Architects and Engineers for Paranoid Texans

They like to pretend that they are scientists and engineers, but after over 5 years, they have yet to produce anything even remotely scientific, unless you consider it a study on logical fallacies. Things are getting so bad, however, that they are not only producing their own unscientific material, but posting frontpage articles from Alex Jones' Infowars. Yeah, I go to them for all of my science and engineering reporting.

UK’s Daily Mail newspaper claims weakening of ‘exterior beams’ caused WTC 7 collapse
Editor’s note: In this incisive article, Infowars journalist Paul Joseph Watson refutes the illogical claims of an overambitious reporter from the UK Daily Mail, who asserts that video footage confirms the destruction of WTC Building 7 by office fires. The Daily Mail article comes in stark contrast to the easily accessible and understandable evidence of the controlled demolition of WTC 7 on the afternoon of 9/11.

But hey, remember, they are architects and engineers...

Box Boy: Cause of 9-11 Has Nothing To Do With Muslims

The rest of the interview is pretty much the usual yadda yadda--own footprint, freefall speed--but it is very interesting to hear Gage denying the Muslim hijackers.

Hat Tip: Commenter Paul. Great find!

Real Science?

As we point out constantly, truthers split into all sorts of little groups, some of which pretend to greater standards than others, but all of whom share the same basic crackpot ideas. Richard Gage's Architects and Engineers pretend to be a group of professionals, but yet they still belong to a fringe movement. An example of this is their recent announcement on their website that they will be delivering a presentation at the Conscious Life Expo.

In February AE911Truth will be joining other speakers at the Conscious Life Expo on Feb. 12 from 8-10pm in LA.

I had never heard of this, so I figured, well this must be some sort of scientific conference of building professionals or something, in order for such a distinguished organization to show up there.

Uhh, OK. Not really. But if you want to attend you can also see lectures on such fascinating scientific subjects as "Alien Timelines: Their Effect on Us", "2012: A Vibrational Choice", and my personal favorite, "The Ark of the Covenant, an Extraterrerestrial Machine?".

Geraldo Impressed by 1300 Architects and Engineers

And I can kind of see it from his standpoint. I mean, we've been around since the early days when Gage was claiming that insurance companies raised their premiums 2100 percent and thinking that the box demonstration was impressive, so we know it's just 1300 clowns in the circus, whereas Geraldo has none of that experience. He doesn't know about the swimming pool engineer or the HVAC engineer or the dental engineer who thinks it was done with beam weapons from space.

Box Boy Rakes in $75,000

Our buddy Joseph Nobles (aka Boloboffin) reports:

$75,450

Richard Gage’s salary in 2009 from Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth. That’s according to the 2009 Form 990-EZ available right now at Guidestar.org, an online organization that helps track non-profits.

That's about $75,450 more than James and I made on SLC last year. I confirmed the information myself at Guidestar. Gage claims to spend 80 hours per week on the Troof; that's about 11.5 hours per day, every day. It sure does not show in his presentations.

Apparently the CFO of AE911Troof is J. Marx Ayres; he's about to celebrate his 88th birthday.

Box Boy to Launch Broadsheet

It's just another way of wringing more dough out of the rubes.

This September, the most important print item in the history of AE911Truth will make its debut. The “911 Investigator,” the first annual edition of our informative new color broadsheet newspaper, is now available for early order in our online store, and you’ll be able to get 100 copies shipped at low bulk prices and distribute them proudly in your local community.

What a shock, they didn't check carefully before naming their newspaper the 911 (sic) Investigator. As it happens, there is a 9-11 "Truther" posting under that name at JREF, and guess what? He's a Holocaust Denier:

My position on the bunnycaust is that I will believe that it happened if somebody can demonstrate it to me that it happened.

In Europe we hold the view that somebody is innocent until proven guilty very unlike jungles like the US (jungle, because the dudalbs, the dtuggs, the parkys and the finewines are in charge) where the rule is: 'listen pall, we're going to throw you in jail for 4 years. However, if you confess being guilty we'll reduce your sentence to 2 years' ('fleabargain').

So here is my request to the local Israel-Lobby here on this forum (dudalb, dtugg, parky, finewine and a few hundred more): demonstrate to me that 6 million people were gassed in WW2 under the Nazis.

Wait, I'll make it easy for you: prove that only one person was gassed.

Boloboffin Still Doing A Great Job

Over at AE911Truth.info. He takes on Dwain Deets's 7 Problems with Building 7 here. Just keep browsing, plenty of good debunking of Gage's gaggle.

Just One of the AE 9-11 Troof Engineers

Uncle Fetzer was griping about the Wikipedia entry on his fruitcake group, and cited an engineer who had joined his group over Jones' jerks.

I was sad to see the breakup of Scholars for 911 truth, but after watching this 14 hour DVD set I chose to join Fetzer's group just to take a stand for the side of the fence that is more in line with my inclination towards free and open thinking and research.

Since I am an engineer I also chose to join Architects and Engineers for 911 Truth, even though they have a very narrow focus.

