James W. Walter
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James (Jimmy) W. Walter Junior (b. 1947) is an American venture capitalist, political activist an activist for the 9/11 Truth Movement. He is best known for sponsoring advertisements suggesting that the September 11, 2001 attacks were an inside job organised by the United States government,[1] and offering awards starting at $130,000 and eventually growing to $1 million for engineering explanations that can verify the government's claim. [2]
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[edit] Biography
Walter is the son of James W. Walter, Sr., Tampa, Florida home builder and industrialist, from whom he inherited a fortune reported at $7 million to $14.3 million.[2][3] He has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina in 1969, and founded and led several Florida corporations and non-profit organizations.[4]
[edit] Campaign
The advertisements began in October 2004, and included full page ads in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and 30 second cable television spots on CNN, Fox News, and ESPN. They implied that no plane flew in to the Pentagon, and that the World Trade Center towers were brought down by internal explosives, and referred viewers to the website 'reopen911'[3][5]
Walters said that he began the campaign when he did to influence the presidential election against George W. Bush.[6] He estimates the total cost of the campaign as more than $3.9 million.[2]
Walter featured on Penn and Teller: Bullshit! Conspiracy Theories. In the episode, he claims he has evidence that the hijacked flight on September 11 did not crash into the WTC and Pentagon but were landed secretly at a military base. He further believes that many of the "alleged" passengers are still alive and were working for the US government. He also claims that the WTC and Pentagon were hit by remote controlled "vehicles" and that explosives were planted on every floor of the WTC. [7]
Walter's video, Confronting the Evidence, was broadcast on Italian Rai Tre television, September 24, 2006, 09.00 p.m., during the Report program.[8]
[edit] Criticism of Campaigns
Oilempire.us provides a critique [9] of the Walter's 2005 European 9/11 truth "megatour" -
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- "A couple of people promoting nonsense were also included in the mix (apart from the fact that Walter's "reopen911" website had highlighted the claim that "nukes blew up the towers"). The worst offender against "truth" on the tour was Christopher Bollyn of the white supremacist American Free Press, whose Barnes Review subsidiary claims the Holocaust was a hoax and Hitler deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. American Free Press works closely (by their own admission) with KKK leader David Duke, who is not known for his accuracy or compassion. A fellow invitee to the tour who raised objections to the inclusion of white supremacy was disinvited from the tour."
Questionsquestions.net states of Jimmy Walter -
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- "I'm willing to believe that he is a well-intentioned "eccentric", but thus far, Jimmy Walter's newfound status as a figurehead of 9/11 skepticism is shaping up to be a disaster. Frankly, there are times when good intentions just aren't enough, and this is one of those times."[10]
[edit] Walden Three
Walter is also the founder of "Walden Three", a non-profit educational foundation in Santa Barbara, California that researches ideas for sustainable, environmentally friendly urban development. The foundation has developed a computer model for the ideal sustainable living, carfree and fossil fuel-free city or society that produces almost all of the consumables, durable goods, structures, mass transportation and social security needed by its citizens. The model uses rational-emotive therapy (REBT), developed by Dr. Albert Ellis.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ Yellow Weekly Planet Ad. Reopen 9/11.
- ^ a b c "Sept 11 conspiracy theorist poses $130,000 challenge", December 16, 2004, Reuters, hosted by Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- ^ a b "A Hidden Story Behind Sept. 11? One Man's Ad Campaign Says So",Ian Urbina, November 8, 2004, New York Times
- ^ Biography at JimmyWalter.com
- ^ (German)"Verschwörungstheorien : Dämmerzone zwischen Wahn und Wissen" December 1, 2004, Der Spiegel. Article also available at T-Online.de.
- ^ "On Election Eve, Sept. 11 Doubters Surface", Dean Schabner, November 1, 2004, ABC News.
- ^ 9/11 Deniers Speak - Exposing the 9/11 "Truth" Movement and Loose Change.Google Video - Segment with Walters starts from 14:08.
- ^ (Italian)"Confronting the Evidence" transcript, RAI, September 24, 2006
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Walden Three project home page
[edit] External links
- Jimmy Walter.com Personal home page
- "Reopen 9/11 - Catch the Real Terrorists" Reopen911.org, site offering award
- Walden Three Project home page
- "Jimmy Walter, a sugar daddy with poison pills", Critique of 9/11 activism on questionsquestions.net, November 16, 2004
- ABC News article