Home Improvement Contractor - Licensed Contractors

Has anyone sued the california contractors state license board? Basically for failure to investigate contractors with prior disciplinary actions, revoked licenses, dba's with priors? Or just plain negligent acts of omission? Or?

Has anyone had any experience as a consumer filing a comlaint with the ca. state contractors license board? I would be grateful to anyone who will share their experience. Has anyone gone so far as the arbitration process, and how was your outcome?

Pros and Cons of filing a case with CSLB (Contractors State License Board)? A popular contractor referral web site connected me to a sales person who in turn signed a home improvement contract and arranged to get the building permits. Then the sales person brought a licensed contractor and made the contractor sign the contractor. Both of them convinced me and took about 30% of project value in payments while the work done till now is about 20%. Now that the sales person gone out of picture, contractor is asking me to pay 15% more money for the same scope blaming the sales person for accepting incorrect prices though he signed the contract. I am also worried that he may not stop just with this 15% increase. I came to know about CSLB. I am contemplating the pros and cons of filing a case. I am not sure whether CLSB claim processing may delay my project. Also not sure what kind of documentation CSLB needs to process the claim. Any inputs are appreciated.

Can a contractor in California with a contractor's license? hire a supervisor as an employee, who does not have a contractor's license, to bid on jobs. Can he use a supervisor, without a contractor's license, as an independent contractor to bid on jobs? I am aware that I can contact the contractors state license board, but I am asking these questions right now hoping someone like an attorney will have knowledge of state licensing laws for contractors, and how readily enforceable they are.

Can just anyone report a contractor working without a licence? In CA it is a misdemeanor for an unlicensed contractor to do more than $500 in work on a single project. This law cannot be "waived" by the customer. (California Business & Professions Code sections 7028 & 7048). But the question is this: Can someone such as a neighbor of the homeowner report the contractor that the homeowner hired (to the Contractors State License Board, local police department, attorneys office, dept of insurance, etc,) even if they (the neighbor) have no evidence of them being payed more than $5000? If they simply see and hear weeks of work going on by that "contractor" and can prove that this contractor's license expired 8 years ago?

Want to go back to General contractor license number under my name.? When I originally got my general contractor's license, I assigned the number to my company. Now, I am a part-owner of a second company, and I wanted to use my license number on this company as well, but it is not possible. I went onto the Contractors State License Board web page and there are no forms/ information that help me in any way, and their phone numbers are all automated and have no pertinent info. Does anyone know what I can do to: a) Get the license number back under solely my name. b) Get a second license number issued under my name to use for this second company. c) Find out a way to do everything with my current license number. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.

what is the website for the 'Statewide investigative fraud team' of the calif state license board. to report this is to report illegal contractors (unlicensed) I need `this website to snitch off other people doing this

what do you think Unlicensed contractors arrested, deported illegals subject of several consumer complaints? BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- An unlicensed cement contractor who was the subject of several consumer complaints has been arrested and deported. The Contractors State License Board was investigating tree trimmers last week when they received a tip that 27-year-old Jose Chavez Villegas, the cement contractor, was working at a home with four employees. A CSLB investigator issued Villegas a court notice to face charges of contracting without a license, illegal advertising and soliciting an excessive down payment. A Kern County District Attorney's Office investigator issued an a court notice for failure to carry workers' compensation insurance, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents booked Villegas and three of his employees for deportation. Villegas and his employees were deported later that evening, according to the CSLB. During a sting the next day, investigators posed as homeowners soliciting bids from suspected unlicensed tree trimmers. Nearly 10 tree trimmers were issued court notices on various charges, including contracting without a license and illegal advertising. Two of the tree trimmers were arrested for deportation. It is a state violation to undertake any home improvement job valued at more than $500 for labor and materials without a California contractor's license, according to the CSLB. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/97988854.html Honest hardworkers ????

Nevada state HVAC contractor for service work? I've checked out the Nevada state contractors board but I'm having difficult finding out if I need a contracting license to just do repair work on A/C and swamp coolers. I see other Mechanical business have them. Anyone know if a contractors license is needed to just run repair service?

Has anyone with a business every been turned into the Contractors Board? What happened? I live in NV.? Have state licence and LLC, but no contractors licence.. what will happen.. have a complaining customer that is out for revenge?! Don't do construction... we do refinishing.

My mom hired a company to put in her kitchen counter, and they keep moving the install date.? Now I find out they let their contractors license expire in March! My Mom has already paid the first 2 installments! The first date was the 16th. Then they said the 25th. Now they say the 30th! They say it is a scheduling problem! Should I call the owner, and tell him what's going on! And ask why he isn't licensed? And should she still have them do the work? My mom is afraid to stir up trouble, because she is desperate to get her counter! She thinks they will get mad, and not finish the job! Called up the company, and they gave me there license #! But I called the California Contractors State Licence Board, and they said there is no such #!

