Thursday, September 11, 2008




9/11 - SEVEN YEARS LATER





Olbermann: Bush Administration “Allowed 9/11 Attacks To Occur”


More 9/11 Strangeness - Scorpions & Other Synchronicities

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By Michael Goodspeed
Thunderbolts.info
9-9-8


Author's note: This article has no copyright. It is intended for duplication and re-distribution, so long as no alterations are made to the contents herein, including the author's byline, all images, and cited URLs.



Less than 2 weeks ago, I posted a video on YouTube entitled, "911 'Coincidences' or Synchronicities?" (Link at the bottom of this piece). This presentation enumerated around a dozen prescient pop culture connections to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. I don't believe that any of these connections can reasonably be described as a "stretch" or "wishful thinking" (although of course not everyone will agree on their ultimate significance.) A brief overview now might be helpful:

In the 1999 film The Matrix, the expiration date of the passport of Keanu Reeve's character Neo is September 11, 2001.

In the 1998 film Enemy of the State, Jon Voight's character -- a malicious NSA official intent on pushing legislation that will make it easier to spy on Americans -- was born on September 11th.

In the 2001 pilot of the TV program The Lone Gunmen, the story centers on a Pentagon plot to fly a plane into the WTC for the purpose of triggering a war.

In the opening sequence of the 1998 film The Big Lebowski, Jeff Bridges' character writes a check dated September 11. We then hear George Bush Sr.'s voice discussing the ensuing (1991) invasion of Iraq, and his famous line of "This aggression will not stand" -- a recurring line in the film.

In the opening scene of the 2000 film Traffic, a drug truck is apprehended, and on close inspection we see that all of the drug boxes are stamped with the number 911. Next to each number is the symbol of a scorpion. This particular symbol has always struck me as curious, and in a moment I shall try to explore its significance further.

In 2001, the rap group The Coup created an album cover featuring its members detonating the World Trade Center south towers. They later released their album with a different cover.

in the 1982 Richard Bachman (Stephen King) book The Running Man, the story concluded with the protagonist hijacking a plane and flying it into the tallest building in downtown NY.

And beyond the popular culture, on the first anniversary of September 11th, the winning numbers in the evening NY lotto were 911 (5,632 people chose the winning sequence, and each won a paltry $500).


These are only a few of the more striking 9/11 pop culture "coincidences" that predated September 11, 2001. I've not come close to including all the instances that have been documented on countless dozens of websites. These also include the 2000 film The Patriot -- Mel Gibson's character weighs a chair he's constructed, and announces "Nine pounds, eleven ounces. That's perfect." He then sits on the chair, and it collapses under his weight.
A Google search of the words - 9/11 coincidences in comics (unquoted) - reveals over 76,000 hits. A video presentation on some of these connections (link at bottom of paragraph) features some interesting items, including an image from the Marvel Two in One #100 from June 1983. (Note: I have not seen this before, and do not personally own any comics, so I cannot verify its authenticity. I'm presenting it here as an item of potential interest). According to descriptions of this issue, the Thing is captured by the Red Skull, who has set up headquarters in a bombed out WTC. Notice the chilling images and captions below:

Let's look a bit closer now at the aforementioned "coincidences" in the 2000 film "Traffic." What is the significance, if any, of the scorpion image next to each 911 symbol? As I mentioned in my YouTube video, in 2007, author David Hagberg published a novel entitled "Allah's Scorpion" -- the code name of a massive terrorist plot by al-Quaida in the book. I limited myself to this particular reference in part due to time limitations, but also because I wanted to explore the scorpion motif a bit more before presenting anything publicly.




Remember that this symbol was placed next to the numbers 911 a full year prior to September 11th, 2001. A Google search of the words (unquoted) - scorpion taliban bin laden afghanistan - reveals over 400,000 hits. Indeed, the term scorpion seems to be used almost casually in reference to both Bin Laden and Afghanistan (not terribly surprising since scorpions are common to middle eastern regions). In addition to the Hagberg novel, in 2007 the David Macdonald book was published entitled "Drugs in Afghanistan: Opium, Outlaws and Scorpion Tales."



More than one post-911 military operation has included the term "Scorpion." The following excerpt comes from the website of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe:



After more than eight months of training, 86 "Scorpion" members of the 603rd Air Control Squadron deployed Jan. 9 to Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan....



"For our deployment preparation, we had Scorpion Strike in October, which was set up and tailored to look as close to a real deployment as possible," said Lt. Col. Troy Jackson, 603rd ACS commander.



