out how they made it…” Firefighter Terence Rivera December 13th 2001: A: “…in front of tower---the North Tower… There was a---he wasn’t a regular security guard. He had a weapon on him. I don’t know if he was FBI or Secret Service and he was trying to put the pants out on one individual… His pants were still smoldering… He told me when the plane had hit, a fire ball had shot down the elevator shaft and had blown people out of the lobby… he came over and he is saying to us that it’s a terrorist attack… that same individual…he told me to go over to the command post and let them know it’s a terrorist attack. There are more planes in the air… I told them. They said we know.” *I don't know how they knew it was a terrorist attack for certain at that time, because according to the transcript, only the North Tower had been hit. Paramedic Eric Rodriguez October 16th 2001: A: “We looked up and said no, that’s not debris, those are bodies… Then we started seeing they were screaming and they were moving, and we were watching them hit the ground. At that point there’s nothing you can do to treat them.” A: “…it sounded like I thought another plane had struck the building. This loud bang and then it sounded like a locomotive” (South Tower). Firefighter George Rodriguez December 12th 2001: A: “…in the basement of Seven World Trade Center… There was no means of egress from that particular point in the basement… Two of the civilians didn’t want to stay in the basement. They wanted to get out because it was smoke condition down there and a lot of ash. You couldn’t really breathe that well, but it was much better than outside. We tried to block the door so they wouldn’t go out… so I stepped aside, let them run out. Unfortunately for them they ran to the left, which happened to be right towards Vesey Street, which was the wrong way to go. I never saw those two again.” *People’s little, split-second decisions saved or cost them their lives. A: “You actually had to pass over seriously injured people to help more seriously injured people. That was insane in itself.” 354 355 EMT Melvin Rodriguez J anuary 22nd 2002: A: “You’re expecting hundreds of people to be injured. You’re going to help people. It was dead silence. Everybody was dead. There was nothing but body parts all over the place. It was a helpless feeling. You’re all pumped up to save the world, and there’s nobody to be saved. Everybody’s dead. That’s really what the shocking part about all of this was. The dead silence, the helplessness, the frustration, even guilt of being a survivor… After the second one went down…the lieutenants were telling us not to go in. I remember telling my partner, ‘Listen, this is bullshit!’---excuse my language---‘we’ve got people in there trapped. We’re going in there.’ So six guys. I said, ‘Anybody got any balls, get in the back of my bus.’… So six guys jumped in my ambulance and said we’re going in… We’re going to get our guys out of there. We went in there…but there was nobody in the ambulance. Hopefully they got out.” *There was supposed to be an ambulance with EMT’s missing and they went in to try and find them. A: “You know, you get a body bag in and expect a body. There were no bodies. They were bags. We had to open up those red bags with our hands. Of course we had gloves on. And you had to go through those body parts, looking for anything to associate that remains with a member of the service, whether it was looking for a little blue thread, a piece of equipment… it was rough. I remember the respect the coroner showed by ordering tables. They didn’t want to be putting body parts on the floor, treating anybody with disrespect. That’s something I remember, the respect they showed for the remains of all those people. [ Pgs. 11, 12, 13 & 14 Stricken From Record ] It was just a horrible situation. I don’t know how else to describe it. It was like living through Hell… working at the morgue and picking up hands with wedding bands on them, knowing that they belonged to some loved one…torsos, wallets with pictures of kids… I remember when I was a kid I used to get the paper with the little drops of candy and you would bite the candy. I remember in the morgue picking up a face, just a piece of skin with teeth on it like that. The things you saw down there were horrifying… I remember the three people I worked with the first time I worked in the morgue, they had to be relieved. They couldn’t take it. So I was there all by myself. [ Next Sentence Disjointed]…started fighting amongst each other: Your color is different than mine. Let me start with you… this woke us up a little bit.” *Sounded like some tried to concentrate on the remains of their own race, as if it really mattered at that point. Firefighter Kenneth Rogers December 10th 2001: A: “…we were standing there with about five companies and we were just waiting for our assignment and there was an explosion in the South Tower… Floor after floor after floor. One floor under another after another and when it hit about the fifth floor, I figured it was a bomb, because it looked like a synchronized deliberate kind of thing. I was there in ’93… We kind of searched quite a bit of the building looking for people (in/out of garage bay under WTC). We didn’t see anybody but one guy with a camera. I don’t know where he came from. He was taking a picture of the World Trade Center collapse I guess. He was okay though… We knew we were the first guys there because there was no foot 355 356 prints in the dust or anything.” Lieutenant Glenn Rohan December 28th 2001: A: “We got approximately to Vesey, a little further past Vesey, I would say about 200 feet from the tower (North), when we heard a noise. I wouldn’t even call it an explosion, but it was enough to make you look up… we looked up... we looked at it for approximately five seconds before I realized that this building is coming down.” EMT Peter Rosie J anuary 22nd 2002: A: “One of the female police officers just jumped on the stretcher, so I was holding onto the guy with the---he was my main concern. He had the cardiac condition… I was concerned with the guy’s arm, because it was barely attached. So we shot to Bellevue and when they opened up the doors to Bellevue, just an army of people in scrubs. They were just terrific…grabbing people left and right…” EMT J ohn Rothmund October 18th 2001: A: “…we were looking at the top of the towers…and all of a sudden you heard---it sounded like another airplane, or a missile… All of a sudden it happened again, the same exact sound, the same thing.” Q: “The noise and the vibrations?” A: “The noise and the vibrations.” A: "We thought it was a bomb, you know, like planes were dropping from the sky or missiles were hitting. We didn't know what the hell was going on... firemen, cops, everybody, just coming back away from there. Nobody was saying much of anything, just like don't go there, just leave, don't go in there." Paramedic Robert Ruiz December 14th 2001: A: "I saw pieces of scalp and entire torsos and legs, hands, just about everything. I never saw a face, but I saw just about every other part you can think of... The next thing you know, you hear a loud thundering noise. It sounded like a jet... you see stuff on the floor shaking from side to side.... the building's going to fall down... Like things weren't bad enough already, the car that's parked right on the corner catches on fire. I don't mean a little fire, the entire thing. Don't ask me how. The entire car caught on fire. You would think maybe just a motor part or just the engine part. But this entire car just goes up in fire... Anyway, I start feeling around, and I see a light. I was saying, oh yeah, that's the way out. I ended up walking towards the light. It's kind of silly. It ended up being a refrigerator full of Snapple..." Q: "Did you need a drink?" 356 357 A: "No, I didn't want a drink." *The car fire may have been anomalous. And so much for gravitating towards the light. Lieutenant William Ryan October 18th 2001: A: "I was on the bow of the Staten Island Ferry. I should have been on the 9:00 o'clock boat, but they stopped all the boats because both towers had been hit already... they held the boat up for probably 50 minutes...to wait for Staten Island police task force, and we waited for them to load like four vans with like 40 cops. Meanwhile, about 20 to 30 off- duty firefighters assembled on the boat." Q: "What do you think you were responding to at that point?" A: "(Fire, partial collapse)" Q: "From an explosion or…?" A: "Yes. Well, we heard a loud boom when we were getting ready to dock..." EMT Luis Sanchez October 22nd 2001: A: " It tried to keep myself calm and everything. [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] That's all that I saw that day..." Firefighter David Sandvik December 20th 2001: A: "...we get down to I guess about Church Street and the second plane hit... I never heard the motor of the plane, the sound of the engines. We just heard the explosion, you felt the explosion, and looking straight up and seeing that fireball that you see on the news, but we're underneath looking up at it." A: "Not in my wildest dream did I think those towers were coming down... we came across a door that was locked and it couldn't have been checked because it wasn't forced. So we forced the door... I yelled down the hallway and no answer and I turned to my boss and said, 'Is that good enough?' He said, 'Yeah, that's good enough,' and we just walked down, nice and calm." *I'd say that was good enough too. Firefighter Richard Saracelli October 10th 2001: A: "As I understand it, you're looking for a historical perspective on the incidents of September 11th... My interest in the historical perspective of this goes back to the mid- 60's when that building was commissioned, designed, and built. I want to know what the building industry is doing building buildings 110 stories tall with no way for us to effectively fight a fire on an upper floor and no way for people in those buildings to evacuate in a serious fire incident?.... why were those buildings built so far beyond the human scale? Why did the City of New York allow them to be built not under New York City building code? Why do people build buildings that people cannot evacuate from and 357 358 that the fire department cannot fight fires in on an upper floor? It just makes no sense... they were always dangerous looking to me. I would never, ever have worked in a building like that. Its just common sense that those things cannot be evacuated in a serious incident. This has to be looked into. We cannot allow the building industry to keep putting buildings up like that where we can't deal with it.... That's all I'm gonna’ say." *Sheesh…Can somebody get the City of New York and the building industry on the blower right now and ask them why? Firefighter Richard Saulle December 6th 2001: A: "I told Bradbury, who was sitting opposite me, 'Kevin, I know we don't like one another very much,' because me and him are always bickering, but we still like each other... I said, 'Goodbye, Kev.' Then I hit Smitty in the back of the head and I said, 'Smitty, you still owe me $15 dollars. When we get up to Heaven, you better pay me.'" *That's how bad it was, people saying goodbye. A: "One guy had an axe, one guy had a halogen, and they were actually throwing their halogen and axes on the floor in frustration and pissed off. Maybe someone they knew got wiped out in front of them... One of them looked like he was scalped because the whole back of his head was opened up.... We actually washed his head out with booster water, which was rusty...that's all we had... We started washing his head off because the stuff was like glue. It was stuck to him... You had to rub and wash...this guy was so---he was cursing up a storm... He didn't even realize that the whole back of his head was ripped open... a worker came out of the building... He was covered. When he opened up his eyes, it looked like the Little Rascals in the film when the guy got covered in stuff and you just saw the whites of his eyes. He was black." *My first thought upon hearing on live news radio that the “tower had collapsed”---the South Tower---I thought he meant the TV tower atop 1 WTC. Then I thought but it can't...all those firefighters are in there. What about all those firefighters? I just couldn't believe it, accept it. So many killed so fast. And he was talking about Bucwheat. A: "There was a guy actually on his hands and knees begging to me, 'I have no mask. Don't leave me here. I don't want to die.' I slapped this guy...he's from and engine company... I slapped him and I said, 'It's dust, stupid. It's dust. You're not going to die. Relax.'... I said, 'Listen, we're going to buddy share this mask. If you try and take it away, I swear to God I'll knock you on your ass,' just like that... These guys, they lost it, totally lost it." *Bugs Bunny would have said, "Aaagghh...Shhhaaaaaaddddaaaaappppp!!" A: "'...you have to get deconned first.'... So here we are, stripped naked as a jaybird. We had to get washed down with ice-cold water from the fire hydrant." *Anywhere but in the village… A: "They put all our stuff in red bags... I had $600 dollars in my right pocket. I said they're not getting that. I ripped open the kneecaps, the pads in the bunker pants, and I stuck it in there. I said they're not getting the money... I had $600 on my right knee just about from 3:00 in the morning on. I said, 'Shhh...they're going to confiscate all our money. I put all my money in the kneecap.'... When I got home, I collapsed on the floor like a baby...right on the floor... my legs just gave out from under me as soon as I walked in my door. My wife and my kid was home, and my puppy. I just got a dog. The only thing I wanted was to kiss that dog, kiss my wife. All four of us were on the floor. My 358 359 dog was ballistic because he was licking the three of us. He was licking us up, going from person to person and licking us up. It was amazing." Lieutenant Patrick Scaringello October 10th 2001: A: "I was assisting in puling more people out from debris, when I heard the second tower explode." A: "I was hit in the back of the head with something that came out of one of the buildings, which later I found out to be a water pitcher." *This was late at night Scaringello stated, post-collapse. That pitcher must have been thrown! I want an investigation. A: "...I tried to find my command car... Unfortunately it wasn't there... that's when I realized somebody had stolen my command car... From what I understood the next day somebody said they had called here asking if that was ours, they found it on 14 Street and Irving Avenue." *This could give credence to the theory that thieves were stealing cars at the WTC on, and post-9-11. Firefighter Michael Schroeck October 11th 2001: A: "...we went back over here somewhere... Gateway Plaza... on the 10th floor there was a fire. We wound up going up... there were more members there when we went up to put it out. " *Again the BPC apartment fire is noted. EMT Dwight Scott December 14th 2001: A: "...we went back to another command post. Then they said there was a secondary explosion or they weren't sure if it was a bomb or a gas main. But we all started running again." *This is interesting because it was not just a threat of a secondary device, but an actual explosion. Q: "When you went down where you were at that time, can you just specify?" A: "After the secondary explosion?" Q: "Right." A: "It was somewhere by---what's that big complex?" Q: "The Winter Garden? American Express Building?" A: "It was further back, further north." Q: "To Church Street?" A: "Chelsea Pier, Chelsea Pier. We went to Chelsea Pier. We pretty much stayed there because they were thinking about secondary devices or something might happen." Firefighter Howie Scott December 17th 2001: A: "We just made our turn to go in towards the lobby of Tower 2. For whatever reason, I just happened to look up and saw the whole thing coming down, pancaking down, and the explosion, blowing out about halfway up." 359 360 Firefighter Edward Sheehy December 4th 2001: A: "We were probably just at West Street ... then the South Tower ---we heard an explosion, looked up, and the building started to collapse." Captain Howard Sickles November 2nd 2001: A: "The windows of the North Tower on the ground floor were blown out, were broken. I don't know if they were blown out, but they were most certainly broken.... Commissioner Feehan was in the lobby. I asked him if there were any spare command boards around. He told me there should be outside. Any chief car that pulls up should have one." A: "...I said, 'You really need this DMORT team here. It's going to be more than we can handle.'... They both told this guy, 'Get that DMORT thing also.'... I don't know if they wanted to believe it...because their theory is everybody is always alive until proven otherwise." *DMORT was the "Disaster Mortuary Response Team." And this is true, everyone is always alive until proven otherwise. A: "They didn't have any command boards of sorts. They took a white car, like a fire safety car they use... They wiped off the hood of the car, and the guy had a grease pencil and, lo and behold, the hood of the car became the command post. So wherever the hood is now...you have to get that hood for the archive." A: "I was collecting names of missing EMS people... on a list... my name was on the list... I'm scratching off the names, and I realize I'm Captain Sickles... The guy said, 'No, no, no. Captain Sickles is a big fat guy. I met him once before.' 'No, no, it's me. Thank you.' It was comical at one point." *Whoops! He's a "A big fat guy." Maybe that was a compliment? Perhaps Sickles had lost weight by then? A: "Some things were annoying. One guy walks up and says, 'I have to go home. I volunteered for my community tours for the month. I don't have to stay all the time here. I want to go home now.' I just looked at him and I said, 'And?' I couldn't believe what was coming out of some people's mouths." EMT Laura Siebuhr November 2nd 2001: A: "He called central and said, 'This is 45 David. Central, did you know that the Trade Center was on fire?' Everything was completely silent, I would say for maybe a good 15, 20 seconds. Everything was just completely silent. There was nothing on the air, which was highly irregular, because there's always activity going on over the air. I remember the silence." *I wonder if citywide experienced this same silence? I know Siebuhr was on a different channel, probably Queens or Brooklyn, because they were then told to transfer to citywide and head over the bridge. But this brings up the question, was there RF jamming on 9-11-01? A: "...I do remember hearing a very low hum in the background...this is what I heard; and then just a massive explosion, and that was loud, because I was standing right underneath 360 361 it when the second plane hit... I didn't know it was a plane. I just thought it was an explosion from the other tower... We ran... minutes later, over the radio or somebody had said, 'Oh, my God, the Pentagon got hit and this is war, we're at war.' [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ]. You couldn't breathe because when the second plane hit, all that debris, it was like cement." *A low hum, then a massive explosion in the South Tower. A: "My partner says, "Stay with the unit, and I'm going to go back." [ Sentence Stricken From Record ] A: "It looked like Armageddon. Everything was just gone... [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] We started making our way back to the piers. I still didn't know anybody. They were all unfamiliar faces." A: "...people were coming out and didn't have any hair on their bodies and on their heads and on their faces. I remember facial hair was so singed off and badly burned and them saying that they were several floors underneath... there were two priests that were begging to stop us. They were saying, 'Please take us with you. There are so many people down there that need their last rites.' So I said, 'Get in...'... whether they made it out of there alive, I don't know." Q: "Any other thoughts or comments you'd like to add?" A: [ Paragraph Stricken From Record ] "With that I'm done." Paramedic William Simon October 18th 2001: A: "We ran just as fast as we could... Me personally, I know myself and one thing I feel good about is I didn't push anybody out of the way. It was everybody for themselves... Then the reality hit me that at that point we were witnessing...we knew hundreds of people must have perished at that moment. That was a sobering feeling. But you also thank God at that moment that you were able to survive or carry on or what set of circumstances allowed you to preserve. When we got to approximately Chambers Street, there was a lot of noise and we even heard shots... I couldn't fathom what was going on unless maybe an officer fell and his weapon discharged or maybe they saw some people trying to loot... I'm told there were probably some officers that were firing to seek refuge in some of the locked buildings... At least that's what I'm told." *As time went on, I believed less and less of what we were told about 9-11. Sure, perhaps a cop shot out a window or two that day, and ammo in ESU trucks went off, but I also know if there was any nefarious gunfire that day, one of the above excuses would've been cited. Lieutenant Rosario Terranova October 26 th 2001: A: “…still at this point the second building had yet to be affected… There was a video that I was privy to see, which is being kept confidential in nature, held by the chief of safety, and it was taken by an amateur photographer who was doing some training with the first battalion.” Firefighter Michael Yarembinsky J anuary 14 th 2002: 361 362 A: “When we got to 22 we heard there was Port Authority Command Post on 22. We were stopped there…we noticed in the hallway that the elevator shaft had ben blown out. Thre was nothing there, no doors, no framing, nothing. “ Q: “Was it burning? A: “No burning, no smoke coming out of it.” *Could bombs have been placed in elevators, with someone pressing the buton and sending them on their way? EMT Richard Zarrillo October25th 2001: A: "Abdo and I went into no. 7...a rep from OEM came into the main room and said we need to evacuate the building; there's a third plane inbound." A: "J ohn (rep from OEM) came to me and said you need to go find Chief Ganci and relay the following message: that the buildings have been compromised, we need to evacuate, they're going to collapse." *How did he know that? A: "I said, Steve, where's the boss? I have to give him a message. He said, 'Well, what's the message?' I said the buildings are going to collapse; we need to evac everybody out. With a very confused look he said, 'Who told you that?' I said I was just with J ohn at OEM. OEM says the buildings are going to collapse; we need to get out. He escorted me over to Chief Ganci. He said, 'Hey Pete, we got a message that the buildings are going to collapse.' His reply was 'Who the fuck told you that?'… At that moment, this thunderous rolling roar came down and that's when the building came down, the first tower..." *How did OEM know that? 362 363 Towering Questions; The Conspiracy Roundup 9-11-01: the biggest fraud since the accusation of Christ. -the author Although this chapter heading contains the word "conspiracy," don't let that mislead you, because a high percentage of this stuff can be corroborated. Other theories, perhaps more untraceable, are up to the level of belief of the reader. But since the theme of the chapter is conspiracy, I did not feel the need to completely source out this section, and much of it is sourced in earlier chapters. But anyone can look up most of the information online and make up their own minds. Regardless, I have tried to be "inclusive" here and not exclusive. On witnesses, I have not done an extensive roundup in New York City, only those accounts that happened to cross my path were used The main reasons for this were time constraints, and the simple fact that I'm not the type of investigator who knocks on doors. And considering the hot button topic, it would’ve led to trouble no doubt, and would have produced more argument than information. That left running a newspaper ad, which would've led back to time constraints, cost and a potential deluge of data I couldn’t possibly peruse. Research for this book could've actually been quite costly, with some eyewitness testimony locked behind the walls of commercial ventures like DVD's, books etc. But I don’t choose to operate that way. Public 9-11 eyewitnesses 363 364 testimony could’ve been an entire book in itself also; and should’ve been, but I don’t believe any New York writer besides myself capitalized upon the time opportunity to that end. I don’t believe that book can be written now, especially with many of the eyewitnesses dying off from mysterious illnesses. I also cite that the 9-11 Transcripts were a pretty good knockout punch in themselves, so I left it at that. The following are just a few eyewitness accounts. A businessman who emerged from the Trade Center said that a bomb had been detonated on the 8th floor. A policeman said they were buried by concrete and debris twice before any tower collapse took place. Witnesses claimed bombs detonated under the WTC, including construction workers, one of which was interviewed by NY1 News. Teresa Veliz* was on the 47th floor of the North Tower when it exploded. She said that while she was evacuating explosions were going off everywhere, and she was convinced bombs were planted all over. She felt that people were sitting at control panels, pressing detonators. There was explosion after explosion. A New Yorker who went by the online name "Omega" said, "I witnessed the North Tower collapse. The color of the explosion was yellow, similar to the sun, but not as intense. The explosion originated from the 50th-55th floors. The explosion was huge and could not be missed. Immediately, after the explosion dissipated, the tower collapsed." Omega theorized the planes hit above this 50-something area, so as not to make contact with the pre-planted explosives. Not a bad theory. Although I never actually met him, Omega confided to me online that he was a government employee (nothing to do with anything sensitive) and that’s how he was able to gain close access to the WTC site on 9-11 and 9-12-01. Here is Omega’s partial posting on the Para-Realities message board: "I saw the second tower collapse as I posted on this board about 2 months ago. There was a huge explosion about 30 stories below where the plane hit and the building collapsed. This explosion originated in the center of the building. The explosion was HUGE(!!!) and vertically oriented, not horizontally oriented. By this I mean the explosion shot out the sides of the building. I know what I saw and I am convinced it was a bomb. Thousands of others witnessed this and I find it absolutely amazing this has been remained covered up the way it has. The explosion was too “perfect” and well placed to be a ruptured gas line or whatever other bullshit someone wants to throw out there. These are scary times." -Omega The weird thing was, Omega said he posted on Para-Realities on 9-11-01, but the post was said to disappear and not many---including myself---were online that day to verify, but at least a couple posters corroborated this. I had later asked Omega if he saw anything else suspicious around the Trade Center that day. He replied: "There wasn't a lot of civilians, but there were some. They seemed dumbfounded at what they were seeing and I got the sense some wanted to help. I was around the site 60 minutes after the North Tower collapsed. Looking back at that day there was one person who 364 365 stood out. He was about 50 years old, dressed in a military/army uniform and had a sidearm on him. The uniform he was wearing was a combat type uniform with no insignias that I can recall. He appeared calm and was just observing the scene. It struck me as odd seeing him at the time. I never mentioned this before because I forgot about him..." A further thought on Omega's military man* was: "The military man I noticed did have a beret. I was close to him briefly and we made eye contact briefly. I could be wrong about this but I think he knew I was sizing him up and thinking to myself that his appearance and demeanor was strange. You could tell the man was well trained and smart just by looking at him. When we made eye contact he played it cool and continued to observe the scene. I did not approach him and we exchanged no words..." And on 7 WTC: "...I studied 7 WTC for a good 30 seconds and the building seemed stable to me." -Omega, 9-12-06 Omega's Army account was backed up by a firefighter's transcript: Firefighter: “Army was there at that point, too. I don’t know how much after, but there was Army there. That was after the second building I remember. The Army was there because Steve told a general that this is what happened… and they had a couple of bulldozers going there already.” Interviewer: “Already?” Firefighter: "“Yes. There were a couple of bulldozers going there. So basically… wherever they got them from, they started picking up some of the rubble.” A well known account was FDNY Firefighter Lou Cacchioli* who said on September 24th 2001 that he was taking firefighters up a Trade Center elevator to the 24th floor for the evacuation, when on their last trip in a bomb went off. They thought there were bombs in the towers. Cacchiloi didn't speak of it much after this. New Yorker, Viet Nam Vet and acquaintance, Chris Shawn, had the chance of meeting Cacchioli while walking by his firehouse. Cacchioli told him that his priorities became his daughter and his pension and so he does not speak about it anymore. Allegedly, a FDNY Chief Arson Inspector said on TV on 9-12-01, that internal explosives were used to bring down the towers. He would've been gagged by the FDNY soon afterwards though. Steve Evans, a New York-based reporter for the BBC, was in the South Tower when it exploded and said when they were outside, a second explosion occurred and was a series of explosions. An eyewitness told the American Free Press that he was on Church Street near the South Tower when he observed six, brief light flashes emanating from somewhere between the 10-15th floors. This account echoed one told to Chris Shawn by another Viet Nam Vet, who was in a small group of people moving away from the Trade Center when they saw and heard an explosion. The veteran in the group turned and said, “I was a munitions expert in Viet Nam. Those white flashes were C4 explosives." While researching this book I learned that accounts in "some" official witness transcripts, although very compelling, seemed to be a tamed-down version of 365 366 what happened at the Trade Center on 9-11. It's my guess that most first responders were coached or told not to concentrate on stuff like that in their oral histories because it was not important. And they were almost apologetic about referring to anomalies. I came to this realization because any time I could access civilian accounts, they talked of explosion after explosion after explosion. One of the biggest questions in the 9-11 conspiracy was, were explosives "pre-planted" in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on the planes? Or was it a "fools rush in" scenario, with Agents of 9-11 running into the WTC at the last minute with packages containing explosives, wearing/using official-looking uniforms and credentials? After thinking about this scenario, I considered that it might have been the case, what with the looting, suspicious fires etc. But as a whole, as for the destruction of the towers by bombs, it would have been too piecemeal, too arbitrary and too prone to mistakes. And so that leaves pre-planted bombs in the buildings or on the planes, or death knells delivered by missiles or foreign technology, possibly from the mysterious “third plane” or “missile” that was heard by countless precipitating a collapse of 1 & 2 WTC’s. The Trade Center was said to have a 98% occupancy rate, and so access to vacant areas of the WTC by 9-11 operatives would have been limited. Yet there were some who reported suspicious activity on certain floors pre-9-11. There were also entire windowless floors dedicated to utility support also. Each tower had two sections at its "thirds" levels (1/3 length of the towers), which were windowless. Pre-planted bombs on planes could have been utilized, but there’s no way such an even collapse could’ve been procured, or the foundations could’ve been prepped. Then I read an account sent to the Progressive Review's "Undernews*" from an employee inside the World Trade Center. This employee worked at Fiduciary Trust, located on the 90th and 94th-97th floors of the South Tower and reported how on the weekend of 9-8 / 9-9-01 there was a 'power down' condition in 2 WTC (the South Tower). This meant there was no electrical power in the tower from the 50th floor up for approximately 36 hours. He was aware of this because he worked in the IT department and had to work that weekend, along with many others, to ensure that the computer systems were shut down cleanly and brought back on afterwards. The reason given for the power outage was that the cabling was being upgraded. And without power he noted, there would be no security cameras either and no security locks on the doors---many of which were electronic. He also said that many engineers were coming in and out of the tower. He was at home on the morning of 9-11 and was convinced it was related to the work being done that weekend.With that it seems that there may have been an envelope of time to pre-plant explosives after all. One of the most obvious, smoking guns of the 9-11 conspiracies was the White House's stonewalling of the 9-11 investigation. In its unwillingness to help form a 9-11 Commission, its defiance in cooperating with it after its formation in its withholding of crucial documents made it kind of obvious that 9-11 was a sore point. Even though it may have made them look less culpable, it is human nature not to throw money, time, energy and resources at a situation in an attempt to show that everything's being done to find the "real culprits," when they themselves may be involved in some fashion. It’s just not done. In such a situation, human psychology dictates that you don’t draw attention to yourself, keep quiet and hope that in time, it blows over. In regards to appointees to The Commission, the fox could’ve been in the 366 367 hen house again, because Team Bush to appointed many chair persons to The 9-11 Commission. I mean...Henry Kissinger? C'mon. It was another Warren Commission from the get-go. J ust to be fair though, I am not blasting the whole 9-11 Report as whitewash. There was some beneficial parts in contributing to 9-11 truth, but I think it should have been an independently appointed, non-partisan investigation perhaps even without elected officials. It seemed to me that some educated, professional civilians---maybe even some victim’s family members---could’ve done a far better job and would’ve been more desirous of getting to the truth, without treating anyone with kid gloves as some complained. The Bush Administration delayed the official release of The 9-11 Report until after the November 2004 elections, even though it was completed in August 2004. Another obvious conspiracy is that the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked, and so we invade Iraq? Did anyone ever tell Team Bush that UBL was in Afghanistan or Pakistan, and not in Iraq? Iraq was not connected to 9-11 in any meaningful way, and yet it became the focus of a “War on Terror.” This administration needed a War on Error. Good old Porter Goss* said sometime around J une 2005 that he had an ‘excellent idea’ where UBL was hiding, but didn't think he'd be caught anytime soon. Goss also said that other countries were hindering the hunt for the terror lord. But when asked to elaborate on where UBL was, it became ‘next Question.’ The French daily, Le Figaro, reported that Usama Bin Ladin sought treatment for a kidney infection at an American hospital in Dubai in the summer of 2001; there, he was visited by a CIA Agent who tried to negotiate a "non-aggression pact" with him. The agent was allegedly informed of "precise information" about an upcoming attack on the United States, and he returned to Washington. Radio France International was said to have provided additional details about this CIA visit. The infighting and squabbling among 9-11 researchers became a bit comical in about 2006, with insults taking the form of knocking certain researchers 9-11 beliefs. For instance, those who believed that the Twin Towers were struck by commercial passenger airliners were deemed "Planehuggers" by the "no planes" camp. This movement was spearheaded by 9-11 investigators like Nico Haupt, who believed that no planes were used to strike the World Trade Center and Pentagon, but CGI imagery and editing was used instead. Others cited the use of holographic images. Before you dismiss this outright as lunacy though, keep in mind that there seems to be compelling argument on both sides of the case. In witness transcripts, just about as many eyewitnesses reported not seeing any plane hit the South Tower, but just hearing something and seeing the fireball erupt, as those who reported seeing a plane hit. Trajectory of the alleged UA 175 was in question too. Some eyewitnesses thought the plane flew east to west, which was odd. Nico Haupt did a good job analyzing the video evidence, which purportedly showed different sized planes hitting the South Tower with different trajectories and different points of contact (this, supposedly being the same camera shot). Others have analyzed the alleged UA 175's fuselage characteristics and video speed. I have no doubts that the technology exists that can project accurate-looking holograms either. Los Alamos National Laboratories have been hosting studies on them for years. One theory on UA 175 was that the plane should have "de-accelerated" 367 368 when it hit the South Tower, according to logical physics, but didn't appear to. Video time discrepancies that didn't seem to add up in conjunction with news broadcasts etc. also, but analyzing all that is a bit of a bore. According to Nico's blog, oddities surrounded an “UA Flight 91” on 9-11, which was a later scheduled flight than UA Flight 93. Allegedly, many passengers for Flight 91 took Flight 93 instead. Could this have been a bait & switch type scenario? Rumors differentiated between what actually hit the North Tower. I had heard on live news radio---either WCBS AM or WINS AM---on the morning of 9-11, an eyewitness to the North Tower hit describing that whatever it was, "looked like a military plane, definitely not a commercial airliner." Other reports claimed that it had been a helicopter or a small plane like a Cessna. One firefighter described it as a "propjet." The FDNY Assistant Commissioner said he was reviewing the tapes and witnesses were describing the plane that hit the building as a military-type plane and it was green. The very blurry video of the North Tower hit shot by the Naudet brothers, looked to be more the size of a cruise missile, a propjet or a Lear jet than a commercial jet airliner. And where was the telltale blast like the one in the South Tower? Witnesses noticed no explosion and no fire after impact. Did Agents of 9-11 figure nobody would capture the event on video anyhow, and so forewent the theatrics? A second video of the explosion in the North Tower eventually appeared, shot by a Czechoslovakian immigrant, and acquired by The New York Times and ABC TV, was shot too far away to tell much of anything. Then came the "Pod People." Pod People was the name given to those who believed that suspicious looking pod devices---like the one seen on the belly of the alleged UA 175 in some photos---were customized onto the planes and actually contained time-release bombs or missiles. It was theorized that these bombs could have been temperature or remote-detonated. I have seen several different photographs and video that depict this pod on the underbelly of UA 175, yet other pics where it was not evident at all. Who Photoshop-ed who? I believe the first place I saw this “pod” was on the J eff Rense website. Video analysis of the South Tower strike was eventually taken one step further by someone who claimed to have noticed a rocket shoot out of this pod on UA 175 and into the South Tower just as the plane's nose was impacting into the building. This prompted the short-lived "Flashers" movement. : P This video may have been a fake, but something seemed convincing about it. Then I noticed in 9-11 transcripts that this phenomenon was actually seen by a witness to the South Tower strike. It was also reported in the North Tower hit. Someone described what looked like a military-style plane that shot missiles into the building. The 9-11 movement was also said to divide 9-11 "Truthers" from the "Truthlings." Truthlings being the manipulated, brainwashed, official story believers, and perhaps based on the name "Quislings*" or “Changlings*.” The Truthling’s illegitimate brothers I heard referred to as "Clowns," as in Send in the Clowns. The Clowns made up the false opposition, pretending to be against those they secretly pledged allegiance to---more Quislings. Some Truthlings dismissed the 9-11 Truthers as "Tinhatters” who go ‘a Tinhatting. I had a few good laughs coming across some of this stuff. 368 369 "...I also don't wanna’ waste time with distraction concepts (people) like Fruitloopers, Gatekeepers, Trolls, Hangouters, Mid-Center Shills or Dupes at the Bottom." -Nico Haupt Phew! Navigating the 9-11 truth movement was like a minefield! I don’t know exactly what Fruitloopers, Trolls or Dupes at the Bottom were---I can take a guess on “Fruitloopers” meaning crazy types just wasting people’s time--- but “Gatekeepers” seemed to be real. They were organizational or website authority- types who held the keys and the reigns to their operations. “Hangouters” were bandwagon-jumping-type dilettantes just there for a few minutes and for questionable reasons. “Mid-Center Shills” struck me as meaning those in the 9-11 truth movement who were middle of the road on all the critical arguments, and so only there to waste time and deflect effective investigations. No doubt the movement is/was laced with these sloths, but I was way too busy to investigate or participate in the 9-11 truth movement. Nico seemed to catalogue it pretty well though. There was no doubt some video-graphic funny business going on after 9- 11, because I had seen one CNN video still containing an image of something [a plane?] in the sky above the Trade Center, and in another copy of the same image, the object was airbrushed out. Other CNN stills may depict an explosion in the South Tower while the alleged UA 175 was still approaching! Woops! At 8:50 A.M. on 9-11, eyewitness, Sean Murtagh, told CNN that what hit the North Tower was a large, two-engine commercial jet, and that he was on the 22nd floor. Except that Sean Murtagh was said to be CNN's Vice President of Finance and having an office on 33rd Street. Was he at the WTC security headquarters on 22 of the North Tower? Maybe there was something to this "no planes" stuff after all? Probably the wildest, yet the most probable 9-11 conspiracy theory was that the New York 9-11 truth movement was believed to have been heavily infiltrated by those whose job it was to disprove and mislead those interested in unraveling the 9-11 plot. This infiltration was routine in the 1960's, and so why wouldn't it be in the early 2000’s? I noticed that at least a couple of 9-11 Truthers who were down at the World Trade Center site in 2003 were the same individuals who became at odds with other Truthers in the following years. Accusations flew at some potential proponents of "Cover Research," designed to waste time and mislead the 9-11 investigation into unproductive directions. Other early Truthers were later accused of being government agents outright. The online arguments became ugly, vulgar and personal, which is another reason why I never participated in 9-11 "group research." On the lack of compelling 9-11 conspiracy evidence, one possible theory was that most of the amateur videographers and photographers who captured anomalous 9-11 images, sold their footage to the major news outlets in mass buyouts, where then the footage was doctored or destroyed. I don't know if there was a separate name given to those who believed missiles were fired at the World Trade Center, but if it were different than “Flashers,” maybe they could’ve used "Rocket Scientists?" The missile conspiracy was well founded enough though, with numerous allegations of missiles fired at the Trade Center from The 369 370 Woolworth Building in transcripts, one even involving the American Express Building. Put random sniping in the Amex area in that category too by rumored cammo-clad black ops. The year 2003 was still the wild west days of 9-11 truth investigation, and video footage of what might have been blast clouds from shoulder-fired missiles, or rocket-propelled grenades (RPG's), outside the 4 & 5 WTC areas may have been on the internet until approximately 2003, when it disappeared. This was on a German website I believe called Fakelabs. As far as I can recall, Fakelabs pre-dated Youtube.com, and seemed to contain clever, fake little video skits etc. Except this footage was no fake, it was my impression that the webmaster assumed that it was, but it was authenticated by three or four other angles. I initially thought that this footage was shot from Fulton Street & Broadway looking west towards 5 WTC, but I can’t say for certain now, because footage in the DVD 911 Mysteries showed either the same situation, or one so similar, that it was hard to distinguish the exact location. That location turned out to be West Street, north of Vesey Street. What’s more, other video angles confirmed a large gray smoke plume, twenty stories high and pre-collapse of the towers, east of 4 & 5 WTC. In addition, I don’t know for sure that the smoke plume/s was from a street-level blast, because in other video footage, similar/same smoke plumes appear to be coming from the sublevels, as in prepping the towers for demolition. A white ambulance backed up, as pedestrians raced by (this was the case in the afore-mentioned DVD). What I perceived to be the Fulton & Broadway footage I believe was shot by Euronews, but in the passing of time, I don’t recall how I knew that. Attempts to contact Euronews and authenticate this failed. After I brought this video footage to the attention of the fledgling 9-11 truth movement, it soon disappeared off of the internet, and so did Fakelabs. But I eventually identified a still photo from the video on an internet site, yet am still left with the nagging question: were they two pieces of video footage or juts one? Peter Meyer, webmaster of serendipity.li said of the video in an October 6th 2003 email to me that the webmaster of fakelabs.org, named “Ozone,” who he thought was located in the California (even though I thought it was a German website), used to update a Serendipity mirror website with material he used to send him. He then stopped doing any updates and stopped replying to Meyer’s emails. But another little glitch was that there was a fakelabs.net that came back online that was a German website, and most likely the original one I was referring to, and so I don’t know if we were talking about two different websites here or not. Even so, they both seemed to vanish. Meyer wrote at the time that he suspected the webmaster had been "persuaded" to cease adding material. He said that the Euronews video I was referring to was uploaded to Serendipity’s Swiss and Australian mirror sites about two weeks prior to our emails, so it was never A FAIK on Fakelabs. Meyer said it was still available on the two mirror sites he mentioned, but we checked and it was already gone. Meyer then informed me via email in 2007 that he heard this above webmaster committed suicide. Through Google I did see this on a computer programming tutorial website called the Arson Network: “Rest in Peace: ozone.” This/these footage/s was/were authenticated by a CNN video still, the one with the text "Author Tom Clancy” over it, which showed a giant dust/smoke plume twenty stories high just east of the Trade Center pre-collapse. When I viewed a DVD called 9-11 Mysteries, there it was again, I believe having been shot by 370 371 Rick Siegel from Hoboken and used in the 9-11 Eyewitness DVD. The footage could even point to the possibility that the smoke plume was a giant gas cloud, a secondary chemical attack of some sort. Another thing I noticed in the 9-11 Eyewitness video, was that a helicopter buzzing the Trade Center pre-collapse, seemed to have something white emanating from it. People have speculated that they were light flashes, but in a way, they resembled the same white smoke plumes that Dylan Avery had noticed atop the Woolworth Building. Since it was alleged that there seemed to be a 9-11 / foreign government connection, and given that $100.000 dollars was found to be wired to Mohammed Atta in Florida, allegedly on the insistence of ISID General Ahmad Mahmud of Pakistan, was that foreign government 9-11 connection in fact Pakistan? Take into consideration that Pakistan was a very sensitive country to rile up foreign policy-wise, or with a 9-11-type allegation. It has a large Muslim population and nuclear weapons that Al Qida would like to get a hold of. It may have not have been a country the U.S. could do very much about post-9-11 (seems like about any country), except diplomatically. And so was it just coincidence that they had ISID chief Mahmud in Washington, breakfasting with "future CIA Director," Porter Goss, and 9-11 Commission chairperson Bob Graham on the morning of 9-11? I doubt it. When Goss replaced George Tenet, the media called it an "amazing coincidence" that Goss just happened to be having breakfast with the ISID chief on 9-11, where they were discussing---in another amazing coincidence---Usama Bin Ladin! How about that! And there seemed to be a series of promotions and continued successes for the 9-11 "team players" and those in close proximity. Goss* resigned amid rumors of parties he attended at the Watergate and Westin Grand Hotels, where bribes and prostitution allegedly took place at the weekly poker games. But the thing was, I recalled two Goss resignations. The first was in regards to a mysterious case of blood poisoning by a toxin doctors couldn't identify. But in light of things like the alleged assassination of ex-KGB spy, Alexander Litvenenko, by the Kremlin through the use of radioactive polonium, could the Goss poisoning been some sort of 9-11 payback? Regardless, Porter Goss wasn't crying in his beer, it was reported that he had a little nest egg tucked away to the tune of $40 million dollars. Page forty-five of a Department of the Air Force Airmen's Manual dated August 1st 1999, featured a bizarre graphic of the World Trade Center, viewed from the south, with a cross hairs pattern over the middle of the North Tower. This was under the heading, "Coordinating Dispersal Plans: Not collocating units with target potential and not using such areas." This was a clear example that the World Trade Center was a high value target, yet the irony was uncanny. Another manual for law enforcement, "Managing Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents: An Executive Level Program for Sheriffs," dated J une 2000, featured the same World Trade Center graphic again. Only this time, the image was reversed and it depicted a view towards the WTC from the north, with the cross hairs pattern over the North Tower in close proximity to the area where the tower exploded. Does this point to the 9-11 WTC attack as a WMD incident? Or was this subtle psychological warfare by distributing exactly what was to come? Keep in mind that in 9- 11 Transcripts, the last radio transmission a female EMS worker heard was: "'Deploy the weapons of mass destruction, the antidote kits,' and that’s the 371 372 only thing I heard and that’s the last thing I heard and I didn’t hear anything over the air after that.” Was this antidotes to a chemical aerosol that was deployed? Keep in mind that some 9-11 victims succumbed to lung ailments shortly after 9-11-01, and have been added to the official WTC victim’s list. The sherrifs manual illustration even accurately depicted the Woolworth Building. The manual's cover had the imprint of the U.S. J ustice Department, and the program was later placed under the Office of Homeland Security. Coincidence? The American Free Press* reported that Timothy McNiven, a long-time DoD operative, said that the military established a plan to attack and destroy the Twin Towers back in 1976! Allegedly, Timothy McNiven, in an affidavit in a RICO lawsuit filed against Bush and others in 2004, claimed his U.S. Army unit, C-Battery 2/81st Field Artillery, stationed in Strassbburg, Germany in 1976, was ordered to create the "perfect terrorist plan" with commercial aircraft used to attack the World Trade Center. A publicized version of this study was commissioned by Congress, with the purpose being to identify security lapses and corrective measures, but McNiven claimed that was the cover story. McNiven said that Lieutenant Michael Teague of Long Island, NY, was allegedly the head of the unit ordered to work on the plan. During the production of the plan, McNiven told Teague that if the WTC was ever attacked in this way, he would go public with what he knew. But he was then physically assaulted and told never to reveal anything in regards to the operation. The strange thing was, about a week after this assault, McNiven claimed his superiors changed their minds, and he was then told that if the attacks did ever occur in this way, he was to reveal the similarities to the American public. He was told that these orders were never to be rescinded, because those who would rescind the orders, would be the ones who had turned against the American people. McNiven passed a lie detector test and compiled a list of about forty names of service men who took part in the phony terrorist plot, allegedly including: Colonel Robert Morrison, Major J oe Dipiero, Sargeant Middleton, Sargeant Arroyo etc. Members of the DoD and the CIA went unnamed. Although McNiven has spent all his available time trying to get his story out, it's basically been ignored by politicians and the media. If this story were true, it would be a good example of a "Double Amerika," Two America's seemingly existing under the same flag, the same system, but yet of two different mind sets, two moralities, two seeds: one good, one evil. Another example was that after the Secret Service evacuated the Vice President Cheney to the White House bunker on 9-11 at 9:36 A.M., Cheney tried to contact the President from a secure phone in a hallway inside the bunker, then tried again in the shelter conference room, but the line “kept cutting off.” This was another circumstance that made me question who the real villains were on 9-11-01. Were Bush & Cheney really in charge on 9-11? Add to this, at 10:45 A.M. on 9-11, the 113th Wing of the District of Columbia Air National Guard out of Andrews AFB, was in the skies over Washington with its own rules of engagement. This was in response to intelligence given them by the Secret Service. A Secret Service Agent allegedly told General David Wherley of the 113th Wing, that he had a telephone in each ear, and that the President was on the other line giving instructions. Wherley decided that this meant flying “weapons free,” or that 372 373 the decision rested with the pilots on whether to shoot or not. Both Bush and Cheney indicated to The 9-11 Commission that neither of them had been aware that the fighters had been scrambled out of Andrews (if you believe them). Hmmmmm… Was the president really on the horn with the Secret Service and he and Cheney just did not want to go on record by saying so? Or was the agent only fudging and the Secret Service acting on its own accord, ordering some quick take out for ANG fighters to protect the capitol? But why would they have to do that? Was the Secret Service the pawns of some evil 9-11 cabal, or were they actually being heroic because our own military had been infiltrated by traitors, as potentially evident on that day? Untangle one vine and there’s just another vine. Numerology surrounding 9-11 has huge conspiracy potential. The last PATH train in and out of the WTC was car no."666." No evidence has been found as to why Atta and al-Omari drove to Portland, Maine, to catch Colgan Air light 5930, a Beechcraft "1900," flying from Portland to Boston. Atta and al-Omari sat in row "9" of the flight, aboard a "19" seater, departing from Gate "11." It arrived in Boston at 6:45 AM at Gate "B9." See the "Numerology" chapter for more. Globe Aviation Services handled the security at Portland, as well as the gates at Logan Airport in Boston, but a "smaller" checkpoint opened up at Logan at 7:15 A.M. to handle the "overflow." Was this actually a "special" security checkpoint to expedite certain individuals through? The airport security checkpoints were "not" monitored by video surveillance on 9-11. Similarly, according to the FAA report, the two al Ghamdi brothers at the United Airlines counter at Logan were referred to another agent because of a certain "certificate" they were unfamiliar with. They were then checked in. The security was "Huntleigh USA Corporation." Did the certificate read: "This coupon entitles the terrorist one free attack…”-? "Argenbright Security" handled the checkpoint for AA Flight 77 at Washington Dulles Airport, letting Mihdhar through even though he set off a second metal detector. Nawaf set off both detectors and was let aboard, with video showing something clipped to the back of his pants. After an airliner turns its transponder off, it essentially becomes a ghost. No one can really say for sure who he is after that. That is why it would have been so easy for any of the 9-11 planes to disappear and land somewhere else. For example, after AA Flight 77 turned its beacon code off in an area with no "primary radar*," and supposedly reappeared on primary radar at 9:05 A.M., how did they know it was still AA 77? The fact is, they couldn't have. It could've been anyone. The BTS database reportedly did not even list AA Flight 77 as taking off on 9-11. Tail number N624AA (tail number varies) was listed as canceled on September 5th, and listed as "AA Flight 181" on September 10th 2001. Seismigraph* readings by Columbia University's observatory in Palisades, NY, twenty-one miles to the north showed a 2.1 on the Richter scale as the South Tower began collapsing. A 2.3 was registered for the North Tower. Yet the readings were lower after the start of the collapses, suggesting that the brunt of the force had occurred precisely when the towers began their collapses. Alleged FBI informant Melvin Lattimore was seen palling around with Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols in Oklahoma City back in 1995. Lattimore, it was 373 374 learned at his gun trial in 2001 through testimony of a BATF Agent, was the man who provided the credit card for bomb making materials for the 1993 WTC bombing, and was allowed to go free. Was he a CIA asset? And were McVeigh and Nichols trained in bomb making by Abu Sayyaf in the Philipinnes? They were known to have made several trips there. At least four police mustering sites had to be abandoned near the WTC on 9-11 due to visual confirmation of secondary devices or threats thereof. FDNY command posts had to be evacuated also. Yet, there were no bombs at/in the World Trade Center, and so take your tinfoil hat off. Analysis of the Naudet video popped up on the internet showing the lobby of the North Tower on 9-11 and FDNY Captain Pfeifer. It then slowed down on to what looked like an American soldier in desert camouflage fatigues with a FDNY jacket over his uniform. He was holding an automatic rifle. Another clip showed a hypodermic syringe maneuvering behind a firefighter. Make what you want out of those, but they were interesting. Some WTC collapse video gave me the impression that the hues were tampered with in the media versions, because when I finally viewed a piece of video footage of the North Tower collapse containing the proper color settings, it showed what looked, and what was reported by witnesses, like a "mini-nuclear" reaction in its brightness and intensity. The glow was yellow and orange like sun. Audio from an amateur video* made by witnesses nearby the Trade Center attacks went: Man: "What the fuck was that?" Woman: "I don't know." Man: "They're fuckin bombing it. Must have been a rocket or something. That just exploded...that doesn't make any sense..." Another video: Man 1: "That must've been a fuckin terrorist attack. Probably that just exploded..." Man 2: "How did that one just catch on fire man? See this stuff is falling out..." By the witnesses saying, "that didn't make any sense," and, "how did that one just catch on fire?" it suggested that even thought they were close by, they weren't seeing any cause to the explosions and fire. Witness: "I was on the corner of Dey Street...there was an explosion... People kept talking of a plane, but I didn't believe them. Surely I would have seen such a large plane..." Other accounts* by witnesses went: "When I was back in the roof I saw just before my eyes the explosion on Tower 2. I didn't see the plane, nor did any of the other guys on the roof. We speculated 374 375 for a few minutes. The only thing we could imagine was one of the wings of the first plane hitting the other tower and provoking the explosion, but that was very unlikely." Rescuer 1: "Did you hear that?" Rescuer 2: "Keep your eye on that building. It will be coming down soon." Rescuer 3: "The building's about to blow up. Moving back. We are walking back. There is a building about to blow up." Some saw a guy up to something on an observation deck which probably was the Woolworth Building. NYC EMS Direct Line: Male: “(overlap/inaudible) deck.” Male: “J ust be advised, (inaudible) office, just be advised that it looks like (overlap/inaudible).” Male: “(overlap/inaudible) what’s up?” Male: “What’s he doing up there?” Stills from an online CNN video showed a plane approaching the South Tower, which then disappeared behind the copper top of the Woolworth Building---then nothing. There was no explosion or visible sign that the plane hit the tower. There were also rumors of video showing military helicopters around the time of the 2nd explosion and collapses of the towers. Researching video online is more difficult, in regards to the different plug-ins which run it, and if it is a video for sale. Video evidence of the 7 WTC collapse was pretty irrefutable. Obviously "squibs" (small charges) producing black smoke can be seen going up the side of building. World Trade Center leaseholder, Larry Silverstien, allegedly said in an interview that he had gotten a call from someone in the FDNY and they suggested that there had been such a catastrophic loss of life that day already, that the best thing to do with 7 WTC would just be to "pull it." I can't recall the exact date now, but I believe it was in the summer of 2000 when I recall on one summer morning while it was still dark, at approximately 4:30- 5 A.M., there were four helicopters hovering in proximity to the World Trade Center in a square pattern. I stood and stared, thinking it was extremely odd as it was too early for them to be traffic helicopters and there was nothing to suggest a movie shoot. There appeared to be no obvious purpose for the choppers. They just hung there. Chris Shawn also told me about choppers in the vicinity pre-9-11 also. He also told me of numerous contrails over Manhattan in the days before 9-11 and suggested one contrail was an "X marks-the-spot" pattern over the Trade Center. I don't know what to make of all the World Trade Center UFO theories on 9-11. There were probably stealth aircraft on the scene, as has been pointed out in photographs, but as far as aliens, that’s a tough sell. A guest on C2C AM said the "grays and blues" were involved in 9-11. But as Luke from Orbwar.com said, "I don't need aliens to explain 9-11" A favorite piece of video in the couple years after 9-11, was the clip which showed a strange dark image shooting down at a 45-degree angle past the towers after the 375 376 South Tower exploded. Some speculated it was a missile. A few years ago, a hoax cropped up on the internet over a video of an UFO over the World Trade Center. It featured a woman riding in a helicopter looking frightened, as she pointed at some sort of gray flying disc playing hide & seek with the Twin Towers. It was an impressive piece of video, causing many to entertain the notion that it was authentic. The disc then shot straight up and out of sight, leaving behind a vapor trail. But the video was allegedly made on J uly 24th 2000 by Blondie guitarist Chris Stein and his wife, actress Barbara Sicuranza. I read online in 2000 that Stein was an UFO enthusiast and made the video for kicks. When I looked up the subject in 2006, it was touted on Sicuranza’s website as a promo ‘made for hire’ for the SciFi Channel, and she listed it on her resume'. But in 2000, the story was entirely different. It went that it was an UFO video sent to SciFi without any references to its authenticity. SciFi, in turn, purchased the footage to run it as a perfect promo piece (which they did). I had a printout of the letter Sicuranza supposedly sent along with the video to SciFi. Among serious UFO enthusiasts, it was just another UFO hoax muddling up the mix. It was the guy with the wooden Bigfoot tracks all over again. Thanks a lot. Was the reason for the story and spin change regrets on somebody’s part? The ironic thing though, was that a similar UFO sighting was reported near the World Trade Center on 8-25-94. It involved a long-haul truck driver on the New J ersey Turnpike who saw what he described as an, "egg shaped blimp, dull silver in color, in front of the World Trade Towers. It hovered and moved back and forth slightly. A white Bell Ranger helicopter then approached the object.” The object was said to be 2-3x the size of the helicopter. This was reported on the NUFORC* website. And on 2-14-94, someone may have reported the same thing in Downtown Manhattan: a light blue metallic egg-shaped object very close to their window, only four flights up. This object, much smaller than a blimp, had a diagonal stick on the bottom near the back. A caller to Coast To Coast AM with George Noori on 12-21-06, said that on 9-11-01 something shot over Long Island, heading for Manhattan, which then exploded in mid-air. It was supposedly filmed by a news helicopter, but was prohibited from being shown. Coast To Coast AM also reported that the government contacted remote viewers to look at the sea wall around Downtown Manhattan to see if it was in any danger of collapse. They also contracted to see where UBL was. On 9-11, a senior Research Assistant at the University of Wisconsin saw what they described as three UFO's emerging from the World Trade Center as the second tower exploded on CNN videotape. NUFORC said it was a helicopter and possibly an engine from the plane. Also on 9-11, a sphere floating above New York City moved back and forth very quickly for an hour, before vanishing in a burst of light---NUFORC. Still photos online showed what looked like a dual-engine vehicle above the Trade Center on 9-11. Some speculated it was the afterburners of a fighter jet, others that it was a stealth aircraft. On the somewhat symbolic date 11-11-01, NUFORC lists the sighting of a strange light over Manhattan. Some believe that unconventional aircraft or weaponry was used at the Trade Center on 9-11. The phenomenon of "orbs*" has been discussed and some still photos, including the Woolworth shots examined by Dylan Avery, show what appears to be a white orb approaching, then striking the tower of the Woolworth Building. Some photos show a telltale white smoke plume in the crow's nest of the tower, possibly from 376 377 missiles fired at the WTC. Other photos show what some have called "UFO's" or stealth aircraft around the Trade Towers on 9-11. A paramedic in transcripts said he thought somebody launched a missile from the East River, or over the Hudson. Luke at Orbwar.com found peculiar blinking lights around the Trade Center that blink on for a second, then disappeared. He called orbs “spherical plasma sheaths,” a technology used to cloak stealth aircraft. Has the government finally reversed engineered UFO technology*? Rick Siegel's 9-11 Eyewitness, is said to show strange helicopters buzzing the towers constantly, and strange flashes emanating from the choppers. Does a 9-11 video shot by CNN from a van somewhere in the South Street Seaport area show what may be two black jet fighters buzzing past the Trade Center just after [UA 175] impacted the South Tower? Or are these images just harmless birds? Aside from that, other accounts told of fighter jets on the scene with the alleged UA 175, and if so, why wasn't it shot down? After golf pro Payne Stewart's Lear J et suffered decompression, F-16's intercepted the plane to look inside the cockpit to try and determine what the problem was. The windows were heavily frosted over, suggesting temperatures below freezing and the plane flew on auto pilot for four hours before crashing. Why wasn't the same done on 9-11? The George Washington Bridge was left open for "military traffic" by the FBI on the morning of 9-11. How early did this traffic begin? There were suspicious logjams in traffic on 9-11, like the one reported around Engine 207’s headquarters in Brooklyn in 9-11 transcripts. It was clogged with taxicabs for four blocks. The FDNY tried to move the traffic, but could not. This was reported to detectives and part of the transcript was redacted. Aside from logjams, Engine 4's phones and computers were down on Water Street, not far from the Trade Center. The first they heard of the emergency was from some Spanish guy running down the street and yelling. I do believe there was occult power and ritual sacrifice to the 9-11 plot. The possible destruction of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church "pre-collapse" of the Twin Towers is one example---a ritual sacrifice. Another was a FDNY Firefighter hearing a radio transmission by FDNY Marine 6 of a major collapse of the South Tower before it was ever even hit. Was this occult hoodo or some sort of time travel glitch? And the gruesome arrival of "Car 666 where are you?" in the PATH Station is pretty conclusive. This was the number of the last car in and was loading/unloading something on “Track 3." There was plenty of commotion in the PATH Station on 9-11 to garnish that. And then there was the conspiracy sector who saw the evil, menacing faces of Satan in the noxious cloudbursts of fire billowing out of the Trade Center. It is very possible that when it came to the point of the WTC’s destruction, the evil one would pop his true face out of the carnage, giving credence to 9-11 as ritual slaughter There were reports of fires and incidents in the WTC on the morning of 9- 11, which prompted 911 calls, even before the towers ever exploded. It seemed as if chaos were only beginning (see transcripts). People as far away as Staten Island---including myself---heard the explosions at the Trade Center and houses were even said to shake. One blast was the loudest I'd ever heard in my life. It's almost impossible to believe that it was not a bomb. I only wish I had noted the exact time. 377 378 