A photo of Kevin Bracken, president of Australia's Victorian Trades Hall Council, and secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia. Bracken received national and global attention after saying on a morning talk show on October 20, 2010 that the 9/11 attacks were committed by individuals within the United States government. Picture: Mike Keating Source: HWT Image Library.Martin Luther King Jr. said, “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” These are words are prophetic, especially when we judge them in the context of the alternative media's silence regarding the serious and science-based questions surrounding the September 11 terrorist attacks. Included in the alternative media are outlets like Antiwar.com, Democracy Now, AlterNet, Common Dreams, Counterpunch, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, Truthdig, and Truthout. On most issues these sites knock it out of the park, but when it comes to the questions about the 9/11 attacks, they're too afraid to even step up to the plate and assume the responsibility of informing their readers/viewers about the most critical event of our lifetime.
As the blogger pfgetty points out in this post on 9/11 Blogger, these alternative media organizations are ignoring a hugely important story about Kevin Bracken, the president of Australia's Victorian Trades Hall Council, and secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia, who questioned the official story of the 9/11 attacks on Wednesday October 20th on a morning talk show hosted by Jon Faine. You can hear the interview here. Bracken told Faine; "I believe the official story is a conspiracy theory that doesn't stand up to scientific scrutiny."
Bracken's immense influence among the working class community in Australia is what makes his public stance on 9/11 all the more remarkable, and historical. The Victorian Trades Hall Council, of which he is president, is an organization that was founded in 1856. It consists of over 400,00 members, and represents "60 affiliated Trade Unions and Professional Associations, and eight Victorian regional Trades and Labour Councils" in Victoria, Australia. Bracken's other leadership role is in the Maritime Union of Australia, which has 10,000 members, and is an affiliate of the International Transport Workers' Federation. Neither of the two organizations have followed Bracken in questioning the official story about the 9/11 attacks.
To learn more about this story, here is an excerpt from an article written in the Herald Sun on Wednesday October 20 by Shannon Deery called Trades Hall president Kevin Bracken calls 9/11 'conspiracy':
Kevin Bracken, who is also the secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia, sparked a flood of angry calls after calling into ABC talk-back host Jon Faine's program this morning, the Herald Sun reports.Bracken's remarks received immediate and widespread support, as well as harsh ridicule, including by Australia's Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, who said they were "stupid and wrong.""I believe the official story is a conspiracy theory that doesn't stand up to scientific scrutiny," Mr Bracken said.
"In my mind the buildings were imploded."
Faine thought the call was a hoax.
"I challenge you to a public debate," Mr Bracken said.
"Aviation fuel doesn't get hot enough to melt steel and no high rise steel frame building before or after September 11 has ever collapsed due to fire.
"I stick to scientific fact."
Faine described the claim as a "nutter theory".
Trades Hall secretary Brian Boyd said Mr Bracken did not speak on behalf of the organisation.
On Thursday October 21st, the Herald Sun ran another piece about the story called "Trades Hall president Kevin Bracken stands by his 9/11 conspiracy," written by Stephen McMahon. An excerpt:
Mr Bracken sparked outrage yesterday when he told Jon Faine's ABC talk-back program the attacks were not the result of terrorist activity.The Herald Sun posted an online poll on their website, asking readers the question: "Do you think Kevin Bracken's comments were reasonable?" with a "Yes" and "No" reply. As of 12:30 am on Sunday October 31st, 10778 people have answered, 8277 of which have said Yes (76.79%), while 2501 votes have said No (23.21%).He said the story was a conspiracy that "didn't stand up" to scientific scrutiny.
This morning Mr Bracken phoned into Faine's program again for a right of reply.
He said he wasn't phoning as the president of the Trades Hall council or as secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia.
Mr Bracken stood by his comments and said he had the support of 50 per cent of the community.
He also attacked Faine, claiming he was ridiculed on yesterday's program.
"Unfortunately cowards like yourself have set the political agenda in this country for too long," said Kevin Bracken.
"I won't be cowered down to bullies like yourself."Yesterday, Julia Gillard has dismissed as "stupid and wrong" Mr Bracken's belief.
According to the Herald Sun poll, which obviously is not scientific, over seventy five percent believe that Mr. Bracken's comments about 9/11 were reasonable and sane. But this is bit of news not considered important if you're an editor or journalist working for one of the many alternative media organizations that are listed above. Apparently, one of the biggest stories to emerge in the global anti-war movement does not deserve any attention from the progressive left, or anti-war sites. Are they afraid of the truth, or ashamed that they've censored it for this long?
It takes brave men like Kevin Bracken to break social taboos, and question the official version of reality. It takes guts and vision to change the world. It takes courage and persistence to change minds. The cowards in the alternative media should take note: Bracken is a real champion of the truth, and peace. Don't speak about ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq if you don't have the balls to raise the elephant in the room which is the official 9/11 conspiracy theory that was driven into our heads by the corporate/CIA/pentagon media following the days, weeks, and months after 9/11. Don't pretend like you're helping to bring peace and justice into this world when you don't even have the courage to question what is currently socially unacceptable. Don't think you can silence or marginalize truth-tellers like Bracken. And don't believe for a minute that you're a friend of peace, and justice. You're not. When you defend lies and put down truth-tellers you become the enemy of peace, and justice.
Listen to Bracken's 30 minute interview with Alex Jones on October 29: part 1 , part 2 , and part 3. And click here to listen to Bracken's 40 minute interview with John Bursill of Visibility 9/11, which was conducted on October 24.
