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Eerie Misanthropic Wednesday
Your Turn: On the Myths of 9-11
posted: 4:06 PM, August 22, 2006 by Power Plays

Of the myths that have persisted about 9-11, perhaps the most stubborn are that firefighters are superheroes and Rudy Giuliani saved the city. This week, a pair of Voice writers approach those legends, one tenderly, one with a two-by-four.

murphy3web.jpg

In his cover story "Blunt Trauma," Jarrett Murphy profiles three firefighters for whom the attacks aren't really over—even as the rest of the FDNY is moving on. Of one, Joe McMahon, pictured above, Murphy writes:

"He looks a little tired because he spent a restless night sweating and chasing sleep, but he took an extra anti-anxiety pill this morning, in addition to the three he takes each night. He's a little tense because he's waiting for a phone call to learn whether or not he can retire from the New York City Fire Department on a disability pension."

Meanwhile, in their new book Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani, Voice writer Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins advance the once unspeakable proposition that Mayor Giuliani (pictured below) actually made the situation worse—by failing to prepare the city properly, for one, and by putting the emergency bunker under such an obvious target as the World Trade Center. The authors appeared Tuesday morning on the WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show (audio here).

mayorweb.jpg

Have we stiffed the people who did their jobs on 9-11 and sainted the ones who didn't?

Comments

GOULIANI A HERO
5 YEARS LATER NOBODY HAS STILL TOLD ME WHO THIS PHONEY SAVED BUT HIS OWN CROSSDRESSING SELF.
HE TOLD US BOUT THEY RECOVERED 200 MIL. IN GOLD BARS THAT WAS BEING STOLEN FROM WTC 4 AND LOADED INTO A TRACTOR TRAILER IN BSMT OF WTC 5
BUT HE NEVER TOLD US BOUT THE 1 BILLION IN GOLD BARS THAT ARE STILL MISSING.
THERE ARE MANY WHO CAN PROVE THAT AFTER
THE 93 WTC ATTACK THE FOUNDATION WAS DAMAGED AND HAD LIMITED LIFE LEFT OF LESS THAN 10 YEARS.
THATS WHY PORT AUTH. UNLOADED IT.
HE NEVER TOLD US THAT SILVERSTIEN SAYS ON TAPE THAT HE ORDERED FDNY AT 5PM ON 911 TO DEMO WTC 7.
SEE AMER REBUILDS AT PBS.ORG
THE DEPT HAS NO DEMO TEAMS AND CONTROLLED DEMOS TAKE WEEKS TO PLAN.
HOW DID WOLFOWITZ BECOME PRES. OF WORLD BANK WITH 0 BANK EXP. HE WAS REWARDED BY SHARON & INTERNATIONAL BANKERS FOR 911 ATTACK PLAN.
LISTEN TO THE NAMES OF THE HONORED DEAD ON SEPT 11 WHEN THERE READ, LESS THAN 10 ARE JEWS, AND YET THOUSANDS WORKED THERE THAT NEVER CAME TO WORK THAT DAY. LISTEN
CHENEY CONDUCTING NORAD EXER. LEAVING ONLY 14 FIGHTERS TO PROTECT THE UNITED STATES ON 911.
IF THE GOVT. HAS NOTHING TO HID RELEASE THE TAPES THAT WERE CONFISATED BY FBI FROM SHERATON HOTEL,VIRG.TRANSP.DEPT, GAS STAT. THAT SHOWED WHAT REALLY HIT THE PENTAGON ON 911.
HAS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE LOST THERE BALLS THEY NEED A DOSE OF THERE OWN MEDICINE.
LETS SMOKE EM OUT AND GET THEM DEAD OR ALIVE .
THESE TRAITORS KILLED 3000 OF US .

