By Daan de Wit
The statements made by Hollywood celebrity Charlie Sheen about September 11th on CNN's Showbiz Tonight have not gone unnoticed. Sheen is posing the crucial questions about 9-11 and in doing so is getting more media attention for the alternative view of 9-11 than ever, as witnessed by the number of articles in the mainstream media. Sheen: 'I had a sense that this thing was going to get hot. I didn`t realize that, as you say, it was going to go supernova.' A. J. Hammer, the host of Showbiz Tonight: '[...] ever since we first reported Sheen`s controversial comments he made on the Alex Jones radio show about a possible government cover-up of what actually happened on September 11, the story has exploded.'
On Monday March 20th Charlie Sheen was a guest (listen to the stream) on the radio show of Alex Jones, a radio host and documentary filmmaker in the U.S. Sheen is the first well-known Hollywood actor to openly question the official theory of the events on and around September 11th, 2001. The statements were immediately picked up (WMV, transcript) by CNN's Showbiz Tonight, which followed a few days later with a second item (WMV, transcript) in which Jones also had much to say. A second radio interview took place on the following Friday (listen to the stream) that was again followed up by a piece (part 1, transcript and part 2 with Mark Jacobson, who wrote The Ground Zero Grassy Knoll) on Showbiz Tonight in which Jones explains that Sheen is preceded by a number of experts and prominent politicians who have pointed to the impossibilities of 9/11. This is something that DeepJournal has been doing since September 11th 2001, in contrast to what Dutch politicians, the media and celebrities have said, which has had its consequences for the Dutch military and security policy.
[Update: On March 27th Showbiz Tonight made a fourth broadcast (WMV) in which actress Sharon Stone said that she felt that it was brave of Sheen to speak out. In the broadcast it was revealed that of more than 50,000 respondents to a CNN poll, 83% believed that the American government was covering up the truth behind 9/11.
Update: Alex Jones on MTV.
Update: 'On Friday, April 14th on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live talk show, Sheen once again brought forward his questions about the official story to tens of millions of Americans' - Video].
Sheen poses key questions regarding September 11th attacks
In reference to Sheen's first radio appearance, Alex Jones writes: 'Sheen described the climate of acceptance for serious discussion about 9/11 as being far more fertile than it was a couple of years ago. "It feels like from the people I talk to in and around my circles, it seems like the worm is turning."' All of the important questions surrounding September 11th are taken into account in the interview with Sheen. Among them: How could WTC-7, a steel structure 47 stories tall, collapse without being struck by an airplane or by debris from the other WTC towers? Neither before nor since September 11th has any building made of steel collapsed as a result of fire. How could the two WTC towers - made of steel that should be impervious to the heat of the flames - collapse in ten seconds as if it were a free fall? (Just how hot was it inside - consider the waving woman). Regarding the attack on the Pentagon, Sheen says: '"Show us this incredible maneuvering, just show it to us. Just show us how this particular plane pulled off these maneuvers. 270 degree turn at 500 miles and hour descending 7,000 feet in two and a half minutes, skimming across treetops the last 500 meters."'
Criticism of Sheen superficial and inaccurate
A lot of criticism has been directed at Sheen's statements. On the FOX News show Hannity & Colmes he was called 'nuts' (see the stream) and the New York Post writes that 'Sheen has joined the 9/11 gone-bonkers brigade'. In response, Alex Jones writes: '[...] the Post has just insulted half of its entire readership. A Zogby poll showed that half of New Yorkers believed the government were complicit in the attacks, a stretch that was not even made by Sheen in the interview, who was keen to stress that he didn't know who carried out the attacks, and 66% called for a new investigation.' Sheen responded to one of the articles. In the first Showbiz Tonight piece (WMV) on Sheen, the criticism came from National Geographic supervising producer Nicole Rittenmeyer of Inside 9/11, a production which underscores the prevailing view of September 11th and is executive produced by Jonathan David Towers, who along with George W. Bush is a member (Excel) of the secret society Skull & Bones. Also interviewed in the piece were Michael Berger of 911truth and Webster Tarpley, author of 9/11 Synthetic Terror - Made in USA and speaker during the European tour of Reopen 9/11, at which Daan of DeepJournal also spoke. Berger in the interview on CNN: '"Like I said, [Sheen] has really done his homework and has been really impressive. In fact, Charlie raises the issue of a third building, a 47-story building, [WTC] Building 7, which collapsed at 5:20pm on September 11th, which was not hit by an airplane. So what we are asking for is, if this third building collapsed at 5:20, which the media really has not shown this clip - they show us the towers being impacted by planes, and the fireballs, and the collapse over and over - but this third building, with an inexplicable collapse, although it did have minor fires, no steel frame skyscraper has ever collapsed due to fire. We had a fire in the Madrid Windsor Tower last year, burned for 20 hours, a raging inferno. The people of Madrid assumed, like 9/11, this tower was going to collapse and yet it didn't.'
