THE HANDSTAND |
august 2005 |
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Former Vietnam Combat and Commercial Pilot Firm Believer 9/11 Was Inside Government Job http://prisonplanet.com/Pages/Jul05/170705911.html There was no fooling former Air Force and commercial pilot Russ Wittenberg the morning of 9/11. He knew it was an inside job from the get-go, knowing the big boys were up to the same dirty tricks they played in the Kennedy assassination and Pearl Harbor. The government may have fooled millions of Americans with its cockamamie official story, but the former fighter pilot who flew over 100 combat missions in Vietnam and who sat for 35 years in the cockpit for Pan Am and United, wasnt one of them. Now, almost four years later, Wittenberg is still shaking his head in disbelief more than ever, saying the country he loved and fought so bravely 40 years ago has fallen in the deep, dark and sinister hands of fascist leaders who are quickly turning America into a military state. Although back in the beginning he seemed like a lone wolf in the hen house, hes noticed, especially in the last six months, more Americans waking up to the cold reality that the U.S. government staged 9/1l, started an illegal war in Iraq and basically is criminally responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of innocent lives here and abroad. Even though its a hard pill for some to swallow, Wittenberg says Americans need to wake up and wake up fast, holding those in government responsible even though it may mean a total makeover of the American political system. And for these despicable actions now taking place in the name of freedom, the former F-100 Vietnam fighter pilot, who knows what its like to be in harms way, directed a little military jab toward the Commander and Chief, saying: Oh, why doesnt he wake up and just fall on his sword. Talking about his obvious disgust for the Bush administration, he bundles 9/11 into the neo cons neat little contrived war package, saying it was the lynch pin needed to usher in a state of constant fear, a climate of war and a perfect setting for the unconstitutional Patriot Act and eventual martial law. If you would have told me back in the 1970s this was going to happen to America, I would have never imagined it. Its just not the same country I grew up in as all our Constitutional freedoms are being stripped away right before our very eyes, said Wittenberg in a telephone conversation from his home in Carefree Az., a picturesque and serene place on the map near Scottsdale. The government story they handed us about 9/11 is total B.S. plain and simple. I also thoroughly went over the recent 9/11 Commission report, finding about 110 outright lies and numerous other half-truths and omissions in an obvious cover-up of not only the truth but of a criminal investigation. Condaleeza Rice lied through her teeth when she testified and if I would have had her on the stand for 10 minutes, I would have had her in tears. Concerning 9/11, Wittenberg knew right off the bat the hijackers - who couldnt handle a Piper Cub - couldnt fly the big birds he flew for so many years, knowing the planes were also incapable of performing such high speed maneuvers as the government claimed. He
also knew the possibility of jet fuel bringing down the
towers made no sense. In fact, he knew the whole 9/11
story made about as much sense as crossing the Atlantic
in a row boat. And right after 9/11 when it was unpopular and considered almost treasonous to question the government, Wittenberg became the first commercial airline pilot with experience flying the jets used in 9/11 to publicly denounce the government story. Although speaking publicly on many occasions about the fictitious government account of 9/11, it wasnt until Sept. 16, 2004, his controversial remarks aired on Wing TV, sparking a heated debate among pilots and others clinging to the flimsy government account. Knowing the flight characteristics of the big birds like the back of his hand, Wittenberg convincingly argued there was absolutely no possibility that Flight 77could have descended 7,000 feet in two minutes, all the while performing a steep 270 degree banked turn before crashing into the Pentagons first floor wall without touching the lawn. Wittenberg claimed the high speed maneuver would have surely stalled the jetliner sending it into a nose dive, adding it was totally impossible for an amateur who couldnt even fly a Cessna to maneuver the jetliner in such a highly professional manner, something Wittenberg said he couldnt do with 35 years of commercial jetliner experience. For a guy to just jump into the cockpit and fly like an ace is impossible there is not one chance in a thousand, said Wittenberg, recalling that when he made the jump from Boeing 727s to the highly sophisticated computerized characteristics of the 737s through 767s it took him considerable time to feel comfortable flying. I had to be trained to use the new, computerized systems. I just couldnt jump in and fly one, he added. Finding more inconsistencies with the government story about Flight 77, Wittenberg recalled the recent statements made by a flight controller on an ABC 20/20 television program three months ago. If you listened to her carefully only an experienced pilot probably would have known that what she was saying was scripted, said Wittenberg. Remember the transponder was turned off on Flight 77 and when this occurs, all the particular flight data like air speed and even the planes flight identification goes with it. All thats left on the controllers screen is a green blip, thats it. But here you have this flight controller on 20/20 saying she was tracking the flight with specific air