Should the FCC require that anyone who hosts their own TV or radio show possess a professional license? Similar to the professional licenses held by doctors, lawyers, civil engineers, construction contractors, etc. and overseen by a state licensing board. Professional license holders are required to have personal liability insurance and are held to strict ethical standards which can result in fines and loss of license due to unethical behavior, such as lying, intentional misrepresentation and/or poor quality work. How would it violate the 1st amendment? Are you saying that it is ethical for a host to lie to their audience?

What should I do about a contractor that performed unauthorized work? My property manager had a plumber come by a property I own and am renting out to get an estimate for some work that needed done. Prior to him doing any work though, I had her explain to him that I wanted to come to the property and modify the scope of work as I had questions about his proposal. We also explained to him that my tenants would need advance notice before any work could happen. He apparently seemed to clearly understand both of these points. He had even explained to my property manager, that for him to get started all he was going to need was a signature. The next day I get contacted by my property manager that she had just received a call from the tenant explaining that the plumber is at the house and was performing the work. Neither my manager, nor myself, had actually authorized any work to take place. Since the estimated cost was around $1000, California law requires a written contract before anything over $500 can begin. Neither of us signed anything or even gave him verbal approval to perform the work. Then, there's the inconvenience my tenants have now suffered because he just decided to stop by and do the work without us having coordinated a convenient schedule for my tenants. I started doing some research to find out my rights as the homeowner and such, and have actually discovered that his contractor's License is currently suspended due to him having problems with his bonding. Aside from being furious about him having done this work without permission, what are people's thoughts as to how I should handle this situation? I am going to be calling the guy to address the problems, but am not sure how I should handle the situation? Should I flat out refuse to pay? Should I just require him to reduce his cost? Should I press charges and file a complaint with the Contractors State License Board? I'm just having difficulty determining how severely I should treat this behavior? -Chris

I have a problem with a contractor, I need help to bring this guy down. ? I hired a contractor to do a small concrete work for my backyard. Crappy job, always flaked, took too long to finish the job. On top of that I found out that he did not pay the concrete that he ordered from the concrete supplier. I already paid him full and not the concrete supplier just sent me a mechanics lien on my house. The contractor the I hired cannot be found or contacted. I already filed a complaint to California Contractors state license board. What can I do to stop this? Hired this contractor from craigslist. Since this contractor is licensed, he should have insurance right? Can the insurance pay for the concrete he did not pay?

Can I sue a contractor if he didn't give me an invoice? My grandmother who is elderly was introduced to a man who said he would do repairs in her home. He charged her $2,000 and never showed up again. He gave her his business card which shows his website address and phone number. She has called and he is very rude to her and hangs up. He did not give her an invoice and now she would like me to help her get her money back. If I take him to small claims will the cashed check be enough proof? Also, I believe he is unlicensed as I checked the contractors state license board and he is not there. I've already filed a complaint with the state and showed his website with proof he accepted her money but that still doesn't get her money back. Please give some insight.

Business insurance help? I have a contractors licence and I am the owner of the company. My business licence is in my name and I OWN the business. My insurance for me company expires and on there information it says that my ex-wife is the business owner. It hasn't been that way for a long time. The insurance company will not make the insurance under my name for my company. I have called the contractors state licence board says the RMO is my ex-wife and I am the RME. Why can't they change the application to my name and how can i legally fix this without becoming a corporation. Please help me!! You can see how this is an issue. Thank you in advanced. State of California by the way.

The contractor we planned to use for tile and stone work in our remodel has had complaints filed with? the state contractors board. Two of their three licenses have the status as "revoked, board action." I don't know exactly what it means, but so far all the other people we are using for our remodel have no complaints with our state board or with the BBB. The third license is listed as "active." Should we rethink using them? I don't want to not use a company because one person may have had a personal problem and filed a complaint or does the company have to had a lot of complaints filed to have their license revoked? Thank you.

what is a responsible managing employee - california contractors? California state contractor's license board requires a responsible managing employee or responsible managing officer

Who can we contact, what can we do with a licensed contractor who will not finish our newly built home? We have had serious problems with our contractor. He has been paid in full. He blackmailed us into signing off on the house. He threatened to put a lien on our newly built house if we did not give him all of the money. We did this and he has not came and finished the work he agreed to do. We had him sign an addendum to the contract that states that he will finished the work. He has failed to fullfil the agreement. We are living in the house now. The tile work is substandard. The doors leak and are not installed correctly. The wood flloors have not been glued down properly. He is making us pay for hardware that goes on the interior/exterior doors and the finished work. I was reviewing the contract and it states that we have to "have an arbitrator to mediate our disagreements". Does anyone ( a lawyer, professional mediator, licensed contractor, etc) know how this process works. Do we have to contact the Contractor's State License Board in California before we can sue these unethical, lying, unprofessional people? If anyone has had something similiar happen or is a lawyer, contractor, or other concerned party, please help us in this situation. Also, can he countersue us for anything even though he has been paid in full and the house has passed inspection? He tried to give us a $38k bill for upgrades that were in the original contract, now he is charging us for these!!!! Please someone give us some useful feedback. This is our only home. We are not investors! Thankyou.

