[Apologetics] Hillary 2008

[Stuart D. Gathman]

On Tue, 19 Oct 2004, Jim Murphy wrote:

> 1. Why didn't NORAD jets intercept the airliners since the Bush
> administration received numerous warnings of terrorist attacks?  We now
> know that 11 countries warned us before 911.  We know that David Shippers
> (former Bob Dole Chief-of-Staff and the guy that impeached Bill Clinton)
> warned numerous administration and government offices.  Why did NORAD
> intercept pro golfer Payne Stuarts plane 18 minutes after it deviated
> from its flight plan, but four jumbo jets get to wonder through the
> heaviest airplane traffic grid in the country for 45-60 minutes? 

Why didn't we stop Pearl Harbor when we had
  * decoded the attack order
  * spotted the attacking fleet on radar
  * early warning by intelligence officers who also discovered the plot

Never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by stupidity
(or bureaucracy).

> 2.  I want to know how 19 rookie pilots could fly these complex planes
> through heavily traveled traffic grids, unaided by air traffic control
> and perfectly hit their targets?  I've heard air traffic controllers say
> this is impossible.

They went to flight school, and then trained for this specific mission
for 6 months.  As someone who has done some flying, landing a plane
safely is hard.  Taking off and aiming the nose is easy (as soon as you
learn that the wheel is cumulative, unlike an automobile).  There was
no attempt to avoid hitting other planes.  A nice 2 plane collision 
is a decent terrorist statement too - although not as good as a building
collision.

> 3.  I want to know why all of the planes were approx. 80 percent empty?

Because airlines are often struggling to fill their planes.  Because the
hijackers had carefully chosen flights that were usually mostly empty
so that they would have fewer problems subduing the passengers.

> 4.  I want to know how Mr Bush watched the first plane hit the towers
> when it was not televised?

Bush was in a classroom reading and was *told* about the situation.
Perhaps this question is related to anal retentive parsing of some
later statement by Bush?

> 5.  I want to know why John Ashcroft stop flying commercial, citing
> an         unidentified "threat" in July 2001?  I have seen tv tape
> of Hillary Clinton days after 911 indicate that she was warned about using
> commercial airplanes?

Because this threat had been known since the first WTC bombing, and 
hints of another strike were getting stronger.  Compare Pearl Harbor.

> 6.  I want to know why several prominent celebrities and politicians
> (Willie Brown) were warned days before 911 not to fly?

Now that we have the terror alert levels, you too can make such 
judgements based on vague threats.

> 7.  I want to know why the US Military has not released videotape of the
> Pentagon attack.  Why did they release only 5 lousy frames that show
> something that does not appear to be a large jumbo jet? 

The cameraman was late?  The conspiracy really botched it on this one -
one thing you really need to keep the public convinced is good video.

> 8.  I want to know where all the flight recorders are?

The WTC recorders were destroyed/lost and their remains are underground.  
You could fund an expedition to excavate the site to try and find them.
I believe the recorder for the PA flight was recovered.  I don't know about the
Pentagon.

> 9.  I want to know why was security meeting scheduled for 9/11cancelled
> by WTC management on 9/10?

Why is any meeting cancelled?  Here we get to the core of the logical
fallacy at work in the Michael Moore mindset.  Taking a true, but extremely
common fact (a meeting was cancelled) and pretending it is unusual.
<sarcasm> A couple people claim to have slept in that morning and missed the
fun - but we know they are really lying.  They knew what was coming and
stayed away. </sarcasm>

> 10.  I want to know how they discovered the identity of the bad guys so
> quickly.

Passenger lists?  One way tickets?

> 11.  I want to know why devout muslims were in a titty bar the night
> before they committed these acts.

Because Islam is not all its cracked up to be?  Because they were 
promised that their martyrdom guarranteed them their 70 virgins whether
or not they were devout?

> 12. I want to know why FEMA spokesman Tom Kenney tell Dan Rather he was
> in New York on Sept. 10 and why was he there?

<sarcasm>A high level bureaucrat was in New York?  And told someone about it?
I am stupified with astonishment.  I just can't believe it!</sarcasm>

Here we go with that logical fallacy again.  I call it "argument by
inuendo".  Taking a true, but commonplace fact and pretending it has
some special significance.

> 13.  I want to know how in the hell John O'Neil landed a job in the WTC
> and started his duties on 9/11?  Did O'Neil meet with FEMA officials on
> 9/10.  O'Neil died in the attack.

Lots of people died in the attack.  Lots of people started new jobs
on 9/11.  Lots of people lost their jobs on 9/11.  Lots of people were born on
9/11.  <sarcasm>Lots of people in China died on 9/11.  Perhaps the impact of
the towers collapsing had something to do with it.</sarcasm>

> 14. I want to know about the insider trading that took place in the days
> leading up to 9/11 and why don't we have details after such a long period
> of time?

There was insider trading before 9/11?  I am shocked.  Shocked.  Hey, there
has been a ton of insider trading on SCO stock since January - do you think...?

> 15.  I want to know how three steel superstructures collapse into next to
> nothing all on the same day when no hi-rise building has ever done such a
> thing in history?

Why don't you build some towers with the same design and crash some planes 
into them so we can test whether this is unusual?  There have been
a few planes crashed into buildings before, but none into this type
of building - entirely supported by a central core with supports for
the floors radiating from the core.

And on and on.  I have to go to work.  All of these questions have
one logical fallacy in common - taking what is common place (someone
starts a new job) and pretending it is unusual because this one instance
happened in a particular place and time.  Or taking what is unique -
and asking why it has never happened before.

-- 
	      Stuart D. Gathman <stuart at bmsi.com>
    Business Management Systems Inc.  Phone: 703 591-0911 Fax: 703 591-6154
"Confutatis maledictis, flamis acribus addictis" - background song for
a Microsoft sponsored "Where do you want to go from here?" commercial.