Posted on 05/19/2004 6:20:40 PM PDT by kristinn
Posted on Wed, May. 19, 2004
BERG CONSPIRACY THEORIES
WAR EXTRA! By William Bunch bunchw@phillynews.com
THE STRANGE life and brutal death of Nick Berg, the 26-year-old radio-tower repair whiz from West Chester, has prompted a din of Internet conspiracy chatter. Without endorsing anything, here’s a guide:
Theory: Video was fake What they’re saying: If Berg was beheaded on live video, as purported, why wasn’t there more blood splattered on the camer a and on his killers? Was he already dead? Why doesn’t the audio portion match up with the video? What about strange jumps in the date stamp, and evidenc e that more than one camer a had been used?
How come the masked men, chubb y and pale -skinned and possibly wearing bulletproof vests, don’t look like Arab terrorists? And why was Berg sitting in the same style white plastic chair seen in photos of the Abu Ghraib prison?
Theory: CIA claim that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is the killer is bogus What they’re saying: Why did both CNN translators and CIA sources quoted shortly after Berg’s slaying insist that the alleged lieutenant of Osama bin Laden was NOT the killer.
Supposedly al-Zarqawi has a prosthetic leg, yet there’s no sign of that. Also, al-Zarqawi is Jordanian, but fluent Arabic speakers say the speaker doesn’t have a Jordanian accent. The killer appeared to be wearing a gold ring, supposedly prohibited in Islam.
Why does it sound like the killers are shouting in Russian at one point ? There have even been some credible news accounts that al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. bombing raid a long time ago. If he wanted the world to know that he killed Berg, why did he cover his face in a mask?
Theory: Nick Berg wasn’t really who people think he was What they’re saying: Why would Berg abandon an Ivy League education and turn up in Oklahoma, where his e-mail password ended up with a terrorism suspect linked to 9/11 figure Zacarias Moussaoui? Why did he hang with other suspicious characters, including a U.S.-backed Iraqi ex-pat with a criminal past that included a Russian-emigre crime ring?
Why did Berg reportedly travel to Iraq with an Israeli stamp in his passport and brag to a U.S. journalist of his visits to Israel? Why did he admittedly carry literature in Farsi, the language of neighboring Iran? U.S. officials also say that Berg, who is Jewish, had the Koran and what they have described as “anti- Semitic” literature.
Who financ ed Berg’s travels? Why was he climbing radio towers in sensitiv e areas, including near the Abu Ghraib prison? How likely is it that a Jewish kid from the Philly suburbs would have an uncle by marriage living in Mosul?
Why did the last people to see Berg alive in a Baghdad hotel report downing beers with him, when friends at home insist he didn’t drink?
Theory: Berg’s death is somehow linked to his dad’s anti-war activities Why was Michael Berg's membership in the anti-war group ANSWER posted on an “enemies” list on the conservative Web site freerepublic .org, and who saw it?
Is there any link between Nick Berg’s firm, Prometheus Methods Tower Servic e, and the Philadelphia-based Prometheus Radio Project, a liberal low-power FM-radio group whose founder also is involved with ANSWER ?
Where to read more
_ http:// soj.dailykos.com/story/2004/5/17/174040/985
_ http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/05/con04214.html
_ http:// www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1718
_ http://marc.perkel.com/archives/000233.html Associated Press
Lets see. I'm a terrorist and I want to see who belongs to ANSWER. I could either google, go to FR OR check the ANSWER web site but as a terrorist I immediately log on to FR.
You guys all miss the point...where are the customers that bought Berg's comm gear? There are a number of people who talk about the $70k that he made on the first trip in Feb. Big cash...which no one is talking who the customers were. I bet he was selling secure comm gear (from the Israels of course)...and simply screwed up.
They also believe that "The X-Files" was a reality show.
I loved the X-Files, too, but I didn't embrace it as a docu-drama.
It takes a certain...uh...how do I put this kindly..."mindset" to appreciate such "tinfoil" sorta stuff.
The "left" just "ain't right", if you catch my hillbilly drift....;)
There are a number of people who talk about the $70k that he made on the first trip in Feb. Big cash...which no one is talking who the customers were.
I've noticed that hole in the story, too. Anything in particular that makes you think he was selling a product--you mentioned ''gear'' (as opposed to ''service'', as in labor & technical expertise/ consultation?) The supposed $70K may not be relevant but the absence of info surrounding it is curious, at the very least. My gut reaction (for now) is that when he was being held by Iraqis, some of the bad sort (mole or AQ sympathizer) became aware of him & his being Jewish & tipped off the kidnappers. On the face of it, as far as AQ is concerned, Berg represented a ''good candidate'', being capitalist, American and Jewish.
When I read that, Gypsies fixing roofs and driveways were what immediately came to mind.
Maybe, just MAYBE...he was just doing a GYPSY thing and ticked off someone.
I do know one thing.....reporters are NOT very curious on this story.
In some stories, they said that Nick would just go do an "inspection" free of charge....climb up someone's tower.......not being ASKED BY ANYONE... and then tell the owner what was needed to fix the problem. I think that's VERY STRANGE.
I read that, too. Not surprising that that sort of behavior would land you in jail, is it? The immediate suspicion being that he was involved in either saboutage or just running a scam rather like some of the car repair scams that lure people in with ''free inspections''. I'm not saying that Berg was doing either of those things (not enough info), only that his behavior suggests the possibility and that ending up in jail while authorities investigated is a logical outcome.
And going to Kenya and being there the same time as the bombings....and being on the same bus with Atta and Moussoui....and Moussoui ending up with Nick's password.....and being interviewed b Michael Moore.....YIKES! Something is VERY strange with Nick Berg.
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