Last week, the History Channel did a show examining 9/11 conspiracies and systematically debunking them. Captain’s Quarters talks about it here.
One highlight of the show is when theorists suggest that the towers should not have collapsed in only 10 or so seconds. Their reasoning:
A pancake collapse would have been 110 floors falling one by one, all the way down. Clunkety-clunk. Try saying the words “clunkety-clunk” 110 times. You couldn’t even say that in 10 seconds. A Major Republican who donated $100,000 to George W. Bush recently tried our suggestion. In his hotel room, using a stopwatch, he said “clunkety-clunk” 110 times. It took him over three minutes. Ten seconds vs. three minutes. You decide.
Good point. If a Republican admits he can’t do it, the theorists must be right.
Another theory is that there should have been more large debris at the Pennsylvania crash site, despite the fact that the plane was going almost straight down at a high speed. They also think the hole in the Pentagon doesn’t look like it was made by a plane. To paraphrase the editor of Popular Mechanics, which produced a great book debunking 9/11 conspiracy theories, they apparently expect to see a plane-shaped hole in the side of the building, kind of like when Wile E. Coyote runs into a brick wall.
For a debunking of the theory that the fires in the World Trade Centers weren’t hot enough to cause the buildings to collapse, see here.
Leading 9/11 conspiracy theorists, for the most part, are contemptible people. The producers of popular conspiracy ‘documentary’ Loose Change are especially arrogant. They are also typical of their ilk; young, not educated in science, and condescending. They debated the Popular Mechanics folks awhile back. While being thoroughly outclassed, the young punks could only retort, “you’re lying!” and “you’re part of the coverup.”
I think it is important that we examine and refute these theories, so that they don’t persist outside of the lunatic fringe for the rest of history. I discuss this at my site.
Here here.
I can slightly understand the excitement people experience in the grips of reading a good conspiracy theory (think Area 51, JFK, etc). These “theories” are the stuff of urban legend and ad some often much needed mystery to the mundane work-a-day lifestyle.
But the 9/11 “theories” go too far. In fact, when I first heard of this show, I was surprised they had warranted enough merit to even need debunking.
Whatever happened to the BYU prof that was a 9/11 conspiracy whacko?
I also agree that debunking this junk provides a valuable service to society. It relegates the lunatic fringe to the realm of entertainment.