Witnesses described what they called "firebombs" in the WTC plaza, the stage used for events there was on fire. People were expected to hear explosions again at the World Trade Center site on 6-8-06, when engineers tested the use of explosives to clear bedrock for the Freedom Tower. Two to four explosions* were expected on alternate weekdays for two months, and precautions were said to muffle most of the blasts. What first struck me was the date 6-8-06 was pretty close to 6-6-06. What immediately came into mind next was why did no officials object to the psychic shock these explosions would incur on the spirits still around the Trade Center? But they don’t think that way. Of the two planes which supposedly struck the WTC, the CVR's* (cockpit voice recorders) and FDR's (flight data recorders) were allegedly never recovered. But witnesses said 3 out of the 4 black boxes were recovered. Two men* involved in the cleanup operation at the WTC, said they helped federal agents recover 3 out of the 4 recorders from the wreckage. One man was quoted as saying, "at one point I was assigned to take federal agents around the site to search for the black boxes from the planes... There were a total of four black boxes. We found three.” Ted Lopatkiewicz, spokesman for the NTSB said it was extremely rare that they don’t find the recorders, and he couldn’t recall another domestic case where they did not recover the recorders. Sound familiar? It kind of sounded like the FEMA BPS stating that no U.S. steel constructed building ever suffered a fire-induced collapse. Was it that there were no flight recorders because there were no planes? Or were they found, but not said so publicly? And that didn't stop the FBI from allegedly finding a suicide note written by Mohammad Atta among the debris at the Trade Center! A note survived but the recorders did not? The common belief is that a passenger uprising is what led to the crash of UA Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Discrepancies arose contesting the theory though, through voice recorder times or seismograph readings of the crash time. Seismograph readings list the crash time as 10:06 A.M., but family members permitted to listen to the CVR tape were told that it stopped at 10:03 A.M. This was also the time given by the FBI. A lot can happen on a plane in three minutes. It was also known that there were several last minute radio transmissions from the flight, and so if there was nothing to hide, then all they would have to do is synch the radio transmissions with the CVR and check the times. The pictures of the debris at the crash site in Shanksville, PA---much like the Pentagon debris---was deemed suspicious by some and seemed not to resemble a crash of a commercial airliner. One picture of the UA 93 crash in the distance depicted a "mushroom cloud." But would a mushroom cloud be the result of a plane crash? Did UA 175 drop that vertically? Melanie Homer, widow of UA Flight 93 Co-pilot Leroy Homer J r., said in October 2004 that she believed the Bush Administration was responsible for 9- 11-01. As far as the Pentagon, Pilot J ohn Lear said on Coast To Coast AM with Art Bell, that for AA Flight 77 to have hit the Pentagon in the way that they said it did, would have been highly unlikely. Lear said that the lift caused by such a low approach at that speed would be incredible. Washington eyewitness Steve Patterson also said a plane in the Washington area on the A.M. of 9-11 looked like a commuter jet. The FAA report had a plane making a 330-degree right turn, then descending 2,200 feet and pointing towards the Pentagon. On radar, the plane was observed to drop from 35,000 ft. to 31,200 ft., then back up to the same spot then spiral down in an amazing fashion. Dulles radar 378 379 controller O'Brien* said that the speed, maneuverability, turning ability, made all the experienced air traffic controllers in the radar room think that this was a military plane because it’s unsafe to fly a 757 in that manner. CBS News correspondent, Bob Orr, reported that AA Flight 77 basically did a circus act, spiraling downward and dropping 7,000 feet in two-and-a-half-minutes. The FAA report stated, "The Pentagon, his target, was particularly difficult to hit because of its low profile." But then the report tried to say that the onboard "Flight Management System" in the plane's computer could have been programmed so that it could be navigated automatically to a target as precise as a building, with speed and altitude options. But the hijacker would need to know the specialized positioning data and it is doubtful the alleged hijackers could've been that learned. And you have to take into account what Lear said. The plane probably couldn’t do it anyway. The plane’s black boxes were said to prove the hijackers used navigational codes for the Washington area aboard Flights 77 & 93, and J arrah, alleged hijacker pilot of UA 93, was said to have purchased a GPS unit and tried to buy three more, but none were available. What's more, a retired commercial airline pilot couldn't take it anymore, and spoke out on a radio show concerning the air speeds of UA 175 and AA 77 upon impact. This came after MIT and other institutions calculated the speeds of UA 175 and AA 77 to be 625 mph and 500 respectively. The pilot said there was no way you could achieve those speeds at sea level, "you just can't get them to go that fast---they won't do it!" Three-hundred-and-fifty mph was more realistic. Anything outside the "Do Not Exceed" envelope would've had the planes breaking up due to the vibrations. On 9-11, Secret Service Agents were seen hauling away an Arabic man in handcuffs dressed in a soot-covered suit away from the Embassy Suites area, a hotel near the World Financial Center. This was in transcripts. Which brings me back to the GPS unit left at the Hilton Millennium on 9- 11. I say "GPS" because very early on in the media, that's what it was referred to as. When you research this topic now, the suspicious object is described as a "radio scanner" which enables someone on the ground to communicate with pilots in the air. Egyptian, Abdallah Higazy*, 30, returned to the Millennium Hilton on December 17th 2001 to retrieve possessions he had left in the digital lock safe of room 5101, which is on the 51st floor (of 58 floors). When apprehended and questioned about the gizmo, Higazy said it was not his. At first it was feared that Higazy had watched the attacks from his room, but room 5101 was not facing Church Street and the World Trade Center. Other possessions included his passport and a copy of the Qur’an. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Dan Himmelfarb, at the time called the revelations a potential, significant part of the 9-11 investigation. But Higazy’s lawyer claimed the radio didn’t belong to his client and Higazy was insistent on his innocence. Abdallah Higazy went to elementary school in the Washington D.C. public school system. His father served in the Egyptian diplomatic corps. He himself had served in the Egyptian Air Force and had “some” expertise in communications. In fact, one of Higazy’s jobs in the Egyptian Air Force was to repair aviation radios. Higazy entered the U.S. on a student visa on August 27th 2001 to study computer engineering at Brooklyn Polytechnic. The institution put him up at the hotel pending permanent housing. When questioned at the hotel, Higazy initially had said that he did not own or had ever seen an aviation radio, and so was charged with lying to the FBI about his 379 380 knowledge of aviation radios. But in an interview with 60 Minutes*, Higazy claimed that when he returned to the Millennium Hotel to pick up his belongings, he noticed “radio scanner” on a list and told them it wasn’t his. Higazy himself thought the device could have been used on 9-11, but all he knew was that it was not his. At his polygraph test, Higazy said an FBI Agent told him, “If you do not cooperate, the FBI will make your brother upstate live in scrutiny. And we’ll make sure Egyptian security gives your family hell.” Higazy panicked and tried to reason. On one hand, his family was screwed. On the other hand, he would be screwed, yet his family would be okay, and so he decided to say the device was his. After weeks of solitary confinement, Higazy was led to a room and told that he could leave now---just like that. They told him the real owner of the radio had come forward. Supposedly, the radio belonged to a pilot staying at the Millennium on 9- 11-01. A security guard later admitted he lied about finding the radio in Higazy’s safe. Higazy sued the hotel, staff members and the FBI Agent who coerced him. Perhaps Higazy was the patsy because they wanted to cover for whom the unit really belonged to. We may never know the truth, but either way, I bet that device was used on 9-11. At the time I felt intuitively that somebody was watching those attacks from somewhere nearby the Trade Center. Watchdog group, J udicial Watch, represented FBI Special Agent Robert Wright J r., who charged that the FBI hid evidence from his ongoing terror investigations to prolong intelligence and protect their "assets." The FBI refused to return Wright's 500- page manuscript, Fatal Betrayals of the Intelligence Mission, submitted for review in October 2001. Three of four of the alleged 9-11 hijacker pilots, Mohammad Atta, Marwanal Al-Shehhi and Hani Hanjour were largely considered incompetent by their flight instructors. Marilyn Ladner, Vice President at Pan Am International Flight Academy, called Hanjour (AA 77?), a “safety hazard." Another Pan Am employee said of Hanjour to The New York Times that they wereamazed that Hanjour could have flown into the Pentagon because he couldn’t fly at all. This, we are to believe, was the expert pilot mastering the controls and navigational codes on AA 77 that struck the Pentagon? Margaret Chevrette*, manager of the flight school in Arizona called the FAA over Hanjour's qualifications for a pilot's license, but was rebuffed. The hijackers were also said to wear red bandanas, which has not been explained to my knowledge. There were also some peculiar time coincidences on the morning of 9-11: At 8:42 A.M., Flight UA 175 veers off course, but is also UA 93's "Wheels -off Time" (departure time); At 8:46 A.M., AA Flight 11 allegedly hits 1 WTC, just as UA 175 stops transmitting its beacon code; AA 77 final radio transmission coincided with George Bush's entering Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. This could have all been coincidence, but it also could've been to retain some semblance of order in the difficult to manage 9-11 operation by managing the clock. Nine-eleven had to be an amazingly complex, finely tuned, precision executed plot, yet there still needed to be some simplistic markers to it so as to make it smooth enough to work. It's also been theorized that hijacker pilots could have been in the cockpits before the planes were boarded, because in the case of AA Flight 11, all transponder* and radio traffic stopped at 8:14 A.M., yet stewardesses reported that the hijackers did not leave their seats until 8:21 AM. 380 381 It's a common thought that there was some sort "shell game" being played with the planes on 9-11, and the planes might’ve actually been landing at other destinations, with decoys or missiles striking the targets instead. Upon landing, the plane's passengers could’ve been offloaded, interrogated, had their memories erased, put aboard other planes (with some shot down), or killed outright. What if UA 93 was legitimately shot down due to lack of following orders from the fighter pilots? But afterwards, the architects of 9-11 realized they had a HUGE public relations disaster on their hands, and so the cover story became the passenger struggle. The unconfirmed CNN report about 'eight hijackings' occurring on the morning of 9-11 is intriguing. But to stir the pot even further, ex-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld made a slip in an interview picked up by CNN*, in which he rambled on about the kind of world we could live in regards to rampant terrorism. In the statement he referred to ‘the people who shot down the plane over Pennsylvania.’ This lead to the question, if our principal figures of government were not in charge on 9-11, ordering shoot-downs, then who was---and with what? Was Rumsfeld referring to fighters or shoulder-launched missiles? Some CIA Agents on the 23rd floor of the North Tower told a firefighter-- -they said their office was on that floor----that they had information that another place in Washington other than the Pentagon had been hit, and a plane had been shot down. They also said a third plane was on the way. This was in transcripts. A phone caller to The Howard Stern Show on 4-21-04, said he saw UA Flight 93 in flames while it was still in the air, with two other aircraft circling it. In the FAA aircraft registry, an online poster found that Flights UA 93 (tail number N591UA) and UA 175 (#N612UA), were still registered as “Valid” after 9- 11. Flights AA 11 (#N334AA) and AA 77 (#N644AA) are listed as destroyed. On September 10th 2001, N591UA (UA 93) was listed as arriving at Newark at 6:54 as UA Flight 0078, and departing Logan at 7:39. Was there more than one plane with that tail number? On 9-11, Boston Center last had AA Flight 11 on its radar "fifteen miles east of J ohn F Kennedy Airport," when it slowed down and disappeared from radar according to the NEADS tapes: 08:43:06: FOX: "I've never seen so much real world stuff happen during an exercise." *Us either! 08:55:18: BOSTON CENTER: "Disregard the---disregard the tail number (given earlier for Flight AA 11)." ROUNTREE: "Disregard the tail number? He did crash into the World Trade Center?" BOSTON: "That's---that's what we believe, yes." DOOLEY: "...are you giving confirmation that American 11 was the one?" BOSTON: "No, we're not gonna’ confirm that at this time. We just know an aircraft crashed in and..." DOOLEY: "You---are you---can you say---is anyone up there tracking primary on this guy still" (primary radar). BOSTON: "No. The last (radar sighting) we have was about 15 miles east of J FK or eight miles east of J FK was our last primary hit. He did slow down in speed. 381 382 The primary that we had, it slowed down below---around 300 knots." DOOLEY: "And then you lost 'em?" BOSTON: "Yeah, and then we lost 'em." This is one of the biggest smoking guns showing that AA Flight 11 could not have hit the North Tower as reported. AA 11 was too far east and losing speed. Did it land somewhere on Long Island or even at J FK? Or was AA 11 only dropping below radar so it could give New York the slip and join the 9-11 shell game? In addition, New York ATC had AA 11 still on their scopes at 8:48 A.M., two minutes after it supposedly crashed into 1 WTC. And then in transcripts AA Flight 11 was thought to be on its way towards Washington D.C. This was believed to be the case by Washington ATC's, and AA 11 was expected to be intercepted by the Langley fighters over Baltimore. AA Flight 11 was all over the place on 9-11. It was magic. Another rumor had it that 9-11 families tried to invite specialist, Walter Kross, to analyze the suspicious flight paths of the planes for The 9-11 Report, but The 9- 11 Commission declined. Still another conspiracy was that there seemed to be an inordinate amount of people in the high-tech, military and aviation fields aboard AA 11: Raytheon Corp., Qantas Airways, Lucent, computer software specialists etc. AA Flight 11 was listed on the BTS database for 9-11 as having the tail number "Unknown." AA 11 in some reports was said to have taken off at two different gates at Logan also: Gates 26 and 32. Two planes? The passenger list you cannot take as concrete fact, as many media reports featured different passenger counts. Similarly, Boston or New York Centers had a primary target said to be AA 11, tracking west towards Washington at approximately 9:21 A.M. (or earlier, because the report probably took time to be given to the FAA). They even scrambled the Langley fighters after it at 9:23 A.M. According to The 9-11 Report, they could never identify the source of this “mistaken” information. At 9:36 A.M., the mysterious flight was six miles “southeast” of Washington. By the trajectory, I couldn't see it being confused with the Otis or the Langley fighters as it’s been said. The Otis jets were headed for NYC, and the Langley fighters weren't being handled correctly either, heading east for the ocean. And so was this AA 11, the real UA 175, or a decoy plane? At 9:38 A.M., this primary radar target “kind of faded,” and so did their story, because the Pentagon was struck at 9:37:46 A.M.---woops! Was whatever Washington ATC was tracking, expertly timed to drop off of radar to coincide with the Pentagon explosion, or was it the actual projectile? UA Flight 175 was still reported as "missing" on the afternoon of 9-11-01. Authorities, including United Airlines, appeared to be unable to confirm that UA 175 had hit the South Tower. It was also reported that UA 175 was a "code share" with Air New Zealand NZ9051, but Air NZ had no record of any ticketed passengers aboard the flight. Code sharing is an airline industry practice, which allows more than one carrier to sell the same flight. Was the purpose of the code share to further facilitate the shell game? J ust before it went silent, UA 175 reported hearing a suspicious transmission from another plane. At 8:47 A.M., it changed beacon codes twice within a minute, returning with the unidentified code "3321." But what if the switching of codes was really to obfuscate the switching of planes? It was reported that during the time 8:50 A.M., UA 175 & UA 93 were in the same spot. When the new beacon code came back on, [UA 175] suddenly changed directions, going south instead of west. Too many coincidences? 382 383 Security for UA Flight 93 at Newark International was Argenbright Security. No video was used at Newark just like Boston. No one knows how these men boarded this flight. And UA 93 operated as a code share with Air Canada Flight AC4085. Controllers at Reagan Airport in Virginia vectored an unarmed National Guard C-130 to identify Flight 93. I first found it hard to imagine how a big C-130 turboprop could chase down a jet? But supposedly, the C-130 pilot ID'd the target as a 757. In the FAA report, it seemed as though this C-130 had only spotted it briefly, but then this same C-130 witnessed the AA 77 crash into the Pentagon too! A mysterious white plane shown on TV in the skies over Washington on 9-11 was said not to be a Boeing 747 and not a C-130. This clip was picked up by SAT 1 Germany, and Danish TV. The narration on the clip said that this plane later crashed in Pennsylvania, but UA 93 was a two-engine jet, the plane in the footage was a four-engine 747. A Pittsburgh TV channel reported that UA 93 was expected to land at J ohnstown Airport, and was nearby. The Baltimore Sun heard the same report. Controllers at Cleveland Center warned J ohnstown about a plane twelve miles away at 6,000 ft and heading their way. The Holland Sentinel also reported that an executive jet was asked to follow UA Flight 93. The jet was owned by Net J ets. Warren Buffet is part owner. The Bergen Record* reported that several witnesses near the Pennsylvania crash site of UA Flight 93 saw a suspicious white Lear jet in the area. One witness was Lee Purbaugh, an ex-Navy man who worked for the Rollock strip mine next to the crash area. Another was Tom Spinelli, who was working at India Lake Marina, one-and-a-half miles away. The FBI reportedly recovered 14 knives, or pieces of knives, and one box cutter at the UA Flight 93 crash site---the FAA report. That seems like a lot of knives for four hijackers. They should never have been able to get those through security. The debris at the Shanksville, Pennsylvania, crash site was considered too minimal for a commercial airliner also. Debris was also said to be found miles from the crash site, suggesting a shoot-down. The FBI recovered the plane's engine by themselves using Svonavec's (the landowner’s) equipment. The engines were 1,800 feet into the woods. Mayor of Shanksville, Ernie Stull, said to a German documentary filmmaker, Willy Brunner, that there was nothing there to see, only a hole, and that the plane disintegrated after it hit the ground. Dennis Roddy, managing editor of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, asked in Brunner's documentary what plane wreckage? There was nothing there that he could tell, because when a plane is hit by a rocket, it breaks up into pieces. In December 2003, Congressman J ohn Murtha (D-PA), announced the presentation of twenty-nine acres of ground at the Shanksville, Pennsylvania, crash site to be dedicated for protection. Subsequent land donations totaled 175 acres. There were aberrant rumors of two planes disappearing over Texas on 9- 11, along with the CNN report about eight planes* total being missing or hijacked. We'll probably never have concrete sources for these, but eight planes is a lot. Was there a decoy plane for each of principal hijacked airliner? Passengers aboard AA Flight 77 included those from the Navy, DoD, Raytheon, Boeing and Lockheed Martin. It’s been speculated that the passenger lists was purposefully stacked with people that some in high places wanted to do away with. The Asia Times reported that six U.S. residents were flying as Qantas code share AC4085 on AA Flight 77, but they may have gotten the information wrong, as the prefix for a Qantas 383 384 code share would read: “QF4085.” “AC4085” was the code share on 9-11 for UA Flight 93 and Air Canada. But this is interesting. Could there have been multiple code shares in place on 9-11? Allegedly, a Bureau of Transportation database showed that only five planes took off from Washington Dulles Airport on the morning of 9-11, and none of them was AA Flight 77. According to the FAA report, at 9:45 A.M. on 9-11, American Airlines headquarters called United Airlines headquarters, saying that the plane that hit the Pentagon was a “US Airways turbojet.” This is intriguing because of the rumored “propjet” that hit the North Tower. Unbelievers said that the hole in the Pentagon was not consistent with a commercial jet impact, because it penetrated so far inward, all the way through to the "E ring." Speculation arose saying it was the work of a cruise missile. The wing of the Pentagon suffering the damage was also under renovations at that time, and two employees became "witnesses" to the crash: Frank Probst and Don Mason. The company doing the renovation, “AMEC,” was also involved in the cleanups of the WTC and the Pentagon. As I said previously, rewards and success seemed to await those in close proximity to the 9-11 operation; those who were either involved or “went with the program” so-to-speak. Clocks on the Pentagon wall were shown in still photos displaying the time "9:32" A.M. But according to some early reports, the attack wasn't said to happen until 9:38 A.M. The Naudet brothers film also showed a clock at 9:30 A.M. in conjunction with news of the Pentagon strike. Other sources at the Pentagon reported it as 9:20 A.M. Another strange time signature was that a high-rise fire was called in to Washington 911 operators at 9:37 A.M. for “1003 Wilson Boulevard” in Rosslyn. But when firefighters got there, the blaze was out, but they were able to respond to the Pentagon, because they were nearby. And so, was the Pentagon incident at 9:38 A.M.? Pictures also showed a truck from a “Foam Unit” spraying the Pentagon, which is most likely a specialized unit that must be called in. It's been theorized that remote-controlled guidance systems may have been used on the four planes on 9-11 or in drone planes. Various theories included systems called: the "Home Run" guidance system; the "Rosetta SGT" (Simulation Generation Toolset) its company, "ANZUS," was said to be involved in the exercise “Amalgam Virgo”---a military exercise involving the hijack scenario; "SMART-1" (Small Manned Aerial Radar Target, Model 1); "Predator"; "FTS" (Flight Termination System) used by the White Sands site for remote-control and flight termination in test crafts; The "STARS" system (Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System), which is software that was set for completion by 2001, and associated with the "NATCA" (National Aircraft Controllers Association), whose head, J ohn Carr, was a radar controller who worked at several centers including, Cleveland Hopkins Airport; lastly, the FAA disclosed that onboard computers were equipped with "Flight Management Systems," and tried to say that they could have been programmed to hit a target as small as a building, but the capability of the so-called hijacker pilots was far too low to expect that. Possibilities involving false "blips" on radar screens are commonly used in war games in systems like "URTS" (Universal Radar Targets Simulator), a portable device which captures RF signals, converts them to digital, then bounces them back to radar. That’s scary because it could project anything to ATC’s. On a website for the description of the DVD* 9-11 Eyewitness, Richard A. Siegel described eyewitness accounts of strange blast clouds around the World Trade 384 385 Center. In addition, a daring helicopter rescue from the roof of the South Tower--- something I had not heard anything about before. It also claimed on this website that online TV computers showing and playing audio of massive explosive blasts at the foot of the towers were confiscated. The NIST study stated that the plane’s impacts knocked off crucial fireproofing from the Twin Tower’s structural steel, making them susceptible to high heat and weakening. I then began thinking that if this loss of fireproofing was a contributing factor in the collapses of Towers 1 & 2, then perhaps the material was removed purposefully? This theory came to fruition when the NIST study revealed that some World Trade Center workers noticed that crucial fireproofing was missing from steel beams before 9-11! Theoretically speaking, why didn't the towers collapse on February 13th 1975* when a serious fire broke out in the North Tower? The fire began in an office on the "11th floor" at approximately “11:45 P.M,” (numerology anyone?) and was said to be even more intense than the 9-11 fires, burning for three hours and eventually spreading from the 9th to16th floors through telephone cable ducts. Yet the North Tower suffered no major structural damage. One firefighter called it "like fighting a blow torch," as flames poured out of the east side of the building. Twenty-eight firefighters were injured in the fire, many from the intense heat. The cause for the fire was UNKNOWN. Windows exploding from the heat---which didn't even occur on 9-11---were said to suggest high temperatures. World Trade Center maintenance man, William Rodriguez*, filed a federal lawsuit charging that the 9-11 attacks were a conspiracy orchestrated by the Bush Administration to justify war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The suit was dismissed in J une 2006. Allegedly, Rodriguez observed some strange things at the Trade Center, as he was the only one at the site with a master key to the complex at the time, which may have saved many lives. He was probably one of the last ones out and was buried in rubble for an hour after the collapses. Rodriguez alleged he had come across one of the suspected 9- 11 hijackers in the WTC a few months before the 9-11 attacks, and on 9-11, he heard some heavy moving of objects on the 34th floor of the North Tower. Thirty-four was a no-access floor and he was too scared to even stop on the elevator there. A hijacker was also reportedly seen in the World Financial Center before the attacks too. Some have tried to unravel Rodriguez’s story though (that there were no WTC sublevel blasts), including Nico Haupt, who alleged that Rodriguez was an employee of a security company called ABM (American Building Management), which is allegedly the same company connected to 9-11 TV and media fakery. Haupt cited one piece of 9-11 WTC video in which an ABM employee was obviously “chromakeyed” into the scenery. There were reports of suspicious construction in the Twin Towers in the weeks before 9-11. Steve Forbes, of Fiduciary Trust on the 97th floor heard noises of heavy construction above him, on floors temporarily vacated by the AON Insurance corporation. For between four to ten weeks before 9-11, Forbes would hear heavy objects being moved around, feel vibrations and notice a fine white dust on the windowsills. What was the deal with all this dust? Keep in mind that witnesses reported it on West 14th Street before the collapses. Forbes once took a peak at one of the floors, only to find it was completely vacant. World Trade Center security guards were said to have been working 12- 385 386 hour shifts a couple of weeks before 9-11, and the use of bomb-sniffing dogs was discontinued. California millionaire, J immy Walter, believed that the U.S. Government conspired to blow up the Twin Towers and funded a $2 million dollar ad campaign called "Re-Open 9/11." Walter allegedly offered $1 million dollars to anyone who could prove that the World Trade Center collapsed without explosives. Some said his intentions were good, but they included a "no punishment" clause for the Agents of 9-11 if they were exposed. Did George W. Bush address captains of industry at Offut Air Force Base in Nebraska on 9-11? Air Force One touched down at Offut, the most secure AFB in the country, at anywhere between 3:00 and 3:55 P.M. Bush was taken to the underground nuclear blast bunker for a secure teleconference. Billionaire Warren Buffet just happened to be holding an “unpublicized” charity benefit at Offut. I also heard it rumored Bill Gates was there, including several executives from the World Trade Center, including Anne Tatlock of Fiduciary Trust Company International. Were there a speeches given by bigwigs about “The Tour of the Building” and the New World Order and its unlimited financial solvency? Bush didn’t stay long, leaving Offut at 4:30 P.M., escorted by three fighter jets. Air Force One then landed at Andrews Air Force Base at 6:34 P.M., with Bush arriving at the White House at approximately 7:00 P.M. Former President George H.W. Bush, along with members from his cabinet, were present at a meeting for The Carlyle Group* at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington the night before the 9-11 attacks. Usama Bin Ladin's brother, Shafig Bin Ladin, was also in attendance, just miles from the Pentagon. After the 9-11 attacks, members of the Bin Ladin family* were driven or flown under FBI supervision, to a destination in Texas (Crawford? :P), then flown to Washington where a chartered flight took them out of the country. This was three days before U.S. airspace was reopened for the rest of us. The Bin Ladin family got special treatment because of their association with the Bushes, and the White House policy of tuckus kissing the Saudis added to it. Allegations of insider trading remains a sticking point, with some estimates claiming investors made anywhere between $22 million and $15 billion dollars worldwide off of the attacks. Some said that most of the national profits could not be claimed because the stock market was closed for a few days after 9-11. Either way, the SEC investigation was a joke, because nothing much came of it. I asked someone who works in the securities industry about this, and she responded that she intuitively felt that SEC investigators were threatened if they took matters too far. This brings up the question, was profit made off 9-11 through a network of illegal financial tips, or was worldwide monetary gain realized by a certain select elite, simply through the access to inside information, possibly through systems like "Echelon?" Corporate giants are said to have Echelon access. And harking back to the two FBI Agents indicted for pre-9-11 insider trading, combine that with the practice big corporations have of hiring ex- intelligence personnel, where they sometimes bring a "little too much" know-how along with them. One “designer theory” was that the evil purpose of 9-11 was actually "the mother of all insurance scams." The cell phone theory was another sticking point. Were cell phones used in the way they were said to aboard the four principal planes? J et speed and altitude come into play in regards to cell phone operability. At the time, cell phones were supposedly 386 387 ineffective at speeds over 230 mph and at altitudes over eight thousand feet. Passengers Beamer, Bingham, Glick, and Felt all allegedly placed cell phone calls from UA Flight 93. Hanson phoned from UA Flight 175, Sweeney from AA Flight 11 and Olson from AA Flight 77. Sweeney, aboard AA 11, attempted to use an "Airfone" at 8:22 A.M., but the attempt failed. According to the FAA report, on her third attempt, Sweeney got through, saying someone was hurt aboard “flight twelve,” then the call was cut off. Flight 12? You mean to tell me that Flight Attendant Sweeney would not even have known the number of the flight she was working on? This is just one reason why people doubt the phone calls from the flights. "Flight 12" was actually a flight from the west coast to Boston on 9-11, which hadn't even left yet. This could be another example that 9-11 was too huge of a false flag operation for its architects to keep it straight at times. Sweeney's next twelve-minute call was at 8:32 A.M., and was not taped. Felt and Flight Attendant Lyles allegedly phoned from UA 93, Felt from the lavatory (no Airfones in there), who dialed 911. Supposedly, the altitude was 5,000 ft., but the area boasts peaks of 3,000 ft., so that's too close of a shave for a commercial jet. These calls are all believed to have come from cell phones. Wikpedia noted that all other calls were made with Airfones. But that is hearsay unless someone produces all the phone company records. Flight Attendant Betty Ong, aboard AA 11, allegedly made a call from an Airfone at 8:19 A.M. Although it was said to have been a twenty-five-minute call, only the first four minutes were recorded, citing a recently installed default time limit on the recorder. Ong said there was a bomb in the cockpit. The FAA report stated that there were Airfones in the last nine rows of the aircraft, and only eight could be used simultaneously. At 9:36 A.M. on 9-11, a flight attendant aboard UA 93 allegedly contacted an UAL Maintenance facility in San Francisco and spoke to a manager who described the attendant as shockingly calm. If it were really a dire hijacking situation, would the flight attendant be so calm? It was speculated that the terrorists didn't seem to care that the passengers were making calls, yet if this were such a real terrorist hijackings, wouldn't they have wanted to prohibit any electronic contact with the outside so as not to be intercepted by fighter jets and jeopardize the mission? Something called a "Pico cell" was reportedly installed aboard jets post- 2001, enabling cell phone use. Yet it was my understanding that cell phone use aboard airliners was considered unsafe, due that it could interfere with the plane’s systems. Regardless, in a study, Carnegie Mellon University found that between one and four cell phone calls are attempted during a routine flight, but it did not say if the calls were successful. The FAA report had initially received a report from American Airlines that alleged that an AA employee reported a shooting aboard AA11, and not a stabbing. But the employee who made the report denied ever doing so in interviews with The 9-11 Commission. The victim of this stabbing/shooting was said to be Daniel Lewin, an ex- Israeli soldier in seat 9B. Another internet source claimed that the original FAA memo said that at 9:20 A.M., one man had been shot aboard AA 11. Chris Shawn told me that a caller to the Bob Grant Show* on September 13th 