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<P>Those are my answers! You can't be serious! This must be a case of one superficial guy dealing with another superficial guy. And don't even get me started on Pearl Harbor!<BR><BR></P></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>>From: "Stuart D. Gathman" <stuart@bmsi.com>
<DIV></DIV>>To: Jim Murphy <jmurf80@msn.com>
<DIV></DIV>>CC: arthurkelly@yahoo.com, <apologetics@gathman.org>
<DIV></DIV>>Subject: Re: [Apologetics] Hillary 2008
<DIV></DIV>>Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 11:48:03 -0400 (EDT)
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>On Tue, 19 Oct 2004, Jim Murphy wrote:
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 1. Why didn't NORAD jets intercept the airliners since the Bush
<DIV></DIV>> > administration received numerous warnings of terrorist attacks? We now
<DIV></DIV>> > know that 11 countries warned us before 911. We know that David Shippers
<DIV></DIV>> > (former Bob Dole Chief-of-Staff and the guy that impeached Bill Clinton)
<DIV></DIV>> > warned numerous administration and government offices. Why did NORAD
<DIV></DIV>> > intercept pro golfer Payne Stuarts plane 18 minutes after it deviated
<DIV></DIV>> > from its flight plan, but four jumbo jets get to wonder through the
<DIV></DIV>> > heaviest airplane traffic grid in the country for 45-60 minutes?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Why didn't we stop Pearl Harbor when we had
<DIV></DIV>> * decoded the attack order
<DIV></DIV>> * spotted the attacking fleet on radar
<DIV></DIV>> * early warning by intelligence officers who also discovered the plot
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by stupidity
<DIV></DIV>>(or bureaucracy).
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 2. I want to know how 19 rookie pilots could fly these complex planes
<DIV></DIV>> > through heavily traveled traffic grids, unaided by air traffic control
<DIV></DIV>> > and perfectly hit their targets? I've heard air traffic controllers say
<DIV></DIV>> > this is impossible.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>They went to flight school, and then trained for this specific mission
<DIV></DIV>>for 6 months. As someone who has done some flying, landing a plane
<DIV></DIV>>safely is hard. Taking off and aiming the nose is easy (as soon as you
<DIV></DIV>>learn that the wheel is cumulative, unlike an automobile). There was
<DIV></DIV>>no attempt to avoid hitting other planes. A nice 2 plane collision
<DIV></DIV>>is a decent terrorist statement too - although not as good as a building
<DIV></DIV>>collision.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 3. I want to know why all of the planes were approx. 80 percent empty?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Because airlines are often struggling to fill their planes. Because the
<DIV></DIV>>hijackers had carefully chosen flights that were usually mostly empty
<DIV></DIV>>so that they would have fewer problems subduing the passengers.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 4. I want to know how Mr Bush watched the first plane hit the towers
<DIV></DIV>> > when it was not televised?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Bush was in a classroom reading and was *told* about the situation.
<DIV></DIV>>Perhaps this question is related to anal retentive parsing of some
<DIV></DIV>>later statement by Bush?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 5. I want to know why John Ashcroft stop flying commercial, citing
<DIV></DIV>> > an unidentified "threat" in July 2001? I have seen tv tape
<DIV></DIV>> > of Hillary Clinton days after 911 indicate that she was warned about using
<DIV></DIV>> > commercial airplanes?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Because this threat had been known since the first WTC bombing, and
<DIV></DIV>>hints of another strike were getting stronger. Compare Pearl Harbor.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 6. I want to know why several prominent celebrities and politicians
<DIV></DIV>> > (Willie Brown) were warned days before 911 not to fly?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Now that we have the terror alert levels, you too can make such
<DIV></DIV>>judgements based on vague threats.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 7. I want to know why the US Military has not released videotape of the
<DIV></DIV>> > Pentagon attack. Why did they release only 5 lousy frames that show
<DIV></DIV>> > something that does not appear to be a large jumbo jet?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>The cameraman was late? The conspiracy really botched it on this one -
<DIV></DIV>>one thing you really need to keep the public convinced is good video.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 8. I want to know where all the flight recorders are?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>The WTC recorders were destroyed/lost and their remains are underground.
