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Philadelphia lawyer Phil Berg has never tried to climb Mt. Everest. In the past, he’s always attempted "legal mountains" within his reach. But since filing a 2004 federal RICO lawsuit against President Bush and others for complicity in 9-11, the Pennsylvania attorney finally knows what it’s like to try to scale the world’s tallest peak.

"I thought it was going to be tough, but I didn’t think this tough," Berg told AFP from behind a mountain of legal paperwork in his one-man Philadelphia office. "I am undermanned, overworked and under-financed, but still optimistic that justice will prevail.

"Either our government made 9-11 happen or let it happen. I am going after them for foreknowledge, failure to warn and actively covering up the crimes they committed.

Remember, Nixon was thrown out of office only for a coverup. These people, including Bush, have done much more," said Berg in an exclusive interview.

"We need to bring these criminals in government to justice for killing over 3,000 Americans [and] the thousands who have needlessly died in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Without much support or media attention at home, Berg has left on a seven-stop European tour to try and raise money and awareness about the U.S. government’s involvement in 9-11. The speaking tour begins in Amsterdam then continues to Berlin, Paris, Madrid, London and Vienna.

Berg is joining American entrepreneur Jimmy Walter, the tour’s sponsor, who has taken up residence overseas after spending millions here to alert the public about the truth behind 9-11. Berg and Walter together hope to combine efforts to raise needed money for the 9-11 lawsuit, as well as showing Europeans that many Americans disagree with

Bush and his imperialistic foreign policy agenda. AFP correspondent Christopher Bollyn is also traveling with them. Although millions of Americans now agree with Berg about the U.S. government’s complicity in 9-11, Berg said the movement hasn’t gained momentum because the mainstream media together with the government has hidden the truth from the American people.

"Hopefully the foreign press will be more receptive to our cause, and the word will get back home," said Berg, who claims the American media has purposely ignored his lawsuit against Bush in order to protect the administration against any type of public backlash.

"This is a major lawsuit with worldwide implications, but the media has chosen to ignore it. Why?" asked Berg, saying the lack of public attention has not damped his efforts at getting at the truth behind 9-11.

And the extensive 237-page complaint, filed in November 2004 on behalf of WTC maintenance worker William Rodriguez, attempts to get at the truth while unraveling the complicated fact-scenario involving the government’s hand in 9-11 before, during and after the attacks.

Although Rodriguez doesn’t claim to know everything about the government’s complicity, he is going to testify that he heard strange explosions before and after the jetliner struck one of the towers.

Rodriguez, working at the WTC on the morning of 9-11, claims to have heard detonated bomb explosions. Besides the timing of the suspicious bomb blasts, Rodriguez claims they occurred on lower floors of the high-rise.

Independent investigators said both towers suspiciously fell "like a house of cards," claiming that Rodriguez probably heard pre-arranged detonated bomb blasts, strategically placed and timed to make it appear that the jetliner was the cause of the collapse.

From the beginning, the government has always held firm to the story that burning jet fuel after impact brought down the towers. However, critics claim the government’s theory is impossible since much more was needed in order to bring the towers down so quickly. They claim it is more likely that explosive devices were placed in the towers and detonated when the jetliners made impact.

Besides trying to disprove the government’s theory behind the WTC collapse, Berg’s suit goes much further, attempting to prove that a 9-11 conspiracy began years before the incident.

"The beauty behind a RICO case is that we are allowed to use as admissible evidence facts and events that occurred many years before and even years after 9-11," said Berg about his choice to use the federal RICO laws against Bush and his cronies. "The government normally uses RICO for Mafia probes, but in this case it’s a conspiracy within the government itself that the RICO laws can help expose."

After filing the case, government lawyers were quick to go on the offensive, filing a motion to dismiss on grounds of national security, among a number of other legal maneuvers in order that the case never see the light of day.

"They have tried everything to stop this case from being heard," added Berg.

The case now is still in the early stages with full-blown discovery and depositions not yet taking place. However, Berg said he "can’t wait to depose" Bush and other higherups regarding the tough questions about 9-11 never asked or answered previously.

"I just got word the judge didn’t dismiss the case, but has changed venue to New York," said Berg, who finally received notice from the court regarding the hearing to dismiss the case held several weeks ago in Philadelphia.

Asked what motivated him to take on such an enormous challenge, he said:
"I never realized I would get this involved, but the more research I did, the more it became clear that Bush and his cronies knew about 9-11, then actively covered up their participation and foreknowledge.

"Right after 9-11 occurred, I knew something was strange when I saw [Chief of Staff] Andy Card tell Bush about the second plane hitting the towers. There was absolutely no reaction on the president’s face, and it was then I understood he must have known about the plan all along."

In order to raise money at home for the lawsuit and raise public awareness, Berg operates a web site at 911forthetruth.com, a site where a transcript of the entire RICO complaint can be found as well as updating viewers about
the latest news about the 9-11 truth movement.

Berg’s extensive complaint seeks relief for Rodriguez based on 13 counts, including misprision of a felony, misprision of treason, relief under the Anti-Terrorism Act, relief under the War Crimes Act and relief for and from crimes against humanity.

Specifically, it attempts to show a web of government conspiracy dating back to the late 1970s when the CIA helped Osama bin Laden fight the Soviets in Afghanistan.

Berg claims this web of government deceit and financial backing continues all the way up to the days just preceding 9-11 as witnesses will testify and records will reveal.

The complaint goes on to say that the defendants deliberately concealed the fact that they had ample warnings of terrorist attacks and failed to act on them in order to carry out a full-blown war on terrorism as a means to justify their neo-conservative political goals.

"It is time for a non-violent revolution by the millions of Americans who are tired of their rights being diminished by the Bush administration, tired of the lies of the Bush administration, tired of the lies about Iraq and tired and disgusted with the lies about 9-11," said Berg.

The Rodriguez action aims to prove that the defendants conspired to allow and did allow the attacks to happen by delaying military interceptions of the hijacked planes. It also seeks to show that the WTC was taken down by explosives in a controlled demolition.

"Now is the time to stand tall together and bring back our freedoms as they stood under the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the United States," said Berg.