MSNBC's Joe Scarborough invited 9-11 widow Ellen Mariani to discuss her lawsuit against Bush. "PHIL BERG, ATTORNEY FOR MARIANI: I think that there is no question that Bush knew about it... was very complicit in the events of 9/11... Joe, if you take a look at the facts of 9/11, if there was nothing to hide, why would Bush be hiding everything? He didn't want the 9/11 Commission. He has been stonewalling the 9/11 Commission. They want to extend the 9/11 Commission. The word is now that the president and the White House doesn't want to do it... Think about it. For the events of 9/11 to have occurred, 116 governmental agencies and failsafe systems would have had to fail on that day. The odds of that happening are one in four million.'"

"To President of the United States and Members of Congress: 911 For the Truth of Mariani vs. Bush On September 11, 2001, ('911') the United States of America was attacked resulting in an International War on Terror declared by President George W. Bush without the approval of the United States Congress. I believe and support the legal action brought by Ellen Mariani against Defendant George W. Bush, et al and demand the 'truth' regarding the '911' attacks. I support Ellen Mariani's federal cause of action." Sign the petition!

Tom Flocco writes, "On Friday, Philip J. Berg, attorney for 9-11 widow Ellen Mariani in her RICO suit seeking to hold Bush and various government officials accountable for the September 11 attacks, served Bush and top officials with a personal summons...[including] Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft, George Tenet, Condoleezza Rice, Norman Mineta, Kenneth Feinberg, Saddam Hussein, Zacarias Moussaoui, and former President George H. W. Bush... Berg told TomFlocco.com 'the multiple summonses and complaints were filed last week in Philadelphia; and they require an answer within 60 days,' adding 'we feel confident that we'll be successful, and that the evidence in this case is so strong, it will lead to the end of the Bush presidency.' Berg also told us 'we're currently preparing written interrogatories and subpoenas so that we'll be able to keep the discovery of evidence and multiple investigations moving forward at a reasonable pace.'" Of course, the media blackout continues...

Alan Cabal writes, "Where is the coverage of those insisting on finding out what really happened on that day before they sign away their 'claims?'... The internet is boiling with analyses of the 9/11 event. In Europe, a fair number of people believe the American government was complicit in the attacks. According to recent polls, one-third of young Germans believe this. Media here ignore the questions, but it can't be kept from public view forever. It's all out there. It's been two years, and we still have nothing but questions and Grassy Knoll theories. The answers lay scattered in shreds and pieces, waiting to be assembled. Now come the widows, asking the right questions. Mariani's lawyer, Phil Berg, makes a point to remind people that he is not in the least bit suicidal, or given to playing with loaded guns. They may not be able to reassemble or reanimate their loved ones in a literal sense, but these families who are choosing the hard road, the Narrow Way, will get to the truth. "

Beverly Eckert writes, "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... 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."

The Toronto Star reports: "For some, it's blood money, a repugnant payoff they feel they have no choice but to accept. For a handful of others, the process of claiming compensation is too painful: they find themselves paralyzed by grief and unable to reopen emotional wounds barely healed from the deaths of their loved ones in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But as many as 73 families see the process of U.S. government compensation as an attempt to protect those who should be held accountable for what they believe was mass murder. They ignored a midnight deadline last night, their last chance to apply for government cash... Said Monica Gabrielle, who lost her husband Richard in the World Trade Center attack.... 'I am doing this for my husband. He was a gentle man, and he was alive, trying to get out of that building that day. The dead. The dying. The smoke. The terror. No one should have suffered like that. I want accountability. I need answers.'"

"73 people have filed lawsuits against the airlines or trade center. Ellen Mariani, of southern New Hampshire, was one of the first... Not only is Mariani suing United Airlines for lax security, she also filed a second lawsuit in September in federal court here against Bush and his administration. Mariani, who is represented by Philip J. Berg, charges that the Bush administration failed to heed repeated warnings from U.S. intelligence and foreign sources that terrorists might use commercial aircraft as weapons. '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.'"

James Ridgeway of the Village Voice is the first major reporter to discuss the RICO lawsuit against Bush filed by Ellen Mariani, widow of Louis Neil Mariani, who was aboard Flight 175 when it hit the south tower on 9-11. As written by attorney Phil Berg, "The suit claims [Bush & Co.] 'abetted the murder of plaintiff's husband,' so he is suing the Bushies, under the RICO Act, for conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and wrongful death. The suit documents detailed forewarnings from foreign governments and FBI agents, what it calls the unprecedented delinquency of our air defense, and the inexplicable half-hour dawdle by Bush himself at an elementary school after hearing the nation was under deadly attack. Berg's suit also notes the administration's incessant invocation of national security and executive privilege to withhold documents and accuses the government of obstructing the investigation." How will the Bush-controlled corporate media scrub this historic lawsuit? Stay tuned...

