PM Explains Hasselbeck, Chastises Rosie

Good post by the PM guys:

For more detail on one aspect of the talk show’s conversation, our expanded report in book form, Debunking 9/11: Why Conspiracy Theories Can’t Stand Up To The Facts, describes the volcanic forces that Ms. Hasselbeck referenced on Monday: “[A] seismology report prepared at Columbia University provides a glimpse into how that damage [to the southwest corner of WTC7] was caused. The report notes that the collapses of the Twin Towers caused little ground instability, but nevertheless discharged a massive amount of energy—as much as 107 joules in the kinetic energy of dust and debris. Except for temperature, the effect was similar to the energy contained in the pyroclastic ash given off in volcanic eruptions. ‘Only a very small portion of the [gravitational energy associated with the collapse of each tower] was converted into seismic waves,’ the report states. ‘Most of the energy went into deformation of buildings and the formation of rubble and dust.’”

The report continues: “Most of the effects of those collapses on adjacent structures and people were related to the kinetic energy of falling debris and the pressure on buildings exerted by dust- and particle-laden air mobilized by falling debris.” From 300 hundred yards away—the distance from the North Tower to WTC7—that debris cloud devastated the base of World Trade Center 7.

Update: Obviously PM must have written 300 feet originally and then decided to convert to one hundred yards and hence the confusion. As best as I can tell 300 feet or one hundred yards is a pretty good approximation of the closest distance between the North Tower and WTC-7.

Not to mention the direct impact that WTC 7 took when the North Tower fell.