Here's an exciting way that you can make a difference!

The 9/11 Truth Movement faces daunting obstacles in getting our message out to Jane and John Q. Public. We have a U.S. government seemingly working against us with its flawed investigations and denied requests for information. For whatever reason, the mainstream news media refuse to broadcast key evidence that refutes the official story while pouring ridicule and condemnation on anyone else who tries. Paid advertising that can reach thousands if not millions at a time remains an expensive luxury. What can we do to get around these obstacles? What should we be doing right now to give us our best shot at winning? In short, what are our advantages? Do we even have any?

OUR ADVANTAGE

For all the power that the government and the media have over us, one thing they can't do is prevent us from talking to people. More specifically, they can't stop thousands of us  from talking one-on-one with thousands of new people each and every day. This, combined with the power of our evidence, is arguably our biggest advantage of all.

OUTREACH FOR EVERYONE

Unfortunately, discussing AE911Truth evidence with strangers is an intimidating undertaking for most of us. Some AE911Truth action groups get around this by organizing "street actions," where groups gather to hand out brochures, DVDs, and the like. In this way, people can mutually support each other and even introduce an element of fun to the activity.

Street actions are helpful, but they take time and coordination to organize, so they're difficult to pull off frequently. What can you do on a daily basis? What if, for example, you're by yourself somewhere and have 45 minutes to kill?

One thing you could do is walk up to a stranger and say something like: "Hi, I'm a volunteer with Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth. Do you have a minute to talk about the controlled demolition of Building 7 on 9/11?" Some people say yes to 9/11 Truth blindsides like this, but more often than not, people respond as if you just knocked over their tea. How easy is it to do outreach this way? Not very. Do you want to do this?

Now consider a completely different approach. Simply hold up a clipboard. This gesture announces to the world that you're a petition gatherer. Don't wear anything — a shirt with a logo or a badge, for instance — that gives away your mission. Walk up to a stranger (see "WHERE AND WHO — PRACTICAL POINTERS" below for more helpful advice on this) and say: "Hi, do you have a minute?" This person has no idea that you're an undercover truther. When they reply, "Sure, what do you have?" you are standing face to face with a relaxed person giving you her full attention.

Here you go. Look them straight in the eye and say, slowly and clearly:

• "We have a petition drive for a new 9/11 investigation.
• "I'm with Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth.
• "We've studied the three building collapses in New York.
• "And the government reports don't match the evidence.
• "We need a new investigation.
• "Do you want to sign our petition?"

Figure 1. Approach people as a petition gatherer.

 

This sample script, or one customized to your liking, might seem like a lot of words to get through. However, speaking under a socially-acceptable banner makes it easier. Think of yourself as a petition gatherer first, truther second. Petition gatherers are recognized by society as respectable people — patriots even. You are now one of these people.

From here, you will probably get one of three responses.

1. "Absolutely I want to sign." Tens of millions of people would say this today if we just asked them.

2. "No thanks." Sometimes this decline is accompanied by a witty quip like, "You guys are funny." Don't argue with these people — we will never need them. If it goes against your very core to say nothing, you could constructively plant a seed with, "I understand. When you're ready, it's architects, engineers, 9/11 Truth. Thanks."

3. Silence. What do you do?

THE PETITION-GATHERING ADVANTAGE

Let's start with the third scenario first, since it's the most interesting. Here you've just introduced the petition to a stranger and they are just standing there saying nothing. You have now been handed one of the best outreach scenarios that you can ever imagine creating for yourself. Someone who has just heard your pitch for a new 9/11 investigation is standing directly in front of you, seemingly stunned, unable to talk and unable to move.

Now, you can promptly say: "Do you know about Building 7?"

The likely response is "No."

At this point, you might want to hand out the AE911Truth street brochure and point the person to the three-panel Building 7 collapse sequence. Another option is to show them the collapse on your cell phone and offer to email the link.

You could then give some basic facts about Building 7 and its free fall. People almost always stay through this with no visible impatience as they look at the brochure pictures. You can accompany the visuals with words to this effect:

• "Building 7 was the third building to fall in New York on 9/11.
• "It was across the street from the North Tower.
• "No airplane hit it.
• "It caught fire when the North Tower came down.
• "If you look at the videos, you'd swear you're looking at a controlled demolition. (When you say this, point to the brochure picture.)
• "What really gives it away, though, is that it fell at free-fall for eight stories.
• "Literally, if you had dropped the top part of the building in mid-air, it would not have come down any faster than it actually did come down on 9/11.
• "So, some external force took out the 81 support columns and replaced them with air molecules,
• "Because if the top part had crushed its way down, it would have slowed down.
• "This is consistent with controlled demolition but not fire."

Figure 2. Use the AE911Truth street brochure to discuss the evidence.

At this point, if the person seems interested, you could then go over the molten metal and nano-thermite evidence, while pointing to the relevant pictures in the brochure. Whenever a person seems to be getting antsy or losing interest, you could say something like: "So, I've got petitions to sign if you're interested, or you can keep the brochure if you'd like more information first."

There's no point trying to convince reluctant people to sign. Just as we do, they need time to digest what they've learned and to do their own investigating. You can steer them in the right direction by referring to the AE911Truth.org website on the back of the brochure and saying something like:

• "If you go to the website, there are some good videos on the left-hand side.
• "The one with a picture of Ed Asner is a 15-minute video. If you only have a little time, that's a good one to watch.
• "Below that there's a 60-minute video with more information."

At this point, some people will thank you as you part ways. Of course, some will be happy just to be rid of you.

