This is more of a review of some of the less articulate reviews about this book.
You may notice that detractors of this book who give it a poor review do so by using a lot of ridicule and insulting comments, apparently these reviewers were not on the debate team in school.
Terms such as "you are just stupid" don't win debates. You need to explain why they are stupid with facts.

One reviewer who claims to be an engineer says the buildings were designed to withstand impacts by airliners, but not a plane load of fuel.
Think about that for a second...
Were the designers of the building under the impression that most planes are powered by a wound rubber band?
I don't think so, most people will agree to get a large passenger plane in the air and keep it there you'll need a lot of fuel, maybe even a full tank of it.

When fuel explodes what causes the explosion? the ignited fuel. So why would most of the fuel escape through an elevator shaft? Answer... it would not, an explosion would cause the fuel to fly outward in all directions. The elevators shaft was not a straight shot all the way to the ground floor either it had numerous chambers to prevent the spread of fire.

Another reviewer thinks that only a competent government could pull off the attacks, incompetent or not it doesn't matter when you hire out professionals to do the majority of the work.
I mean when you can't fix your car you hire a pro, just because you can't fix your car doesn't mean you're too stupid to hire someone qualified to do it.

What it boils down to is this... the 70-80 floors beneath the affected areas were not in any way affected by the fires, yet all those floors and hundreds of vertical beams that get thicker and stronger as they go down blew up at free-fall speeds and the top portion was also obliterated.

The book is well researched, i've sourced all the quotes and others have as well, the questions in the book are fairly simple and if peoples emotions were not clouding their minds they would be able to think logically on this subject.

And no, the idea of explosive demolition is not absurd, rather it is the only explanation.

Here's my brief comparison of the two theories, the governments (which came out on 9-12-01) and the alternative theory which has been developed over time.

Official theory
regarding the collapse of the WTC 1,2, 7

Fires caused the collapse of the WTC buildings 1,2, the few weakened floors gave way falling onto the floor below it causing it to collapse and so on.... This is called the pancake collapse theory.

No official theory on building seven's collapse has been offered by the government.

This theory has no precedent, and has not been duplicated before or after 9/11.
Empirical evidence
No fire has ever been proven to cause any multi story steel frame building to collapse before or after.

Given the fact that their theory has not been tested it cannot be considered viable.

Considering the long odds of this occuring, odds that get longer every day a steel framed building doesn't collapse due to fire, its a good bet that fire didn't cause this collapse.


Counter theory
Regarding the collapse of the WTC 1,2,7

Explosives placed prior to 9/11 caused the collapse of WTC buildings 1,2,7

#1 Video evidence shows explosions, as well as molten metal emanating from the building as it collapsed.

#2 Audio evidence shows the sound of explosions, as well as police warning people about more bombs.

#3 The floors didn't end up stacked like pancakes, rather they were turned to dust.

#4 Its been scientifically proven (with computer simulations) that the floors would not fail at even higher temps than on 9/11.

#5 In the 70's a fire raged thru the entire sixth floor and burned all night, yet caused no damage to the structure. Afterwards the floor was simply refurbished.

#6 The Windsor building in Spain burned day and night at higher temps, yet it didn't collapse. The Windsor didn't have the huge steel core columns, rather it had a concrete core.

#6 Using explosives buildings can and will fall at freefall speeds like the trade centers, explosives will also cause a building to fall straight down 99.9% of the time.

#7 Fire has never been proven to cause the collapse of a steel frame building, during recorded history.

If you believe the line about how the towers fell due to heat, fire, impact...you need to read this book. Warning: When you present people you know with the hardcore evidence that this book presents, you will know first hand what "willfully ignorant" means. People don't want to know the truth! As the title of the book says, it's "painfull" to accept the truth sometimes.

This is one of the best 9-11 books (with its own video) and I am persuaded by this author and others that 9-11 has not been properly investigated, and that there has been a major cover-up. The video is very powerful, very detailed, very thoughtfully narrated, and carries this book and this author to the very top of the list of reasoned and thus authoritative contributions.

