What do last year’s Constitutional Party gubernatorial candidate Mary Starrett and the largely left-wing 9/11 Truth Alliance have in common? A surprising amount, actually.
Starrett, 52, is the first to admit that she is full of contradictions. She’s an anti-war, pro-life Christian, who refers to President Bush as “a joke.” The beer drinking, gun toting, vegetarian ex-smoker also has some controversial views on the U.S. government’s alleged complicity in the terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001.
Starrett was the guest speaker at this week’s 9/11 Truth Alliance meeting. She explained that she lost her job at KPDQ Radio in part because she asked tough questions about what really happened that September morning. (She says the Christian station was ruffled by her repeated criticisms of President Bush, in addition to her interviews with white separatist Randy Weaver and survivors of the 1993 Waco Siege.)
Her presence caused some headaches for the 9/11 Truth Alliance, which found their guest was unwelcome at their usual venue. The meeting was moved at the last minute from Laughing Horse Books to the Lucky Lab on SE Hawthorne, but was well attended by at least 50 people. (Look for more information about this in next week’s paper.)
Starrett sat down to chat with Hot Action about conspiracy theories, government lies and finding common ground.
WW: What do you think happened on September 11, 2001?
Mary Starrett: I can tell you what didn’t happen and I can tell you that a bunch of disgruntled fanatics did not take box cutters and fly planes into major targets in the United States. I think it would be really stretching the suspension of disbelief to say that that happened. I believe that if you look at all of the evidence regarding the ballistics, regarding the science evidence, regarding even just the basic stock market manipulations that went on, nobody who has done any cursory research on this can come to the conclusion that this was not either allowed or provided for. In other words, do I think it was an inside job? I don’t see how it could not have been allowed to happen.
WW: During tonight’s Q and A, you indicated that you do believe it was more than just allowed to happen.
But when you want to take that one step further to people who say, “How could it be an inside job?” you have to then say, “Could this not have been allowed to happen?” What is that the natural progression of? If yes, it was allowed to happen then it was an inside job. However you want to use the term and however inflammatory it is to say, a lot of people knew this was going to happen.
WW: At this event tonight, you spoke about a lot of other events in the past which had led you to believe in government conspiracies before 9/11, such as Waco and Ruby Ridge. What connection do you see among all of these events?
Well, the connection among all of those events is not necessarily a thread that you can say all of these things happened for one particular reason. The fact that they have happened tells us that they can happen again. I suggest you look at the Gulf of Tonkin, which was the justification for the Vietnam War. That was a lie. The Pearl Harbor information—that’s common knowledge [that] there was foreknowledge there. I defy anybody to disprove that. These are not theories anymore. They have been proven.
WW: So what happens in a group like this when you get off the subject of 9/11 or the Iraq War and there’s a lot of places where you disagree?
You know, I don’t think I know any living human being that I agree with 100% on everything. Within the circle of people that I agree with mostly, we’re going to have disagreements. In any group, you’re not going to have consensus on everything because you have individuals with individual knowledge and experience. So, iron sharpens iron. I’m in a room full of people who do not share the same political persuasion as me. We are not the same on political issues. What does that mean? We agree on some things. We agree that this war was propagated on false information, that 9/11, by anybody’s account, was a lie. So, what difference does it make? We don’t agree on everything, but we do agree on some stuff.
WW: There may be people here tonight who are part of a gay couple, who came together with their partner. Do you feel like you could effectively discuss 9/11 with them, knowing that you probably disagree on a lot of fundamental issues around gay rights?
I have had and do have many people in my life who are gay. I cannot then say that because they are my friends I can approve of their lifestyle. I don’t approve of people who eat meat, but that is their choice and that is their right and that is not up to me to judge. I embrace everybody, but what I do say is, this cannot be something that we then try to paint as acceptable, normal behavior. I don’t think it’s so, and it goes back to my spiritual beliefs. But do I judge? Do I cease to embrace? I love everyone enough to say, I don’t think this is a good lifestyle, but I would never judge.
WW: How do your Christian beliefs inform your views on 9/11?
My Christian beliefs say you’ve got to tell the truth and the truth will set your free, but before it does, it’ll piss you off. And so, if we’re always looking for truth and we don’t compromise the truth, then we never have to worry what lies we told.
WW: People who have these views that you have about 9/11 tend to get dismissed as freaks or wackos or fringe. What do you think it will take to change that?
Nothing. In the beginning, everybody who has a novel idea takes the heat, takes the slings, takes the arrows. Galileo was considered a crackpot. People who said the earth is round, any major, major change [like] developing the light bulb, a car, any new, innovation is considered insane at the time and then, gradually, people come around when it’s safe to do that. JULIE SABATIER
Check out Hot Action, WWire’s weekly post about activists, demonstrations and other hot political action in and around Portland every week.
UPCOMING HOT ACTION EVENTS:
Saturday, March 3
Screening: China Blue
Shot clandestinely in China, under difficult conditions, this is a all-access account of the struggle behind a “Made in China” clothing label. Chinese language and English with English subtitles. 1:15pm, 3pm and 4:40pm at the Hollywood Theater, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd. $6.
Sunday, March 4
International Women’s Day Celebration at PSU
Portland State University is celebrating International Women’s Day four days early with an all-day event including a presentation by Winona LaDuke, performances by Mishkin, a Zine-focused art room and a self defense workshop. 10am-4pm at PSU’s Smith Center Ballroom. Free, donations accepted.