BUILDING THE NETWORK

If you encounter people who immediately agree to sign the petition and don't need convincing, you should point out a few things as they're signing (or provide a paper flyer with the information):

• "The six marked fields are required; the rest are optional.
• "Your name, city, and state go on the website with the rest of us. Your other info stays private and is not released to third parties.
• "In our process we have to confirm your email address.
• "We will send you an email and we ask that you respond to it.
• "Please look for this email."

Depending on your policy, you might consider handing out DVD copies of the "9/11: Experts Speak Out" video to your signers. You could mention that if they like the DVD they can have more copies for their friends. You could follow up with a phone call to make sure the DVD played properly and repeat your offer of additional copies. These DVDs can help establish partnerships between you and your local signers, enabling them to pass the 9/11 evidence on to their own networks, where they have some influence. Handmade DVDs are cheap to make — under 30 cents with a paper sleeve.

Once a person has signed the petition, he or she will go onto our email list and begin receiving AE911Truth newsletters. If you run a local list, the person's name can go onto that list as well. The signer is now formally part of the AE911Truth family and will be encouraged to volunteer eventually or to help out in other ways. Most of those who sign will already be aware of the 9/11 evidence when you meet them. As with the 9/11 Truth newcomers receiving their introductions above, these signers will have taken the next step. This is what we strive for. Many of them will thank you and express gratitude for your work.

WHERE AND WHO — PRACTICAL POINTERS

Any of the above dialogues are, of course, meaningful only when you find people who want to listen to you. But how do you find them? You can greatly reduce your chances of being rejected outright by carefully considering WHERE to gather petitions and WHO to ask.

If you prefer to be stationary and have people come to you, then areas where other petition gatherers operate are good places for you as well. When it's dark or raining, commercial districts that have ample lighting and awnings are likely spots to stand. Near the doorways of libraries and bookstores are often good.

If you like to move around and the weather is nice, then consider locations where people are just "hanging out," such as parks with benches and grassy seating areas. Locations near college campuses are other good options. Farmers markets and areas where people are engaged in commerce can be hit-or-miss; people at those places are usually more interested in making purchases and going home than in conversing. Of course, you should throw out this advice if it's contrary to your experience in your own city or town.

Figure 3. Target locations where people are "hanging out."

Beyond displaying a cheerful disposition, understanding whom not to bother greatly improves your odds with people. This is just common sense. A person focused on a book, laptop, cell phone, or burrito is not usually someone who wants to talk to you. Starry-eyed lovers on their way to dinner definitely don't want to talk to you. You can usually write off people with kids as well. If you are stationary, expect no interest from these people. If you like to move around, a good approach is to walk slowly in front of people who are seated. Anyone who looks at you is fair game. If you encounter a group of people and at least one of them looks at you, it's fair to address that person. If you want to stop someone who is walking toward you, make sure you come to a complete stop yourself before speaking.

UPGRADE YOUR OUTREACH ACTIONS

Petition gathering doesn't have to be a solo activity, of course. It can be done in teams if this makes it easier or more fun. It doesn't even need to be the primary focus of one's outreach action. Whenever you're mingling with the public, you can add petition gathering to your other outreach activities.

PLAY TO WIN

The AE911Truth petition count is a publicly visible measure of our political clout. In the organization's early days, it was essential to establish our technical credibility, so the focus was on signing up architecture and engineering professionals. However, our representatives in Washington, D.C., are not interested in only the opinions of architects and engineers. If we are going to help them discover their oath of office and do the right thing regarding 9/11, we need to broaden our outreach to all the potential voters of their districts.

Until now, the AE911Truth petition has been signed almost exclusively by people visiting our website. In Oregon, local action groups have been using paper petition forms in street outreach for over a year. As a result, Oregon now boasts the second highest number of AE911Truth petition signers of any state in the country, behind only California. (It has almost 5% of all signers worldwide.) Portland has been on top of the city list for several months. (It has over 2% of the worldwide count.) This feat has been accomplished by no more than two people gathering petitions at any given point in time (and where it rains nine months of the year). Nothing would make the Oregon groups happier than to see Oregon and Portland sent back to their rightful positions at 27 and 29, respectively, in line with our populations. This is not going to happen by Oregon slowing down, however.

SO, YOU WANT TO BE A PETITION GATHERER

The aforementioned conversations with the public are, we have found, by far the best way to reach people who are new to the evidence that AE911Truth has gathered. The dialogue we described above also brings into our network people who are already familiar with the evidence of controlled demolition, encouraging them to become more active. It has the potential to accelerate AE911Truth petition gathering to the point at which we gain the political credibility to match our technical credibility.

If you want get involved with AE911Truth public outreach and make petition gathering part of it, please send an email to the author: dfura (at) ae911truth (dot) org. You will receive a straightforward initiation process to ensure you understand and agree with the operating rules for AE911Truth action groups. We will offer you training and provide any other assistance you need to get started, including help processing your filled-out petitions.

In the meantime, you can prove for yourself that a "Hollywood persona" is not necessary in order to be an effective petition gatherer by watching the author in an actual petition-gathering session in Portland. The petition signers are all Portland State University Park Blocks people who have given permission to be included in this video. None of them was known to us or affiliated with AE911Truth before we shot this video. Special thanks to J. T. Waldron for recording and producing the video on short notice.

 

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David Fura received a B.S.E. degree from the University of Michigan, an M.S. from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington, all in electrical engineering. His military background consists of six years in the Marine Corps reserve. He currently works as a computer engineer involved in the modeling, design, and validation of system-on-a-chip computer chips. He is active with the verification and action-group teams of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth.