Operation Northwoods

If I don't think Israel or the Mossad was behind the events of 9/11, then who do I think was?

First, I think it very probable that Al Qaeda planned and carried out the hijackings of the planes on 9/11.

But I suspect (emphasis on "suspect") that their plan was known by our military and allowed to proceed, and that our military planted explosives in the WTC to make sure they would collapse and cause a major catastrophe that would be televised around the world.

Why would our military do such a thing? The usual reasons: to justify huge increases in our military budget, that would feed the military/industrial complex, supplying huge profits and kickbacks for all involved; and to increase our hegemony in the Middle East and control of Middle East oil.

Is there any evidence that the heads of our military would ever even think of trying something like this? Yes. They proposed similar false flag terror operations against the U.S. back in 1962. The idea was that they would make it look like Cuba was responsible for the terror attacks, providing us with the justification for invading them and deposing Castro. The whole thing was known as Operation Northwoods.

Kennedy rejected the idea and demoted the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But suppose Nixon had been president. Would he have been as likely to reject their plan? I doubt it.

But it could be that the Pentagon learned their lesson and planned and carried out the controlled demolitions on 9/11 without telling the president. It could be that President Bush and Vice President Cheney were as innocent as you and I. If there ever is an investigation of the matter, we might find out the truth.

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks...

...and to Jason Kidd (17 years in the NBA) and Dirk Nowitzki (13 years in the NBA) who finally got their championship rings.

And may this teach Lebron James and the Miami Heat a little humility.

Anti-Semitism, Anti-Zionism and the 9/11 Truth Movement

Finding an entry at Debunking the Debunkers that calls Helen Thomas an American hero after her denouncement of Israel is disturbing, to say the least. One of the major criticisms of the 9/11 Truth Movement is that it is anti-Semitic or anti-Zionist in nature.

So I thought I should, at the very least, distance myself from those against whom the charges seem to apply. I believe that the Jewish people are the chosen people of God. I support the right of the Jewish state of Israel to exist. I seriously doubt that Israel, or its intelligence agency, the Mossad, had an active role in the events of 9/11. And I denounce any who accuse Israel or the Mossad of participating in the events of 9/11, since there is no substantial evidence to back up their charges. Further, I denounce anyone in the 9/11 Truth Movement who uses their blog, website, or other vehicle of mass communication to single out Israel for special criticism, while ignoring all the other injustices perpetrated by other nations throughout the world, especially in the Middle East, where Israel stands out as a model of how a democracy can exist and thrive in a area of great instability.

This leaves me with a difficult decision. I find the blog "Debunking the Debunkers" to be a very useful source of information when researching the various arguments used against the 9/11 Truth Movement. And I have previously recommended their blog to others. So should I remove it from my list of blogs on the sidebar or not?

Debunking the Molten Aluminum Hypothesis

Potentially, one of the most powerful pieces of evidence that the WTC towers were brought down by controlled demolitions is the videos of a molten, orange/yellowish metal flowing from the south tower shortly before it collapsed. The pivotal question is, what king of metal was it? Those who do not accept the controlled demolition explanation claim that it was melted aluminum alloy from the burning plane. The problem with this explanation is that when melted aluminum, even when it appears orange/yellow when contained in a hot environment, is poured out into a cooler environment, it quickly turns silvery in color. The molten metal flowing from the south tower maintains its orange/yellow color for all or most of its descent.

If it isn't aluminum, then what kind of metal is it? And since the temperature of office fires or jet fuel fires wouldn't be hot enough to melt other metals that would be in great quantity in the towers, what would produce the great amount of heat necessary to melt whatever metal it is? If thermite or nanothermite was used in large quantities in controlled demolitions of the towers, then there would be a great deal of molten iron, which would maintain its orange/yellow color for a very long period of time. A good presentation of the evidence can be found at Debunking the Debunkers.

The Dog Whisperer

I've been reading Cesar Millan's, Cesar's Way, a short biography and explanation of his philosophy on handling dogs, and I've been watching a DVD of his television show, "The Dog Whisperer."

Basically, he teaches that dogs are pack animals, with a pack leader and the rest followers. A good pack leader exhibits calm, assertive authority, and good followers exhibit calm submissiveness. The correct way, then, to be a good dog owner is to be a calm, assertive leader, which will result in the dog being a calm, submissive pet. When the owner fails to be calm, or assertive, or a leader, then the dog tries to become the pack leader, and all sorts of problems develop. Cesar has thirty or so rescued dogs of his own, where he demonstrates that his philosophy actually works on a large scale. He is the calm, assertive pack leader, and consequently all of the dogs are calm and submissive and get along with each other just fine. Of course, Cesar is a good owner, who always looks out for the well-being of his dogs.

While reading his book and watching the DVD, it occurred to me that Jesus is my calm, assertive pack leader, who looks out for my well-being. Therefore, I should be the calm, submissive follower, who doesn't try to become the leader, and who gets along fine with everybody else, realizing that my pack leader has everything under control. I've been trying to put that thought into practice the past few days. Easier said than done, I'm afraid.

Why ID Might Be Important

People like Jerry Coyne aren't going to bother much with philosophy. They think it's rather unimportant and not much better than religion. When presented with a philosophical argument against their materialism, they will respond with something like:

"I’ll leave this one to the philosophers...," apparently never realizing that their materialism is a philosophical position that needs to be philosophically defended. Or worse, they will say something truly idiotic like:

"Saying that thoughts have meanings that “lie beyond themselves” simply assumes what Torley’s trying to prove,"

apparently never realizing that would mean that their own thoughts have no meaning that "lie beyond themselves," such as the thought that "evolution is true."

So how does one reach such thoughtless people? Since they have made Science their god, then ID may be the only way to reach them. I realize how scandalous this will seem to Thomists such as Feser. And I sympathize with him. But does he really think someone like Jerry Coyne gives a fig for what a mere philosopher has to say? Whereas Coyne cares a great deal about why someone like Behe might say. Enough to read his books and attack them as forcefully as he can. Unfortunately for Coyne, his attacks fall short, and deep down, I think even Coyne realizes it.

Coyne on Meaning

HT: V.J. Torley

Prof. Edward Feser responds to Prof. Jerry Coyne's rather meager attempt to explain intentionality.

Feser does a fine job, but I couldn't help but make some sort of comment about Coyne's startling statement:

"Saying that thoughts have meanings that 'lie beyond themselves' simply assumes what Torley’s trying to prove."

Does he really mean that thoughts don't have meanings that lie beyond themselves? So when Coyne says that, "Evolution is true," this isn't a thought that refers to something called evolution and asserting that it corresponds to historical reality? What then does Coyne mean by saying it? Is it the same as belching? Spitting? Blowing his nose? What exactly are we to make of his statement? Just Coyne passing more gas, I suppose.