(For the uninitiated, the unsure, and even the disgusted)

Before you go throwing around "wackos, wingbats, nutjobs and conspiracy theorists, etc..." or listening to those who are, learn a little about the people who call themselves the 9/11 truth movement:

1. The 9/11 truth movement is diverse, democratic, and non-partisan. This is not a far right-wing or far left-wing movement. There are Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hispanics, Whites, African Americans, rich, poor, PhD professors, college students, truck drivers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, architects, Reverends,atheists, democrats, republicans, and independents. There is no "type" of truther, because the truth knows neither religious, ethnic, social nor secular boundaries.

2. The 9/11 Truth movement is not a conspiracy movement. Believe it or not, the majority of people involved in criticism of the government's official story (the 'official conspiracy theory' as many have come to call it) do not know what really happened on 9/11, and they admit that. However, in admitting this they demand that we all should and moreover must know the truth about what did happen. Most agree that whatever the government's story, it does not hold up to charges of at the very least, omission and distortion if not outright lying. The majority of people involved in the 9/11 Truth movement have far more questions than theories, and almost everyone will acknowledge that no conclusions are possible until a thorough, transparent, citizen-led investigation occurs without the obstructionist tactics and top-secret classifications that our government has become all too good at deploying.

3. The people in this movement are not beyond critical thinking; they are deeply indebted to it. The forums on 9/11 truth have been filled with discussion and debate, much evidence, and many questions. In the past years and months many bad ideas and false leads have been weeded through. We have also become much more clear about what questions remain and what evidence best supports the notion that the government's story is incomplete, self-contradictory, and often times, simply false. This process of reaching consensus has been dynamic, and it is ongoing. It has been aided rather than hindered by the attempts of many scientists and even self-appointed 'debunkers' who have often presented compelling information which was acknowledged, digested, and incorporated into an ever-growing and changing body of knowledge.

4. The people in this movement believe that knowing the truth about 9/11 is essential to the health and future of our country not tangential to it. Whether or not some in the movement hold that there is a secret group of government mafioso, most agree that the bloodshed of the 21st century has been inaugurated on the back of 9/11 and for that reason is in no way beyond our sincere, patriotic doubt and dissent.

5. The people in this movement hold that it is possible for both a) George W. Bush to be a close-minded, parochial, and incompetent and b) people within the government besides or in addition to Bush to have sufficient resources and technological know-how to conduct a major covert operation. Lastly, however, to suggest that our government 'could not have done this' (invoking allegations of an inside job) is to forget that 'to do something' and 'to get away with it' are entirely different beasts. While some believe our government was either inadvertently or directly involved the attacks of 9/11, most believe that the massive cover-up surrounding these events was far from successful, as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of people questioning the sanctity of that very story.

6. The people in this movement promote the understanding that State-sponsored or condoned acts of terrorism, even conducted against a country's own citizens, are not only plausible but have happened repeatedly throughout history. Events such as the Reichstag Fire in Weimar Germany, the sinking of the Maine and the Lusitania, Pearl Harbor, and the Gulf of Tonkin were all conspicuous national tragedies which became platforms from which major wars were launched. Whether one takes a strong view of these events and believes they are staged; a middle view of these events and believes they were allowed; or a weak view of these events and believes they were merely taken advantage of--there is no doubt that the history of the 20th century was marked by many moments in which national catastrophes turned into national battlecries. It is more than fair to ask if these have been merely coincidences followed by patriotic fervor or something far more incendiary and sinister in an attempt to prevent the 21st century from befalling the same fate.

7. The people in this movement acknowledge that much of the evidence gathered through 9/11 truth research is circumstantial and speculative, but that that is reason indeed to continue searching rather than to stop asking questions. A list of such circumstantial evidence and contradictions is quite long: the War Games on 9/11, put options placed on United and American Airlines, Larry Silverstein's asbestos problem, ISI funding, repeated meetings between FBI officials and named hi-jackers, the apparent confusion of identities surrounding hijackers who are still alive, Bin Laden's dual denial and confession, the loss (destruction) of thousands of files relating to SEC investigations, the improbability of WTC7s textbook collapse...all of these and many more are grounds for concern. People in this movement wonder if the offense taken by others when reacting to suggestions that the Government's story simply cannot take this evidence into account is a sign that they are suffering from willful ignorance, denial or worse.

8. The people in this movement acknowledge that while the burden of proof is on those asking questions, the burden of truth is on every citizen, American, and human not only in this country but on this planet. They acknowledge that neither the government nor the media can be relied on to find that truth. They acknowledge that lives lost on 9/11, the lives lost throughout history defending freedom and real democracy, and the lives that will no doubt be lost in the future following the orders of a corrupt administration, all deserve nothing less than that truth. Lastly, they believe the truth--in due time--cannot be suppressed and that justice--in due course--cannot be contained.

-"Johnny"