"Plaintiff believes the facts, circumstances and substantial evidence once presented to a jury will ultimately establish Defendants allowed the '911' attacks to occur to create an International War on Terror ('IWOT') for malicious personal agendas, to include, but not limited to war profiteering. A pattern of this financial war profiting and the 'Bush Family' goes back to their dealings with Nazi Germany during World War II. Plaintiff understands this assertion will be a shock to her fellow Americans who are not aware of this fact, however, her sentiment is expressed in the following Paul Donovan: 'Why Isn't the Truth Out There?' Observer (U.K.), October 5, 2003, article: 'This is the staggering story of the events of 9/11. No reasons have been given for the Bush administration's conduct on that day; no one has been brought to account. Yet from the tragedy that was 9/11, Bush has been able to deliver for his backers in the arms and oil industries.'"

"Plaintiff asserts, contrary to Defendant GWB's assertion that OBL is responsible for '911,' the compelling evidence that will be presented in this case through discovery, subpoena[s] and testimony at trial will lead to one undisputed fact, Defendant GWB failed to act and prevent '911' knowing the attacks would lead to our nation having to engage in an 'International War on Terror' which would benefit Defendants both financially and for political reasons. There are significant business ties that will be proven between Defendants and OBL's family which raise serious conflict of interest and other matters wherein 'failing to act and prevent' the '911' attacks have benefited Defendants. Reports have emerged and will be confirmed through discovery that the Carlyle Group, the giant U.S. defense contractor until recently employed Defendant and former President GHB. Hence, the 'Bush Family' and other Defendants financial profiting by war goes to the heart of Plaintiff's RICO Act claim."

CNN reports, "Lawyers representing two Saudi princes argued Friday that their clients have immunity from lawsuits relating to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, because they are diplomatic officials... Bill Jeffress [of Jim Baker's firm Baker Botts], representing Prince Sultan, said that the contributions made to Islamic charities that may have funneled money to bin Laden amount to 'an exercise by a foreign official of discretion to decide which international Islamic charity and what relief operations by Islamic organizations the country's going to support.' Ron Motley, lead attorney in the case against the Saudis, said the Saudi government and the two princes were told at least three times by U.S. and French officials that their contributions were funding terrorism. 'They were told that the very charities they were giving millions of dollars to every year were converting that money to terrorist activities including al Qaeda.'" 9/11 victims seek $1 TRILLION in damages.

"A New Hampshire woman whose husband died in one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center sued Resident Bush and other government officials yesterday, contending their negligence of airport security resulted in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The wrongful death lawsuit by Ellen Mariani, whose husband, Louis Neil Mariani, was a passenger in the plane that hit the south tower, was described by her lawyer as part of her campaign to 'get to the truth of what happened on Sept. 11.' 'We just don't believe the federal government has been honest with us,' said Philip J. Berg, a Lafayette Hill lawyer, Democratic activist and former gubernatorial candidate... In addition to President Bush, Mariani's lawsuit also names Vice President Cheney, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Council on Foreign Relations."

"Negligent security procedures could have contributed to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, a federal judge ruled today in a decision that allowed victims' families and those injured to proceed with their lawsuits against airlines, aircraft makers and the owners of the World Trade Center. The hijacking and crashing of the planes was 'a foreseeable risk,' said United States District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who presided over the case... While the crashes 'may not have been foreseen,' the judge continued, the airlines had the duty to screen passengers to prevent harm to passengers, crew and ground victims." Now Ashcroft and Bush argue that these attacks could have been prevented if they just had the USA Patriot Act and their Police State in place to spy on all of us. Never mind that there were these basic security failures -- or that Bush failed to heed the many warnings before 9/11. And Bush has still failed to secure the nation's infrastructure.

AP reports: "A federal judge Wednesday awarded nearly $104 million in damages to the families of at least two victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, saying they had shown that Iraq provided material support to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. [Judge Harold] Baer said he had concluded that lawyers for the two victims 'have shown, albeit barely ... that Iraq provided material support to bin Laden and al-Qaida.' The case was being closely watched by lawyers for plaintiffs in other lawsuits [Hello! The Saudi Royals!] ... The default judgment was granted by Baer after public announcements of the lawsuits failed to attract a response from any of the defendants. He said lawyers relied heavily on classic hearsay, including reports of a Sept. 11 hijacker meeting an Iraqi consul to Prague, Secretary of State Colin Powell's [dissembling ] remarks to the United Nations about connections between Iraq and terrorism and defectors' descriptions of the use of an Iraq camp to train terrorists."