Is this too good a deal on A/C unit? I have a 20 year old Amana central A/C unit that needs to be replaced. I got two bids on R-22 unit for $2700 and $2760 tax included installed. I got a third bid today and it was only $1420. This is supposed to be a new unit by Goodman (same as the others bids). Sounds too good to be true. The company is licensed and insured according to the state contractor licensing board, has only positive Yelp and Dex Yellow Page reviews and only 1 solved BBB complaint. The company has been in business for 3 years. The employee came in a newer company van and was nicely dressed. Can a deal be too good to be true? I'm out of work so I need to be really careful. Any comments would be helpful. Thanks! 10 Years parts & labor warranty. Asking for 30% down. Sorry I forgot to ad the size: 3 1/2 ton, 13 Seer.

How do I report a General Construction Contractor who only hires undocumented, "illegal" immigrants ? This particular General Construction and Landscaping Contractor ONLY hires undocumented, "illegal" immigrants. (assuming because they will accept working longer hours, one quarter of the wages, etc). He will not/does not hire skilled, qualified, United States Citizens. - Labor Board ? - Issue-er of his Contractors License ? - INS ? - Boarder Patrol ? - State of California. - Riverside County. - City Palm Springs. - City of Palm Desert.

What is the legal definition of a "non-permanent, non-fixed, above-ground pool" in the state of Florida? In trying to start an above ground swimming pool installation company I have run across the problem that no one really knows what an above ground pool legaly is. I have found documentation that a pool contractors license is not required for the installation of a "non-permanent, non-fixed, above-ground pool" however when I provided my findings to the leon county licensing board I was asked exactly what a "non-permanent, non-fixed, above-ground pool" actially is. Can any one help?

I lied on an application 5 years ago and feel bad? This is my situation. 5 years ago I took the state test in Florida to be able to get my contractors license and successfully pass. Once I completed the test, I had to apply with the state to actually get my license to be able to be able to be a contractor and then eventually start my own business. On the application it states that you at least 4 years of experience in the field and 1 year as a foreman to be able to get your license. Well I have plenty of time working in the field but no foreman experience. So on the application I stated that I had my 4 years in the field and 1 year as a foreman and stated various jobs which I was a Forman which in reality I wasn't a foreman at all. So now 5 years later Im feeling guilty for lying about this. What do you think I should do… I now own my own business and I don't want to loose it. Should I contact the state licensing board and ask for forgiveness or am I over thinking this?? Should I just let it go? I love owning my own business and this is my passion but Im just stuck with this guilt. I know God will forgive me.. What should I do…? I forgot to mention that I did email them although I I left out my name in the email. In my email I basically stated what I told you guys but in a little more detail. The email center emailed me back and said the email has been forwarded to the licensing board for further evaluation but they haven't emailed me back yet and its been a month.

Posting my own contractors bond in california $12,500? anyone put a deposit at the bank for $12,500 for the requirement bond paperwork for California State Licensing Board ? If so, which bank and which investment vehicle did you use ? http://www.cslb.ca.gov/generalinformation/library/formsandapplications.asp ("scroll down to CONTRACTORS BOND") I was thinking can i deposit in to an I.R.A. account or what do you guys suggest ??

Did I use the wrong contractor? And if so, what do I do now? I live in northern california, & recently had a rear patio poured. After getting 4 different quotes, I found a contractor that is current on his state contractor's license - I checked the states web site, as well as found he was not only listed with the better business bureau, but has multiple reviews that are positive on yelp. What went wrong - I received a letter from the concrete company that supplied him with the material. They sent a certified letter stating my property was under a 20-day notice of having a lean placed against it. The contractor was required to use my address for delivery by a cement truck. Now - as far as the payment is concerned, I payed for half prior to the delivery of the cement, the second was made 4 days later, and a final payment on September 2. I went out of town for a week, and upon returning I noticed no further finishing touches. The job itself is fine, if i could only get him to answer a few questions. I have made "unofficial attempts" to contact him - blocked #. No luck. So I left a message on his voice mail (unblocked), & will now log any communication between us, or just myself. My questions - bare with me- Will I have to go to small claims court on this guy? Do I contact the state contractors board/better business bureau? He is bonded/insured - does this somehow cover me? Can I place a lean on his property? One last thing. According to the accounts payable department of the cement company, he has a previous outstand ballance on a prior job. I felt that i had done my home work on this, am i wrong? What do i do now????

