Full 9/11 story is not told, says visiting Webster U. speaker

Full 9/11 story is not told, says visiting WU speaker
By: Kendra Henry
Issue date: 4/29/10 Section: News
Source: http://media.www.webujournal.com/media/storage/paper245/news/2010/04/29/News/Full-911.Story.Is.Not.Told.Says.Visiting.Wu.Speaker-3914619.shtml

One of the principal voices of the 9/11 Truth Movement will make his way to Webster University on Thursday, April 29. Conspiracy theorist, David Ray Griffin, will present "Is the War in Afghanistan Justified by 9/11?" in the Winifred Moore Auditorium at 7 p.m.

"I hope students will come to see that the official story about 9/11, which has led to the killing of millions of Iraqis and Afghanis and otherwise so changed our world for the worse, is false," Griffin said. "Not merely possibly false, but definitely, provably false."

Dan Hellinger, a professor of political science, teaches a senior seminar on conspiracy theory and elected to invite Griffin to WU for the discussion.

"Griffin has become a leading spokesperson for the 9/11 Truth Movement, which holds that the official account of 9/11 cannot be reconciled with the facts," Hellinger said. "In the mainstream media, Griffin and the movement are often called 'conspiracy theorists,' with a clearly disparaging connotation."

An emeritus professor of philosophy of religion and theology at Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif., Griffin has written nine books about 9/11 to date.
Many have challenged Griffin's theories, dubbing him "nutty," "wacky," "silly" and "obsessive." But he ignores the name-calling, holding fast to the validity of his assertions.

He said his findings are based on empirical evidence, which hasn't been contradicted by his critics, and his books have been endorsed by many including architects, engineers, physicists, chemists and former CIA officers.

One of his books about 9/11, "The New Pearl Harbor Revisited, was a Publishers Weekly "Pick of the Week" in November 2008.

"This is an honor given to only 51 books per year and definitely not an honor ever given to a silly book," Griffin said.

While Griffin's views might seem controversial or irrational to some, Hellinger said Griffin deserves the opportunity to share his thoughts.

"Although being a distinguished theologian does not make him an expert of the subject of 9/11, he's a thoughtful man, not given to wild speculation," Hellinger said. "Right or wrong, he deserves a hearing, and he's willing to come for little more than the expenses involved. I myself do not share his conclusions, but I want to hear what he has to say."

Critical discussion will be part of the presentation, but Hellinger expects some attendees will be surprised by Griffin's approach to sharing his views.

"Many will come expecting some kind of extreme rhetoric," Hellinger said. "I think they will be surprised what a mild-mannered and thoughtful speaker he is. Even if they are not convinced of his conclusions, I think they are likely to come away with more questions about what happened on 9/11 and whether the wars that followed were justified by it."

For Griffin, the presentation will serve as a way to share his message about the events of 9/11 and about what he believes to be the true impetus for the war in Afghanistan.

"I want to let as many people as possible know the truth about 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan," Griffin said. "The war in Afghanistan - like the war in Iraq - has been based on a lie."