Wednesday, September 13, 2006

When In Doubt: 9/11


It'll haunt me to the day I die. I have only told a small handful of people this story for the obvious reason: I scarcely believed it myself; Why would I expect anyone else to? But since I do have one eyewitness, I'll relate it to you.

On the night of September 9, 2001, I gave my brother-in-law, Bob Borski, a ride from Goshen NY, where he was visiting his daughter, Olivia, to his apartment in Brooklyn. At exactly 10:30 PM, we drove right by the World Trade Center. I used to live in New York City in the eighties and had been down there many times since. But this was the first time I had been that far down town at night in well over ten years. I remember thinking that I had forgotten how beautiful it looked, up close, illuminating the Manhattan night. As I looked up at it through the sun roof, I related to Bob my fear of another terrorist attack. I speculated that two or three privately owned DC 10 air crafts, their aisles filled with 55 gallon drums of gasoline, would take one or both of those towers down in a matter of minutes (I never, for the life of me, even considered hijacked passenger planes). While Bob was open to the possibility of the means he was, for good reasons, skeptical as to the ends:

"Those buildings are pretty sturdy, Tom".
"I don't know, Bob", I said, "Enough fuel would melt that steel skeleton like butter".

Two days later, on the morning of September 11th, when my sister, Carol, woke me up out of a sound sleep with the news that a plane had crashed into the Twin Towers, I knew at that instant that it was terrorism.

"I don't think that anyone could have foreseen planes flying into these buildings".
Condoleeza Rice

Full disclosure: I dropped out of High School.

What can possibly be said of a politician cynical enough to exploit, for purely selfish, partisan reasons, what is undoubtedly the most devastating national trauma in almost a century and a half? George W. Bush's address tho the nation on the evening of the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was the last, desperate attempt of a sick and desperate man who knows he's on his way down. As mind-bendingly stupid as the president of the United States is, he at least has the wit to know that if the democrats retake the House and the Senate in 2007, he will be remembered not only as the first chief executive in the history of the republic to be forcibly removed from office, but the first one to go to federal prison. Yeah, you'd be just a tad desperate too, wouldn't you?

Here is the challenge to all of us: In the next seven weeks Karl Rove's White House spin machine will do everything humanly possible to frighten the electorate into staying with the GOP. Count on it: In the days leading up to the elections, the "Terror Alert" will be sounded from all corners of the executive branch of your government. The big question is: Will the American people be foolish enough to fall for it? Given their past behavior (electing this moron to begin with, for instance) I'm not optimistic. And yet lately I've been seeing encouraging signs that enough of them to make the electoral difference are beginning to wake up.

They will try to tell you that those who refuse to support the atrocious policies of this corrupt administration are less than patriotic. They will try to make you believe that when you question the motives of the key players in the obscenity that we, as taxpayers, are now funding against the children of Iraq, you are, in effect, aiding and abetting the terrorists. They are exploiting the grief and fear many of us still feel, on a daily basis, five years later. We can't let them get away with it. I know it's almost too depressing to contemplate the fact that the democrats are our best hope but that is the ugly reality we have to face. 2006 and 2008 will not be years to foolishly experiment with third party candidacies - trust me on this one, kiddies! Don't come back with Ralph Nader's tired line that the two major parties are nothing more than Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee (Sorry, Ralph. I think you're great but it's time for a little tough love here). Comparing the republicans and the democrats is like comparing cyanide with alcohol; While both may be poisonous, one form is definitely preferable to the other.

Which reminds me, I need a drink.

The November mid-term election will be the most important in our lifetime. If there ever was a time for an informed and and angry populace to rise up and take a stand on the deplorable mess their country has gotten itself into, this is that time. Heaven help the American people if they're stupid enough to fall for the GOP's propaganda blitz. They'll deserve everything that happens to them.

The line it is drawn
The torch it is passed
The slow one now will later be fast
As the present now will later be past
The order is rapidly fading
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a'changin'

Bob Dylan 1963

Pray for peace.

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
tomdegan@frontiernet.net

24 Comments:

At 1:11 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

And have you noticed through a strange coinincidence how the price of gasoline has been dropping the last few weeks, and how it's "forecast" to continue dropping -- my guess is right up to the first Tuesday in November. And it comes along with an annnouncement of a "vast" oil field find located in the Gulf of Mexico. This is no concidence but a calculated move by the oil industry who needs continued backing by a certain oil-friendly administration. America, wake up and smell the coffee, and offer "no thanks" on the kool-aid!

