USA Today?.. 9/11 Victim: "Silence cannot be bought"

[TruthIsAll]

Beverly Eckert, Kristen Breitweiser, Ellen Mariani et al vs. BushCo.
They want justice. Some things are more important than payoffs.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-12-19-oppose_x.htm

'Silence cannot be bought'
By Beverly Eckert

I've chosen to go to court rather than accept a payoff from the 9/11 victims compensation fund. Instead, I want to know what went so wrong with our intelligence and security systems that a band of religious fanatics was able to turn four U.S passenger jets into an enemy force, attack our cities and kill 3,000 civilians with terrifying ease. I want to know why two 110-story skyscrapers collapsed in less than two hours and why escape and rescue options were so limited.

I am suing because unlike other investigative avenues, including congressional hearings and the 9/11 commission, my lawsuit requires all testimony be given under oath and fully uses powers to compel evidence.

snip

By suing, I've forfeited the "$1.8 million average award" for a death claim I could have collected under the fund. Nor do I have any illusions about winning money in my suit. What I do know is I owe it to my husband, whose death I believe could have been avoided, to see that all of those responsible are held accountable. If we don't get answers to what went wrong, there will be a next time. And instead of 3,000 dead, it will be 10,000. What will Congress do then?

So I say to Congress, big business and everyone who conspired to divert attention from government and private-sector failures: My husband's life was priceless, and I will not let his death be meaningless. My silence cannot be bought.

Beverly Eckert, whose husband died at the World Trade Center, is the founder of Voices of September 11th, a victims advocacy group.

[goforit]

1. Beverly Eckert is admirable!!!! My humble and utmost respect to her!!

Hats off to you!!!

:hug:

[kentuck]

2. The Democrats need to support these ladies more....

than they have up to this point. Is it too much to ask that they have their questions answered?

[Sterling]

16. I agree but it seems many dems would rather ridicule these people

As "conspiracy theorists" wearing "tin foil" hats. Shame.

[Smokie]

3. We're with you, Beverly

All the way to the end. May Justice prevail.

Wonder what the anti-conspiracy theory folks think about her statement:"So I say to Congress, big business and everyone who conspired to divert attention from government and private-sector failures: My husband's life was priceless, and I will not let his death be meaningless. My silence cannot be bought."

To you who deny any conspiracy exists, do you agree that there is a conspiracy to keep the facts away from America? And if so, why? Why is there a conspiracy to prevent the truth from seeing the light of day?

[Q]

4. It's a shame that she has to sue to see justice done...

...when congress should be doing this work for her and the others.

- This also pretty much shows that there IS a coverup going on...and that both sides of the political spectrum are part of it. Their silence is deafening.

[Cocoa]

5. what is it with females the last few years?

it seems like any time people in power are held accountable for wrongdoing, a woman is the one doing it. Or is it just my imagination?

[9215]

7. Its the second question.

let's not get sexist. :eyes:

[catzies]

28. No, there really are plenty of women whistleblowers. Take a look:

I'm agreeing with Cocoa on this one, who I think was being sarcastic anyway because it's true.

Think for a second about:

Coleen Rowley, FBI whistleblower
Sherron Watkins, Enron whistleblower
Cynthia Cooper, WorldCom whistleblower

They were Time Magazine's 2002 Persons of the Year!
http://www.whistleblowers.org/TIME.htm

And the Sept. 11 widows and their activism, and their refusal to be good girls and shut up and go away:

Kristen Breitweiser
Mindy Kleinberg
Lorie Van Auken
Patty Casazza
Ellen Mariani

Here are some less famous names:
WOMEN OF COURAGE: WHISTLEBLOWERS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST
http://www.whistleblower.org/article.php?did=299&scid=93

[MoonRiver]

6. I have contributed to Peaceful Tomorrows and am reading their book

http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/

These victims' families are incredibly wonderful people. They are desperately trying to stop other families across the globe from experiencing the needless bloodshed and losses they have. Their mantra to b*shco's imperialistic violence under the guise of revenge for 9/11 is NOT IN OUR NAME!

