Others considered their prior for "the government is ready to conduct massively risky operations that kill thousands of its own citizens as a publicity stunt",

If I understood you correctly you write "the government is ready to conduct massively risky operations that kill thousands of its own citizens as a publicity stunt" as a statement of fact. And this very fact is just one where differing views exist and that has been debated on this forum. So in order to make a point you use as a fact something that is under dispute, hence my comment. It would be possible to make the point you want to make without using any disputed facts or controversial/sensitive topics at all and therefore avoid all the controversy.

Just to put it into numbers, of the 161 comments that this post generated so far 53 where in reply to woozle's and 12 in reply to my observation on the 9/11 paragraph. This totals 53+1+12+1 == 67 comments or 41%. Almost half the comments are in regards to this issue. So at least numerically I think it is undeniable that unfortunately the discussion has been derailed. Btw, this wasn't my purpose and I assume neither it was woozle's, in fact I regret having written anything at all because I think it is futile, and as an aside have been downvoted by 40 points total. Not that I care that much about karma anyway but I have the impression that I have been downvoted mostly as a form of punishment because of my dissenting view than for not arguing according to the site's rules.

An alternative formulation I'm pulling out of my hat now, and I'm not a good writer:

Or take the debate about the existence of ghosts and other supernatural phenomena. Some people think that unexplained and otherwise suspicious things in an abandoned house have to mean that ghosts exist. Others considered their prior for "ghosts and supernatural entities exist and are ready to conduct physical operations that scare thousands of people around the world", judged that to be overwhelmingly unlikely, and thought it far more probable that something else caused the suspicious things.

One drawback of my alternative is that people who actually believe in ghosts might take offense, but AFAIK at least on this site this issue has never been a source of debate.