The letter was signed T. Mark Hightower. So I thought I'd Google Mr Hightower and see what I came up with. The third result was his page on the We Are Change NY meetup group. It's not hard to see what he's talking about when he gripes about the narrow focus of Gage's gaggle:

To powerful Jews and their dupes, the whole truth about 9/11 is like sodomy in the synagogue, exposing it is a million times greater sin than committing it. This analogy inspired by revisionisthistory.org and rediscover911.com

Revisionist History is one of those sites on the evil Jooos, while Rediscover 9-11 is a site that contends that those evil Jooos did 9-11.

Blueprint for Nonsense

I'm going to leave this at the original width, as the writing is already hard to read. Good work here; I especially like the bit about how far the building would have had to travel in order to topple. As I never tire of pointing out, there is another term for the "path of greatest resistance": It's called "down". Gage seems astonished to learn that things fall downwards.

Drooling Old Actors in Their Dotage for 9-11 Troof

Ed Asner has recorded a radio spot for Box Boy Gage's group (MP3 file). Of course, Asner has been a Truther for several years; here he is way back in 2004:

What's sadder; the fact that Asner's huge body of work is spoiled at the end by his feverish conspiracy theory rantings, or that Architects and Nutbars for 9-11 Troof thinks they can exploit him to promote Richard Gage?

1000th Clown Joins Gage's Circus

Well, that's it then, they've won. Because 772 dribbling idiots isn't quite critical mass, nor is 999. But there's magic in four digits of buffoons on a petition. Of course, that it took them 2-1/2 years longer than projected is a bit of a disappointment, I suppose, and that they've probably got 100 phony names will no doubt prove embarrassing.

Still, congratulations are in order. Great job, Richard! We look forward to the grand celebration of your 2000th senile architect in 2021!

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Okay, so the A&E 9-11 Fruitcakes are about to celebrate their 1000th "professional" architect or engineer to sign onto their cruddy petition. Of course, it's coming almost 2-1/2 years later than Richard Gage originally predicted (remember 9-11-07 was the original target date), and each anniversary after that Gage also established as a a goal. And while we can laugh and point out that the average age of the 9-11 Truth Architect and Engineers member is "emeritus", at the same time, 1000 is a significant number in our culture, and you can understand why they would consider this a milestone.

But what about this bit of bar-setting in an info posting over there:

We would like to double this accomplishment into 2000 signers before summer of 2010 and with your help we can do it. If each and every one of you will talk to ten friends or colleagues and sign up just two of them, then we will succeed.

I'm going to predict here and now that they will fall about 950 signers short of that goal by the summer of 2010. Way to go, Richard!

911 Geese In Gage's Gaggle

It must be an inside job! 911!

Stockholm Syndrome?

How else to explain this result, as reported by the aptly-named Laurel Bunk at Gage's Gaggle:

Twenty-one people believed fire alone brought down the buildings, and 41 were unsure [before Gage's presentation]. Only two people still believed the fire hypothesis, and 15 remained unsure [after Gage's speech]. While nearly one-third of the audience began the evening skeptical of AE911Truth's conclusion, more than 90% were convinced beyond a doubt that the buildings were brought down by controlled demolition, once they heard and saw even this abbreviated version of the evidence.

Note that 2/3rds of the crowd was nutter even before Gage opened his pie-hole. So you're sitting there amid a bunch of fruitloops who are oooohing and aaaahing at every word Gage disgorges. And let's face it, you've got to be a little on the kook side to even come out to hear him speak. Note also this result from Gage's speech at a mosque:

After the presentation, Mr. Gage reported that audience members came up to him with tears in their eyes, grateful that the unwarranted persecution of Muslims around the world had been revealed, and with fresh hope that this injustice might be at least greatly reduced. It was an emotionally charged, intense experience, unlike any other presentation Mr. Gage has done. He made a second appearance at the Alaman Mosque on Friday, September 11th, in a command repeat presentation to a new audience.

Simply disgusting. Note as well that Gage's presentation is solely on controlled demolition; he says nothing about the 19 hijackers, who were, well, Muslims, right? So how does his spiel get them off the hook?

Yet More Overly Credulous Journalism

This time from the Santa Barbara Independent.

It's long and it goes far too easy on Richard Gage and his goofball gaggle:

Now, in three years, Gage has signed up 804 architects and structural engineers, some from top firms, who challenge the official version of the buildings’ collapses.

Of course a real analysis of Gage's gang reveals that many are neither architects or engineers, and the ones that are would increase the average age at at most nursing homes.

Notably, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division has acknowledged that AE911’s core evidence deserves — and will get — FBI scrutiny. In a December 2008 letter, Assistant Director Michael J. Heimbach assessed AE911’s presentation as “backed by thorough research and analysis.”

That bit always cracks me up. Did they really expect an FBI agent to write back and tell them that they were a bunch of nutbars? Have they followed up with Heimbach to see how much "scrutiny" he's given to their theories since December 2008? I mean, it's ten months now, surely the arrests for controlled demolition at the towers is imminent?

