Thoughts

I said I’d post my comments later, so here they are.

I found this video some time ago, on Ebaums’s world. Unfortunately it turned out to be too controversial and they removed it.

I can understand why. It raises more questions than it answers, and it makes you think of things that most people would rather not consider. But, as most of my readers will know, I’m somewhat critical of government (in general) and of “the system” as some call it – perhaps because I’ve always been an outcast of “the system.” And also because I’m a bit partial to conspiracy theories – but before you label me as “just another crack-pot conspiracy theorist,” listen to what I have to say. I’m coldly logical about these sorts of things, and my only goal is the truth.

First, let’s consider this in context. The Pentagon attack is the only attack of September 11, 2001 that really raises any questions. Now, that’s not to say there aren’t theories out there about the WTC attacks themselves – and I’m sure you’ve seen or heard of some of them. The face of Jesus or Satan or some other such rubbish in the smoke, buildings being blown up from within, missiles fired from the planes, etc. I’ve examined the evidence for those claims and found nothing to substantiate them – I consider them false claims. But the Pentagon raises some questions that I can’t dismiss – in fact, that I can’t answer. So here’s the main stuff.

The Neat Hole

This is the most glaring piece of evidence. I mean, there really was a neat, clean hole in the walls of the Pentagon. And I mean neat. It does seem implausible that a Boeing 757 would punch such a neat, clean, round hole in such a strong building (remember, this is the Pentagon!). Still, this doesn’t prove anything – it’s just… odd.

Eyewitness Reports

Many of the eyewitness reports seem to describe something unlike a 757 – more like a small plane, or even a missile. Of course now I have to question the credibility of these reports – how qualified were these people to judge the difference between a 757 and any other plane? And how much time did they have to really “see” it? More questions…

The Wreckage

The single most confusing aspect of this incident is the lack of wreckage. Where are the remains of the plane? Some reporter got it right – if the plane came in at the angle that is officially reported, the wings and the tail would’ve shorn right off and would have been found outside the Pentagon. Or at the very least, they would have crashed into the side of it and created more damage along the outer wall. Unfortunately, the wings and the tail and the engines aren’t there. And the outer wall, with the exception of the hole, seems largely undamaged. How to account for this? I can’t come up with a plausible explanation.

The Fire (or the lack thereof)

In the video, the question is asked “what happened to … 5,300 gallons of fuel?” And frankly, if you look at the pictures, there isn’t much actual fire damage. Yet the official report says that the damage from the fire is “evident.” Hmmm… Still, this could be explained by saying that the fuel tanks didn’t explode (it can happen). Perhaps the fuel just spilled onto the ground or inside the Pentagon and leaked into the basement or something. That, at least, is plausible.

Speed and Elevation

The official reports put the top of the plane at no more than 20 feet above the ground. That means that the plane was going (as it says in the video) 530 MPH while flying 2 feet off the ground. Take a look at your legs for a moment, and realize that, in most people, your legs are more than two feet tall. So this HUGE plane – a 757 – was flying 530 MPH at less than the height of your own legs. Everything else aside, that’s pretty freakin’ incredible. And the question of why wasn’t there any jet blast or wake turbulence on the highway that the plane cleared just before impact is a valid one – but one that doesn’t lead us to any answers… just more theories, and more questions.

The Confiscated Videos

Perhaps the most disappointing fact is that the FBI confiscated every video from every camera in the area that could have recorded the impact. The “why” question is easy to answer – for the investigation of course. But the “why” question of “why haven’t they been released to the public” is harder to answer, though this kind of behavior is, unfortunately, very typical of our government – and thus, in itself, not entirely unusual or unexpected. Still, you have to wonder – what would the videos have shown?

In the end, these questions bring up a lot of speculation. Missiles, rouge fighter planes, smaller commuter jets… all plausible theories to be sure, but we still are missing one important fact: if it was not flight 77 that hit the Pentagon… where did flight 77 go??

Unfortunately, my gut feeling on all this is that we will never know the truth, at least not fully, and certainly not for a long, long time. Alas, I feel that this will remain an anomaly of American history for quite some time. I only hope that someday, somewhere, we will know the full truth.

With deepest respect,

-Keithius