"A huge U.S. legal team hired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has sprung into action and begun a major counteroffensive against a landmark lawsuit seeking $1 trillion in damages on behalf of the victims of the September 11 terror attacks. The opening defense salvo in what promises to be a bruising legal battle was fired last week when a trio of lawyers from Baker Botts, a prestigious Houston-based law firm, filed a motion on behalf of Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi defense minister. The motion attacked the 9-11 lawsuit as a 'broadside indictment of Saudi government, religion and culture'... Baker Botts, Sultan's law firm, for example, still boasts former secretary of State James Baker as one of its senior partners. Its recent alumni include Robert Jordan, the former personal lawyer for President [sic] Bush who is now U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia." Interesting - while BushDaddy's pals side with the Arabs, Bush Jr.'s war policy (Syria...then...) is driven by the NeoCons.

American attorney Allan Gerson claims he has proof that money from Saudi Arabia was used to fund terrorist cells involved in the Bali bombing. Gerson stated today that he has evidence to show Saudi Arabians gave money to terrorists in Europe who made trips to Bali. Dr. Gerson, a well known expert on international law, brought the first suit against Libya on behalf of the Lockerbie victims and helped write and pass the law (the 1996 amendments to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act) that makes it possible for ordinary citizens to hold foreign governments accountable for acts of terrorism. Dr. Gerson is one of the lead attorneys in the 911 families' lawsuit.

UK Observer reports that the new Saudi ambassador to Britain, Prince Turki al-Faisal, is a defendant in a $1 trillion lawsuit by families of the victims of 9-11. The lawsuit says "Turki had two meetings in 1998 with al-Qaeda. They say that Turki helped seal a deal whereby al-Qaeda would not attack Saudi targets. In return, Saudi Arabia would make no demands for extradition or the closure of bin Laden's network of training camps. Turki also promised financial assistance to Mullah Omar. A few weeks after the meetings, 400 new pick-up vehicles arrived in Kandahar... Turki arranged for donations to be made directly to al-Qaeda and bin Laden by a group of wealthy Saudi businessmen." Turki is also linked to Mohammed Zouaydi, one of al-Qaeda's top money-launderers, who "distributed more than $1 million to al- Qaeda units, including the Hamburg cell of Mohammed Atta which plotted the World Trade Centre attack."

"Since 9/11, Saudi Arabia has had, to put it delicately, a public relations problem. For more than a year, it's had to dodge allegations that it had a hand in the terrorist attacks. To rehabilitate its image, the kingdom has lined up on offense, deploying a PR and lobbying machine worthy of royalty. The Saudis' U.S. embassy has enlisted K Street shops Qorvis Communications LLC, Gallagher Group Communications, and Patton Boggs to get its message out to the public and Congress. But it's not just image enhancement that the Saudis need. They need lobbying. Greenberg Traurig was hired by the General Council of Islamic Banks to enlighten Congress and the Bush administration on Islamic banking practices. And Arnold & Porter registered to represent a large holding company, the Saudi Economic & development Co., on charitable giving issues." The list goes on and on...

From Reuters: "A group of Saudis plan to sue the U.S. government and media organizations for the alleged psychological and financial damage they suffered in the aftermath of September 11, their lawyer said on Wednesday. 'Tens of Saudi nationals seriously plan to file lawsuits against U.S. government, civil and media entities, the majority of whom are students who had been attending American universities and were forced to leave,' Saudi lawyer Katib al-Shamri said. He said the plan had gathered pace after families of 900 people killed in the hijacked airliner attacks filed a lawsuit last week in Washington against Saudi nationals and institutions alleging they had funded terrorism and seeking damages of over $100 trillion."

911 victims' families have united to file a 15-count, $1 trillion lawsuit against "seven international banks; eight Islamic foundations, charities and their subsidiaries; individual terrorist financiers; the Saudi bin Laden Group; three Saudi princes; and the government of Sudan for allegedly bankrolling the terrorist al Qaeda network, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban." The group's name characterizes their simple, patriotic and magnanimous goal: Families United to Bankrupt Terrorism. After experiencing the horror of 911, they have joined together to avenge their loved ones' deaths in a powerful yet peaceful manner. Let's stand by and support them in their quest by continuing to press for a BLUE RIBBON INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION!

"Relatives of a flight attendant who may have been knifed to death by hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 11 'no longer trust' the carrier to tell them the truth about what happened to her, and have retained lawyers to investigate and sue American for negligence, WorldNetDaily has learned. The planned litigation would mark the first lawsuit filed against an airline by relatives of a crewmember slain in the Sept. 11 hijackings. 'It nags them that they do not know what the actual real fate of their loved one was,' said a member of the law firm of Baum Hedlund Aristei Guilford & Schiavo, which is handling the case. 'They no longer trust American Airlines to tell them the truth.' He says the family wants 'answers' more than money. 'They also want to know who's at fault,' he said. 'Who's accountable for security lapses?'"