My Open Letter to Al Franken

Open Letter to Al Franken

Dear Al,
May I call you Al?

Before I get to the reason for my letter, I want to let you know that I am a huge fan. I think you are wonderful...funny, smart, witty, charming and most importantly, a good person. Which is why I was so heartbroken and saddened by your interview with Ben-Venista of the 9/11 commission.

I expect to hear such a "non" interview on CNN or MSNBC but I expect so much more from Air America and specifically from you.

How could you pass up the opportunity to ask the "real" questions of a 9/11 commission member? I was waiting to hear such questions as...

How can ANY investigation be legitimate with a pre-ordained conclusion..."No one is to blame>", etc. How could the commission have KNOWN that there was not a double agent in one or more of our agencies, especially since some FBI foot soldiers joked (I don't think they were really kidding), that Bin Laden must have a plant in the agency because they (FBI) felt as if their efforts were being thwarted. How could they have known, for a fact, that no one was so incompetent on that day that they deserve to lose their jobs?


Where was the testimony of the FBI guy who rewrote the Rowley memo? Why did he do that? Does he regret it? Why does he feel that he still deserves a job?

Why wasn't Sibel Edmonds' testimony part of the findings? Why were the people she accused of being spies allowed to leave the country, while she lost her job?

Why wasn't the guy who SHREDDED the air traffic controllers taped testimony called on the carpet? Isn't that destruction of evidence? Why did he do that, who authorized that and why does he think he still deserves a job?

Why wasn't Rudy Guliani asked why he authorized the destruction of the tower beams? Fire Engineering magazine had a "call to arms" because they were so outraged at the deliberate destruction of such valuable evidence.

Why didn't we see the air traffic controllers testify?

Why didn't they follow up on the discrepancies between FAA, NORAD testimony and the official findings of the commission itself? What exactly is the point of sworn testimony?

How does this "looking outward posture" of NORAD make any sense at all? Are they saying that if an international flight was hijacked that the hijackers would take control of the aircraft over the ocean, giving NORAD plenty of time to deal with them before they entered out air space? NO.... even if it was an overseas flight, it is only logical that the hijackers would wait until they were over the U.S. before they overtook the plane.

And forget about the "7 minutes", why did Bush enter that room AT ALL? I truly believe you and I would have known to get on the horn with the FAA immediately upon hearing that a plane hit the towers. "What plane was it and what are the circumstances around the crash? Was there any communications with the plane before it hit? Are there any other planes off course?" etc. Those are common sense questions that anyone would have known to ask, with or without daily terror briefings.

Are the reports that Jeb Bush went to the flight school and removed documents flying them to some unknown location true? What did he take and why???

Who in the CIA made the decision to not notify the FBI that two of the hijackers entered the US. Why was that decisions made? Why do they deserve their job?

Why was the decades long standard NORAD procedures for dealing with off course planes changed just months before 9/11? I believe it made Rummy the one who had to authorize a shoot down. Why? And why wasn't Rummy angry that no one "told" him what was going on that morning. Where was he? Why does he still deserve his job?

I could go on and on and on. Something is really wrong with the official 9/11 story. If the day came that our top a gov't agencies became full with a combination of corrupt and/or cowardice individuals, who would save us? I have just about lost all hope that America is good enough and brave enough to get to the truth. A very sad day for Stuart Smalley and for America.

Sincerely,
Susan Perkins
Billerica, MA

Ben-Venista seemed like the guy you could have asked those questions to. You should send a copy to each member of the commission as well.

There are too many loose ends in the official 9/11 report and nobody wants to talk about them.

In Franken's defense, I think he's afraid of asking tough questions because he would be branded as a "conspiracy nut". Nevermind that the questions you raise in your letter are totally legit! It seems that anybody who asks them is a conspiracy nut.

Good letter, the last broadcast personalities who should get a free pass are OURS!

I agree-Franken plays softball too many times. I much prefer Randi Rhodes and Mike Malloy, though many find them abrasive.

to post my comments, like it's not reading the text AND I cannot figure out how to post on the Al Blog. Can anyone help me get this posted on Al's site?