"Top Ten Photos 9/11 Conspiracy Nuts Hate"

Martin Robbins
'The lay scientist'

"Ever since the twin towers came down, conspiracy nuts have gone to town, poring over photos and
youtube videos in an attempt to prove that the global Salafi Jihad movement wasn't responsible for
the attacks, and that some unspecified agents - usually the government, Jews, CIA or some
combination of the above - were. In spite of all the conspiracy websites in existence though, not one
has managed to come up with any definitive evidence that contradicts the official story.

I don't really want to go through the whole 9/11 nonsense here, but inspired by my general
annoyance at the topic, I thought I'd present a little run down of the top ten photos conspiracy
theorists don't want to deal with (click the photos to see larger versions). I don't claim that this page
somehow proves the official story to be right, nor that it proves conspiracy theories wrong, but it
gives some neat examples of why it's hard to take some of these people seriously.

1. Flight 77 wreckage (from the landing gear) at the Pentagon. Conspiracy theorists used to
argue that no plane ever hit the Pentagon, claiming that there was no visible debris at the site. They
seem to have retreated from this claim in the last couple of years.

2. Debris from the Twin Towers falling onto WTC7. Many conspiracy theorists still believe that
fires and debris couldn't have reached WTC7 (the tall building lower-right) to inflict significant
damage, claiming that WTC7 must have been subjected to a controlled demolition.

3. WTC6 lies in ruins. Conspiracy theorists have also argued that WTC7 couldn't have been struck
by debris since WTC6 - which lies between the twin towers and WTC7 - "wasn't that damaged".
Note that the center has entirely collapsed. In spite of evidence like this, and reports from fire-
fighters, who used instruments to measure the gradual movement and distortion of WTC7's
structure over several hours up until its collapse, Truthers still prefer to believe that a controlled
demolition occurred.
4 & 5. Fires rage in WTC5 and WTC6. Many conspiracy theorists refuse to accept that fire could
have spread to WTC7, even though fires clearly raged across much of the WTC complex.
6. Plume from the Flight 93 Crash. As witnesses looked on, Mrs McClatchey took this shot from
her porch. Ever since, conspiracy theorists have harassed and threatened her, even anonymously
posting her phone number and photos of her home on blogs. They claim that the evidence must be
faked, as it is inconsistent with their theory that a missile brought down the aircraft. (which would
have resulted in fragments of the plane coming down over a wide area), and have subjected Mrs
McClatchey to a torrent of abuse.

7. A seatbelt from the wreckage of Flight 93. Hundreds of volunteers spent days and weeks
combing the area, collecting wreckage amounting to virtually the entire plane, now in the
possession of the airline (with the exception of the black boxes which are held by air safety
officials. Some conspiracy theorists believe that all of the local residents in the area are liars, along
with all the airline workers, local police and emergency services, coronors, and air safety experts
involved in the operation to recover the aircraft, and the analysis of flight data and materials
recovered.

8. Sagging floors in WTC2. As the heat in the towers increase, steel supports were weakened
causing buckling, as evidenced by the sagging floor visible here. This weakening led to the
structural failure of the building. Conspiracy theorists claim that the buildings should have survived
these structural failures, and believe that thousands of explosive charges were rigged inside the
building, with a control system to detonate them somehow surviving the impact and fires.
9. Workmen cutting beams in the wreckage. Conspiracy theorists are for some reason obsessed
with the idea that thermite was used in 9/11, in spite of the fact that thermite is used for cutting and
welding, and never in demolitions (indeed, it would be practically impossible to set it up). They cite
neatly cut beams as evidence of thermite being used, but ignore the fact that beams were neatly cut
up by workmen operating after the collapse.
10. Debris out-paces the collapse of the tower. Many conspiracy theorists claim that the World
Trade Center towers fell equal to (or ludicrously faster than) free-fall speeds. Many photos clearly
show falling debris out-pacing the collapse of the building, proving that the structures fell at well
below free-fall speeds.
Ultimately this sort of blogging is an exercise in futility. There is no evidence, no matter how
convincing, that will ever be accepted by the 9/11 "Truth" Movement's hardcore evangelists. The
irony is that the people who claim to be searching for the truth are so willing to ignore evidence and
react angrily to those with conflicting evidence and testimony.
A bigger irony is that if there is a conspiracy, truthers with their deluge of disinformation are doing
more than anyone else to help cover it up.
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Publicado originalmente en http://layscience.net/?q=node/124