Illegal with California Driver's License? I know of this illegal who is an illegal contractor and has a California Drivers License. I do not know how he got it but to get a drivers license you have to prove your legal status. He was deported a year ago and ignored the deportation order. Whom do I talk to to have this individual's Driver's License removed and him removed? I heard he knows people who know a friend in the local DMV who helps illegals out. This is not right...This is corruption. I am thinking of also sending his illegal bussiness card to the California State Board too as he should not be doing contracting work, send DMV, SSN Administration and INS his details so he can be removed. What do you all think? Roy

Can you sue Hair Salon in California for work performed by stylist who is an independent contractor ? A salon in California charged me over $1,000 to attach a front lace unit. My head was shaved bald and the unit was attached, however, the unit that was attached was not 100% Human Hair which is what my receipt states I paid for. I immediately began having problems with the unit and within 3-weeks had to expend more money to have the unit replaced. The stylist is refusing to refund me my money and the Salon is alleging no liability because it said their stylists are independent contractors. Both the salon and the stylist have "canceled" license with the State Board.

Is it really fraud...? I looked into a contractor that claims he is licensed. He gave me his card and on there, he says he's licensed. To save my butt from making a wrong decision, I checked him out on the state's licensing board and his name wasn't on there. When I called him to ask for his license number, he told me he would call me back...he never did. I've tried to contact him with no luck, so I pretty much know the answer. I'm just curious though, putting "license" on your business card yet you ar not, is that considered fraud or is it the consumers responsibility to do all the research before hiring anyone?

What determines, from a legal standpoint who is an employee of a construction company versus a subcontractor? Had paint company work on house and did a #$%^ job. I withheld payment and now I get notice of intention to place lien by each of the 4 painters who worked on the house. I cannot find they are licensed by contracting board in this state, only the guy who owns the company has a license and it is NOT a general contractor license, only a C4 license. I understand that a subcontractor if not individually licensed cannot file liens. Is that true? I also was told had the painting company had a general contractor designation on the license then yes the employees without a license would be able to do so as they would calim to be working under the direction of the Gen contractor. Please help. I had a %^&* job done and they promised to use warranted products on the job and turns out they did not. Any help appreciated.. I Live in Nevada. You CANNOT file a mechanics lien here unless you are licensed for that specific work in this state. if you are joe blow without license doing painting work and do not get paid you have no right as a lien claimant in NV, you forfeit those rights as it is a criminal act in NV to do this without a license and you can report them. My question is that if only the owner of the firm I contracted w/ has license and the workers do not, how can they SEPERATELY bring a lien or are they specifically covered under the owners license (by the way it is not a GENERAL contractor license just a subspecialty license). If he subs the work out to them and they have no license, I already know they have no rights to file lien. I've checked each name with the NV contractor board and they are not individually licensed. I will probably place a surety bond and file a civil proceeding against him therby releaasing the lien in the interim. They have 6 months to "perfect " the lien here and most are never perfected as it costs alot to get a judicial foreclosure in terms of time and money. I have offered to pay him a partial lump sum payment and put him on notice that I consider the job unfinished and made good fatih attempts to rectify the situation. A friend who is attorney in washington said, watch and wait if the lien gets filed take it down to near 6 months and then place surety bond with courts and then bring civil proceeding against him. The reason why it is important to know if the painters he sent here are subs to his firm is that it DOES have an implication whether they can lien; if they were subs under NV law that has to be revealed and they must have a license (their own) or else they cannot bring a lien. I just need to establish how to find out their individual relationship to the firm.

Can a homeowner put a lien on General Contractor for unpaid refund? We hired a lawyer & fired our General Contractor (GC) - breached EVERY breach provision in our contract. Being ignorant, we gave GC 10% deposit for all categories to build a new home & 90+% on some jobs that are <60% complete. We requested partial refunds for payments on botched jobs that failed inspection and 10% deposits made for work that NEVER commenced (dry wall, Hvac, etc). GC refused to pay - stated he rather go to jail & send his family to Taiwan. Our attorney suspects money is being wired overseas and GC is ready to bail America so contingency fee not acceptable to our attorney. We filed complaint with CA License board. We want GC license revoke to avoid more victims of his prey. Do we have any legal claim to lien against GC home/bank? We discovered many subs unlicensed, GC never was on site to oversee job & subs still due money. Supply vendors unpaid & we fear liens will surface. Dream home has become a nightmare.

