9/11 widow dies in plane crash

"Fifty people lost their lives Thursday night when a Continental commuter flight from Newark, New Jersey crashed before landing in Buffalo, New York. Details remain scarce on whose lives were claimed. One victim confirmed dead is Beverly Eckert, a 9/11 widow who lobbied Congress to reform U.S. intelligence practices. Eckert had met with President Obama last week to discuss how his administration would be handling terror suspects."

Submitted by Fidel on February 13, 2009 - 1:28pm.

There should be a thorough investigation and no one considered above the law.

Submitted by Ghislaine on February 13, 2009 - 1:29pm.

Very sad and ironically tragic death.

Submitted by M. Spector on February 13, 2009 - 2:45pm.

Josh: Why is this "hard to believe"?

Fidel: Why do you suspect foul play?

Ghislaine: Why is this death "ironic"?

Submitted by Fidel on February 13, 2009 - 2:58pm.

M. Spector: possible safety issues with deregulation of airlines. No puns wrt false flag gladio intended

Submitted by Ghislaine on February 13, 2009 - 3:06pm.

MS: Due to the fact that her loved one died in a plane crash as well. That comment of mine was in poor taste I think though, as I re-read it.

Submitted by Fidel on February 13, 2009 - 3:12pm.

I agree with Ghislaine in that it's a terrible irony.

Submitted by josh on February 13, 2009 - 3:24pm.

"Josh: Why is this "hard to believe"?"

Hard to believe the coincidence in manner of death.

Submitted by Stockholm on February 13, 2009 - 3:37pm.

"possible safety issues with deregulation of airlines."

This was actually the first fatal plane crash in the US in over two and a half years - so I'm not sure we can conclude that. It's not as if planes never crashed when airlines were regulated to the hilt.

Submitted by Unionist on February 13, 2009 - 3:41pm.

I find the thread title offensive - sensational - taken from gutter journalism. Fifty people died in a horrible disaster - who gives a damn that one of them lost a family member in another disaster? I'm trying to imagine a friend or relative of one of the other deceased reading that headline in the media.

Submitted by Fidel on February 13, 2009 - 4:06pm.

Stockholm wrote:

"possible safety issues with deregulation of airlines."

In fact, airline safety was never fully deregulated, only ticket pricing and routes. But Darwinian competition and mergers have led to pressures on the FAA to ease up on safety since Ronal Reagan preached free market mantras while managing his own daily planner by astrological prognostication. Even the airlines with their aging fleets of passenger planes are worried about airline safety today.

Imagine full dregulation of US airlines. Would it have turned out like financial capitalism has since Raygun and Bubba?

Submitted by Michelle on February 13, 2009 - 6:09pm.

I think, Unionist, the reason why the Huffington Post considers the death of this particular woman important is because she was an outspoken critic of Republican policies who recently met with Obama. It looks like she took on Ann Coulter too, from the tags on the article, although I've never heard of her before.

And also, it IS a sadly ironic coincidence.

Submitted by Unionist on February 13, 2009 - 7:12pm.

Well, Michelle, if she's an outspoken critic of Republican policies, then it's even more inappropriate to describe her as a 9/11 widow, isn't it?

Submitted by Fidel on February 13, 2009 - 7:06pm.

My Silence Cannot Be Bought by Beverly Eckert

Quote:

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.

The victims fund was not created in a spirit of compassion. Rather, it was a tacit acknowledgement by Congress that it tampered with our civil justice system in an unprecedented way. Lawmakers capped the liability of the airlines at the behest of lobbyists who descended on Washington while the Sept. 11 fires still smoldered.

And this liability cap protects not just the airlines, but . . .

The caps on liability have consequences for those who want to sue to shed light on the mistakes of 9/11. It means the playing field is tilted steeply in favor of those who need to be held accountable. With the financial consequences other than insurance proceeds removed, there is no incentive for those whose negligence contributed to the death toll to acknowledge their failings or implement reforms. They can afford to deny culpability and play a waiting game.

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 [15], a victims advocacy group.

USSA still backsliding on democracy and accountability

Submitted by Michelle on February 13, 2009 - 8:40pm.

I think the idea is that she has used her 9-11 widow status to more effectively advocate for change.

Submitted by Stockholm on February 13, 2009 - 9:56pm.

"Well, Michelle, if she's an outspoken critic of Republican policies, then it's even more inappropriate to describe her as a 9/11 widow, isn't it?"

WHY? Do you think that only Republicans lost loved ones on 9/11???

Submitted by Unionist on February 13, 2009 - 11:43pm.

No, Stockholm. She should be described as an outspoken critic of Republican policies, not defined in terms of her lost spouse. Sheesh.

ETA: By the way, Michelle, I read the website, as well as Fidel's linked article above, and I have been unable to determine any positive change that her organization is lobbying for, other than better security for the U.S.

Submitted by Fidel on February 14, 2009 - 12:15am.

Unionist wrote:

No, Stockholm. She should be described as an outspoken critic of Republican policies, not defined in terms of her lost spouse. Sheesh.

But lobbying for a real investigation of 9/11 is what Eckert was working toward before this. It was a personal mission for her.

