Thursday, August 30, 2007

The Vancouver 9/11 Truth Conference: Day 1, Udpated

The Speakers: Mr. Lebowski, Some Dude I Keep Forgetting About, and The Psychopracter

I was going to keep my comments on this conference as objective as possible, reporting only on what I saw and not how I felt about what I saw.

Well, screw that.

After my post-conference encounters with Truthers, I decided I'm gonna say what I wanna say. There will be some naughty language.

Keep in mind, though, that I'm still a lot kinder than two guys I really admire, Penn & Teller. They would (and did, actually) preface every comment about 9/11 Truthers with "And then there's THIS asshole..."

I've already covered the emcee and first presenter, Kevin Barrett, and I have nothing to add. He's an emphatic but polite man, very boyish in his enthusiasm (he continuously bounced on his toes at the podium). While I can't agree with his conclusion that Islamist terrorism had no part in the events of 9/11, or that Disney's Jafar and the Big Bad Wolf are stereotypes of Arabs and Jews, he gave a well-organized presentation.

The second speaker on Day 1 was Ian Woods, with a State of the Union address for the 9/11 Truth Movement. Woods is a member of the Canadian Action Party, publisher/editor of Global Outlook magazine, and the current President of the Board of Skeptics Inquiry for Truth .
Woods started off by saying we're heading for a bleak future, something along the lines of 1984 or Rollerball (in which 7 corporations rule the world). 9/11 Truth is "the path to peace", the "neocons' Achilles' Heel", but the truth must be uncovered within the next 16-18 months, before Bush leaves office. After that, it will be extremely difficult to reopen a new investigation. Woods thinks this is do-able, and cites some successful citizens' protests and populist movements to support that:

- 300 protestors stopped clearcutting at Clayoquot Sound.
- Bill C-36 was halted by a public outcry.
- The MAI ("Corporate Rule") Treaty was scuttled due to protest.

Despite "mainstream media's cover-up" of the Truth movement, it has held 23 conferences to date, has evidence and experts' support, has popular support, and is now a "mainstream political reality".
Who controls the mainstream media? DAVI GERMBAG. This is Woods's acronym for the most powerful media corporations (Disney is the first one; I can't remember the rest). DAVI GERMBAG is tied in to the military-industrial complex, hence agreed not to cover the Truth movement. Media folk are responsible to their masters, not the people. The only solution is to become the media. He announced an upcoming website called 9/11 Truthers in Media, but that doesn't appear to be online yet.
To be honest, Ian Woods gave a decent but rather forgettable presentation.

The fourth and keynote speaker was Webster Tarpley, whom I've already covered here. He was the guy who looked and sounded exactly like Mr. Lebowski. I really wanted him to ask "Am I responsible every time a rug is nicturated upon in this fair city?!", but he didn't. Damn.
Tarpley was the chief information officer of the Lyndon LaRouche organization for many years, right into the mid-'90s (around the time LaRouche got out of prison). Some people suspect he never really left the org, but is just franchising it. I have no idea.

Tarpley was followed by a screening of an interview with John McMurtry, a leftist philosopher from the University of Guelph. You can see that here.

The third speaker on Day 1 shall remain nameless on this blog, 'cause I get enough freaky email from the Quixtar IBOs and other conspiracy theorists without adding him to the mix. Let's just say he's a thirtysomething chiropracter, his first name goes with "Q. Public", and his last name rhymes with "Dawkins". He co-founded one of Canada's most popular 9/11 Truth websites.

While I don't agree with his fear of, well, everything, or with his insistence that New World Order occultism surrounds us, I applaud this guy for being a Truther for the right reasons. He feels deeply about the issue and genuinely wants to help other people see the light.

Dr. H. wanted to speak about the psychospiritual aspects of 9/11 Truth, but had no prepared speech. So he gave a sort of personal testimonial and an overview of the Canadian Truth scene, made up of what he calls "enlightened people". He started out by welcoming anyone from CSIS. He was emotional and barely coherent.
Dr. H. became part of the movement in 2003, after viewing In Plane Sight. He is now a full-time Truther, having shut down his practice to tour the country and spread the word. Somehow, the natural health movement prepared him for his current work. He talked of heroes like John O'Neill ("It's a bad novel, but it's real"), courage, and "something higher." He considers himself not a Canadian national, but a "free spirit on the face of the earth." It's his opinion that a New World Order is imminent, if not here already, and that "the nation of Canada will "soon be no more" because "dark forces" are committing genocide, and how are we to explain this to the next generation?
He gave lists of Canadian Truth experts, websites, books, organizations, and radio programs. He mentioned the firing of John Gleason of the Winnipeg Sun. He referred to Truthers as "the white rose of WWII...that's what you are; look it up." Then he says a friend in Winnipeg wants to stage a citizens' arest of 300 MLAs. "We are living in a fascist dictatorship," he concluded. Applause.

