Next
Step To 9/11 Justice
By Joel S. Hirschhorn
23 September, 2007
Countercurrents.org
Everyone
thinks of terrorism and homeland security for lessons learned from 9/11.
There is another opportunity. Make our government trustworthy and truthful.
The 9/11 truth movement is
stronger than ever, though it is generally derided by politicians and
ignored by the mainstream media. It is fueled by people passionate about
alternative explanations to the official 9/11 story. Understandable,
considering that the co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission admitted: “We
were set up to fail.”
In 2006 Time magazine said:
“The population of [the 9/11 truth movement] is larger than you
might think. A Scripps-Howard poll of 1,010 adults last month found
that 36% of Americans consider it ‘very likely’ or ‘somewhat
likely’ that government officials either allowed the attacks to
be carried out or carried out the attacks themselves. Thirty-six percent
adds up to a lot of people. This is not a fringe phenomenon. It is a
mainstream political reality.”
A 2006 Zogby International
poll found that 42% of Americans more likely agree with people who believe
that “the US government and its 9/11 Commission concealed or refused
to investigate critical evidence that contradicts their official explanation
of the September 11th attacks, saying there has been a cover-up.”
This year Zogby found that
31 perecent of likely voters do not buy the official 9/11 story [72
percent for ages 18 to 24 and nearly 60 percent for Hispanics and singles];
51 percent still await a congressional investigation of Bush's and Cheney's
actions before, during and after the 9/11 attacks [88 percent for ages
18 to 24 and 77 percent for Hispanics and singles]; and 67% fault the
9/11 Commission for not investigating the anomalous and still unexplained
collapse of World Trade Center building 7.
So, six years later, a large
fraction of Americans question the government’s official 9/11
story. Countless groups and websites sustain the 9/11 truth movement
with many conferences held nationwide. There have been several best-selling
books and many well known political, military, law enforcement and academic
persons publicly support alternative theories of 9/11 and/or the need
for a new investigation. Yet being a 9/11 truth seeker exposes one to
ridicule as a conspiracy nut by those brainwashed by establishment propaganda
and lies, or afraid to face the painful truth, or too lazy to think
for themselves.
Writing recently in the Guardian,
Peter Tatchell made important points: “The 9/11 Commission was
hamstrung by official obstruction. It never managed to ascertain the
whole truth of what happened on September 11 2001. …What happened
on 9/11 is fundamentally important in its own right. But equally important
is the way the 9/11 cover-up signifies an absence of democratic, transparent
and accountable government. Establishing the truth is, in part, about
restoring honesty, trust and confidence in American politics.”
In other words, the truth
movement has set the stage for taking their passion to a higher political
level that even more Americans can support – government reform.
Specifically, waiting is
a reform mechanism as old as the Constitution itself. Few Americans
realize they have a constitutional right to a national convention of
state delegates that can propose constitutional amendments. Once convened,
delegates can debate and propose amendments without government review,
but like amendments proposed by Congress, still must meet the tough
ratification requirements of Article V. Though all 50 states have applied
for a convention, well in excess of the 34 required by the Constitution,
Congress has refused to call one. The nonpartisan Friends of the Article
V Convention at www.foavc.org seeks the nation’s first Article
V convention.
The Framers of our Constitution
created the convention option because they feared one dark day the public
would lose confidence in the federal government. With record-low approval
of Congress – just 11 percent - and so little truth about 9/11,
that day has crashed our democracy. Unsurprisingly, just like a new
9/11 investigation, Congress fears what may come out of an Article V
convention. The truth is not politically popular.
The nexus between the 9/11
truth movement and the Article V convention effort is this: When a sizable
fraction of the population wants a more comprehensive and credible government
investigation into a matter of great public concern, but Congress and
the Executive Branch refuse, a new legal mechanism is needed. Considering
how the Bush administration used 9/11 to start the insane Iraq war,
the public has profoundly good reasons for a new option for obtaining
trustworthy information. Surely there will be other events and issues
in the future that raise the same need for reliable analysis and conclusions
independent of the usual web of government circles and tricks.
A new constitutional amendment
can establish a framework for citizens to petition and seek “redress”
from their federal government without going through elected representatives
adept at ignoring them. Here is a possible approach. The highly respected
and independent General Accountability Office could be given constitutional
responsibility for collecting citizen petitions for investigations.
If a threshold number is reached, then GAO would conduct a nonpartisan
investigation using its staff and any other persons deemed necessary.
This would be a taste of direct democracy, akin to a national referendum.
The threshold might be one million citizen requests, with at least 10,000
coming from each of at least two-thirds of the states.
The intense 9/11 truth movement
has a historic opportunity to seek a permanent means to counter bipartisan
government intransigence and untrustworthiness that now is the rule,
not the exception.
I urge 9/11 truth seekers
to join Friends of the Article V Convention, recognizing that Congress’
refusal to re-investigate 9/11 is matched by its refusal to permit an
Article V convention. Our common goal is to compel the federal government
to be accountable to the Constitution, federal law and the people. 9/11
truth seekers must become government reform seekers to achieve their
objectives through smart political strategy.
Other political strategies
also merit support, notably the current effort in New York City to obtain
a ballot initiative to establish a new independent commission and investigation:
www.nyc911initiative.org.
Consider what Mark Twain
wisely observed: “In the beginning of a change the patriot is
a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds,
the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”
Our patriotic crusade for 9/11 truth and systemic government reform
is still at the first stage. Courage is needed to persevere. Truth does
not come easy.
[Joel S. Hirschhorn
is a member of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, a co-founder
of Friends of the Article V Convention, former full professor of engineering
at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and senior staffer at the Congressional
Office of Technology Assessment and the National Governors Association,
and author of Delusional Democracy – Fixing the Republic Without
Overthrowing the Government at www.delusionaldemocracy.com.]
Leave
A Comment
&
Share Your Insights
Comment
Policy
Digg
it! And spread the word!
Here is a unique chance to help this article to be read by thousands
of people more. You just Digg it, and it will appear in the home page
of Digg.com and thousands more will read it. Digg is nothing but an
vote, the article with most votes will go to the top of the page. So,
as you read just give a digg and help thousands more to read this article.