In 2003, there was a major U.S. operation in Iraq called "Operation Desert Scorpion." This was also the name of an unperformed military operation in response to the UN/Iraq crisis of 1998.


Operation Desert Scorpion is also the name of an online gaming file in which players seek to capture Osama bin Laden. A fictional briefing in the game reads:


General,



Intelligence reports believe we have cornered Osama Bin Laden and his Generals (P3) in a remote region of southwestern Pakistan. We have strict orders that Bin Laden and his Generals should be captured alive, the rest of his forces should be eliminated with deadly force.



A search of the defenselink.mil site for the term "scorpion" reveals 82 hits. The very first is entitled "Afghan National Police Training..." It discusses the training of Afghan police officers at "Forward Operating Base Scorpion."



These are just some cursory results I've stumbled across after performing some rudimentary Google searches -- and I'm still interested to know what a more in-depth search might discover. (Might scorpion have been a codename for bin Laden or other al-Quaida officials within intelligence circles prior to or after 9/11?) Perhaps one could argue that the scorpion motif in "Traffic" is not terribly anomalous, since the scorpion has long been a symbol of danger or evil. But the appearance of the symbol directly alongside the 911 numbers becomes even more powerful when one considers the striking PATTERN of pop culture "coincidences" prior to September 11th.



Since I personally have no conceptual reservations when it comes to human precognition and other extrasensory abilities -- that is to say, I don't dismiss evidence of these phenomena on an a priori basis simply because institutional science has yet to recognize their reality -- I want now to dig deeper and try to find the meaning in these "coincidences," if any exists.



Some Internet authors speculate that the 9/11 perpetrators may have "leaked" their plans to key media players -- hence all the anomalous pop culture "coincidences" -- but I simply can't agree with that assessment. Does anyone really believe that all of the writers, musicians, artists, and Hollywood producers and directors cited above somehow became privy to a forthcoming terrorist attack (including the precise date on which it would occur), and rather than explicitly alerting the public to the danger, chose instead to insert subtle or not so subtle warnings of the attack into their art? It's startling to me that some purported "alternative media" websites express contempt for so-called "paranormal" investigations, while promoting the belief that conspiracy is the most powerful, overarching force in the Universe.



With that said, I think it's certainly worth noting that a common thread seems to run through all of the movies, books, TV shows, and pop music mentioned above, and it has nothing to do with terrorists and Islamic Jihad. If one were to ask me which pre9/11 movies featured the most dire warnings of impending Government intrusion in citizens' lives (an obviously widespread concern in light of our Government's declared "War on Terror"), I would not have hesitated to say, "The Matrix" and "Enemy of the State." I suspect anyone who has seen these movies would agree, and both of these films feature particularly striking 9/11 "coincidences." Likewise, the Lone Gunmen episode in which the Pentagon plans to fly an airplane into the WTC for the purpose of triggering a war. If these "coincidences" were telling us anything, it was, "Things are not what they appear. Don't believe everything you're told."



Here is a reasonable challenge for the skeptical-minded. If you think that the types of "coincidences" cited above can be randomly pulled from movies, books, or other mediums, try focusing a search on a specific date and number sequence -- say (from the top of my head)...October 6th (or 10/6, or 106). I wonder how many movies in the coming years will feature explicit references to October 6, or 106, and more importantly, how many will feature obvious connections to any historical events that have happened or will happen on October 6? The odds of any three digit number coming up 106 are 1 in 1000. The odds of a random date for any particular year appearing as October 6th are 1 in 365. (Remember also that The Matrix film featured a reference not only to September 11th, but the precise year in which 9/11 happened -- 2001).



It's not my position to assert what the ultimate meaning is in all of this, except to warn of the inherent dangers in DENYING that any meaning exists. I've no patience with cynical individuals who dismiss evidence for psychic phenomena, for no clear reason other than they think it's "silly." If real, a collective human consciousness is enormously important to the future of our species. But for new clarity to be gained, scientific researchers must not live in fear of ridicule and professional ruination -- the pathetic outcome for many brave investigators into the psychic frontier.



