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Anchor’s Intro:

A FOUR-DAY FILM FESTIVAL DEVOTED TO ISSUES SURROUNDING THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11 2001 IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AT SEVERAL BAY AREA LOCATIONS. THE 6TH ANNUAL NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 9/11 FILM FESTIVAL,  WHICH BEGAN ON THURSDAY AT THE GRAND LAKE THEATER IN OAKLAND, HAS BEEN SPONSORED BY THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 9-11 TRUTH ALLIANCE FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, BUT THIS YEAR’S EVENT WAS ORGANIZED BY A COMMITTEE OF SEVERAL GROUPS. BESIDES THE GRAND LAKE THEATER, THE FESTIVAL WILL ALSO SCREEN FILMS AT THE VIZ THEATER IN SAN FRANCISCO AND AT SAN LEANDRO’S BAL THEATER. THE EVENT CONCLUDES ON SUNDAY. SHAWN HAMILTON ATTENDED THE OPENING OF THE FILM FESTIVAL AND FILES THIS REPORT:

“DESPITE THEIR DIVERSE POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES, WHAT THE FILMGOERS HAVE IN COMMON IS  THE CONVICTION THAT THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 ARE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THE COUNTRY’S MILITARY OCCUPATIONS, ECONOMIC CRISIS, AND EROSION OF CIVIL LIBERTIES. THEY ALSO SHARE THE BELIEF THAT THE 9-11 COMMISSION’S OFFICIAL VERSION OF EVENTS IS LARGELY FALSE. CAROL BROUILLET (BROO-YAY) IS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL FOUNDERS OF THE 9-11 FILM FESTIVAL. SHE EXPLAINS THE VALUE OF THE EVENT:

BROUILLET: “AND IF A PERSON…THAT’S WONDERFUL.”

AMONG THE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS, REPRESENTATIVES OF PROJECT CENSORED ADDRESSED THE BLATANT CENSORING OF 9-11 ISSUES, NOT ONLY BY MAINSTREAM MEDIA BUT ALSO BY ALTERNATIVE MEDIA. THE GROUP HAS BEEN COVERING CENSORED STORIES FOR 35 YEARS BUT HAS RECEIVED AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF RESISTANCE—EVEN FROM PROGRESSIVES—FOR COVERING ISSUES RELATED TO 9-11. MICKEY HUFF, PROJECT CENSORED’S CURRENT DIRECTOR, POINTS OUT THAT THESE ISSUES CONSTITUTE ONLY ONE ASPECT OF THE GROUP’S FOCUS.

DURING A PRESENTATION BY HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS TEACHER DAVID CHANDLER, DEMOCRACY NOW! HOST AMY GOODMAN IS PLAINLY VISIBLE IN A VIDEO SEGMENT THAT INCLUDES AN AUDIBLE EXPLOSION MOMENTS BEFORE BUILDING 7 FALLS. SOUND FROM THIS EXPLOSION, WHICH ADVOCATES SAY SUPPORTS THE IDEA THAT EXPLOSIVES HELPED DESTROY BUILDING 7, HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MOST ONLINE VERSIONS OF THE SAME VIDEO. THE VIDEO MAKES IT APPARENT THAT GOODMAN HEARD THE EXPLOSION AND WITNESSED THE BUILDING’S SUBSEQUENT DROP, YET SHE IS KNOWN TO GENERALLY AVOID DISCUSSING 9-11. HUFF SAYS HE GREATLY RESPECTS AMY GOODMAN BUT WISHES SHE WOULD BE MORE CANDID ABOUT THE REASONS FOR HER APPARENT DISDAIN OF 9-11 ISSUES:

HUFF: “I’M NOT SAYING BOYCOTT…DIMISSING PEOPLE.” 

THE FORMER DIRECTOR OF PROJECT CENSORED, PETER PHILLIPS, TOLD THE CROWD THAT HE AND HUFF HAVE EXPERIENCED CENSORSHIP FROM PROGRESSIVE ORGANIZATIONS BECAUSE THEY ADDRESS 9-11 ISSUES. THEY HAD RUN OP-EDS FOR THE PROGRESSIVE “INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES” FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS BUT WERE TOLD LAST APRIL THEY WERE NO LONGER INVITED–SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE THEY HAD MENTIONED BUILDING 7 IN A FACTUAL, ACADEMIC REPORT ON STATE CRIMES AGAINST DEMOCRACY. PHILLIPS SAID THE EDITOR TOLD HIM THAT “TRUTHERS HURT THE PEACE MOVEMENT.”

PHILLIPS POINTED OUT THE CONTRADICTION OF BEING CENSORED BY THE PROGRESSIVE LEFT FOR WHOM, HE SAYS, THERE’S A WHOLE AREA OF INFORMATION WE’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT. HE SUGGESTED THAT INSTEAD OF MAKING 9-11 TRUTH THE KEY ISSUE, 9-11 ACTIVISTS SHOULD FIND COMMONALITY BY LINKING TO NUMEROUS RELATED ISSUES:

THE 9-11 FILM FESTIVAL IS CURRENLY UNDERWAY AT THE BAL THEATER IN SAN LEANDRO AND ALSO AT SAN FRANCISCO’S VIZ CINEMA, WHERE EVENTS WILL CONCLUDE ON SUNDAY. MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT SF911TRUTH DOT O-R-G

FOR PACIFICA RADIO, KPFA, I’M SHAWN HAMILTON.”

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(14 minutes, 15 seconds into broadcast)