My Letter to Leonard Pitts, Jr.

UPDATE: Pitts isn't going to appear at Hamilton College, but Utica College, on Sept. 28. I knew Hamilton had a little more class than that.

Dear Mr. Pitts,

Though the rift is not likely permanent, I consider that your recent column slamming the 9/11 truth effort is the cause of the present emotional estrangement between my wife and I. She still likes you. I'm afraid I'm less kindly disposed.

So be it. I regret to say that I'm one of those malcontents that you've attempted to humiliate and discredit with your Straw Man diatribe--and yet I stand before you bloodied but undaunted. I never expected you to climb aboard the 9/11 truth-seeking bandwagon, but I am disappointed by your campaign to slash its tires and pour sand into its crankcase.

I never wanted to devote any time and energy to this effort, but the facts, as they emerged, proved so compelling that I couldn't ignore the evidence. I suspect that a huge portion of the American public will concur that there are serious problems with the official explanation--and that elements within our government are likely complicit in the attacks. The recent John Zogby poll puts the number as high as 70 million. You've just grievously insulted all of them.

I'm sure that many of those people were fans of yours up to the minute they discovered that you consider them foil-hatted zanies. Who needs 'em, right? In fact, my wife, who still thinks that you can do no wrong, came home from work on 9/11/2001 and said, "Bush did it." I said, "Well, I don't know . . ."

I still don't know--and neither do you. Nor does the so-called 9/11 Commission. All I know is that of all the explanations offered, the one put forward by the government is the least likely. (I won't trouble you with data--no doubt you've already had reams of that from other correspondents.)

When my wife goes to hear you speak at Hamilton College, I want you to single her out and say, "Mrs. Senior, you're an idiot for believing Bush did it." She'll love it.

Cordially,
Andy Senior
Utica, NY
Uticans for 9/11 Truth