Monday, August 14, 2006

Debunking 9/11 Myths

I read the new Popular Mechanics Debunking 9/11 Myths book over the weekend. It is pretty good. My biggest complaint is that it isn't very long, only about 200 pages. It doesn't unveil anything stunning, but it is well researched and provides an indepth analysis of certain areas. There are over 300 experts listed in the appendix, although they are strangely missing any theology or philosophy professors.

Speaking of which, the release of this book is obviously worrying some people, since Jim Fetzer is attacking it, without having read it, just like he did to the website 9/11 Myths. I guess this is what they call the "scientific method". Here is Fetzer being interviewed by Air America's Mike Newcomb:

Fetzer: I might want to add Mike, that there is a current effort to spread diisinformation. To revising and expanding [sic] a Popular Mechanics piece that appeared some time ago. It’s been thoroughly taken apart, dismantled by several studies on our website. But the point I want to make is this. Popular Mechanics was taken over, and the main researcher on Popular Mechanics debunking of 9/11 research was done by Benjamin Chertoff who is the cousin of Michael Chertoff our Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Which means that, you know, this guy who is deeply committed obviously to the government’s account. Michael Chertoff, I can’t understand has a joint citizenship, both Israeli and American. Why we would have someone in a vital position like that who has an obvious conflict of interest is beyond me.

Mike: Well…

Fetzer: This Popular Mechanic’s piece is nice disinformation, you can find it taken apart on ST911.org.

Mike: Beautiful
Speaking of disinformation. For the umpteenth time, Michael Chertoff and Benjamin Chertoff are not known to be related. The only basis to make this claim this is an interview in that scholarly source, the neo-Nazi propaganda rag the American Free Press. The editors at Popular Mechanics are obviously annoyed by this, because they mention it in the book, from page 102:

Soon after the Popular Mechanics report appeared, conspiracy buffs began parsing the names of the various researchers who contributed to the article, noting the odd coincidence that Benjamin Chertoff, then head of the magazine's research department, has the same last name as the then newly appointed head of the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff. In a rare instance of reportorial initiative (most 9/11 "Internet researchers" rarely venture beyond Google), Christopher Bollyn phoned Ben's mother, who volunteered that, yes, she thinks Michael Chertoff might be a distant cousin, "Chertoff's Cousin Penned Popular Mechanics 9/11 Hit Piece," read the headline on Bollyn's next American Free Press story. "This is exactly the kind of 'journalism' one would expect to find in a dictatorship like that of Saddam Hussein's Iraq," he concluded. Later a headline was added to his article: "Ben Chertoff: Propagandists & Illuminati Disinformation Tool."

As often happens in the world of conspiracy theories, a grain of truth- it's possible that Ben and Michael Chertoff are distantly related- was built into a towering dune. In fact, Ben and Michael Chertoff have never spoken. And no one at Popular Mechanics had any contact with Michael Chertoff's office while preparing the article.

Now the question is, does Fetzer know he is lying, and that he is relying on Neo-Nazi propaganda, or is he just so sloppy and lazy he doesn't bother to do any research to check out his sources?

Update: A reader points out that Fetzer also claims in this interview that Michael Chertoff has dual American-Israeli citizenship. Some quick research shows this story also started with, you guessed it, Christopher Bollyn of the American Free Press.

17 Comments:

At 14 August, 2006 20:22, Blogger shawn said...

Now the question is, does Fetzer know he is lying

I believe Fetzer knows he's lying. Not even a sloppy researcher could say that six shots were fired at Kennedy.

 
At 14 August, 2006 20:33, Blogger nes718 said...

My biggest complaint is that it isn't very long, only about 200 pages.

There's only so many ways to tell lies.

 
At 14 August, 2006 20:37, Blogger shawn said...

There's only so many ways to tell lies.

Funny coming from the guy who denies the Holocaust, thinks suicide bombings are faked by Jews (man, lots of Jews in Sri Lanki and Iraq), and says self-defense is terrorism.

 
At 14 August, 2006 20:50, Blogger nes718 said...

More "tin foil" madness, hey, this guy even claims to be and engineer:

Saturday Grab Bag

 
At 14 August, 2006 21:06, Blogger nes718 said...

lots of Jews in Sri Lanki and Iraq

Yes! Correct. The IDF "advisors" are embedded with US troops in Iraq and the MOSSAD hit squad takes care of the rest of the world. If you'll note, the "ambushes" of US troops have degree of high level intelligence that most probably comes from the 5th columnists’ Israeli "advisors" and then the Iraqis get blamed and their towns destroyed.

 
At 14 August, 2006 21:12, Blogger shawn said...

How about Sri Lanka idiot? The Tamil Tigers have committed the majority of suicide attacks since 1980.

The IDF "advisors" are embedded with US troops in Iraq and the MOSSAD hit squad takes care of the rest of the world.

Isn't fiction grand? You can just say whatever you want, without any basis whatsoever! Yay nessie!

 
At 15 August, 2006 02:20, Blogger Good Lieutenant said...

"There's only so many ways to tell lies. "

We know, nesync. Loose Change Version 67 is coming out soon, I hear. Then comes Loose Change: the FINAL CUT.

Now have a cookie.

 
At 15 August, 2006 03:30, Blogger Pepik said...

What about the dual citizenship claim? Is that made up too?

 
At 15 August, 2006 04:57, Blogger Michael said...

One correction - Mike Newcomb isn't on Air America. He's a local left-wing talk show host in Phoenix (who apparently is now trying to syndicate himself independently). The station he's on bills itself as "Air America Phoenix."

 
At 15 August, 2006 06:53, Blogger James B. said...

Good point. I was just going off of what was on the st911.org site. I should know better than to take anything the "scholars" say without checking it out.

Interview: Jim Fetzer will appear on "The Mike Newcomb Show" on Air America Radio 1480kphx.com
10-11 AM/CT (11-Noon AM/ET; 8-9 AM/PT)

 
At 15 August, 2006 06:58, Blogger James B. said...

What about the dual citizenship claim? Is that made up too?



Probably, the source for that is also the neo-Nazi American Free Press. Remember, they are "scholars".

http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?read=66175

 
At 15 August, 2006 07:43, Blogger Avery Dylan said...

Like hey man, I don't research stuff with words, like I mean if there are pictures, yeah, I can deal man, but read?

 
At 15 August, 2006 07:53, Blogger The Artistic Macrophage said...

Fetzer is lieing, he knows it, but doesnt care. You see, everything, true or not, that fits the "Truthers" version of the truth, is considered to be true.

If god himself came down adn said...Jim, you are lieing, Jim would call god a disinformation agent...

 
At 15 August, 2006 08:11, Blogger Pepik said...

I'm just thinking that the dual citizenship thing would be a pretty easy thing to nail him on. OK I mean even easier than the rest of his garbage.

 
At 15 August, 2006 21:13, Blogger shawn said...

I have the same last name as Colin Farrell, I guess we must be brothers or something.

 
At 15 August, 2006 22:04, Blogger James B. said...

President George W. Bush, and Heisman trophy winner Reggie Bush...

 
At 04 February, 2009 19:43, Anonymous Anonymous said...

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