2001, said that he knew someone who was in the Trade Center before the attacks that morning, and heard gunshots go off inside the towers. We knew that ammunition could be heard going off after the collapses, but before? The Daily News also reported that a divot in a column in the Deutsche Bank building looked like a bullet mark. 387 388 Page Six reported Charlie Sheen* gave a radio interview on The Alex Jones Show saying that nineteen amateurs with box cutters hijacking four commercial airliners and hitting seventy-five percent of their target feels like a conspiracy theory. Sheen added how that only a few years ago, it was highly unpopular to talk like this, but it felt like the tide was turning. I agreed. It was highly unpopular to talk like that circa 2003. Sheen said the collapses looked like a "controlled demolition," and in regards to the Pentagon strike, he challenged anyone to show the public just how this particular plane pulled off those maneuvers. Sheen said we owe the truth to the families, the victims and anyone whose life was drastically altered, horrifically, that day and forever. Sheen was echoing what I was saying in the book. He initially threw his hat in the ring for a Hollywood version of the video Loose Change, then I noticed he backed off a bit. The FEMA Building Performance Study claimed that temperatures inside the WTC reached as high as 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Bahahaha! A hydrocarbon such as jet fuel has a maximum burn temperature of approximately 1,520* F, yet that is in optimum conditions. Steel basically melts at 2,800* F. FDNY Battalion 7 Chief Orio J . Palmer reached as high as the 78th floor of the South Tower and observed, "Two main pockets of fire," then coolly ordered his firefighters to stretch a couple of house lines to knock it down. Were the fires the raging infernos that the studies made them out to be? The FEMA study tried to compute building temperatures through highly tenuous means. Anyone who's ever built a simple a campfire knows that if something is smoldering and producing excessive amounts of smoke, it's not really burning too well. Science and common sense often don't mix though in regards to governmental 9-11 investigation. The FEMA BPS even admitted the speculation of these temperature estimates by saying: "A major portion of the uncertainty in these estimates is due to the scarcity of data regarding the initial conditions within the building and how the aircraft impact changed the geometry ..." Then the BPS finally admitted that the temperatures might have even been as low as 800* F.! The official story* says that the protective fire coating on the WTC steel must have been knocked off by the collision of the planes. The burn rating on the floor trusses was said to be anywhere between two to three hours, and the steel beams had a half-inch thick fire coating. On the protective coating being knocked off by debris the BPS stated: "Because fires were not ignited in combination with this structural damage, the damaged fireproofing did not affect performance of the building." The towers also had sprinklers and three electric pumps, pumping water to the water mains from city water supplies, at the rate of 750 gallons per minute, yet different accounts said there was no water, or that pressure was extremely low. Others said water pressure was available in the towers below the impact zones. At various times the water pressure situation might have been at different levels. Engineers were about to lead firefighters to the sixth sub-level to check on water main valves, and a firefighter from Engine 4 found a hydrant gate blowing full blast across Church Street, and wondered who the Hell pulled it. He corrected the situation so there would be pressure back up in the Trade Center. Was the lack of water sabotage? On the collapse of 7 WTC the BPS stated, "...it can be concluded that the SSB system did not discharge diesel oil as hypothesized. The diesel tanks may have ruptured, but the level of oil or spillage was unclear." And, "Currently, there is no data available on the post-collapse condition of the OEM 6,000-gallon tank located between 388 389 the 2nd and 3rd floors." There was also a 275-gallon diesel tank on the 7th floor. And the Secret Service had a tank capable of holding 50-100 gallons of diesel. Citing diesel fuel as the cause in the collapse of 7 WTC would've been just another case of grasping at straws though. If anyone were looking for a reason as to why explosions occurred in the sub-levels of the WTC complex, they may receive satisfaction from the following. The primary electrical power system for the towers was located in 7 WTC, in a substation by the Barclay Street entrance. The secondary power generators---six, 1,200-kilowatt generators---were located on the B-6 level. A weird thing I noticed about the sublevels was that different sources gave different amounts of WTC sublevels. I've read anywhere from the existence of four to eight sublevels. The last one might have not been the only one too, because I recall some time around 1999 or 2000, while standing on a WTC PATH Station platform---which was at least a couple of hundred feet below street level--- hearing sounds of jack hammering coming from somewhere beneath me. I brought this to some other’s attention too. One response I got was that it was theorized that an underground base existed beneath the Trade Center. But where did the sublevels begin? When you descended to the WTC mall, that was approximately two to four stories below street level, then down a long escalator to the PATH Station (because it was so far), then down some more stairs to the PATH platform, what qualified as sublevel one? Or, did the real sublevels begin beneath the PATH Station? That is my guess. Sublevels have that “no public access” ring to them. If so, eight sublevels beneath the PATH platform would've been amazingly deep! Heck, eight would've been deep even if the PATH counted as four sublevels. What were all these sublevels for? Utility? I don’t believe the parking garages were beneath the PATH Station. The bathtub post-9-11 didn’t betray these sublevels either. What if Agents of 9-11 were down there on the day of attack and those sublevels are still operable today? Were there any telltale signs of entrances to these strange sublevels during the WTC pit cleanup? Something tells me that if there were, it was hushed up about really quick. Could there any hints of entrances in WTC pit pictures? That would be tough to identify though, as they would've probably been heavily concealed. Something told me the new PATH Station was not where the old platforms were, I could be wrong about that though. Another strange thing to me was that in the 1990’s, I always got the feeling that there were secret passages in the World Trade Center. This may have been my imagination I realize, as I like things like that, and it might sound silly, but I recall I used to try and look for one of these secret passages. I also used to study some of the strange, non-descript stainless steel doors on the PATH levels, and wonder where they went. They seemed to go nowhere. Let me just ask that in such a world-class structure, why wouldn't there have been a couple concealed entrances to some sublevels? Grand Central Station has many sublevels devoted to utility and I believe a book was written about some strange circumstances down there. Figures in the FEMA BPS showed the basic shape left by whatever hit 1 WTC. It kind of reminded me of one of those Wily Coyote impressions after he fell through something. It can be used as a guide though. By studying the image, whatever it was that hit the North Tower was winged alright, and tilted at a forty-five degree angle, but it must've had two apparatuses on top and on the bottom, judging by the steel that was broken away in those areas. And you can rule out landing gear, because having the gear down would have slowed the alleged plane down. 389 390 NIST* said that the fire was more concentrated in the South Tower and that's why it collapsed first. But anyone can see that much of the jet fuel exploded out into a spectacular fireball out of the South Tower, and not really at all in the North Tower if you study the Naudet film. The theory seems like a bunch of hot air, and it struck me as funny that when the authorities speculate, it's presented as potential fact, but when a 9-11 Truther does, it's considered "tinhatting." Twenty-four tons of scrap WTC steel was melted down to build the U.S. Navy Battleship, “The USS New York.” Some of the WTC steel was quickly gathered up, shipped off and sold as scrap to countries like J apan and China, and the Mafia even got some by diverting trucks to certain area scrap yards to the tune of $100,000 dollars. Even though the WTC site was a crime scene, many believe it was not treated as one and a proper forensic analysis of the stel was not made. William A. Manning, editor of Fire Engineering magazine, in late 2001, called for the preservation of World Trade Center steel for examination. This whisking away of the WTC steel so quickly made the FEMA BPS study just seem like a cursory tourist walk-through. And why was evidence of evaporated metal* found at the Trade Center in the sub-basement levels, especially 7 WTC? Online, this theory is referred to as "molten metal," meaning that molten metal existed in the basement levels for weeks afterwards. This baffled engineers. A popular theory proposed was that there could have been an explosive material called "thermate" (sometimes referred to as “thermite”) used. Thermate is an explosive metal which detonates at around 2,000* F, producing temperatures as high as 5,000* F. One byproduct of thermate may have been the meteorite-like boulder found in the sub-level after 9-11, composed of half-iron and half-concrete. Speaking of forensic analysis, one of the reasons I don't buy the official 9- 11 yarn is that a former head of New York City’s Medical Examiner’s Forensic Unit, Robert Shaler*, said that three 9-11 terrorist's identified remains were kept separate from innocent WTC victims, and a makeshift memorial. In Shaler’s account of the identification effort, Who They Were, he believed the three terrorists were situated in the back of the planes and that is why their remains survived incineration. Yet we were made to believe that the hijackers forced the passengers to the back of the planes, which would make it logistically seem that they would remain towards the front to keep order. Shaler doubted that the pilot’s remains survived impact and the resulting fires. He believed they were vaporized, as were many of the passengers. Curiously enough though, the remains of the three terrorists could not be identified by name. This was because the FBI provided "ten DNA profiles"---used to make some of the earlier matches---without names attached to them. And these were not DNA "samples" either, but "profiles." “Profiles” contained a "K code," which is the way the FBI classifies "knowns," or specimens they know the origins of. Once again, we had a situation where any of the so-called “evidence” could’ve been arbitrarily presented as truth or adulterated. Shaler said that they had no direct knowledge on how the FBI got the terrorist’s DNA. No kidding! How did the FBI, after saying, “we may never know who did this,” early on post-9-11, not only suddenly provide us with nineteen down-pat hijacker profiles, but “DNA profiles” as well? In addition, does this seem like sound forensic science to anyone? Shaler said he did not know where the terrorist’s remains were, but assumed they were somewhere in New York City. Ellen Borakove, the NYC Medical Examiner’s Office spokeswoman, said that Examiner’s Office didn’t say where the terrorist’s remains were because it wasn’t 390 391 important. Borakove added that she did not even know the location herself. I’m not alleging anything against Shaler, Borakove or the NYC Medical Examiner’s Office, but it’s easy to obfuscate something when you can cite a patriotic reason. Could somebody scour the city for some anonymous Bell jars marked "Atta?" That’s not Grandma’s preserves in there! An independent investigation might think that these whereabouts are important. But as they say, I bet those remains are not in Kansas anymore. Mystery may surround a strange apartment fire that erupted on 9-11 in Battery Park City (BPC), which is a luxury apartment/condo enclave west of West Street. The fire was substantial enough to pull several FDNY men off of WTC duty to head over there to fight it. At first, it struck me as a little too far for the fire to have been started by falling debris from the Trade Center, yet if it was in a building close to the WFC, then it may have been. And so the question remains "Where in BPC?" If you combine this with not knowing which apartment it was in BPC that was donated to Commissioner Kerik and NYPD top cops as a rest stop from WTC detail, then it gets a little more interesting. Could this have been the same unit? I'm only asking, but for theory sake, let's just say that Agents of 9-11 used it as a base of operations that day then torched it to cover their tracks? Then after 9-11, when they didn't need it anymore, it was donated. We don't have an exact address, only that it was said to be on the "5th or 6th floor." In another account, it was said to be on the "9th floor.” The name "South End Apartments" was named in transcripts too, and somewhere along the line I heard the name "Gateway Arms" being named. A cursory ride down South End Avenue through BPC verified the names "Gateway Plaza," and "South End Avenue" listed on apartment houses. I think it would be interesting to determine whose apartment it was, and why it happened to be on fire on 9-11.There were a couple discrepancies in transcripts of firefighters trying to put out the blaze also. There was no water pressure in the building, was the roof's gravity tank sabotaged? And was there a mystery firefighter already there when FDNY arrived? Or was he just an out-of-town probie they didn’t recognize? The Convar company of Pirmasens, Germany, won a contract from several WTC tenants to retrieve data from the hard discs of destroyed computers. Convar found that an excess of one hundred million dollars was rushed through WTC computers before and during the 9-11 attacks. I attempted to bring this to the attention of several people, including Preston Nichols*, who emailed me back saying that it was interesting that the hard discs survived, which are cast and sheet aluminum, but the office furniture was all ground down to dust. He said that this suggested that many of the floors were empty on 9-11. It was my prediction in early 2003 that Bush would not go quietly---in regards to the 2004 election. I intuitively felt that if Bush officials had ascertained that he could not win the election, they would cite some kind of Draconian Executive Order to remain in power. Not long after this, I learned that the White House was actually looking into legal procedures* that would've allowed the Bush Administration* to remain in power in the event of a large terrorist strike before the election. LaRouche likened this to the 1933 Nazi Germany Fuhrerprinzip (unitary executive), which allowed Hitler's emergency dictatorial rule after the Reichstag Fire. Hunter S. Thompson* commented on Bush in his brief ESPN online gig, speculating about if he planned to cancel the election altogether by declaring a national military emergency, with terrorists closing in on all sides. He said that it might leave 391 392 Bush with no choice but to launch a huge bomb immediately. Page Six carried Thompson's sentiments on Bush, stating that the president was a “criminal” and a “failure.” On the Bush daughters, Thompson likened the “cupcakes” to “crazy barn cats.” Page Six predicted a Secret Service visit to Hunter, but that wouldn’t have been anything new. Thompson had complained about a visit from the Secret Service before, after someone purporting to be him online posted something about the Bush girls having “pierced clitorises.” Hunter S. Thompson supposedly killed himself on 2-20-05 at his Woody Creek, Colorado ranch. I could hardly believe it at the time. I knew he was older, but he had such a lust for life, such vigor. He didn’t seem like the suicide type. Page Six* then picked up on a conspiracy rumor on 3-4-05 surrounding Thompson’s death. The original source was from the Toronto Globe and Mail, 2-26-05. In the article, reporter Paul William Roberts said that Thompson phoned him on the night of February 19th, the night before his death and sounded scared. That alone said something. Was Thompson the “scared” type? Roberts said it was often hard to understand Thompson, but when it was something he really wanted you to know, you got it. Thompson had allegedly been working on a story about the World Trade Center attacks and he had stumbled across some damning evidence that showed that the towers were brought down by explosives. But Thompson told Roberts that he thought someone was out to stop him from publishing his story. And he said they were going to make it look like suicide, because he knew how the bastards thought. According to Mack White, the Thompson family said that he was not depressed or despondent or thinking suicide. In fact, he was quite content. J ust before he died, he was in his kitchen talking on the phone with his wife Anita, getting ready to work on his column. White asked, would Thompson suddenly decide to kill himself, not finishing his column, so he could go out while he was on top? But if he wanted to go out while he was on top, this author thought, he would've offed himself in 1970. The Associated Press account of 3-2-05 had Thompson shooting himself in a chair in front of his typewriter with the word "counselor" typed in the center of the page. The stationery was from Fourth Amendment Foundation, a group started to defend against unwarranted search and seizure. Supposedly, Thompson put a handgun in his mouth and fired. A gun case was found at his feet with a spent shell casing. His son J uan then allegedly walked outside and fired three shotgun blasts into the air as a tribute. The police let J uan walk alone into the kitchen---a forensic no-no--- and drape an orange scarf over the body, according to Pitkin County Deputy Sheriff J ohn Armstrong. Supposedly, the day Thompson killed himself, he told his son J uan that he wanted a great funeral*, and wanted his ashes shot out of a cannon (which they eventually were), then he walked into the next room and pulled the trigger. Page Six* noted on 3-4-05 that there were “no witnesses” to the suicide, but only an “ear-witness,” which was Thompson’s wife Anita, who allegedly said at first that she heard a loud muffled noise. Conflicting accounts had Anita hearing a “clicking noise.” Reports obtained by the Rocky Mountain News noted that when cops arrived, they heard shots being fired; Thompson’s son J uan then said he had been firing off shots as a salute to his father. Thompson’s son should not have been allowed to walk into a potential crime scene either. Oddities surrounded the gun Thompson supposedly used to kill himself with. The Smith & Wesson 645 had no bullet in the firing chamber, just a 392 393 spent casing on the floor and six bullets unspent. And a spent slug was found in the stove hood behind the body. Thompson may have been expecting someone to try and sneak into the house, and maybe wasn't fast enough at the trigger. I wondered at the time if Thompson was murdered. Thompson was a big enough name that if he came across some ‘9-11 as inside job’ evidence, he could have “pulled it off”---as far as getting the whole ball rolling to unravel the 9-11 conspiracy and get some high-level indictments going. But Thompson had won too many enemies in the Bush Administration. I tried to contact the Globe and Mail a couple of times in 2005, but never got anywhere with that. I got the sinking suspicion that the Globe and Mail wouldn't be publishing any more “9-11 stories.” One peculiar passage in Thompson's last book, Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and The Downward Spiral of Dumbness, was that in November 2001, he had someone he referred to as "Princess Omin" staying at his ranch in an attic room. Except that Princess Omin was on a terror watch list. He also mentioned in his writings several rich Arabs playing around in Aspen at the time. Perhaps he got friendly with some and offered this woman a place? Well, word got around town that this woman was staying at Thompson's ranch, and soon the sheriff showed up. Thompson was at first defiant, but the sheriff handed him a small card warning him about all the rights the authorities had been recently awarded because of neat little things like “The Patriot Act.” The jig was soon up. Thompson changed his tune, thanking them for showing up because she (Princess Omin) threatened him and that she was right upstairs. Thompson called 9-11 the “springboard*” for just about everything the Bush Administration wanted to do. Thompson had actually met George W. Bush at a Superbowl* party he hosted in Houston in 1974. Hunter’s friend wanted to cop some blow and so Bush came by with a bunch of people, one of which had the stuff. No big deal, but then Bush passed out in the shitter. They found him asleep in the bathtub. Thompson said he actually had to have him physically helped out of there. No biggee. Thompson didn’t seem to think much of Bush at the time though. He said Bush was insignificant in every way, no humor, no offering, no nothing. A ridiculous New York Post article appeared out of the slime on September 9th 2005, titled, “Hunters last note: ‘This won’t hurt,’” It purported that Hunter S. Thompson left a suicide note titled "Football Season Is Over" on February 16th 2005, scrawled in ‘thick, black magic marker.’ The alleged suicide note read: No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No fun---for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act you old age. Relax---This won’t hurt. Ba-HaHaHaHa! Anyone who was even vaguely familiar with Hunter Thompson’s writing would know that he would never leaving a suicide note like that. They blew it with that one. Hunter was known for writing countless letters, and with the older ones, retaining the carbons just like Kerouac did for his archives. He even published a book of his correspondences. Thompson typed everything. He hated computers, preferring to write on his typewriter. He even typed his faxes to J an Wenner at Rolling Stone. You’d think that if a guy typed his faxes---which would've been quicker to write 393 394 by hand---you’d think that he’d type his suicide note too. The Post article stated that David Brinkley, identified as Thompson’s official biographer and a presidential historian, broke the story in a magazine article. Brinkley theorized that February was the toughest month on Thompson because football season was over. Yet Thompson was known to be crazy about March Madness too. On another note, I doubted Thompson would ever refer to himself as “bitchy.” He was a man’s man. It just didn’t sound like him. The title of the note could have been lifted or associated to his writings. Was the author of one of the greatest American novels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, murdered for what he knew about 9-11? Hunter S. Thompson: 1937-2005. Any qualified demolition experts---such as Van Romero, who stated to the Alberque Journal that the WTC collapses were too methodical and resembled controlled demolitions of old buildings---usually retracted their statements soon after 9-11. On 9-12- 01, Danish bomb expert Brent Lund, said to the Copenhagen daily, BT, that an estimated one ton of high explosives must have been detonated inside the WTC to make the towers collapse the way they did. Others argued that the towers fell at pretty much the speed of gravity with no resistance (estimated at 11.5 seconds) from the lower floors, pointing to squibs on the lower floors. If the North Tower was struck first, then why didn't it collapse first? Did some bonehead black op merely push the wrong detonator button? Keep in mind that even FDNY Firefighters on 9-11 became confused as to which tower was which? And so here is a potential one act play for the architects and Agents of 9-11: Colonel Carnage: "Cavendish, detonate the tower!" Cavendish: "Ten-four colonel. Which one?" Colonel: "Number one, tower number one." Cavendish: "Right…..which one's that again?" Colonel: "Don't argue with me Cavendish! J ust detonate the explosives! That’s an order!" Cavendish: "Okay!” Sheeesh.…what's eatin’ that guy? Now let me see here....what about this one…? Colonel: "Cavendish you numbskull!" Or what if---as some have observed---the fire in the South Tower was threatening to go out, having burnt off all its jet fuel on impact, and having been starved for oxygen, had to be detonated first? More than one picture of the South Tower after the explosion and fire ball showed not much else happening there except a little steam and light smoke rising up. Or what if the critical temperatures hit their threshold in the South Tower first, therefore detonating pre-planted explosives? To stretch it even further, what if, since the North Tower was "mass media central," with most of the major news cameras positioned north of the WTC, the best was saved for last: the North Tower was destroyed to milk every bit of shock value to it. This may also have been why other pre- demolition blasts were seen on the west side of the towers. Although theories differ on the purpose of military exercises conducted on 9-11, one theory was that it was in order so that all the crucial resources would be in 394 395 place and diverted to the 9-11 attacks. All the necessary support systems would already be in place, even if they didn’t happen to be the actual architects of 9-11. Another theory could be that exercises were scheduled so that the military would be busy that day, and vital resources unavailable. Still another theory---and potentially brilliant---could be that this was done so that many of the military personnel on duty in the “battlecabs” (the situation rooms) or piloting planes etc., were "booked" into a drill and going with whatever the exercise threw at them until they realized it was actually “real world.” But by then, most of the critical work would've been accomplished already, and a muzzle of a gun or two could be produced to quell any mutinies. The hijacker scenario, in which planes could be used as bombs, was tinkered with by a NORAD planner in operation “Positive Force” months before 9-11-01, but it was dismissed as too unrealistic. In the NORAD tapes, someone on the NAADC floor on 9-11 at one point thought that a piece of data was an "input," or a simulation imported to keep people on their toes. Some of the various military exercises being conducted on or around September 11th 2001 were: "Northern Vigilance," an Air Force simulation of a Russian attack where pilots who normally patrol the Northeast corridor, are vectored to Canada and Alaska; "Vigilant Guardian," a NORAD drill protecting NAADC posts with an air war simulation; "National Reconnaissance Office": fifty minutes before AA Flight 77 allegedly crashed into the Pentagon, the NRO was conducting a drill for a plane hitting their building four miles from Dulles Airport; "Tripod III," was a FEMA exercise simulating a bio-warfare attack on NYC scheduled for September 12th 2001. That may be why the FEMA Agent slipped up in an interview and said they had arrived in town a day too early to be responding to the September 11th attacks; The excercise "Amalgam Virgo" of J une 2001 had some speculating that it was a plane switch drill, and used drones such as the "MQM 107"; Rumors of a 9-11 "CIA drill" persisted also; The "Pentagon Mass Casualty Excercise" (not held on 9-11) was held to handle various emergencies; And Bernie Kerik spoke of a NYC OEM drill including plane crashes, but this comment was expurgated from The 9-11 Report, and was relayed to me by Nico Haupt who was present; Federal NSSE planning was said to include the use of airplanes by terrorists in suicide missions; Other potential drills inlcuded something called "Amber Sky" in J une 2001, held at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio; The "Buffalo drill." I’m not sure what that was.; The Pentagon "Tricare" terror drill; The "Abottsville drill" was an exercise including the ACFD (Arlington County Fire Department), which supposedly simulated a plane crash into the Pentagon. Back in 1998; Something called "Cloudy Office" was speculated, but I'm not exactly certain what that was; Exercise "Ellipse Alpha" was held between Sept. 1st through 14th 2001; "Simulation Interoperability Workshop," was held in Orlando, Forida, on September 9th through 14th 2001; A possible DoD drill around Shanksville, Pennsylvania was held in J une 2001 and was titled "Exercise Mall Strike 2001." It was centered in Westmoreland County at the Greengate Mall. The mall was demolished in 2003. Another terror drill was held in Westmoreland a few weeks later; And, "Mitigating the Terrorist Threat: The Community Leaders Role," a Cambria County program on 2- 28-01 in Pennsylvania. It was held where UA 93 was rumored to be expected to land on 9-11---J ohnstown Airport; In the area near the Shanksville crash, it was said that there had been a terror meeting on September 10th 2001. These terror drills are all suspicious in that they occurred at a time when everyone was pretty much supposed to have been 395 396 asleep on the terrorism subject. They could not have been all coincidence. The FAA may have opened a secure phone bridge with the Secret Service shortly after 8:46 A.M on 9-11. This was leaked by Dick Chene*, who stated that the Secret Service had an arrangement with the FAA to maintain open lines after the World Trade Center was... Cheney then cut himself off mid-sentence. Woopsie! Very little FDNY radio communications survived from the North Tower due to the failed radio repeaters*. Repeaters strengthen radio signals inside of high-rise buildings. The WTC repeater was said to be located on the roof of 5 WTC. The repeater tones were found to be on the beginning of the seventy-eight minute recording of FDNY radio traffic recorded at Port Authority offices on 9-11. This suggested that the repeaters may have been in fact working. In transcripts, I saw that more than one FDNY person tried to get the repeater unit to operate properly. It was reported by the media that, "maybe the volume was turned down?" It seemed like a silly excuse. At 9:28 A.M. on 9-11, Chief J oseph Callan broadcasted, “Everyone come down out of the building. Leave the building immediately.” Few heard this order though. Chief Orio Palmer eventually found that the repeaters were in fact working, and was able to communicate with firefighters on the 78th floor of the North Tower. The Motorola* "handy talkies" radios the FDNY used were then blamed. It was learned by The 9-11 Commission from the seventy-eight minute recording that Deputy Chief J oseph Pfeifer abandoned the critical “Channel 7” frequency on the handie talkies, and switched to another channel, Channel 2. Channel 2 was only capable of reaching up five floors. Pfeifer* basically downplayed the importance of radio communications that day citing there were urgent messages from firefighters experiencing things like chest pains, but they didn’t really need the handie-talkies because there wasn’t any good information to exchange anyway. I don't know why Pfeifer would take such a position, because on one hand, he seemed very pro-9-11 truth, saying that all the high-level officials evacuated the South Tower lobby just before the collapse, giving him the impression that they had insider information. Pfeifer was also in the Naudet film, or was that just one big set-up? Garnish these nagging questions with the suspicious bleed-through of radio transmissions on 9-11 by things that didn't seem to make sense. Take for instance, the order to evacuate the World Trade Center complex by the suspicious "Colonel," Colonel Carnage, way before any FDNY, PAPD, NYPD or EMS evacuation orders were given. And it was before any impending collapse was ever even speculated. I have to be honest, the first colonel who came to mind when I read the transcript was the ex-Delta Force commander consultant for the earlier-mentioned CEB security at the Woolworth Building, but I am not alleging anything. The last radio transmission heard by one female EMT worker at the WTC site was a voice ordering to release the weapons of mass destruction and the antidote kits. It suggested that the post-9-11 illnesses from the Trade Center could’ve been caused by chemical attacks. Perhaps those giant smoke plumes at the WTC pre-collapse were giant gas clouds? In addition, there was the possibility of radio and cell phone jamming at the Trade Center that day, adding to an already huge radio communications conspiracy. It is widely believed that many FDNY Firefighters knew there were bombs in the buildings, but a gag order was sent down the ranks with a caveat that anyone who rocks the boat loses their job and their pensions. J ust about every NYC Firefighter I ever talked to in the few years after 9-11 either nodded their head "yes," in 396 397 response to anomalous explosions at the Trade Center, or said something like, "it was a crazy day," as if to just leave it at that. It was no big revelation to them. The fact that the White House had a Chief of Staff and entourage nearby the World Trade Center on the A.M. of 9-11 sounds treasonous. Why were they there? What did they know? This was a potential breach of public trust. Did this group operate under the code name: "[...........] Tour of the Building?" (the first word was redacted in transcripts). After this group may have taken in the matinee show, they got a New J ersey State Police escort through the Lincoln Tunnel on to Dover, New J ersey. There was also a New J ersey State Police radio transmission alluding to a transfer of a monitor scene: “We already transferred the monitor scene.” Was this CCTV footage of the WTC attacks? Keep in mind that Port Authority monitors were stationed all around the Trade Center and allegedly caught the whole scene. If this system was connected to a LAN or a WAN, it could’ve been transferable before it was destroyed. And If "[ ] Tour of the Building" was one code phrase on 9-11, could "Turkish Cargo" have been another? Very early on, in the morning of 9-11, an emergency operator stated that something had hit the North Tower at the 22nd floor, possibly a plane or a helicopter: 8:49 A.M.: CRO: "It says aircraft incident crash. It says Turkish Cargo, 22nd floor. That's where it crashed into, I guess. Unless that's where the call came from..." 8:53: A.M.: CRO: "...I guess the guy was in a helicopter and just fell out of the helicopter." *There was no "Turkish Cargo" listed as a tenant on 22, or in the WTC. What also perked my curiosity about the above was an ACARS message sent from Captain J ason Dahl who was aboard UA Flight 93 saying, "Good mornin'...Nice clb (climb) outta EWR (Newark) after a nice tour of the apt (apartment) courts y (and) grnd cntrl..." Hmmmmm... The FAA in their report, didn't even know what one ACARS message sent to UA 93 from an UAL dispatcher at 9:36 A.M. on 9-11 meant: "How's the wx?" It may have just meant “how’s the weather” though. Passengers only saw three hijackers aboard UA 93, and so was one already in the cockpit upon boarding? Only air carrier personnel, pilots or operational employees are allowed to ride in the plane’s "jump seat" in the cockpit, located directly behind the pilot and first officer. There's no way a civilian would've been allowed in that seat. And none of the five people in first class noticed anyone get up and enter the cockpit, that is, if you believe they were able to get through with cell phone calls. What's more is