Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Local Politics

So, some of you may know Senator Karen Johnson. I actually grew up in the same neighborhood as her and she is also Mormon like me. While I really like her as a person, I really dislike her as a politician. This all started when I began noticing the frequency of her testimonies in fast and testimony meeting at church. There are 12 fast Sunday's a year, and Senator Johnson (then Representative Johnson) always seemed to get up and bear her testimony the fast Sunday before elections. Her "testimony" always seemed to include something about how thankful she was to be a public servant, and how grateful she was to talk with the ward members about local politics and about her reelection. It was nothing more than a advertisement/testimony, I'll call it an advertizimony.


Around the age of 17, this made me so mad that I asked the bishop for a copy of the "Statement of Political neutrality" that the bishopric reads near the beginning of the election season, and left it on her front door step. I don't think she got the point. The advertizimonies continued.


Since, she has moved from my parent's neighborhood and so have I, but my ears always perk up when I hear something about her in the news. A few months ago she was on the news talking about how she is against the National ID plan which our Governor has backed. It was nice to be on the same side, politically, as her.


But today, I read that Karen has sent a letter to Senator McCain, asking him to meet with people to discuss the validity that the World Trade Center buildings were brought down by explosives placed at the scene before 9/11. Currently there is a Scottsdale physicist camped outside Senator McCain's office in Phoenix on a hunger strike (going on 9 days now!) until the senator meets with him. Its pretty strange


So now I'm sort of torn, the conspiracy theorist in me is excited that this is being brought into the main stream, but the rational side of me is excited that people will begin to see how crazy Senator Johnson is. I've watch the documentaries that claim the WTC was blown up by the Bush administration in order to gain favor for the Iraq war which is making them millions because of their investments in the oil companies. I've also watched the counter documentaries that explain why the conspiracy theory is false. I've read the excerpts of the 9/11 commission report. At this point, even being a conspiracy theorist, I've gotta say that a hunger strike is a little extravagant. It seems like the adult equivalent to a temper tantrum. But at least it may create discussion on the subject. Either way, it will probably end up wasting a bunch of tax payer money on a new "commission" to "investigate" 9/11 and not find anything.



Below is a copy of the letter she sent to Senator McCain:


Dear Senator McCain:

You are no doubt aware that a “Hunger-for-Truth” hunger strike is taking place outside your Phoenix office. Each day since Memorial Day (May 26), Blair has arrived at about 6 a.m. and spent the day until approximately 10:30 p.m., distributing literature about 9/11 to passing pedestrians and motorists. Blair is not eating any food at all and drinks only water. Today is Day 9 of the hunger strike.

Blair and his thousands of supporters around the country are requesting that you give two hours of your time to some experts who would like to present evidence about the destruction of the Twin Towers and Building 7 on Sept. 11, 2001. We all appreciate how full your schedule is, but the many important unanswered questions about 9/11 demand answers. I am respectfully requesting that you meet with Blair and the experts he has arranged. I understand that you hae promised to address the 9/11 issue in the near future. For this I am grateful.

You might have heard some absurd claims about 9/11, but we are not responsible for what all 9/11 skeptics say. We are responsible only for what WE say, and what we say is rock solid. Well qualified professionals in the fields of physics, engineering, and architecture reject the idea that the World Trade Center buildings came down as a result of the impact of the planes and fire. Building 7 wasn’t even hit by an airplane and the fires in that building were small and contained. Yet all three skyscrapers came down very evenly and very fast. These experts have analyzed the evidence with sound scientific procedures and have concluded that the buildings came down through the use of explosives as are used in controlled demolitions. I have spoken with these experts myself, and I agree with their findings.

The American people expect and deserve complete answers to what was really involved in the most lethal attack on U.S. soil Since Pearl Harbor. The families of the innocent victims of U.S. military action in Afghanistan and Iraq also deserve to know the truth. The events of 9/11 need to be investigated thoroughly and openly. That hasn’t been done yet.

Please give Blair and his experts the time they need to provide you with this very important, credible information.

Best regards,

Senator Karen S. Johnson

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