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Why Donald Trump may think he saw people cheering on 9/11
Washington Post ^ | 11/24/2015 | By Max Ehrenfreund

Posted on 11/24/2015 1:25:42 PM PST by SeekAndFind

There's a difference between a lie and an honest mistake. However slight, it's a crucial distinction in politics, and especially in the campaign of Donald Trump.

On Saturday, the real-estate magnate insisted that after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he watched news footage of "thousands of thousands of people" celebrating in northern New Jersey -- "where you have large Arab populations," in his words.

Journalists have searched news archives for any evidence of such footage and turned up empty handed. Public officials and law enforcement in New Jersey say Trump's account is utterly false.

But Trump's assertion might not be a bald-faced lie. Psychologists suggest that people unconsciously fabricate memories all the time, and that Trump might have done the same.

"I can't say that he's not lying," said Deryn Strange, a psychologist at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. "But my research, and the research of my colleagues, certainly supports a more charitable interpretation: that this is a false memory."

There is a well-circulated video clip of Palestinians celebrating the attacks in the West Bank, as The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler has reported. Newspapers, including The Post, stated that police had detained some people in northern New Jersey who were allegedly partying on rooftops and watching the mayhem in New York. The Newark Star-Ledger later reported that “rumors of rooftop celebrations of the attack by Muslims here proved unfounded."

Trump might have conflated the two in his mind. "I can easily conceive how he could have developed this memory," Strange said. "All you need is a suggestion."

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: District of Columbia; US: New Jersey; US: New York; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2016election; 911; chrischristie; districtofcolumbia; donaldtrump; election2016; maxehrenfreund; muslims; newjersey; newyork; sergekovaleski; trump; washingtoncompost; washingtonpost
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To: DoodleDawg
But Trump did not fabricate this. Just the New Jersey part.

I think "fabricate" may be too strong a word. The human mind--and human memory--is a funny thing. Especially remembering things from high-stress situations (like we all experienced on and after 9/11).

It's the reason why, if you interview ten eyewitnesses to a crime, you will get ten different stories. And if you interview the same eyewitnesses ten years later, you'll get another ten different stories. It's not that the witnesses are lying, it's that humans are imperfect, and we remember things imperfectly.

61 posted on 11/24/2015 1:46:55 PM PST by dem bums
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To: arl295

Don’t trust what you see with your own eyes.
The PC wizard will tell you your reality.


62 posted on 11/24/2015 1:47:30 PM PST by envisio (I ain't here long... I'm out of napalm and .22 bullets.)
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To: SeekAndFind

News reports of muslims in other US locations cheering 9/11 here:

http://www.debbieschlussel.com/80396/trump-right-on-us-muslim-cheers-for-911-but-got-city-wrong-wash-post-cites-schlussel/


63 posted on 11/24/2015 1:47:32 PM PST by Iron Munro (The wise have stores of choice food and oil but a foolish man devours all he has. Proverbs 21:20)
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To: SeekAndFind

Bookmark


64 posted on 11/24/2015 1:49:05 PM PST by Mase (Save me from the people who would save me from myself!)
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To: Sacajaweau

Christie never said that, he just doesn’t remember if it happened or not


65 posted on 11/24/2015 1:49:46 PM PST by arl295
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To: SeekAndFind
The day of or the day after the downing of flight 800 I saw, on tv, a video of 800 and what appeared to be a missile and trail streaking into the sky and an explosion high up.

Don't know what station but I have never seen the video again or heard a word about it.

66 posted on 11/24/2015 1:49:52 PM PST by Eagles6 ( Valley Forge Redux. If not now, when? If not here, where? If not us then who?)
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To: SeekAndFind
From the Washington Post Sept. 18, 2001:

"Investigators said at least two of the hijackers, Nawaq Al Hamzi and Salem Al Hamzi are believed to have had addresses in Wayne and Fort Lee, NJ. The apparently rented a mailbox in Fort Lee at Mailboxes Etc. in Jersey City within hours of two jetliners plowing into the World Trade Center. Law enforcement authorities detained and questioned a number of people who were allegedly seen celebrating the attacks and holding tailgate-style parties on rooftops while they watched the devastation on the other side of the river."