speed and other coordinates which was totally impossible once the transponder was turned off. How would she even have known the flight number? The whole story is a pack of lies and this is just another example. And from the moment Wittenberg called attention to the lies, hes been in the cross hairs defending his story, defending it by using a little bit of psychology, a lot of history and asking critics to answer questions before drawing conclusions. Ive learned over the years, its hard to change anybodys mind when they really arent listening, said Wittenberg. So, I just decided to fire back a lot of questions to those people who believe the government story. I ask them explain how Building No.7 collapsed? I ask them why havent the black boxes been recovered? I ask them to explain how jet fuel fuel that burns cold not hot -- could bring down two high rise structures when more than 90% of the fuel on board burned outside the buildings? And Wittenberg has hundreds of other tough questions ready, but said its also important to put 9/11 and the Iraq war in a historical prospective. Is 9/11 and the phony war on terror any different or more serious than Pearl Harbor and World War II?, asks Wittenberg. The bottom line is all wars are contrived and it is these rich bankers and financiers who have pulled the strings and who have put these contrived events like 9/11 and Pearl Harbor into motion. Turning to the recent London bombings, Wittenberg said hes tired of the talking heads trying to analyze how to counter terror when the real cause and effect issues about the root problems with America and the world are being ignored. Its simply bizarre. Maybe our one-sided foreign policy that keeps getting us into all this trouble around the world should be seriously questioned, said Wittenberg. If we are really fighting terror, why are our borders just to the south completely wide open? Its a joke. Claiming the entire neo con scenario now playing out in America and around the world is based on the attempt to establish a one world government controlled by a select few, he said its difficult to figure out their true motives, adding he can only offer an educated guess based on what hes studied and read. Power corrupts, money isnt enough and these people want total control, added Wittenberg. These elites actually think they are better than everybody else and basically want power and control over the diminishing resources by creating a one world government. Regarding another terror attack on American soil coming on the heels of the London bombings, he said its not if but when, claiming the unconstitutional Patriot Act is waiting in the wings to silence those Americans who may not fall in line with the governments eventual takeover. They passed it for a reason. The problem with our two party system is that the same group of gangsters controls both parties, said Wittenberg, who didnt vote for Bush or Kerry in the last election and was the former Arizona state chairman for Pat Buchanons failed presidential run in 2000. Although Wittenberg remains politically active and abreast of world affairs, he has left the political forefront, trying instead to raise public awareness about the danger of the neo con agenda. More people are listening now, but it doesnt surprise me that still a lot of people just dont want to get involved, thinking things are just fine in America, he added. These people are perfectly content to play golf, watch the ballgame and not get involved. Wittenberg, who retired the day before 9/11 having a strange and unexplainable premonition, said high gas prices have led him to sell his private plane, saying it was getting too expensive to even fly for fun anymore.
WTC
Basement Blast And Injured Burn Victim Blows 'Official
9/11 Story' Sky High; Eye Witness Testimony Is Conclusive
That North Tower Collapsed From Controlled Demolition By Greg Szymanski What happened to William Rodriguez the morning of 9/11 is a miracle. What happened to his story after-the-fact is a tragedy. But with miracles and tragedies comes truth. And truth is exactly what Rodriguez brings to the whole mystery surrounding 9/11. Declared a hero for saving numerous lives at Ground Zero, he was the janitor on duty the morning of 9/11 who heard and felt explosions rock the basement sub-levels of the north tower just seconds before the jetliner struck the top floors. He not only claims he felt explosions coming from below the first sub-level while working in the basement, he says the walls were cracking around him and he pulled a man to safety by the name of Felipe David, who was severely burned from the basement explosions. All these events occurred only seconds before and during the jetliner strike above. And through it all, he now asks a simple question everybody should be asking? How could a jetliner hit 90 floors above and burn a mans arms and face to a crisp in the basement below within seconds of impact?The government continues to act like Rodriguez doesnt exist, basically ignoring his statements and the fact he rescued a man burnt and bleeding from the basement explosions. His eye witness account, ignored by the media and the government, points the finger squarely on an official cover-up at the highest levels since the government contends the WTC fell only from burning jet fuel. And after listening to Rodriguez, its easy to see why the Bush administration wants him kept quiet. Rodriguezs story is so damaging so damning it literally blows the lid off the government story, literally exposing the whole 9/11 investigation as a sham and a cover-up of the worst kind. And it appears the cover-up also extends to the media. NBC news knew about his story several years ago, even spending