that since UA 93 was warned to be on the lookout for any cockpit intrusions at 9:23 A.M., a full seven minutes before it was allegedly hijacked, had there been a stranger in the jump seat in the cockpit, they would have immediately been given the boot for security reasons. So what's up with the fourth hijacker? Why were people dying at Newark International Airport on the morning of 9-11-01? Several DOA’s were reported. A woman's fingernail was ripped out in an airport terminal. This suggested some kind of intelligence-like torture with pliers. Ouch! There may have been incidents of violence on the roads leading to the airport also. There were reports of suspicious construction workers with weapons, and a construction gate, 397 398 which was supposed to be kept locked, was reportedly wide open. There was a boarding incident on the tarmac in a Newark to London-bound jet, which we never got the story on. There was a rumored suspicious Newark airline hangar occurring on September 10th 2001. The source for that is unknown. The American Airlines gate had a security problem there requesting search dogs. And suspicions surround a "United Airlines Flight 23" on 9- 11, a Newark to Los Angeles flight. It was reportedly asked to land by controllers, but not told why. This was forty-five minutes after reports of problems on AA Flight 11. Six men would not get off UA Flight 23 at first, but then did so and disappeared into the crowds. Did it land back in Newark or somewhere else? Authorities found Qu'rans and Al Qida documents in their baggage---Daily Herald. Over at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, things weren't much better. There were suspicious people being watched and arrested by the PAPD. There were reports of men with firearms at “US Air Gate 3.” There were boarding incidents and suspicious downed phone lines. There were reports of "suspicious employees" lurking around. There were several suspicious passengers removed from the aircrafts and returned to Port Authority Building #269 for investigation, said one PAPD Detective. PAPD Police were also tailing, with extreme caution, two suspicious men in a La Guardia parking lot after the airport had already been closed and locked down. The men were arrested. Keep in mind that due to the confessions of some detained terrorists, there was supposed to be ten aircraft hijackings to take place on 9-11. These included plans of hitting CIA & FBI headquarters and skyscrapers in California and Washington State. So additional gate/boarding incidents at other airports besides Newark and Logan could have suggested more hijack attempts by Agents of 9-11. And who knows what happened over at Kennedy Airport on 9-11? Perhaps so much happened overt at J FK on 9-11 that Port Authority transcripts were not even made available? I'm not making anything out of the following, but three PAPD Officers turned in identical "form letters" as their experiences at the World Trade Center on 9-11, as per transcripts. I began to get deja vu's in reviewing them, so I checked back and found that they were signing copies of the same, typed transcript. Witnesses saw "military aircraft" in the Brooklyn Navy Yard next to the Brooklyn Bridge while evacuating Manhattan on the morning of 9-11. Reports of military men on the scene perhaps a little too early could be a point of contention also. The only reports of WTC burglar alarms going off during the beginning stages of the attacks, came from the banks. There were approximately twenty-three banks located in the WTC complex. There were also suspicious fires reported before any alleged plane crash. Why were there underground blasts below the WTC, at the B-4 & B-6 levels? There were also possibly explosions or shootings in the WTC PATH station. Why did the World Trade Center have an “Enron Desk?” In transcripts, a WTC security person said, “Check with the Enron desk.” Enron was not listed as an official WTC tenant. It has been reported that Enron was a hiring dumping ground for ex- intelligence personnel who were floated cushy gigs at the company. Was WTC security trying to gather more info as to what was taking place by checking with the CIA-types. If so, you can’t blame them. And why is it that the World Trade Center's two “SCC’s” (Security Command Centers) in the North Tower, on the 77th & 22nd floors, both said to have personnel trapped inside? Was this done purposely? Keep in mind that the “lock 398 399 release” software (computer software controlling all the locks to the doors in the WTC) was unresponsive that day. Was it hacked, or did physical damage cause the system to fail? Strange construction ladders happened to be left in strategic places at the lower levels of the WTC on 9-11. I am not saying these were anything suspicious, they may have been legitimate contractors. But, who knows if they were put there as some sort of egress for Agents of 9-11 on that day? There were high drop-off points in the old WTC, especially at 6 WTC by Vesey & West Streets. At least some first responders escaped there that day via ladders. It would’ve been unsafe to jump from there. Did the company “Securacom” have a function on 9-11? Securacom was partly owned by George W. Bush’s brother, Marvin Bush, in 2001. Securacom had a security contract with the WTC and United Airlines. Securacom’s name was later changed to “Stratesec,” and was de-listed from the stock market. Was this one reason The Patriot Act contained provisions to absolve from guilt any airline security companies? One reason I keep an open mind in regards to George W. Bush and 9-11 in general, was that a potential assassination attempt on Bush’s life may have occurred on the morning of 9-11-01. President Bush awoke at the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort on Longboat Key, Florida, on 9-11. Longboat Key is an island just set in the Gulf of Mexico. Bush awoke at 6:00 A.M. for his morning jog and while he was out, a van described as shoddy and full of Middle Eastern men inexplicably arrived at the Colony gate spinning some yarn about a "poolside" interview* with the president. They even asked for a certain agent by name. But since they didn't have an appointment, the Secret Service sent them away. This was eerily coincidental too, because Afghan Northern Alliance leader, Ahmed Shah Massoud, had just been assassinated on September 9th 2001 by a phony camera crew pretending to conduct an interview. A bomb was hidden in the camera. To present one possible scenario, what if perhaps George W. Bush had foreknowledge of 9-11, but maybe couldn't do a damn thing to stop it? What if the President of the United States doesn’t have the power we think he bears over the country? The architects of 9-11 might have informed him of the plan, gave him the script and told him to go with the program--- or else. President Bush was asked by a boy named J ordan at a press conference at the Orlando Convention Center on December 4th 2001 how he felt about learning that the World Trade Center had been attacked. Bush stated that he was outside the Emma E. Booker classroom waiting to go in, when he saw the airplane hit the tower on TV. Bush told the crowd he used to fly himself and thought he must have been one terrible pilot. He thought it was just a horrible accident. His Chief of Staff, Andy Card*, then walked over and told him a second plane had hit the tower and that America was under attack. Bush clearly blundered that one. Bush was saying that he saw the “first plane” strike the North Tower on a TV, then later, when the second plane allegedly struck, he was then informed by Card. If this were true, then he must have been observing this on a CCTV circuit that morning. As I went into in the "Danger, Diamonds and Debacles" chapter, I don't think anyone could believe Bush did not know what was happening in New York before he went into the Emma E. Booker classroom. A point of contention was also that Bush sat in the classroom for twenty-eight minutes after being informed about the attack. I saw a humorous online picture of Bush holding the book, The Pet Goat, which was upside down. And the goat thing can be construed as power symbology if one 399 400 wanted to also, drifting into the occult areas of the horned goat's head, representing the basic shape of the pentagram. The more obvious association is the goat symbology with "scapegoats" that may have been used in the 9-11 attacks. “The Pet Goat: A girl got a pet goat…." the story goes,* then goes on to say that the goat did things to make the girl’s dad angry. Why that story? Was it the title, or did this goat making the girl's dad mad symbolize something more? After Googling this book, I found it was not a book at all, but a story in a McGraw Hill textbook (page 60). Bush, who allegedly did not read along with the kids---as schoolteacher Mary Kay Daniels told The Los Angeles Times--- complimented the kids on their reading, saying they must be sixth graders. I thought reading a baby story like that in the sixth grade was kind of odd also. Maybe the public school system has digressed to that level, but it seemed a bit simpleton. In sixth grade we were beginning to read Edgar Alan Poe. In a 2004 video, UBL cited Bush’s interest in the butting of a goat, as what gave them time to be successful in the butting of the towers by the planes. An obvious question is, was The Patriot Act, a 342-page document, prepared and made ready to pass by Congress way too soon for it to have been completely drafted post-9-11 (October, 2001)? As I went into in the "Hijackers" chapter, the foreign press frequently reported that some of the so-called hijackers were still alive in places like Morocco and Saudi Arabia etc. Mohamed Atta is even listed as calling the Moroccan Embassy pre-9- 11 by Wikpedia. Most of the American newspapers are too censored and exclusive to cover these angles. In the New Yorker story, “What Went Wrong,” 10-1-01, it was reported that former intelligence officials said that some of the initial clues uncovered about the terrorist’s identities, preparations, flight manuals, were meant to be found. A former high-level intelligence official said, “whatever trail was left deliberately---for the FBI to chase.” Maybe these were just bones for the FBI hounds to chew on? A number of other intelligence officials raised questions about Usama Bin Ladin’s capabilities. One CIA official said, “this guy sits in a cave in Afghanistan and he’s running this operation? It’s so huge. He couldn’t have done it alone.” And because of the visas and other documentation needed, another senior military officer said a major foreign intelligence service might also have been involved. Some of the hijackers were known to have visited Morocco, but no one, including The 9-11 Commission, ever knew why. Some of the hijacker’s names may have been direct instances of identity theft from legitimate pilots, as was the case with one pilot working in Saudi Arabia. The INS approved visas for Atta and Al Shehhi after they were supposed to have been dead. Who really were these people? And who was "El Atriss," who made fake ID's for two of the terrorists? This was according to The New York Times and Washington Post. It was also alleged that Atta's real last name was "Amir." There was also the issue of a Pensacola school for foreign military officers*, which individuals with the same name as some of the hijackers were in attendance at pre-9-11---coincidence? One wild allegation had Hani Hanjour and four other suspects meeting in a hotel near the NSA in Forte Meade, Maryland pre-9-11. And Waleed Alsherhi was said to live near a CIA facility in Vienna, Virginia--- NewsBBC.co.uk. And why was it that a day after 9-11, the media reported the FBI stating that they may never know who did this (9-11). But then just a few days later, it was revealed that nineteen hijackers, all with names and pictures, were to blame. As Kriston 400 401 Breitweiser of the J oint Congress Inquiry stated, the FBI provided contact information and complete biographies of the men shortly after 9-11. How could the authorities have gathered so much information so quickly? Were the terrorists already under surveillance? Then the FBI provided the New York Medical Examiner’s Office with DNA profiles (not solid DNA evidence) of the hijackers post 9-11. How could they have gathered these? On the September 13th 2001 airlift out of the country of members of the Bin Ladin family and Saudi citizens, one passenger had the same name as a hijacker: "Ahmad Alhazmi," D.O.B. 11-22-81. He shared the same last name as hijacker Nawaf Alhazmi, who was twenty-five-years-old in 2001. A real far-flung conspiracy was that Israel was behind 9-11. I think that one was just ridiculous and just more anti-Zionist rants. Yet I do believe, however, that the Mossad might have had pre-knowledge about 9-11, only because they are usually on the ball about things, even much more so than our own CIA. And the Mossad is known to look out for itself mostly, figuring America is a big country, so they can look after themselves. Who knows, maybe they were burned in the past? It was the sentiment by the Mossad in regards to the sparse warning given to the U.S. about the impending truck bomb posed to strike Kobar Towers---which we didn't heed. They even described the truck. It was alleged that Mossad agents had been videotaping the World Trade Center attacks. Others said that four-thousand J ewish workers did not report for work at the WTC on 9-11, but this has never been corroborated. To even the keel a bit, one witness reported that all the Muslim street vendors pulled back from the World Trade Center towards City Hall on the morning of 9-11, because they knew what was coming. This witness noticed this as he walked to his job at Verizon on 9-11. He suspected that something was about to happen, because he had noticed this same thing on 2-26-93, the morning of the 1993 WTC bombing. All the Muslim vendors who were usually around the Trade Center very early, were not there. There is the possibility that some foreign government had a big hand in 9- 11. But any intelligence the U.S. has on this matter is bound to be classified. This was pretty much confirmed by Bob Graham in the "Who Knew?" chapter. But taking into consideration a concept like a globalist New World Order, is a foreign government really a foreign government? In April 2003, a man named J ohn Peeler, who claimed to be an ex- government agent contacted the Tony Alamo ministry's prayer line, and gave a chilling glimpse into the J FK assassination, the Oklahoma City Murrah Federal Building bombing, the David Koresh compound massacre at Waco, and the 9-11 World Trade Center attacks, claiming they were all inside jobs. Peeler agreed that 9-11 was a new Pearl Harbor. Peeler also claimed to have met "Tim Tuttle" (Timothy McVeigh) five different times, and said he helped with the Oklahoma City bombing. He also mentioned an Oklahoma City bombing / KKK / Elohim City-connection. This was all done in a sincere, contrite manner. He hoped that God would forgive him. Peeler also claimed some funny business at Waco, with a BATF Agent trying to shoot his own guys. Peeler said he was forced to infiltrate and frame some KKK guys, and one thing that rang true with that part of his story, is that one KKK big shot actually went to Saudi Arabia to solicit help from terrorists there, because of their mutual hatred for J ews. The U.S. Government, instead of stopping these attacks like Oklahoma City, instead allowed them to proceed and facilitate people like McVeigh. Peeler allegedly tried to forewarn 401 402 authorities about the Oklahoma City attack three weeks before 9-11. Similarly, three months before the 9-11 attacks, Peeler claimed to have written letters to Mayor Giuliani, the President of the United States, the Director of the CIA, the Pentagon, and a dozen other government officials, saying the attacks on the World Trade Center would commence in the beginning of September 2001. Peeler called the WTC attacks a “Turkey shoot,” the implication being an easy massacre, like shooting fish in a barrel. Peeler wrote they would do it they way they did it in the Turner Diaries, a KKK publication in which an airplane is stolen and a WMD suitcase procured, as a pretense for overthrowing the United States Government in a "RAHOWA," or Racial Holy War. Peeler also claimed he talked to the BBC on tape warning them of the impending 9-11 attacks. One of the things Peeler claimed to refuse to go along with, was the entrapment and framing of Pastor Tony Alamo. After Peeler left his government job, he complained that there has been a pattern of threats and harassment against him and his family ever since. He said they tried to frame him for murder, but could not because he had a solid alibi. He said they framed his son instead. Peeler catalogued some of the dirty tricks the government uses to do away with “undesirables.” One scheme is they install a screwdriver in the tire of a fast-driving sports car owner, until the screwdriver suddenly punctures a tire at a high rate of speed, sending the car flying off the road. Another is the installation of child pornography on someone’s computer. Still another is they go to someone's house and install a small radioactive pellet in their water meter, slowly contaminating them. Eventually, the occupant becomes sick, with some contracting cancer. This same scenario happened to Alexander Litivenko in London. Lookout for Senator J ohn McCain* if you're a 9-11 conspiracy theorist. McCain penned the foreword for the Popular Mechanics book Debunking 9/11 Myths. McCain called the theories ugly and unfounded, saying that the accusations were acts of evil perpetrated against fellow Americans. What about the Americans who killed Americans on 9-11 J ohn? Maybe McCain ought to read this book. Or maybe we should just tune him out. Most people I ever talked to about McCain thought he was "all over the road" politically. On the Dubai ports* takeover, all McCain said was that he thought the issue was behind us now, so we should just move on. Maybe McCain can answer the following question: On the NSA, Bush claimed that if they were given the ability to wiretap the San Diego hijackers, Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almihdhar, it would have prevented the 9-11 attacks. Bush claimed they didn't realize these terrorists were in the country plotting the attacks until it was two late. Yet, Bob Kerry, ex- 9-11 Commissioner said this was not true. Kerry said that we knew about these guys, but our CIA just lost them. This was in regards to the CIA losing the pair in Malaysia and Thailand in 1999. And so on one side, U.S. Officials were saying that we were holding our intelligence agencies back, but on another, the NSA is destroying tons of electronically gathered information as it did in October 2001. Hello? What's wrong with this picture? Then afterwards, the NSA built the databases back up on common American criminals (citizens) via the big telephone companies. Bush eventually admitted* the NSA eavesdropping on Americans, citing that it was a "vital tool" against terrorism. Bush called it a highly classified program vital to national security in a live television appearance. On one hand, we need to ferret out our enemies on American soil, but meanwhile, the potentially treasonous parties involved in 9-11 got a free pass in the dumping of tons of NSA data. But instead you get your phone tapped and all your email 402 403 read. And if the destroying of evidence by the NSA post-9-11 was not enough, what about the overseas version? The FBI* shredded thousands of documents in Saudi Arabia after 9-11-01. An U.S. Senate panel launched an investigation into whether FBI Agents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, shredded mountains of documents containing thousands of potential terrorist leads. Allegedly, a FBI supervisor ordered the documents destroyed a year after 9-11, citing security measures. Once again, is this the time you start destroying data? Six hours before the London 7-7-05 bombings, the short selling of the British sterling saw a twenty billion pound surge. Sound familiar? And was it coincidence that Rudy Giuliani was nearby? Some said Benjamin Netenyahu, who was staying at the same hotel, got an early warning about the bombings, but that was largely unfounded. But the presence of Giuliani immediately made me think that he would be the next American President because the fix was in. It was reported that he was there on business, but the exact nature of that business has never been revealed. Wendy Burlingame*, daughter of AA Flight 77 pilot, Captain Charles Burlingame, was killed in a suspicious apartment fire at the fifty-story Galaxy residence in Guttenburg, New J ersey, on the Hudson River. A downstairs neighbor heard someone scurrying about very quickly, then a "thud" just before the 3:30 A.M. blaze started. Army veteran, Kevin Rocerick, survived. The FEMA BPS listed the CIA, DoD and IRS as being tenants of 7 WTC on the 25th floor. The New York Times* corroborated this also. One of my potentially intuitive conspiracy theories was that somewhere in the bowels of the Pentagon or the “Puzzle Palace” (the NSA), a secret corridor exists where "it all goes down." Originally I had concocted this idea for a novel, but I began to wonder how sometimes ideas are actually a glimpse into truth and fact. In this corridor, this evil lair, all the nefarious, venomous, seditious plots are hatched & planned, all in fantastic detail. I go into more detail in the novel. An odd series of events surrounded the publication of this book. I had published my first novel, Richmondtown, with Publish America of Frederick, Maryland. I then brought the manuscript for Smackdown 9-11 to their attention to see if they’d bite. It was rejected, but a few months later I was contacted and told to re-submit the manuscript because a certain staff member was prejudicial in the refusal of certain manuscripts including mine. And so I re-submitted the book and it was accepted. While I was working on the final draft of the manuscript at a public library in spring 2006, an attractive, young woman, educated-looking, and possibly of Indian descent, approached from behind me and stood nearby. I instantly took notice and watched her with my peripheral rear vision*. I was fiercely protective of my manuscript and belongings at that point because I knew the score. I knew “they” might be out for me. This woman had peculiar body language and may have even been a newbie. My intuition kicked right in. It was a no-brainer. Call it a “spider sense” or whatever, but it went to “level ten” real quick. I watched her as she was pretending to read from one of those senseless library fliers on a community desk---the ones that usually announce a new book or some trifling thing---when she leaned over as if to inspect something closer; except that now her free hand was on top of my belongings. “Excuse me…?” I piped up. She reacted in a very flustered manner and walked away, sitting in the back of the room 403 404 where she conveniently had a view of the entire place, pretended to study and pouting. A little while later when I left, I saw her standing outside a couple doors down, out front a pool hall wearing reading glasses and talking exasperatedly on her cell phone. We briefly exchanged looks and I was gone. I think she blew her first mission and her cell leader was taking her to task for it. The good news is she will never be able to be used for intelligence operations anywhere in New York City ever again---ever. Her gig’s up. I eventually turned the manuscript into the publisher, but later I was contacted and told that there were certain issues with the book to be addressed. I eventually reluctantly agreed to undertake a complete revision of the book to placate Publish America. I continued to work on the manuscript and things were progressing smoothly until J une 2007, when I was contacted by this publisher via email and informed that the project had been terminated back in April. They said this was done so by Certified Mail, and that I supposedly signed for the letter on April 26 th , 2007. I never signed for any such letter nor did I receive any in April 2007. The signature was a forgery by persons unknown in order to expedite the termination of the project. I finally received the letter on about J uly 9 th , 2007, missing the return receipt. What’s more was that all of my mail for several years had routinely arrived ripped and broken open. But during this period it got even worse. I received letters torn open in half or missing the envelopes entirely! I don’t know how you can even deliver mail like that. I took Publish America to arbitration in J anuary, 2008. I believe I argued the case well and showed a myriad of damages, yet I still inexplicably lost. Let’s just say that I have my suspicions about the background and impartiality of certain people, the possibility of input from government personnel even at this stage etc., etc. *Teresa Veliz: September 11: An Oral History. *Lou Cacchiloi: People Weekly / Imus In The Morning. *Dubai ports: New York Post, "Arab biz may run NYC port" & "Arab port deal 'terror threat'" & "Prez pier-ouette," 2- 23-06. In the preceding article, just to be fair, it claimed Bush should've also been told sooner about the ports deal before The Committee on Foreign Investment approved it. But that didn't change Team Bush's approving of the deal though. *Pfeifer: New York Post, “9-11 probers grill fire hero: Why did you tune out vital radio signal?” 5-16-04. *Andy Card: It was mutually agreed that Andrew Card should resign after the Dubai ports scandal---New York Post, "Folding his Card," 3-29-06. *DVD: 911eyewitness.com. *Bergen Record, “In Rural Hamlet, the Mystery Mounts,” 9-14-01. *Amateur video: Nico Hupt's blog. *The Carlyle Group / Bin Ladin family: Wikpedia. *CNN: 12-26-04. *Goss: Daily News, "Goss Is Cooked," 6-20-05 / New York Post, "Osama on the radar: We can find him but not catch him: CIA director," 5-6-06. *Two men: Wikpedia. *CVR's: Chicago Tribune / The FBI / The NTSB / The 9-11 Commission. *NIST: Associated Press, 10-20-04. *Repeaters: New York Post, "9-11 probers grill fire hero: Why did you tune out vital radio signal?" 5-16-04. *Preston Nichols: Engineer, author and alleged Montauk Project survivor. *Abdallah Higazy: CNN, “Egyptian man near WTC on Sept. 11 charged,” 1-11-02. *Progressive Review, "Undernews": 4-23-04. *American Free Press: "The Perfect Terrorist Plan To Level The Twin Towers Created in 1976," 3-20-05. *60 Minutes: “A True Confession?” 2-29-04. *Seismigraph: Prisonplanet.com. *Quisling: Norwegian Army officer and political fascist who welcomed the Nazis. *Bob Grant Show: I had a couple of run ins with Bob on his show when you could still talk about 9-11 on talk radio. Today, they largely won't even take such calls. I don't recall the exact dialogue, but the first call was in response to Mayor Willie Brown's name coming up on the program. I called and brought it to Bob’s attention that he was given a 404 405 tip not to fly on 9-11. I then pointed to J ohn Ashcroft’s flying exclusively by private aircraft in the summer of '01. Bob went into his trademark, "Ahh, cut it out, would ya'?" I replied, "I can't Bob, three-thousand people are screaming from the grave to do something." Bob replied that it was fine and for me to investigate it then. But I said, "No, people's investigation. Help or get out of the way." Bob then thanked me for the call. This was pre-9-11 Commission also. The 9-11 Commission was formed shortly after. *J ohn McCain: New York Post Page Six, "Myth buster," 8-7-06 & "Dubai: Bye-bye to deal," 5-10-06. *Eight planes: It's funny how there were also eight flights provided for the Saudi's to leave the country post-9-11--- House of Bush, House of Saud, Craig Unger. *Transponder: Boston Globe, 11-23-01 / ABC News, 7-18-02. *Official story: FEMA BPS. *"Primary radar": Computerized radar as opposed to the old, manual radar, which is sort of like finding a needle in a haystack. *The New York Times: "Secret CIA Site in New York Was Destroyed on Sept. 11," 11-4-01. *Molten metal: The New York Times, "Steel Members Have Been Partly Evaporated," 11-29-01. *Obrien: Reported by ABC. This source has been basically buried. *NUFORC: National UFO Reporting Center. Online. *UFO technology?: These spheres could be the encapsulation of bubble-like realities that Preston Nichols theorized about in the book: Encounter In The Pleiades: An Inside Look At UFOs. *Explosions: New York Post, "TNT blast is due at WTC site," 6-8-06. *Foreign officers: The FBI arrested a Saudi agent with ties to Al Qida after he completed training with the USAF. FBI Agents stopped and questioned the man at an U.S. airport where he and his family were preparing to leave the country. He was eventually permitted to leave for Saudi Arabia, but was detained and interrogated by Saudi authorities when he arrived there. He allegedly had knowledge of safe houses and terrorist plans in Saudi Arabia. Other arrests of oversea Al Qida operatives were subsequently made. In a year-end column of an Air Force Office of Special Investigations publication, Global Reliance, Air Force Brigadier General Eric Patterson wrote that they successfully spearheaded anti- terrorism operations with the FBI by fingering an Al Qida sympathizer who had attended an Air Force technical school. The AFOSI wouldn’t comment on what type of training the man received. Congressman Anthony Weiner (D- BKYN/QNS), after being informed of the Saudi mole by a Daily News reporter, said that Saudi Arabia was and continues to be the number one producer and fund-raiser of terrorism---Daily News, “Link Saudi agent to Qaeda plotters,” 2-1-05. This foreign military training appeared to be all too common and customary at U.S. military bases, so was Alghamdi’s alleged attendance at Pensacola that far-fetched? *Admitted: Daily News, "W: We spied on Americans," 12-18-05. *Hunter S. Thompson: ESPN.com, Hey Rube. *Superbowl: Interview with The Independent, 2004. *Page Six: “Suicide fuels conspiracy buzz,” 3-4-05. *"Poolside" interview: Longboat Observer, 9-26-01. *Legal procedures: WABC News. *February 13th 1975: The New York Times, 2-14 & 15-75. *Funeral: New York Post, “Shoot me from a cannon,” 2-22-05. J ohnny Depp organized for a 150-foot structure to be built on Thompson's ranch to shoot the writer's ashes from on 8-20-05---Associated Press, "Depp's gonzo memorial to Thompson stands tall," 5-30-05. *Dick Cheney: MSNBC, 9-16-01. *Bush Administration: On election night 2000, J ohn Ellis ran Fox’s "decision desk." Ellis is George W. Bush’s first cousin and allegedly made six phone calls to Bush that night. He was the first to declare Bush the winner---Chicago Sun-Times. *Story goes: Washington Times, 10-7-02 / Time, 9-12-01. It's been reported that Bush read from the book, but teacher, Sandra Kay Daniels, told The L.A. Times on 9-11-02, that Bush did not participate in the lesson. *Springboard: Australian Broadcasting Company, 9-3-02. *FBI: New York Post, "Pols press FBI on files," 6-20-05. *Robert Shaler: Daily News, “9/11 parts split by good and evil,” 10-12-05. *Charlie Sheen: Page Six, "Sheen: What 9/11 hijackers?" 3-23-06. *Margaret Chevrette: Associated Press, "Feds ignored flight school's 9/11 alert," 3-23-06. *Other accounts: www.cruzate.com/nyhell . *Motorola: The NYS 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that family members of firefighters who died on 9-11 could not sue Motorola or the City of New York over problems with FDNY radios. The radios were the Sabre models, which were put back into use after the newer models, the XTS3500's, had malfunctioned. The XTS's were returned for use in 2002---Newsday, "Appeals court won't allow 9/11 radio lawsuit," 5-3-05. *NORAD exercises: April 2005 saw a massive terror simulation called, “Topoff 3,” conducted by the U.S., Canada and Great Britain. It was monitored and photographed by NORAD. Canada referred to it as, “Triple Play,” and Great Britain called it, “Atlantic Blue.” Topoff’s 1 & 2 occurred in 1999 and 2003. *“Changling”: Folklore that said fairies exchange a healthy child for a sickly one. *Wendy Burlingame: New York Post, "9/11 Kin Horror," 12-6-06. 405 406 *Peripheral rear vision: Although it is known that women posess superior peripheral vision than men, and are able to see at wider angles without looking, I seem to have good rearview vision. I wonder what the study says about that. *Military man: The ironic thing was that when I first met Omega in person, meeting him in a Penn Station café, we were chatting about various conspiracies and sites around the metropolitan area, when a man seated nearby overheard us and began talking about mothballed Nike missile sites. He eventually informed us he was a military man, a National Guard soldier who did a tour in Iraq. The conversation then turned to Montauk, but he proceeded to become weird about this topic. When pressed about this, he responded that it’s because they don’t want Russian and Chinese spies poking around out there. So I was like, so that’s why all the secrecy……. +1: On 9-11, World Trade Center janitor, William Rodriguez, was the only person in the complex believed to have a master key to all the locks. Rodriguez originally filed a lawsuit in federal court charging Bush & Cheney in connection to 9-11, but the suit was thrown out. It was reported that Rodriguez was in talks with Charlie Sheen and Esai Morales about turning his story into a movie---New York Post, "Last man out of WTC," 8-21-06. Some have punched holes in Rodriguez’s story though citing that the security company he worked for was guilty of 9-11 fakery and propaganda. +2: Some have made an issue out of certain people that may have been invited to the “Risk Management” breakfast meeting at Windows of the World on 9-11, but I have not delved into that here. +3: I also got my say about 9-11 on the radio show The Savage Nation in 2005. I informed Michael about the White House Chief of Staff present at the Trade Center on 9-11. But I guess the topic was too hot. They wouldn't even touch it after that. +4 As a PAPD Officer said in transcripts, there were numerous calls about terrorist activities at the Bayonne Bridge, which connects New J ersey with Staten Island. There was also a bomb threat to the GWB. +5: George Bush was friends with a man named J ames R. Bath. They had served together in the National Guard. Bath then became Salem Bin Ladin's money manager in Texas---The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader. 406 407 The Anniversaries 9-8-04: Had a dream last night that a column of hellfire rose above New York City skyward. Important government buildings exploded all in a slide show of destruction. 11-16-04: Had a terror dream that bombs had been detonated in the Verizon building, which fell onto 1 Police Plaza. Later, I realized that the Verizon is right next door to 1PP. I wondered how my mind concocted such a scenario? The 9-11 anniversaries seemed to be an integral part of this book's ending, even though I did not visit the World Trade Center site on any 9-11 anniversary until the five-year one in 2006. Even still, the anniversaries were always at the forefront of my mind. September 11th, 2004 J ournal entry 9-11-04: “The immense feeling regarding 9-11 hasn’t changed. It is like it occurred only yesterday. People are donning FDNY and 9-11 shirts, cars have memorial messages on them, and people are out and about with a respectful air about them. But yesterday, September 10th, was like mayhem. Sirens wailed all day and night long. I was beginning to think that something happened.” 