The BBC Interviews In-Depth

We already had a couple of threads discussing the recent BBC radio show, but some of the comments, particularly those by Jason Bermas, were so incredibly idiotic that they deserved to be pointed out specifically.

Rick Moran: We have demolition teams wiring up the World Trade Centers, you say in a matter of weeks. Pulling down the walls, putting the charges in, and than putting the walls back up. And then covering them very nicely so that they look just the way they did when people left for work.

Jason Bermas: Once again I just want to point out that never in our movie do we say that demolition teams came in and rigged the building up. We say that the buildings were brought down in a controlled demolition, and we need an investigation to find out how that happened.

Huh? So they never claimed that demolition teams rigged up the building? Well how the hell did the buildings get rigged for demolition then Jason? Magic? Was it gremlins? Star Trek transporter technology? What at idiotic argument.

Anyway, to continue, they ask the obvious question:

Host: Well how is that controlled demolition organized? How is that controlled demolition organized?

Dave von Kleist: Jason, that is a trap question, don't even try to bother answering that! That is a trap question!

Host: Well let's just cool it down here, because Jason it does seem to me you have got a number of people here asking you the same question. You've got... you believe that these buildings were brought down, but you can't explain at all how this is possible.

Dave von Kleist: He can't. He can't explain it.

Jason Bermas: I am not the Attorney General of New York City. I don't have subpoena power. I can't call people in for hearings and ask them questions.

No, you are not an Attorney General. You are in fact, an idiot. You can't even massage your theories enough that they make sense when you explain them, so you have to avoid actually explaining them.

He continues to dig the hole deeper.

Jason Bermas: However, it is curious to me, that Securacom, which was the company in charge of security at the World Trade Center, and one of Bush's brothers was the head of it at one time and then one of his cousins, was on the board.

Wow, that is just an amazing sentence. Let us count the errors. 1. Securacom (actually Stratesec at the time, I will give him a pass on that error) was never in charge of security, they merely had a contract for electronic security. 2. That contract ended in 1998, three years before 9/11. 3. Marvin Bush was never the head of Stratesec, he was only on the board of directors. 4. Wirt Walker, who actually was CEO of Stratesec, is not known to be related in any way to the Bush family. This guy has been studying 9/11 for over 4 years (he is the researcher, remember) and he actually manages to make 4 errors of fact in one sentence. Simply amazing.

But he doesn't even stop there, after refusing a couple of more times to answer how many people it would take to wire up the WTC:

Bermas: The United States has managed to invade two sovereign nations, take over their oil supplies, build an oil pipeline along the Caspian Sea, and put permanent military installation bases around them. I think that is their motivation.

Yeah OK Jason, why don't you ask your buddy Korey, as soon as he gets out of the stockade, how many oil pipelines he saw running through Afghanistan alongside all those "permanent military installation bases".

Some of the truthers I think are just egotistical, or naive. I have said it before and I will say it again, this guy is just a moron.

Report on Madison Conference

Hits the local Wisconsin media. It's an entertaining article, focusing a bit on the paranoia the nutbars feel:

"There are folks out there who will try and discredit you," Von Kleist continued, "and if anybody in this room thinks we don't have infiltrators, well you are probably still waiting for the Easter bunny."

A nervous murmur ran through the audience. "As a matter of fact I know for certain," said Von Kleist, hardening his voice, "that one of them is in this room right now."

And later:

In a hushed meeting in the hallway, Von Kleist and another speaker, Doug Rokke, commiserated as the conference came to a close. "It's just counterproductive," said Von Kleist. "We've only added to the division this weekend."

Rokke, leaning in, expressed his sympathies. "I know what you mean," he said, "and as for the infiltrators, there isn't one." Glancing around, he continued, "There are two."

In fact, they're all infiltrators, as Southpark revealed. Nico Haupt is the only real Truther, the rest of them are FBI/CIA.