 
At 7:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

That prediction you made was pretty amazing. It was pure intuition at work, something we should all try to develop in ourselves as it seems to be totally lacking in our elected leaders. It probably was a good thing you didn't tell too many people. Have you seen the movie "Hearts in Atlantis" (Stephen King)? The Feds are hunting down a man who has the ability to make predictions in mysterious ways and the powers that be want to harness it for their purposes. You might even have been accused of being a conspirator since you seemed to know it was going to happen!

Things are getting to the point where we may have to speak softly about what we think if it goes against the wishes of this government, or risk being accused of nasty things - like being a traitor or a terrorist. If the Democrats are going to win a presidential election they've got to become more eloquent and rational to convince people to see some truth. For years as a Republican I wouldn't listen to liberals and Democrats because they seemed so emotional and irrational and whiney.I just never met anyone with an opposing point of view who made any sense (please congratulate yourself). I just hope there are enough other people out there like me who are ready for a change of view, who will do so before it is too late.

 
At 7:53 PM, Blogger stoney13 said...

Tom,

Great post! I REALLY liked the bit about Ralph Nader! He's the one to blame for Bush being in there TWICE!!! If the votes for the Green party had gone for Gore, or Kerry, we wouldn't have Bush now!

Bullderm,

Yep! You called it! I've thought that this high priced gasoline was just a little too convenient for Big Oil! After all, if THEY were paying high prices for crude oil, and merely sending the price increases down the line, their profits would have stayed the same. That didn't happen! Their profits went through the roof! That PROVES they were getting fat while the rest of us starved!

And by the way! That "Vast oil field"? It won't be producing untill 2010! So why are the prices going down now? Hmmmmmmm???!!!!!

Fearless Flower,

Take heart sister! When you get kicked in the teeth long enough, you learn to bite their fucking feet! It took long enough for the Democrats to figure it out, but I kinda think they finally got it!

Everybody, and the world at large,

If I may be so forward, check out "http://stoneysrage.blogspot.com", and see what happens when you drink six shots of expresso while watching to a Bush speach from the DVR!!!

 
At 9:42 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Faux News is already yapping and yammering about third parties, so watch for Diebolt to shunt (non GoP) votes to third party candidates. Also expect to see gas prices to keep falling, here in se Kansas it is down to 2.45.9 but will probably jump to the 5.oo a gallon we have been brainwashed to expect ever since this corrupt greedy bunch stole an election

 
At 1:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tom: I disagree that our Dear President is "mind-bendingly stupid" or a "moron," as you put it in your post. Rather, he is an ignoramous - profoundly ignorant, but not necessarily dumb. After all, he did manage to graduate from the Harvard Business School, which is a pretty tough place to get through. Have you read Jacob Weisberg's piece, "The Misunderestimated Man: How Bush Chose Stupidity" in Slate? Check it out:
http://www.slate.com/id/2143250/

 
At 4:25 PM, Blogger Tom Degan said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

 
At 4:32 PM, Blogger Tom Degan said...

I don't know, Lenny. I've often speculated that the silly bastard had someone take his tests for him. Maybe he was a graduate of the Harvard Buisness School but he obviously didn't learn a damned thing. How else can we explain the fact that EVERY buisness venture he got involved in post-Harvard turned into a disaster? I suspect it's relatively easy for even a half-witted frat boy to graduate from Harvard if they're a "legacy"; The grandson of Senator Prescott Bush or the son of Congressman George Herbert Walker Bush.
Just a thought.
All the best,
Tom Degan

 
At 5:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You can rant as much as you want or call the President whatever name you want. As long as you don’t carry out any actions, you will be fine. This is where US government is smarter than other countries where you don’t even dare to express your opposite viewpoints in public. US appears to be humane only when we just vent out without real actions.

 
At 5:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

If half wit frat graduated from Yale with a BS in History (in this case BS doesn't necessarily stand for Bachelor of Science) without learning any history he could just as well graduate from Harvard with an MBA because he damn sure didn't learn any business, witness the 3 oil businesses he ran in the ground, not to mention the US Treasury.Saw where Govenor Richardson died of cancer, great loss.