Quote:

It was the victims' surviving 9/11 family members who pushed for the first 9/11 Commission. Can you believe it? An attack like that and the hawks didnt even want to have an official investigation? They still dont want to be held accountable or important facts revealed.

Submitted by Hoodeet on February 14, 2009 - 12:48am.

ICE build-up on the wings that probably interfered with the operating system. Pilots had commented on it. Pilots on other flights in the area had complained of it too.

We could suspect foul play until the cows come home but this seems pretty straightforward - unless, of course, the de-icing mechanism in the wings had been tampered with.

As an old fan of the Dash-8 I'm more concerned about the safety of this workhorse of Canadian regional airlines. And about the fact that it's another black eye for Bombardier.

Submitted by Hoodeet on February 14, 2009 - 12:50am.

Goodness - I realize how insensitive my first post was. Of course my first thoughts this morning were for the lost lives and their survivors. It is horrible. Sorry I got so focused on the issues around the cause of the crash.

Submitted by josh on February 14, 2009 - 10:14am.

Profile of some of the victims.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/nyregion/14passengers.html?hp

Submitted by Unionist on February 14, 2009 - 5:10pm.

Members of Chuck Mangione's band killed in crash

Quote:

Publicist Sanford Brokaw said Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett were among the 49 people on the plane that was headed to Buffalo Niagara International Airport from Newark, N.J. [...]

[Gerry] Niewood, 64, was a childhood friend of Mangione — both grew up in Rochester, N.Y. and played together in a 10-piece band in high school.

Niewood played alto, tenor, baritone and soprano sax, as well as piccolo, clarinet and alto and bass flute.

He lived in Glen Ridge, N.J., and backed some of biggest names in pop music, including Peggy Lee, Anne Murray, Simon and Garfunkel, Billy Joel, Judy Collins and Frank Sinatra. [...]

Mellett, 33, of East Brunswick, N.J., had been touring with Mangione's band for almost 10 years. The guitarist released his first CD in 2007 titled Natural High. [...]

Mellett, who had a master's degree in jazz performance from the Manhattan School of Music, was married to Jeanie Bryson, the daughter of legendary jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie.

Submitted by Fidel on February 14, 2009 - 5:36pm.

From Voices of September 11th

3 Victims’ Families Ask Judge to Release Trove of Documents on 9/11 Attack January '09

Quote:

Saying that “the public interest in the aviation security failures on September 11th is beyond dispute,” lawyers for families of two passengers and a flight attendant who were killed in the 9/11 hijackings asked a federal judge on Wednesday to release a trove of secret documents that they said showed how those failures occurred.

“The public ought to know about the breakdowns in aviation security that allowed four commercial planes to become weapons of mass destruction,” the lawyers wrote to Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein [25] of Federal District Court in Manhattan, who has overseen the wrongful-death and injury lawsuits filed after the attacks. . .

Mr. McCraw, the lawyer for The Times, said the press’s motion would be filed next week. “These documents should be part of the continuing public debate over what happened on 9/11, what we learned, and what we still need to do better,” he said.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers also asked Judge Hellerstein to set up a process to review other documents that the government had designated as too sensitive for release, to determine whether any of them could be made public.

The three families seeking to remove the court secrecy are the last plaintiffs who have not settled lawsuits filed on behalf of more than 90 people killed or injured in the crashes of the four planes into the trade center towers, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pa. None of the suits have gone to trial

Three of the 14 defining characteristics of fascism [26] at work here: an obssession with national security - identification of enemy as a unifying cause - and corporate power is protected. And with socialism for banksters, rampant cronyism and corruption ever more obvious

Submitted by NorthReport on February 15, 2009 - 6:58pm.

Not good. Fatal US plane 'was on autopilot'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7891770.stm

The Continental Airlines pilot may have breached federal safety recommendations by flying in such conditions, investigator Steve Chealander said.

Pilots are recommended to fly manually in icy weather, he said.

Analysis of the plane's data recorders shows the crew noticed significant ice build-up on its wings before the crash.

"You may be able in a manual mode to sense something sooner than the autopilot can sense it," said Mr Chealander, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

He told the Associated Press news agency that the NTSB recommended pilots disengage their craft's autopilot facility in icy conditions.

Submitted by Fidel on February 15, 2009 - 10:27pm.

Thanks, North Report.

Crash Victim Beverly Eckert, A Tireless Activist After 9/11

Quote:

It was after 9/11 [29], and relatives of the victims were in Washington, grilling a federal official overseeing compensation for survivors like Eckert, whose husband, Sean Rooney, died that day. Then it was Eckert's turn to speak.

"I just smiled because I knew what he was in for," said former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays.

"She kept asking questions," he said. "She was not going to back off. She wasn't obnoxious; she was just determined, and you knew you were dealing with a very intelligent person who was motivated totally by her love of her husband and her grief in not having him." . .

Eckert emerged from the tragedy of 9/11 as an activist for change. She was part of a small group of widows, mothers and children who became amateur lobbyists, ultimately forcing lawmakers in 2004 to pass sweeping reforms of the U.S. [30] intelligence apparatus.

