The video conference featuring Canadian academics Anthony Hall, Michael Keefer, Graeme MacQueen and John McMurtry has been edited and the audio enhanced significantly. The result is very good, and is here in two parts;

Part 1

(Part 2 below the fold)

In part 1 of this 3-part series, John McMurtry notes that 9/11 should be recognized as a major turning point in modern history, perhaps western civilization. It is therefore of great importance that 9/11 be properly understood. McMurtry calls attention to the most prominent left gatekeeper, Noam Chomsky, who is 'normally critical of established official stories,' but holds on to the official conspiracy theory, the 'least plausible conspiracy theory,' despite its many 'gaping holes.' As such, McMurtry notes, left gatekeepers 'are blocking out the same things the official mainstream media and governments are blocking out which is...what in fact went on on 9/11?' The absolute falsity of the official story is undeniable, the philosopher asserts. "It's scientifically confirmable; we have evidence for it and we don't have good evidence against it...it's a scientific hypothesis...we can regard as valid.' McMurtry recalls during the Reagan administration he watched those in power telegraphing their intentions by accusing others of doing what they were doing or planning to do to 'the enemy-of-the-day.' There are real conspiracies, McMurtry notes: there has 'in fact been a conspiracy to rule the world, indeed, but whose conspiracy has it been? Who is now ruling the world, and how have they come to do so? So the fact that we get projected onto a conspiracy theory is just another repetition of an ancient operation which is predictable on the part of this regime. A key element in the continuity of anti-communist or anti-terrorist conspiracy is making the public afraid of being called a 'conspiracy theorist' -- telling the truth or even thinking about such matters.

"The American empire is imploding and going down, it is already visible before our eyes. The ideological and the political currency and cachet of this government... it's disgraced around the world. The American government is hated more than at any time in my lifetime, so we really have an empire that's in a slow-motion decline and it will decline. My two worries are... they are going to do a lot of bloodshed, a lot of wreckage before it goes down, and that what stands to replace them is the Chinese empire, and the Chinese empire is a lot more experienced than the American empire, which would be rather parvenue by Chinese standards. "
- Prof. John McMurtry.

I've blogged a couple of times now about a forthcoming documentary from the Australian production company, Upstream Media, called Shadowplay. I'm happy to report that Shadowplay is finally coming to fruition due to the dedicated work of Upstream's Gillian Norman. Her long-distance co-producer is Ian Woods of Global Outlook.

Thanks in part to donations from visitors of 911blogger, Shadowplay is emerging as a strong piece with a serious focus on 9/11 and the decline of the American empire.