Beverly Eckert, like Ellen Mariani (who has filed a
RICO suit against the _resident) and other brave
citizens who lost loved ones on 9/11, is still
demanding answers to reasonable, very important and
very ANSWERABLE questions. Eckhert should be on
SeeBS's Fork the Nation, AnythingButSee's Week in
Revision and NotBeSeen's Meat the Press this morning,
BUT she won't be...nor will the propapunditgandists
waste a well-fed breath on her noble quest...and you
know why...
Beverly Eckert, 9/11 widow: 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.
Reveal the Truth about 9/11, Show Up for Democracy in
2004: Defeat Bush (again!)
12/1http://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.
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 also World Trade Center builders, safety engineers
and other defendants.
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, a
victims advocacy group.