407 408 A blurb in the New Dorp Star Reporter on 9-22-04 mentioned the fact that back on September 11th 1776, our founding fathers held a last-ditch peace conference in order to try and stave off the American Revolution. Benjamin Franklin, Edward Rutledge and J ohn Adams met with British Admiral Richard Howe, at Conference House in Tottenville, Staten Island, in an attempt to circumvent any military action. It failed. At the World Trade Center site on 9-11-04, family members of 9-11 victims read from a long list of names for over three hours; kids scrawled messages to lost loved ones; Mayor Giuliani and J udy Nathan shook hands with the people; Mayor Bloomberg read from a letter written by Abraham Lincoln to console a grieving Civil War mother; and four moments of silence were observed at 8:46, 9:03, 9:59 and 10:29 A.M.---the times of the alleged plane crashes and tower collapses respectively; singer Rosanne Cash sang “Danny Boy” and family members wept as if 9-11-01 happened only yesterday. They placed memorial flowers in a reflecting pool until the water’s surface was covered with floral petals. “It opens up doors,” one grieving relative said in regards to being at the Trade Center site. “You pick up on the energy*.” One woman said, “It still feels like 2001 to me. I’m stuck there. I’m still here…” Grieving relatives from Wisconsin* embraced their visits to the site, because it brings them closer to their daughter. They “feel like aliens” back home, because people there can’t comprehend the immensity of the attacks in the same way that New Yorkers can. *Twenty Windows of the World* restaurant staff members gathered at Pier 25 to pay tribute to their seventy-three fallen co-workers. On Staten Island, over three thousand people attended the dedication of the Borough’s 9-11 Memorial titled, Postcards. Postcards is an impressive, double- winged structure, resembling wings of an angel, which puts the World Trade Center site and the Statue of Liberty right down its center if you stand just right. Aside from the WTC site, I think it is by far the best 9-11 Memorial, even though I didn’t really care for the name. I initially thought it too light and airy. Postcards immortalizes Staten Island WTC victims profiles in stone. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani addressed the crowd at dusk, flanked by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Staten Island Borough President J ames Molinaro. Giuliani told the crowd that they were essentially the bedrock of the city in way, and the 271 losses they endured on 9-11 were unimaginable*. As Rudy spoke, quite fittingly, snow-white gulls flew overhead as if to add meaning to the monument and memorial. He added that Staten Islanders were going to do as they have always done. They were going to be sad and scarred, yet always remember them and not let our enemies beat us*. *Beat us: New Dorp Star Reporter, “City Brass J oin 9-11 Memorial,” 9-22-04. *Energy: New York Post, “N.Y.’s Tears Still Fresh,” 9-12-04. *Windows of the World: New York Post, “Windows Of Hope,” 9-12-04. *Unimaginable: Staten Island Advance, “On the wings of a monument, memories soar," 9-12-04 & “At Ground Zero, a city weeps.” *Wisconsin: New York Post, “New Yorkers, Forever,” 9-11-04. +1: The Brooklyn 9-11 Memorial was designed by artist Robert Ressler. It is a twenty-five-foot replica of a firefighter's trumpet used in the 18th Century to warn of a fire. The statue is on the Veteran's Memorial Pier at 69th Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. A lamp on its top is lit at night---New York Post, "New B'klyn memorial honors victims of 9/11 +2: A one hundred-foot tall bronze 9-11 Memorial was constructed on the waterfront of Bayonne, NJ , commemorating 9-11 victims. It included 3,024 names of those lost on 9-11, etched into the sculpture's granite base. But it was reported that there was some discrepancy with the accuracy of some of those names. Russian artist, ZurabTsereteli, named The Memorial: To The Struggle Against World Terrorism. It kind of made me think of Borat at the time: For Make Benefit 408 409 Glorious Nation Of Uzbakistan, but Tsereteli meant well. J ersey City originally rejected Tesereteli's offer, not realizing its height, but then Bayonne, NJ , accepted it, offering space at the Bayonne Army Base on New York Harbor. The sculpture arrived in five pieces from Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the groundbreaking ceremony-- -Associated Press, "Teardrop sculpture in Bayonne to be dedicated." +3: Someone vandalized what was part of a small 9-11 Memorial located on Knights of Columbus property in New Dorp Beach on Staten Island in J une 2005. The memorial was constructed by a Pennsylvania church group. A statue of St. Mary was found beheaded. The head could not be located. A smaller statue of St. Mary sits at the site today---Star Reporter, "9/11 Statue Vandalized," 6-29-05. September 11th, 2005 4-05: Dreamed that the World Trade Center site was attacked again on September 11th 2005. 6-05: Dreamed large blasts were detonated at World Trade Center site. Intelligence agencies intercepted chatter* in August 2005, which supposedly spoke of a 9-11-05 attack, and a special warning was given pertaining to fuel trucks. As far as the anniversary, I didn’t make it down to the site once again that year. I meant to, but I was too sick and run down. At least I had a perfect record for not making the anniversaries at this point! The 2005 ceremony* was much like the previous year, with victims names being read aloud and moments of silence marking the times when the planes struck and when the towers fell. The Tribute in Light appeared for one night only, which I thought was odd. I always felt that it could have been a great permanent attraction to the site, but local residents complained about excessive light leaking into their windows at night (buy some good shades!). In the upcoming years, would Tribute in Light be reduced to a couple of flashlights taped to a stick? An article in The Village Voice* chronicled noteworthy sparring exchanges at the WTC site on 9-11-05 between mourners and those who wished to expose 9-11 for the sham it was. “These people weren’t killed by Arab terrorists! You’ve been lied to!” shouted one woman. Another said, “There’s no way jet fuel could have melted all that steel. It was a freefall. The concrete was so thoroughly pulverized, Manhattan was blanketed in dust. Think about it.” A nearby firefighter in fatigues shouted, “I was there, so shut the fuck up! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” I understood his sentiment, but I’ve talked to enough FDNY firefighters who said there was definitely more going on down there than we’ve been told. Another firefighter said, “You shouldn’t be here. Have some respect.” “It’s a crime scene,” the woman shot back. “We honor them with the truth. Al Qida is a concept. This is state-sponsored terrorism.” I had felt that similarly many times, thinking that we have been respecting the 9-11 victims so much, that we have respected them right out of a proper forensic investigation. “God bless America, you bitch!” A French tourist screamed. The 9-11-05 anniversary was in a way the threshold defining those who thought 9-11 Truthers were being disrespectful and just Tinhatting, and the Truthers themselves. 409 410 *Village Voice: “9-11 Conspiracists Invade Ground Zero,” 9-12-05. *Chatter: WOR Radio, 8-10-05 / WABC Radio, 8-12-05. *2005 ceremony: New York Post, “City sets solemn plans for 9/11 anniversary.” September 11th, 2006 6-21-06: Dreamed there was a fire in Newark, then a series of mushroom clouds arose overhead. "Nice knowin' ya'," I said, because I knew I was dead. My experience at the World Trade Center site for the 2006 five-year anniversary was extremely moving. I wasn’t looking forward to mingling with the rookies and tourists though, figuring the real 9-11 Truthers probably weren’t going to be down there. I didn't fear getting in the way of any mourners, as I would be arriving later on in the day, after the ceremonies had already ended. President Bush was at The Memorial service earlier that day, which must have been a security nightmare for the Secret Service, with fighter jets in the air and machine gun-toting agents prowling around. An iconographic photo was taken that morning of Mayor Bloomberg, First Lady Laura Bush, President Bush, Governor Pataki and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani all walking side-by-side down the ramp to the pit area, where the Bushes placed a memorial floral wreath in a Memorial Pool there. I creeped up to the WTC site in the early afternoon on a mountainbike very tentatively, not knowing what to expect. I snapped some photos of some sort of golden bell in Liberty Plaza, the little park at the top of Liberty Street. The main section WTC property off of Church Street was a mob scene. I waded into the crowd and looked for someone, anyone that I knew. I didn't recognize anyone and soon found out that most of the Truthers had left already. But there were still enough of them around, some holding 9-11 truth signs. There was a volunteer construction worker showing off some pictures of his work at the site after 9-11, which was kind of cool. People were shooting a lot of hand-held video. Three obviously high-ranking FDNY officials strolled by, one commented, "Look at all these stupid kids." It seems he didn't appreciate the 9-11 conspiracy angle. I remember I was shocked that a such a high-ranking FDNY member would be so closed off to the theory that 9-11 was a finely tuned, covert operation which either encapsulated or entrapped Muslim fanatics into the web of a larger plot. I tried to infom him that many thought 9-11 was a sham. Some J apanese mourners displayed a decorated sign with the names of 9- 11 victims of J apanese descent. I then encountered a middle-aged-looking white guy with bleach-blond hair talking on a cell phone, while a couple of guys filmed him. This was Austin, Texas, radio host, J ack Blood, conducting a live radio show via a cell phone. It was also about then when I first encountered "Government Man*." Government Man was a tall, mid forties-looking white guy who was holding a binder full of pictures, graphs and pages with large, retard-size text, purporting to explain why there were perfectly logical reasons for the World Trade Center’s collapse. "Who's this guy work for?" I asked a young white guy from Montreal holding a small 9-11 truth sign that read: “Ask Questions; Demand Answers.” "Popular Mechanics?" he quipped. There were also many 9-11 Truthers wearing the same black T-shirts with white lettering. I didn’t know what their organization was called due that I have not 410 411 researched 9-11 truth groups. But some of these blackshirts were quite knowledegeable I surmised, overhearing them talking to curious bystanders. I then learned that Texas radio show host, J ack Blood, was interviewing Dylan Avery, the fimmaker who made Loose Change. I knew Avery’s name from previous years online after some 9-11 Truthers caught wind of the work that I did on the Woolworth story. I believe Dylan Avery then picked up the Woolworth lead and investigated further. Avery pointed out online in still pictures of the Woolworth Building on 9-11 peculiar plumes of white smoke atop the building. Avery was wrapping up his radio segment and mentioned he was booked to do Glenn Beck next. It was a big day for 9-11 Truthers. I had a little issue with Avery just weeks before, after he blocked my email address and I briefly introduced myself and brought this to his attention. He replied that sometimes his spam filter does this, and it wasn't intentional. "Fair enough," I replied. I had heard that Alex J ones, radio host, and probably one of the most well known 9-11 investigators was at the WTC site, but had left already along with a throng of other 9-11 Truthers. Supposedly, they had left the site to march on New York State Attorney General Ellitot Spitzer's office, then they were to head to St. Mark's Church on St. Mark's Place, where a few famous 9-11 powows had already been held. Alex J ones was also on Coast To Coast AM with Georger Noori that night, at something like four in the morning, and so all the prominent 9-11 Truthers had a busy day and night. I then noticed a 9-11 blackshirt member involved in a heated exchange with the earlier-mentioned “Government Man.” I honed in on the debate and when the woman blackshirt appeared to be waning a bit, I stepped in and went toe-to-toe with Governmnet Man.I was sparring him handily and somewhere, some amateur videographer has this heated exchange on tape. Government Man quickly digressed to becoming insulting in the argument though, and so I immediately sank to his level and counterpunched. At this, he turned toe and ran. He realized that I knew too much for him to take apart with his binder full of propaganda. I even shouted challenges after him. I walked over to the woman he had been verbally beating up on, and said a couple words to her. I was kind of surprised by her reaction. She didn't seem very appreciative. The little ingrate, I thought. I just saved her ass in a situation that could've gotten really ugly real fast. If I would have known this, I would've let her swim with the sharks. But I kind of vibed that in the 9-11 Truth movement, nobody gives it up for each other that much, no one trusts each other, and everyone wants credit for what they’ve uncovered. I sensed this early on. This was why I stopped meeting with 9-11 Truthers at the WTC site back in 2003. There was one woman who stood out at the WTC site that day. She appeared to be a mourner. She was dressed all in black, wore dark sunglasses and appeared to be visibly upset. She was also obviously quite tipsy---not that she wasn’t allowed to be---carrying a large-sized coffee cup that probably wasn't filled with coffee. She followed some individuals to the top of the PATH stairs, shouting something after them. I didn’t know what. Oh well, she's got a right I guess, I thought. But then she got a bit too verbal with some PAPD cops and they told her, "Goodbye, goodbye." I never found out what her spiel was, but all the eyes in the crowd were on her. That was the cool thing about that day. Anyone who was off on a tangent or had something important they 411 412 wanted to say, little drama areas would suddenly open up in the crowd for that person to elucidate. Onlookers, hungry for information as to what this was all about, would listen closely. It was like Shakespeare in a way. A couple of FDNY Firefighters in their dress blues, and obviously feeling no pain, mozied up to some foreign guy holding an anti-Al Qida sign and for some reason began giving the guy grief. The foreigner was polite, but the FDNY guys maybe didn’t undertsnad what the guy was for or against, or didn’t seem to like the guy’s little sign either way, and the younger fireman knocked the sign down out of Foreign Guy’s hand. Bystanders rushed to Foreign Guy’s aide, scolding the firemen not to do anything further, then some PAPD guys came over and cooled everything out. The FDNY guys walked away laughing. It was kind of funny. J ack Blood then ran over for an exclusive interview with Foreign Guy, who said he bore no ill will against his detractors. There were a few other little skirmishes that day, but the PAPD was quick to run over and quell any disputes before anything got too out of hand. Whether this was just a one in a million- type of day, or this scene's liable to play itself out again in 2007 and 2008, I don't know, but I tend to think not. As I began to make my way back home, I went past the FDNY 10/10 Firehouse on Liberty Street, where a large selection of floral displays were placed at the foot of a new bronze firefighter mural on the outside station house wall. The installation is said to weigh eleven thousand pounds. Over in Liberty Plaza, there was a sculpture someone made of the Twin Towers with pictures of 9-11 victims glued to its side like windows. It was just sitting there unattended. Did the police check it for bombs? As I got back on the Staten Island Ferry, a more than tipsy FDNY Chief swayed aboard the boat. It had been a colorful day. *"Governemnet Man": I actually heard it rumored shortly after this, that there were often “attack dog-types” down at the WTC site whose purpose was to pick fights and stir up trouble with 9-11 Truthers. +1: Five years after the 9-11 attacks it was reported that 9-11 tragedy souvenir sales still thrived near the WTC site, despite efforts to regulate the vending of these "tchotchkes." It is illegal to vend the junk in front of Port Authority property, but the sellers just set up a block or two away. Some of the venders, of whom some in the media called "recent immigrants," claimed they used to work in the World Trade Center, but that sounded like lies to me. One of the most notorious souvenirs, the picture book Tragedy, has been on sale down at the site for five years, and includes some of the worst quality photo images I'd ever seen---amNY.com, "Still cashing in on city's tragedy," 9-8-10-06. 412 413 World Trade Center Tenant’s List Building: 1 World Trade Center - North Tower Tenant SF Leased Industry Floor Alan Anthony N/A Business Services Royal Thai Embassy Office N/A Government NY Coffee Station N/A Tes USA, Inc. 400 Financial Institutions Strawberry 7,106 Retailers/Wholesalers CNCR Ann Taylor Loft 7,200 CNCR Delta Airlines 400 Transportation LBBY Olympia Airport Express N/A LBBY Avis N/A LBBY Port Authority of New 22,411 Government 3,14,19,24,28,31 York & New J ersey Geiger & Geiger 1,588 Law Firms 4,25,78 Gayer, Shyu & Wiesel 800 Accountants 5 Thai Farmers Bank 4,512 Financial Institutions 7 Amerson Group Co., Inc. N/A Personal Services 8 Bank of America 132,586 Financial Institutions 9-11,81 Porcella Vicini & Co. 2,200 Transportation 11 Primarch Decision Economics 4,954 Business Services 11 Instinet, Inc. 65,844 Financial Institutions 13,14 Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. 22,750 Personal Services 14 Landmark Education Corporation 44,407 Personal Services 15 Zim-American Israeli Shipping Co. 10,000 Transportation 17 Empire Health Choice 461,000 Insurance 17,19,20,23,24,27-31 Tower Computer Service 585 Retailers/Wholesalers 21,29 United Seamen's Service AMMLA 2,400 Personal Services 21 United Hercules Inc. 10,000 Transportation 21 Avesta Computer Services, Ltd. 1,464 Computers/Data Processing 21 Continental Logistics, Inc. 734 Personal Services 21 Dongwon Securities Co. Ltd. 1,171 Financial Institutions 21 Dr. Tadasu Tokumaru, M.D. 520 Medical 21 Friends Villas Fischer Trust N/A Financial Institutions 21 Friends Ivory & Sime, Inc. 13,262 Financial Institutions 21 Infotech 1,400 21 Law Offices of Roman V. Popik 586 Law Firms 21 Lief International USA 3,100 Manufacturing 21 Unicom Capital Advisors LLP 5,483 Financial Institutions 22,84 Chicago Options Exchange Corp. 3,608 Financial Institutions 22 413 414 Cheng Xiang Trading USA Inc. 1,900 Computers/Data Processing 22 G.C. Services 2,561 Financial Institutions 22 Gold Sky Inc. 421 Manufacturing 22 Kaiser Overseas Inc. 265 Manufacturing 22 Karoon Capital Management 991 Financial Institutions 22 MLU Investment 1,175 22 P. Wolfe Consultants 2,165 Business Services 22 The SCPIE Companies 2,582 22 Tai Fook Securities 1,500 Financial Institutions 22 R.H. Wrightson & Associates, Inc. N/A Financial Institutions 25 Garban-Intercapital 60,548 Financial Institutions 25,26 China Patent & Trademark USA 400 Law Firms 29 World Travel 25,000 Transportation 29 Banco LatinoAmericano de 3,000 Financial Institutions 32 Chang HWA Commercial Bank 12,182 Financial Institutions 32 Rohde & Liesenfeld, Inc. 5,000 Transportation 32 Berel & Mullen 2,786 Law Firms 33 China Daily Distribution Corp. 800 Personal Services 33 Data Transmission Network Corp. 342 33 Golden King (USA) Limited 190 Transportation 33 Hu Tong International (USA) Co., Ltd. 583 Retailers/Wholesalers 33 Koudis International Inc. 600 Transportation 33 MANAA Trading Group, Inc. 1,013 Financial Institutions 33 MIS Service Co. 2,000 33 Rachel & Associates, Inc. 814 Manufacturing 33 Serko & Simon 8,605 Law Firms 33 Anne Pope, Law Offices of N/A Law Firms 35 Kemper Insurance Companies 92,232 Insurance 35,36 Commodity Futures Trading 35,000 Financial Institutions 37 Commission Government of Thailand 5,109 37 Lehman Brothers 45,100 38-40 Regional Alliance Small 1,692 Business Services 38 Turner Construction Company 1,000 Agri/Mining/Utilities 38 The Cultural Institutions 5,416 Financial Institutions 39 Retirement Systems Overseas Union Bank, Ltd. 3,750 Financial Institutions 39 Xcel Federal Credit Union 4,200 Financial Institutions 39 Mechanical Floor N/A 41-43 N.Y. Society of Security 3,000 Government 44 American Lota International 626 Transportation 45 China Construction America, Inc. 2,000 Business Services 45 The Company Store 800 Retailers/Wholesalers 45 Dunavant Commodity Corp 1,437 Financial Institutions 45 Employee Merit 763 Business Services 45 414 415 Fertitta Enterprises 600 45 M.A. Katz, CPA 400 Accountants 45 SRA 1,000 45 Pure Energy Corp. 5,935 Retailers/Wholesalers 45,53 Sassoons Inc. 1,000 45 Security Traders Association, Inc. 1,520 Personal Services 45 Streamline Capital, LLC 2,024 45 ASTDC, Inc. 3,760 Personal Services 46 Auto Imperial Co. 374 Retailers/Wholesalers 46 Blue Sky Technologies, Inc. 350 Computers/Data Processing 46 Can-Achieve 392 Business Services 46 Consolidated Steelex Corp. 2,277 Manufacturing 46 Dahao USA Corp N/A Retailers/Wholesalers 46 J & X Tans International 338 Transportation 46 Kanebo Information Systems Corp. 800 Computers/Data Processing 46 Meganet Management Consultants, Inc. 600 Computers/Data Processing 46 Prospect International, Inc. 966 46 Sinopec USA, Inc. 4,584 Retailers/Wholesalers 46 Suggested Open Systems, Inc. 600 Computers/Data Processing 46 Suntendy America, Inc. 1,000 Retailers/Wholesalers 46 T&T Enterprises International, Inc. 1,006 Financial Institutions 46 Yong Ren America, Inc. 394 46 G. Z. Stephens, Inc. 1,200 Business Services 47 NFA/GGG, Inc. 2,053 47 American TCC Int'l Group, Inc. 5,736 Financial Institutions 47,90 Pacific American Co. 4,753 Retailers/Wholesalers 47 Quint Amasis, L.L.C. 1,000 Personal Services 47 W.J . Export-Import, Inc. 800 Retailers/Wholesalers 47 Dai-Ichi Kangyo Trust Co. 100,000 Financial Institutions 48-50 AT&T Corporation 11,612 Communications 51 C & P Press N/A Personal Services 51 TradeWeb N/A Online trading 51 The Williams Capital Group 578 52 Bramax Manufacturing (USA) Corp. 800 Retailers/Wholesalers 52 Gayer Shyu & Wiesel N/A Financial Institutions 52 Hill Betts & Nash, LLP 21,609 Law Firms 52 Temenos USA, Inc. 6,000 Retailers/Wholesalers 52,84 Howly (US) Corporation 1,150 52 Leeds & Morrelli 1,617 Law Firms 52 Okasan International (American) Inc. 2,250 Financial Institutions 52 RGL Gallagher PC 984 Accountants 52 415 416 Richard A. Zimmerman, Esq. 1,150 Law Firms 52 A I G Aviation Brokerage, Inc. 2,500 Insurance 53 Bank of Taiwan 7,500 Financial Institutions 53 China Resource Products USA Ltd. N/A 53 Keenan Powers & Andrews 4,500 Law Firms 53 LoCurto & Funk, Inc. N/A Financial Institutions 53 Natural Nydegger Transport Corp. 3,500 Transportation 53 Pacrim Trading & Shipping, Inc. 1,200 Transportation 53 Brown & Wood, L.L.P. 223,100 Law Firms 54,56-59 Pace University 45,943 Personal Services 55 World Trade Institute N/A 55 Asahi Bank, Ltd. 40,000 Financial Institutions 60 Airport Access Program N/A Financial Institutions 63 Hal Roth Agency, Inc. 2,250 Insurance 77 J un He Law Office, LLC 894 Law Firms 77 Martin Progressive LLC 13,789 Computers/Data Processing 77 New-ey International Corp. 894 Personal Services 77 Partner Reinsurance Corp. N/A Insurance 77 World Trade Centers Association 5,400 Personal Services 77 Avenir, Inc. 2,162 Computers/Data Processing 78 Baltic Oil Corporation* 981 78 Cedar Capital Management Associates 909 78 Cheng Cheng Enterprises Holding Inc. 4,073 Retailers/Wholesalers 78 Hyundai Securities Co., Ltd. 1,600 Financial Institutions 78 International Trade Center, Inc. 3,298 Business Services 78 Korea Local Authorities 1,000 Government 78 Meridian Ventures Holding, Inc. 3,315 78 Phink Path 1,214 Business Services 78 Traders Access Center 1,027 Financial Institutions 78 Daynard & Van Thunen Co. 4,750 Insurance 79 First Liberty Investment Group 1,000 Financial Institutions 79 International Office Centers 26,367 Personal Services 79 Nikko Securities 9,340 Financial Institutions 79 Okato Shoji Company, Ltd. 2,729 Computers/Data Processing 79 Securant Technologies 2,729 Computers/Data Processing 79 Agricor Commodities Corp. 3,200 Financial Institutions 80 The Beast.Comm* 21,000 Computers/Data Processing 80 Intrust Investment Realty, Inc. 3,320 80 Noga Commodities Overseas, Inc. 6,518 Financial Institutions 80 RLI Insurance Company 3,900 Insurance 80 Shizuoka Bank Ltd. 2,200 Financial Institutions 80 New Continental Enterprises 2,055 Transportation 81 Network Plus 8,500 Communications 81 NY Metro Transportation Council 7,000 Government 82 General Telecommunications 8,994 83 416 417 Global Crossings Holdings Ltd. N/A Computers/Data Processing 83 Lava Trading, LLC 7,589 83 Taipei Bank 12,111 Financial Institutions 83 eMeritus Communications 7,203 Communications 83 Bright China Capital, Ltd. 2,016 Financial Institutions 84 David Peterson 1,863 Law Firms 84 LG Securities America, Inc. 1,800 Financial Institutions 84 San-In Godo Bank Ltd. 2,000 Financial Institutions 84 Daehan International 1,200 Financial Institutions 84,89 SMW Trading Corp. 3,000 Financial Institutions 85 Thermo Electron 2,289 85 J ulien J . Studley, Inc. 6,372 Real Estate 86 May Davis Group 12,824 Financial Institutions 87 Barcley Dwyer 12,211 89 Broad USA, Inc. N/A Retailers/Wholesalers 89 CIIC Group (USA), Ltd. 2,500 Financial Institutions 89 Drinker Biddle & Reath 10,000 Law Firms 89 Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. 7,119 Insurance 89 Mutual International Forwarding 1,200 Transportation 89 Strategic Communications, Inc. 2,400 Communications 89 Wai Gao Qiao USA, Inc. 1,528 Business Services 89 Wall Street Planning Association 2,154 89 The Chugoku Bank, Ltd. 1,500 Financial Institutions 90 American Bureau of Shipping 8,400 Engineers 91 Fred Alger Management 36,078 Investments 93 Marsh USA 361,000 Insurance 93-100 Kidder Peabody & Co. N/A 101 Cantor Fitzgerald Securities 22,000 Investments 101-105 The Nishi-Nippon Bank, Ltd. 10,325 Banks/Financial Institutions102 Channel 4 (NBC) 400 Cable/Television 104 Windows on the World 40,000 106 Greatest Bar on Earth 13,333 107 World Trade Club 13,333 107 Channel 5 (WNYW) 200 Cable/Television 110 Channel 31 (WBIS) 1,400 Cable/Television 110 Channel 47 (WNJ U) 800 Cable/Television 110 Channel 2 (WCBS) 400 Cable/Television 110 Channel 11 (WPIX) 400 Cable/Television 110 *Beast Comm? *Baltic Oil? 417 418 Building: 2 World Trade Center - South Tower Tenant SF Leased Industry Floor Continental Insurance Company 40,000 CINDE N/A Xerox Document Company 5,400 Manufacturing BSMT J ohnston & Murphy N/A CNCR Nichols Foundation, Inc. 1,000 Government GRND Verizon Communications 155,490 Communications LL,9-12 Colortek Kodak Imaging Center 731 Personal Services 1 EuroBrokers, Inc. 32,104 Financial Institutions 12 Union Bank of California 25,146 Financial Institutions 14 Patinka International (USA) Inc. N/A Personal Services 14 Charna Chemicals, Inc. N/A Manufacturing 14 Paging Network of New York 19,203 Communications 14 Mancini Duffy 28,091 Engineers/Architects 15,22 Candia Shipping 1,600 Retailers/Wholesalers 15 J ohn W. Loofbourrow Associates, Inc. 1,807 Financial Institutions 15 J ohn J . McMullen Associates, Inc. 15,000 Engineers/Architects 15 Orient International N/A 15 J ames T. Ratner, Law Office of N/A Law Firms 15 National Development & 44,325 Personal Services 16 Research Institute N.Y. Institute of Finance 24,539 Business Services 17 Showtime Pictures 5,470 Business Services 18,107 Professional Assistance & Consulting 1,163 Business Services 18 Intera Group Inc. 1,180 Business Services 18 Alliance Consulting N/A Business Services 18 Pines Investment, Inc. N/A 18 Caserta & Company N/A 18 Law Offices of Abad, Castilla, N/A Law Firms 18 and Mallonga Weiland International 1,000 Financial Institutions 18 Chen, Lin, Li, & J iang, LLP 1,994 Financial Institutions 18 Waterfront Commission of 2,000 Government 19 New York Harbor N.Y. Shipping Association 80,000 Transportation 19,20 Thacher, Proffitt & Wood 120,000 Law Firms 20,38-40 Career Engine 7,183 Personal Services 21 Adecco SA 2,000 Business Services 21 Charoen Pokphand USA, Inc. 2,000 Transportation 21 Sinochem American Holdings, Inc. N/A Financial Institutions* 22 418 419 Washington Mutual, Inc. 1,117 22 Antal International, Inc. 2,086 Business Services 22 SCOR U.S. Corporation 59,000 Insurance 23,24 Unistrat Corporation of America 10,000 Business Services 23 Allstate Insurance Company N/A Insurance 24 TD Waterhouse Group, Inc. 18,591 Financial Institutions 24 China Chamber of Commerce, Inc. N/A Personal Services 24 Globe Tour & Travel N/A Transportation 24 Sinolion (USA) 694 24 December First Productions, LLC 821 24 Sun Microsystems, Inc. 89,162 Computers/Data Processing 25,26 New York Stock Exchange, Inc. 10,853 28-30 Big A Travel Agency N/A Transportation 28 Law Office of J oseph Bellard 3,400 Law Firms 28 Hua Nan Commercial Bank Ltd. 12,500 Financial Institutions 28 Weatherly Securities Corp. 18,801 Financial Institutions 29 Hartford Steam Boiler 1,600 Insurance 30 Oppenheimer Funds, Inc. 231,000 Financial Institutions 31,32 Commerzbank Capital Markets 45,540 Financial Institutions 32 ABN-AMRO, Inc. 40,000 Financial Institutions 35 Frenkel & Company, Inc. 59,670 Insurance 35,36 Sitailong International USA, Inc. N/A 40 Morgan Stanley 840,000 Financial Institutions 43- 46,56,59-74 Guy Carpenter 320,000 Insurance 47-54 Seabury & Smith 40,000 Insurance 49 Garban Intercapital N/A 55 Dow J ones & Company, Inc. 72,133 Communications 57,58 First Commercial Bank 4,500 Financial Institutions 78 Fuji Bank 182,956 Financial Institutions 79-82 bepaid.com N/A 84 Harris Beach & Wilcox, LLP 48,800 Law Firms 85 Keefe, Bruyette & Woods 97,600 Financial Institutions 85,88,89 NY State Department of 73,982 Government 86,87 Taxation & Finance Corporation Service Company 22,916 87 Fiduciary Trust Company Intl. 245,156 Financial Institutions 90,94-97 Gibbs & Hill Engineers 91 Washington Group Intl. Engineering 91 Raytheon Company* 48,800 Manufacturing 91 AON Corporation 219,133 Insurance 92,99,100 Regus Business Centres 49,028 Employment Agencies 93 Sandler O'Neil & Partners 30,000 Investments 104 Atlantic Bank of New York 50,061 Banks/Financial Institutions 106 *Raytheon 419 420 *Institutions? SCC? CIA? *There appeared to be far less tenants in the South Tower than the North. Building: 4 World Trade Center - Commodities Exchange Center Tenant Square Feet Leased Floor Industry Deutsche Bank 273,991 4,5,6 Financial Institutions New York Board of Trade 125,000 7,8,9 Government Overseas-Chinese Banking Corp. 6,516 7 Financial Institutions Green Coffee Association 7,500 5 Personal Services Gelderman, Inc. 4,000 7 Personal Services Tony May's Gemelli Restaurant & Bar 10,000 GRND Retailers/Wholesalers Building: 6 World Trade Center - U.S. Customs House Tenant Square Feet Leased Floor Industry U.S. Department of Commerce 4,500 6 Government *BATF (Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms) 1,200 2,6 Government U.S. Department of Agriculture - AAPHIS N/A 2 Government U.S. Department of Labor 10,200 6 Government Export-Import Bank of the U.S. N/A 6 Financial Institutions Eastco Building Services N/A Building: 7 World Trade Center Tenant Square Feet Leased Floor Industry Salomon Smith Barney 1,202,900 GRND,1-6,13,18-46 Financial Institutions Internal Revenue Service Regional Council 90,430 24,25 Government *U.S. Secret Service 85,343 9,10 Government American Express Bank International 106,117 7,8,13 Financial Institutions Standard Chartered Bank 111,398 10,13,26,27 Financial Institutions Provident Financial Management 9,000 7,13 Financial Institutions ITT Hartford Insurance Group 122,590 19-21 First State Management Group, Inc 4,000 21 Insurance 420 421 Federal Home Loan Bank 47,490 22 Financial Institutions NAIC Securities 22,500 19 Insurance Securities & Exchange Commission 106,117 11,12,13 Financial Institutions Mayor's Office of Emergency Mgmt 45,815 23 Government *You might add to the 7 WTC list the CIA, DoD and IRS reportedly on the 25th floor---FEMA BPS. 421 422 9-11-01 Victim's List *Note: Names are not segregated by status. Please keep in mind that this list has been increased due to victims who have succumbed to ailments directly linked to their exposure to toxic elements at the WTC on 9-11. World Trade Center Gordon M. Aamoth, J r. Edelmiro Abad Maria Rose Abad Andrew Anthony Abate Vincent Abate Laurence Christopher Abel William F. Abrahamson Richard Anthony Aceto J esus Acevedo Rescand Heinrich Bernhard Ackermann Paul Acquaviva Donald LaRoy Adams Patrick Adams Shannon Lewis Adams Stephen George Adams Ignatius Udo Adanga Christy A. Addamo Terence E. Adderley, J r. Sophia Buruwad Addo Lee Allan Adler Daniel Thomas Afflitto Emmanuel Akwasi Afuakwah Alok Agarwal Mukul Kumar Agarwala J oseph Agnello David Scott Agnes Brian G. Ahearn J eremiah J oseph Ahern J oanne Marie Ahladiotis Shabbir Ahmed Terrance Andre Aiken Godwin Ajala Gertrude M. Alagero Andrew Alameno Margaret Ann Alario Gary M. Albero J on Leslie Albert Peter Alderman J acquelyn Delaine Aldridge David D. Alger Sarah Ali-Escarcega Ernest Alikakos Edward L. Allegretto Eric Allen J oseph Ryan Allen Richard Dennis Allen Richard Lanard Allen Christopher E. Allingham J anet M. Alonso Arturo Alva-Moreno Anthony Alvarado Antonio J avier Alvarez Victoria Alvarez-Brito Telmo E. Alvear Cesar Amoranto Alviar Tariq Amanullah Angelo Amaranto J ames M. Amato J oseph Amatuccio Christopher Charles Amoroso Kazuhiro Anai Calixto Anaya, J r. J oseph Anchundia Kermit Charles Anderson Yvette Constance Anderson J ohn Andreacchio Michael Rourke Andrews J ean Ann Andrucki Siew-Nya Ang J oseph Angelini, J r. J oseph Angelini, Sr. Laura Angilletta Doreen J . Angrisani Lorraine Antigua Peter Paul Apollo Faustino Apostol, J r. Frank Thomas Aquilino 422 437 Patrick Michael Aranyos David Arce Michael George Arczynski Louis Arena Adam P. Arias Michael Armstrong J ack Charles Aron J oshua Aron Richard Avery Aronow J aphet J esse Aryee Patrick Asante Carl Asaro Michael Asciak Michael Edward Asher J anice Marie Ashley Thomas J . Ashton Manuel O. Asitimbay Gregg Arthur Atlas Gerald T. Atwood J ames Audiffred Louis Frank Aversano, J r. Ezra Aviles Sandy Ayala Arlene T. Babakitis Eustace P. Bacchus J ohn J . Badagliacca J ane Ellen Baeszler Robert J . Baierwalter Andrew J . Bailey Brett T. Bailey Tatyana Bakalinskaya Michael S. Baksh Sharon M. Balkcom Michael Andrew Bane Katherine Bantis Gerard Baptiste Walter Baran Gerard A. Barbara Paul Vincent Barbaro J ames William Barbella Ivan Kyrillos F. Barbosa Victor Daniel Barbosa Colleen Ann Barkow David Michael Barkway Matthew Barnes Sheila Patricia Barnes Evan J . Baron Renee Barrett-Arjune Nathaly Barrios La Cruz Arthur Thaddeus Barry Diane G. Barry Maurice Vincent Barry Scott D. Bart Carlton W. Bartels Guy Barzvi Inna B. Basina Alysia Basmajian Kenneth William Basnicki Steven Bates Paul J ames Battaglia Walter David Bauer, J r. Marlyn Capito Bautista J asper Baxter Michele Beale Paul Frederick Beatini J ane S. Beatty Lawrence Ira Beck Manette Marie Beckles Carl J ohn Bedigian Michael Earnest Beekman Maria A. Behr Yelena Belilovsky Nina Patrice Bell Debbie Bellows Stephen Elliot Belson Paul M. Benedetti Denise Lenore Benedetto Maria Bengochea Bryan Craig Bennett Eric L. Bennett Oliver Duncan Bennett Margaret L. Benson Dominick J . Berardi J ames Patrick Berger Steven Howard Berger J ohn P. Bergin Alvin Bergsohn Daniel Bergstein Michael J . Berkeley Donna M. Bernaerts David W. Bernard William Bernstein 437 438 David M. Berray David S. Berry J oseph J . Berry William Reed Bethke Timothy Betterly Edward Frank Beyea Paul Beyer Anil Tahilram Bharvaney Bella J . Bhukhan Shimmy D. Biegeleisen Peter Alexander Bielfeld William G. Biggart Brian Bilcher Carl Vincent Bini Gary Eugene Bird J oshua David Birnbaum