DBWI: What would have happened if 9/11 had not been prevented

[TheHispan]

As you all know, between September 10 and 11, 2001, the U.S. government managed to dismantle a conspiracy to attack the country with planes that would have left hundreds dead in New York and Washington, but thanks to a series of investigations they were stopped. What if the terrorists had been successful in their attack on the economic, political and military centres?

 

[FillyofDelphi]

???

"You all know" rarely applies to top secret government investigations that cause events not to occur. Non-events rarely make the headlines, after all.

 

[Roger II]

The trials certainly made a splash. Well the arrests anyways; I think it all bogged down over some extremely complex morasses over what technically was admissible evidence and litigation over where the sentences would be served.

 

[Carl Schwamberger]

... What if the terrorists had been successful in their attack on the economic, political and military centres?

Be useful to review exactly what the targets were.

1. White House

2. Capitol building

3. Pentagon building

4. World Trade Center buildings. One aircraft per each of the two tallest towers.

There were somme others on lists compiled by the organizers, but these four or five buildings are at the core of prosecution. The defense argues the Capitol was struck from the list & should not be included in the conspiracy charges. I think most people consider that a quibble over details.

Had these hijacked aircraft hit each of these buildings the two with potential for the highest death toll are the Pentagon & WTC. The former is a study and well complemented building but the estimates I've seen top out at 300-400 dead & twice that maimed. The WTC is a different matter. Off the cuff estimates use the example of the 1990s truck bomb attack on the WTC, the 1940s aircraft strike on the Empire State Building, and the OKC truck bomb on the Federal office building. None of these are very good comparisons to a modern fuel laden airliner. Since we don't have any close examples the question is wide open to argument. The peculiar construction of the WTC, a exoskeleton cross tied to a core stem has its own engineering peculiarities. As with the Empire State building the impact of a airliner is not believed by architects/engineers to be enough to collapse the building. Two striking the same tower could. The consideration of fire is a bit more clear. The principle fire safety feature was the steel columns were clad in a insulating are resistant sheath of concrete. That is estimated to be able to withstand the temperatures of burning aircraft fuel and office furniture. So, how many people are killed by the impact and the fires in the upper tower/s with no collapse. If the hijack pilots do not follow the plan and two aircraft strike a single tower to collapse it, the all bets are off. A collapsing tower of the WTC during working hours on a week day has the potential to kill thousands. Perhaps over 4,000. Maybe even 5,000.

 

[Derek Jackson]

But of course this was all exaggerated might have saved GW Bush from the damage caused by ENRON

 

[mattep74]

As you all know, between September 10 and 11, 2001, the U.S. government managed to dismantle a conspiracy to attack the country with planes that would have left hundreds dead in New York and Washington, but thanks to a series of investigations they were stopped. What if the terrorists had been successful in their attack on the economic, political and military centres?

The story sounded that someone had read to much Tom Clancy. I doubt they would have pulled it off.

 

[Colonel Zoidberg]

But of course this was all exaggerated might have saved GW Bush from the damage caused by ENRON

That’s the conspiracy theory, though it’s a bit true - Dubya helped prevent the attacks but his role wasn’t that important and could have been done by anyone. The starting point was some pilot with a route over the Hudson who knew something. He wouldn’t shut up about what he knew...well, that and all the fucking geese.

Dubya wouldn’t have been re-elected if he fucked it up, though. The people would have rallied around him until they got to the bottom of it and turned against him in a heartbeat. His shitty economic record didn’t help things.

 

[M79]

Maybe we would not have lost Minneapolis and Denver in 2012 if security was tighter. It certainly galvanized the world but the Denver Exclusion Zone is not set to shrink for another 5 years...