Unlike the other 9/11 books I have reviewed, this book, which is letterhead size, is a brilliantly compelling collection of color photographs, color diagrams, thoughtful calculations, and plain text in two columns. The book and the DVD represent, in my opinion, the single best personal effort, and the single most credible case, to the effect that 9-11 was a huge scam on the American public.

The book, and the DVD, are *exhaustive*. There is no better word.

I especially like the author's discussion of the Oklahoma City bombing as a preview of a diversion (the truck bomb versus two airplanes) combined with controlled demolitions. Unexploded bombs are reported to have been found at the Federal Building, with news clippings. The author also covers the destruction of a wedding hall in Israel, and the downing of an Egyptian airplane, as rehearsals for 9-11.

I personally believe that the WTC were brought down by controlled demolitions planted by order of Larry Silverstein, but I am not certain if his action was done in partnership with Rudy Guliani and Dick Cheney, or on his own. The author does not mention the aspestos problem facing Larry Silverstein, for that I recommend viewing the DVD "Loose Change" as well as "9/11 The Press for Truth."

I also believe that the evidence strongly suggests that the Pentagon was hit by a missile fired by the US, and that there has been a massive cover-up.

I am relatively certain that 9-11 was allowed to happen, and that the majority of those who died--over 80%--died by order of Larry Silverstein, with or without the explicit protective consent of Dick Cheney.

I am quite certain that the 9-11 Commission was a deliberate cover-up, and that Controlled Demolition, all of the WTC security people, the insurance executives, and key Pentagon officials have not been properly investigated.

One day these monsters will be held to account. I have to say, on the basis of all that I have read, viewed, and thought, that it is not Bin Laden that has brought down the Republic, but rather Dick Cheney. Our most fearsome enemies are domestic, not foreign.

Bottom line: the political leadership of America can not be trusted and are almost certainly guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors (see my lists on holding Cheney accountable, and on impeachment guides for citizens).

This is one of the best 9-11 books (with its own video) and I am persuaded by this author and others that 9-11 has not been properly investigated, and that there has been a major cover-up. The video is very powerful, very detailed, very thoughtfully narrated, and carries this book and this author to the very top of the list of reasoned and thus authoritative contributions.

Unlike the other 9/11 books I have reviewed, this book, which is letterhead size, is a brilliantly compelling collection of color photographs, color diagrams, thoughtful calculations, and plain text in two columns. The book and the DVD represent, in my opinion, the single best personal effort, and the single most credible case, to the effect that 9-11 was a huge scam on the American public.

The book, and the DVD, are *exhaustive*. There is no better word.

I especially like the author's discussion of the Oklahoma City bombing as a preview of a diversion (the truck bomb versus two airplanes) combined with controlled demolitions. Unexploded bombs are reported to have been found at the Federal Building, with news clippings. The author also covers the destruction of a wedding hall in Israel, and the downing of an Egyptian airplane, as rehearsals for 9-11.

I personally believe that the WTC were brought down by controlled demolitions planted by order of Larry Silverstein, but I am not certain if his action was done in partnership with Rudy Guliani and Dick Cheney, or on his own. The author does not mention the aspestos problem facing Larry Silverstein, for that I recommend viewing the DVD "Loose Change" as well as "9/11 The Press for Truth."

I also believe that the evidence strongly suggests that the Pentagon was hit by a missile fired by the US, and that there has been a massive cover-up.

I am relatively certain that 9-11 was allowed to happen, and that the majority of those who died--over 80%--died by order of Larry Silverstein, with or without the explicit protective consent of Dick Cheney.

I am quite certain that the 9-11 Commission was a deliberate cover-up, and that Controlled Demolition, all of the WTC security people, the insurance executives, and key Pentagon officials have not been properly investigated.