Monday, March 5
Reading: Not Buying It
Not Buying It is a cold-turkey confession by award-winning journalist Judith Levine that follows her progress — and inevitable relapses — over an entire year of not spending. 7:30pm at Powell’s Books on Hawthorne. Free.
audio (rush edit) of entire evening’s presentation available
http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=22041
video of presentation will be posted on google.video.com momentarily (google video search “rcoones” producer)
also note upcoming benefit Wed March 14th for:
The FALL ‘01 choreodrama
by Agnieszka Laska Dancers, music by Jack Gabel
http://www.thefall01.info/
~gLENo~ noon Fri Mar 2nd
I was dubious of your presence at our 9/11 Truth Alliance event at the Lucky Lab–but I find your article mostly fair.
Cheers–and let me end with this thought: Premeditated murder is always a conspiracy; those who destroyed evidence at the scene of the crime, tried to prevent a murder investigation, then tampered with said investigation, make themselves, at the very least, accessories after the fact to pre-meditated murder.
See “911 Press for Truth”
Long live the Jersey Girls!
Ms. Sabatier,
Thank you for covering this important 9/11 Truth event. I recommend that you read “Crossing the Rubicon” by Michael Ruppert, as well as “The New Pearl Harbor” by David Ray Griffin to prepare for further 9/11 Truth coverage. You will find that the “fringe” or “wacko” position is more accurately tied to the official conspiracy theory by the 9/11 Commission, a thin tissue of lies based on severely compromised and conflicted sources. As a reality theorist, attorney, and former lieutenant in the Oregon Guard, I demand an explanation for 9/11 that complies with laws of physics and gravity, that explains why building 7 (which sustained no plane collision or debris damage) crumbled to the ground 5 hours after the Towers fell, why no eyewitness testimony re massive explosions in the Towers has been investigated, why our SEC can not divulge who made the insider put options on airline stocks when that information is clearly known to authorities, why several of the hijackers are documented to be alive, why Cheney as head of the Secret Service scheduled between 10 and 15 war game exercises (including live-fly hijacking drills) on 9/11, why all the steel from the crime scene was immediately shipped to China and smelted, and the list of serious and unanswered questions literally goes on and on.
This is a massive cover-up on a scale that dwarfs Watergate. It deserves to be reported as such. I urge you to examine your journalistic integrity the next time you fall into the utterly misbegotten propaganda that those who demand real answers based on evidence, factual information, eyewitness testimony from non-conflicted sources, and on widely accepted physical and natural laws such as the conservation of momentum and the known melting point of steel, are a “fringe” element in our country. Quite the contrary, we are the majority.
Please continue to cover this vital issue.
Sincerely,
Virginia Ross, Attorney
Portland, Oregon
So good to see media coverage of 911Truth-related events; moreover, fair coverage, as we’re all too familiar with the other side of the bias.
I was looking for an email contact for you, but could not find one, so I trust you’re checking these postings. I want to make sure you know about the screening of the video THE FALL ‘01 at Hollywood Theatre, March 14, 7 PM. It’s a joint fundraiser for PDX 911 TRUTH ALLIANCE, RECRUITER WATCH PDX and AGNIESZKA LASKA DANCERS. We sent press releases to WW eamil addresses, but I’m never sure if they get through. As an politically oriented artistic event, we sent one directly to Tim Duroche as well, who could give you some more background on this project.
It’s a video made from the world premiere of the choreodrama THE FALL ‘01, given in Queretaro, Mexico, Sept. 11-12-13, ‘06 (5th anniversary) – it traces in sound, image and dance, the arch of the war, from 911 into the Torture Gulag – not for the faint of heart — more info. and trailer here: http://www.TheFall01.info/ — photos here — http://www.a-laska.com/pictures.fall.01.html — hope to see you there — jtg
Very straight article, thank you. I am sorry that you didn’t mention the question I asked as to whether Starret had heard that the collapse of WTC 7 was reported by the BBC and CNN 20 minutes prior to the actual occurrence. That was probably due to an prepared statement the state department that was sent out early by mistake and run early. THis is a major smoking gun that should be covered by all the major media outlets in the u.s. but is being suppressed by that media. I spoke to 3 people at the oregonian who literally had no interest in this story. David Ray Griffin will be visiting Portland May 21st. email for more info. and come to our meetings.
Julie Sabatier:
Very good article. I hope you continue to ask the hard questions in the same fashion of a true journalist like Mary Starrett. In addition I pray that the Willamette Week will not be like KATU or KPTQ and fire you because you ask the hard questions. Keep up the good work, stay stong, and make us proud.
Please consider this a correction to my comment above. I erred in saying there was no damage to WTC 7. There was debris damage sufficient to start several isolated fires. I meant to say the debris damage was not sufficient to cause a 47 story steelframe building to fall into its footprint. The firefighters said the fire could be contained and they wondered why no one was sending hoses in to put them out. We also know that BBC reported the collapse of WTC 7 before it collapsed! So there is ample evidence of pre-planning and pre-knowledge about this event. Please look into it and report fairly on this matter. The issue is not about a ‘left wing” group hosting a “right wing” speaker. It is about a massive cover up and a Big Lie of Hitlerian proportions, manufactured in order to ram the US public into an unwanted, unprovoked war. Please report on that.
Thank you,
VLR
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