Zaphod for President

Larry Silverstein is the friendly fellow who holds a 99-year lease on the entire World Trade Center complex. Many have alleged that he exists in the center of a diabolical conspiracy which confirms that WTC 1, 2 & 7 all fell as the result of controlled demolition.

The theory goes like this: the Twin Towers, like most buildings erected in the late 1960’s, used asbestos as a fire-proofing material. As we now know, asbestos is toxic. When asbestos gets old, and begins to break down, the tiny fibers break loose and wander into the respiratory system of anyone breathing nearby. This leads to a plethora of health problems, including emphysema.

In 1978 the installation of all friable asbestos was made illegal. By the late 1990’s, even existing buildings were expected to undergo major renovations in order to remove any remaining asbestos. Herein lies the motive: removing asbestos from the Twin Towers would have been a daunting (and extremely expensive) task. However, if the buildings were destroyed, say, in some sort of terrorist attack, Lucky Larry could collect his insurance premiums, and build new, asbestos-free buildings.

Are we sure that these buildings contained asbestos, and other toxins now prohibited by the EPA? Yes. The most obvious evidence of this can be found in the volunteers who performed the clean up of “Ground Zero”; they are currently suing the WTC Captive Insurance Company for a billion dollars. Why? Because they are sick. Why? Because when those buildings came down, the air of lower Manhattan became a toxic mess; all of that asbestos came loose (among plenty of other toxic chemicals). The volunteers were told that the air was safe, however, this was a lie- 8,000 of these volunteers are sick, and are still being denied help. Remember this the next time a politician mentions “9/11″ in a bid for popularity.

Needless to say, this is a disgusting, immoral mess. But did Larry Silverstein arrange a controlled demolition to avoid the costs of asbestos removal?

If it pleases the court, I would like to submit the following video as Truther’s evidence, exhibit A:

This video is often cited as evidence that World Trade Center, building 7, was destroyed intentionally. Truthers are quick to point out that no plane hit WTC-7. Truthers are also quick to point out that “pull it” is a common slang term for a controlled demolition.

So here it is- the smoking gun. A confession captured on video. Case closed, yes? Not so fast.

In 2004, after a long and twisted series of legal battles, Larry Silverstein was awarded $2.2 billion from his various insurance policies. He was hoping to collect $7 billion, but after losing several key lawsuits the matter ended up in a jury’s hands, and Lucky Larry lost.

The new Freedom Tower, the building destined to replace the Twin Towers, is expected to cost about $3 billion dollars, of which $1 billion is coming directly out of Larry’s own pocket. Building the remaining components of the new World Trade Center is expected to cost upwards of $9 billion- and although that number remains in dispute, poor Larry is left with only $1.2 billion to cover his share of those costs.

In other words, even if Larry Silverstein had been awarded the full $7 billion he was seeking, it was incredibly unlikely he would be able to turn a profit after the costs of rebuilding had been factored into the equation.

If Larry Silverstein engaged a controlled demolition of the World Trade Center in order to avoid paying for asbestos removal, the plan backfired in a major way. Not only will the costs of rebuilding force a financial loss, the public relations disaster of this entire ordeal is astounding. The entire rebuilding effort has been mired in controversy from day one.

Larry Silverstein is either the dumbest businessman in history, or more likely, yet another victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks. But even if this motive were proven, even if Larry Silverstein had taken a profit from this endeavor, that would not even begin to explain how in the hell a New York businessman was able to coordinate the largest terrorist attack in U.S. history, nor would it explain why the Pentagon and Flight 93 were also attacked.

In any case, I think it is fair to call bullshit on this particular theory.

For those keeping track, the current score (”Truthers” v. “Debunkers”) is now 1-2. However, there are still many questions regarding the collapse of WTC-7, and these question aren’t as easily dismissed as mere “conspiracy theory”. Coming up next: WTC-5, WTC-6, WTC-7: what the hell happened?

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