From the December 2004 Idaho Observer:

$100,000 reward: Prove "official" 9/11 story

One man of means' attempt to set the record straight

The details are still being worked out but you can tell anyone who believes boxcutter-wielding Arabs took down the Twin Towers, took out the Pentagon and crashed a plane over Pennsylvania that there's $100,000 waiting for them if they can support with facts and evidence the government explanation of 9/11. It's a good deal for 9/11 truth seekers because we know California millionaire Jimmie Walter will be able to keep his money; if publicized correctly it will be a bad deal for the Bush administration because enough people with credentials who believe the official will try, unsuccessfully to prove the Bush administration's "magic Arab" theory.

by Greg Szymanski

His house sits high on a mountaintop overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It's a perfect place to spend the day chatting with the gardener or talking with the neighbor about the latest stock market trends.

 It's a perfect place to endlessly stare out at the ocean through the plate glass window while occasionally checking the monthly bank statement for how much interest accrued.

 It's a rich man's house, surrounded by many just like it in a hilltop Santa Barbara neighborhood with a Bush and Cheney smell in the air.

 But that Republican aroma isn't allowed on Jimmy Walter's property. It isn't allowed since Jimmy Walter is to George W. Bush as blood is to water. It isn't allowed since Walter and the Republican Party have about as much in common as God and the Devil.

 And when asked to discuss the Bush administration agenda, it's obvious he thinks the "Devil's in the details."

 "Our only hope is impeachment or if not, force Bush to resign under pressure for all the crimes he has committed," said Walter, a long time political and social activist/multi millionaire.

 He has used his wealth over the years to spearhead such movements as prison reform in Florida, solutions for world hunger, increased job growth and, most recently, the ever-growing 9/11 truth movement.

 Tagged by some in media as the "loon tycoon," Walter has spent over $3.5 million in a media advertising blitz to spread the word that the Bush Administration had prior knowledge or actively planned the 9/11 terrorist attacks to justify wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

 As unbelievable as it sounds, Walter said a close look at the facts and evidence gathered makes the "unbelievable suddenly become all too real."

He now believes members inside and out of the Bush Administration have literally "gotten away with murder."

 "When I first saw the devastation on television and later listened to the official government story about Osama and the 19 hijackers with box cutters, I too believed it like everybody else," said Walter, adding it didn't take long before he began having doubts.

 Although he remained neutral about the events of 9/11 while America prepared for the Iraq invasion, he strongly disagreed about the premise behind the war based on weapons of mass destruction.

 Upset by the mainstream media's wholesale acceptance of WMDs, he launched his first media blitz, calling for the ouster of Colin Powell and others while spending $1.5 million for full page ads in such notable papers as the New York Times, New York Daily News and the Wall Street Journal.

 At a time when popular opinion was strongly on the side of the Bush Administration, Walter's ads were accusing officials of lying and exaggerating the truth in order to justify war to gain control of vital oil supplies in a diminished world market.

 "I tried to expose the truth before it was popular and now everyone is in agreement that there were no WMDs in Iraq," said Walter, pointing out that the media has turned a deaf ear to one of the most important stories in American history.

"History will one day prove us right about the government's involvement in 9/11. When it does, I just want to be remembered as someone who stood up for what was right and just against a government who got it all wrong."

 After the WMD issue ran its course and Walter was eventually proved right, he turned his finances and his complete attention to the struggling 9/11 truth movement championed on the Internet by a small group considered by outsiders as nothing but partisan conspiracy theorists.

 "In July, after reading the book "Painful Questions" by Eric Hufschmid about the controlled demolition of the towers, I had an awakening," pronounced Walter, as he began to pinpoint why he so strongly believes there exists a massive conspiracy and government cover-up regarding 9/11.

"If you put all the hundreds of pieces of the puzzle together about that unforgettable morning, I am 110 percent sure the government planned the attacks with CIA, FBI and military assistance.

 "It was a masterful plan both on a military and psychological level, designed to bring about the maximum amount of fear by the shear timing of the crashes. First the North Tower, then later the South Tower while all the TV cameras were poised and ready, then finally the Pentagon…what a display!

 "They had planned this event for a long time and the neo-cons knew the American people would never buy into their future war plans unless there was some catastrophic event to create a high level of fear and vulnerability.

 "It worked. It is still working, but I feel compelled again to force the truth to be told. More and more people are beginning to put the pieces together and see that 9/11 was an inside job and could not have happened like President Bush would like us all to believe."

 In order to stimulate public awareness in a movement out-manned and under-funded, Walker again turned to a media blitz. His full page ads denouncing the Bush Administration for lying to the American people about 911, have again appeared in many of the top market daily newspapers.

 He also recently appeared on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 show as well as an appearance on Fox with Geraldo Rivera.

 "They pretty well cut me off before I could adequately explain my position, especially on Fox, but it was better than nothing," said Walter about his TV experience.

"I basically think the media has been grossly negligent and has let down the American people by not dedicating enough resources and manpower to one of the most important stories in American history. When I saw the media basically parroting the government story about 9/11, I felt obligated to put my money to work in order to get at the real truth."

 Although he admits it's been a "tough road," Walter is pushing forward stronger than ever. He recently spearheaded and helped fund a formal 37-page petition signed and presented on Oct. 22 to New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The petition presents a compelling case, asking Spitzer to open a criminal investigation into the Bush administration's role in the events of 9/11.

 At present, a spokesman for Spitzer said a full evaluation of the allegations is underway, but no decision to bring charges has yet been made.

 "We are still gathering signatures and evidence in this on going effort to bring the culprits in government to justice," said Walter, expressing hope that Spitzer will empanel a grand jury to begin the wheels of justice moving.

 Besides the petition movement, Walter has publicly offered up to a $100,000 prize to anyone who can adequately support the government's version of 9/11. He is in the process of working out the details for a national contest to be held among college engineering, students, the first prize going to the student who can substantiate the government's story.

 At present, the legal and technical details are being worked out for a planned summer contest promotion to culminate with a large media event in New York.

 Since Walter's enthusiasm has been matched by his monetary contributions, it is appropriate to look at exactly what the government has spent on getting at the truth behind the attacks.

 "Why have they only spent $600,000 investigating the WTC collapse versus $40 million spent on Clinton's sex life," he adds. "The entire 9/11 Commission only spent $15 million while all expenditures on Clinton's indiscretions exceeded $65 million. Now just ask yourself, does that add up? If the government was serious at getting at the truth, the Bush Administration would have put its money where its mouth was like I have."

 In order to gain momentum for his petition handed to the New York Attorney General, Walter has posted a website at www.reopen911.org. There you can find his open letter to concerned Americans, listing numerous documented reasons why the government is lying about 9/11.

 "One thing for certain is that the cold hard facts surrounding the collapse of the towers and the Pentagon attack prove our government is not telling us the whole truth," Walter said. "We recently commissioned a Zogby Poll that reported 66 percent of New Yorkers wanted the 911 investigation reopened. Moreover, 49 percent thought the VIPs in government knew about it and did nothing."

 Walter said his main goal is to force the reopening of the 9/11 Commission and to have the New York Attorney General begin a criminal investigation.

 Asked if he felt his money was well spent, he added: "The truth will one day be told and anytime money is spent for truthful purposes, it is money well spent."