UNAC Conference Enlightened by Explosive 9/11 Evidence

Members of several AE911Truth Action Groups, led by Congressional Outreach Team leader Wayne Coste, attended the United National Antiwar Conference (UNAC) in Stamford, CT, last March, and our outreach at this influential event made a significant impact. 

Our exhibit in front of “The Board Room” showed the new AE911Truth banners, 3-D printed models, and a continuously running short video loop about the destruction of the towers.

This event, held March 23–25, was the largest of the four national UNAC conferences held to date, drawing around 600 attendees Almost two dozen 9/11 Truth activists participated in outreach. Our presence was known and felt by all.

Interactions between UNAC guests and AE911Truth supporters were overwhelmingly positive throughout the conference. Many in-depth conversations took place, and innumerable pieces of AE911Truth literature were distributed, including WTC evidence cards and the 9/11 Investigator broadsheet newspaper. We also handed out dozens of copies of 9/11: Blueprint for Truth.  As with many established anti-war organizations, most of the UNAC leaders resisted our message even though it proved to be widely accepted by UNAC’s rank and file, and others.

Screening of "9/11: Explosive Evidence – Experts Speak Out"

"9/11: Explosive Evidence – Experts Speak Out" was visible through the open boardroom doorway

The Hartford AE911Truth Action Group’s efforts formed the core of the outreach project. Its table, filled with AE911Truth materials, was staffed throughout the weekend. Coste decided to make an impact by renting "The Board Room" toward the rear of the exhibitor / vendor area.. This location provided attendees with an excellent opportunity to view the 9/11 Truth exhibits as they passed from the plenary session to the event workshops.

Once the exhibit was visible, the UNAC Coordinating Committee asked us to take down our materials and leave, but since Coste had a contract with the hotel for The Board Room and the space in front of it, he stood his ground.  “Packing up and leaving was not an option,” he explained. 

The space outside The Board Room was highlighted by our AE911Truth banners, which featured compelling 9/11 evidence, and a pair of architecturally accurate “3-D printed” models of the WTC complex, both before and after the three towers’ destruction. There was also a continuously playing six-minute video loop that described key pieces of WTC evidence. At least one of the Action Group members was always present to talk to people and answer questions.

The pre-release version of our newest documentary, “9/11: Explosive Evidence – Experts Speak Out,” was playing continuously on a giant screen in the room, and the video could be seen by those passing in the hall. At least 25 people saw significant segments of Experts Speak Out, and there were many in-depth conversations about the 9/11 evidence.

On Sunday, a bus arrived from New York City with many members of the Muslim anti-war community. Many of them watched the movie, and three young women joined our mailing list.

Pointing to a scale model of Manhattan, AE911Truth team leader Wayne Coste indicates where the Twin Towers once stood

9/11 Knowledge and Opinion Survey

Another Action Group activity planned for this event was to conduct a survey to see what the attendees knew about the facts surrounding the destruction of the World Trade Center skyscrapers. Our hope was that this poll would help us better understand the strategic issues related to the interaction of 9/11 Truth and the anti-war movement. Sixty-five attendees responded, and the key survey results are as follows:

1. Many of the respondents were unaware of basic facts regarding the WTC catastrophe. When asked about specific major points of evidence, 35–45 percent of the respondents were uncertain or did not respond, but only a very small percentage disagreed with the evidence presented by AE911Truth.
2. About 90 percent of the respondents agreed with the statement that “the true story of what happened on 9/11 is relevant to today’s Anti-War movement.”
3. About 90 percent of the respondents disagreed with the statement that “9/11 was a long time ago and it no longer has any influence over today’s political environment.”
4. Half of the respondents did not think that discussing the destruction of the World Trade Center Towers by means of controlled demolition detracted from other pressing issues. One quarter were unsure, and one quarter thought that the discussion would detract from other anti-war issues.
5. Two-thirds of the respondents believed that the criminal acts of 9/11 were perpetrated by more than just the Islamic fundamentalists blamed by the official story; a quarter were uncertain, and a small segment agreed with the official indictment of Islamic fundamentalists as the only criminals.

These results suggest that an emphasis on outreach is necessary, even for politically aware audiences, and can be very effective. The attendees at this event were well informed on many issues, but had not previously received correct information about the facts of what happened at the World Trade Center on 9/11.

The full breakdown of the survey results will be published in the near future.

Plenary Session Resolutions

The architecturally correct 3-D printed models of the World Trade Center were the central attraction of the display

Several 9/11 Truth-related proposals were submitted to the Plenary Session for discussion. One motion came from Peter Phillips, formerly of Project Censored, which called for an end to UNAC Censorship. His motion mentioned the existence of State Crimes Against Democracy (SCADs). This had been proposed at the Albany UNAC conference, but it was never taken to the floor for a vote. The organizers in Stamford let it be introduced here. Eventually it was voted down by a ratio of about 2 to 1.

Three other resolutions related to 9/11 were consolidated and slated by the chair for simultaneous discussion. At one point, Stan Heller, a member of the Middle East Crisis Committee, went to the microphone and said “9/11 [Truth] is a waste of time – because we have wars to stop!”  After the allotted time for discussion, these resolutions also were voted down.

On Sunday, the resolution developed and submitted by the AE911Truth Action Groups in attendance was allowed to come up for discussion and voting. As the resolution’s author approached the microphone and identified himself, a motion to table was brought forward from the floor. The motion to table was passed by a majority vote, ending all official discussion of the resolution. A related resolution, submitted by Jews and Muslims Asking for a Credible Scientific Investigation of 9/11, met the same fate.

Concluding Observations

As the conference wound to a close, we reflected upon what we had observed at the event and the lessons for 9/11 truth activism we thought should be taken from it.

UNAC is focused on many important issues related to war, peace, and economic justice. It is also very much wedded to an ideology that does not welcome activist groups who represent other parts of the political spectrum. In contrast, the volunteers and supporters at AE911Truth share a variety of political beliefs which they set aside to work together toward the non-partisan objective of obtaining a new, independent 9/11 investigation.

The apparent perspective of UNAC’s leadership is that any group whose members’ political viewpoints differ from theirs deserves only ostracism and censorship. It has almost nothing to do with the evidence or the message, only the messenger.

On the other hand, the Muslims who attended seemed eager to learn more about 9/11. We had expected that they would be familiar with the reality of 9/11, but it appears that most of them are unaware of the evidence for controlled demolition. Several Muslim men confided that they don’t talk publicly about 9/11 because they believe that they are too closely watched. By and large, the intimidation they feel is too strong for them to speak out.

We feel that it is crucial for us to continue to expand our relations with anti-war activists and to spend significant energy to educate those in the peace and social justice movement about the importance of 9/11 Truth. We must do all we can to get credible, impartial, scientific evidence in their hands. Then, once they acknowledge the evidence and become aware of the disturbing implications, perhaps they will realize that 9/11 Truth is key to ending the wars.