9/11 Ripple Released

The sequel to the 9/11 nutjob movie that started it all 9/11 Ripple Effect is now posted on the Internet for the legions of 9/11 deniers and their gullible friends. I have only watched the first 15 minutes and thus far the movie should be titled "Return of the Pod People". Incredibly they show a 2.75 inch rocket launcher from an A-10, as supposed evidence of what it might be. Even Kevin "Stalker" Barrett throws his hat in the pod people ring. But remember, if you bring up the "pod theory" to most 9/11 deniers you will be accused of using a strawman argument, because "nobody believes that theory anymore".

I'll update this post throughout the day as I get through this travesty.

UPDATE: The second quarter hour is a bit more boring. To describe how the twin towers should have collapsed, they go to a lengthy clip with expert testimony by none other than retired philosophy professor Jim Fetzer. What happened to all those engineering experts they claim to have on their side? They must be too busy doing critical research to appear on film. Then they show a clip from 911 Mysteries. The ultimate lazy way to make a 9/11 conspiracy movie is just to show clips of other 9/11 conspiracy movies.

They then go to a lengthy bit on Larry Silverstein and "pull it". Jim Marrs, who appears frequently throughout the film, manages to completely bastardize the famous Silverstein quote:

It just collapsed down after the building owner Larry Silverstein said "Well, I told the fire department to pull it, and they pulled it and we stood there and watched the building come down."

Amazingly, they then show the actual interview with Silverstein and the real quote, thereby showing how clueless their top witness is.

UPDATE 2: Now they are on to the Pentagon, where they speculate that, among other things, the Pentagon may have been hit by a Global Hawk "missile". Uhh, guys, the Global Hawk is not a missile, it is a UAV, which incidently looks absolutely nothing like a Boeing 757. They even manage to resurrect the Christopher Bollyn interview with the Rolls Royce spokesman in Indianapolis, a story which even the Loose Change boys had the good sense to drop out of the latest version of their movie. Do these stories ever die?

UPDATE 3: I am tiring of watching this crap, but I have got this far, I guess I might as well watch the rest. Now it is mostly a lengthy bit attacking CNN reporter Jamie McIntyre for saying that there was no evidence the plane crashed "near" the Pentagon. This has been debunked so many times I am actually amazed they brought it up. Von Kleist also whines on for minutes about how mean Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck are. Gee, sorry guys, maybe Rosie will get a show and you can go on it.

They even mention the long ago debunked "fat Osama video". Amazingly Von Kleist now adds a argument that Osama was wearing a watch and a ring, and Muslims are not allowed to wear jewelry. I have lived in two Muslim countries, and have been following this 9/11 conspiracy nuttery for quite some time, and that is a new one by me.

Personally I Prefer the 9-11 Gallo Effect

But some of the more gullible out there might enjoy The 9-11 Ripple Effect. Phil Jayhan and Dave von Kleist, two early 9-11 nutbars are back with a new film released today to try to pry some twenties out of the "Truthers".

You can see some preview clips here. It's all reasonably familiar; about the only surprise is that they are sticking with the Pod Theory, which is so discredited nowadays that debunkers get accused of "straw man" tactics if you bring it up. You may recall that the original Loose Change started with a discussion of the pod, but Dylan removed that segment from the second version of his crockumentary, then later tried to claim it was only because he didn't have enough room.

So far von Kleist has not placed the full film online. It does seem to have some fairly good production, although of course it's in service to a terrible cause. Expect this film to be more controversial inside the movement than outside (where it will doubtless be greeted with yawns).

Return of the Pod People!

BG asked for some commentary. Personally I welcome the return of the Pod Squad. It's amusing to see stuff that was so thoroughly debunked years ago that Deniers accuse you of using "straw man" tactics if you bring it up, coming back to life. Heck, the pod stuff is so old I don't even think I know it other than that it's just an optical illusion caused by the sun glinting off the fairing. I may have to go back to the old debunkers like McKinney sucks for this stuff!