Stephen King writes, "...stories are found things, like fossils in the ground....Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered preexisting world. The writer's job is to use the tools to get as much of each one out of the ground intact as possible." Perhaps many of our culture's best writers, artists, and filmmakers were doing their best, at least unconsciously, to uncover a treasure of extraordinary significance. The most haunting aspect of the 9/11 "coincidences" is that the collective human consciousness seemed to issue a frantic warning, like a wailing siren or tolling bell. The question is, can we ever achieve the psychic maturity to recognize such warnings in advance? This was the challenge offered to the human race by one Colonel Dolan M. McKelvy, author of the 1988 USAF report, "Psychic Warfare: Exploring the Mind Frontier." McKelvy writes:


"Man's greatest potential remains a prisoner of man. Vast untapped mental capabilities create an entirely new battlefield dimension which, if ignored, pose a threat to self and country more serious than nuclear weapons. This threat starts from within. Our fears and cynical attitudes towards psychic capabilities make us our own worst enemies....Exploring the mind frontier is essential and the key to successful exploration is a greater psychic awareness. The mind is rich in unfathomed resources ripe for exploration, a limitless source of treasures for advancing all mankind, and a serious threat to those who ignore its potential. We must overcome our psych inhibitions, stop denying the existence of paranormal events, and start trying instead to understand the nature of these phenomena. We must shed the super secret cloaks and educate our leaders at all levels on the real psi military potentials and threats so we can adequately focus and prioritize national resources."



Christian Science Monitor
After 9/11, some lives recast for greater good
Christian Science Monitor, MA - 1 hour ago
In Washington, DC, churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples are joining in the fourth 9/11 Unity Walk, which has been televised and shown in other ...
Nonprofits launch effort on 9/11 to boost volunteerism Christian Science Monitor
all 2 news articles »
Creating 9/11 memorials a slow process
CNN - 34 minutes ago
An artist's rendering shows the New York 9/11 memorial, with the museum entry pavilion between two pools. Official memorials at the other two sites are ...
US marks seventh 9/11 anniversary BBC News
Moments of silence mark 9/11 terrorist attacks The Associated Press
Obama, McCain to attend 9/11 Ground Zero ceremonies Newsday
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State House ceremony marks 9/11 anniversary
Boston Herald, United States - 29 minutes ago
By Jessica Fargen More than a dozen family members whose loved ones perished in the 9/11 attacks seven years ago solemnly read aloud the names of ...

CBS News
US election campaigning suspended for 9/11 anniversary
guardian.co.uk, UK - 1 hour ago
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McCain to Mark 9/11 Anniversary CBS News
Candidates Suspend Campaigns for 9/11 Christian Broadcasting Network
9/11 and the race for the White House Jerusalem Post
Welt Online
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BBC News
Moment of silence marks 9/11 terrorist attacks
The Associated Press - 1 hour ago
Maureen Hunt, wearing a T-shirt with a picture of her sister, Kathleen, a 9/11 victim, said that it was comforting to be at the ceremony with so many who ...
September 11 events to mark the 7th anniversary of 9/11 terrorist ... Los Angeles Times
Bush marks 9/11 anniversary, moment of silence observed nationwide Xinhua
Somber ceremonies mark 9/11 anniversary CNN International
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USA Today
9/11's Psychological Scars Slowly Healing
U.S. News & World Report, DC - 1 hour ago
"In 2008, we had very few inquiries directly related to 9/11." Still, it's impossible to discern what is happening right now, since most studies have only ...
More Asthma Among Those Near 9/11 Site New York Times
Study: 70000 may suffer post-9/11 stress disorder The Associated Press
9/11's Health Effects Lingered for Years Washington Post
ChattahBox - News-Medical.net
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9/11 events in metro Detroit
Detroit Free Press, United States - 33 minutes ago
American Legion Post 346 of Farmington is to present its annual 9/11 ceremony to honor veterans and active service members at 5:30 pm today at Heritage Park ...
Local 9/11 Events WWJ
Ceremonies, Prayers to Honor 9/11 Victims WXYZ
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Daily Press
Seven Years Later: Remembering The Victims of 9/11
Hartford Courant, United States - 4 hours ago
The country mourned and has slowly moved on in the seven years since 9/11. The black day — although marked in the memories of millions and the daily lives ...
Only One Permanent Memorial Finished As Nation Mourns Victims Of 9/11 AHN
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Los Angeles Times
Pentagon unveils 9/11 memorial to honor the 184 victims killed there
CNN - 2 hours ago
Tucked away on a small patch of super-secure land between a busy highway and the nation's military headquarters, the symbolism of a post-9/11 security ...
Video: Raw Video: Pentagon 9/11 Memorial AssociatedPressClose-up 9/11: Pentagon Memorial opens today Seattle Times
9/11 memorial dedicated at solemn Pentagon ceremony McClatchy Washington Bureau
Asheville Citizen-Times - IBNLive.com
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Pawlenty orders flags at half-staff on 9/11 anniversary
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN - 2 hours ago
PAUL - Governor Pawlenty has declared today Patriot Day in Minnesota on the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Pawlenty has ordered all US ...
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