America's Betrayal Confirmed. Elias Davidsson
believe, we believe that it was caused by the after-effects of the, of the planes hitting the...buildings. We don't know, we don't know if there were additional explosions.{73}
Experts invited by national television networks to comment felt surprisingly confident in explaining - within hours - why the Twin Towers disintegrated, although they had no precedent to rely upon. Jim DeStefano from the National Council of Structural Engineers, for example, explained to CNN at approximately 4:20 P.M (EST) – relying exclusively on what he saw on television - that
the impact [of the aircraft] was sufficient to cause damage to the columns and the (...) systems supporting the building. That couples with the fire raging and the high temperatures softening the structural steel that precipitated a destabilization of the columns and clearly the columns buckled at the lower floors causing the building to collapse.{74}
(5) Main "facts" were established by Congressional vote within 24 hours
On 12 September 2001, shortly after 10:00a.m., the following Draft Resolution, containing multiple factual allegations, was presented by Senator Tom Daschle to the U.S. Congress:
H.J. Res. 61
Whereas on September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked and destroyed four civilian aircraft, crashing two of them into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and a third into the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C.;
Whereas thousands of innocent Americans were killed and injured as a result of these attacks, including the passengers and crew of the four aircraft, workers in the World Trade Center and in the Pentagon, rescue workers, and bystanders;
Whereas these attacks destroyed both towers of the World Trade Center, as well as adjacent buildings, and seriously damaged the Pentagon; and
Whereas these attacks were by far the deadliest terrorist attacks ever launched against the United States, and, by targeting symbols of American strength and success, clearly were intended to intimidate our Nation and weaken its resolve: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress--
(1) condemns in the strongest possible terms the terrorists who planned and carried out the September 11, 2001, attacks against the United States, as well as their sponsors;
(2) extends its deepest condolences to the victims of these heinous and cowardly attacks, as well as to their families, friends, and loved ones;
(3) is certain that the people of the United States will stand united as our Nation begins the process of recovering and rebuilding in the aftermath of these tragic acts;
(4) commends the heroic actions of the rescue workers, volunteers, and State and local officials who responded to these tragic events with courage, determination, and skill;
(5) declares that these premeditated attacks struck not only at the people of America, but also at the symbols and structures of our economic and military strength, and that the United States is entitled to respond under international law;
(6) thanks those foreign leaders and individuals who have expressed solidarity with the United States in the aftermath of the attacks, and asks them to continue to stand with the United States in the war against international terrorism;
(7) commits to support increased resources in the war to eradicate terrorism;
(8) supports the determination of the President, in close consultation with Congress, to bring to justice and punish the perpetrators of these attacks as well as their sponsors; and
(9) declares that September 12, 2001, shall be a National Day of Unity and Mourning, and that when Congress adjourns today, it stands adjourned out of respect to the victims of the terrorist attacks.
In the debate that ensued, Senator Trent Lott revealed that the Draft Resolution had already been discussed on the very day of the attack with Senator Daschle, in which “tough decisions” were made, but did not elaborate.{75}
That the Congress condemned the mass murder of 9/11, expressed its sympathy to the victims and their families and commended the valiant efforts of rescue teams and first responders was normal and to be expected. Numerous governments and international bodies did so in the following days without suggesting how, by whom and why the mass murder was executed. What distinguished the congressional resolution was the specificity of the factual allegations it included, specifically the premise that the United States had been the subject of an attack from outside its borders (“attacks against the United States”, “the United States is entitled to respond under international law”, “war against international terrorism”), for which no evidence was adduced.
Congressional resolutions do not emerge in a void. Each resolution has a drafting history and is adopted to serve a purpose. The drafting history of the above resolution is not known. It was only alluded to in Senator Lott's address.
One must, therefore, presume that the inclusion of specific allegations in the above resolution had a purpose. The most plausible explanation for including these factual allegations is, that the U.S. government wanted to cast in stone the foundations of the 9/11 account. Securing a Congressional imprimatur to that account and linking it to the ensuing war, ensured that questioning the official account would be regarded as a betrayal of the victims and as unpatriotic. Indeed, despite ample time for debates on 12 September 2001, members of Congress displayed a surprising lack of curiosity about the actual events of the previous day: No member of Congress demanded concrete evidence in support of the factual determinations he or she was asked to vote for. Instead, one after the other rose to pledge his or her allegiance to the flag, invoked the grace of God and expressed unreserved loyalty to the President, a scene reminiscent of a religious ritual.
(6) FBI releases the names of “identified” hijackers
On 14 September 2001, the FBI released the names of 19 individuals whom it “identified” as hijackers aboard the four airliners that allegedly crashed on 11 September 2001 into the North and South Towers of the WTC, into the Pentagon, and on a field at Stony Creek Township, Pennsylvania.{76} While the 19 "hijackers" are listed there as "identified", for many of them no birth date is indicated, giving rise to the question what was meant by “identified.”
(7) FBI releases photographs of “believed” hijackers
On 27 September 2001, the FBI released photographs alleged to be of the 19 individuals mentioned in the September 14 press release. These individuals were no longer designated as "identified" on the FBI website but merely as "believed to be the hijackers of the four airliners that crashed on 11 September 2001."{77} Emphasizing the tentative nature of the identification, the press release added the following caveat:
It should be noted that attempts to confirm the true identities of these individuals are still under way.{78}
Apparently, these "attempts to confirm the true identities" of the alleged hijackers are still “under way” today, because this press release has not been superseded. As will be shown in this book, the U.S. government has not produced any evidence that individuals bearing these names participated in the mass murder of 9/11.
(8) 9/11 as the birth of a new era
U.S. opinion and political leaders designated 9/11 immediately as a defining historical event. Members of Congress stated on 12 September 2001 that the U.S. has entered a new era or a new chapter in its history. Their statements echo Philip D. Zelikow’s remarks made in 1998: “Like Pearl Harbor, this event would divide our past and future into a before and after” (see Chapter 1(9)). The following numbers refer to the page in the Congressional Record:
• ”As an American, make no mistake about it, we did wake up in a new world in America. It is a new era.”