One day these monsters will be held to account. I have to say, on the basis of all that I have read, viewed, and thought, that it is not Bin Laden that has brought down the Republic, but rather Dick Cheney. Our most fearsome enemies are domestic, not foreign.

Bottom line: the political leadership of America can not be trusted and are almost certainly guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors (see my lists on holding Cheney accountable, and on impeachment guides for citizens).

I am not a conspiracy theory person, in fact I've always laughed at them.

But reading this book certainly has made me question a lot of things!!!

Read it with an open mind. And then decide if the arguments hold water or not.

I am not a conspiracy theory person, in fact I've always laughed at them.

But reading this book certainly has made me question a lot of things!!!

Read it with an open mind. And then decide if the arguments hold water or not.

OK, wake up America! How did the towers free fall to the ground? What mass of energy was so strong as to pulverize the reinforced concrete to dust? Why very quickly destroy evidence by immediately shipping off all steel to China for re-cycling? Building 7 looked exactly like an everyday controlled demolition. You have to be a blind man not to see that. Why was it so, so very hot at the base of the collapsed towers for so long after? Have you never seen a magic trick before?

I'll admit that the official story of the events on September 11 are suspect. But that's all I will conclude. The way the story unfolds in the media and the explanations for it all appear to be hiding some evidence. Why? I don't know, and frankly, after reading the author's very slanted view of events, am even less interested to find out. I was interested in reading the facts and evidence that exist, but his whole book was one big conspiracy theory strung together by edited quotes and simplified facts. And his summary about not fighting the Axis of Good was just over the top. Maybe the truth would only hurt us more than we know. Call me naive and ignorant, but I would rather live my life with a "half full" mentality. I enjoy my life and the choices I am able to make in America and since I have not the power to change the unfortunate events of Sept 11, I'll continue to live my humble life and not waste any more time worrying, fearing, and doubting the catastrophic events of that day. What will that accomplish? What I will continue to do is pay respect and remember the 2,000+ lives that were lost - people I didn't know - but sons, daughters, wives, husbands, friends, moms, etc.

Eric Hufschmid believes that Bush and Cheney and the entire government were involved in a large conspiracy to take down the WTC towers and building 7, as well as the Pentagon and another target. To believe this one must not answer the "painful question" of "Is the government's story a cover-up?" but "Is our bumbling and stumbling government capable of pulling this off?"

Hufschmid makes the assumption that the latter is a resounding "yes." The War on Terror is going terribly (I am basing this on bin Laden remaining free and not on anything else) and yet one September morn our government workd so well nearly 3,000 people died without any of us being the wiser to the conspiracy.

The government can't find a terrorist or cover up Abu Ghraib, but they can pull of Sept. 11th?

Not in a million years Mr. Hufshmid. Our government is not responsible for 9/11 because covering it up would take something much more evil/intelligent than our government to do it. 9/11 took a group of people dreaming of destroying America. Maybe in Hufschmid's crazy head our government is radically bent on destruction, but that's pretty paranoid. Sure, some people are probably "evil," but the odds of a decent human-being hearing about this so-called "conspiracy" and not speaking out about it is pretty insane.

For some added fun let us also consider that Hufschmid is an antisemite who believes the world is controlled by "Zionists" and that white supremecist groups are ran by these Zionists so they may compile a list of people willing to help the "goyim" so they can destroy them... I'm not making that up; check his website. Hufschmid believes that. Do you really care what his "painful questions" are when his bullsh8t reality is so completely insane?

I award him two stars for being able to find someone to publish this moronic drivel.

Remember, if our government is behind 9/11 that would make them competent and do you really believe that?

The sins of child molesters, thieves and murderers pale in comparison to the crimes of the Bush family and the Democrats and Republicans who turned their heads on 9/11. MLK Jr. said "The hottest place in hell is reserved for those WHO CHOOSE neutrality in times of great moral conflict". Discern that!

