Last Monday night on C-SPAN I was greatly heartened and encouraged by the words of former weapons inspector and ex-Marine, Scott Ritter who said that the “politics of fear must be defeated by the forces of truth.” He was of course speaking of the importance of doing whatever we can to learn the facts on the ground in Iraq before going to war with Iraq, sacrificing the lives of young Americans and risking an extraordinarily dangerous religiously-polarized world war.
The politicos behind the politics of fears have repeatedly failed in their attempts to pin 9/11 and the anthrax attacks on the Iraqis. The community of nations and the American people have not been taken in by the Adminstration’s propaganda and attempt to put guilt on Iraq to just justify a war there. In this case of alleged justification, the politics of fear and propaganda failed and the forces of truth prevailed. I am here to say that this too will be the case with regard to the investigation of September 11th 2001. And this coming victory will be in no small part because of the courage and determination of Kristin Breitwieser of September 11th Advocates, and her family, friends and colleagues who are supporting her.
The ‘forces of truth’ will be heartened to know that yesterday Kristin Brietwieser was given the opportunity to testify about her concerns about the investigation into the events of September 11th that killed her husband. My own gratification that her concerns, shared by UnansweredQuestions, would be aired live on national television turned to anger and dismay as I witnessed CNN cut her off in the middle of her testimony and go to the Armed Services Committee hearing with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. The hearing on Iraq that was scheduled at the exact same time as the first public hearing on 9/11 by the Joint Select Committee on Intelligence.
What is even more disturbing to me is the lack of coverage the day after of the shocking confirmation of numerous warnings the intelligence received prior to the attacks of 9/11. This should be today’s headline story. Does anyone else find it profoundly disturbing that Senator Diane Fienstein said herself months prior to the attack, based on briefings (surely limited and not presenting all available intelligence) she received on the Senate Intel Committee, that she was “100% certain” an attack was to come within three months (and said so on national television)? So a Senator knew without a doubt that something was coming based on incomplete intelligence synopses; and yet nothing was done by our government responsible to protecting us against the professed #1 terrorist in the world. On the contrary evidence suggests a deliberate blocking of sound leads by capable field agents Williams, Rowley and Wright. Republican Senator Shelby, ranking member of the Committee says there is a lot more that is going to come out. What we heard yesterday is only the tip of the iceberg.
Where is the outrage from the public? Is the media giving fair coverage to such an important unfolding story? Will we be able to put enough pressure on Congress to force the hand of those who resist any further investigation? I pray that we can translate our anger to effective action and lobbying. If we do, the forces of truth will have at least a chance at winning the war against the politics of fear and in this case possibly criminal and treasonous cover-up of what really happened on 9/11 of 2001.
Here are just a few of the hightlights from cursury notes taken from what was revealed at the hearing:
1) Since 1994 intelligence ‘community’ received 11 warnings of threats USING PLANES with one credible source mentioning the American targets in D.C. and NYC. This means that Condaleeza Rice lied to the American in saying that “no one could have imaginedé”
2) Al-Qeada had declared a religious war against America and Americans.
3) In turn the $30 billion funded intelligence apparatus declared war on Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qeada.
4) And yet, we learned that someone within the FBI (not revealed) ‘gutted’ (insider source’s own word) the Al-Qeada dedicated analyst team within the FBI.
5) And someone within the FBI mishandled a case in Malaysia involving two Al-Qeada members (future 9/11 hijackers) who were being monitored, but slipped away, disappeared and somehow were NEVER placed on a watch-list.
6) Senator Carl Levin and Rep. Tim Roemer made it clear they expected the committee to be able to review currently classified memos sent from Phoenix and Minneapolis FBI field agents Kenneth Williams and Colleen Rowley to FBI headquarters. The Administration is now apparently reviewing their request to declassify the documents relating to this case. If need be, they said, legislation could be passed to force the issue. This commitment expressed by Sen. Levin was met with applause by the victims’ families present at the hearing (and imagine elsewhere as well).
NOTE: There was no mention of FBI agent Robert Wright who has sought whistleblower protection and sued the FBI for obstructing his investigation into an OBL money-man. The FBI has forbidden him from publishing his story and have refused to turn over the book to the Committee investigating 9/11.
7) Sen Levin reported that FBI Director Robert Mueller could not (or would not?–I’m not clear in my recollection) turn over the name of the Special Agent at FBI HQ in D.C. who was the choke-point in preventing the memos about suspicious middle eastern terrorists training to fly (and in the case of Moussoui, not land) commercial aircraft being appropriately and expeditiously handled by higher ups at HQ instead of being marked “routine”.
NOTE: Bill Gertz, author of Breakdown, said yesterday on FOX News that outside of a SINGLE Logan Security official, no one has been held accountable or even reprimanded for the so-called “worst intelligence failure in US History.” Perhaps if they were and more focus was brought to bear on this issue we would in fact find the ‘smoking gun’ they have not yet found?
The government and responsible agencies have called it an intelligence failure–a failure to connect the many dots. But in that ‘failure’ Kristin and many victim family members and see negligence and lack of accountability. Mary Schiavo, a lawyer for 33 victim family members suing the responsible authorities, sees ‘egregious negligence’ and lack of justice. However, an increasingly compelling case is being made by thousands of intrepid independent investigators, freelance researchers, authors, documentarians and observant citizens that what we may have here is criminal negligence or outright complicityéby those whose names we as yet do not know.
Lawmakers have not had the type of cooperation they need to get the answers the American people deserve to determine if this is hooey and hogwash or on the mark. Republican Senator Shelby himself has said himself that he is not satified with the level of cooperation from the Administration and the agencies in question. Some insist that a cover-up may be in play–siting the blatant resistance to a full investigation. So we must be vigilant. I, for one, don’t believe we are even close to learning the whole truth about what happened, how, and why. It is my hope the forces of truth will be sure that no stone is left unturned. We must hold lawmakers and investigators fully accountable for finding answers to the unanswered questions that have only mounted with the first open hearing held yesterday.
Like Nixon in denial before his house of cards came tumbling down, the Administration is resisting a full investigation at every turn and clamoring for a war before the elections in November even as they ignore and downplay the courageous and reasonable arguments presented by Scott Ritter. May the forces of truth prevail in both successfully undermining a reckless and politically motivated rush for war, and in the quest for a full and open investigation into 9/11. I urge you to take action and don’t relent until our shared goal is achieved.
Kyle F. Hence isCo-founder UnansweredQuestions.org.
