By Isaac
isaac3rd@attbi.com
 

The need for an investigation of the events surrounding September 11 is as obvious as is the need for an investigation of the Enron debacle.
Certainly, if the American people deserve answers about what went wrong with Enron and why (and we do), then we deserve to know what went
wrong on September 11 and why.-Rep. Cynthia McKinney

Inquiry of Intelligence Failures Hits Obstacles
Sept. 11: The lawmakers leading the investigation voice concerns that the CIA and Justice Department are undermining efforts.-Los Angeles Times headline May 4, 2002

Cynthia McKinney called for a wide ranging investigation last month into exactly how the events of Sept. 11 could happen. She wants to know just what went wrong and why. She said "We deserve to know what went wrong on September 11 and why. After all, we hold thorough public inquiries into rail disasters, plane crashes, and even natural disasters in order to understand what happened and to prevent them from happening again or minimizing the tragic effects when they do".

That sounds reasonable, doesn't it? Is lack of full disclosure reasonable? What could be more reasonable?

A lot of people are bent because of her next question: "Why then does the Administration remain steadfast in its opposition to an investigation into the biggest terrorism attack upon our nation"? ..."News reports from Der Spiegel to the London Observer, from the Los Angeles Times to MSNBC to CNN, indicate that many different warnings were received by the Administration. In addition, it has even been reported that the United States government broke bin Laden's secure
communications before September 11...I am not aware of any evidence showing that President Bush or members of his administration have personally profited from the attacks of 9-11". This was pretty much all she said in a 30 minute interview, but that's all many people took away from it.

And that's where it hits the fan.

Since that time, she has been attacked from every direction, called every name in the book, been threatened, you name it. Anyone asking these questions is treated like they wear tinfoil under their hats to keep the alien brainwaves out. McKinney has been called a traitor and terrorist, been accused of being backed by Muslims, and is the subject of death threats. Ari Fleischer got in on the act when he said  "All I can tell you is the congresswoman must be running for the hall of fame of the
Grassy Knoll Society."

More than 3,000 people died that day. We put more energy into banning lawn darts when they killed 3 people and injured several more.

This 'administration' is doing everything in its power to give the rest of us reason to wonder if they're squeaky clean here. Just using mainstream news sources, there are inconsistencies between some established facts and what the administration has stated. Some questions that need to be answered are:

-Why have both Bush and Cheney asked the Democratic leadership to limit the scope of any investigations?  Why did VP Cheney personally call upon Senate
  Majority Leader Tom Daschle and request that the investigation be limited? Shouldn't we know everything we can possibly find out?
-Why was there such a hurry to get rid of the World Trade Center rubble before it could be examined?
-It doesn't take presidential authority to scramble fighter jets. This is standard operating procedures. Who had our military 'stand down'? What reason can be given
  for holding them back when it was known that 4 airliners had been highjacked?
-Why was the CIA meeting with bin Laden just before the attacks?
-Why were intelligence agencies ordered to lay off investigating potential terrorists before Sept. 11? Particularly bin Laden?
-Why were members of bin Laden's family in this country allowed and assisted during a period of 'no flight' to leave this country before they could be questioned?
-Is it just coincidence that associates of the Bushes and Bush senior are in businesses where they could and have profited by the tragedy? What exactly did GWB
  mean with his joke about "hitting the trifecta"?
-Were the stock transactions made just before Sept. 11 and the profits made as a result by several airlines, brokerages and insurance firms fueled by advance
  knowledge of what was about to happen?
-Exactly what was the relationship between the Unocal oil company and the Taliban?
-Why were advance warnings to the government about the timing and the nature of the attack ignored?

The questions go on and on. Many websites list dozens more. People who are asking these questions are being put down as conspiracy theorists, nuts, and traitors. If we find out the answers to these questions, I think they'll come out looking pretty sane and rational.

Why shouldn't we get the answers? More than 3,000 people died that day, and if we can figure out how it happened and learn how to prevent it from happening again, why shouldn't we? This doesn't need to be an inquisition or a witch hunt, a fishing expedition looking to bring down this administration. In light of all the foot dragging and the almost violent response to someone merely suggesting an investigation, doesn't it make you wonder if someone in this country, in this administration has something to hide? We spent $73 million and tied up the business of this country for 2 years over the investigation fiasco against Clinton, and as far as anyone knows,  not one person was killed by Bill Clinton's penis.

The uproar over McKinney has died down in the mainstream media, but it still lives on radical right-wing websites. I can understand the desire to protect a president and an administration that you like, but how is the public good served by simply refusing to ask questions? Our economy is geared now to fighting a perpetual war to "punish those responsible". This administration and Tom Ridge refuse to publicly disclose what they want to do with the $38 billion they say they need for "homeland security". The military budget is going to grow by $48 billion. Shouldn't we know what all this is for, and what direction we're taking? How can we jump into this without knowing all the facts?

This smells in technicolor, and we need to be finding out answers. And we need to have started months ago.

isaac

I report. I decide.
 
 
 

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