[kanrok]

8. Good for her

I wish her all the best. I'm ashamed to admit that in the immediate aftermath of 9-11 I was extremely supportive of the compensation fund. I distinctly remember arguing that there was "no way for anyone to predict that hijackers would use airplanes to crash into buildings." I actually supported the proposition that granted immunity to the airlines and all others who could be sued. I believed that there was no "forseeability" to these crimes. In retrospect I was WAY off base. There are just too many questions left unanswered. Also, the speed with which the legislation regarding the compensation fund was rammed through Congress was astonishing. God bless these families. Maybe now we'll get the answers we deserve.

[Jose Diablo]

30. I was also stunned

The events of 9-11 changed me. Prior to 9-11 my view was that events at federal and international levels had very low impact on my day to day living.

I remember thinking to myself as I watched the second tower collapse, "those b**t f**kers". To say I was angry would be an understatement. I wanted revenge. I do not know why I thought the Arabs were responsible at that time. Prejudice I guess.

I was around the Internet chat rooms spouting "God Bless Bush" and other horse-shit. An on-line buddy, Ranger57, gave me a link to AWOL and asked me to re-look into the recent events.

Understand, Ranger57, is a retired military man living in Florida. He has received many, many honors from WWII, Vietnam and other campaigns. IMHO a true patriot. He is an ex-ranger, BTW. An old warrior, practically blind (large fonts always caps) that spends his remaining days scouting the beaches with a metal detector looking for coins.

In the voice chat room I frequented, there was also an individual that worked in the Israeli embassy in London as a communications officer. I will not name him. This individual, was pushing hate against the Arabs. I have come to believe this individual is Mossad and he was in the voice chat rooms to spread disinformation and assist *Bush and company in their efforts to gain advantage from the events on 9-11. He is still hosting a voice chat room at Paltalk. The latest "Bush HQ 2004, Islamic terror". Understand, Paltalk is based in Denver, an American company being used to influence USA at "grassroots" level. But we do have free-speech so I guess its OK. I wonder though, how much of our thoughts are influence by foreign powers, that have a vested interest in how our government foreign policy is carried out.

At first I thought the Israeli guy was great. I mean, he talked so smooth with a British accent and touched my anger. Ranger helped me see what was going on.

When I started looking into the events on 9-11 and the history of *Bush, something clicked. Events I never understood, or even cared to understand from 40 years back to the present started to make sense. I then realized, we have a very serious problem in America.

I wandered into DU and found a source of good research.

Kanroc, you are not alone.

[young_at_heart]

9. Bush stayed in the classroom while we were being attacked

Why isn't the public outraged? I find this beyond strange and I heard Kristen Breitweiser talk about it also.....we were under attack and he just sat there????

[louis-t]

15. I thought I was the only one outraged about this.

I told one of my Republican aunts on Sept. 12, 2001 how unbelievable this was. He's sitting there for half an hour when the country's just been attacked? If he really was a target then he was not only endangering himself by staying there, but also those children.

[SpiralHawk]

23. yes, young-at-heart, but you forget

Bush had not finished reading his chidren's book on the pet goat. He needed to finish that before he could give any "thought" to defending America.

Talk about a goat.

[RBHam]

10. Can't wait to see this on CNN!

Wow! What a story! Are these ladies going to be on Larry King? I can see it now! All week - the Headlines: 9-11 widows to Bush : You Can't Buy Us Off! With a hard hitting report by Bob Franken on the intelligence lapses and why noone has been held to account!

THINK OF THE RATINGS!!!

Conspiracy theory has become shorthand for unspeakable truth.

[drdigi420]

29. uh, have you seen CNN lately?

all they care about is celebrities and the latest movie coming out

its just so much fluff these days

anderson 360? what is that tabloid crap all about?

hard news doesnt sell, fluff BS does

remember every single thing you see on tv has but one purpose:
to sell advertising

that is why CNN, which seems to be at least 50% supported by pharmacuetical ads refuses to attack the bush administration for sending its DEA into California to stop people from growing their own medicine.