What does it mean in California when a contractor works outside its classification? Next door neighbor hired company to paint house exterior and community property fence. In the process, workers trespassed onto our property to replace fence posts and trashed our yard -- busted sprinkler pipe, dug huge holes & poured with cement taking away a chunk of our lawn, broke several boards on our side plus took off the rails & never put them back. We checked with the state to see if the contractor is licensed. The business is licensed to do only painting & decorating. Since it's not licensed to do construction, what are the implications & what can we do with the information?

Contractor/Architect Fraud? I know a gentleman that claims to be a residential architect and contrator. He advertises himself as a contractor and home builder in the yellow pages as well as the americantradesman.com website. He has a business license for a design and contruction company, but has no professional licenses. In fact, he even failed the exam for a contractor's license. He also went to architecture school but never graduated. This is all in the state of Georgia. Is this misrepresentation? I'm considering notifying the professional licensing board. Is that something they can or would take action on? p.s. To be clear I am not a client of this man. I've only met him on several occasions and found his claims to be suspicious and thought it might be worth mentioning so nobody can be taken advantage of. To my knowledge the only thing they can do is present him with a cease and desist order and possibly fine him. Any thoughts?

Why so much red tape for a solar power company? I know how to install, maintain, and repair. I know how they work and how to position them. But in order to start a company I have to get: Licence from the state with the application fee and annual licence fee. Not to mention the exam. Licence from the county with the fees. Licence from the incorporated towns along with the fees. Pay a certification board annually of course. Have two types of insurances one for my labor and one for my company Have a business licence separate from the contractors licence in each incorporated town Then I can finally do business as long as my employees have their benefits. How do they expect green energy to take off? I got guys I need to get to work and I have to deal with all this bull.

Four year old roof is leaking!!? 4 years ago in (November 2004) I had 2 additions added to my house, now the roof is leaking heavily in one of the newer rooms due to the recent rains (it's SoCal, it barely ever rains here), my question is, shouldn't a roof last longer and have some warranty of at least 10 years+, or is it one of those things homeowners have to deal with. In the addendum set forth by the contractor it states that they installed 30 year shingles (?), I was thinking of contacting him to fix the roof, maybe under some warranty, but after having checked the California Licensing Board, it shows his license was revoked back in 2006. Guess that means I'll have to hire someone else! Any advice would be appreciated

Would you like to see a 50% tax cut ? If it means we have to cut 50% of current services ? This means we need to reduce wages and benefits across the board for all government workers by 50%. Teachers , police , defence contractors , parks and recreations workers , drivers licence , welfare , children and family service workers and so on . The government uses tax dollars to pay salaries and retirement benefits to millions of workers we call the middle class . The government regulates insurance rates , utility rates , State licenses and fee's on plumbers electricians roofers and so on . This level of control by government can only be maintained through excessive taxes . So would you like to see a 50% or even greater tax cut .

Think about it , as consumers how long are we going to let insurance companies(All) screw us anyway they want? Even though I pay almost 600.00 a month in the state of Georgia for automobile insurance ( full coverage), I found out if I was in an accident and even though it was not my fault ,a insurance company can charge me with 25% of the accident even though the other driver was ticked for failure to yield, And they are within the law? In this case they are stealing 12,000.00 in damages by just saying Our adjuster see's it this way contrary to police and eye witnesses statements and oh yea we total led your car.How many of you can relate to begging these insurance companies to charge you a outrageous premium so they can refuse to pay when needed. As consumers we let it go, maybe to proud to admit when ripped off, or maybe boy we're lucky they didn't cancel? Another example In Georgia building contractors why even bother getting licensed? I found if Someone was to build a home for example , It happened to me, I paid out 90% of total cost, he completed 50% of the work,and just stole the rest, left a complete mess, but Georgia license's board can do nothing he put my name as the builder , Even though the home is as now unlivable, BBB will only go after a Business if it's a member. if you're unlicensed not a member they can continue without as much as a warning. Lawyers tell me you can sue him but you'll get a judgment in your favor but no money,,. This is two examples of fraud against a consumers, I'm not perfect by any means but this I will do if you give me a 50.00 bill to buy something for you, if it costs 49.99 I'll give you the penny back, if it costs 59.99 I'll pay the difference and say nothing. Honesty, ethical Business behavior is becoming rare in America, as long as it's legal who cares if we screwed that guy out of his last hope. The two examples I gave, in today's world people when hearing this story are steadfast those SOB'S should be in jail, but these people I believe are regarded as "good businessman" and in my case honesty will lose every time to the businessman. Contact me or help start a petition against this type unethical slight of hand BS.

