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(Updates) "The Shell Game" and the "Week of Truth" - A critical view (34 posts)

  1. Arabesque
    Member

    This statement is very 'my way or the highway' and totally divisive, as I've been saying. It's also self-contradictory as it is very naive to think that you could strong-arm 9/11 activists into cooperating with you by insulting their intelligence. I think that Bill Douglas owes many people an explicit apology.

    I agree. Even further, it seems to me like if you wanted people not to "buy" into this campaign, you'd talk like this. Divisive and shooting yourself in the foot at the same time.

    D. Sunjata comments however:

    I understand that there is a good deal of skepticism regarding the proposed Week of Truth initiative and its call to support Steve Alten's book. Since my endorsement of the idea was posted more in the way of a "press release" or general call to arms, I just wanted to write to the community in a more candid tone to spell out exactly why I feel that this project is a worthy endeavor.

    Forgive me if in the process I end up repeating or restating things which you may feel I had already made sufficiently clear. First off, I want to say how much I admire the critical and independent thinking that is so prevalent amongst the 9/11 Truth community. It should not come as a surprise, since in the absence of such critical analysis and thought, all of us would still be hoodwinked by the official myth.

    This is, therefore, one of our greatest strengths. But in my opinion it can also be a tragic flaw. Let me clarify... Many of you have been at this much longer than I, but as a relative newbie, it has been my perception that our movement's biggest weakness is our divided, fractionalized, schismatic lack of unity in general. http://www.911blogger.com/node/14807

    In principle I agree with what he is saying, but the aggressive tactics of some advocates are counterproductive and even offensive, aside from the perceived merits and drawbacks of the book itself.

    Posted 16 years ago #
  2. Victronix
    Member

    Yes, I'm turned off by the monolithic aspect of this and I think it's not good for grassroots movements to establish this type of tone.

    DO THIS.

    READ THIS.

    SEND THIS.

    WE ARE YOUR LEADERS, THE STARS . . . OBEY.

    No thanks.

    BTW, Is Alten donating his profits to some 9/11 orgs?

    Bill Douglas often advocates the no plane at the Pentagon stuff as best evidence. That scares me.

    Posted 16 years ago #
  3. truthmod
    Administrator

    I like Sunjata's tone, and am impressed that he stays up on the day to day developments in the movement.

    I personally don't keep up so much as I used to and I rarely ever read 911blogger anymore. This is mostly due to the alienation and cynicism that I discuss below.

    I think the conclusion is to speak up about anything that is divisive or damaging to our cause--and hopefully create stronger unity and effectiveness out of greater understanding. So yes, by all means, those of us who have critiques about the "Week of Truth" should get on those conference calls and speak our minds.

    I know from experience that many of us can become totally cynical about certain events/actions/personalities in the movement, and that this can cause us to withdraw instead fighting for a stronger, more responsible community. This is not the path to take. If we absolutely cannot work with certain people, then we must find others with whom we can. Lone activists have made huge contributions to this movement, but all of them exist in some form of community. Our success (or even survival) depends on our ability to form functioning, unified communities. And this goes way beyond 9/11 truth.

    Posted 16 years ago #
  4. truthmover
    Administrator

    The latest:

    I am begging you. Please take this ONE action for Week of Truth

    OpEdNews.com is A CHANCE TO SPEAK BEYOND THE 9/11 TRUTH CHOIR. I have cultivated a relationship with them for years, to get 9/11 truth to the HeadLine section. I HAVE GOTTEN IT THERE. It would take you all of 2 minutes time to write a comment in the comment section.

    It amazes me how much effort I put into reaching "beyond the 9/11 choir" and then turning to the 9/11 truth activists . . . and hearing a deafening silence, with no comments "readits" or "diggits". This type of effort is not without work and effort of many months and years.

    I recently became aware that at the massive 9/11 truth event in San Diego "Week of Truth" efforts were not mentioned at all. After spending endless hours reaching out to engage 9/11 truth activists in this effort, this was a "stake thru my heart." You now have an opportunity to strike a blow to drive NY Time best selling author, Steve Alten, who has been willing to lay his entire career on the line for 9/11 truth, into the national media spotlight, by taking "two lousy minutes" to write a comment on this article, which will be read by possibly thousands more progressive activists, IF YOU TAKE THE TIME TO COMMENT ON IT, to get the word out about the Week of Truth.

    I've been hunched over my computer for weeks desperately seeking to get the word out, and today to have heard that NOT ONE MENTION OF THE WEEK OF TRUTH OCCURED IN THE BIG 9/11 EVENT IN SAN DIEGO IS TOO MUCH FOR ME TO BEAR.

    Can ANYONE take 2 minutes to comment at the below HEADLINED OPED ON 9/11 TRUTH, AT ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PROGRESSIVE NEWS SITES THAT IS NOT YET CENSORING 9/11 TRUTH, YET RARELY HEADLINES IT. I AWAIT THE RESULTS OF THIS PLEA, TO REACH BEYOND THE 9/11 TRUTH CHOIR:

    http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bill_dou_0...