Barrett referred to this "speech" as "wonderfully heartfelt". I wondered about Hawkins's mental stability. Who comes to a conference without a prepared speech? The talk he gave was disjointed and largely meaningless, with many gaps, pauses, and abrupt jumps.

After posting this review the first time, I learned that Dr. H. isn't just an emotional trainwreck.

He can also be a nasty, paranoid fuckwit.

In response to my paragraph-and-a-half on his non-speech (posted on Richard's 9/11 website), he sent me a 5-page letter that was only slightly more coherent than his talk. I won't post the whole boring thing, but here are a few excerpts, with original spelling intact:

"Dear [SME],

This letter is in response to your review for Edmonton 911 Truth, i am asking neil to post it on our web site, not as an attack, or defense, but in the interest of others who are going through the fear like me. I am not afraid to say i am afraid.

I want to thank you for attending the conference in Vancouver recently regarding 911 truth and the NWO. I just wanted to clarify your observations of my short talk on the friday night. First i want to say thank you for giving some critical feedback, it is dually noted.

In your first paragraph you state "He was emotional and barely coherent". I am very sorry to your self or the world if i was "barely coherent", the last time i checked i was speaking English. Further i did have 84 slides prepared, of which i did use half of.

The conference was full of scientists speaking facts, i am no stranger to that as i have a degree in science, and am a doctor. The real kind of doctor that actually heals people rather than stuff them full of corporate medication. I have spent the last decade getting people off the drugs that the "scientific" medical corporate agenda is stuffing them with...Sorry, i am not a bag of chemicals, and i am seeking to speak directly from the heart, and ultimately the spirit.

Further, my primary concern for the entire talk was simply to read the names of the 24 Canadians who where brutally ripped apart and murdered in the most horrendous of fashion...I would point out that in your synopsis of my brief talk you missed this salient fact of the reading of the names.

If i am charged with "pausing", and "gaping" , i confess to the charge. In my public speaking i have been trained, and practice the "power of the pause".

As for "somehow the natural health movement prepared him for his current work", let me explain. It taught me to have patience with people like you. People who seek to have "reality " handed to them in a nice clear, logical, scientific "box"...I would love to see you report on how Ghandi, or Martin Luther King are just a bunch of confused people speaking about "god", "spirit" and "soul" as if it was make believe reality. I am so glad you are hear to enlighten us all...

The comments about the "white rose" in Germany is a very real aspect, and highly under reported in history, and again that is why i mentioned it. I am hoping that someone somewhere will pick up on this curious, odd , statement and research for themselves, that would include you.

The comments about "arresting 300 MLA's, " and "living in a fascist dictatorship", is a very appropriate finish to this short talk. I am seeking to drive home a very unpopular conclusion of the entire 911 truth movement. What happens next, either we stand around talking, or we take action beyond protest. This point needs to be rammed home.

I am very ,very, very did i mention very, afraid for my life. Two other speakers at this conference said directly to me, they believe they are about to be arrested. I have know this for some time, i have not given up my practice, my life, and risked my sanity on what "might be"...Of course this is just paranoia and can't actually be happening...

On a personal note [SME], you don't have a fucking clue who i am, what i have done, or who i am connected to.

The only question i have for you dear lady, is are you fully aware of what you are now involved with. Your review is like a text book, so i pray you are right, and i am a confused , emotional, and a mentally unstable person, who will just wake up from my delusions once they are pointed out to me. Rest assured that CSIS, thats the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service is

If 80+ slides is not preparation for a talk, i don't know what is. If you think reading the names of 24 murdered Canadians is "meaningless" you can take your position and yourself and leave. I had many people thank me for the talk, and many gave a hug of gratitude.

If you think you aren't holding back the punches, you should realize i am fully prepared to be killed, and kill. I have faced death many times in my life. This is not about a "speech" its about our collective sanity, safety, and soul. I leave you with a quote from an individual who i do not agree with about ultimate truth, or his connections to occult groups, but i can agree that his effort, for where he was, had value in this world........."Neither a man nor a crowd nor a Nation can be trusted to act humanely, or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear" Bertrand Russel.Who ever you are, and what ever you believe, i pray you have the answers to the questions we are all asking, and if you don't, i pray you get out of the way of some who are making an effort to speak about the difficult emotional, complex spiritual aspects of this movement.

I am not doing this for any other reason, than because NO ONE ELSE IN MY CITY OF WINNIPEG HAS TAKEN A PUBLIC POSITION ON THIS TOPIC. Why, because they are afraid. If you are above the fear that everyone is going through, please share your secret. Others need help not with grade 11 physics, they need help with their sanity, and over whelming fear.

In truth,Dr. [J.H.] B.Sc., D.C."

OK, he prattled on about the necessity of recognizing the spiritual aspects of 9/11 (there was a lot more about this in the unexpurgated letter)... then he quoted one of the world's most prominent atheists? Dude, WTF? Also, I'm quite familiar with the life and times of Bertrand Russell and I am still unaware of any "occult" affiliations. Perhaps the Royal Society is an occult lodge, in Dr. H's world.