how to get assistance from home building fraud? BidClerk.com (a consumer/professional construction job match site) matched me up with a scam/fraud artist that I had posted to build a small home around 700 sq. ft. They gave my home number to several contractors one of who was persistant. To shorten the story, I live on the GA side of the GA/AL state line. This fraudulent builder came to my house in GA and said he could build me this home for 50,000.00 which according to the plans, was reasonable, we signed contract, he presented license with company and references. I called Marvin's Home improvement ctr who was reference and was to supply materials, they gave glowing reference as well as other ref. also I ran background, criminal and civil, both turned up negative for cases. I checked with his county of residence, still no court record. I hired him and within several weeks, he had made labor/material draws equaling 90% of contracted price for home. I phoned and emailed BIDCLERK several times when I became suspicious but they would never produce any information about him as he was an account holder. Although, they freely gave him my info. Turns out, he got locked up 3 weeks into the contract, he only completed 20% of project and had 90% of my money, 48,000.00 and I was out of a home and money. Turns out, he had NO license, NO Business, NO employees and alot of experience in this activity as he was already on probation for this with the state licensure board of AL. On probation for drugs, forgery and other charges, He had several Probation officers and was still free to do this to me. BidClerk.com will not take any responsibility even though they said my job was mislabled and is how he got my information. I did everything anyone could do in checking him out and even a business gave him reference and then turned against him later and withdrew from my project. He had no insurance either. I labeled all my checks to him what they were for but he didn't have a bank account and cashed these large checks at my bank and used the cash for everything but materials. After he was locked up the last time, he just that day got 5,000 of my money and took it into court behind my back and they locked him up permanently that day. he had my check cashed and took 5,000.00 into Jail. 10 days later, I was filing claims with the State of AL and with authorities for fraud when the shell of the house burned to the ground in the middle of the night. He thought I'm sure would relieve him of responsibility since he didn't think I could prove how much of home was completed. I had hired a home inspector he never met who took pictures just days before the fire which documented the house was only 20% and had major foundation problems. In the end, I have no house, lost all my money, had to sell the land just to move from the nice apt into a low class apt building where I have been broken into 5 times by other tenants who were arrested and evicted. Every tenant in this building has stolen from me. It is not safe and is over 100 years old. I live on fixed income as I am disabled and this guy knew this as I was going to the Cancer center when he was doing this to me. He didn't care at all and planned and frauded me with intent as he knew no one was around to stop him and I often did not feel well. I took him at his word. I have all documents. Even his fake license. They have locked him up. Could not prove arson although they know he had it done with my money, and I can't sue him because he has his assets hid in families name. Cannot get, done spoke with 3 lawyers and it would cost thousands just to get it into court and I wouldn't get anything in the end. Does anyone know of any resource, any entity or help I could possibly receive in community/state/government subsidized financially as I do not have any money now, live in a dump with criminals just like him, and have no hope of getting out of this mess. He just walked into my life, in weeks, destroyed it and legally walked off without so much as an apology. Seems BidClerk.com should carry responsibility but got flimsy half assed apology/excuse letter and that was that. Marvin's Home Improvement Center also should be liable but again, they offered to testify for me but what good is that if I can't take into court. If anyone knows of anyone who can help I would be eternally and bleed gratitude to you. I would die with the prayer for you in my mouth if you know of any way to help me out of this mess. Not well, I get sicker every day because I am so depressed and live in this environment. Had to sell most of everything I own just to survive. I was told to write to TV Home improvement shows but can't find any and there's nothing left to build on or fix. I have all documents and legal papers relating to this disaster and Blueprints and police and state reports. If anyone knows of anything or has suggestion, I would be so thankful to you. Simply asking for knowledge of available resources for victims of Home Building Fraud. This case has been investigated by all state officials, State Attorney Generals office and Home Builders Licensure Board, As was put to me, "this wasn't his 1st rodeo" and criminals like this know more on how to cover themselves than honest people know on uncovering them. I did all a consumer could have reasonably done with respect of checking. BidClerk.com took responsiblility in saying my job was "mislabled", again, not my fault or to my knowledge. I question those who blame the victims as opposed to the criminals. Could make one wonder about their ethics if they believe any degree of trust in another human is "a mistake". Reflection of their own moral compass.

