9/11

9/11, Aviation Security, War on Terror

Flight attendants still unsung heroes

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flight-attendants-at-united-fight-93.jpg

Julie Jacobson / AP file: Two United flight attendants look to the actual crash site just before the start of the memorial service at the temporary memorial to Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pa., on Sept. 11, 2002.

Charles Leocha, MSNBC’s travel columnist, says, “When it comes to safety, air crews are your first line of defense“:

The war on terror continues, and yet few remember that the first casualties were flight attendants. In the six years since 9/11, there have been many ceremonies and many remembrances for those who died in that day’s tragic events. Police officers, firefighters and other first responders gather every year with political bigwigs on stages across America. Sadly, flight attendants are almost never included. That’s a shame. I’ve said so on every anniversary of the September attacks, and I say so again this year.

Airline flight attendants are unsung heroes in this country’s “war on terrorism.” Recent events demonstrate that this is true now more than ever. The efforts to attack us have not abated, but they have been thwarted by better intelligence and higher levels of security. For example, when terrorists came up with new ways to mix explosives with liquids last year, the Department of Homeland Security banned liquids aboard the nation’s aircraft. Once again, flight attendants found themselves on the front line of a war whose battles are constantly shifting while ever exposing them to danger.
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Every time a plane takes off, every time a traveler stands up and walks toward the cockpit, and every time a passenger ducks behind his seat to dig through carry-on luggage, flight attendants go on high alert.
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Are our memories so short?

Flight attendants were the most consistent source of information on 9/11 when, at the risk of their lives, they phoned airline operations personnel to let them know about the hijackings; they even provided seat numbers and descriptions of the hijackers. Flight attendants were most certainly involved with the in-cabin attack on the terrorists aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in the fields of Pennsylvania instead of into a building on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Later, in one of the few instances of terrorism thwarted in the act, a diminutive flight attendant physically prevented a fanatic from lighting a fuse to a shoe-bomb that would have downed American Airlines Flight 63 in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

So, let’s get our priorities straight.

Please read the whole thing.

9/11, conspiracy theories

What the West coast’s moonbats did this 9/11

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moonbat art on display on 9112007

It was all so 1960’s love-in–ish with the main topic being the “truth” about 9/11 (of course). Some of the “brightest” dealers in disbelief were there spewing the usual tripe:

The event opened with a commemorative to the victims of 9/11 called “Remembrance” by Janette MacKinley, a 9/11 survivor, mother and artist whose condo was directly across from the twin towers when they were hit. MacKinley related her experience of the events of that day and emphasized the need to heal from the psychological trauma of America’s own “Shock and Awe” event. MacKinley, with her friend and art collaborator Nicholas Sikelianos, brought on stage a five-foot bamboo representation of the twin towers in which Janette did a live presentation of the Japanese flower-arranging art of Ikebana, weaving green and red bamboo shafts connecting the two towers together.

Films shown at the festival were “Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear & the Selling of American Empire” which examines how a radical fringe in the government has used the trauma in the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to advance a pre-existing agenda; “9/11 Press for Truth” which documents the “Jersey Girls” call for a 9/11 investigation and their betrayal by the 9/11 Commission; “We Were Also Killed on 9/11: First Responders” featuring firemen and other 9/11 first responders and the serious health problems they are experience due to their exposure to the dust on the pile; “‘Hasta La Victoria Siempre!’ with William Pepper,” which presents an international human rights lawyers pursuit for justice; and “9/11 Mysteries Part 1: Demolitions” by Sophia Shafquat and Brad Waddell, which examines the forensic evidence that demolition brought down the buildings.

Three new films were also introduced at the festival including “Let’s Get Empirical” by Ken Jenkins which features David Ray Griffin discussing his latest book “Debunking 9/11 Debunking”; “Zeitgeist,” a critical look at propaganda techniques used throughout the ages; and a new dramatic feature film called “The Reflecting Pool” which tells the story of a 9/11 family member and a journalist pursuing the truth as to what happened on 9/11. This film was followed by discussion with award-winning filmmaker Jarek Kupsc, producer Jodie Baltazar, and critically acclaimed actor Joseph Culp.

In between films were analysis and discussion by authorities in the 9/11 Truth Movement including Mickey S. Huff, a professor of history and critical thinking at Berkeley City College, and founder of the Media Education Foundation who discussed “Hijacking Catastrophe.” Mickey spoke on how populations are swayed through propaganda and fear. He also examined the issue as to why many progressive journalists and editors were reluctant to examine 9/11.

Other speakers included Ken Jenkins who discussed his latest film “Let’s Get Empirical,” Dr. Paul Rea on “9/11 Press for Truth,” and Jim Hoffman who giving a detailed analysis of evidence for demolition in “9/11 Mysteries.”

The highlight of the two day event was the presentation “9/11: Blueprint for Truth — 130 Architects and Engineers Examine the Evidence,” by architect Richard Gage, AIA, a 20-year architect who worked on numerous steel-framed buildings, who makes a strong case that the buildings were brought down with controlled demolition.

Grand Lake Theater owner and long-time community activist Allen Michaan, introduced Gage and spoke about why 9/11 was the key issue to stop the war. “911 truth is the achilles heel of the administration and when the truth eventually emerges into the mainstream news as is slowly happening these criminals will quickly be removed from office and face prosecution,” said Michaan.

Why (you might ask) would I post about their event, what they did on 9/11 this year?

Look at these people. These are the faces of the 9/11 “truth” movement; a consortium of aging hippies, younger anarchists, academia’s weirdest, “rock stars” of grief, and blood-sucking entrepreneurs. We will see them a lot between now and Election Day next year, spewing their guano and peddling their wares. They have become a voice in our political process, pinning (for now) all their hopes on Ron Paul in 2008; they will flock elsewhere when he is finally shunned by mainstream Republicans and shut out of the debates.

I just thought you needed to know.