Letter from David Ray Griffin published here with his approval - Adam

Dear Colleagues,

I'm sending you a few selections from the cover story in the recent New Statesman. Check out # 41.

This is rather amazing: Even though it's a backhanded compliment, it is QUITE a compliment to me and the 9/11 Truth Movement. This famous left-wing British magazine does, to be sure, say that we are "pernicious," but it seems to think that we are quite significant, being one of the 50 most important groups in the world at this time.

My only regret is the number 41 position: I always hated it in the 1980s when little old ladies would tell me that I looked "just like George Bush. (For those of you in other countries, "41" is the short-hand reference for George H.W. Bush, our 41st president.)

Seriously, this appraisal of our importance suggests to me that we need to keep doing what we've been doing (albeit perhaps with some new methods), building up both the percentage of the population that rejects the official story and also the credibility of our movement's public face by means of books, articles, public lectures, DVDs, professional 9/11 groups (3 more, incidentally, are about ready to go public), films, and, when possible, lawsuits (one or two may get going soon), and authorized investigations (such as NYC CAN may succeed in getting).

I have just been re-reading about the American war in Vietnam in preparation for writing something about the similarities between it and our war in Afghanistan. The anti-war movement got going in earnest in 1965, and yet the U.S. did not pull out of Vietnam until 8 long years later, in 1973. During that time, the White House tried to pretend that it was indifferent to the anti-war movement, although in reality it spent much of its time trying to decide how to deal with it (see John Prados, "Vietnam"). We don't have the big marches and hence TV coverage that the anti-Vietnam-war movement generated. But we may, in our own way (dealing with a quite different type of problem), be causing similar concerns.

The New Statesmen article suggests, in any case, that there may be much more concern about our "pernicious" influence than those in the government and the media generally let on.

So I think we should take this article as a reluctant tribute to the effectiveness of our movement.

Yours truly,

David
____________________________________________________________________________________________

The 50 people who matter today: 1-10

1. The Obamas

First family

It is easy to be beguiled by the visual power of America's first family. The Obamas' presence in the White House projects to the world a version of the all-American family that is the polar opposite of their predecessors, the Bushes. From the family's resolutely urbanite profile to Michelle's slavery roots, from Sasha and Malia's photogenic charm to their parents' combination of style and intellect, the Obamas have a universal appeal and something the Bushes never had - cool.

Yet the circus around the Obamas can detract from the deeper significance of their success. The election of the first African-American president has changed the US for ever, and his progressive policies continue along this path. It has not been easy - health-care reform has been his most intractable challenge to date - but the decision to close Guantanamo Bay and the abandonment of plans for a missile defence shield in eastern Europe have transformed the US's reputation and its relationship with the world.

But it is more than just policy, or office, that makes Obama so influential. The man is normal and relaxed. He can write honest, beautifully nuanced, intelligent prose. When he smiles, it is genuine rather than pained. These are superficial qualities, perhaps, but his magnetism, and that of his family, gives them huge cultural power. So does their obvious symbolism. . . . .

8. Osama Bin Laden

Terrorist-in-chief

The latest message from the al-Qaeda leader has thrust him back into the public view at a time when his group is under great military pressure in its Pakistani strongholds. The message was heavy on US foreign policy but light on jihadist ideology, which many see as part a new strategy to win over mainstream Muslims. As al-Qaeda has become a more disparate organisation, Bin Laden has struggled to maintain political and spiritual unity. But he has survived nearly ten years of US warfare ostensibly directed around him, suggesting his spectre will haunt the world for some time to come. . . . .

The 50 people who matter today: 41-50 (http://www.newstatesman.com/global-issues/2009/09/world-fashion-gay-india-church)

41. David Ray Griffin

Top truther

Conspiracy theories are everywhere, and they always have been. In recent years, one of the most pernicious global myths has been that the US government carried out, or at least colluded in, the 11 September 2001 attacks as a pretext for going to war. David Ray Griffin, a retired professor of religion, is the high priest of the "truther" movement. His books on the subject have lent a sheen of respectability that appeals to people at the highest levels of government - from Michael Meacher MP to Anthony "Van" Jones, who was recently forced to resign as Barack Obama's "green jobs" adviser after it emerged that he had signed a 9/11 truth petition in 2004. . . .

50. Dan Brown

Conspiracy theorist

Love or hate him, Dan Brown is one of the bestselling authors of all time. The Da Vinci Code, a thriller about a conspiracy to conceal the marriage and modern-day descendants of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene, has sold 80 million copies and been translated into 44 languages. Its success triggered a deluge of similar novels, guides to the theories, and books refuting its claims - not to mention a huge spike in tourism to the places it featured. His latest novel, The Lost Symbol, which focuses on freemasonry and the Founding Fathers, has smashed first-day sales records. Watch this space for a mass exodus of conspiracy tourists to Washington, DC.