See the archived page here:

http://www.barenakedislam.com/2015/11/23/the-washington-post-confirmed-donald-trumps-remarks-about-seeing-muslims-in-nj-celebrating-911/


67 posted on 11/24/2015 1:50:15 PM PST by Iron Munro (The wise have stores of choice food and oil but a foolish man devours all he has. Proverbs 21:20)
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To: DoodleDawg

Nope, also not fabricated:

Sept 18, 2001 - Washingtonpost

In Jersey City, within hours of two jetliners’ plowing into the World Trade Center, law enforcement authorities detained and questioned a number of people who were allegedly seen celebrating the attacks and holding tailgate-style parties on rooftops while they watched the devastation on the other side of the river.


68 posted on 11/24/2015 1:51:14 PM PST by VaeVictis (~Woe to the Conquered~)
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To: Dilbert San Diego
We ALL saw that, but there were NO "smoldering towers" in those pictures.

OTOH, since Palestine doesn't look like Jersey, at all, we all saw the difference and KNEW/remember what's what with this.

69 posted on 11/24/2015 1:52:15 PM PST by nopardons
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To: DoodleDawg

You may wish to dispute anything but not the New Jersey part. My nephew a fire captain in Passaic was called on 9/11 as were 50-75 others with engines from Passaic, Essex and Bergen Counties to go to Paterson and other towns including Jersey City to quell riots caused by celebrating Arabs (mainly Palestinians) on 9/11. The Paterson riots arose when black citizen patriots went after the celebrants. Unless the State of New Jersey has destroyed the fire alarm records and call reports, they will prove Trump 100% accurate. (Posted on other threads as well.)


70 posted on 11/24/2015 1:52:33 PM PST by masadaman
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To: Sacajaweau
IIRC, the Anthrax letters were sent from New Jersey.

Yes, many of them ended up in the US Post Office in Willingboro, NJ.

IIRC, the government tore the entire building down and built a new one. They decided that they couldn't guarantee a good decontamination of the old building.

71 posted on 11/24/2015 1:54:01 PM PST by Steely Tom (Vote GOP: A Slower Handbasket)
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To: Hugin

You bet they showed the Jersey stuff on NYC/local T.V. !


72 posted on 11/24/2015 1:54:07 PM PST by nopardons
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To: Buckeye McFrog

I remember hearing or reading about those celebrations at the time.


73 posted on 11/24/2015 1:56:36 PM PST by proud American in Canada (May every person have the chance, every day, to listen to the sound of children, laughing in play.)
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To: MeshugeMikey

I too saw the Palestinians reacting and giving out candy to celebrate.


74 posted on 11/24/2015 1:56:41 PM PST by cradle of freedom
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To: SeekAndFind

He saw them cheering not thousands but these anilmals were cheering.


75 posted on 11/24/2015 1:58:25 PM PST by italianquaker
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To: Dilbert San Diego
I saw dancing in the streets among people in the Arab/Muslim world after 9/11. We can debate whether American Muslims were celebrating. But Trump did not fabricate this. Maybe he saw the same news coverage of celebrations in the Middle East that I saw.

I saw enough of the savages celebrating after 9/11 to know that all the pc media manipulation will never convince me they should be welcome in this country.

76 posted on 11/24/2015 1:58:44 PM PST by The_Media_never_lie (The Bush family needs to just go away. The Clinton family needs just to go to prison.)
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To: arl295

It’s like “WHO DO YOU BELIEVE, ME OR YOUR LYING EYES?” garbage.


77 posted on 11/24/2015 1:59:17 PM PST by nopardons
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To: italianquaker

I don’t care if it was 50 or 5000 cheering, 1 is too many in my book


78 posted on 11/24/2015 2:00:17 PM PST by arl295
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To: dem bums
Hey n00b, the Jersey stuff was on local NYC area T.V, and was in the N.Y. Post.

My memory is excellent and Trump IS correct!

79 posted on 11/24/2015 2:01:14 PM PST by nopardons
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To: nopardons
It’s like “WHO DO YOU BELIEVE, ME OR YOUR LYING EYES?” garbage.

There are many in the MSM who believe that if they cannot change the nature of people's thoughts and memories, they're not doing their jobs.

They do not consider that the measure of their success is that they are heard. Being "heard" is not enough.

They need to actually demonstrate their ability to change the nature of reality as it is perceived by their viewers.

80 posted on 11/24/2015 2:02:51 PM PST by Steely Tom (Vote GOP: A Slower Handbasket)
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