Is Dr. H.'s life in peril? Well, maybe it is. Perhaps he'll be so distracted running away from invisible CSIS agents that he'll accidently run in front of a bus or something. Anyway, I also recieved this letter from a fellow conference attendee:

"The Chiropracter was a disaster as a speaker. A major mistake by the organizers, but who would have anticipated that a radio personality would arrive without preparing?
Otherwise, I give the conference high marks.
Good work, [SME]!
[D.S.]"

I wrote a soothing, conciliatory letter to the Psychopracter in reply. My review of his speech wasn't personal, after all - perhaps he was a very nice guy.

But take a look at what he wrote to a site admin who failed to post something-or-other that he considered to be of earth-shattering importance, back in April '06...

"hello, i am sure you can see the self evident need to publish this information and poster on your site. however i have learned not to hold my breath with you. lets see, "indy media", that means independant right. and lets see, there is a global movement seeking to expose the truth of 911, but that good for every indy media source but winnipeg. gee. why is that. and lets see, we are having a military operation first of its kind here in winnipeg, and here is an event CLEARLY protesting that, would that qualify to be put on your web site. what kind of reputation do you think you have. if you are controlled by the government then fuck you. and if you are simply so left and self rightous you can't post this , like has been your routine in the past. then fuck you again. BUT if you can simply post this, you would be doing humanity a favour. how pathetic it is that this information has to be pleaded to get posted. in truth, dr [J.H.]"

Enough said. Moving on to the actual content of his speech...

Why, oh why, do Truthers admire John O'Neill? He was on the opposite side of the fence! He strongly believed that Islamist terrorism was a dire threat to America, and that a large-scale attack by Islamist extremists was imminent.

As for likening 9/11 Truth to the White Rose, I fail to see a connection.
The White Rose was a resistance movement. Did any member of the White Rose urge people to buy his latest book? A T-shirt? A Hitler is a Shitler bumper sticker?
In a word: No fucking way. They were too busy staying alive.

On Day Two of the conference, Dr. H. gave another heartfelt talk, this time about the fact that the Winnipeg Legislature building is an occult temple. More on this later.

After the conference, Dr. H. and Richard emailed news of interest to each other once in a while. Occasionally the doc would tell him something like, "Tell SME that the Irish flag is occultic in nature because it has three different colours on it, and occult things always come in threes" (seriously!). But Richard made a monumental mistake one day: Before Alex Constantine "outed" me as a CIA mole, he joked, "Well, I can't trust SME with this information. She might be an agent."

Within the hour, Dr. H. blocked his email.

10 comments:

tshsmom said...

My oh my young lady, wherever did you get that potty mouth? ;)

The "good?" doctor does tend to ramble a bit, doesn't he. His letters aren't coherent, so I can just imagine how bad his public speaking skills must be.
If nobody in Winnipeg is interested in the cause, why does he think his life is in danger?

Can I safely surmise that you are no longer a "fence sitter" on this issue now?

S.M. Elliott said...

I guess I'm LIHOP ("Let it Happen On Purpose". To me, that's just as bad as MIHOP.

I'll have to send you links to two vids of the Psychopracter. He DOES ramble on...

As for the potty mouth, I can't IMAGINE where I get that.

tshsmom said...

I'm torn between LIHOP, and too fucking stupid to pay attention to the intelligence reports. With the Bush admin. it could go either way.

S.M. Elliott said...

Sooo true! ;D

Anonymous said...

If you were an evil government, wouldn't it make more sense to make a guy look bad than to kill him? If you kill him, it makes him a martyr. Just sayin'.

As for Quixtar, yeah, I try not to make fun of them too much on my blog because I don't want the harassment. Those folks take it a little bit too seriously.

S.M. Elliott said...

Compared to the conspiracy theorists, tho, the Quixtar folks are starting to look pretty normal. ;D

I don't think many conspiracy theorists comprehend that the best way to ensure their safety as whistleblowers is to go public ASAP.

Laura said...

Um... are these people for real? I can't imagine living my life in such a constant state of paranoia. It can't be good for your health. I imagine that it would eventually drive you just a little insane, which explains the mental state of some of these guys I guess.

S.M. Elliott said...

Sadly, they're for real. Well, except for another dr I'm going to write about later: He said he's in Canada to escape government death squads, but he really lost his med license in Colorado for prescribing too many painkillers. Of all the people at the conference, I think he was the one guy who didn't believe a word he was saying.

tshsmom said...

Laura, I think it's the reverse. Their mental state is what got them involved in this paranoia.
All of this sounds so much like my mother-in-law's paranoid schizophrenia. She comes up with stories very similar to the ones SME has been posting.

Hawkeyi's Blog said...

I'm married to an axe murderer... :t