Professor's Questions About Sandy Hook Shooting Recall Columbine Massacre

Dominant Social Theme: Sandy Hook conspiracy theories are appalling and outrageous.

Free-Market Analysis: A recent CNN/Anderson Cooper “Keeping Them Honest” segment focused on a media professor, James Tracy, who has publicly claimed that the Sandy Hook shootings “may not have happened at all, at least … the way they have been described.”
An article by the Sun Sentinel describes the Tracy controversy as follows:

FAU prof stirs controversy by disputing Newtown massacre … A communication professor known for conspiracy theories has stirred controversy at Florida Atlantic University with claims that last month’s Newtown, Conn., school shootings did not happen as reported — or may not have happened at all.

Moreover, James Tracy asserts in radio interviews and on his memoryholeblog.com, that trained “crisis actors” may have been employed by the Obama administration in an effort to shape public opinion in favor of the event’s true purpose: gun control.

… In one of his blog posts, “The Sandy Hook School Massacre: Unanswered Questions and Missing Information,” Tracy cites several sources for his skepticism, including lack of surveillance video or still images from the scene, the halting performance of the medical examiner at a news conference, timeline confusion, and how the accused shooter was able to fire so many shots in just minutes …

Tracy said also has doubts about the official version of the Kennedy assassination, the Oklahoma City bombing, the 9-11 terror attacks and the Aurora, Colo., theater murders.
“I describe myself as a scholar and public intellectual,” he said, “interested in going more deeply into controversial public events. Although some may see [my theories] as beyond the pale, I am doing what we should be doing as academics.”

Cooper is at his silky best in this segment, blasting away at the professor’s theories and even implying that he ought to be fired for voicing such an opinion.

The program made attempts to get Tracy on air but the professor (perhaps wisely) declined. He did issue a nuanced apology in which he voiced regret that he had added to any family’s pain with his views but he didn’t retract his opinion that there was more to the Sandy Hook shootings than had been reported.

And while Anderson Cooper and CNN (and others) may find it “outrageous” for someone to state that professional reporting was inadequate in such cases, the case of the Columbine High School shootings provides us with a stubborn rebuttal to the idea that the mainstream press always reports adequately in such situations.

Two individuals – Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17 – were said to be responsible for the horrible shootings at Columbine High School outside Littleton, Colorado, on April 20, 1999, leaving 15 dead and 23 wounded. But as we’ve reported before, there are at least 100 reports of eyewitnesses claiming to see more shooters and others generally beyond the two young suspects that later supposedly committed suicide at the scene.

You can see a summary of these reports at Whatreallyhappened.com.

These summaries are cited in hundreds if not thousands of posts on the Internet and on such alternative media Web sites at Infowars. Below is a sampling; while the provenance of these reports is not always clear, the sheer number of them and the detail certainly warrant further investigation.

But that’s not going to come from CNN or Anderson Cooper. He’s too busy “debunking” the idea that mainstream reporting ever gets it wrong or that such massacres might not have been adequately explained.

Columbine: 101 witnesses can’t be wrong 

According to the final report of the investigation, only two people–Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17–planned and executed the mass shooting at Columbine High School outside Littleton, Colorado, on April 20, 1999, leaving 15 dead and 23 wounded. But at least 101 eye- and ear- witnesses remembered it differently: 

1) Chris Wisher, sophomore (1261) He turned and saw two guys carrying shotguns, and wearing black trench coats. A 3rd guy wearing a white T-shirt and jeans was seen throwing bombs onto the roof. 

2) Jake Apodaca, sophomore (653) He was at the soccer field, heard firecrackers. He turned and saw two guys carrying shotguns, wearing black trench coats and black T-shirts. A 3rd guy wearing a white T-shirt and jeans was seen throwing bombs onto the roof.
3) Jonathan Cole, freshman (749) He noticed two tall guys in black trench coats. He then saw a third male, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. This person looked over to the other two suspect, and yelled “GO!! GO!!”. 

4) William Arapkiles, freshman (660) He states that he was at the soccer field, and heard firecrackers. He turned and saw 3 people near the West entrance. Two were wearing black trench coats, and carrying guns. The third was wearing a white T-shirt, and no visible gun. The person in the white T-shirt was pacing back and forth about 5′ away from the two gunmen. 

5) Channel 7 News at 12pm(noon) on 4-20 (EP 21-244) “Reporter said that numerous witnesses he spoke to who were not named said they saw 3 gunmen.” 

6) Lindsay Elmore, junior (332)”I believe there were 3 gunmen.” (340) “…there was so much movement that Elmore thought there was more than two people.” 

7) ACSO Nelson (8810) “… a list of 3 names that the 12 witnesses ID’d from a yearbook were turned over to ACSO investigators to forward.” 

8) Jason Baer, sophomore (1759) Hid in greenroom off science hall “I heard more than two people yelling to each other saying ‘over here’ and stuff.” 

9) Anthony Sammauro, freshman (5071) “Tony stated that two suspects came in the front door and one came in the side door.” 

10) Erik Sunde, freshman (4576) Saw two gunmen downstairs near cafeteria, runs upstairs and sees another person in trenchcoat in front of library doors. 

(Video from Buzz Sourse’s YouTube user channel.)

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