Berg's Father and Firm Were On A Right-Wing (FR Hit Piece) 'Enemies' List

BreakForNews.com ^ | 12th May, 2004 10amET | Fintan Dunne

[John Lenin]

The family firm of beheaded American Nick Berg, was named by a conservative website in a list of 'enemies' of the Iraq occupation. That could explain his arrest by Iraqi police --a detention which fatally delayed his planned return from Iraq and may have led directly to his death.

Nick Berg, 26 disappeared into incommunicado detention after his arrest by Iraqi police in March, 2004. He vanished again after his release 13 days later. His body was found last Saturday in Baghdad, and a video of his beheading --supposedly by a radical Islamic group-- was posted on the Internet on Tuesday.

The official story of his gruesome murder has many dubious aspects, not least the real reason why Iraqi police detained the young man at a checkpoint. New research by BreakForNews has uncovered a plausible explanation.


The FreeRepublic.com web site and forum has a reputation for right-wing views, fanatical Republicanism and relentless pro-war activism.

On 7th March, 2004, just three weeks before the first anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, an 'enemies' list of anti-war groups and individuals was posted on the Free Republic forum.

It began: "Here you are, FReepers. Here is the enemy."

The list had been copied from publicly available endorsements of a call to action for an imminent anniversary antiwar protest on 20th March, 2004. The protest was being organized under the banner of the A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism).

Among those listed as having endorsed the call to action was this entry: "Michael S. Berg, Teacher, Prometheus Methods Tower Service, Inc."

That's Nick Berg's father, Michael who acts as business manager for his son in their family radio communications firm, Prometheus Methods Tower Service.

Both father and son cared deeply about Iraq. But they were on opposite sides of opinion on the occupation --though you would never know that from reading the New York Times.

Michael was ardently antiwar, whereas his Bush-supporting son was in favor of the war to the extent that he had already visited Iraq seeking to help with rebuilding efforts.

Just seven days after "Michael Berg" and "Prometheus Methods Tower Service" had come up on that Iraq war 'enemies' list, his son Nick Berg returned to Iraq under the business name of Prometheus Methods Tower Service.

The scene was set for tragically mistaken suspicions --which were to end in the horrifying death of an honorable and blameless American. A humanitarian who had traveled several times to Third World countries --such as Ghana, to teach villagers construction techniques.

     

The web traffic to the Free Republic forum --and it's forum membership-- include significant numbers of serving and former US military.

Many members take their online activism very seriously. Some delight in causing mischief for those they think are identified as "enemies."

Within minutes of getting their hands on the antiwar names, one was boasting of having contacted the military about active service personnel who were on the list:

"I forwarded the list to the ISC (the command you listed), the district officer... the district legal office and the investigative services office."

The response:

"The poor moron is not going to know what hit him. Is this being mean-spirited? NO! Someone against our military does not belong in the military!"

Another was already investigating a member of the Coast Guard on the list:

"I took a look at his yahoo and he has a site which is not real fond of the war on drugs OR the war on terrorism.... That particular coastie needs some serious trouble to come his way...."

" I spoke on the phone to a senior chief yesterday in Virginia.... [who] could not believe what the guy was doing. He was both astounded and angry. I think [he] is in for some big, big trouble."

If that list could end up on an Internet forum, then it could just as readily end up with the FBI, and eventually in the hands of those in Iraq who are keen to track or harass antiwar activists entering the country.

Alternatively, the enthusiasts on Free Republic have the contacts and the clear determination to have ensured the list quickly got to the right places.

     

At the time the list was posted, Nick Berg had just come back from an Iraq trip lasting from late December to Feb. 1. He had reported no problems whatsoever with Iraqi police during that visit.

Yet, within two weeks of the list being posted, Nick Berg --back in Iraq on his final fatal trip-- was reportedly detained in Mosul at an Iraqi police checkpoint. The official explanation is that authorities thought his identification might have been forged and were checking his authenticity.

But a more likely reason is that by then authorities in Iraq had discovered that a 'Berg' of Prometheus Methods Tower Service was in the country, and issued a detention instruction to Iraqi police because they misidentified Nick Berg as an antiwar activist entering Iraq to work for the 'enemy'.

That could explain why he was held incommunicado for 13 days, without recourse to a lawyer; why US officialdom was singularly unheeding of his mother's pleas; why the FBI visited his family to question them; why it took a US court order secured by the family to pressure his release.

And why he was cruelly murdered soon after that release, like many others around the world who suffer such a fate at the hands of state-condoned death squads --sometimes just hours after their release from official detention.

That's the final sordid twist in this grisly story.

     

If the world was an uncomplicated place, then this tale would end with the mistaken arrest of Nick Berg.

We could finish by noting that Nick's father is reportedly accusing the US government of contributing to his son's death. Unable to find work in Iraq, Nick Berg's last trip was set to be a short one. He planned to return to the US on the 30th of March.

