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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2004)
GRIFFIN TO OUTLINE ‘DISTURBING QUESTIONS’ REGARDING BUSH, 9/11 Michael Moore’s new film Fahrenheit 9/11 continues to generate intense controversy regarding the events of Sept. 11, 2001, but some researchers go far beyond Moore’s allega- tions of incompetence and corruption in the Bush administration. One such researcher, David Ray Griffin, will be speaking at 7 pm Wednesday, July 28 at the Eugene Hilton. Griffin is the author of The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11. The book de- tails a persistent, ongoing, private inquiry into the events of 9/11 and evidence of com- plicity in those events by officials in The North American Aerospace Command (NORAD), the National Military Command Center, the Federal Aviation Administration, and even the White House. The implications of such evidence would, of course, generate a constitutional crisis that dwarfs Watergate. Griffin’s credentials are extensive. He earned his bachelor’s here in Eugene at the Northwest Christian College, his master’s at the UO, and his Ph.D. at the Claremont Graduate School in Southern California. He is a professor of religion and theology at the Claremont Graduate University in Santa Barbara, and executive director of the Center for Process Studies. He is the author of more than 20 books, including God, Power, and Evil; and Two Great Truths: A New Synthesis of Scientific Naturalism and Christian Faith. In The New Pearl Harbor, Griffin ex- presses his reluctance to embark on his inves- tigation, stating that, “It seemed to me simply beyond belief that the Bush administration — even the Bush administration — would do such a heinous thing.” But at the urging of colleagues he began to look into the allega- tions, and found, to his satisfaction, that they merited further inquiry. Much of his work is based on a comprehensive timeline for the events of 9/11 produced by Paul Thompson for the Center for Cooperative Research ( w w w. c o o p e r a t i v e r e s e a r c h . o r g ) . Thompson’s timeline is drawn exclusively from mainstream sources like The New York Times and the Washington Post. The details revealed in the book are in- deed disturbing. Normal protocols for the in- terception (an action distinct from the shoot- ing down) of off-course airplanes were not implemented on 9/11, the failure occurring not once, but four times. The government is- sued two contradictory explanations of this failure to the media, first stating that NORAD was not able to scramble interceptor jets at all, and later stating that jets were scrambled, but arrived too late. Griffin cites video evidence indicating that the Twin Towers fell at nearly free-fall speed — something that could not have hap- pened in official scenarios explaining the buildings’ collapse. Perhaps even more trou- bling is the destruction of World Trade Center Building Seven, which collapsed totally into its own “footprint,” exactly like the Twin Towers, even though it was not struck by any airplanes, and had only small fires inside that should have been controlled by the building’s sprinkler system. Financial evidence includes the statisti- cally anomalous “put options” placed on American Airlines and United Air Lines stocks during the week before Sept. 11, which netted unknown investors at least $5 million when those airline stocks plummeted as a result of the attacks. The monies remain unclaimed and the Securities and Exchange Commission has made no move to investi- gate. Griffin will discuss all of these issues and more at the Eugene Hilton. More information about the Eugene 9/11 Alliance is available at www.oilempire.us/eugene.html — Gordon David Kaswell GAY RIGHTS BACKERS GETTING ORGANIZED State and national efforts to ban gay mar- riages are motivating civil rights activists and others to organize both in opposition to big- otry and in support of members of the com- munity who happen to be lesbian/gay/bi/trans/queer (LGBTQ). Among the local actions is a vigil show- ing solidarity with those attending 7:30 pm Sunday services at the Metropolitan Community Church, a LGBTQ congrega- tion. The vigil begins at 6:30 pm outside the First Congregational Church, 11th and Oak downtown. “Just as supporters of all faiths stood out- side Temple Beth Israel during the days fol- lowing anti-Semitic attacks on our syna- gogue, the community is being called upon to today is hardly a Christian nation, and to advocate becoming more of one is to flaunt our courts and Constitution, and deny equal voice to non-Christians as well as Christians who have more inclusive values. It’s disturbing to see churches being mobilized for political pur- poses under a banner of exclusion and bigotry. Ah, America! ART KENNEDY • On a related topic, does anybody remember when Jim Ryun was a famous miler running before cheering Eugene track fans? Now he’s a conservative congressman from Kansas and his son Drew is running quite a different race through Eugene and the rest of the coun- try. As director of evangelical outreach for the RNC, Drew was in town Tuesday pushing the margins of church-state separation and IRS regulations for religious non-profit status (see above). As his invitation to evengelical pastors in the Eugene area put it, “The luncheon is sponsored by the RNC, so there will be no cost to attend.” Drew Ryun’s personal goal is to persuade 60 million American evangelicals to vote this November. Four years ago only 15 million voted. His team probably wins if this Ryun succeeds. Jeff Wright of the R-G was relegated to the sidewalk during David Barton’s talk. • We encourage people of faith to get involved in politics and even challenge conventional thinking, but when they advocate diminishing the separation of church and state, it’s time to sound the alarm. Fundamentalist Christian activist David Barton was in town this week at Willamette Christian Center preaching that government needs to return to “biblical truths” and “Christian values,” based on his research of historical documents. Such values would include prayer in school, limiting who can marry, etc. The press was excluded from his address in Eugene July 20 (Jeff Wright of the R-G was banished to the sidewalk out- side) and we can imagine why Barton and the Republican National Committee (RNC) are avoiding public scrutiny. Barton’s research and conclusions have been debunked by many, including writer Rob Boston in his article, “Sects, Lies and Videotape” (http://members.tri- pod.com/~candst/boston1.htm) Regardless of the validity of Barton’s research, the U.S. • Sen. Gordon Smith recently stood before the U.S. Senate to voice his support for Bush’s constitutional amendment against gay marriage, and the same day he also recounted his son’s suicide due to chronic depression and asked Congress to pass a $60 million bill to ex- pand government suicide prevention programs. Smith’s record on gay rights has not been all bad, and he has our condolences for his family’s loss. But does he not see the irony in his two statements? Recognizing gay marriage as a civil right and legitimate institution is another big step toward removing the secrecy and shame associated with homosexuality in our society — a stigma that has contributed to thousands of suicides, particularly among tormented and confused young people. • Cyndi Lauper played to an entranced Hult Center crowd July 16, giving a vocally spectac- ular performance. Highlights were Lauper draping the Gay Pride flag across her shoulders for “True Colors,” and her 7-year-old son joining her with his mini drum-kit for two songs. His little arms tirelessly kept up the pace, and when Lauper started to give him a high-five after his crowd-pleasing performance, he looked at her hand as if in a trance and took a swing with his drum-stick. The audience loved it. SLANT includes short opinion pieces, observations and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard any good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, editor@eugeneweekly.com JULY 22, 2004 7
