Your government is lying to you.
Or so claims the Salt Lake Community College chapter of We Are Change Utah, a new activist group dedicated to exposing what they believe to be the real truth behind the September 11 terrorist attacks. Falling under the broad category of the 9/11 Truth movement, WACUT contends that The 9/11 Commission Report’s findings do not sufficiently explain the events of September 11, and that an exceptional amount of contradictory evidence demands an independent investigation of the tragedy.
“9/11 is an important issue and we do want a new investigation into 9/11,” says Eddie Mock, 24, SLCC political science major and founder of the college’s chapter of We Are Change. “9/11 is a big part, in my mind, because it’s caused so many extra effects that didn’t be to be in place and there’s overwhelming evidence to suggest that there’s something we missed.”
The indisputable facts: On September 11, 2001, two airliners pummeled the World Trade Center towers with over 150 tons of steel and jet fuel. Within two hours, both buildings collapsed into a smoldering pile of twisted metal, shattered glass, and broken bodies. According to official reports, United Airlines Flight 93 and American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into a field in rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon, respectively. In addition, World Trade Center Building 7 also collapsed, though an aircraft did not strike it. The official death toll reported by authorities is 2,995.
Even the most hardened skeptic will agree with these facts. Beyond these details, however, lies vehement disagreement and speculation. Why did the north and south towers appear to have been brought down by a controlled demolition? Why was virtually no aircraft debris found at the Pentagon crash site? Why, if ex-BYU Professor Steven Jones’ published report is correct, were traces of the military grade explosive nano-thermite found in the dust surrounding ground zero? These are questions members of WACUT are asking.
Building 7 is particularly puzzling and the focal point of many members’ calls to re-open the casebook.
“World Trade Center Building 7 wasn’t even hit by a plane in the attacks and only sustained minimal damage from the falling debris of the other towers,” contends Mock. So why, he asks, did the building come down at free fall speed? Why, in fact, did it even come down at all when Buildings 4, 5, and 6 sustained greater amounts of damage but remained standing?
It’s the sum of the arguments that necessitates an independent investigation, according to Mock. No single element makes the case, but when taken as a whole, eyebrows are raised. In his opinion, the federal government has a history of executing so-called false flag operations, covert operations which are performed in a manner to appear as if they are being carried out by other entities, and it is not beyond reason to suspect that such may be the case with 9/11. War with Iraq, after all, brought with it many political and financial benefits both for those within the Bush administration and also corporations who would profit by providing goods and services during the engagement.
In Mock’s view, it is an essential duty and sacred right of the American people to monitor their government’s activities. He seems less concerned about the actual conclusions you come to than about whether or not you are asking questions and thinking critically.
9/11, however, is not the group’s only concern. Taking their name from the famous Gandhi admonition to “be the change you want to see in the world,” WACUT is a “citizens based grassroots peace and social justice movement,” according to their website.
Mock cites issues such as homelessness, the Haiti disaster, and the H1N1 flu vaccine controversy as other focal points for We Are Change. Having been homeless himself, he understands the plight that many of Salt Lake City’s disenfranchised residents experience daily.
In fact, he makes it clear that WACUT is a vehicle for any social justice issue that concerns its members. The organization is a call to action, he says, an exhortation to “turn off your TV, close out your Internet browser, and get out and do something.”
“You can’t change the world by yourself,” he says, “but you can put a dent in it. And so by being positive, and showing love and compassion and respect for your fellow human beings, you can accomplish world change.”
The SLCC chapter of We Are Change Utah’s club status is currently pending the appointment of an advisor and final paperwork. For more information or to join, visit utahwearechange.org.