Posted on 09/08/2006 9:38:35 AM PDT by finnman69
A controversy over words at BYU this morning. A professor is on paid leave for suggesting the government is responsible for the destruction of the World Trade Center.
The man on paid leave is Dr. Steven Jones. He's a physics professor involved in the so-called "9-11 Truth Movement."
Jones believes unnamed government agencies orchestrated the fall of the twin towers and he says there's evidence to back it up.
Two weeks ago he published his theory in a paper called "Why Indeed did the World Trade Center Buildings Collapse?" In it, the professor says the towers fell not because of planes hitting them but rather pro-positioned demolition charges.
He sites research conducted at BYU on materials from ground zero, asserting those materials show evidence of thermite, a compound used in military detonations. He says terrorists could have never set those charges.
The State Department has released a rebuttal to Jones' theory in a 10-thousand page report.
BYU made this statement last night.
"Physics Professor Steven Jones has made numerous statements about the collapse of the World Trade Center. BYU has repeatedly said that it does not endorse assertions made by individual faculty.
"We are, however, concerned about the increasingly speculative and accusatory nature of these statements by Dr. Jones."
The university added, "BYU remains concerned that Dr. Jones' works on this topic has not been published in appropriate scientific venues."
It is rare for some in Dr. Jones' position to be under review because he has taught at BYU for more than a decade.
He began his career at the university in 1985 and has been known his cold fusion research. But other professors will teach his classes while he's on paid leave.
He will be allowed to conduct research in his field but the university is reviewing his actions.
Are the whack ball conspiracy theorists who have popped up on the left the same loons that the right laughed out of town about ten years ago or is this a completely new bunch of nuts?
I'd say just let them chatter and undermine the credibility of their own cause. Problem is, lefties are so susceptible to this sort of thing.
Awww, you're disqualified. You ignored the word "reasonable".
Wow. Popular Mechanics. Yeah, they left no stone unturned. That article ignores the squibs going up the side of the building, brushes aside the video footage of explosions immediately preceding the collapse, leaves out Silverstein's "pull it" comment (oh, sure he meant "pull the firefighters") and, here's the kicker, "Our current working hypothesis is". Translation: They don't know either.
I asked you first.
Go ahead and set up the strawman. That's about the most one can expect from freep these days. Don't answer the questions. Don't logically, reasonably argue the point. Just beat the snot out of the strawman.
Now, with respect to their unwillingness to be too certain about their conclusions: That is reasonableness. They have rubble to go through. They have to draw conclusions based on the best available evidence. Unlike the conspiracy theorists, they cannot simply assert an hypothesis and ask the rest of the world to prove them wrong with metaphysical certainty. That's the easiest thing in the world to do.
Translation: They don't know either.
And neither do you. (Although you seem to be quite certain about your conclusions.) But the PM guys have actual evidence. And facts. And I will go with that.
I spent 11 years covert in the CIA in the 80's and 90's. Hate to pop your bubble but it is just another bunch of regular American's doing a job. Liberals and conservatives. Many hard working and smart people but rules and regulations and laws and EEO and idiotic glass ceiling lawsuits. 99% of the time it's like working at the Post Office. Join the military, live overseas, get a real job - grow a brain.
This 9/11 conspiracy 'theory' is wildly popular among Holocaust-deniers and other anti-semites because it allows them to: a. portray the US as beholden to "the Joos", and
b. allows them to excuse Islamofascists (who are, of course, their most loyal anti-semitic allies)
Anti-Semites are, in my experience, the lowest form of humanity, and why they spin these insane 9/11 conspiracy theories is obvious when you realize their true motivations...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.