Michael Berg charges that his son's detention until 5th April, was a violation of civil rights which fatally delayed his exit from Iraq and instead left him dangerously stranded in the middle of the explosion of violence which erupted in early April, 2004.

But there are much graver aspects to all this. Another chilling perspective is best summarized by the wry cynicism of Michael Rivero at WhatReallyHappened.com

In a commentary on the beheading of Nick Berg, Rivero writes:

"How wonderfully lucky for Bush and the NeoCons that such a great piece of pro-war distract-from-the-torture-scandal event happens at this particular moment."

Rivero's world-weary realism strikes a chord with his popular website's visitors, but will undoubtedly shock unseasoned observers. However he is far from alone in questioning the official line. Others have noted the too-white hands and military at-ease stance of the hooded captors in the video.

The killing has certainly eased the international discomfiture of the US.

     

The problem with assumptions that al-Queda is responsible for Berg's beheading, is that Musab al-Zarqawi is mentioned in a caption on the videotape of the killing.

Al-Zarqawi came to our attention in January, 2004 when the US military claimed to have intercepted a letter of his written to the al-Queda leadership. But the content of the letter read like a US military propaganda statement on the situation in Iraq.

In the letter al-Zarqawi wrote of Iraqis coming to welcome the US presence in Iraq, and about how al-Queda was loosing ground in it's war against the US.

In February, 2004 an article "The Zarqawi Gambit," by Greg Weiher on Counterpunch was deeply skeptical of the letter:

"..if you were Karl Rove, you couldn't design a better scenario to validate the administration's slant on the war than this. That's a good reason to maintain a healthy skepticism. In fact, there are a number of good reasons to take this story with a grain of salt (maybe a three- or four-pounder)."

The US has been keen to paint the opposition to the occupation as composed of many foreign fighters tied to al-Queda. The letter was clearly fabricated for propaganda purposes, with al-Zarqawi as it's new al-Queda star.

     

But if al-Zarqawi is merely a flimsy propaganda creation, then what confidence can we have in the official line that al-Zarqawi and al-Queda murdered Berg?

The only plausible alternative is a covert, black operation orchestrated as part of the seedier arm of US foreign policy --which generally only come to light when candid photographs, for example, reach the public domain.

But that's an explanation which many would reject on the grounds that no force allied to the US --no matter how black its operations-- would have members so callous as to even countenance the cold-blooded beheading of a US citizen.

However, there is a mindset amplified by war passions and found among the gung-ho brutes who beat Iraqis to death; found among the thuggish mercenary death squads who roam to slay at will; and found among the cold-blooded sociopaths who have planted bombs for political strategic reasons.

It's war. And war begets a wartime mindset.

Nick Berg's detention indicates that authorities regarded him an an antiwar activist and possibly also as an 'enemy.'

That original post on Free Republic contains a telling indication of a mindset, which in the heat of war could well kill an American it regards as the "enemy."

A mindset which has now reacted to Michael Berg's loss of his son like this:

       "I wonder what he thinks about his Muslim buddies now... "

A mindset displayed by the search keywords used on Free Republic to categorize the list of antiwar supporters. The keywords are:

APPEASENIKS; DAMNCOMMIES; ENEMYWITHIN; LEFTISTS; PEACENIKS; RATS; SCUMBAGS; TRAITORS; TREASONOUSSCUM; USEFULIDIOTS; WARONTERROR

[antaresequity]

I consider this an honor...the recognition that is...

Bush should mobilize the militia as an adjunct to the standing, reserve and guard services...just in case...

[Nick Danger]

This is high praise indeed. So nobody reads that ANSWER crap, and no one would even have known that Berg 41 was running around with a foreign-directed leftist organization, except that it got posted here. Kewl.

Sounds like even the damned leftists have to come to Free Republic to find out what's going on. They don't even know who's going to their own anti-war demonstrations unless we tell 'em.

[NutCrackerBoy]

The FreeRepublic.com web site and forum has a reputation for right-wing views, fanatical Republicanism and relentless pro-war activism. -Fintan Dunne

Oh my God. Hide the children.

[Tall_Texan]

Your first clue to his madness is that he quotes Michael Rivero, the banned FReeper whose conspiracy theories read like Oliver Stone on LSD.

Veteran Freepers probably need no introduction to Rivero but the newbies might want to do a serach if any link list of him still exists. The guy makes Art Bell sound like a bastion of common sense.

[SAJ]

''Did FReepers kill Nick Berg?''

My answer: not unless there's some tiny anonymous subset of FReepers who are Wahhabist camelhumpers and who, somehow between them, managed to hunt up a knife with an 8'' blade and chose one of their number to cut Berg's throat, then sever his head from his body.

If someone doesn't think that this is a war for keeps, no quarter to be offered by the denizens of the 12th century, then that someone is deluding him- or herself and had better wake the f*** up P.D.Q.

[John Lenin]

You know the pinhead is lurking.

Hey Fintan, read my tagline.