Posted by: at August 23, 2006 8:37 PM

SEPT 11 2001 HAD PLENTY OF BRAVE MEN TO REMB.
BUT ONE STANDS OUT WHO NEVER HAD FEAR
WHEN ALL AROUND HIM WAS DEATH AND CHAOS
ON HIS DAY OFF
HE STILL CAME TO MEET THE ENEMY AND SAVE THOUSANDS OF NEW YORKERS
WHO WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER A REAL CHIEF FROM THE BRONX WAS ON THE SCENE.
WE ARE PROUD THAT THE INFAMOUS TRIANGLE PARK BX. NOW BEARS THE NAME BATL. CHIEF DENNIS L. DEVLIN
KILLED IN ACTION ON 911 WE WILL NEVER FORGET !!

Posted by: THE OLD BREED at August 24, 2006 12:40 AM

Myth-Bush was taken by surprise when the first plane hit hitting in a class.Truth-the first plane hit before he went in to the school,and he CHOSE to go in anyway.

Posted by: bannelee at August 24, 2006 10:47 AM

Guliani did NOT save the city. The whole thing was a photo-op for him and the American public was and is stupid enough to believe him as saviour. Yes, he did good work after 9-11 but his performance in that tragedy does not out-weigh his overall performance as Mayor. Good work in one crisis does not make him a saviour of the city and does not make him a good Mayor.

Personally, I believe that certain elements of our government have been wanting to curtail our civil liberties for quite some time and 9-11 was the perfect excuse to go full throttle. I also believe that the government KNEW about the impending attacks and let them happen as an excuse to reel in civil liberties and get oil.

Paranoid? Maybe. But inasmuch as the American people do not want to make decisions for themselves and let themselves be directed by catch-phrases like "activist judge", "WMDs", "Shock and Awe", etc. without analysis, we are doomed.

What's next?

Posted by: pendragon3 at August 24, 2006 10:53 AM

The truth may never come out. "Conspiracy-theorist" has now become a label that is used against well-meaning people who seek the truth.

There are many unusual events that occurred that day that leave questions unanswered. Why did those in power deliberately ignore the warnings? Why wasn't a higher-level alert in place by the FAA and airlines ? Why was Bush out of town on that day with Cheney in control? Why was cloud-seeding done in Des Moines earlier in the day when Attorney General Ashcroft flew in? Why were Saudi citizens allowed to leave the country without questioning when US airspace was shut down for everyone else? Why did WTC 7 come down so much later than the other buildings ?

Posted by: Pontiac man at August 24, 2006 11:00 AM

the towers were ugly buildings and nervewracking to work in. I worked on the 94th floor for Fiduciary Trust and quit after 3 months because I didn't like to eat and then take the elevator to 78 and have my lunch end up in my throat. I also didn't care for the subtle swaying of the building in high winds. Everyone I worked with in that comapny is dead (87 people). I am glad I quit when I did.

Posted by: GupDog at August 24, 2006 1:47 PM

George Bush stole my social security...he was able to do this by listening to my phone calls...he put my father in Gitmo for standing in front of the White House and looking sad. I wrote him a letter asking if he would read Pete the Goat to me over the phone when they take the wrecking ball to Shea stadium. I think Hillary killed vince foster and that she is a lesbian.

Posted by: gupdog at August 24, 2006 1:55 PM

Check out the CD entitled Sonic Jihad. It has a lot to say about 911, and does it in the form of outstanding rap music.

Posted by: George Kosinski at August 24, 2006 2:33 PM

Firefighters were and are some of the bravest people I have had the honor of meeting. After 911 I petitioned the VFW to change their by-laws to allow firefighters who were at 911 to become members no matter what their military history.
Today I see a lot of these brave men no longer able to be firefighters because of the damage they suffered on 911 and after.
They are not perfect, but in courage, they are as close as we get.

Posted by: toby at August 24, 2006 3:04 PM

There is only one MYTH regarding 9/11. The myth perpetuated as truth by our government. There is only one CONSPIRACY THEORY regarding 9/11. The one created by person or persons unknown to deliver this hell to our brothers and sisters, then twist the horror of their deaths into an excuse to create and perpetuate war for profit, power and plunder ... forever. Who created the CONSPIRACY? Who has benefited? Were it not for 9/11, would we have troops getting blown up in Iraq and Afghanistan everyday? Would there be a GWOT? Would the cost of oil have tripled? Would the 'haves' have even more? Would the 'have-not's' have even less? Would we have a different administration? Who created the CONSPIRACY? ... Who benefits?

