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Following sites are both the resources I used to construct my video, and general reference material on the subject of 9/11 and its aftermath. All material and links are recommended.
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| Center for Cooperative Research |
| 911 Timeline Project, an invaluable resource. Offers many timescales with related entries starting at 1979. 9/11 events can be filtered by plane or key actors. Paul Thompson has created a print copy of his online resource. |  |
| 9/11 Commission Report |
 | Detailed resource most often cited in my video, yet I was only able to convey a fragment of the information in this report. Very informative and universally lauded as a very good read. The report can be downloaded for free. I purchased a hardcopy off Amazon so I could mark it up with notes.
There have been accusations of inaccuracy leveled at the 9/11 Commission Report, including that of deliberate obfuscation. Official timelines have been revised repeatedly with no explanation or evidence provided. This 9/11 Chronology video adheres to the timeline as described in the book (these events match website timelines which, no doubt, also use the 9/11 Commission Report as a guide). The report, and this video, represent one consistent retelling of 9/11 events. Whether or not the 9/11 Commission Report (and thus the text laid on top of the video footage) is accurate is beyond me.
At the extreme end of the conspiracy theory spectrum are the notions that branches of the US Government allowed 9/11 to happen. While I don't believe that is the case, usually those accusations are packaged with very interesting criticisms of 9/11 Commission Report.
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| 9/11 Naudet Brothers Documentary |
| Source of only known video footage of first plane hitting tower. The Naudet brothers were taping a documentary on firefighters which happened to put them in the middle of the action. Nevermind the behind-the-scenes unique footage, this is extremely compelling viewing. If you've never seen it I'd recommend purchasing or at least renting it for an evening. Well deserved IMDB rank of 8.0. |  |
| WTC - The First 24 Hours |
 | No soundtrack, no voice over. Just video footage of impacts and aftermath. The tripod shot of the second tower collapsing (where the camera shakes 10 seconds before the tower collapses) came from this DVD. |
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Following recommended sites pertain to 9/11 Conspiracy Theories. Please note that I don't mean that term in a derogatory sense. While I do not believe the US Goverment was responsible or allowed the attacks to happen, that does not mean the possibility should not continue to be investigated. There is certainly ample evidence to suggest the possibility.
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| Loose Change 2nd Edition |
An extremely well constructed conspiracy theory video. This is more recent then the Popular Mechanics article, and raises questions I had not yet seen addressed in video form.
I recommend everyone watch this video. I don't claim it to be accurate, but since I can't refute its claims and I haven't yet read satisfying counter arguments I believe its safer to ask people to watch it and then perform their own investigation.
A downloadable copy of the video (in 3 pieces) is being hosted at question911.com, be sure to grab the 2nd Edtion.
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| 2005-03 Popular Mechanics - 9/11: Debunking The Myths |
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"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion," the great Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York was fond of saying. "He is not entitled to his own facts."
So begins Popular Mechanics' rebuttal of some of the 9/11 myths. Certainly my attempts to compare conspiracy vs mainstream viewpoints on this topic were quickly impeded by my lack of an engineering background. This article is good because it talks to a host of longstanding conspiracy notions which I never thought I'd see addressed seriously. Seismic Spikes, WTC 7 Collapse, The White Jet. Some of the "busting" is addressed to claims I'd assumed people had stopped taking seriously long ago, such as "black objects under the planes". As interesting as the article is, it could have addresses more recently raised questions, and been much, much longer.
Sad it took so long for such an article to appear in the mainstream press.
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| Serendipity - Reply to Popular Mechanics |
Serendipity's response is interesting in that the information cited is typically other conspiracy theory websites. For example, to debate "Indian Lake", video footage is linked to which puports to prove that the wind is blowing in a different direction from that stated in Popular Mechanics. To me, given the source, that is a point which is then still up in the air and needs to be proven conclusively.
The counter claims are an interesting read, and certainly a list that I would like to see investigated further.
For the casual reader though, the tone of the site is rather offensive, refering to passengers of flight UA 93 as "heroes" (their quotes not mine). And "Big Plane, Small Holes" (from both Popular Mechanics and Serendipity) almost seems like a beside-the-point argument when there are many eye witnesses stating they saw what appeared to be a commercial jet hit the Pentagon.
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| 9-11 Review |
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Cleanly laid out site which aims to distill 9/11 myths (both conspiratorial and mainstream) which are clouding the debate over what may have happened. After visiting countless conspiracy sites, 9-11 Review is refreshingly professional in its tone, layout, and quality of contents.
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The following content is highly recommended, but pertains only to aftermath of 9/11.
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| Uncovered - The War on Iraq |
| Best doc I've seen detailing how intelligence was manipulated by Bush administration to make care for war, and to try link Iraq to the 9/11 attacks. While not as entertaining as Fahrenheit 9/11, I don't see how anyone can accuse director Robert Greenwald of over-reaching or leaps in logic.
Do you remember how Michael Moore once posted all his video footage of an interview with Nike's CEO Phil Knight when Phil complained his answers were being taken out of context in The Big One? That was a statement of journalistic integrity Moore has not since repeated. Robert Greenwald has posted his interview footage onto Internet Archive. The mainstream press should be following Greenwald's example, both in asking tough questions, and backing up their reporting with the raw footage behind it.
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The following content is not recommended. Not to say they promote a correct/incorrect point of view. Just that those views are available elsewhere in a less expensive (free?), or easier to digest form.
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| Season 3, Episode 3 - Penn and Teller - Bullshit! - Conspiracy Theories |
Bad in the same way Popular Mechanics article is good. Very little time is actually spend debunking, and plenty spent playing on patriotism and the stupidity of those they were interviewing (who barely get a word in edgewise).
Confirmed my suspicion that Penn and Teller only go after low hanging fruit. |  |
| 911 In Plane Site |
| The first 9/11 conspiracy video I'd ever seen. It certainly had an impact on me when I first saw it, despite its immediately obvious over-reaching and leaps in logic.
One featured clip (Naudet documentary footage) of the 1st plane impact, is slowed down and zoomed in to show that there is a flash which precedes the impact. In response, I purchased the Naudet doc, and reviewed the frames in question. I found it impossible to determine if the flash came before or during impact. I'm not qualified for much else, but I can certainly review video footage. In Plane Site's version of the footage is deceptive due to heavy anti-aliasing.
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| 2003-10-29 - the fifth estate: Conspiracy Theories |
Falls short of actually refuting any conspiracy claims on scientific grounds, except to say "Nothing there, we checked with experts. Trust us."
Covers the Saudi ties to Bush family, and the blacked-out congressional report. The website is informative, but nothing of value is added by watching a recording of the broadcast itself.
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| 911 Conspiracy Rebuttal |
| Video I made in response to In Plane Site after I'd looked for counter arguments. Contains video analysis of same Naudet clip that In Plane Site covers, but without the misleading antialiasing.
But the actual value of this video is quite limited. Its not terribly well organized, and doesn't have any interviews with experts. Its just a regurgitation of rebuttals that were probably easier to digest in their original web form.
There is one interesting shot at the end of the video though. Its the camera (on a tripod) shaking about 10 seconds before the 2nd tower collapses. I don't explain these things, I just show 'em.
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