Painful Questions is a most straight forward look at a complex issue. This is where to begin if you are new to 9/11 research! From the ground up, Hufschmid takes the evidence from mainstream sources and spells it out. At the same time he really doesn't tell you what to think! Sounds impossible right? I am telling you that if any book leads to solving this crime it will be Hufschmid's! Add a dose of humor and you can see why this book is so wonderful and disarming.

After reading the reviews I decided to check it out and was very pleased with the decision. Hufschmid addressed questions that were fundamentals to the historical event on 9/11/01, which seemed to be overly exploited for a tragic and costly venture we've seen today in Iraq. This book obviously has caused lots of uncomfortable feelings among those who are "involved" in the tragedy on 9/11. If 9/11 smells funny to you, then this book confirms your suspicion. Some reviewers have unjustifiably discounted this book as one that embraces conspiracy theories. This book raises serious questions that must be either disproved or proven. Either case, it's worth looking into.

So, pick up the book and read it with an open mind. Then it's up to you to decide whether you want to believe it. But don't shut yourself out of the opportunity to seek the truth. Don't be afraid of the truth because the truth only kills the "bad guys".

Have you ever been in a classroom where someone breaks the "no question is too stupid" rules, and really does ask a stupid question? Well, that's all Eric does in this book. OK, he might have one good question (that anybody can GUESS the answer, by the way), but he then jerks off onto waves of unrelated tangents. Eric rants by asking questions that either have already been answered, or never will be because it is simply too expensive to do the kind of engineering analysis his questions demand, or nobody cares because they are so off the wall.
The book does have many excellent 9/11 pictures.

"Does it hurt to be this dumb?"

We can only hope so.

Erics book does an excellent job of illustrating
the evidence available in 2002 proving that the attack on 9/11 was a scam, a fake terrorist attack.
A cruel hoax committed by rouge elements of our own government and others seeking to profit from war and oil.

It's a starting point for bringing the real terrorists to justice. A Nuremberg type trial is on the
horizon for the murderous filth who did this crime of the century.

Hufschmid embraces conspiracy theories, including the JFK and "we never went to the moon" plots. On Coast To Coast AM, that hotbed of fact and logic, Hufschmid suggested that Abraham Zapruder should have been investigated by the FBI. Why? His secretary held him steady atop a concrete platform while he filmed Kennedy's motorcade because, Hufschmid alleges, Zapruder had foreknowledge of the assassination, was anticipating gunfire, and knew he might lose his equilibrium when he heard the shots.

That's how absurd Hufschmid's "reasoning" gets. For the record, Zapruder had palsy or a balance problem. Zapruder's secretary encouraged him to take the 8mm movie camera he had recently purchased and film Kennedy's motorcade. He didn't anticipate gunfire, because analysis of his film shows that the camera shook in reaction to his hearing the shots. Had he anticipated gunshots, one assumes he would have been better prepared and would have also found a vantage point where he didn't have to be supported. Of course, if he was peripherally part of a conspiracy, why would he have been filming at all? This is just ridiculous stuff. Hufscmid is a self-miseducated crank.

Hufschmid embraces conspiracy theories, including the JFK and "we never went to the moon" plots. On Coast To Coast AM, that hotbed of fact and logic, Hufschmid suggested that Abraham Zapruder should have been investigated by the FBI. Why? His secretary held him steady atop a concrete platform while he filmed Kennedy's motorcade because, Hufschmid alleges, Zapruder had foreknowledge of the assassination, was anticipating gunfire, and knew he might lose his equilibrium when he heard the shots.

That's how absurd Hufschmid's "reasoning" gets. For the record, Zapruder had palsy or a balance problem. He didn't anticipate gunfire, because analysis of his film shows that the camera shook in reaction to his hearing the shots. Had he anticipated gunshots, one assumes he would have been better prepared and would have also found a vantage point where he didn't have to be supported. Of course, if he was peripherally part of a conspiracy, why would he have been filming at all? This is just ridiculous stuff. Hufscmid is a self-miseducated crank.

