November 14, 2004: Terrorism, Iraq, & 9-11 - Joel Skousen
Podcast:The Art Bell Archive Published On: Sun Oct 05 2025 Description: Art Bell opens with updates on the Battle of Fallujah, Arafat's mysterious death, Iran's pledge to suspend uranium enrichment, and climate change reports showing dramatic Arctic ice loss and Antarctic krill population collapse. Callers debate whether the United States is engaged in a religious war with Islam, with a Lutheran pastor arguing that American foreign policy and colonialism bear significant responsibility for rising anti-Western sentiment.Political scientist Joel Skousen joins to challenge mainstream narratives about terrorism and national security. He argues that the former CIA officer's 60 Minutes appearance was a permitted leak, noting that no one leaves such a position without agency approval. Skousen questions al-Qaeda's capabilities, pointing out the absence of any terrorist attacks on American soil since 9-11 despite open borders as evidence the threat is exaggerated for political purposes.Skousen presents his most controversial claims about 9-11, citing pools of molten metal found beneath the World Trade Center that he says could not result from jet fuel fires. He discusses weapons transfers from Iraq to Syria with Russian involvement, alleges that Flight 93 was shot down rather than crashed by passengers, and theorizes that elements within the U.S. government use managed crises to advance global governance.