 
At 10:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

If it’s helpful to the country to debate GWB is "mind-bendingly stupid ‘ or ’ profoundly ignorant,’ then we should continue to have the constructive discussion; otherwise, it’s probably better to focus on the ‘damage control’ –to salvage what has been ruined by GWB.

 
At 7:57 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tom, I understand your third party warning, however I don't think I'll be voting for Hillary 'Lieberman'.

 
At 10:32 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am delighted to learn that I am not alone in my thoughts about Bush. I want to see him impeached. I do not however buy the story of the WTC towers coming down because of fire. I have a few questions: Why would the president and vice president NOT want an investigation in the worst disater ever in this country? Why won't the government release the air traffic control audio tapes of pilot/controller conversations form takeoff until the planes were hijacked? Why were those plane crash investgations so secret? I believe planes were used to distract us from the controlled demolition of the WTC. I will not even elaborate on the documentary Loose Change. I like you blog but I will not believe the gasoline story. One party stinks and the other one smells bad. I will do my duty to vote out republicans.

 
At 10:36 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am delighted to learn that I am not alone in my thoughts about Bush. I want to see him impeached. I do not however buy the story of the WTC towers coming down because of fire. I have a few questions: Why would the president and vice president NOT want an investigation in the worst disater ever in this country? Why won't the government release the air traffic control audio tapes of pilot/controller conversations from takeoff until the planes were hijacked? Why were those plane crash investigations so secret? I believe planes were used to distract us from the controlled demolition of the WTC. I will not even elaborate on the documentary Loose Change. I like you blog but I will not believe the gasoline story. One party stinks and the other one smells bad. I will do my duty to vote out republicans.

 
At 10:40 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

sorry the second post was a correction.I hope only one is posted.By the way I learned of you from your CSPAN plug.

 
At 10:43 AM, Blogger Tom Degan said...

No problem, friend. The more the merrier! It's nice to know that there are people out there watching C-SPAN. Every time I think about unplugging my cable, my actions are always te,pered by the thought, "Just what the hell am I going to do without C-SPAN"??
Cheers!
Tom Degan

 
At 11:31 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would have been happy to login and pick a member name and all that...but the stuff you have to read and agree to...jeeze...i just don't have time right now. So, perhaps at a later time. My name is Deb, nice to meet you Tom.

I also heard you on C-span. I watch Washington Journal almost everyday.

I agree with you on most things, but not that jet fuel brought down those towers. That I do not buy. The top of one of the towers was leaning so far over before the building fell that it seems to defy logic and physics to believe that the top, hanging over like it was, suddenly and with seemingly no reason, straightened itself back in an upright position and fell straight down. Now, if there were secondary explosions underneath it, that would explain how that could happen.

It would be easier to explain if we were looking at the film together in slow motion, but I'm trying to explain it best as I can.

If jet fuel melted the steel and brought down the buildings, then how could the second building hit be the first one to fall? What that says to ME, is it was NOT the jet fuel that caused the collapse. And, on top of that, when the second plane hit that building, much of the jet fuel (much more than with the first plane) exploded on the outside of the building in a huge fireball. If there was less jet fuel in that building, how did it fall first? And how in the world could jet fuel melt steel (assuming it could melt steel) evenly enough through all the steel columns so as to bring the building straight down? That's what I cannot wrap my brain around. Not one, not two, but three buildings that day fell straight down into their own footprint. And Building 7, as you know, was never hit by a plane...thus no jet fuel theory there.

In addition to all of this, how did jet fuel cause the incredibly hot smoldering fires that burned for weeks at ground zero?

AND,

how did jet fuel melting steel cause the concrete and everything else be turned to fine dust? Why did the rescue workers report that everything except paper was turned to a fine dust. A worker said there were NO desks or phones or computers or anything recognizable (other than paper)on the ground. Everything was turned to dust. How did either the fire or the collapse do that? Explosives are the only thing I know of that could turn all that hard stuff, including concrete, into a fine dust.

If the jet fuel melted steel beams and caused structural weakening, it would have caused toppling (not straight down free fall) of the building which means it would have fallen in a haphazardly fashion. The official story says it was a "pancake theory". One floor hits another, the weight is too much for the floor it fell onto, so that floor falls onto the next and so on. Well, it just doesn't seem plausible that it COULD do that at free fall speed. It takes time (a few seconds per floor anyway) for that pancaking to happen.