These questions really need to be asked by anyone with a critical mind interested in understanding how our government works.

Hufschmid's book asks all the right questions.

Ask yourself this... What brought down WTC-7? It certainly was not a fire. The fires in WTC-7 were very small and contained, as the photo evidence clearly shows on the afternoon of 9/11/01. Besides, prior to and since 9/11/01, no steel framed building has ever collapsed due to fire. Certainly, two small fires couldn't bring down a building like WTC-7. There is no logical reason to conclude that scenario. Besides, even the WTC-7 building owner stated on a PBS documentary that the Fire Dept. informed him that the buildings would be "pulled" (slang for a controlled demolishion) shortly before it collapsed. It should be obvious to anyone that WTC-7 was brought down with explosives. Why? Is that where the 9/11 operation was run out of? Was there a need to destroy the evidence? Did it also help corporate America to get rid of this pesky building full of SEC offices and other government offices? If WTC-7 was obviously brought down with explosives, is it really hard to imagine that WTC-1 and WTC-2 were also brought down in this manner (again no steel-framed building prior to or since has collapsed due to fire)?

The sad thing is that young, impressionable people will read this garbage and believe it. If you notice some of the same morons that created a "conspiracy" industry regarding the JFK murder are resurfacing for the 9/11 inside scoop.

Hundreds of witnesses SAW, with their own eyes, a commerical 757 hit the pentegon. I know, George Bush must have paid these people off....and he is hiding the passengers of Flight 77 in a Bunker and paying off their families with all the additional money he made from "Big Oil".

Please don't fill this idiots pockets by purchasing this garbage.

Here's the type of bombshell you'll find in this sinister, yet ridiculous book. Hufschmid writes with dark sarcasm, "What a coincidence the terrorists did not hit Rumsfeld's office." Wow, Hufschmid, that's dynamite stuff! Wouldn't the coincidence be if the plane happened to hit Rumsfeld's office in a building that covers 29 acres? Hufschmid purports to think that a drone, not an American Airlines 757, hit the Pentagon. Why is it, then, that hundreds of drivers on the 14-lane highway next to the Pentagon saw an American Airlines 757 and not a single witness saw a drone?

See:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blflight77w.htm

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/pentagon.htm

I have spent much, much time investigating 9-11. I don't take lightly accusations of it being an inside job, but the evidence is overwhelming. Mr. Hufschmid and many others have done good work raising questions that our government and media deem unimportant. As for the towers, Craig Hill's new video TREASON shows the "Squibs", which are accelerated jets of smoke propelled by explosives, exiting the building well ahead of the collapse. And they are visible on Building 7 as well. The, quite literal, smoking gun.
History shows 9-11 is nothing new. False flag operations to go to war are the norm. So is a half asleep public. But in this age of information and video, we have a chance to wake up. Let's not fail to speak the truth about 9-11. It may be our last chance to stop black ops tyranny.

Don't listen to these arm-chair scientists, physicists and structural engineers that bash this book. Hufschmid shows that the government's story is a complete joke and could not have happened the way they say. Wake up propaganda slaves, demanding answers about the murders of 3.000 of your fellow citizens IS patriotic. The leaders you worship did this. Deal with it.

If this book has no merit, would a guy who doesn't even know the author spend $3,000,000 of his own money to promote and advertise it? Check the link and see if this book is a fairy tale or if what you believe is really fiction.

http://www.reopen911.org/

Hufschmid's idea that the WTC and Building 7 were demolished with explosives that were placed in the buildings in preparation for the 9-11 attack is absurd.

Yes, there are a lot of unanswered questions, but the idea that hundreds of people got together to put explosives in the WTC and Blgd. 7 months before the attack is ludicrous.

I exchanged email with Hufschmid in December 2004 and when I started asking the Painful Question, he said he had no more time to communicate with me.

Hufschmid has an interesting thesis, but it does not hold weight.