WTC Rescue Hero Sues Bush and Others under RICO Statute
By: Philip J. Berg, Margaret Atheling Rowe
Published: Oct 23, 2004
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On September 11, 2001, William Rodriguez, a maintenance worker at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, single-handedly rescued fifteen people. The only employee with the master key to the North Tower staircases, he led firefighters up the stairs, unlocking doors as he went, aiding in the evacuation of hundreds of additional people who, but for his efforts, might have perished. Although his job description did not include saving lives, Rodriguez re-entered the building three times after the first plane struck, and was the last person to exit the North Tower alive. He survived the collapse of the North Tower by diving beneath a fire truck to avoid the avalanche of concrete and steel. After onsite treatment for his injuries, Rodriguez plunged right back into rescue efforts at the site. At dawn the next morning, Rodriguez returned to Ground Zero from his home in Jersey City, to continue to aid in rescue efforts.
Later, Rodriguez became an unofficial spokesman for survivors, among other things helping to secure an amnesty for undocumented aliens, many of them Latinos, and in the creation of the World Trade Center Memorial Fund. Although he lost his job of 19 years and his means of livelihood — even falling into homelessness for a time — Rodriguez has continued in the three years since 9-11 to continue his work in honor of the heroes and the victims of that awful day, as president of the Hispanic Victims Group, Director of the 9/11 United Services Group, and member of the Family Advisory Council of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.
Now, this native of Puerto Rico and remarkable American hero is taking his 9-11 activism to an even higher level. He has commenced, as Plaintiff, a federal court lawsuit against George W. Bush, Richard B. Cheney, Donald H. Rumsfeld and others alleging that they and others were complicit in the 9-11 attacks, and either planned the attacks, or had foreknowledge of the attacks and permitted them to succeed, in order to exploit a “New Pearl Harbor” to launch wars against Afghanistan and Iraq. (The phrase “New Pearl Harbor” comes from a declaration of principles by the neo-conservative “Project for the New American Century,” in which it is proposed as an event needed to steel American public opinion to support the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, and U.S. military domination of the Middle East.)
Attorney Berg acknowledges that Rodriguez’s action will shock and offend many Americans. But he urges critics to read the detailed complaint, posted on the internet at www.911forthetruth.com, before forming conclusions. “The ‘Official Story’ of what actually took place on 9-11 is a lie,” Berg flatly maintains. “We do not pretend to have put together a full and definitive account of how, and by whom, the attacks were carried out. But information reported in mainstream media, and viewed in the light of common sense and the laws of physics, demonstrate that the ‘Official Story,’ examined closely, is not credible. The ‘Official Story’ contains an alarming number of inconsistencies and implausibilities. The major media have reported many of the raw facts, but have studiously avoided analysis, because doing so would reveal that the government is lying to us. The 9-11 Commission, a suspect collection of government and intelligence insiders, restated without question or examination all essential elements of the ‘Official Story’ of the actual events of 9-11. It failed almost completely to refute, or even to mention, the great body of evidence that suggests the ‘Official Story’ cannot be true, and it failed completely to hold anyone accountable. From the foregoing facts, it ought to be obvious that a cover-up, or a “limited hang-out” admitting only bureaucratic mistakes for which no one is to be held accountable, has taken place and is continuing.”
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http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_14643.shtmlUpdate (06/15): Rodriguez "swears he saw United Airlines Flight 175 hijacker Mohand Alshehri in June 2001"
In a recent event by 9/11 Citizen's Watch, which got broadcasted on C|Span, William Rodriguez from the 9/11 Hispanic Victims Group and 9/11 United Services Group, claimed, he not only recognised suspicious movements from a floor under construction, some weeks before Sep11th, he also claimed, he saw one of the official Sep11th -"hijackers". Today Rodriguez testified for the 9/11 panel
June 8, submitted by 9/11 family members
"...I testified today for the 9/11 Commission. It was an experience to have the investigators listen and to actually concentrate on some of the problems with the building itself. I know we have been very vociferous about the construction and the problems with egress and escape.
Some of the statements I got were in the sense of why they did not speak to me before, and the need to continue interviews with survivors and first responders. When we spoke about the subpoena powers, I was told that they haven't issued any to actual survivors or first responders because they understand the emotional impact and the problems it had created for their families...
In my experience, I was able to set the record straight in a lot of statements and errors from the fire Dept. We talk about the radio problems, doors not opening up, vacant floors, debris on the stairwells and my interviews with the FBI about seeing one of the hijackers in the building 3 months before. In short, I expect to be called again..."
William Rodriguez -Hispanic Victims Group
http://inn.globalfreepress.com/modules/news/print.php?storyid=385Board of Directors
Officers
William Rodriguez
William Rodriguez, formerly an American Building Maintenance employee for twenty years, was responsible for inspection and maintenance at the World Trade Center and held the master key for the stairs. He was the last person to leave the building on September 11 and has been credited with saving many lives.
For his efforts, he received the National Hero Award from the Senate of Puerto Rico. Since September 11, Mr. Rodriguez has been very active in all aspects of the relief efforts, including the memorial, the federal fund and the charities, as well as appearing before many government officials on such topics.
Mr. Rodriguez has also helped coordinate aid within the Hispanic community, organizing the Hispanic Victims Group, which is working with 150 families. He attended Sacred Heart University and lives in Jersey City, NJ.
http://www.9-11usg.org/article.asp?id=707&page=DIRECTOR http://www.summeroftruth.org /
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