"Scholar" Infighting Continues

We have been discussing all the infighting and schisms in the 9/11 denial movement, particularly among the group called the "Scholars" for 9/11 "Truth". Judy Wood, Morgan Reynolds and others quit the group, accusing Steven Jones of fraudulent scholarship and violating academic standards. One member, David Hawkins even quit, accusing Jim Fetzer of being part of the plot, but apparently not even the conspiracy theorists care about him since I have heard nothing further.

Woods and Reynolds have now gone on to propose their elaborate Death Star theory, which has made things more interesting because Fetzer, who started the group with Steven Jones has gone on to endorse this theory, even calling Woods, "the single most qualified person to study what happened on 9/11" an apparent slap in the face to Jones. So as a result there has been some discussion here as to what will the fallout be between Fetzer and Jones in this little 9/11 denier soap opera love spat.

Well, the other shoe has fallen:

An Open Letter about Steven Jones
by James H. Fetzer
19 November 2006
Friends and Colleagues:

When I founded Scholars for 9/11 Truth, I invited Steve Jones to serve as co-chair. He has responsibility for co-editing our journal, which he originally founded with Judy Wood as co-editor and me as managing editor, and runs our members' forum, while I maintain our web site at st911.org. He is now planning to take control of the web site from me.

I have raised objections on moral, legal and intellectual grounds and I am categorically opposed to it. But he appears to be persisting in what might be described as a "hostile take over" to control Scholars. Because this is going on behind the scenes and you would otherwise be unaware of this scheme, I am publishing this open letter on st911.org.

The background to this move concerns new research about what happened at the World Trade Center involving hypotheses that differ from those Steve has been investigating and promoting for more than a year now. On 11 November 2006, Judy Wood was my guest on "Non-Random Thoughts" and we discussed new research she and Morgan Reynolds were doing on possible causes of the destruction of the World Trade Center, which involves the use of high-tech, directed energy-weaponry. I put up links to their research, which are available on our web site under "Events" for that date. Right or wrong, this is fascinating stuff, which I even discussed during lectures in Tucson the next two days:

Later on , Fetzer even attacks Jones' research. This I can actually agree with:

What is ironic about his attitude toward "unfinished research" is that he repeatedly characterizes his own studies of the use of thermite (in a sulfur-enhanced version known as "thermate") as both preliminary and incomplete. If that is the case, then by his own standard, there is a serious question whether his own research is ready for prime time! It is also worth mention that he has revised his basic paper on numerous occasions, which, to the best of my knowledge, have not been subject to additional peer review. If we only mention or discuss finished research on st911.org, there is a serious question whether Steve's work properly qualifies for inclusion in the journal he edits, much less the web site.

He then finishes, with what is basically an invitation to resign:

To the best of my knowledge, Steve has found support among perhaps ten or twelve members of Scholars who are active on the forum. Since our current membership approximates 400, this does not appear to be the majority view. Splinter groups often form when dealing with complex and controversial issues, especially when they have ramifications of a political kind. Everyone who has joined Scholars has joined with the current web site and management of st911.org. If he thinks that he can do better, then I encourage him to resign from Scholars and create his own site. But he should not attempt to take control of a site that I created and maintain, which would display the virtues of theft over honest toil.

All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.