Within his 20-year career, Richard Gage, 53, has designed numerous fireproofed steel-framed buildings.

Bull. Richard Gage has designed a few gymnasiums, that were not steel-framed unless construction methods of gymnasiums have changed in the last decade. I'm sure his gymnasiums were either tilt-up concrete or masonry, and that the only steel elements were the joists holding up the roof. And I'd doubt very strongly that those joists were fireproofed.

Update: For Brian. Concrete gymnasium in Northern California. Berkeley, no less:

Willard Middle School is comprised of five buildings: a partial two-story classroom building constructed of concrete, a single-story concrete gymnasium building with attached girls locker room, a single-story concrete multi-use building (I building), a single-story concrete cafeteria building (attached to the I building), and a single-story split-level administration building. The I building and gymnasium were constructed in 1952, the cafeteria and administration buildings were constructed in 1964 and the classroom building was constructed in 1977.

Note that although the gym was built in the 1950s, the modernization program did not involve replacing the concrete structure:

the gymnasium modernization which included:

* modifications to improve accessibility, including restroom improvements;
* hazardous material removal;
* an upgraded electrical system which included new clocks and fire alarm improvements;
* a new mechanical system;
* fresh paint, new skylights and a new roof;
* a remodeled interior to accommodate a weight room; and
* a new gymnasium floor, new backboards and new bleachers.

If only Richard Gage had been the architect, he would have told them that steel framing is the only way to go, forget the new floor.

I could continue with many more examples--do you know what they make gyms out of in earthquake-prone Japan, Brian?--but I'm not going to let the tail wag the dog.

Gage's Gaggle Lies Again

Listing the qualifications of their latest architect:

Among the nearly 800 architects and engineers who have signed our petition comes one architect formerly with William L. Pereira & Associates. One doesn't get much closer to the elements of high-rise design than with the pyramid-shaped Transamerica Building in San Francisco. Stephen Barasch, AIA, our Featured Petitioner, was a member of the architectural design team for that 48-floor structure. Barasch was also instrumental in the Mark Hopkins Hotel architectural design, also in San Francisco.

Remarkable indeed, given that Barasch apparently graduated from the University of Arizona in 1971, and given that construction of the Transamerica Pyramid began in 1969. Hey, I'm sure that it's quite possible that an undergraduate was part of the architectural design team. But what are we to make about the claim that Barasch was involved in the design of the Mark Hopkins, which opened in 1926? Must be a time-traveler, I suppose.

More discussion of Mr Barasch's work here:

It is a bit difficult to reconcile the idea of Mr. Barasch as a "designer" of the Transamerica Pyramid with the reality that Mr. Barasch, in 2006, had such astounding projects as seeking to renovate a rental house by adding a few bedrooms (after being denied because the proposed renovation did not meet the planning department's requirements wrt municipal standards and zoning and such, and subsequently amending the plan for appeal purposes to get it approved - not by any stretch of the imagination a big project judging by the drawings and photos), and in 2005 was also attempting to gain approval for a couple of new single family residential houses, without initial success (not sure if he ever ultimately got approval for these and I can't be bothered to look any further).

Hat Tip: JREF Forum member Big Al.

Gage Bummed That Nobody Will Meet With Him

He's put together a pair of the usual "open letters", one to NIST, one to the AIA.

It is with great regret that I read in your letter the decline of our request to meet with you and the AIA Board. We wrote to you that we now have over 700 architects and engineers at AE911Truth calling for a real investigation into the destruction of the three World Trade Center high-rises on 9/11. Now, as a result of our latest successful exhibit booth and class at the Washington DC conference last week we have over 45 AIA members signed on. At what point will you take us seriously? Perhaps when our rapidly growing numbers reach 1,000?

No, Richard. They'll take you seriously when you have 10,000 architects and engineers. Which at the present rate should be sometime in 2045. Remember, Gage's goal was 1000 architects & engineers by 9-11-08; at this point almost a year later they're still shy of 800.

Box Boy Gage to Spread Poison At Mosque

Have you no shame, sir?

Hat Tip: Boloboffin at JREF.

Russia Today Still Pimpin for the Troofers

The propaganda TV channel Russia Today continues to push the troofer's conspiracy theories, in this case Richard Gage's appearance in Washington DC.




For an example of their stellar journalism, check out their reporting on how the Iranian election protests were engineered by the CIA.

Gage No Longer A Full-Time Architect...

Just a full-time kook:

This is how we keep our doors open and pay our operating expenses. All non-profits work this way. No one is getting rich over here. (I, Richard Gage, am the only salaried employee and I receive only about half of my former pay as an architect. Everyone here is sacrificing – on a grand scale to bring the truth about 9/11).

Gee, remember how initially Gage used to describe his experience at designing "steel-framed gymnasiums" and when we laughed at that, he began talking about this high-rise project in Vegas that he was working on that was going to have 1.2 million square feet? Sounds like Box Boy is never going to get that experience credit for that deal.