[calcowgirl]

It may get weirder... any relation to Nick/Michael?
This guy is suing Bush et.al. on behalf of 911 victims.
Try a search on his phone # here.
Lafayette Hill appears to be close to West Chester, PA.

Attorney Registration Information
Attorney Registration Number: 9867
Name: Philip J. Berg
Admitted: 11/18/1971
County: MONTGOMERY
District: 2
Status: ACTIVE
Address
706 Ridge Pike
Lafayette Hill PA 194441711
Tel: 610 825-3134
http://padisciplinaryboard.org/attsearchdc.php

[Watery Tart]

"Did Freepers Kill Nick Berg?" Link is HERE

BWAHAHAHAHA! Glad I clicked the link. I swore off following links to DiminutiveUnderparts, but this one was actually funny!

How many sites does this make--sites that spend large amounts of their time cherrypicking comments off of FR and clucking over what we say? I've lost count, having a life and all....

[MeekOneGOP]

Thank you for the post and ping !

Berg's Father and Firm Were On A Right-Wing
(FR Hit Piece) 'Enemies' List

Excerpt:

Both father and son cared deeply about Iraq. But they were on opposite sides of opinion on the occupation --though you would never know that from reading the New York Times.

Michael was ardently antiwar, whereas his Bush-supporting son was in favor of the war to the extent that he had already visited Iraq seeking to help with rebuilding efforts.

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Fintan Dunne, has an Irishman's passion for truth

Then what possible offense can he take to FR publishing the truth about Berg's dad?

[Travis McGee]

Michael Rivero! Now THERE'S a blast from the FR past!

[Travis McGee]

Somehow this article missed the *tiny coincidence* of Nick Berg sharing email passwords with 9-11 "20th hijacker" Mousawi.

Just a tiny oversight, I'm sure.

[snooker]

You really have to wonder what follows their coming losses in 2004. The loony left is going way out there.

The loony behavior of the left is clearly epitomized in the million mom march ... virtually no one showed up. All the sane supporters have long since gone away.

I guess the leftists want the title 'the official kook party'.

[rintense]

Well I'm going to give another conpiracy theory:

Michael Berg, in league with ANSWER, used Berg's son, Nick, to make contact with Al Qaeda through email accounts 'given' to Sept. 11th hijacking suspect Moussaoui. ANSWER, a rabid, anit-war and anti-Bush group largely funded by world political financier George Soros, and an affiliated group with Move On.org, a group funded by liberals in American- including many high ranking political figures such as Bill Clinton, used Nick Berg as a pawn to collect information about the situation in Iraq- and quite possible a spy for them- to funnel information to Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Nick Berg's company, Prometheus Methods Tower Service, alleged to be highly profitable by Nick Berg's father, Michael, was not a registered company in Pennsylvania- nor was it an officially awarded contractor in Iraq. Nick Berg was urged to leave Iraq by US officials, going so far as to offer him a flight out. Nick Berg refused at the peril of his own, personal safety. The night before he went missing, Nick Berg was seen by a fellow hotel floormate drinking heavily. The next day, Nick Berg goes missing.

Nick Berg, either a willing participant or an innocent pawn, is murdered not long after. Michael Berg, back in the United States, not only blames his son's death on George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, but also does not blame Al Qaeda. In fact, when referring to Al Qaeda killing his son, father Berg says, 'they lost the best friend they had'.

Now, either father Berg was talking about his son Nick, which sets up Nick as being a spy for Al Qaeda. Or, father Berg set himself up as being AQ's former best friend- working in their interest through an innocent pawn of his son- and was talking about himself being the best friend Al Qaeda had.

Here are the highly suspicious link lines:

ANSWER and Michael Berg
Michael Berg and Nick Berg
Nick Berg and Z. Moussaoui (Al Qaeda)
Al Qaeda in Iraq
Nick Berg in Iraq

Other dotted lines of association are:

George Soros and ANSWER
ANSWER and MoveOn.org
MoveOn.org with American left, including Bill Clinton and John Kerry.

Another 'theory' is posted at #54 on this thread by Travis McGee

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[doug from upland]

Please spell his last name correctly -- Dung, not Dunne.

[TeleStraightShooter]

But if al-Zarqawi is merely a flimsy propaganda creation, then what confidence can we have in the official line that al-Zarqawi and al-Queda murdered Berg?

The only plausible alternative is a covert, black operation orchestrated as part of the seedier arm of US foreign policy --

Just Dyam!
< Twilight Zone theme music >

[txlurker]

Thanks for pinging...

[Petronski]

Remember, you have everything to fear, including fear itself!!

LOL

[floriduh voter]

Daddy Berg is martying his son much like the Palestinians martyr their children except that Nick Berg did not commit suicide. Glenn Beck radio has mentioned free republic twice now this week for outing Daddy Berg ahead of the mainstream media.

Daddy Berg cut his lawn to spell ANSWER. Doesn't sound like a normal father to me.