How come Maryland is becoming a haven for illegal gangs with more on the way & the police cannot do anything? How come Maryland is becoming a haven for illegal gangs with more on the way & the police cannot do anything about it, how come they allow gangs to roam the streets without any fear of police ? The Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force just released a report which claims that due to tougher laws and a concerted effort by law enforcement, many illegal alien gangs are leaving Virginia for the safe havens of Maryland. The report said: "Many gang members from Northern Virginia are moving or driving to Prince George's and other Maryland counties, into the District of Columbia or further south and west into Virginia to avoid dealing with police departments that are unrelenting in their efforts to keep gangs under control.” The report also found that there are 5,000 gang members in Northern Va., including 3,000 MS-13 members. Because of more cooperation between local and federal agencies, violent crime in the region has decreased by 17 percent from 2003-2008. However, as a direct result of Maryland’s continued lax attitude toward illegal immigration, the state’s sanctuary cities, and lack of cooperation with federal authorities, violent crimes committed by illegal aliens have recently soared. Maryland is also one of a handful of states which issues driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Additionally, the Maryland State Board of Education recently announced that they will not allow county school districts to count the number of illegal alien students registered in their respective districts. Several high profile murders committed by illegal aliens in Montgomery County, MD forced city officials to change their policy in reporting criminal aliens to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. However, as Judicial Watch recently pointed-out, Montgomery County police only report illegal aliens to the feds when they have been arrested for a very serious crime such as rape or murder. Illegal aliens arrested for burglary, simple assault, and most weapons violations are still not reported to ICE for deportation. Just as with any offender, bail is set for them and they are released back onto the streets to either commit more crimes in the county or to flee elsewhere. The following is a short list of some of the violent crimes recently committed by illegal aliens in Montgomery County, MD: -In July 2009, Edwin Umana, 21, was stabbed to death by seven Hispanic gang members. -In November 2008, Tai Lam, 14 was shot to death on a crowded bus by 20-year-old MS-13 member and Takoma Park resident Hector Mauricio Hernandez. Unfortunately, this killing could have been avoided if Hernandez had been reported to federal authorities a month earlier, when the illegal alien was released after being caught carrying a concealed weapon. -In October 2008, police arrested Honduran national Jose Juan Garcia-Perlera, 33, for the murder of Frances Havenstein, 63, after being linked to the crime with DNA evidence. He was also charged with several counts of robbery in a string of home invasions which targeted elderly homeowners. He always tied-up his victims, one of whom was 92-years-old. At the time of his arrest, Garcia-Perlera was living in Hyattsville, MD and working for an electrical contractor. He had been in the country illegally for six years. -In September 2008, while at a local mall, a Gaithersburg teenager was stabbed nearly 50 times by gang members Ricardo Mejia, 16, Oswaldo Michael Lainez, 16, Omar Diaz, 16, and Edgar Garcia, 15. Though he was stabbed in the heart, the teen survived the attack. All of the assailants were charged as adults with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and two conspiracy charges. In April 2009, Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger announced that criminal activity committed by illegal alien gangs MS-13 and the Latin Kings had increased significantly and accounted for the higher numbers of serious crimes such as rape, robbery, and murder. According to the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office, there are 40 active gangs in Montgomery County with a total of about 1,150 members. Chief of the FBI’s MS-13 National Gang Task Force, Aaron Escorza recently said that gangs “know what law enforcement is doing. Word of mouth spreads quickly.” Illegal alien gangs are now spreading the word that Maryland is part of the “wild wild East.” In December 2008, the Center for Immigration Studies released a comprehensive report on law enforcement’s handling of illegal alien gangs, entitled “Taking Back Our Streets.“ An excerpt taken directly from that report follows: “Consider the case of Milton Calderon-Menendez (age 25, citizen of El Salvador), who was arrested in March 2008, by the Prince William County, Va., gang unit. Following procedures put in place just weeks before, Prince William police checked his immigration status and learned that Calderon was an illegal alien. The policy also requires them to notify ICE, whi

What happens when you don't pay 1099 taxes? I was hired as an independent contractor at a spa in Virginia, but there was some issue with my board license, and though I started working in October last year, the board license didn't come through until April. I couldn't get my business license until I got my board license, and I was in a car accident by the time the board license rolled around, and long story short, I still don't have my business license and I haven't filed any kind of 1099 taxes, and we are moving out of state this week. So my question is, what happens if I don't file my taxes, especially as I will be out of state? When we get to where we are moving to I intend to do everything in the right order, but I am really worried about this and I don't know what to do. I am 21, so I am young and stupid and confused. Any help would be much appreciated! I was hired as an independent contractor at a spa in Virginia, but there was some issue with my board license, and though I started working in October last year, the board license didn't come through until April. I couldn't get my business license until I got my board license, and I was in a car accident by the time the board license rolled around, and long story short, I still don't have my business license and I haven't filed any kind of 1099 taxes, and we are moving out of state this week. So my question is, what happens if I don't file my taxes, especially as I will be out of state? When we get to where we are moving to I intend to do everything in the right order, but I am really worried about this and I don't know what to do. I am 21, so I am young and stupid and confused. Any help would be much appreciated! Edit: I appreciate the first two answers I received, but can I even file taxes without a business license? I appreciate the first two answers I received, but can I even file taxes without a business license?