That's all for now. Look forward to seeing your response...if you feel like it.
Deb

 
At 12:13 PM, Blogger Tom Degan said...

Hey Deb,
Thank you for the post! While I haven't yet totally bought on to the prepared demolition theory, I think there are a number of questions that are screaming to be addressed - like the very ones you posed. While I have yet to be convinced, tothing - an I mean NOTHING - would surprise me at this stage in the game. These murderous bastards are capable of anything. This morning someone, seeing my large IMPEACH BUSH sign on the side of my van handed me a DVD with two documentaries in it. One is about the construction of the twin towers in 1969. The other is called, "Loose Change". He claimed that both would answer alot of questions for me. Maybe. I'm open to all arguments.
All the best,
Tom Degan
tomdegan@frontiernet.net

 
At 1:38 PM, Blogger Bubby said...

Loose Change is an excellent resource on what really happened that day. Also on youtube there is a great selection of videos with lectures given at UW Madison that explain that what they say happened is against the laws of physics. After I listened to both sides I have come to the conclusion that all three buildings were a controlled demolition. BTW I love your posts and blog!!

 
At 1:38 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I hope you are open. I've seen Loose Change and many other films, and their 2nd Edition is the best film, IMO, on the subject. Amy Goodman of "Democracy Now!" just had the makers of that film on her show debating some guys from Popular Mechanics. All her shows are available on line and it's worth seeing. It was on last monday, 9/11.

I like your writing. I do believe that you said what you did on 9/9/01. Why on earth would someone make up something like that...like you said no one would believe it!! That's why I believe you:) Pretty crazy that it actually happened 2 days later...albeit a little differently than you imagined but still, that's freaky!

I'll be back.

take care- Deb

 
At 9:29 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Even if we have a big turn-over, I doubt that Bush will be impeached, or that any of his cabal will ever be imprisoned. I'd like to see it, but wouldn't hold my breath.

More importantly, I'm not sure that we'll see a lot of change. I work with a bunch of average people and only one of them agrees even in part with any of my views, or wants to hear anything that might poison their pious ears.

And if they are average, there's another 150 million or so that must be more mindless than that. If you can't say it in ten words or less, it doesn't sink in, unless it appeals to the basest of instincts.

 
At 11:08 PM, Blogger billie said...

i like the new look.

 
At 3:51 AM, Blogger larkrise said...

Tom, I had a similar experience. I had read Tom Clancy's book about an airline pilot crashing an airliner into the Capitol Building, just a few months before 9/11. I had purchased the book quite some time before I read it, but suddenly decided I should read it. I told my son-in-law, after I read the book that it was not implausible. He disagreed. Only a couple of days before 9/11, I told my husband that someone was going to fly a plane into a government building with a bomb on board someday. I said I just knew this could happen. I couldnt get the thought out of my mind. On 9/11, my husband called from work and told me to turn on the TV. I watched as the Towers came down in real time. I called my oldest daughter and said we were under attack by terrorists. Yet, I didnt feel completely surprised. I had sensed it was coming. Call it intuition, pre-cognition, good guesswork, whatever, some of us could feel an impending disaster. I have had this happen before. Now, if only I could get the lottery numbers right..... Tom Clancy talked to people in the Pentagon after his book came out. They didnt brush him off, but they didnt do any planning for such an event, either.

 
At 6:02 PM, Blogger Lena said...

"If the votes for the Green party had gone for Gore, or Kerry, we wouldn't have Bush now!"
Well, Stoney, I'd like to agree...but IF the Repub. vote counting method were NOT employed, the last 2 election results would not have been what they were. (btw...as long as the election morass continues, I don't know how we'll get free & accurate election results in this country) FUNDING OF ELECTIONS MUST BE PUBLIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
At 9:33 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a bunch of fucking morons you people are. "How can jet fuel melt steel?" Ever hear what the FD says? Never trust a truss! Why did the second building fall first? Did you happen to notice the difference in height where the planes hit, you ignorant slut?
It's a good thing you morons are too stupid to register to vote, otherwise we would become another banana republic. Do me a favor...go on a hunger strike until everybody in the white house is impeached! I'll bet every one of those loser assholes waiting outside the studios and waving at the cameras on Good Morning America are democrats. AREN'T YOU??

 

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