"She was instrumental in forming the 9/11 Commission," Shays said. "Without her, it wouldn't have happened." Eckert became a member of the Family Steering Committee, a group of relatives who spearheaded the public fight for a 9/11 Commission to investigate the attacks.

And Beverly Eckert was still fighting for the cause in the weeks leading up to the crash.

Submitted by Fidel on April 14, 2009 - 11:40am.

VIDEO: 9/11 No Longer Taboo Topic in Denmark

Every day, thousands of people become aware that the WTC was destroyed with explosives, says dr. Niels Harrit

Quote:

Scientists found high quality super-explosives in the dust gathered after the fall of the WTC towers on September 11, 2001. Their findings [32] go against all of the investigation results that were financed by the George W. Bush administration.

International Poll: No Consensus On Who Was Behind 9/11 [33]

Submitted by Snert on April 14, 2009 - 1:11pm.

Quote:

Investigators found red-grey plates in the dust found after the destruction of the "twins", which scientists identified as the remains of an active high quality substance created via nanotechnology, whose characteristics reveal that a high energy pyrotechnic or explosive material is in question, which falls into the thermite category.

Ooh. Nanotechnology!

Dude, self-described "9/11 truthers" are the Jehovah's Witnesses of our time. Unliked, ridiculed, avoided, and tireless.

"Here they come again. Why don't they just buzz off??"

Submitted by Fidel on April 14, 2009 - 2:24pm.

And that's typical of the non-truthers' mentality.

Submitted by Snert on April 14, 2009 - 3:02pm.

No. You know what's typical? This.

Quote:

He said that his research is not a revolutionary discovery for the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are aware how the buildings were destroyed. "That is crystal clear" said Harrit.

In other words, the "truthers" knew the truth before he even did his research!
How handy that his research confirms what was already "crystal clear" to morons.

I was also going to quote my favourite part, but rereading this, I can't decide now.

Is it the fact that this half-wit thinks something the size of a grain of couscous can't be seen unaided? ("The largest particles are only 1mm in size, and cannot be seen with the naked eye")

Is it his unshakeable belief that somehow, 220,000 pounds of thermite got secretly snuck into the towers? ("We are talking about tonnes, probably 100 tonnes of the material" explains Harrit.")

Is it his complete inability to explain how that much thermite could be brought into the building without anyone being suspicious? ("that this is a good question for those who were maintaining the building")

Which was your favourite part? This is too rich for words.

And your other link is hilarious too. Funny how all the middle-east countries seem convinced that Israel did it. Puts them totally at odds with the "truthers", but I expect that at this point the truthers are so incredibly desperate for allies that they'll accept anyone, even if they don't believe the truthers' story, so long as they don't believe the real story either.

Keep 'em coming. I could use the yuks.

Submitted by Fidel on April 14, 2009 - 5:21pm.

How many scientific papers does Snert or his non-truther buddies have published with Bentham? I rest your non-truther case.

Quote:

So according to the international poll, only 884, 000, 000 Chinese disagree with non-truthers like you on the question of whether the Islamic wing of the CIA, "al Qa'eda", perpetrated 9/11 without any help from the Gladio gang.

Iow's, 54% of everyone polled disagree with the idiotic 9/11 Commission Report - a report which at least two designated commissioners have said there was a coverup and important evidence witheld in the name of US "national security", or whatever that means to those upholding the kangaroo court investigation findings.

And the only countries which overwhelmingly agree with non-truthers and crazy George Bush II's regime wrt the very slip shod 9/11 report are desperately poor African countries where illiteracy and grinding poverty are the norm for those countries under economic tutelage of countries exporting terrorism to the world and probably false flag gladio for all weve been able to glean from the official coverup

Submitted by Snert on April 14, 2009 - 5:25pm.

When statistically significant numbers of Americans believe that humans co-existed alongside dinosaurs, like in the Flintstones, does that lend some credibility to the idea that this was actually the case? Or does it simply point out how shockingly ignorant some people are?

Submitted by Fidel on April 15, 2009 - 5:36pm.

danish scientist Niels Harrit, on nano-thermite in the WTC dust ( youtube c english subtitles )

Submitted by thorin_bane on April 15, 2009 - 5:38pm.

No surprise about the evidence...yeah because you can SEE from the damn pictures it was an explosive device not some half baked pan cake theory. Go ahead and keep up the ridicule, it only makes you look more stupid in the end. Yeah it must have been those people on the planes that managed to sneak in those super explosives into the building before the event. Thems tarrarist is sneaky ya know. They coulda purtended to be a mexican cleanin lady er som'thin.

Submitted by gram swaraj on April 15, 2009 - 8:54pm.

So maybe a better thread title would have been "leading 9/11 activist dies in plane crash"

I think she was doing more than "using" her "status" as a 9/11/01 widow.

__________________________________

moderators, how about some homepage icons on the left margins?????

Submitted by twoten on April 25, 2009 - 4:46pm.

Can't help but notice that when faced with solid scientific proof that contradicts his delusions, Snert descends into abusive name calling, misdirection and yelling at straw men. It will be interesting to see how well these strategies work out for him ...

9/11 widow dies in plane crash

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