George J ohn Bishop J effrey Donald Bittner Albert Balewa Blackman, J r. Christopher J oseph Blackwell Susan Leigh Blair Harry Blanding, J r. J anice Lee Blaney Craig Michael Blass Rita Blau Richard Middleton Blood, J r. Michael Andrew Boccardi J ohn P. Bocchi Michael Leopoldo Bocchino Susan M. Bochino Bruce D. Boehm Mary Catherine Boffa Nicholas Andrew Bogdan Darren Christopher Bohan Lawrence Francis Boisseau Vincent M. Boland, J r. Alan Bondarenko Andre Bonheur, J r. Colin Arthur Bonnett Frank Bonomo Yvonne Lucia Bonomo Genieve Bonsignore, 3 Seaon Booker Sherry Ann Bordeaux Krystine Bordenabe Martin Boryczewski Richard Edward Bosco J ohn H. Boulton Francisco Eligio Bourdier Thomas Harold Bowden, J r. Kimberly S. Bowers Veronique Nicole Bowers Larry Bowman Shawn Edward Bowman, J r. Kevin L. Bowser Gary R. Box Gennady Boyarsky Pamela Boyce Michael Boyle Alfred Braca Kevin Bracken David Brian Brady Alexander Braginsky Nicholas W. Brandemarti Michelle Renee Bratton Patrice Braut Lydia E. Bravo Ronald Michael Breitweiser Edward A. Brennan III Francis Henry Brennan Michael E. Brennan Peter Brennan Thomas M. Brennan Daniel J . Brethel Gary Lee Bright J onathan Briley Mark A. Brisman Paul Gary Bristow Mark Francis Broderick Herman Charles Broghammer Keith A. Broomfield Ethel Brown J anice J uloise Brown Lloyd Stanford Brown Patrick J . Brown Bettina Browne Mark Bruce Richard George Bruehert Andrew Brunn Vincent Brunton Ronald Paul Bucca Brandon J . Buchanan 438 439 Gregory J oseph Buck Dennis Buckley Nancy Clare Bueche Patrick J oseph Buhse J ohn Edwards Bulaga, J r. Stephen Bunin Matthew J . Burke Thomas Daniel Burke William Francis Burke, J r. Donald J . Burns Kathleen Anne Burns Keith J ames Burns J ohn Patrick Burnside Irina Buslo Milton G. Bustillo Thomas M. Butler Patrick Byrne Timothy G. Byrne J esus Neptali Cabezas Lillian Caceres Brian J oseph Cachia Steven Dennis Cafiero, J r. Richard M. Caggiano Cecile Marella Caguicla Michael J ohn Cahill Scott Walter Cahill Thomas J oseph Cahill George Cain Salvatore B. Calabro J oseph Calandrillo Philip V. Calcagno Edward Calderon Kenneth Marcus Caldwell Dominick Enrico Calia Felix Calixte Frank Callahan Liam Callahan Luigi Calvi Roko Camaj Michael F. Cammarata David Otey Campbell Geoffrey Thomas Campbell J ill Marie Campbell Robert Arthur Campbell Sandra Patricia Campbell Sean Thomas Canavan J ohn A. Candela Vincent Cangelosi Stephen J . Cangialosi Lisa Bella Cannava Brian Cannizzaro Michael Canty Louis Anthony Caporicci J onathan Neff Cappello J ames Christopher Cappers Richard Michael Caproni J ose Manuel Cardona Dennis M. Carey Steve Carey Edward Carlino Michael Scott Carlo David G. Carlone Rosemarie C. Carlson Mark Stephen Carney J oyce Ann Carpeneto Ivhan Luis Carpio Bautista J eremy M. Carrington Michael Carroll Peter Carroll J ames J oseph Carson, J r. Marcia Cecil Carter J ames Marcel Cartier Vivian Casalduc J ohn Francis Casazza Paul R. Cascio Margarito Casillas Thomas Anthony Casoria William Otto Caspar Alejandro Castano Arcelia Castillo Germaan Castillo Garcia Leonard M. Castrianno J ose Ramon Castro Richard G. Catarelli Christopher Sean Caton Robert J ohn Caufield Mary Teresa Caulfield J udson Cavalier Michael J oseph Cawley J ason David Cayne J uan Armando Ceballos J ason Michael Cefalu 439 440 Thomas J oseph Celic Ana Mercedes Centeno J oni Cesta J effrey Marc Chairnoff Swarna Chalasani William Chalcoff Eli Chalouh Charles Lawrence Chan Mandy Chang Mark Lawrence Charette Gregorio Manuel Chavez Delrose E. Cheatham Pedro Francisco Checo Douglas MacMillan Cherry Stephen Patrick Cherry Vernon Paul Cherry Nester J ulio Chevalier Swede Chevalier Alexander H. Chiang Dorothy J . Chiarchiaro Luis Alfonso Chimbo Robert Chin Wing Wai Ching Nicholas Paul Chiofalo J ohn Chipura Peter A. Chirchirillo Catherine Chirls Kyung Hee Cho Abul K. Chowdhury Mohammad Salahuddin Chowdhury Kirsten L. Christophe Pamela Chu Steven Chucknick Wai Chung Christopher Ciafardini Alex F. Ciccone Frances Ann Cilente Elaine Cillo Edna Cintron Nestor Andre Cintron III Robert Dominick Cirri J uan Pablo Cisneros-Alvarez Benjamin Keefe Clark Eugene Clark Gregory Alan Clark Mannie Leroy Clark Thomas R. Clark Christopher Robert Clarke Donna Marie Clarke Michael J . Clarke Suria Rachel Emma Clarke Kevin Francis Cleary J ames D. Cleere Geoffrey W. Cloud Susan Marie Clyne Steven Coakley J effrey Alan Coale Patricia A. Cody Daniel Michael Coffey J ason M. Coffey Florence G. Cohen Kevin Sanford Cohen Anthony J oseph Coladonato Mark J oseph Colaio Stephen Colaio Christopher M. Colasanti Kevin Nathaniel Colbert Michel P. Colbert Keith E. Coleman Scott Thomas Coleman Tarel Coleman Liam J oseph Colhoun Robert D. Colin Robert J . Coll J ean Collin J ohn Michael Collins Michael L. Collins Thomas J . Collins J oseph Collison Patricia Malia Colodner Linda M. Colon Sol E. Colon Ronald Edward Comer Sandra J olane Conaty Brace J aime Concepcion Albert Conde Denease Conley Susan P. Conlon Margaret Mary Conner Cynthia Marie Lise Connolly J ohn E. Connolly, J r. J ames Lee Connor 440 441 J onathan M. Connors Kevin Patrick Connors Kevin F. Conroy J ose Manuel Contreras-Fernandez Brenda E. Conway Dennis Michael Cook Helen D. Cook J ohn A. Cooper J oseph J ohn Coppo, J r. Gerard J . Coppola J oseph Albert Corbett Alejandro Cordero Robert Cordice Ruben D. Correa Danny A. Correa-Gutierrez J ames J . Corrigan Carlos Cortes Kevin Cosgrove Dolores Marie Costa Digna Alexandra Costanza Charles Gregory Costello, J r. Michael S. Costello Conrod K. Cottoy Martin J ohn Coughlan J ohn Gerard Coughlin Timothy J . Coughlin J ames E. Cove Andre Cox Frederick J ohn Cox J ames Raymond Coyle Michele Coyle-Eulau Anne Marie Cramer Christopher S. Cramer Denise Elizabeth Crant J ames Leslie Crawford, J r. Robert J ames Crawford J oanne Mary Cregan Lucy Crifasi J ohn A. Crisci Daniel Hal Crisman Dennis Cross Kevin Raymond Crotty Thomas G. Crotty J ohn Crowe Welles Remy Crowther Robert L. Cruikshank J ohn Robert Cruz Grace Yu Cua Kenneth J ohn Cubas Francisco Cruz Cubero Richard J . Cudina Neil J ames Cudmore Thomas Patrick Cullen lll J oyce Cummings Brian Thomas Cummins Michael Cunningham Robert Curatolo Laurence Damian Curia Paul Dario Curioli Beverly Curry Michael S. Curtin Gavin Cushny J ohn D'Allara Vincent Gerard D'Amadeo J ack D'Ambrosi Mary D'Antonio Edward A. D'Atri Michael D. D'Auria Michael J ude D'Esposito Manuel J ohn Da Mota Caleb Arron Dack Carlos S. DaCosta J oao Alberto DaFonseca Aguiar, J r. Thomas A. Damaskinos J eannine Marie Damiani-J ones Patrick W. Danahy Nana Danso Vincent Danz Dwight Donald Darcy Elizabeth Ann Darling Annette Andrea Dataram Lawrence Davidson Michael Allen Davidson Scott Matthew Davidson Titus Davidson Niurka Davila Clinton Davis Wayne Terrial Davis Anthony Richard Dawson Calvin Dawson Edward J ames Day J ayceryll de Chavez 441 442 J ennifer De J esus Monique E. De J esus Nereida De J esus Emerita De La Pena Azucena Maria de la Torre David Paul De Rubbio J emal Legesse De Santis Christian Louis De Simone Melanie Louise De Vere William Thomas Dean Robert J . DeAngelis, J r. Thomas Patrick DeAngelis Tara E. Debek Anna Marjia DeBin J ames V. Deblase Paul DeCola Simon Marash Dedvukaj J ason Defazio David A. DeFeo Manuel Del Valle, J r. Donald Arthur Delapenha Vito J oseph DeLeo Danielle Anne Delie J oseph A. Della Pietra Andrea DellaBella Palmina DelliGatti Colleen Ann Deloughery Francis Albert DeMartini Anthony Demas Martin N. DeMeo Francis Deming Carol K. Demitz Kevin Dennis Thomas F. Dennis J ean DePalma J ose Depena Robert J ohn Deraney Michael DeRienzo Edward DeSimone III Andrew Desperito Cindy Ann Deuel J erry DeVito Robert P. Devitt, J r. Dennis Lawrence Devlin Gerard Dewan Sulemanali Kassamali Dhanani Patricia Florence Di Chiaro Debra Ann Di Martino Michael Louis Diagostino Matthew Diaz Nancy Diaz Rafael Arturo Diaz Michael A. Diaz-Piedra III J udith Berquis Diaz-Sierra J oseph Dermot Dickey, J r. Lawrence Patrick Dickinson Michael D. Diehl J ohn Difato Vincent Difazio Carl Anthony DiFranco Donald Difranco Stephen Patrick Dimino William J ohn Dimmling Marisa DiNardo Schorpp Christopher M. Dincuff J effrey Mark Dingle Anthony Dionisio George DiPasquale J oseph Dipilato Douglas Frank DiStefano Ramzi A. Doany J ohn J oseph Doherty Melissa C. Doi Brendan Dolan Neil Matthew Dollard J ames J oseph Domanico Benilda Pascua Domingo Carlos Dominguez J erome Mark Patrick Dominguez Kevin W. Donnelly J acqueline Donovan Stephen Scott Dorf Thomas Dowd Kevin Dowdell Mary Yolanda Dowling Raymond Mathew Downey Frank J oseph Doyle J oseph Michael Doyle Stephen Patrick Driscoll Mirna A. Duarte Michelle Beale Duberry Luke A. Dudek 442 443 Christopher Michael Duffy Gerard Duffy Michael J oseph Duffy Thomas W. Duffy Antoinette Duger Sareve Dukat Christopher J oseph Dunne Richard Anthony Dunstan Patrick Thomas Dwyer J oseph Anthony Eacobacci J ohn Bruce Eagleson Robert Douglas Eaton Dean Phillip Eberling Margaret Ruth Echtermann Paul Robert Eckna Constantine Economos Dennis Michael Edwards Michael Hardy Edwards Christine Egan Lisa Egan Martin J . Egan, J r. Michael Egan Samantha Martin Egan Carole Eggert Lisa Caren Ehrlich J ohn Ernst Eichler Eric Adam Eisenberg Daphne Ferlinda Elder Michael J . Elferis Mark J oseph Ellis Valerie Silver Ellis Albert Alfy William Elmarry Edgar Hendricks Emery, J r. Doris Suk-Yuen Eng Christopher Epps Ulf Ramm Ericson Erwin L. Erker William J ohn Erwin J ose Espinal Fanny Espinoza Bridget Ann Esposito Francis Esposito Michael Esposito William Esposito Ruben Esquilin, J r. Sadie Ette Barbara G. Etzold Eric Brian Evans Robert Evans Meredith Emily J une Ewart Catherine K. Fagan Patricia Mary Fagan Keith George Fairben Sandra Fajardo-Smith William F. Fallon William Lawrence Fallon, J r. Anthony J . Fallone, J r. Dolores Brigitte Fanelli J ohn J oseph Fanning Kathleen Anne Faragher Thomas Farino Nancy Carole Farley Elizabeth Ann Farmer Douglas J on Farnum J ohn G. Farrell J ohn W. Farrell Terrence Patrick Farrell J oseph D. Farrelly Thomas Patrick Farrelly Syed Abdul Fatha Christopher Edward Faughnan Wendy R. Faulkner Shannon Marie Fava Bernard D. Favuzza Robert Fazio, J r. Ronald Carl Fazio William Feehan Francis J ude Feely Garth Erin Feeney Sean B. Fegan Lee S. Fehling Peter Adam Feidelberg Alan D. Feinberg Rosa Maria Feliciano Edward Thomas Fergus, J r. George Ferguson Henry Fernandez J udy Hazel Fernandez J ulio Fernandez Elisa Giselle Ferraina Anne Marie Sallerin Ferreira Robert J ohn Ferris 443 444 David Francis Ferrugio Louis V. Fersini Michael David Ferugio Bradley J ames Fetchet J ennifer Louise Fialko Kristen Nicole Fiedel Samuel Fields Michael Bradley Finnegan Timothy J . Finnerty Michael Curtis Fiore Stephen S R Fiorelli, Sr. Paul M. Fiori J ohn B. Fiorito J ohn R. Fischer Andrew Fisher Bennett Lawson Fisher J ohn Roger Fisher Thomas J . Fisher Lucy A. Fishman Ryan D. Fitzgerald Thomas J ames Fitzpatrick Richard P. Fitzsimons Salvatore Fiumefreddo Christina Donovan Flannery Eileen Flecha Andre G. Fletcher Carl M. Flickinger J ohn J oseph Florio J oseph Walken Flounders David Fodor Michael N. Fodor Stephen Mark Fogel Thomas Foley David J . Fontana Chih Min Foo Godwin Forde Donald A. Foreman Christopher Hugh Forsythe Claudia Alicia Foster Noel J ohn Foster Ana Fosteris Robert J oseph Foti J effrey Fox Virginia Fox Pauline Francis Virgin Francis Gary J ay Frank Morton H. Frank Peter Christopher Frank Richard K. Fraser Kevin J . Frawley Clyde Frazier, J r. Lillian Inez Frederick Andrew Fredricks Tamitha Freeman Brett Owen Freiman Peter L. Freund Arlene Eva Fried Alan Wayne Friedlander Andrew Keith Friedman Gregg J . Froehner Peter Christian Fry Clement A. Fumando Steven Elliot Furman Paul Furmato Fredric Neal Gabler Richard Samuel Federick Gabrielle J ames Andrew Gadiel Pamela Lee Gaff Ervin Vincent Gailliard Deanna Lynn Galante Grace Catherine Galante Anthony Edward Gallagher Daniel J ames Gallagher J ohn Patrick Gallagher Lourdes Galletti Cono E. Gallo Vincenzo Gallucci Thomas E. Galvin Giovanna Galletta Gambale Thomas Gambino, J r. Giann Franco Gamboa Peter Ganci Ladkat K. Ganesh Claude Michael Gann Osseni Garba Charles William Garbarini Ceasar Garcia David Garcia J uan Garcia Marlyn Del Carmen Garcia Christopher S. Gardner 444 445 Douglas Benjamin Gardner Harvey J . Gardner III J effrey Brian Gardner Thomas Gardner William Arthur Gardner Francesco Garfi Rocco Nino Gargano J ames M. Gartenberg Matthew David Garvey Bruce Gary Boyd Alan Gatton Donald Richard Gavagan, J r. Terence D. Gazzani Gary Geidel Paul Hamilton Geier J ulie M. Geis Peter G. Gelinas Steven Paul Geller Howard G. Gelling Peter Victor Genco, J r. Steven Gregory Genovese Alayne Gentul Edward F. Geraghty Suzanne Geraty Ralph Gerhardt Robert Gerlich Denis P. Germain Marina Romanovna Gertsberg Susan M. Getzendanner J ames G. Geyer J oseph M. Giaccone Vincent Francis Giammona Debra Lynn Gibbon J ames Andrew Giberson Craig Neil Gibson Ronnie E. Gies Laura A. Giglio Andrew Clive Gilbert Timothy Paul Gilbert Paul Stuart Gilbey Paul J ohn Gill Mark Y. Gilles Evan Gillette Ronald Lawrence Gilligan Rodney C. Gillis Laura Gilly J ohn F. Ginley Donna Marie Giordano J effrey J ohn Giordano J ohn Giordano Steven A. Giorgetti Martin Giovinazzo Kum-Kum Girolamo Salvatore Gitto Cynthia Giugliano Mon Gjonbalaj Dianne Gladstone Keith Glascoe Thomas Irwin Glasser Harry Glenn Barry H. Glick Steven Glick J ohn T. Gnazzo William Robert Godshalk Michael Gogliormella Brian Fredric Goldberg J effrey Grant Goldflam Michelle Goldstein Monica Goldstein Steven Goldstein Andrew H. Golkin Dennis J ames Gomes Enrique Antonio Gomez J ose Bienvenido Gomez Manuel Gomez, J r. Wilder Alfredo Gomez J enine Nicole Gonzalez Mauricio Gonzalez Rosa Gonzalez Calvin J . Gooding Harry Goody Kiran Reddy Gopu Catherine C. Gorayeb Kerene Gordon Sebastian Gorki Kieran J oseph Gorman Thomas Edward Gorman Michael Edward Gould Yuji Goya J on Richard Grabowski Christopher Michael Grady Edwin J . Graf III 445 446 David Martin Graifman Gilbert Franco Granados Elvira Granitto Winston Arthur Grant Christopher S. Gray J ames Michael Gray Tara McCloud Gray Linda Catherine Grayling J ohn M. Grazioso Timothy George Grazioso Derrick Auther Green Wade B. Green Elaine Myra Greenberg Gayle R. Greene J ames Arthur Greenleaf, J r. Eileen Marsha Greenstein Elizabeth Martin Gregg Denise Gregory Donald H. Gregory Florence Moran Gregory Pedro Grehan J ohn Michael Griffin Tawanna Sherry Griffin J oan Donna Griffith Warren Grifka Ramon Grijalvo J oseph F. Grillo David J oseph Grimner Kenneth George Grouzalis J oseph Grzelak Matthew J ames Grzymalski Robert J oseph Gschaar Liming Gu J ose Guadalupe Cindy Yan Zhu Guan J oel Guevara Gonzalez Geoffrey E. Guja J oseph Gullickson Babita Girjamatie Guman Douglas Brian Gurian J anet Ruth Gustafson Philip T. Guza Barbara Guzzardo Peter M. Gyulavary Gary Robert Haag Andrea Lyn Haberman Barbara Mary Habib Philip Haentzler Nezam A. Hafiz Karen Elizabeth Hagerty Steven Michael Hagis Mary Lou Hague David Halderman Maile Rachel Hale Richard B. Hall Vaswald George Hall Robert J . Halligan Vincent Gerard Halloran J ames Douglas Halvorson Mohammad Salman Hamdani Felicia Hamilton Robert Hamilton Frederic K. Han Christopher J . Hanley Sean S. Hanley Valerie J oan Hanna Thomas Hannafin Kevin J ames Hannaford Michael Lawrence Hannan Dana R Hannon Vassilios G. Haramis J ames A. Haran J effrey Pike Hardy Timothy J ohn Hargrave Daniel Edward Harlin Frances Haros Harvey Harrell Stephen G. Harrell Melissa Marie Harrington Aisha Anne Harris Stewart Dennis Harris J ohn Patrick Hart J ohn Clinton Hartz Emeric Harvey Thomas Theodore Haskell, J r. Timothy Haskell J oseph J ohn Hasson III Leonard W. Hatton Terence S. Hatton Michael Haub Timothy Aaron Haviland Donald G. Havlish, J r. 446 447 Anthony Hawkins Nobuhiro Hayatsu Philip Hayes William Ward Haynes Scott J ordan Hazelcorn Michael K. Healey Roberta B. 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Klaus J ohannes Sprockamp Saranya Srinuan Fitzroy St. Rose Michael F. Stabile Lawrence T. Stack Timothy M. Stackpole Richard J ames Stadelberger Eric Stahlman Gregory Stajk Alexandru Liviu Stan Corina Stan Mary Domenica Stanley Anthony Starita J effrey Stark Derek J ames Statkevicus Craig William Staub William V. Steckman Eric Thomas Steen William R. Steiner Alexander Steinman Andrew Stergiopoulos Andrew Stern Martha Stevens Michael J ames Stewart Richard H. Stewart, J r. Sanford M. Stoller Lonny J ay Stone J immy Nevill Storey Timothy Stout Thomas Strada J ames J . Straine, J r. Edward W. Straub George J . Strauch, J r. Edward T. Strauss Steven R. Strauss Steven F. Strobert Walwyn W. Stuart, J r. Benjamin Suarez David Scott Suarez Ramon Suarez Yoichi Sugiyama William Christopher Sugra Daniel Suhr David Marc Sullins Christopher P. Sullivan Patrick Sullivan Thomas Sullivan Hilario Soriano Sumaya, J r. J ames J oseph Suozzo Colleen Supinski Robert Sutcliffe Seline Sutter Claudia Suzette Sutton J ohn Francis Swaine Kristine M. Swearson Brian Edward Sweeney Kenneth J . Swenson Thomas Swift Derek Ogilvie Sword Kevin Thomas Szocik Gina Sztejnberg Norbert P. Szurkowski Harry Taback J oann Tabeek Norma C. Taddei Michael Taddonio Keiichiro Takahashi Keiji Takahashi Phyllis Gail Talbot Robert Talhami Sean Patrick Tallon Paul Talty Maurita Tam Rachel Tamares 461 462 Hector Tamayo Michael Andrew Tamuccio Kenichiro Tanaka Rhondelle Cheri Tankard Michael Anthony Tanner Dennis Gerard Taormina, J r. Kenneth J oseph Tarantino Allan Tarasiewicz Ronald Tartaro Darryl Anthony Taylor Donnie Brooks Taylor Lorisa Ceylon Taylor Michael Morgan Taylor Paul A. Tegtmeier Yeshauant Tembe Anthony Tempesta Dorothy Pearl Temple Stanley Temple David Tengelin Brian J ohn Terrenzi Lisa M. Terry Shell Tester Goumatie T. Thackurdeen Sumati Thakur Harshad Sham Thatte Thomas F. Theurkauf, J r. Lesley Anne Thomas Brian Thomas Thompson Clive Thompson Glenn Thompson Nigel Bruce Thompson Perry A. Thompson Vanavah Alexei Thompson William H. Thompson Eric Raymond Thorpe Nichola Angela Thorpe Sal Edward Tieri, J r. J ohn p Tierney Mary Ellen Tiesi William R. Tieste Kenneth Francis Tietjen Stephen Edward Tighe Scott Charles Timmes Michael E. Tinley J ennifer M. Tino Robert Frank Tipaldi J ohn J ames Tipping II David Tirado Hector Luis Tirado, J r. Michelle Lee Titolo J ohn J . Tobin Richard Todisco Vladimir Tomasevic Stephen Kevin Tompsett Thomas Tong Doris Torres Luis Eduardo Torres Amy Elizabeth Toyen Christopher Michael Traina Daniel Patrick Trant Abdoul Karim Traore Glenn J . Travers Walter Philip Travers Felicia Y. Traylor-Bass Lisa L. Trerotola Karamo Trerra Michael Angel Trinidad Francis J oseph Trombino Gregory J ames Trost William P. Tselepis Zhanetta Valentinovna Tsoy Michael Tucker Lance Richard Tumulty Ching Ping Tung Simon J ames Turner Donald J oseph Tuzio Robert T. Twomey J ennifer Tzemis J ohn G. Ueltzhoeffer Tyler V. Ugolyn Michael A. Uliano J onathan J . Uman Anil Shivhari Umarkar Allen V. Upton Diane Marie Urban J ohn Damien Vaccacio Bradley Hodges Vadas Renuta Vaidea William Valcarcel Felix Antonio Vale Ivan Vale Benito Valentin 462 463 Santos Valentin, J r. Carlton Francis Valvo II Erica H. Van Acker Kenneth W. Van Auken Richard B. Van Hine Daniel M. Van Laere Edward Raymond Vanacore J on C. Vandevander Barrett Vanvelzer, 4 Edward Vanvelzer Paul Herman Vanvelzer Frederick Thomas Varacchi Gopalakrishnan Varadhan David Vargas Scott C. Vasel Azael Ismael Vasquez Arcangel Vazquez Santos Vazquez Peter Anthony Vega Sankara S. Velamuri J orge Velazquez Lawrence G. Veling Anthony Mark Ventura David Vera Loretta Ann Vero Christopher J ames Vialonga Matthew Gilbert Vianna Robert Anthony Vicario Celeste Torres Victoria J oanna Vidal J ohn T. Vigiano II J oseph Vincent Vigiano Frank J . Vignola, J r. J oseph Barry Vilardo Sergio Villanueva Chantal Vincelli Melissa Vincent Francine Ann Virgilio Lawrence Virgilio J oseph Gerard Visciano J oshua S. Vitale Maria Percoco Vola Lynette D. Vosges Garo H. Voskerijian Alfred Vukosa Gregory Kamal Bruno Wachtler Gabriela Waisman Courtney Wainsworth Walcott Victor Wald Benjamin J ames Walker Glen Wall Mitchel Scott Wallace Peter Guyder Wallace Robert Francis Wallace Roy Michael Wallace J eanmarie Wallendorf Matthew Blake Wallens J ohn Wallice, J r. Barbara P. Walsh J ames Henry Walsh J effrey P. Walz Ching Wang Weibin Wang Michael Warchola Stephen Gordon Ward J ames Arthur Waring Brian G. Warner Derrick Washington Charles Waters J ames Thomas Waters, J r. Patrick J . Waters Kenneth Thomas Watson Michael Henry Waye Todd Christopher Weaver Walter Edward Weaver Nathaniel Webb Dinah Webster J oanne Flora Weil Michael T. Weinberg Steven Weinberg Scott J effrey Weingard Steven George Weinstein Simon Weiser David M. Weiss David Thomas Weiss Vincent Michael Wells Timothy Matthew Welty Christian Hans Rudolf Wemmers Ssu-Hui Wen Oleh D. Wengerchuk Peter M. West Whitfield West, J r. 463 464 Meredith Lynn Whalen Eugene Whelan Adam S. White Edward J ames White III J ames Patrick White J ohn Sylvester White Kenneth Wilburn White, J r. Leonard Anthony White Malissa Y. White Wayne White Leanne Marie Whiteside Mark P. Whitford Michael T. Wholey Mary Catherine Wieman J effrey David Wiener Wilham J . Wik Alison Marie Wildman Glenn E. Wilkenson J ohn C. Willett Brian Patrick Williams Crossley Richard Williams, J r. David J . Williams Deborah Lynn Williams Kevin Michael Williams Louie Anthony Williams Louis Calvin Williams III J ohn P. Williamson Donna Ann Wilson William Wilson David Harold Winton Glenn J . Winuk Thomas Francis Wise Alan L. Wisniewski Frank Thomas Wisniewski David Wiswall Sigrid Wiswe Michael Wittenstein Christopher W. Wodenshek Martin P. Wohlforth Katherine Susan Wolf J ennifer Yen Wong Siu Cheung Wong Yin Ping Wong Yuk Ping Wong Brent J ames Woodall J ames J ohn Woods Patrick J . Woods Richard Herron Woodwell David Terence Wooley J ohn Bentley Works Martin Michael Wortley Rodney J ames Wotton William Wren J ohn Wayne Wright Neil Robin Wright Sandra Lee Wright J upiter Yambem Suresh Yanamadala Matthew David Yarnell Myrna Yaskulka Shakila Yasmin Olabisi Shadie Layeni Yee William Yemele Edward P. York Kevin Patrick York Raymond R. York Suzanne Youmans Barrington Young J acqueline Young Elkin Yuen J oseph C. Zaccoli Adel Agayby Zakhary Arkady Zaltsman Edwin J . Zambrana, J r. Robert Alan Zampieri Mark Zangrilli Ira Zaslow Kenneth Albert Zelman Abraham J . Zelmanowitz Martin Morales Zempoaltecatl Zhe Zeng Marc Scott Zeplin J ie Yao J ustin Zhao Ivelin Ziminski Michael J oseph Zinzi Charles A. Zion J ulie Lynne Zipper Salvatore Zisa Prokopios Paul Zois J oseph J . Zuccala Andrew S. Zucker Igor Zukelman 464 465 *Additionally, I’d like to include the possibility of one poor WTC dog, who was left tied up to the front of 5 WTC. Someone in transcripts even tried to get to him, but was hit by falling debris and could not do it. American Airlines Flight 11 Anna Allison David Lawrence Angell Lynn Edwards Angell Seima Aoyama Barbara J ean Arestegui Myra J oy Aronson Christine Barbuto Carolyn Beug Kelly Ann Booms Carol Marie Bouchard Robin Lynne Kaplan Neilie Anne Heffernan Casey J effrey Dwayne Collman J effrey W. Coombs Tara Kathleen Creamer Thelma Cuccinello Patrick Currivan Brian Paul Dale David Dimeglio Donald Americo Ditullio Alberto Dominguez Paige Marie Farley-Hackel Alexander Milan Filipov Carol Ann Flyzik Paul J . Friedman Karleton D.B. Fyfe Peter Alan Gay Linda M. George Edmund Glazer Lisa Reinhart Gordenstein Andrew Peter Charles Curry Green Peter Paul Hashem Robert J ay Hayes Edward R. Hennessy, J r. J ohn A. Hofer Cora Hidalgo Holland J ohn Nicholas Humber, J r. Waleed J oseph Iskandar J ohn Charles J enkins AA 11 Continued: Charles Edward J ones Barbara A. Keating David P. Kovalcin J udith Camilla Larocque Natalie J anis Lasden Daniel J ohn Lee Daniel M. Lewin Sara Elizabeth Low Susan A. Mackay Karen Ann Martin Thomas F. McGuinness, J r. Christopher D. Mello J effrey Peter Mladenik Carlos Alberto Montoya Antonio J esus Montoya Valdes Laura Lee Morabito Mildred Naiman Laurie Ann Neira Renee Lucille Newell Kathleen Ann Nicosia J acqueline J une Norton Robert Grant Norton J ohn Ogonowski Betty Ann Ong J ane M. Orth Thomas Nicholas Pecorelli Berinthia B. Perkins Sonia M. Puopolo David E. Retik J ean Destrehan Roger Philip Martin Rosenzweig Richard Barry Ross J essica Leigh Sachs Rahma Salie Heather Lee Smith Dianne Bullis Snyder Douglas J oel Stone Xavier Suarez Madeline Amy Sweeney Michael Theodoridis J ames Anthony Trentini Mary Barbara Trentini Pendyala Vamsikrishna 465 466 AA 11 Continued: Mary Alice Wahlstrom Kenneth Waldie J ohn J oseph Wenckus Candace Lee Williams Christopher Rudolph Zarba, J r. United Airlines Flight 175 Alona Abraham Garnet Edward Bailey Mark Lawrence Bavis Graham Andrew Berkeley Touri Bolourchi Klaus Bothe Daniel Raymond Brandhorst David Reed Gamboa Brandhorst J ohn Brett Cahill Christoffer Mikael Carstanjen J ohn J . Corcoran III Dorothy Alma de Araujo Ana Gloria Pocasangre Debarrera Robert J ohn Fangman Lisa Anne Frost Ronald Gamboa Lynn Catherine Goodchild Peter M. Goodrich Douglas Alan Gowell Francis Edward Grogan Carl Max Hammond, J r. Christine Lee Hanson Peter Burton Hanson Susan Kim Hanson Eric Hartono J ames Edward Hayden Herbert Wilson Homer Michael Robert Horrocks Robert Adrien J albert Amy N. J arret Ralph Kershaw Heinrich Kimmig Amy R. King Brian Kinney Kathryn L. LaBorie Robert G. Leblanc Maclovio Lopez, J r. Marianne Macfarlane United Airlines Flight 175 Continued: Alfred Gilles Marchand Louis Mariani J uliana McCourt Ruth Magdaline McCourt Wolfgang Peter Menzel Shawn M. Nassaney Marie Pappalardo Patrick J . Quigley IV Frederick Charles Rimmele III J ames Roux J esus Sanchez Victor J . Saracini Mary Kathleen Shearer Robert M. Shearer J ane Louise Simpkin Brian David Sweeney Michael C. Tarrou Alicia N. Titus Timothy Ray Ward William Michael Weems Gerald Francis Hardacre United Airlines Flight 93 Christian Adams Lorraine G. Bay Todd Beamer Alan Beaven Mark K. Bingham Deora Frances Bodley Sandra W. Bradshaw Marion Britton Thomas E. Burnett J r. William Cashman Georgine Rose Corrigan Patricia Cushing J ason Dahl J oseph Deluca Patrick Driscoll Edward Porter Felt J ane C. Folger Colleen Fraser Andrew Garcia J eremy Glick Lauren Grandcolas 466 467 UA 93 Continued: Wanda A. Green Donald F. Greene Linda Gronlund Richard Guadagno Leroy Homer, J r. Toshiya Kuge CeeCee Lyles Hilda Marcin Waleska Martinez Nicole Miller Louis J . Nacke, II Donald Arthur Peterson J ean Hoadley Peterson Mark Rothenberg Christine Snyder J ohn Talignani Honor Elizabeth Wainio Deborah Ann J acobs Welsh Kristin Gould White American Airlines Flight 77 Paul W. Ambrose Yeneneh Betru Mary J ane Booth Bernard C. Brown, II CAPT Charles F. Burlingame III, USNR, Retired Suzanne M. Calley William E. Caswell David M. Charlebois Sarah M. Clark Asia S. Cottom J ames D. Debeuneure Rodney Dickens Eddie A. Dillard LCDR Charles A. Droz III, USN, Retired Barbara G. Edwards Charles S. Falkenberg Dana Falkenberg Zoe Falkenberg J . J oseph Ferguson Darlene E. Flagg RADM Wilson F. Flagg, USNR, Retired 1stLt Richard P. Gabriel, USMC, Retired American Airlines Flight 77 Continued: Ian J . Gray Stanley R. Hall Michele M. Heidenberger Bryan C. J ack Steven D. J acoby Ann C. J udge Chandler R. Keller Yvonne E. Kennedy Norma Cruz Khan Karen Ann Kincaid Dong Chul Lee J ennifer Lewis Kenneth E. Lewis Renee A. May Dora Marie Menchaca Christopher C. Newton Barbara K. Olson Ruben S. Ornedo Robert Penninger Robert R. Ploger III Zandra F. Ploger Lisa J . Raines Todd H. Reuben J ohn P. Sammartino George W. Simmons Donald D. Simmons Mari-Rae Sopper Robert Speisman Norma Lang Steuerle Hilda E. Taylor Leonard E. Taylor Sandra D. Teague Leslie A. Whittington CAPT J ohn D. Yamnicky, Sr., USN, Retired Vicki Yancey Shuyin Yang Yuguag Zheng 467 468 The Pentagon (USA: United Stated Army; USN: United States Navy; ARNG: Army National Guard) SPC Craig S. Amundson, USA YN3 Melissa Rose Barnes, USN MSG Max J . Beilke, Retired IT2 Kris Romeo Bishundat, USN Carrie R. Blagburn COL Canfield D. Boone, ARNG Donna M. Bowen Allen P. Boyle ET3 Christopher L. Burford, USN ET3 Daniel M. Caballero, USN SFC J ose O. Calderon-Olmedo, USA Angelene C. Carter Sharon A. Carver SFC J ohn J . Chada, USA, Retired Rosa Maria Chapa J ulian T. Cooper LCDR Eric A. Cranford, USN Ada M. Davis CAPT Gerald F. DeConto, USN LTC J erry D. Dickerson, USA IT1 J ohnnie Doctor, J r., USN CAPT Robert E. Dolan, J r., USN CDR William H. Donovan, USN CDR Patrick Dunn, USN AG1 Edward T. Earhart, USN LCDR Robert R. Elseth, USNR SK3 J amie L. Fallon, USN Amelia V. Fields Gerald P. Fisher AG2 Matthew M. Flocco, USN Sandra N. Foster CAPT Lawrence D. Getzfred, USN Cortez Ghee Brenda C. Gibson COL Ronald F. Golinski, USA, Retired Diane Hale-McKinzy Carolyn B. Halmon Sheila M.S. Hein ET1 Ronald J . Hemenway, USN MAJ Wallace Cole Hogan, J r., USA SSG J immie I. Holley, USA, Retired Angela M. Houtz Brady Kay Howell Peggie M. Hurt LTC Stephen N. Hyland, J r., USA Lt Col Robert J . Hymel, USAF, Retired SGM Lacey B. Ivory, USA LTC Dennis M. J ohnson, USA J udith L. J ones Brenda Kegler LT Michael S. Lamana, USN David W. Laychak Samantha L. Lightbourn-Allen MAJ Stephen V. Long, USA J ames T. Lynch, J r. Terence M. Lynch OS2 Nehamon Lyons IV, USN Shelley A. Marshall Teresa M. Martin Ada L. Mason-Acker LTC Dean E. Mattson, USA LTG Timothy J . Maude, USA Robert J . Maxwell Molly L. McKenzie Patricia E. Mickley MAJ Ronald D. Milam, USA Gerard P. Moran, J r. Odessa V. Morris ET1 Brian A. Moss, USN Teddington H. Moy LCDR Patrick J . Murphy, USNR Khang Ngoc Nguyen DM2 Michael A. Noeth, USN Ruben S. Ornedo Diana B. Padro LT J onas M. Panik, USNR MAJ Clifford L. Patterson, J r., USA LT Darin H. Pontell, USNR Scott Powell CAPT J ack D. Punches, USN, Retired AW1 J oseph J . Pycior, J r., USN Deborah A. Ramsaur Rhonda Sue Rasmussen IT1 Marsha D. Ratchford, USN Martha M. Reszke Cecelia E. (Lawson) Richard Edward V. Rowenhorst J udy Rowlett 468 436 Pentagon Continued: SGM Robert E. Russell, USA, Retired CW4 William R. Ruth, ARNG Charles E. Sabin, Sr. Marjorie C. Salamone COL David M. Scales, USA CDR Robert A. Schlegel, USN J anice M. Scott LTC Michael L. Selves, USA, Retired Marian H. Serva CDR Dan F. Shanower, USN Antionette M. Sherman Diane M. Simmons Cheryle D. Sincock ITC Gregg H. Smallwood, USN LTC Gary F. Smith, USA, Retired Patricia J . Statz Edna L. Stephens SGM Larry L. Strickland, USA LTC Kip P. Taylor, USA Sandra C. Taylor LTC Karl W. Teepe, USA, Retired SGT Tamara C. Thurman, USA LCDR Otis V. Tolbert, USN SSG Willie Q. Troy, USA, Retired LCDR Ronald J . Vauk, USNR LTC Karen J . Wagner, USA Meta L. (Fuller) Waller SPC Chin Sun Pak Wells, USA SSG Maudlyn A. White, USA Sandra L. White Ernest M. Willcher LCDR David L. Williams, USN MAJ Dwayne Williams, USA RMC Marvin Roger Woods, USN, Retired IT2 Kevin W. Yokum, USN ITC Donald M. Young, USN Edmond G. Young, J r. Lisa L. Young World Trade Center 1993: J ohn DiGiovanni Bob Kirkpatrick Steven Knapp Bill Macko Wilfred Smith Mercado Monica Rodriguez Names that could also be added to The Memorial: Hugo Martinez: Painter killed working on the WTC’s new PATH Station. "A Carpenter": Name not released, killed at 7 WTC during the reconstruction. 436 470 World Trade Center as Cipher Donald Trump admitted that he, along with many of us, was never a fan of the World Trade Center until it was destroyed. But after it was gone, New Yorkers seemed miss it and appreciate its secret beauty. The Daily News* published eery photos of Fiterman Hall and the Deutsche Bank building five years after 9-11, still relatively in the same condition they were after the WTC attacks. Like snapshots in time, the photos of Fiterman Hall were taken by New York State Dormitory Authorities (whatever that is; halt, drop that beer!) because it was strictly off limits to the media because of toxic dust. The images depicted student desks covered in thick dust with old videocassettes and pens sitting on top of them and facing a chalkboard with the letters "MUZ" scrawled in one corner. A black sofa sat covered in white dust. A forgotten plaque awarded to a student for excellence in poetry sat abandoned. The delay in the building’s cleanup was due to disputes over who would pay for it; Fiterman Hall is owned by New York State. After New York Medical Examiners combed through the building for human remains, it was slated for demolition. Debris-filled rooms in the Deutsche Bank building still looked like a train wreck. A sheet metal tube displayed the number "14" written in dust. A nickel-sized divot in a brass column was described as looking like "a bullet" had struck it. The World Trade Center site, in the years after 9-11, sat like a piece of modeling clay waiting for its muse to create something anew. Daniel Libeskind tried first. I liked Libeskind’s ideas and I think many people did, even those who balked later, and think they should have been seen through. But critics said Libeskind’s designs were unpractical*; well then you modify them---this was my thought. It became so easy to blast Libeskind’s designs after the fact, but at the time no one had a better plan. Most of 470 471 the ideas submitted by designers and architects for the WTC site were unique, but you could tell that Libeskind's designs were at least unified and organized. But all that was saved from Libeskind’s plans was The Memorial and the symbolic 1,776-foot “Freedom Tower.” Besides the initial little splash of ingenuity by Libeskind, the World Trade Center site seemed to defy creativity. It almost seemed like a vacuum that consumed genius. Similarly, New York architect Michael Arad, the designer for the World Trade Center Memorial, whose plan, Reflecting Absence*, was chosen over several other designers, was the most sensible concept in my opinion also, even though it had to be scaled back due to spending cuts. It was scaled back from its original $1 billion dollar pricetag by eliminating the underground portion of the structure and moving it into the lobby of the Freedom Tower. Originally, The Memorial had been a three-story plan. Reflecting Absence was a class act with the footprints of the North & South Towers replaced by reflecting pools---its walls, waterfalls. It was decided in 2005 that the waterfalls* would be turned off in the wintertime, so as not to spray visitors with freezing water, but this was reconsidered in 2006, after they decided the water would be heated and the waterfalls would flow year round. Reflecting Absence will include a "mini- forest*" of fifty-seven sweet gum trees and three-hundred-and eighty swamp white oaks. Governor Pataki speaking of the plan, and what he referred to as “the voids,” said that it magnified the sense of loss of what is missing. I, along with many others, thought at times that “nothing” should be built at the WTC site: just develop it as a green space, a park, a natural mini-forest as a testament as to who was lost there and what could never be replaced. But do you think a big city would do that with prime property? Never in a million years. Others thought that the original tower’s design should be used. One of a myriad of reasons that work at the WTC site lagged was that no financial institution would bankroll the first Freedom Tower’s spire, the top of the proposed 1,776-foot building. The spire was considered unproven engineering-wise. There was also engineering concerns that the Freedom Tower was proposed to go in the WTC site’s northwest corner, right over the new PATH Station. Other safety issues troubled the NYPD*, who were concerned that the Freedom Tower would be constructed just twenty-five feet from West & Vesey Streets, making it vulnerable to another terrorist attack. Most of the bickering preventing the groundbreaking for construction at the WTC site was centered around turf battles and how to pay for it. The Port Authority and the Lower Manhattan Development Corportion (LMDC), which has since been disbanded, initially couldn’t agree on who should pay for what. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver* (D-Man.) stated that only three years ago people were talking patriotically about showing the terrorists they have not won, and now the reconstruction was floundering. Silver pointed out how more seemed to be getting done in regards to a proposal for a New York J ets stadium in upper Manhattan than what was going on down at the WTC site. Talk about a new J ets stadium was ubiquitous in the local news at one time. Time Magazine called the WTC complex planning “a game of inches.” The cornerstone for the Freedom Tower was eventually laid in place on J uly 4th, 2004, and it reads: 471 472 "To Honor And Rememebr Those Who Lost Their Lives On September 11 2001 And As A Tribute To The Enduring Spirit Of Freedom" -J uly Fourth 2004 There was, in 2005, even talk of the New York City declaring “eminent domain*” to take control of the WTC site, and the $4.5 billion in insurance proceeds that leaseholder Larry Silverstein controlled. But Silverstein* eventually caved in to the Port Authority's demands, agreeing to remain in control of three of five of the skyscrapers at the WTC, and construction of the Freedom Tower. It took Silverstein only four days to get back to the Port Authority on the offer of a reduced, yet significant role at the site. Plans for putting up the old towers suddenly became vogue in early 2005, but it prompted others to quiz "but would you work on the 100th floor?" Donald Trump* weighed in on the issue in the New York Post, saying he wanted the towers put back up, only stronger and one story higher. Trump took aim at Libeskind’s Freedom Tower saying it was an “egghead design,” had no practical application and didn’t even look good. Libeskind* fired off a letter to The Donald setting the record straight and informing Trump that the footprint and the shape of the Freedom Tower was actually the product of David Childs. So was the idea to put windmills at the top of the building. Libeskind’s concepts still included location, height and the spire. He furthered that his original design was more slender and classical, and set back further from West Street. Trump said he was never a big fan of the WTC and I think this echoed many New Yorker’s sentiments. But after the towers came down, he said that when he sees pictures of them, he sees that they were great. Trump called the new designs a bunch of “garbeled nonsense.” Trump then unveiled at a press conference in May 2005, a large model* for a new Twin Towers. He called the current plan “A pile of crap.” Liz Smith came into The Donald's camp on the matter, saying to just let Donald Trump do it. Although, I liked Libeskind’s original designs, I felt kind of conflicted. The model for the new "Trump Towers" did look pretty good. In the Trump model, the towers were similar to the old, but instead of only vertical lines, they was more of a cross-hatch pattern to them. The design was actually conceived by engineer Ken Gardner. Gardner presented the model on MSNBC in May 2005. Trump's proposed towers would've also been a few hundred feet higher than the old towers, at 1,858 feet, and higher than the Freedom Tower. The plans also boasted improved* safety and structural features. I thought it over for a time, which concept I liked best. I inevitably thought that the WTC site would be best if it was just The Memorial, the footprints, and a park--- no high rises. But that would never be allowed to happen, and even though I liked the original vision of Daniel Libeskind, I then read it reported that the original Freedom Tower would actually only have been a "seventy-story building," with the spire only being a bunch of slick skleletal work and empty space. I did not like that at all. Architects sent up a balloon* with a camera over the WTC site to take pictures of the panaramic views of the NYC skyline, which, if adhereing to a “skeleton spire,” would've been the closest New Yorkers were going to get to those bird'seye views. I don't know if this was what Libeskind's had in mind: one of the world's highest buildings without breathtaking views. In the design for the new Freedom Tower, it listed the observation deck to be at 1,362 feet, the same height as the South Tower, so it seems that a little adjustment was made. But then I began to feel that it would have been better to just let Trump do it after the first Freedom Tower design was scrapped. Trump would have done a bang up job. 472 473 Trump told New York Post columnist, Nicole Gelinas*, that if the current pile of rubbish was built---the terrorists will have won! That one cracked me up. But in a way Trump was right: if we have an empty husk on the NYC skyline, they win. Allegedly, a soon to leave office Governor Pataki told WTC site workers to just start building something quick to get crirics off his back. This might have been legacy spin: “look busy!” And so my tally went like this: “Yes” to leaving the WTC just a natural wild park, but that would never be done, and so “no.” "Yes" to Libeskind's designs, but in the context that I understood them. If only seventy stories were to be built for human access, then "no” I guess. I said "yes" to just a Memorial and a park, but nobody would agree to vacant land with no office space either, and so "no" on that too. On the new design for the Freedom Tower: I though it was ugly and it is not in concert with the surrounding buildings, and so "no" on that too; the new WTC site design was a "hodge- podge." This left Donald Trump’s idea for a new Twin Towers. Why not? I thought. Chuck Schumer stated that they couldn't look at every good idea at the risk of pushing back the project another ten years. That sounded like rhetoric and exaggeration though. Trump would've found a way to get it done. Probably faster and better too. People were expected to hear explosions again at the World Trade Cener site on 6-8-06, when engineers tested the use of explosives to clear bedrock for the Freedom Tower. Two to four explosions* were expected on alternate weekdays for two months, and precautions were said to muffle most of the blasts. The firm that conducted the blasts, Laquila Construction*, had actually been banned earlier by New York City for alleged mob ties. Tishman, the general contractor hired by Silverstein, hired Laquila because they came in with the lowest bid. Laquila President, Dino Tomasetti Sr., plead not guilty to bribing union officials in 2004. Allegations from the Peter Gotti trial said that Laquila made regular payments to the New York’s Colombo and Gambino families. New York Post writer, Steve Cuozzo*, said that business leaders were concerned that Lower Manhattan wouldn’t survive as a viable business district if it took as long as Columbus Circle did to develop. Anyone who remembers the vacuous Columbus Circle area might agree with that. At one time, Larry Silverstein* hoped to top off the steel framework of the Freedom Tower on September 11th 2006. Ba-hahaha! Silverstein meant well, but who knew this reconstruction would drag along for so long? And it was stated that most people were not educated about nor understood the delicate foundation work that needed to be done at the WTC site, and would take anything between two to three years, before anything substantial could be built there. The underground work lagged due to battles between Silverstein and the Port Autrhoriy over engineering, cost and safety issues. Seven WTC* progressed nicely even so. The fifty-two-story structure boasts reinforced walls, air filters guarding against biological attacks and smoke, space- age button-less elevators activated by a chip the passenger is given upon entrance, a two foot thick core protecting elevators, stairwells and the power conduit against attack and fire, and a 15,000-square-foot park on the outside. American Express was Silverstein’s first tenant, taking a fifteen-year lease at $50 dollars per square foot. The Deutsche Bank Building at 130 Liberty Street*, which was heavily damage in the collapses, originally had a planned demolition date for J anuary 2005. But it was still up in 2007. The idea was to strip the interior, clean it and remove it piece by piece by crane, but the EPA was refusing requests by officials to police the demolition so 473 474 as to not poison Lower Manhattan with hazardous dust. The EPA originally agreed to work with eight different agencies on the matter, but then backtracked. After safety issues for the Freedom Tower were cited by NYPD counter- terrorism experts, Governor Pataki sent the plans back to the drawing board* in May 2005. One concern was over the tower being located only twenty-five feet from West Street, so it was pushed back. The new Freedom Tower* design, by David Childs, featured an eighty-foot concrete wall at its 200 x 200 ft. base (the same dimensions as the Twin Towers), and an octagon base turning into a perfect square at its top. The roof, minus the spire, will be 1,362 feet high, the same height as the South Tower. The new design was almost nothing like Libeskind's original. Eyebrows were raised over Childs’ design though. It seemed that it resembled a never-realized plan for the Philadelphia Comcast Center back in 2001 by New York architect Robert A.M. Stern*, Dean of Yale's architecture school. Stern said that he was aware of the resemblance and that he was both surprised and flattered. Yet some Stern staffers said that he hit the roof when he learned of the potential appropriation. Stern's original design began as a square base then rose into an octagon shape just like the new Freedom Tower. At the time, aides said Stern was livid about the situation. The fitting title of the New York Post article was titled "Built of 'Steal.'" And Massachusetts architect, Thomas Shine, sued Childs for copyright infringemnet over a design he submitted to Childs in 1999 while he was still an architecture student. This was the perfect time and opportunity to let Donald Trump to get involved in the reconstruction and we may have missed out on something significant. I thought at the time that if Stern sued Childs also, things might change. But it didn’t appear so. A computer graphic of the “Hode-Podge,” the new WTC design*, was released in September 2006. The surrounding buildings, designed by architects Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Fumihiko Maki, looked somewhat futuristic and all shiny and new, with at least one looking "artistic," yet they also looked incongruent, ugly, mishapen, lackluster and devoid of concept. Building at the WTC site was scheduled to be complet by 2012---or when pigs fly. A controversy erupted over plans to put a cultural museum titled the “International Frreedom Center*” (IFC) in the Freedom Tower. Fears arose that the cultural center would become a mish-mash of political correctness and would host a debate-like climnate open to different reasonings as to why 3,000 people were executed there. This prompted Governor Pataki to demand in writing that the institution would resopect the sanctity of the site. A tumult of criticism from 9-11 families feared that the IFC would focus on America's errors like slavery and treatment of American Indians. It was also learned that another cultural center planned for the site, SoHo's "Drawing Center," had once showcased anti-war on terror and anti-Bush art. The Norwegian architectural firm, Snohetta*, was contracted to build the 250,000 square-foot cultural center, which would be above ground as to allow access to The Memorial. It would also feature a crystaline facade to utilize natural light. Architect Frank Gehry was tapped to design the Performing Arts Center. Santiago Calatrava was to design the new PATH Station with a movable roof to be retracted every Spetember 11th. Until The Memorial was built, people were directed to the World Trade Center Visitor's Center titled "Tribute WTC," located at 120 Liberty Street right next to 474 475 FDNY 10/10's headquarters. There, large numbers of tourists studied the images and memories of 9-11. A recording booth called the “StoryCorps*” also opened up in the PATH Station under the World Trade Center site, whose purpose was to record up to forty-minute archives of 9-11 survivors and family members. Without such medias as these, Governor Pataki feared that the only temporary memories visitors would have access to, would've been the peddler's photographs. Guided tours* of the World Trade Center site began in November 2005, and were led by trained volunteers. The Sphere*, a large bronze orb, was the original sculpture by Fritz Koenig titled World Peace (1971) that sat in the World Trade Center Plaza in the middle of a fountain. I believe water poured out of the top too. The sphere survived the collpases, but it was significantly damaged, yet put on display in Battery Park, where it was installed on 3-11-02. It was expected to be moved to Greenwich and Fulton Streets in the future. An eternal gas flame was ignited in Battery Park in front of the sphere on 9-11-02. Double Check* was the name for the iconic bronze statue by artist Seward J ohnson that sat for years on a bench in Liberty Plaza across from the WTC. It was an eery survivor on 9-11, sitting amongst the collapsed debris and dust. In the subsequent months, Double Check was decked out in a FBI hardhat, crucifixes, a firehose, flowers, flags, candles and a message taped to its briefcase reading: "In Memory of those who gave their lives to try and save so many." This was done by rescue and cleanup workers. These momentos were recreated in bronze for a new twin cast of Double Check, to be installed in Liberty State Park in J ersey City, New J ersey The original statue was given a gray coating to appear as it did on 9-11, and will be returned to Liberty Plaza. Part of an area named "The Survivor's Staircase*" still stood as late as 2006. The stairs, which were part of the North Tower or the 6 WTC area, led to Vesey Street. Slated demolition of the stairs caused an uproar from victim’s family members and activists, including a coalition of historic preservationist groups who called on WTC developer Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority to preserve them. The groups complained that the plans of architect Norman Foster looked as if the steps had already been destroyed. The miraculous WTC "steel cross"---the broken sections of perpendicular I-beams left to resemble a Christian cross, complete with a section of sheet metal hanging off one end almost resembling the garment of Christ---was eventually relocated from the WTC site close to Church Street and moved one block up and installed on the property of the Catholic Church of St. Peter on Barclay Street. The cross faced Church Street though and depicts several inscriptions made by first responders at the site, some still legible. These scrawlings seemed to pay tribute to fallen firefighters and police officers. Relatives of 9-11 victims and first responders were invited to sign the first thirty-ton (also reported as 53.5 tons) steal I-beams* to be used in the construction of the Freedom Tower. The beams were displayed in BPC on 12-17-06, between 10 A.M. and noon for victim’s relatives to sign, and from noon to 3 P.M. for the general public. The names* of 9-11 victims were to be arranged randomly above the pool over the tower print where they perished. The names at the North Pool will include two categories: one for those who worked in or were visiting the North Tower; and those who allegedly died aboard AA Flight 11, totaling 1,518 names. The South Pool will include eight categories: those who worked in or were visiting the South Tower; alledged victims 475 476 of UA Flight 175; those aboard UA Flight 93; those aboard AA Flight 77; those killed at the Pentagon; victims of the 1993 WTC bombing; emergency first responders; and those who died in unknown locations, all totaling 1,461 names. First responder's names will be grouped by command, precinct or company, but not include rank. The debate over whether first responder’s names should be seperate from the other victims inevitably fueled the split. Mayor Bloomberg said that he had spent much time listening to differing views on the topic and realized that there was no right answer. Nevertheless, he said it was just time to move forward. I had mixed feelings on this issue. On one hand, I respect the line between "hero and victim," yet in death, we are all equal. This damn site again seemed to defy ingenuity like a pit full of questions. The ironic thing about the WTC site is that even though groundbreaking and construction lagged, it was reported in 2006 that the Downtown Manhhatan neighborhood was actually seeing quite a resurgence*, with the number of residents doubling. Whouda' thought? In recent history, the neighborhood wasn't really thought of as a huge residential option, or resdientially friendly for that matter, remaining somewhat blighted even up until the late 1990's. Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, Dan Doctoroff*, said that none of the various development projects across NYC would ever have taken place without the fall of the Twin Towers and the city would never have had the resources or will to invest in Lower Manhattan the way they were. Doctoroff also said that back in 2001, a walk in any direction from the Trade Center would end in blighted. Ironically, it seemd like he was thanking the bombers by default even though he was right. It was a bit of a no-mans land there, especially at night. I wouldn't be excited about living in the WTC neighborhood even now. It has and always had, a dead, hollow feel to it. I’m not sure why. New Yorkers are actually very superstitious people and keen to these “vibes” about certain neighborhoods. In some cases, the reasons for these impressions might be what went on in a neighborhood long ago, and not necessarily how it is now, in regards to these mysterious vibes. And you might want to forget about inviting your erudite New York friends to some function in WTC area. You might as well be inviting them to another city, what with the giving of directions like it wasn't located in the same county, and the "You mean down there-s?" of their reactions. But if that's not your bag anyhow, and you don't mind spending a fortune on rent or dealing with potential residual ghosts of 9-11 (which to my knowledge has never been characterized yet), go for it. *Daily News: "Ghosts of 9/11 shadow Pit," 11-12-06. *130 Liberty Street: New York Post, “Demolition dust storm.” 12-26-04. *"Reflecting Absence": New York Post, “Memorial features a 300-tree ‘forest,’” 12-17-04 & "Price Is Right," 6-21-06. *Sheldon Silver: New York Post, “Crack The Whip; Fed-up pols want action on WTC now,” 4-8-05. *Donald Trump: New York Post, “Rebuild The Towers,” 4-7-05. *Explosions: New York Post, "TNT blast is due at WTC site," 6-8-06. *Steve Cuozzo, Larry Silverstein, Santiago Calatrava: New York Post, “Ground Zero: Ground to a Halt,” 4-7-05. *The Sphere: Daily News, "WTC museum not ant-U.S., boss vows." *Double Check: Daily News, "WTC biz guy gets a double," 6-17-05. *Seven WTC: Daily News, “Silverstein boasts of 7 WTC safety,” 4-22-05 / New York Post, “Building at WTC is glad to take American Express.” *NYPD: Daily News, “Tower warning is year old, NYPD says,” 5-2-05. *Unpractical: Libeskind’s master plan, “Memory Foundations,” included a 70-foot pit and a “Wedge of Light.” 476 477 *Eminent domain: NY1 News, 5-2-05. *Trump: New York Post, “Trump: Build ‘twins,’” 5-6-05 / Daily News, "Trump twin tower plea," 5-18-05. *Drawing board: The New York Times, “Delay at Ground Zero, Bad Timing for Pataki,” 5-6-05 / New York Post, "Tower Terror Fears," 4-26-05. *Daniel Libeskind: New York Post, "Egghead in Trump's face," 5-18-05. *Balloon: Associated Press, "WTC bigs' balloon with a view." *“Freedom Center”: New York Post, “Freedom Ctr. Is Zeroed Out,” 9-29-05. *Silverstein: New York Post, "Larry finally takes Ground Zero deal," 4-26-06. *New Design: New York Post, "Towers Bloom," 9-8-06. *"Mini-forest": The New York Times, "This Star Search Hunts for Trees Worthy of Memorial," 11-19-06. *Resurgence: New York Post, "Reborn as Gotham's hottest 'hood." *Dan Doctoroff: New York magazine. *"Survivor's Staircase": Daily News, "Survivors Staircase future draws doubts," 10-21-06. *Waterfalls: New York Post, "Big chill hits plan for WTC waterfall," 12-15-05 & "Year-round fountains at WTC," 1- 12-06. *Laquila Construction: Daily News, "Ground Zero mob tie?" 6-21-06. *Improved: New York Post Op Ed, "Ground Zero's Promise," 5-19-05. *Model: New York Post, "It's two much Trump," 5-19-05. *Memorial: New York Post, "Price Is Right," 6-21-06. *Nicole Gelinas: New York Post, "Trump & the Towers," 5-12-05. *International Freedom Center: Daily News, "WTC museum not anti-U.S., boss vows." *Snohetta: Daily News, "Cultural center a 'bridge' to WTC site," 5-20-05. *New Freedom Tower: Daily News, "A New Face For Freedom," 6-30-05. *StoryCorps: NY Daily News, “Voicing pain of 9/11” & “Voices tell tales of 9/11,” 7-13-05 / New York Post, "Temporary 'Tribute,'" 6-17-05. *Tours: Daily News, "Soon, guided tours of Ground Zero," 6-17-05. *The names: New York Post, "WTC Honor Roll," 12-06. *Robert A.M. Stern: New York Post, "Built Of 'Steal,'" 7-1-05. *Steal beams: New York Post, "Leave a mark on WTC," 12-16-06 / Daily News, "9/11 kin, friends etch notes on tower beam," 12-18-06. +1: The new design for the World Trade Center got rave reviews from terrorists who would like to knock it down. Someone going by the name 'Garib,' said on a terrorist website, al-Hesbah, called the new design, "Beautiful. When they finish it...we will come again to destroy it on their heads." 'Tabarak Allah' wrote, "It is also expected to be completely destroyed Allah willing, by September 2013"---Daily News, "Wackos taunt the new towers," 9-9-06. +2: Gretchen Dykstra, President and CEO of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, announced her resignation amid complaints of her lackluster fundraising. The position paid a whopping $350,000 dollars a year! Other sources said Dykstra was forced out because of her slow pace. At the time, the Foundation had raised $131 million of the promised $300 million. Counsel to the Foundation, J oe Daniels, was appointed in Dykstra's place---New York Post, "WTC memorial big out on her asset$," 5-27-06. +3: Some 9-11 activists were infuriated by the decision to include a massive 600,000 sqaure-foot retail center in the new WTC. Some called it a "bait and switch," due that as many as 10,000 visitors a day could be turned away at The Memorial---New York Post, "9/11 kin rips WTC bigs for mall gall." +4: The large high-strength steal beams for the Freedom Tower were being forged at Arcelor mill in Luxemborg, because no foundries in the U.S. made beams of that size---New York Post, "Hot metal for WTC rolls out," 7-28-06. +5: I'm reminded of another fact about the World Trade Center pre-9-11, one that made me both nostalgic and sad. In the summer of 2001 (or as early as 2000) in front of the WTC plaza at Church Street, I recall these huge cut or cast stone letters set in place where visitors used to climb ontop of and pose for pictures in front of. Ironically, I think they spelled "PEACE" or "WORLD PEACE." The installation may have served as a truck bomb barracade as well. +6: A Port Authority chief said in September 2006 that he'd rather "Flight Than Switch." Chairman Anthony Coscia said he'd rather resign than force his employees to go to work in the new 1,776-foot FreedomTower. He stated that his employees were subjected to attack twice and he would not ask them to move into the new tower. I guess I can't really blame him---New York Post, "P.A. Chief Sour On New Tower," 9-19-06. +7: A picture I once took at the WTC site post-9-11 produced these strange white “orbs” that some in the paranormal fields say represent spirits. They are often photographed in cemeteries also. 477 478 Still Alive? Some of the 9-11 airline passengers could still be living happy, healthy, even productive lives somewhere as members of a small, closely-gaurded "mini"-society. Hold onto your tin hats folks, because some of the passengers aboard the so-called "hijacked planes" on 9-11 (AA 11, UA 175, AA 77, UA 93 etc.?) may still be alive. That's right, because if what hit the targets on 9-11 weren't what we were told they were, then we got a mystery on our hands. What happened to these people? I do not believe the official stories about what happened to the passengers on the four main flights (possibly more), and I am not out to grieve any victim's relatives here---quite the opposite. I actually hope this short chapter might even provide 9-11 victim’s relatives some slight comfort as to their loss. It is intended to be a positive what if? I also ask can the authorities boast this? Has our elected officials or our media given anyone any real comfort about their losses on 9-11? Has the 9-11 Commission or The 9-11 Report given concrete answers or given anyone any real closure? I think not. The official 9-11 investigation was softballed, bungled, redacted, covered up, culpability was avoided etc. It was no consolation. I was the first to theorize this possibility in the unique way that I am presenting it here. There may be an outside chance that some of the plane passengers are still alive. I DO believe 9-11 was partially an inside job and that a shell game was in place that day. This would’ve meant that the facilitators of 9-11 would've been dealing with "American" passengers on 9-11. Some may say what they will about the unbridled evil of the Architects of 9-11 or speculate about the involvement of a foreign government, but at the end of the day, most of the grunt work would still have had to 478 479 been carried out by Americans also. And Americans don't like to kill Americans, especially innocent ones. I cite the woman at Newark International who only had her fingernail ripped out on 9-11. Several others there that morning were not so lucky. I’m not saying that Agents of 9-11 were choirboys or a murderous bunch. I am just trying to find that fine line between redeemable American and globalist killer. I believe that Americans, no matter how bad, still have some capacity to be reasonable, to be compassionate, and so that is why I have a hard time buying the scenario of "executed passengers." The ones killed in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon was a different scenario; call it collateral, it was more impersonal. But the airline civilians only mistake that day was boarding the wrong planes, and although these treasonous agents might have suspended these passenger’s rights and the U.S. Constitution entirely that day, the sliver of hope might be that the flyers at least "got to live," which at least is better than nothing. I didn't like the other scenario a bit: taking passengers off the planes and basically lining them up against a wall and machine-gunning them. I don’t buy that. Furthermore, since evidence suggests that I am right about 9-11 as a false flag operation and a shell game in regards to the planes, this is why I lean more towards asylum. Moreover, enough evidence and accounts existed, giving way to the hypothesis that the so-called hijackers were still alive post-9-11, so why not the passengers? Some might scream, "Well what about the DNA, personal effects, phone calls etc?!"; and DNA was recently allegedly identified as to belonging to one of the passenegers aboard AA Flight 11. To this I would say: “What about it?” Remember, the alleged hijacker's DNA profile was provided by the FBI by genetic "profiles" or "K- codes." This is not sound DNA evidence and the FBI will not say how they obtained this. DNA can be easily moved, planted and purported to be anything as well. Voices can be digitally sampled and phone conversations constructed. On 9-11 everything was suspect, everything potentially reprobate. When I said the passengers might still be alive, I meant it. Although, I am also saying that they might not be the same persons they were before 9-11. The technology does exist to completely wipe out a person's personality and memory and reprogram them, or "download" another personality. It's just a question of to what degree the programming is successful, or if an individual "breaks" his or her programming, and is it time/cost effective? The 9-11 plane passengers could be living happy, healthy, even productive lives as members of a small, closely controlled, “mini-society.” Perhaps this could be somewhere in another part of the world, or within a strictly enforced private environment within the U.S. borders. There are areas in the United States that are desolate enough to deal with a few hundred people. And there are entire cities underground built by the government dedicated to research, like Area 51, or dedicated to the "continuity of government." These people could exist in one of these places as a support group for these facilities. There, they may be permitted to live out their years in a productive, happy manner with none of the painful memories associated with 9-11 to hinder them. A further theory is that if anyone had friends or family members who went missing on 9-11-01, and who had boarded commercial aircraft other than the four principal hijacked flights that the media told us of, then they may be living among those mentioned above in one of these controlled environments. J ust as one example, it was discovered that the CIA runs secret prisons, or "black sites," worldwide where, as one ex-intelligence agent put it, "...you pick people up, 479 480 send them into a netherworld …” There is your example: a netherworld; a world where you no longer exist to the greater society. If luck and providence would have it, perhaps one day one of these 9-11 survivors will be recognized somewhere or break their programming and escape? Or perhaps an errant traveler may recognize someone in another country? Or even still, the black op handlers could become so overburdened by other priorities that they abandon the captives altogether. One can only hope. THESE PEOPLE COULD STILL BE ALIVE. 480 481 The End of the Beginning September -Earth Wind and Fire Rudy Giuliani said on the 9-11-03 anniversary, he thought that people were forgetting about 9-11 too fast. I agreed. I don't want to forget 9-11. Even though I was not there on 9-11, part of me is still at the Trade Center and will always be. Someday maybe truth will pierce a seemingly impenetrable dark shield of layered lies, and we will be figuratively reunited with the lost ones through the catharsis of the revelation. There was an ending there (World Trade Center), an ending that was to be a beginning. And now because of the destruction, there is a new beginning that I'm not sure if I can fully endorse. Was a future really born there after 9-11? For some there was, others not so. For some it was stillborn. Even so, life goes on I know that, but does that predestine the future of a burial ground? No way. Can you rebuild what was lost at Church & Vesey Streets and act as if nothing ever happened? Can a burial ground be transformed into a vertical strip mall? Is renewal a testament to the strength of the human spirit, or just the naïve` prattle of childlike wishful thinking? Some may argue that it's not a reconstruction anymore, but a re-creation, a re-creation of something entirely different. Yet it’s still built on a debris field of ghosts. Can they build condos on Gettysburgh? I for one will still gaze at that same Manhattan skyline, not seeing what might be there in the future, but missing what is gone from there. I’ll feel, along with many others, the time sickness that eulogizes what is lost, leading to the question of “why?” This time sickness inevitably leads to memories when everything was 481 482 summertime in New York, hot sunny days with carefree faces, music blaring in the streets, children frolicking in the fountains all a spray. No such things as terrorism. The Trade Center stood above it all like a father figure. People are dead from there now. Live people are dead from there too. I used to see them sometimes; a bit older, grizzled, time worn, time sick. But I don't recognize anyone there anymore. That pains me even more. It's different now. I was in some ways eviscerated by 9-11. But I'm still alive and have rebounded. Yet I’m different. I don't like it. If I can't completely understand my own relationship to 9-11, how could I ever the victim’s families? Could you imagine the enormity of 9-11 being also connected to the loss of a mother, father, daughter, son, sister, or brother? The scope of pain would be beyond the words or skills of this writer. We all want for loved ones a quick and painless exit from this life because we feel that's what they deserve. We would never want their final moments to be consumed in fear, torment or suffering. Personally, I was always haunted by fact that some in the Twin Towers had to jump. No more hours, days, plans, decisions, dinners, dreams, nights out, time with friends, fruits of their labor, long weekends, parks, birthdays, weddings, kids etc., etc. Instead, just a few final thoughts or prayers or last- minute phone calls to loved ones or friends, then a last-ditch plunge into eternity; this, in exchange for the hell in which they were trapped. Although in their humanness, they couldn't have possibly fully comprehended a leap into oblivion. For some of us, they're still falling in the gray saturnine skies of our minds. For God's sake, somebody catch them. Someone told me he had heard that witnesses at the Trade Center reported that whole troupes of FDNY Firemen were singing Irish songs in chorus as they marched off into the World Trade Center to die. "People said it was the greatest feeling in the world to hear and see those guys coming to the rescue." "Really?" my ears perked up. "What song were they singing?" "I dunno, somebody said they heard Brennan On The Moor," he said, shaking his head with a little smile and adding, "they must've known they were gonna' die." He said that last part with a little laugh, layering it over the grief of his loss. He said it as if to say that at least those men weren't going in blind. They knew what they were up against. And they knew they might not be coming back. I imagined bagpipes. I can almost imagine bagpipes. Brennan On The Moor Tis of a brave young highwayman this story I will tell His name was Willie Brennan and in Ireland he did dwell It was on the Kilwood Mountain he commenced his wild career And many a wealthy nobleman before him shook with fear Brennan on the moor, Brennan on the moor Bold, brave undaunted was young Brennan on the moor One day upon the highway as Willie he went down He met the mayor of Cashel a mile outside of town The mayor he knew his features and he said, Young man, said he 482 483 Your name is Willie Brennan, you must come along with me Brennan on the moor, Brennan on the moor Bold, brave undaunted was young Brennan on the moor Now Brennan's wife had gone to town provisions for to buy And when she saw her Willie she commenced to weep and cry Said, Hand to me that tenpenny, as soon as Willie spoke She handed him a blunderbuss from underneath her cloak Brennan on the moor, Brennan on the moor Bold, brave undaunted was young Brennan on the moor Now with this loaded blunderbuss - the truth I will unfold - He made the mayor tremble and he robbed him of his gold One hundred pounds was offered for his apprehension there So he, with horse and saddle to the mountains did repair Brennan on the moor, Brennan on the moor Bold, brave undaunted was young Brennan on the moor Now Brennan being an outlaw upon the mountains high With cavalry and infantry to take him they did try He laughed at them with scorn until at last 'twas said By a false-hearted woman he was cruelly betrayed It was Brennan on the moor, Brennan on the moor Bold, brave undaunted was young Brennan on the moor For some of us, the heroes will forever be rushing into the burning towers. They're rushing into the burning towers. THEY'RE RUSHING INTO THE BURNING TOWERS. 483