Calls For Domestic Probe Into 9/11
Source: straight.com
By Carlito Pablo
8/13/2008
On August 29, Drew Noftle and about a dozen other Vancouver-based 9/11 truth seekers will set out east on board a private bus, holding rallies in different cities along the way to Montreal. There they will link up with other crusaders from across the country for a march to Ottawa that will culminate on the day the world marks the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S.
As laid out in the 2004 report of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission created by American congressional legislation, “19 young Arabs acting at the behest of Islamist extremists headquartered in distant Afghanistan” carried out the deadliest terrorist strike ever on the U.S. mainland.
But according to Noftle, a founding member of the Vancouver 9/11 Truth Society, there has never been an official Canadian investigation into 9/11, which the 28-year-old English teacher noted is the principal reason why Canada is at war in Afghanistan.
“The main purpose of our group right now is we want to get a Canadian investigation into 9/11 in order to justify our war effort,” Noftle told the Georgia Straight. “If we don’t have a reason, we should pull out immediately.”
Those who are skeptical of the source of the attacks serve a purpose in society, according to SFU political scientist Anil Hira, even though they are usually shunned by left-wing activists and dismissed by others as conspiracy nuts.
“They’re very important for society because after an event like that, just like the Jews with the Holocaust or the Palestinian problem, there’s so much emotion involved…that you need people that are going to kind of commemorate them [the victims],” Hira told the Straight. “You don’t want people to just forget about them.”
Hira likened 9/11 to an event of “biblical proportions” that is bound to create “fascination”.
“Because it was something that was so new and unexpected, people cannot grasp the idea that a plane hit a building and the building collapsed, that it can be that simple, because it had so many implications and effects on our everyday life,” he said. “But that’s the way we mythologize these kinds of events and make meaning out of them.”
Hira has written a number of papers regarding the implications of 9/11. One of them, which he cowrote with fellow SFU political-science professor Douglas Ross, will form a chapter in a book to be published this year by the Connecticut-based Praeger Security International, an imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group.
In a chapter titled “Trilateralism at an End, Asymmetrical Bilateralism Restored? Canadian Ambivalence on U.S. Strategic Primacy After 9/11”, the authors take note of the “greatly increased U.S. demands for historically unprecedented bilateral cooperation in both military operations and national security surveillance and enforcement” with Canada.
“To the extent that Canadians have begun to share fears about a decline in world order and global security as well as a decline in relative American power, the willingness to align Canadian foreign and defense policies more closely with Washington actually may increase,” Hira and Ross write.
The authors recall that Canada’s military presence in Afghanistan started with the deployment of special forces in late 2001 and was followed by a far larger force in 2003, which was the same year the U.S. invaded Iraq.
“With troops in Afghanistan but none in Iraq, Canadian audiences could be told that Ottawa was standing up against American pressures while American officials could be mollified by the sacrifice of money and lives in Afghanistan,” Hira and Ross note.
On June 10 this year, the NDP’s Libby Davies read in Parliament a petition signed by approximately 500 Canadians asking for a government probe into 9/11. Davies wasn’t available for an interview, but a member of her staff, Rob Duffy, stressed in an e-mail to the Straight that the Vancouver East MP doesn’t endorse the contents of the petition.
The petition, which Noftle and company will be emphasizing on their cross-country journey, claims that “scientific and eyewitness evidence shows that the 9/11 Commission Report is a fraudulent document and that those behind the report are consciously or unconsciously guilty of covering up what happened on 9/11/2001”.
Notes on the Afghan war
- In 2005, U.S. and NATO forces used an average of 2,300 kilograms of munitions per month in air strikes.
- Since June 2006, their use of air-strike munitions has averaged 36,300 kilograms per month.
- Air munitions use peaked at 76,200 kilograms in December 2007.
- Civilian casualties rose by 62 percent in 2008 compared to figures in the first six months of 2007 because of increased use of air power by U.S. and NATO forces.
- A major challenge facing U.S. and NATO forces targeting insurgents is incomplete or faulty intelligence.
- From 2002 to 2006, insurgent-initiated attacks increased by 400 percent.
- Deaths resulting from these attacks jumped by 800 percent.
- There are approximately 65,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan.
Source: “Killing Friends, Making Enemies: The Impact and Avoidance of Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan” (United States Institute of Peace briefing, July 2008)
- Jon Gold's blog
- Login to post comments
Truth Bus Press Release
Thanks for the post Jon!
Here is our press release with all te new info Re: The Truth Tour, The March on Ottawa, and the Canadian 9/1 Petition:
Cheers,
Drew
###
IMMEDIATE RELEASE – DISTRIBUTE WIDELY
Announcing the Canadian Truth Tour 2008
8-11-8
Vancouver BC – What started out as a simple petition, has turned into a lot more. The Vancouver 9/11 Truth Society is proud to announce the launch of the 2008 Truth Tour, set for August 29th – September 15th, 2008.