<DIV></DIV>>You could fund an expedition to excavate the site to try and find them.
<DIV></DIV>>I believe the recorder for the PA flight was recovered. I don't know about the
<DIV></DIV>>Pentagon.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 9. I want to know why was security meeting scheduled for 9/11cancelled
<DIV></DIV>> > by WTC management on 9/10?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Why is any meeting cancelled? Here we get to the core of the logical
<DIV></DIV>>fallacy at work in the Michael Moore mindset. Taking a true, but extremely
<DIV></DIV>>common fact (a meeting was cancelled) and pretending it is unusual.
<DIV></DIV>><sarcasm> A couple people claim to have slept in that morning and missed the
<DIV></DIV>>fun - but we know they are really lying. They knew what was coming and
<DIV></DIV>>stayed away. </sarcasm>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 10. I want to know how they discovered the identity of the bad guys so
<DIV></DIV>> > quickly.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Passenger lists? One way tickets?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 11. I want to know why devout muslims were in a titty bar the night
<DIV></DIV>> > before they committed these acts.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Because Islam is not all its cracked up to be? Because they were
<DIV></DIV>>promised that their martyrdom guarranteed them their 70 virgins whether
<DIV></DIV>>or not they were devout?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 12. I want to know why FEMA spokesman Tom Kenney tell Dan Rather he was
<DIV></DIV>> > in New York on Sept. 10 and why was he there?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>><sarcasm>A high level bureaucrat was in New York? And told someone about it?
<DIV></DIV>>I am stupified with astonishment. I just can't believe it!</sarcasm>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Here we go with that logical fallacy again. I call it "argument by
<DIV></DIV>>inuendo". Taking a true, but commonplace fact and pretending it has
<DIV></DIV>>some special significance.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 13. I want to know how in the hell John O'Neil landed a job in the WTC
<DIV></DIV>> > and started his duties on 9/11? Did O'Neil meet with FEMA officials on
<DIV></DIV>> > 9/10. O'Neil died in the attack.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Lots of people died in the attack. Lots of people started new jobs
<DIV></DIV>>on 9/11. Lots of people lost their jobs on 9/11. Lots of people were born on
<DIV></DIV>>9/11. <sarcasm>Lots of people in China died on 9/11. Perhaps the impact of
<DIV></DIV>>the towers collapsing had something to do with it.</sarcasm>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 14. I want to know about the insider trading that took place in the days
<DIV></DIV>> > leading up to 9/11 and why don't we have details after such a long period
<DIV></DIV>> > of time?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>There was insider trading before 9/11? I am shocked. Shocked. Hey, there
<DIV></DIV>>has been a ton of insider trading on SCO stock since January - do you think...?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > 15. I want to know how three steel superstructures collapse into next to
<DIV></DIV>> > nothing all on the same day when no hi-rise building has ever done such a
<DIV></DIV>> > thing in history?
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Why don't you build some towers with the same design and crash some planes
<DIV></DIV>>into them so we can test whether this is unusual? There have been
<DIV></DIV>>a few planes crashed into buildings before, but none into this type
<DIV></DIV>>of building - entirely supported by a central core with supports for
<DIV></DIV>>the floors radiating from the core.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>And on and on. I have to go to work. All of these questions have
<DIV></DIV>>one logical fallacy in common - taking what is common place (someone
<DIV></DIV>>starts a new job) and pretending it is unusual because this one instance
<DIV></DIV>>happened in a particular place and time. Or taking what is unique -
<DIV></DIV>>and asking why it has never happened before.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>--
<DIV></DIV>> Stuart D. Gathman <stuart@bmsi.com>
<DIV></DIV>> Business Management Systems Inc. Phone: 703 591-0911 Fax: 703 591-6154
<DIV></DIV>>"Confutatis maledictis, flamis acribus addictis" - background song for
<DIV></DIV>>a Microsoft sponsored "Where do you want to go from here?" commercial.
<DIV></DIV>>
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