Actor Ed Asner Endorses Toronto’s International Citizens’ Inquiry Into 9/11

Actor and peace activist Ed Asner has expressed his support for the International Citizens’ Inquiry Into 9/11, to be held in Toronto May 25-30. It is the largest citizen inquiry into 9/11 ever.

“The importance of asking questions about what really happened on 9/11 cannot be over-estimated. Your citizen initiative is ambitious and laudable.

Because people from more than 70 countries – including 26 Canadians – died that day, it is entirely appropriate that such an inquiry take place on Canadian soil."

Last month Mr. Asner issued a public statement on the need for a full and fair investigation of the anomalies of 9/11.

Ed Asner won five Emmy awards for portraying the character of Lou Grant in the Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) and the spin-off series Lou Grant (1977-82). He won two more Emmies for performances in "Rich Man, Poor Man" and "Roots".

Mr. Asner's movie credits include "JFK", "Fort Apache-The Bronx" and "Skin Game".

Mr. Asner is also a well known a crusader and activist. He was National President of the Screen Actors Guild from 1981 to 1985. Asner supports many humanitarian and political causes. Committed to peace, he has expressed his strong opposition to America's invasion of Iraq.

The full text of Mr. Asner's letter in support of the 9/11 Citizens' Inquiry Movement follows below.

More than 27 presenters will be attending the Toronto Inquiry, being held May 25 to 30 at the Ukrainian Community Centre and Convocation Hall in Toronto.

This week it was announced that John Gray, best-selling author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus will speak at the Toronto 9/11 Inquiry on Sunday, May 30th at Convocation Hall. He will join 9/11 widow Ellen Mariani and investigative journalist Michael C. Ruppert on stage to speak on the topic "What Really Happened on Sept. 11th? The Need for Truth to Heal the 9/11 Families and America".

Mon, 26 Apr 2004

Dear Peace & Justice Leader(s), I am Ed Asner. As you may know, I've dedicated much of my life to promoting peace & justice issues in America.

I would like to suggest to you emphatically that the9-11 truth movement is the most pressing issue of thepeace & justice movement today.
Here is why. 9-11 hasbeen used to justify "endless war" and a continual rollback in civil liberties that seems to have no endin sight.

Yet, 9-11 remains the least examined tragedyin modern American history.

Americans would have never agreed to the last two warsand the Patriot Act's disturbing policy . . . had it not been for 9-11. There are many disturbing issues around 9-11 that have yet to be examined in any meaningful way by our media, Congress, and even by the 9-11 Commission.

These include accountability for the massive breakdown of airdefense and plane intercept procedures as described inFAA and DOD regulations, which were violated on 9-11... This breakdown and astounding unpreparedness by U.S.domestic defense agencies is puzzling to say the least,given the detailed reports our government had of the coming attacks, that were bizarrely suppressed by key officials. For example, FBI Agent Coleen Rowley suggested that her offices' attempts to alert higher ups in the FBI of thepre 9-11 activities of Zacharias Moussaoui "seemed tohave been consistently, almost DELIBERATELY thwart[ed]. . ."

While George Tenet, Director of the CIA, had recieved a memo in August of 2001 (one month before theattacks of 9-11) on this report entitled, "IslamicExtermists Learn to Fly." Yet, Tenet took no action onthis memo. The FBI agents responsible for the now famous "Phoenix Memo" regarding Osama Bin Laden sendingstudents to the U.S. to attend civil aviation schools, also struggled to get their higher ups to act on this information.

To date, no one has been held accountable for the massive defense failures on 9-11, nor for the bizarre suppression of critical warnings prior to 9-11.Furthermore, we still have no explanation for why the head of Pakistani intelligence, who was meeting with top Bush Administration officials in Washington on 9-11-2001, had wired lead hijacker Mohammed Atta $100,000.00 weeks before 9-11.

We still do not know who made the insider stock trades in weeks and days leading up to 9-11, by betting "against" United and American Airlines stocks (the aircraft used as missiles on 9-11). What we DO KNOW is that $5 million of those insider stock trade "winnings" apparently by someone who had foreknowledge of the coming attacks, were made the day before 9-11 at AB Brown Trust. AB Brown Trust was headed until his induction into the CIA by Buzzy Krongard, who is now the Executive Director of the CIA. We also know that the current head of AB Brown Trust quietly resigned his position on 9-11, with no media scrutiny nor apparently government scrutiny. Lastly, and perhaps most bizarre is the fact that $2.5 million of those stock "winnings" against these airlines made at AB Brown Trust . . . remain unclaimed. We deserve to know why no one has been held accountable, and who made those insider stock trades.

We also deserve to know why the Bush Administration allowed members of the Bin Laden family to quietlyleave the U.S. after 9-11, with virtually no questioning by the FBI, and at a time when other Americans were not allowed to fly. There are many other profound, and bizarrely "unasked"questions around 9-11.

I urge all to read "The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions About the BushAdministration and 9/11" by David Ray Griffin, and endorsed by Howard Zinn, and to view "The Great Deception" documentary by acclaimed Canadian television journalist Barrie Zwicker. Peace & justice leaders and activists will find these works a great resource for getting current on the 9-11 truth issue, and can begreat organizing tools to educate others.

I fear that if the underlying issues of 9-11 truth are not demanded, that Iraq may be but a flame on an ocean of gasoline that may be used to ignite war after war after war. We cannot, as a peace & justice movement only address the flames. We must look at the fuel being used to justify the flames of war and repression at home and abroad.

We must look deeply at the events leading up to, on and since 9-11. We must demand full 9-11 truth. I encourage all local and national peace & justice activists and organizations to join Philadelphia Peace Action and other peace & justice organizations nationwide who are now beginning to work with and becoming involved with the National 9-11Visibility Project at www.septembereleventh.org and to list your local efforts contact information there, so 9-11 truth activists across the nation can get involved with you to demand full 9-11 truth. The National 9-11 Visibility Project has worked with 9-11 family members, and become a media source conducting interviews and linking media with 9-11 family members, including BBC World Wide Radio Network, The O'Reilly Factor, and others. By listing your local contact information for your local 9-11 truth activities at www.septembereleventh.org media visiting the site can find your contact information as well as local activists who want to join your efforts.

European Union Parliamentarian, Paul Lanoye's calls for a 911 International Inquiry. His open letter here.

The Toronto Inquiry is open to members of the public and the news media. Anyone interested in attending can register by calling (416) 963-5562 or toll-free 1-866-234-7438 or by logging onto the Inquiry website at www.911inquiry.org