CNN may not be quite as bad as FOX, but it's still FAR from being a News station.

[Code_Name_D]

11. We need that girl in office.

Beverly Eckert for Congress!

[maggrwaggr]

12. Wow! This (broken record) should be the biggest story out there

nothing else should be on the news but this.

But noooooooooo ......

[proud patriot]

13. Brave Woman

[maggrwaggr]

14. needs a kick for Sunday.

:kick:

[DUreader]

17. kick

[Wonk]

18. kick

[TruthIsAll]

31. Wonk..a kick for you, from TIA..n/t

/////

[oasis]

19. Powerful. (eom)

[Stephanie]

20. Wow! Check out David Brooks editorial, the neocons' response.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=28731

This is how the neocons are going to spin it. They're going to play the victim.

Beverly, let us know what we can do to help. We're there.

[graphixtech]

21. another widow's lawsuit and statements (photo)

9/11 widow Ellen Mariani (shown left with a friend), has filed a lawsuit against Bush and other White House officials.

"Our government had knowledge of this and took no steps to prevent it," Berg said. Mariani said no amount of money from the federal government would persuade her to back off from her legal fight. "I would eat dirt before Feinberg got me into the fund,"

Mariani said. "I am a person who wants to know what happened," said the 65-year-old grandmother, who is living off monthly Social Security checks. "Money is great, but not when it comes to a loved one being murdered."(http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/7467070.htm)


(November 29th, Kansas City Visibility action)
http://911Visibility.org/

9-11 Visibility Project-Kansas City will be hosting Ellen Mariani and her lawyer in Kansas City on February 22nd. Come and listen to their first hand experiences and hear the Truth about what the corporate media wants you to ignore.

[FreakinDJ]

22. 2 loud words once again

[RBHam]

24. Nine hundred and Eleven Missing Pieces

What don’t we know, and why don’t we know it?
by Alan Cabal, NY Press

http://www.nypress.com/16/53/news&columns/feature.cfm

excerpt:
One of the more compelling passages in Breitweiser’s statement concerns a July 5, 2001 White House gathering of the FAA, the Coast Guard, the FBI, Secret Service and INS wherein a top counter-terrorism official, Richard Clarke, stated that "something really spectacular is going to happen here, and it’s going to happen soon." Despite being put on heightened alert, intelligence agencies ignored–or at least dismissed–what is now widely known as the "Phoenix Memo."

On July 10, an FBI field agent in Phoenix, AZ, named Kenneth Williams reported suspicions of a hijacking plot. He recommended that the FBI investigate the possibility that al Qaeda operatives were training at U.S. flight schools, suggesting that Osama bin Laden’s followers may have been securing jobs as security guards, pilots and other personnel.

Too many questions remain, and Breitweiser is very thorough in outlining the possible failures of not only our government’s communication prior to the attack, but its response. She wonders why, for instance, the NY/NJ Port Authority didn’t evacuate the World Trade Center when they knew that a second plane was heading in? And why weren’t the F-16s and Stealth bombers that tracked on radar screens at approximately 8:05 a.m. used to prevent tragedy?

Concerning the attack on the Pentagon, Breitweiser notes that Washington Air Traffic Control Center was aware of the first plane before it hit the World Trade Center. And yet, the third plane–American Airlines Flight 77, soon to plunge into the Pentagon–made a few "loop de loops" over DC one hour and 45 minutes after Washington Center was made aware of the hijackings. Why, she asks, was our Air Force so late in its response?

[grannylib]

25. Yes, Chimpy stayed in the classroom with the Bill of Rights on the wall

right behind him (a document probably well above his reading level)

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

26. Beverly Eckert, Kristen Breitweiser, Ellen Mariani: American Heros

One and all! :) :bounce:

[nolabels]

27. Hey they said everything was for sale, are they lying again

They should go get Ari back, he was so good at spin.



http://www.publicintegrity.org/dtaweb/index.asp?L1=20&L2=24&L3=20&L4=50&L5=20