The Last Man Out on 9/11

"Truth comes as conqueror only to those who have lost the art of receiving it as friend." Rabindranath Tagore, Philosopher

The testimony of the following, that of William Rodriguez, has legitimate challenges, but remains somewhat unresolved. However, it is a very important story about 9/11 that deserves scrutiny. Read on...

William Rodriquez, the last man out of the North Tower, WTC 1, on 9/11/2001 before its destruction, is a celebrity of tragedy. He had been a janitor at the building for 20 years. Before being rescued from the rubble, Rodriguez himself rescued numerous people from the WTC building. He was lauded by politicians and media heads across the board. He was wined and dined by the 9/11 Commission folks and seen as an all American hero that could be a poster boy for the war on terror. Until he gave his testimony about what he witnessed on 9/11.

Rodriguez heard explosions in the basement of the tower where he was stationed for work. Not only that, but he heard them and saw people running for the upstairs exit badly burned with skin hanging from their bodies. Point of interest- this was BEFORE the first plane hit the North Tower. Rodriguez explains in testimony to the 9/11 Commission (that was not published in the final volume edited by neocon and Condi Rice cohort, Phillip Zilikow) that he heard explosions below, saw burned victims, and THEN heard a huge explosion erupt far above, that being American Airlines Flight 11 at 8:46 A.M. Again, see the link above for more info from Willy's website.

Granted, this is eyewitness testimony, which can be questioned, and Willy puts on a grandiose show. While that may work against him in the long haul, it certainly tugs on the heartstrings, blending fact and emotion. His eyewitness testimony, however, is also quite damning in light of the omissions and distortions of the 9/11 report pointed out by Dr. David Ray Griffin and has been corroborated by other first responders. Also, for further dialogue, see this blog for more thought provocation about this issue. Moving along...

After his testimony, Rodriguez was attacked then studiously ignored by politicos and pundits. However, his testimony ought to be reconsidered in light of all that 9/11 has been used to justify. This is further possible evidence that 9/11 was something other than the official view and grand narrative claim it to be, as put forth by architect Richard Gage regarding the destruction of the Twin Towers and WTC7. We ignore this story and these other scientific studies at our peril. The events of 9/11 are worthy of legitimate, transparent, and independent inquiry with public debate, not a sham government cover up underfunded and started over a year later where final Commission Report editors were all close allies of the Bush administration (and also, by the way, it should be stated, that all three major government studies contradicted each other and claimed their own conclusions were improbable at best but won't be debated). Given such farce, we should seek historic counsel. Thomas Jefferson once said that dissent was the highest form of patriotism. Let us all be patriots on this issue, now, in our generation. Let us not be attached to conclusions, merely allow us to see what is real.

I had the pleasure of briefly following Rodriguez on a radio interview prior to a presentation he had in Oakland, CA at the Grand Lake Theater on November 1st. It was on the Peter B. Collins show last week. It is a tale worth hearing with a critical mind for certain, regardless of ones' views on the matter.

All is all, 9/11 is wrought with far more problems than solutions and far more questions than answers. Scholars and researchers like Jim Hoffman, along with Steven Jones, Kevin Ryan, and Peter Phillips of Project Censored, have done commendable research on 9/11 issues in light of the overall paucity of information that has been reported via American mainstream media. Our "leaders" must be held accountable for this shoddy investigation and obfuscation around 9/11 issues. The victims and the families of that tragedy deserve no less. Truth is a process that reveals the obvious to the world. We need to open our collective eyes and consciousness and not fear what we may see...and then we'll see.

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer German philosopher (1788 - 1860)