    Posted 16 years ago #
  5. NicholasLevis
    Member

    Sad.

    Posted 16 years ago #
  6. truthmover
    Administrator

    What I see here is someone ready to burn out, and making that more likely by his own actions. One of his earlier messages characterized movement veterans as frustrated by the lack of progress we have seen. And since then he has promoted this action in a manner that has drawn a critical response. Now he's on his hands and knees begging people to help?

    So what happens if 10,000 books aren't sold? Is he done? Is he going to hold a grudge against all those movement activists he considered to be "naive?" From the beginning of this it has appeared as though he were putting all of his eggs in this basket. And if it doesn't work out, where does that leave him?

    I'd be more sympathetic if he hadn't insulted so many in this process. And I'm not hoping for failure. But frankly I'm a bit worried that his response to failure might not be so good for the movement.

    And I'm a bit worried as well about his response to success.

    Posted 16 years ago #
  7. NicholasLevis
    Member

    It's just not the way to get anything done. You can think all this (wrong as some of the assumptions are), but you don't put it in a public e-mail that is both begging and obnoxious at the same time. To whom is this addressed? Who is going to read it? He doesn't seem to have considered it.

    Posted 16 years ago #
  8. truthmover
    Administrator

    Also posted at TruthAction and 911Blogger

    Nope. Not cool.

    http://www.911blogger.com/node/15108

    AUTHOR CHALLENGES CONSERVATIVE TALK SHOW HOSTS TO BRING IT ON

    New York Times best-selling author Steve Alten, whose recently released novel, The SHELL GAME has served as a rallying cry for tens of thousands of 9/11 truth activists, has issued a public challenge to conservative talk show hosts Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and anyone else who still believes the official story of September 11th, 2001.

    This sounds familiar. And I have the same problem this time. What are we doing here? Inviting people to attack us? And as Alten didn't really do a sterling job representing the movement with McConnell, is he really the person to be going up against all the big conservative talk jocks? Why would we even invite this kind of challenge? Since when are O'Reilly listeners a strong demographic for this movement? What purpose does this serve exactly?

    "I am not a liberal democrat, nor am I an activist or conspiracy theorist," says Alten, "I am a proud American who loves his country. I was the last person ever to believe our own government was involved in September 11th. Now that I have looked at the evidence...I’d have to be a 'pinhead' to believe such outlandish lies!"

    So if I was a liberal democrat or and activist or a conspiracy theorist you wouldn't take me seriously? You might even think I wasn't a proud American? Yes! He did imply that. Certainly to some.

    And if there is anyone else out there who still believes the official version they must be pinheads? Is that how we talk to people who are curious about these issues. Is that any way to portray our concerns as non-partisan to a conservative audience? Or does this create division?

    Alten appeared as a guest on Mike McConnell’s radio show last Thursday morning and by many accounts “whipped” the conservative talk show host into a corner using facts about the 9/11 wargames, overseen by Vice President Dick Cheney, that simulated hijacked commercial jetliners.

    By many accounts? This is such PR BS. Yeah, the accounts of the people doing the PR. That interview was not some kind of high point for the movement. Alten whipped nothing.

    Anyone got a different take on all this? I suppose that air time on O'Reilly would sell a few books. But somehow that doesn't make me feel much better.

    POSITIVE ENDING:

    I understand that there are a number of people participating, some of those movement veterans of ours, who have not been very happy about some of the things we have seen happening. I think it very possible that the next "Week of Truth" could be a positive thing.

    However, when all is said and done with "The Shell Game", I am definitely going to point out a few lessons we might all learn from the experience. Repeating mistakes is a lot worse than making them.

    Posted 16 years ago #
  9. truthmover
    Administrator

    Wow. This is an old thread. The forum has been up for nearly five years. ...

    I got to thinking about The Shell Game again. I found it highly duplicitous. On one hand, the story would appear to some to be sympathetic to 9/11 truth, as Alten professed to be. On the other, the book is very obvious terror porn, exploiting the mind of anyone concerned about the war on terror and coming to two conclusions.

    First that destruction is inevitable. Could be them or us, but either way, terror will happen. Be scared. And second, that terror will happen to you. Alten drags the audience with the protagonist into an extended torture sequence over many chapters. People who care about truth are tortured. Be scared.

    All pragmatism. All ends and means. Maybe even a bit fascist in tone.

    Honestly, half way through the book I figured that Alten was far to the right and the book a not-so-subtle attempt to make people involved in 9/11 truth feel overwhelmed and pessimistic. For example, the chapter long terror porn of LA getting nuked. He enjoyed writing that. Period.

    Hearing him speak and having limited interaction with him I could tell he was in sales mode. The kind of approach you get from someone pushing a pyramid scheme. I'd only assume he was shrewdly selling his book were it not for the absolutely depressing nature of the book. Nothing uplifting about it at all. Thanks Steve.

    Ultimately, if you happen to agree with my take on the book and Alten's behavior promoting it, this should stand as an object lesson. When mainstream folks come dangling carrots from a stick, we are exactly the kind of people who should be most skeptical.

    Posted 13 years ago #

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