9/11 Blogger
Sunday, November 12, 2006

Kenkneeb, says that a November 11th editorial brings "breaking, awesome, hope-filled news". Let's hope this is the first of many editorials callling for a real investigation into the events of 9/11, followed by criminal prosecutions.

UPDATE: Now verified; online here:
http://www.dailytidings.com/2006/1111/stories/1111_editorial.php

Here's the editorial:

"In honor or our veterans, we call for truth

Anniversaries cause us to instinctively pause and reflect, just as our leg
jolts forward after a well-positioned tap on the knee. In honor of our
veterans – to whom we owe a debt we can never repay – the least we can
do on this Veteran’s Day is look back at the decisions made that sent our
troops into battle, and the roles we played in those decisions. Perhaps
upon reflection, our reaction may change.

The fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 served as the reflex hammer touch
to the knee of American conscience. As the country attended memorials and
revisited painful memories of 9/11, the reflection also opened our
collective mind once again to the many unanswered questions, legitimate
concerns and conflicting evidence in the official description of those
events.

For us at the Daily Tidings the event served to open discussion among us
about this complex subject, about the conspiracy theories that abound in
Internet chats, blogs and so-called investigative reports and most
importantly, the questions regarding the media’s role in this ongoing
issue.

A month later we have found very little we all agree on. We especially
disagree on the role of the media. Since the Tidings doesn’t cover New
York City, Washington, D.C., or the federal government, the ambiguity is
shaded with absolution.

Nevertheless we are each members of the fourth estate, an essential
conglomeration of individuals who adhere to professional guidelines, and
who care passionately about this demanding and often thankless opus. With
that membership – we can all agree on some level – comes a
responsibility to giving the public the accuracte information it needs to
make informed decisions. Thus, somewhere in all the banter, we stumbled
on one thing we at the Tidings’ truly can agree on.

Apparently, we are not alone. Based on the results of this hallmark 2006
election, the American people are finally asking for change. They don’t
like our involvement in Iraq. They voted out many members of the party
that put us there. Perhaps they are also ready to question the events and
decisions that put us there as well. Perhaps they are ready to ask what
really happened on Sept. 11.

We think so. And we call on our colleagues to join us in asking
questions.

Every single American daily newspaper must demand of our congressional
leaders and those in the executive branch that an independant council be
formed to completely and thoroughly investigate the deaths of nearly 3,000
American citizens in the attack of 9/11 – an attack that took place on
American soil.

Forget the conspiracy theories for a minute and set aside the political
gamesmanship. We are a country that spent five years and $100 million
investigating President Clinton. We probed the depths of the Iran-Contra
scandal – a debacle that would have never come fully into the public eye
had a special investigator not been appointed.

This administration has spent far more energy and time seeking the leak of
Valerie Plame’s identity and Barry Bonds’ use of steroids than it has
in fully explaining how three skyscrapers crumbled in an instant and
nearly 3,000 people were killed. While an independent investigation may
never fully answer every question, it will help to heal the wounds of this
nation and widespread distrust of our leaders this atack has caused.

This historic tragedy ranks among the worst days in American history. We
owe it to every American – but especially those who do battle on our
behalf at the behest of our leaders – to spare no expense and allow no
party loyalty to dissuade us. The government works for us. If it failed
us, either in malfeasance or incompetence, then we must know that. If our
current actions around the world are shaped by misinformation, we must know
that too. Finally, if what we now believe to be true is only further
proven, we would do well to hear the evidence that confirms it. If the
government’s version of the events of that day are absolutely true, then
scrutiny will amplify that truth and lay to rest the skepticism that
remains to this day.

If, however, the questions that remain serve to shed light on new
information, that too serves the public. And it is the responsibility of
this trusted media industry to dig, probe, investigate and uncover the
truth behind government events and decisions that impact the public. On
this Veterans Day, we can do no less on behalf of the brave men and women
who have been sent to the Middle East based on rationale that stems
directly from the events of 9/11. While we pay homage to all veterans of
the Armed Forces today, we are reminded of our duty to watch closely those
leaders in the White House and Congress who make the decisions to send our
troops to war.

We invite every single American daily newspaper to join us in our demand
for an independent council to completely and thoroughly investigate the
deaths of nearly 3,000 American citizens in the attacks of 9/11.

America will be better informed, and this is our job.”