Posted by: Louise Page at August 24, 2006 3:48 PM

Go to Google Video and watch "Loose Change" see for yourself.

Posted by: Shelly at August 24, 2006 5:39 PM

TO SEE THE REAL ENEMIES OF 911 ARE
W, DICK,WOLFOWITZ,RICE,FREEH,
MUELLER,TENET,SILVERSTIEN,GOULIANI
REQUEST FREE 4 HR DVD IN MAIL GO TO
REOPEN911.ORG
AND SEE THE TRUTH FOR YOUR SELF.
ITS THE BEST DVD YOULL SEE ALL YEAR
YOU OWE THE 3000 KILLED ON
SEPT 11 THAT WE HANG THE TRAITORS AT GRD. ZERO.

Posted by: hells angels at August 24, 2006 6:13 PM

Here is what I have know and have believed since that day of 9/11. We knew the attacks were coming and for this the Bush government, neo cons, were well prepared to take advantage of the expected Americans outrage. They took advantage of us and as a result; the Bush government has what they wanted.... closer military bases to baby sit the oil reserves of Iraq, Halliburton and subsidiaries, as well as oil companies, making insane profits off the back of American people. They have Created a fractured American society which blames each other for our present set of circumstances, the reds v. the blues. Perhaps, the majority of the American people will see the light of day and rid ourselves of this plague that is destroying us. I hope to one day see us end our national nightmare before more 9/11's occur.

Posted by: ricardo Aulet at August 24, 2006 6:46 PM

every day we listen to cowards and traitors tell us to leave iraq now would be cutting and running
my ans to them is the UNITED STATES has never run from any good fight
our proof is from the halls of montezuma to the shores of tripoli there graves dont say dems or rep. they say AMERICAN.
but to waste anymore lives for this that had 0 to do with 911 the federals have lost there minds and need to be made acct and go on trial for treason !!

Posted by: SGT MANILLA JOHN BASILONE USMC at August 28, 2006 9:20 PM

A lot of you folks have some real issues here. Seek treatment. gupdog, you especially.

Posted by: Oliver Crandel at August 31, 2006 11:14 AM

Hehehe... yea Sgt, I would have thought the same thing not that long ago. Inside info, top secret papers... blah, blah. None of it can be proven. However, it is a fact that WTC7's collapse defies reason without calculating explosives into the formula. There were almost 300 vertical supports holding that building up. For all of them to crumple or break at precisely the same moment, all the way down, is remarkable to say the least The speed at which the towers fell violates several proven laws of physics, that is unless explosives are again calculated in. So does the flying steel beams that could clearly be seen in the videos. During the cleanup, I saw, on CNN, them pulling glowing red pieces of structural steel with molten globs dripping from them out of the basement of one of the towers. It really bothers me that I didn't think much of it then, I guess I was kind of in shock that day. It was reported that this was present in all three basements. Jet fuel burns@ 1800 degrees F in open air at sea level, steel melts @ 2850 degrees F! If this can be explained, please, someone explain it. Give me the 1050 degrees F that I need to sleep at night. I voted for Bush, both times. I've always been a conservative, but I don't believe in blind faith, and the questions being asked about the phyical problems of that day are more than fair, and deserve answers. The official story certainly is enough to raise reasonable suspicion given the video evidence. Thanks to you for serving in the Military, surely no one can deny that we need and appreciate you. Also thanks to those who have raised these questions. I had not even looked further at 9-11 until I saw "Loose Change". I can now claim to have spent hundreds of hours looking at this very serious problem. Both for and against the official explination. Please, continue to be a great American, look at it hard before coming to conclusions. Blind faith in our leaders is dangerous. Thanks again. - REP

Posted by: VERY CONCERNED at September 8, 2006 5:33 PM

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