The Fourth of July is a tale in which we learned it is not unpatriotic to question authority, hence our independence of the king. There are other principles upon which we have agreed to abide by, uniting us over our differences. One is the importance and pursuit of truth and justice. We know there is a right and wrong way, a proper way that has evolved over the centuries of investigating, by the numbers, in getting to the truth so that we can act on that truth.

One doesn’t have to be a demolition expert to realize that blatant, undisputed evidence of controlled demolitions was overlooked by the government in its official account of 9/11. If it looks and smells and swims and flies and quacks like a duck . . . it probably is one. The implications of building seven’s collapse are overwhelming. They could not be more unsettling and serious. We must remain focused.

The real question is: was such evidence withheld intentionally (criminally) or amateurishly overlooked in a race to support a forgone conclusion that the attack was the work of 19 Islamic fundamentalists (who were unable to fly the simplest of planes)? Either way, the people deserve answers, if we have the courage to ask. It would be good to start paying attention. Curiously, to this day, the government has refused to release its data and calculations for what it has labeled a “global collapse of a steel building because of fire” (unprecedented, incidentally), that would allow for peer review and verification of its findings. Google High-Rise Safety Initiative and get involved. Talk it up, not down.

Nick van Nes
West Tisbury