a full day at his house taping his comments. But when push came to shove, his story was never aired. Why? His eyewitness account, backed up by at least 14 people at the scene with him, isnt speculation or conjecture. It isnt a story that takes a network out on a journalistic limb. Its a story that can be backed up, a story that can be verified with hospital records and testimony from many others. Its a story about 14 people who felt and heard the same explosion and even saw Rodriguez, moments after the airplane hit, take David to safety, after he was burnt so bad from the basement explosion flesh was hanging from his face and both arms So why didnt NBC or any other major news outlets cover the story? They didnt run it because it shot the government story to hell and back. They didnt run it because "the powers that be" wouldnt allow it. Since 9/11, Rodriguez has stuck to his guns, never wavering from what he said from day one. Left homeless at times, warned to keep quiet and subtly harassed, he nevertheless has continued trying to tell get his message out in the face of a country not willing to listen. Here is his story: The
Miracle. Since he was late, Rodriguez found himself checking into work in an office on sub-level 1 when the north tower was hit, seemingly out of harms way. However, the sound and concussion of a massive explosion in the sub-levels right below his feet changed that. "When I heard the sound of the explosion, the floor beneath my feet vibrated, the walls started cracking and it everything started shaking," said Rodriguez, who was huddled together with at least 14 other people in the office. Rodriguez said Anthony Saltamachia, supervisor for the American Maintenance Co., was one of the people in the room who stands ready to verify his story. "Seconds after the first massive explosion below in the basement still rattled the floor, I hear another explosion from way above," said Rodriguez. "Although I was unaware at the time, this was the airplane hitting the tower, it occurred moments after the first explosion." But before Rodriguez had time to think, co-worker Felipe David stormed into the basement office with severe burns on his face and arms, screaming for help and yelling "explosion! explosion! explosion!" David had been in front of a nearby freight elevator on sub-level 1 about 400 feet from the office when fire burst out of the elevator shaft, causing his injuries. "He was burned terribly," said Rodriguez. "The skin was hanging off his hands and arms. His injuries couldnt have come from the airplane above, but only from a massive explosion below. I dont care what the government says, what scientists say. I saw a man burned terribly from a fire that was caused from an explosion below. "I know there were explosives placed below the trade center. I helped a man to safety who is living proof, living proof the government story is a lie and a cover-up. After Rodriguez escorted David to safety outside the WTC, he returned to lead the others in the basement to safety as well. While there, he also helped two other men trapped and drowning in the basement elevator shaft, another result he says of the explosives placed below the tower. "I have tried to tell my story to everybody, but nobody wants to listen. It is very strange what is going on here in supposedly the most democratic country in the world. In my home country of Puerto Rico and all the other Latin American countries, I have been allowed to tell my story uncensored. But here, I cant even say a word."In fact, after leading these men to safety, he even made another trip back into the north tower, against police orders, in order to rescue people from the top floors. "I never could make it to the top, but I got up to the 33rd floor after getting some of my equipment and a face mask out of the janitors closet," said Rodriguez, adding he heard a series of small explosions going off between the 20th and 30th floors, unrelated to the airplane strike, while making his way through the stairwell to the top floors."Also, when I was on the 33rd floor, I heard strange sounds coming form the 34th floor, loud noises like someone moving and thumping heavy equipment and furniture. I knew this floor was empty and stripped due to construction work so I avoided it and continued to make my way up the stairs."Rodriguez said he finally reached the 39th floor before being turned back by fire fighters and then, reluctantly, started his descent back down and his own flight to safety while, at the same time, hearing explosions coming from the South Tower. The Tragedy The concerted effort by the media and the government to silence Rodriguez is the tragedy behind this American heros story. And there is no question, Rodriguez is a "silent hero" for saving so many lives and for having the courage to continue telling his story against tremendous odds. In an effort to open a fair and honest investigation as to why the WTC collapsed, Rodriguez has been ignored by government officials, the 9/11 Commission and the National Institute of Safety and Technology (NIST).NIST, an independent investigative group funded by the government, put the finishing touches this week on its 2 year $35 million 9/11 investigation. This week Rodriguez made his final plea to have his story heard while testifying at the final public hearing held in New York. " I disagree 100%with the government story," said Rodriguez. "I met with the 9/11 Commission behind closed doors and they essentially discounted everything I said regarding the use of explosives to bring down the north tower."And I contacted NIST previously four times without a response. Finally, this week I asked them before they came up with their conclusion that