...I think the decline just marks how some of those people are finally realizing how ridiculous these controlled demolition theories are.
Agreed.
I suggest that the nano-thermite issue was a symptom of decline rather than causal.
My perspective being that Jones was losing "market standing" to Gage so he brought in thermXte as a marketing ploy - sort of a "new brand". It succeeded from that cynical perspective but such things have limited life as phenomena whether associated with 9/11 or not. And the Harrit et al Bentham fiasco caused infant sickness if not mortality to that initiative.
"Nano-thermXte" was simply another replay of "rebranding" or "repackaging" the product and had similar success.
I also see both of them in the same "ball park of truther tactics" as the emphasis put on WTC7 where IMO the tactics were:
First this is the context as I have seen it. WTC1/2 were easy to debunk technically because more than enough visual evidence to debunk "progression stage" and enough visible to add to reasoning to debunk "initiation stage" given the standard truther tactic of make a claim about some isolated detail then immediately "reverse burden of proof" to demand that the debunkers "prove it wasn't so" Both a procedural error - reverse burden - and logic error - prove a negative - and potentially an infinite series of prove negatives as goalposts are moved.
But the debunkers have been very tolerant of "reversed burden" - it lets us show how clever we are.
So WTC 7 was a present to truthers because the evidence was hidden and therefore not available for definitive proof of "no CD" but the faithful debunkers had set a precedent and kept trying to "prove" what should be obvious - no CD - BUT coming at it from the "truthers" setting of arse about logic. Helpful to truthers aren't we.
always willing to fight on their terms.
AND, in case you were starting to think I'd lost the plot, thermXte with or without the "nano" prefix is just as unprovable as WTC7 - so the deity's gift to truther mendacity.
BUT thermXte is at least one more level remote from the real truther goal of "Prove CD". Even if there was 100tonnes stockpile of thermXte at ground zero it is still a long way to go to show CD. I have said that thermXte is so minor a part as to be irrelevant. If "they" want to prove CD the challenge is to prove CD. If they can do that then thermXte may simply drop into place.
IMO overall what we are seeing is simply that 9/11 has lost interest. All those who held genuine concerns about (say) CD at WTC have long been satisfied that there was none. Same situation for the other big technical claims. And the three big issues are the only real ones in the technical arena.(or five if you count WTC as three separate issues). All the other technical stuff is merely support for the "big Three (Five)"
So with the real questions answered for all those who were more or less genuine and honest we are at the stage where nearly all of those remaining have no such genuine and reasoned concern.
Sure they are a mix of confusions and differing driving motivations - I think most being a confusion of "simply cannot think" with "personal dishonesty" and maybe a touch of "genuine delusion"....but essentially we are down to the ratbag dregs of trutherdom. And euthanasia is the only cure at that level.
[/adrenaline_rush]
PS I haven't forgotten the "socio-political" arena of MIHOP, LIHOP and LIHOOI - its similar to the technical side but more confused so I left it out of the above for simplicity.
- "simplicity" may be my delusion.