Finallly, let's recall what prompted me to post in the first place:
Tom has proposed that the columns were intentionally severed, and as one element of the proposal suggested that it would be trivial to simply "unbolt" the columns. However, his entire backing for this has not been positive evidence, but merely attempts to find limitations in the currently known and accepted narrative. Regardless of any shortcomings in the investigations or body of knowledge that has been built, the fact remains that even if you accept his base proposals (analysis limited to 3 columns, ignore other significant elements, ignore modeling, ignore acceptance by code bodies across the world, etc.), the fact remains that he's presented far less evidence - zero - than what he acknowledges (much less ignores) supporting the narrative he's arguing against. His entire argument is "something else happened", but he's provided zero as far as supporting that "something else". Furthermore, even accepting his critiques regarding the NIST report, Bazant, etc., none of them even open the door to allowing intentional demolitions to become a possibility. Even if you accept that the number of steel pieces studied were insufficient, it still remains that their state does not indicate alternate failure modes therefore alternate collapse initiation events. Clearly, none of the studied columns showed signs of intentional demolition, but why they don't and others would goes unremarked upon by Tom. The point here is that even if one was to ignore the current body of knowledge, there is zero provided by Tom that grants any legitimacy to the notion of intentional demolitions. When one accepts the current and total body of knowledge, though - studies it, understands the narrative it builds - one sees that the notion of intentional demolitions is not merely illegitimate, it is refuted.
Explosives demolitions are not possible; see the standard links at 9/11 Myths, Debunking 9/11, and previous threads here on the subject.
Incendiary demolitions are disproved; again, see the standard links already in existence.
Any evidence that may support or contradict the notion that someone could have "(removed) a few bolts with a wrench" has not been built yet, but it can be considered in the context of what is known:
- Jets had impacted the towers.
- Those impacts started large, intense fires
- Major_Tom's suggestion is to investigate the possibility of suspicious activity on the collapse initiation zone floors.
In sum, Major_Tom is suggesting that there may be something suspicious to be known about in an area
that had just been hit by a speeding jetliner and was on fire. To support this notion, he complains that elements of studies like the NIST report, and papers like what Bazant had published, were insufficient. This is silly in the extreme. Regardless of whatever shortcomings can be identified regarding the current body of fact and knowledge, there is nothing about the collapses that cannot be explained by the impacts and subsequent fires. And there is zero provided by what is known that justifies including intentional demolitions or malicious plotting in the narrative.