jet fuel brought down the towers, if they ever considered my statements or the statements of any of the other survivors who heard the explosions. They just stared at me with blank faces and didnt have any answers. "Also, The FBI never followed up on my claims or on the other part of my story when I told them before 9/11, I encountered one of the hijackers casing the north tower." Besides the explosions, Rodriguez also has provided testimony to the 9/11 Commission that he stumbled across one of the supposed 19 Arab hijackers inside the WTC several months before 9/11"I had just finished cleaning the bathroom and this guy asks me, 'Excuse me, how many public bathrooms are in this area?'" Rodriguez told the 9/11 Commission. "Coming from the school of the 1993 [Trade Center] bombing, I found it very strange. I didn't forget about it"Rodriguez, claims he saw United Airlines Flight 175 hijacker Mohand Alshehri in June 2001, telling an FBI agent about the incident a month after the attacks. Never hearing back from the bureau, he later learned agents never followed up on the story."I'm very certain, I'll give it 90%" that Alshehri was casing the towers before the attacks," said Rodriguez. Regarding the medias apathetic approach to his story, Rodriguez said immediately after 9/11 some newspapers picked it up but his words were never taken seriously and quickly forgotten. "During the 9/11 hearings, NBC brought a crew out to my house and spent a day taping my story but they never did air a word of it," said Rodriguez. "Since then, some reporters and commentators have subtly warned me to keep quiet, told me my life could be in jeopardy and warned me that I really didnt understand who I was dealing with. "I have been receiving this type of subtle harassment for years, but I keep telling everybody I cant be intimidated because I am on a mission. Whenever someone asks why I keep talking or warns me that I could be killed, I just tell them I have nothing to lose. "I tell them I lost 200 friends and I am their voice now. I tell them I will do everything in my power to find out the truth since I am living on borrowed time since I probably should be dead anyway." Besides trying to tell his explosive story, Rodriguez has been active raising money for 9/11victims, being involved with charity groups that have raised more than $122 million. He says he has used over $60,000 of his own money, originally earmarked to buy a new house, in order to get at the truth behind 9/11. Also seeking justice at the highest level, Rodriguez is the lead plaintiff in a federal RICO lawsuit filed against President Bush and others, alleging conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes in the deaths of more than 3,000 at the WTC. The case, filed last November in a Philadelphia federal district court, recently was moved to New York in a change of venue after a governments motion to dismiss was overruled, allowing legal discovery to continue. "Even if the case goes no farther, I feel we have scored a victory by winning this first battle," said Rodriguez. "At least the judge seems willing to listen which is a victory of sorts. However, I sincerely hope we can eventually take the case all the way to trial and reveal the truth to the American people about 9/11." For more informative articles, go to www.arcticbeacon.com where kind donations are also accepted to keep the truth flowing in the wake of media apathy. Powered by CityMaker.com Flight 93 Shot Down American Free Press/Christopher Bollyn | July 18 2005 INDIAN LAKE, PennsylvaniaEyewitness testimonies have generally been excluded from the official version of 9-11. In the Shanksville area, where many residents believe Flight 93 was shot down, there are scores of eyewitnesses whose testimonies contradict the governments claim that courageous passengers fought hijackers, forcing the jetliner to crash rather than be flown into a building. Some local residents here are deeply offended by the official explanation of what supposedly happened to United Airlines Flight 93, calling it a patriotic pack of lies. Fearful of retribution from federal agents, many eyewitnesses who spoke with American Free Press asked that their names not be published. While differing on some details of the plane said to be Flight 93, which passed over Lambertsville, eyewitnesses agree that unexplained military aircraft were in the immediate vicinity when a huge explosive fireball occurred at the reclaimed coal mine near Shanksville. Viola Saylor saw Flight 93 pass very low over her house in Lambertsville, which is a mile north of the official crash site. She was in her backyard when she heard a very loud noise and looked up to find herself nose to nose with Flight 93, which she says was flying upside down as it passed overhead. It was blue and silver, she said, and glistened in the sunlight. It was so low that it rustled the leaves of her 100-foot maple tree in her yard. It flew southeastward for about three more seconds and even gained elevation before it crashed over the hill with a thud, she said. It was really still for a second, she said. Then all of a sudden she saw a very quiet and low-flying white military plane coming from the area of the crash site, flying toward the northwest. It was flying very fast, like it was trying to get out of here, she said. A second or two behind the military plane were two other planes, which Saylor described as normal planes. Shown a photograph of a Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II, a low-flying combat aircraft commonly referred to as a Warthog, Saylor identified it as the military plane she had seen. She said she recognized the two engines on the rear and the distinctive shape of the