On August 29th, a busload of hard working and dedicated Vancouver 9/11 Truth activists will begin their trip across the country to meet up with their counterparts in Eastern Canada, and join them in Montreal for the March on Ottawa that will be commencing Sept 7th. During their 8 day trip across the country, they will be stopping in various cities along the way to give away free DVD’s, educate people about the flaws of the 9/11 Commission Report, continue to collect signatures and show the country that 9/11 Truth will not quit – not until this war is over, and not until Canadian troops are back home.
Bus stops are currently planned for various cities along the way. At each of these locations, these 10 members of the Vancouver 9/11 Truth Society will set up an educational booth, break out the megaphone, and wake up Canadians who have yet to see members of the movement in action. The ‘Truth Bus’ will also be fully equipped with a flat screen for in-bus movie screenings, a projector for street ‘culture jamming.’
Here is the full Itinerary for the Truth Tour 2008:
***Note: Sept 02 – Winnipeg: we will be participating in a Q & A session with Liberal Party Leader Stephen Dion.
Included among these 10 activists, are 2 hip hop artists – Gemineye and Zaddik of Conspirituality. These two socially, politically, and spiritually aware artists have recently released their debut album that has been 10 years in the making. It will be available for the first time on this tour, and they will be performing wherever possible along the way. More information about the 2008 Truth Tour can be found at vancouver911truth.org, and Marchonottawa2008.org.
Progress of the petition for a Canadian investigation to 9/11 Truth:
June 10th: NDP deputy leader Libby Davies reads petition into Parliament. The petition is then forwarded to the office of former CSIS agent Stockwell Day – current Minister of Public Safety and Health. His office is given 45 days to respond.
July 25th: Mr. Day does not comply in time. Members of the Canadian 9/11 Truth movement continue to make phone calls and send him emails, all of which remain unanswered
July 31st: The office of Stockwell Day tells an activist that they are not even sure where the petition even is, and informs her that it has not even been looked at.
August 7th: After a two day fax campaign, and the threat of going to the Toronto Star with the story of Stockwell failing to fulfill his duty of reporting on the petition in under 45 days, he quietly informs a member of Nanaimo 9/11 Truth that the petition has been forward to MP David Emerson – Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
August 11th: Press Secretary of the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Lyn Meahan announces that the petition will be tabled for discussion September 15th – the final day of the scheduled rally at Parliament Hill
March on Ottawa:
This will begin September 7th, 2008 with a rally at Mont Royal Park. Hundreds of Marchers will head off for Ottawa at 2:00pm. This march will take about 5 days, and the Marchers will be stopping at various campgrounds along the way. Why a march? What does walking prove? Similar questions were asked to Terry Fox when he began his Marathon of Hope on April 12th, 1980. Walking can help bring a sense of peace to those participating, and shows the strong sense of commitment to those who watch from the sidelines. This march will build friendships, solidify commitments, and bring about further awareness for 9/11 Truth. The Vancouver 9/11 Truth Conference held in June of last year was a starting point for many more city chapters to be formed. This march will be the spark that ignites a fire of action from sea to shining sea. If you are interested in joining the March, please contact Montreal 9/11 Truth at www.mtl911truth.org
The Occupation of Parliament Hill:
After arriving on the Hill at noon on September 11th, 2008, we plan to stay to greet our Parliamentarians who are due back in the office on the morning of September 15th, 2008.
On September 11th, we will have various workshops, speeches from activists throughout the movement in Canada, and musical performances from Distant Society, Conspirituality, and many others. We are expecting the turnout to be in the 10’s of thousands. This promises to be by far the largest 9/11 Truth event in Canadian history. If you are Canadian, please do everything you can to join us on this historic day!! The speeches and workshops will be focused on Canadian 9/11 Truth activism, and we will have suggestions on how to obtain 9/11 Truth, how to get a truly independent investigation, and how to restructure a post 9/11 Truth society. During the days following the 11th, we will make sure that not one person in Ottawa is unaware of our presence. Vancouver’s Truth Bus will be circling downtown spreading awareness, and activist will keep it’s presence on the Hill from dusk till dawn (as pertaining to Canadian law)
For six years now Canadians have been asking questions. Now the time for questions is over. Now we will demand answers. This September 11th, we will demand the Truth!
For more information regarding the Truth Tour, contact:
Drew Noftle 778-238-3422 onehistory(at)gmail.com
For more information regarding the March on Ottawa, contact:
Robert Lewis 514-939-9418 robertslewis42(at)hotmail.com
For more information regarding activities on Parliament Hill, contact:
Matthew Buechler 613-263-0652 changeottawa(at)me.com
For six years now Canadians have been asking questions. Now the time for questions is over. Now we will demand answers. This September 11th, we will demand the Truth!
###