The conspiracy theories about what really brought the twin towers down on 9/11 are absurd. The idea of an elaborate hoax with our government collaborating with Saudi religious fanatics is ridiculous on it’s face. There are reasons we nevertheless find ourselves debating this issue. First, there are always people (the conspiracy advocates) who want to be the center of attention and sensational claims are a way of getting that attention. Non-scientists find it hard to tell the difference between research and advocacy - if it's got numbers and charts, does that make it science? Secondly we have the journalists need for attention grabbing headlines (the ‘tabloid syndrome’). Third, there is the practice of “he said…she said” reporting. Paul Krugman of the NY Times said if someone claimed the earth was flat the headlines would read “Opinions Differ on Shape of Earth”. The fourth reason we are giving a forum to nonsense is more disturbing. There is constant drumbeat of attacks on our government’s credibility and intentions regarding Iraq and almost everything under the sun. In this poisonous atmosphere any charge, no matter how ridiculous, is treated as a real possibility.
Ltr to H-T sent 26Sep07
