by Don Kazak

"This is the stupidest thing you could do," the man said.

He was frowning, looking at the collection of books and leaflets Carol Brouillet sets up every Wednesday in Lytton Plaza in downtown Palo Alto.

"I disagree," Brouillet said, smiling in the face of his disapproval. The Palo Alto mom and Scout leader has come to believe there was a conspiracy behind the 9-11 attacks and the U.S. government was somehow involved. There is a growing cottage industry of 9-11 conspiracy theorists, with many books being written and a few films being made.

Some theories seem far-fetched, to put it mildly. But Brouillet will talk willingly and at length about them. She helped produce a conspiracy-theme comedy event in Palo Alto and San Francisco last February and even took her efforts on the road to Toronto in April.

Brouillet does get a lot of smiles for the anti-Bush sentiment that's part of her spiel. Conspiracies or not, some people love to hate President George W. Bush these days.

Brouillet isn't a one-woman show anymore, as she has been mostly for the last three years of her Wednesday efforts.

She now has a posse -- more than a dozen were on hand last week for what started out as a typical Brouillet effort of passing out leaflets, selling bumper stickers and buttons and talking to passersby. Some people are curious, and most seem supportive of her efforts.

The 9-11 Commission report is a bestseller, but it didn't answer many of the questions being raised by critics, including who financed the hijackings, Brouillet said, .

And Michael Moore's movie, "Farenheit 9/11," is fueling criticism of the Bush administration over the invasion of Iraq. "With Farenheit 9/11, people realize the government has been lying to them about Iraq," Brouillet said. "But how far does it go? Does it include 9-11?"

"I admire her," said Rudy Posch, a retired teacher from Los Altos . "It's amazing she can be out here so much. It takes a lot of guts and dedication."

George Johnson is one of the regulars who show up on Wednesdays. Johnson served with the Navy in Vietnam and is part of a group, Veterans for Peace. He's also a budding singer.

"Your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore," he sang to the small crowd. "It's already overcrowded from your dirty little war." He was accompanied by Annie Pfagler strumming a guitar. With Annie's husband, Phil, they comprise Annie and the Vets. They have a CD, "Touch a Name on the Wall," referring to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The songs are anti-war, not about 9-11, but the 9-11 movement is gaining some traction within the peace movement. And anything anti-Bush seems to have a ready market this election season, at least in the Bay Area.

Johnson, who was a member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War -- the group Sen. John Kerry was part of 30 years ago -- said Veterans for Peace has tripled in members in since 9-11 and the subsequent invasion of Iraq.

"I've been doing this stuff for 38 years," he said.

But last Wednesday's gathering had a broader purpose than just trying to win support of passersby. After two hours in Lytton Plaza, the little band started on a march around downtown, blowing whistles and chanting anti-Bushisms, startling the lunch crowd in restaurants who wondered what all the commotion was about.

They had a destination in mind, a purpose to their strides. They were heading Anna Eshoo's way.

Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, has her congressional district office just two blocks south of Lytton Plaza, and that's where Brouillet steered the group.

They burst into Eshoo's small waiting area, filling it. Field Rep Charlie Pollak greeted them and asked them to sign in, which they all did. Pollak listened earnestly and took notes for Eshoo, who wasn't there.

Brouillet targeted Eshoo because she is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and co-sponsor of a bill reconstituting the CIA.

"I did write her and I expect some sort of response," Brouillet told the polite Pollak.

"I don't have a public response from her," Pollak said. "I'm sorry."

Later, an Eshoo staff member told me Eshoo has written to Brouillet 118 times in recent years in response to her queries.

"Yeah, but mostly form letters," Brouillet said.

Don Kazak is a Weekly senior staff writer. He can be e-mailed at dkazak@paweekly.com.