# So are there any pieces of evidence regarding a 9/11 conspiracy which cannot be explained? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 2, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677 "2009-09-02T20:33:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/1 "2009-09-02T20:33:21Z")
I do not believe 9/11 was an inside job, my friend does. While trying to explain to him how all the evidence he believed in was not factual I decided to go to one of these conspiracy websites to see what their arguments were and to see what I would have to disprove. This got me thinking. Is their any evidence that conspiracy theorist have that cannot be explained away? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/2 "2009-09-02T20:41:29Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/3 "2009-09-02T20:46:44Z")
Agreed: no. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/4 "2009-09-02T21:01:05Z")
You’d think that if the administration had made an amazing, caught-on-camera, astounding tragedy unfold before billions of people and analysts that when the same administration sent armies to Iraq they could have conspired to produce some weapons of mass destruction… even if they had to truck them in and plant them! _9-11?_ Pulled it off with everyone watching. WOW. \* Finding weapons of mass destruction that a frigging cheap semi could have dumped in a hole?\* Dang, we can’t do that! Guess we’ll look like fools and lose support! We choreographed 9-11 to get to the middle East and wage war, but we can’t conspire to put some WMD’s in a frigging bunker! LMAO! ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/5 "2009-09-02T21:09:48Z")
Yeah, or they would’ve at least, you know, _framed Iraq for it._ ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/6 "2009-09-02T21:16:06Z")
One would think. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/7 "2009-09-02T21:51:30Z")
Even so; “cannot be explained” != “proves conspiracy.” There are lots of things that cannot be explained . . . yet: we find out new explanations for things every day. This is the main platform of Intelligent Design buffoons, and is equally invalid in that context; it would only be valid if science were _finished_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/8 "2009-09-02T22:04:25Z")
Well, to be fair, nobody knows what would happen if we took a few nanograms of the debris from the towers and compressed it into a black hole. Since, obviously, this cannot be explained by the hypothesis that terrorists flew a couple of airplanes into the buildings, this proves that it must have been an inside job. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/9 "2009-09-02T22:08:19Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Even so; “cannot be explained” != “proves conspiracy.” > > There are lots of things that cannot be explained . . . . Exactly. And yet look how reputable ppl like Chronos are quick to chime in with a quick answer: “no” – _nothing_ is left to explain. You’re not gonna get a straight answer to this. It’s too polarized an issue. Most people aren’t willing to think reasonably about it. Most people have been for or against it for too long, and have been battling people against or for it for too long, to even be capable of level thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/10 "2009-09-02T22:49:13Z")
> [@Alex\_Dubinsky](#): > > Most people aren’t willing to think reasonably about it. The reality is that _conspiracy theorists_ are not willing to think reasonably about the subject, and conspiracy debunkers have lost patience with refuting the same old crap and permutations of same over and over and over again. Any compelling new evidence _would_ be reasonable discussion fodder for skeptics. I have heard of none that has not already been explained/refuted/ground up and disposed of. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/11 "2009-09-02T22:53:31Z")
> [@Alex\_Dubinsky](#): > > Exactly. > > And yet look how reputable ppl like Chronos are quick to chime in with a quick answer: “no” – _nothing_ is left to explain. Lol. Don’t know what “!=” means, do you? ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/12 "2009-09-02T23:04:34Z")
Sigh, cisco… ---
**Author:** ![Uncertain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Uncertain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncertain)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/13 "2009-09-02T23:24:19Z")
Some sites that debunk the conspiracy nonsense: [www.debunk911myths.org](http://www.debunk911myths.org/topics/Main_Page) [www.debunking911.com](http://www.debunking911.com/) [www.ae911truth.info](http://www.ae911truth.info/tiki-index.php) I don’t imagine they’ll have much effect on his delusions, but it’s better for him to look at them than to waste your time arguing with you. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/14 "2009-09-02T23:41:16Z")
The only major piece of the the whole event that bothers me is that I have yet to see a photo of a plane crashing into the Pentagon. Why do I consider this a big deal? Well, surveillance cameras were not unheard of on a common basis in 2001. Not long after 9/11 a pedophilia, kidnapping, murder crime was solved in Florida because of surveillance cameras behind a CAR WASH and the perp was identified. I find it hard to believe that the Pentagon, the headquarters of the most powerful military force in the world, was not monitored by a multitude of surveillance cameras any better than a car wash or your typical Wal Mart parking lot. We have videos of the planes going into the WTC. That’s well documented. Why not the Pentagon? If I’m mistaken and anyone has the photos please link us to them. I’m not a conspiracy theorist. It’s just this one piece that has me troubled. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/15 "2009-09-02T23:49:47Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > The only major piece of the the whole event that bothers me is that I have yet to see a photo of a plane crashing into the Pentagon. > > Why do I consider this a big deal? Well, surveillance cameras were not unheard of on a common basis in 2001. Not long after 9/11 a pedophilia, kidnapping, murder crime was solved in Florida because of surveillance cameras behind a CAR WASH and the perp was identified. > > I find it hard to believe that the Pentagon, the headquarters of the most powerful military force in the world, was not monitored by a multitude of surveillance cameras any better than a car wash or your typical Wal Mart parking lot. We have videos of the planes going into the WTC. That’s well documented. Why not the Pentagon? > > If I’m mistaken and anyone has the photos please link us to them. > > I’m not a conspiracy theorist. It’s just this one piece that has me troubled. [Here’s the video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaPoD_7TmNc) Car washes don’t have live guards. Follow it out logically-- if a plane didn’t hit the Pentagon, where are all those people who were on Flight 77? You gonna tell their families that they are liars and their loved ones never existed, like the tin-hatters do? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/16 "2009-09-02T23:50:14Z")
The only issue I have never seen addressed is if the terrorists really knew that the World Trade Centers towers would collapse completely. They already tried to collapse one with a truck bomb years earlier and that didn’t work worth a damn. They either got lucky or had some talented structural engineers involved in the process. This doesn’t have much to do with any true conspiracy theory but I always wondered why they thought it would work or even if it would be nearly as successful as it was. In contrast, the Pentagon crash was as close to ineffectual as you can get when you have an airliner at your disposal. They even hit a part of the building under construction rather than an big nerve center. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/17 "2009-09-02T23:54:09Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > The only issue I have never seen addressed is if the terrorists really knew that the World Trade Centers towers would collapse completely. They already tried to collapse one with a truck bomb years earlier and that didn’t work worth a damn. They either got lucky or had some talented structural engineers involved in the process. This doesn’t have much to do with any true conspiracy theory but I always wondered why they thought it would work or even if it would be nearly as successful as it was. I seem to recall bin Laden saying in one of his tapes that it was more successful than they could’ve dreamed. I think they _hoped_ the would fall, but didn’t necessarily believe they would. They would’ve had to count on cutting the fire suppressant system, which I think was luck. > [@Shagnasty](#): > > In contrast, the Pentagon crash was as close to ineffectual as you can get when you have an airliner at your disposal. That’d be Shanksville. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/18 "2009-09-03T00:02:57Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > The only issue I have never seen addressed is if the terrorists really knew that the World Trade Centers towers would collapse completely. They already tried to collapse one with a truck bomb years earlier and that didn’t work worth a damn. They either got lucky or had some talented structural engineers involved in the process. This doesn’t have much to do with any true conspiracy theory but I always wondered why they thought it would work or even if it would be nearly as successful as it was. In contrast, the Pentagon crash was as close to ineffectual as you can get when you have an airliner at your disposal. They even hit a part of the building under construction rather than an big nerve center. I think they got very lucky – and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. I frankly think the architects bear a great deal of responsibility. Their design was structurally inadequate. They were attempting to build a building with a great deal of open space on each floor, and consequently relied too heavily on the integrity of the outer envelope of the building. When that integrity was compromised, down she went. Mind you, I am a layman, and thus speaking from almost total ignorance. My only really firm fact is that the buildings fell down. I assume this is something that architects and engineers try to avoid. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/19 "2009-09-03T00:03:46Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > The only issue I have never seen addressed is if the terrorists really knew that the World Trade Centers towers would collapse completely. Bin Laden said he only expected the top to be knocked off. But the World Trade Center was much more vulnerable to collapse than other skyscrapers. Unlike them, the outside walls were load bearing. The plane crash would have weakened the structure much more. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677/20 "2009-09-03T00:06:59Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > [Here’s the video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaPoD_7TmNc) > > Car washes don’t have live guards. > > Follow it out logically-- if a plane didn’t hit the Pentagon, where are all those people who were on Flight 77? You gonna tell their families that they are liars and their loved ones never existed, like the tin-hatters do? Also, video surveillance is usually located at access points. The side of a building is not generally considered one. Now, it just so happened that I attended a meeting where an FBI agent gave a briefing of the Pentagon attack. He showed photographs of the interior of the Pentagon. Unless they used Photoshop or hauled a jet engine in there, it was hit by a plane. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-there-any-pieces-of-evidence-regarding-a-9-11-conspiracy-which-cannot-be-explained/508677.md?page=2)