Originally Posted by
Gold9472
To the Editor,
Ryan Foley's AP article about me, "UW instructor under fire basks in publicity for 9/11 view" contained several mis-statements that may border on libel, or perhaps even cross the line
Foley wrote: "Kevin Barrett also told The Associated Press he was elated the controversy has given his cause long-sought publicity." I did not use the word "elated."
Foley attributes to me the statement, "I've been trying to get publicity for years." Again, I certainly did not use those words. I did tell Mr. Foley that the 9/11 truth movement has spent years trying to get the media to pay attention to the many dozens of smoking guns of 9/11, including over-insured WTC owner-of-six-weeks Larry Silverstein's nationally-televised confession that he demolished the 47-story WTC-7 with explosives. I most certainly did not say that I, personally, was seeking publicity. In fact, the opposite is the case; I would have much preferred not to go through this unpleasant media circus, and endure the insults of the likes of Mr. Foley.
Foley also wrote: "Barrett, active in a group called Scholars for 9/11 Truth, is among a small group that believes the attacks were carried out by U.S. government officials, not al-Qaida terrorists." A "small group"?! Actually a recent Zogby poll showed that 42% of Americans believe that the official story that "al-Qaida terrorists perpetrated the attacks" is a cover-up, and that the 9/11 Commission concealed evidence. That is far more people than voted for Cheney-Bush in the last election. Elsewhere in the world, the figures are much higher. An educated guess would be that the majority of the world's population either suspects or believes that 9/11 was an inside job. Among Muslims, we know the figure is at least 60% -- a conservative estimate based on a recent poll whose wording seems to have been selected to minimize the number answering "inside job." An earlier al-Jazeera poll had shown that 89% of its audience believes the US government committed the 9/11 attacks, while only 11% blames al-Qaida.
Given these facts about public opinion in the US and around the world, it would be the height of irresponsibility for any class that touches on Islam, the "war on terror" or related subjects not to critically examine the various interpretations of 9/11, including the "inside job" hypothesis that the great majority of Muslims, and a probable majority of the world's population, subscribes to.
Sincerely,
Kevin Barrett