Sheen preceded by a number of critics
The key questions that Sheen has posed about the events of September 11th have been raised previously by among others…
Former German Defense Minister Andreas von Bülow and former Blair cabinet member Michael Meacher (see this piece from 2Vandaag)
Physics professor Steven E. Jones (read his article, view an interview with him on MSNBC and see Scholars for 9/11 Truth, with which he is associated)
Professor Emeritus of theology David Ray Griffin (see his speech on 9-11 and see his books on this subject).
Economics professor Morgan Reynolds, the 'former chief economist for the Department of Labor during President George W. Bush's first term' (see his articles)
Paul Craig Roberts, 'Assistant Secretary of Treasury under President Reagan', 'former editor and columnist for the Wall Street Journal and columnist for Business Week' and 'listed by Who's Who in America as one of the 1,000 most influential political thinkers in the world' (see this article)
Dr. Robert M. Bowman, former 'head of advanced space programs for the Department of Defense and a combat pilot who flew 101 missions in the Vietnam War' (see his article)
U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D., Ga.) (see this article)
Catherine Austin Fitts, former 'Assistant Secretary of Housing under President George Bush Sr.' (see this article)
The professionals behind Physics911; surviving family members of The Family Steering Committee for the 9/11 Commission (see this website) and 'An alliance of 100 prominent Americans and 40 family members of those killed on 9/11' (see this article)
Wide-ranging critique via pop culture
Charlie Sheen is the first celebrity to openly question the official (conspiracy) theory of September 11th. It's striking that after four and a half years of dissemination of research on this subject in the way of websites, documentaries and books, the issue ends up getting serious attention with the help of a celebrity. The presumed superficial quality of a celebrity can act as an icebreaker by bringing attention to critical information about the attacks of September 11th. In addition to the considerable influence a celebrity can bring to bear as a mouthpiece, one should not underestimate the value of humor and satire as a means to broach sensitive topics. That was the case a long time ago - think about books like Erasmus' Praise of Folly and Reinaert the Fox - and it remains just as valid today. An example of this is The Daily Show, a very popular program from the U.S. It can be viewed online, and a compilation episode is broadcast weekly on CNN International. Critical commentary can reach a large portion of the public in this way.
In a recent episode, The Daily Show provided some insight into the media preference of Vice President Dick Cheney by revealing the list of demands that must be met when he makes a speaking engagement. The list avoids the no-blue-M&M's-demand of so many a pop star, but is just as specific. In addition to wanting the temperature of his room set to 68º F, the Vice President requires that the television be set to FOX News. Cheney has probably never seen the documentary (stream) Outfoxed. In the same piece from the Daily Show, host John Stewart showed that not much has changed since Michael Moore's documentary Bowling for Columbine, because the culture of fear clearly continues to reign supreme on American television. Another example of criticism dressed up as satire was the Global Edition of The Daily Show on CNN International on March 7th, in which the Bush administration was ridiculed by asking the question: Was this statement by White House Spokesperson Scott McClellan (A) a reaction to PlameGate, (B) a reaction to KatrinaGate, (C) a reaction to CheneyShootingGate, (D) DubaiGate, (E) TortureGate, (F) WiretapGate... The joke was that in this way the entire alphabet would get used up, and then they would have to resort to the Greek alphabet.