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REAL TERRORISTS- Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld...

by Carol Brouillet (cbrouillet [at] igc.org)
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2002, we will try again to hang the “REAL TERRORISTS- Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld… Guilty of 9-11” banner at the weekly, "Listening for a Change" event in downtown Palo Alto, at Lytton Plaza, at the intersection of Emerson and University, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.. In over six months, the police warned us that it was illegal to hang banners from trees and light fixtures- only once- when this provacative banner was displayed.
REAL TERRORISTS
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld…
Guilty of 9-11, You ask “Why?”
Oil, Drugs, Power… “How?”
http://www.tenc.net


Last January, activists marched on Senator Feinstein’s office, and on Congresswoman Eshoo’s office to Demand an Inquiry of 9-11. We raised a large number of questions which we felt merited public scrutiny and submitted documents, a collection of articles that were published on the internet and around the world, which challenged the “official story of what happened on September 11th, and indicated the complicity of the Bush Administration and the CIA in the attacks, themselves.” Senator Feinstein’s staff assured me that Senator Feinstein had the same information that I had, but that she interpreted it in another way, and that she “believed in Bush.” My Congresswoman, Anna Eshoo never responded. Senator Boxer’s staff telephoned me to let me know about the joint Senate/House Intelligence Committee’s Inquiry of 9-11. I had read in the papers that Bush and Cheney had asked Congress to limit the inquiry to why the CIA failed to prevent the attacks, and how the CIA could improve and prevent future attacks to be staffed by Ex-CIA Inspector General Britt Snider, a close friend and general counsel of George Tenet, current CIA Director, and the only CIA Director to survive the transition from a Democratic Administration to a Republican Administration. It sounded like a whitewash to me. I planned to protest and made a banner that read-


Allowing Ex-CIA Snider
To investigate 9-11
Is like Allowing Ex-CEO Lay
To investigate Enron


In February, we organized an event in San Francisco- The Truth and Lies about 9-11 with Mike Ruppert. Ruppert’s presentation dispelled any of my doubts about the complicity of the Bush Administration in the events of 9-11, and so I created another side to my banner-

“REAL TERRORISTS- Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld… Guilty of 9-11…”

We carried it in the large anti-war demonstration last February and I tried to hang it at the weekly, "Listening for a Change" event held in downtown Palo Alto under the umbrella of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

The Listening for a Change event began last October, and has been happening every Wednesday from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm, except when cancelled due to rain. Banners are colorfully displayed, tables laden with information, books, cookies, rolls, chairs are set up to comfortably invite people to dialogue and answer three questions-

What do you think/feel about the events of September 11th, and the US. Government’s response?

How could we “defuse terrorism?”

How could we create a safer, better world for our children, and all children?

The response from the public, press and police has been positive, until we displayed the provocative “REAL TERRORISTS- Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld…” banner, then the police kindly informed us that it was illegal to hang banners from trees, and light fixtures in Palo Alto. Not only that, but it is challenging to hang a 8’ by 5’ banner anywhere, and I gave up trying to without the assistance of others.


One afternoon, I went to Stanford University to attend a talk on East Timor, I hung up the banner in White Plaza and passed out leaflets which boldly said “QUESTIONING- the War on Terrorism.” A security guard informed me that I would be arrested if I passed out flyers. I laughed at him. “You’ve got to be kidding?” When he persisted, I informed him that “White Plaza is a free speech zone from 12 to 1. I’m simply exercising free speech.”

He got on his cell phone and called some “office” and passed the phone to me, “A woman said, “You have the right to pass out flyers, but people must approach you; you can’t walk up to people.”

A few minutes later, a Hoover Institute type came rushing up to me and asked for a flyer, I patiently explained that we had demanded a Congressional Inquiry of 9-11, and wanted our questions raised publicly. He looked at the long list of questions and sputtered, “These are too many questions! It would be impossible to investigate all of these!”

I mentioned that the CIA had created Al Qaeda and that the head of Pakistani Intelligence, who funneled billions from the US and Saudi Arabia to create Al Qaeda, was meeting with the CIA when the attacks happened, and was also reported to have ordered $100,000. to be sent to Mohamed Atta, who the FBI said was the ringleader of the attacks.

“That’s preposterous! No one would believe that.” He responded.

Then I mentioned the Administration’s oil interests in Central Asia and how they wanted the war to control the region’s oil supplies.

“It’s the American people who want the oil!!!” he responded, trying to shift the blame.

The defense of the Bush Administration’s “lack of response” to the four hijacked airplanes on September 11th hinged on lies, lack of foreknowledge, surprise, and confusion. Recent revelations are helping to expose some of the deception. It is finally permissible to “Ask questions.” But the mainstream press, who has compromised itself by going along with a cover-up and a war propaganda campaign since Day One, still fails to ask the really hard questions. A blue Ribbon Commission to look into what happened could produce a blue ribbon whitewash. It is up to American citizens to ask the questions, demand answers, expose the lies, exercise free speech, demand transparency and accountability of our “public servants.” Expose the “War on Terrorism” for what it is- a war on “Democracy.” Bush did speak truth when he said that “Our Freedom is under attack.” He just neglected to say who was ultimately responsible.


Wednesday, May 22nd, 2002, we will try again to hang the “REAL TERRORISTS- Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld… Guilty of 9-11” banner in downtown Palo Alto, at Lytton Plaza, at the intersection of Emerson and University, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.. Exercise your First Amendment rights, come, bring your voice, presence, signs, food, music, tables and join us in challenging the “War on Terrorism.”
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