cockpit and nose of the plane. Similar eyewitness reports of military planes over Shanksville on 9-11 remain censored by the U.S. corporate media, although they were reported in two leading British newspapers. Susan McElwain, a local teacher, also reported seeing a white military plane at the scene of the crash before witnessing an explosion. Ms. Mcelwain told The Daily Mirror what she saw: It came right over me, I reckon just 40 or 50 feet above my mini-van, she recalled. It was so low I ducked instinctively. It was traveling real fast, but hardly made any sound. Then it disappeared behind some trees. A few seconds later I heard this great explosion and saw this fireball rise up over the trees, so I figured the jet had crashed. The ground really shook. So I dialed 911 and told them what happened. Id heard nothing about the other attacks and it was only when I got home and saw the TV that I realized it wasnt the white jet, but Flight 93. I didnt think much more about it until the authorities started to say there had been no other plane. The plane I saw was heading right to the point where Flight 93 crashed and must have been there at the very moment it came down. Theres no way I imagined this planeit was so low it was virtually on top of me. It was white with no markings but it was definitely military, it just had that look. It had two rear engines, a big fin on the back like a spoiler on the back of a car and with two upright fins at the side, Ms. McElwain said. I havent found one like it on the Internet. It definitely wasnt one of those executive jets. [However,] the FBI came and talked to me and said there was no plane around. The plane Ms. McElwain describes is similar to the Warthog seen by Saylor over Lambertsville. Then [FBI agents] changed their story and tried to say it was a plane taking pictures of the crash 3,000 feet up, she said. But I saw it, and it was there before the crash, and it was 40 feet above my head. They did not want my storynobody here did. The U.S. media has only reported what Bill Crowley, FBI spokesman from Pittsburgh, said about other planes in the area: Two other airplanes were flying near the hijacked United Airlines jet when it crashed, but neither had anything to do with the airliners fate. In an apparent slip of the tongue, Crowley said one of the planes, a Fairchild Falcon 20 business jet, had been directed to the crash site to help rescuers. The Falcon 20, however, is made by Dassault of France while Fairchild made the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the plane described by Ms. Mcelwain and identified by other eyewitnesses. The Daily American of nearby Somerset did not want Ms. McElwains story. In fact, the local paper has never reported that at least 12 local residents saw several unexplained aircraft at the time of the crash. Asked why the paper has not mentioned these eyewitness reports, managing editor Brian P. Whipkey told AFP They could not be substantiated. THE SCREAMING THING At the horseshoe-shaped Indian Lake, about a mile east of the official crash site, several eyewitnesses recalled hearing a screaming thing that screeched as it passed over the golf course and lakeside community immediately before a huge explosion shook the ground. Chris Smith, the groundskeeper at the golf course, said something with a very loud screeching sound passed over in the immediate vicinity of the golf course before he heard a huge explosion. It was like nothing Ive ever heard before, Smith said. The explosion that followed sounded like a sonic boom, he said. Smith and others said they felt the shock wave from the explosion. Smith said he was used to seeing a variety of military aircraft from the nearby Air National Guard bases in Johnstown and Cumberland, Md. Another groundskeeper said he saw a silver plane pass overhead toward the crash site from the southeast after hearing the loud screeching sound. The large silver plane was at an elevation of several thousand feet, he said. A local veteran who flew combat helicopters in the Vietnam War told AFP that the high-pitched screeching sound was indicative of a missile. Shown a photo of an A-10 Warthog, the groundskeeper identified it as the kind of plane that circled the crash site at a very low altitude three times before flying away. He recognized the two vertical fins on the rear of the plane. Nobody was interested in what we saw, he said. They didnt even ask us. Mobile telephones and satellite televisions in the Indian Lake area did not work at the time of the crash, he said. Paul Muro was in his yard in Lambertsville when Flight 93 passed overhead. Muro, who lives a half-mile closer to the crash site than Saylor, said the plane was flying rightside up and normally, although it was very low. Muro told AFP that he also saw a large silver plane approaching from the south, the opposite direction of Flight 93, above the crash site at the time of the explosion. The silver plane then turned and headed back in the direction from which it had come, he said. Tom Spinelli works at the Indian Lake Marina. After 9- 11, he told a Pittsburgh television news reporter about the unexplained aircraft he saw. I saw the white plane, he said. It was flying around all over the place like it was looking for something, he said. I saw it before and after the crash. AFP visited the
marina and asked Spinelli about the planes he saw on
9-11. An Indian Lake resident told AFP that federal agents had visited the marina after Spinelli had spoken to the Pittsburgh news channel, TV 4, and told him to stop talking about what he saw. Local firefighters were also told not to talk about what they had seen at the crash site.
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