Yesterday, four members of Columbus 9/11 Truth, including 3 OSU Alumni and one current OSU student, traveled 3.5 hours up to Ann Arbor, to the forbidden campus of the University of Michigan. We attended Ann Arbor 9/11 Truth’s event, “Truth Strikes Back” which included a film festival, talks by Kevin Ryan, Dr. Kevin Barrett, and a presentation by William Rodriguez.
Kevin Ryan is former Site Manager for Environmental Health Laboratories, a division of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the company that certified the steel components used in the construction of the World Trade Center towers. Ryan, a Chemist and laboratory manager, was fired by UL in 2004 for publicly questioning the report being drafted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on their World Trade Center investigation.
Also present was Dr. Kevin Barrett, a Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin, the founder of MUJCA (Muslim Jewish Christian Alliance), and a member of Scholars for 9/11 Truth.
Ann Arbor 9/11 Truth intended to hold a debate, with Barrett & Ryan going against defenders of the government’s official story of 9/11 put forth by the 9/11 Commission. They sent invitations/requests to Univ. of Michigan physics professors, engineering professors, and the “Young Americans for Freedom” group but none would come to defend the 9/11 Commission Report.
The last part of the event was an extremely moving presentation by William Rodriguez, a janitor who worked at the North Tower of the World Trade Center for 20 years.
By stroke of luck or fate, he was late for work that day and was still in the basement when the plane hit, rather than being at the top where he would’ve been any other day. He saved countless lives, including rescuing two men trapped in a basement elevator, a co-worker burned extensively by the first explosion in the basement, confused office workers on upper floors who didn’t know how to get to the stairs, and most notably by leading firemen up the stairwells and unlocking the fire doors with his master key. He is thought by many to be the last man out, surviving the collapse by diving under a firetruck and hiding his face under his shirt to avoid being suffocated by the ensuing dust that followed.
After fighting alongside many others, including fellow survivors and families of the victims, for an official investigation by the government, he testified before the 9/11 Commission. His story includes hearing multiple explosions inside the building, in the basement and upper levels, both before and after the plane hit. His testimony was held behind closed doors and was completely omitted from the final report. He has fought for fellow survivors and the victim’s families since day one— wanting a new, open, independent, and inclusive investigation. If anyone is hesitant to doubt the official story before hearing him, they wouldn’t be afterwards.
It was an honor and a privilege to meet Mr. Rodriguez and we hope to bring him to Columbus soon so others may have the experience of hearing his story.
Click here to see more pictures from the event.