CAN A LIEN ON MY CONDO BE INCREASED OVER THE AMOUNT I WAS BILLED ORIGINALLY? Is it proper in the state of New Jersey to increase the price of a lien on my condo more than the original cost the HOA billed me? The items that the HOA president forced me to have replaced came to $3150. I never paid for this assessment because the board and PM would not look at the problems with the items installed & many turned out to be defective beside being 100% against the bylaws because there wasn't a vote taken and they were not of the same quality or better as our bylaws stated. Beside the two reasons mentioned before, the contractor was not insured and he ruined some of my personal belongings and again I was not permitted to put a claim in for my damages which cost more than the cost of $3,150. The attorney for the condo without ever seeing anything said in a letter he wrote to me that my claim is not true. Not one person came to my condo to see what was wrong and assumed everything was perfect. Original Cost billed for replacement item - $3150 - Below is what is written on Lien Outstanding assessments and late charges through 7/10 - $3475, then added to that amount is Accelerated Assessments through 12/10 which came to $1725 and added to that amount was Attorney Fees for $350 for a grand total owned of $5,550. The attorney actually knew the skylights were defective from pictures I sent him with condensation between the two layers of glass but his para legal told me that the HOA president still wanted the lien filed. The N.J. Condo law states the amount of the lien should be the face value of what was owed. I am truly upset that I do not have the ability and strength to fight this lien as this project should have never taken place and three of the four condo owners were senior citizens ranging from 68 to 80 years old. The only thing that was better about this project was the problems that it caused for all four condo owners. A state official from the state of N.J. saw pictures of my neighbor's condo which he called unfinished and told me they can be sighted for this but my neighbor wasn't home the day he visited my home. Can someone clarify for me if a lien can have all the additional amounts added to it? I do not know what the accelerated assessments are for as I always thought that was for an immediate project that was an emergency. The DCA believed the letter that the attorney wrote to him referring to the expert as an engineer which was false. I hate to let these unethical people get away with what was done but unless God is going to send someone to me to help me out with this, I am afraid that I have reached my limit of being harassed by the PM. This PM had something to do with a warrant being put out for my arrest over a dog's license as I know she reported me and I know she met the official afterwards who put the warrant out for my arrest. The same PM lied about me and my daughter for no reason except to make us look bad in case we brought a lawsuit against her for what may possibly be criminal behavior. The same PM even told a contractor to stay away from me & my daughter as we would file a sexual harassment suit against him and her only reason for that statement was not to fix our property because he was asking her if he could make the repairs needed to the front of our condo. I don't even have the management company on my side because the owner of the management company is married to the PM who started this whole thing to begin with. Some of the people in my condo are so busy that they do not have time to investigate who is telling the truth and it is easy for them to believe those in charge as who would think the board president is unethical and may even be criminal if in fact extortion is criminal in this case. I feel embarassed in my own community and can't even talk about this without becoming upset. I don't know why our government allowed condos to have their own government? The same PM who caused us all this misery by forcing us to replace good items and then hiring an uninsured roofer also manages another condo right next door and she hired an insured roofer for them and not one person had to replace the items we had to replace which makes me think our board is not acting to help the condo owners. That Pm certainly used selective enforcement when giving out fines to people & I never had a fine until I complained about her replacing items that didn't need to be replaced. The only reason the items in our condo were replaced to begin with was because the attorney for the condo wrote to the DCA misleading the DCA about the credentials of the expert who said the item should be replaced when the expert was not an expert at all. This project was done to 4 out of 100 condos where I live in one of those. I would appreciate it if anyone can tell me about what can be added to a lien on my condo in the state of New Jersey beside the actual amount of the lien in the begi The accelerated assessment is not for anything I owe at all. We were never billed for anything for the $1,725 and that was my reason for asking the question as I never heard of an accelerated assessment being added to a lien. . If you have any other idea why this may be added to a lien please let me know. I definitely don't owe anything else and like to pay all of my bills quickly. Why are you assuming something different because I refuse to pay for items that are defective and against the bylaws? Do you live in a condo where items are replaced and the new ones are defective and no one comes to look at them but puts a lien on your condo for not paying for defective items that go against 2 bylaws that the HOA president and PM should have followed? Age is certainly relevant because a younger person might be healthier & able to find out more about what took place where the 80 year old is legally blind and the 70 year old is fighting a disease. I am the only person who had o

Can just anyone report a contractor working without a licence? In CA it is a misdemeanor for an unlicensed contractor to do more than $500 in work on a single project. This law cannot be "waived" by the customer. (California Business & Professions Code sections 7028 & 7048). But the question is this: Can someone such as a neighbor of the homeowner report the contractor that the homeowner hired (to the Contractors State License Board, local police department, attorneys office, dept of insurance, etc,) even if they (the neighbor) have no evidence of them being payed more than $5000? If they simply see and hear weeks of work going on by that "contractor" and can prove that this contractor's license expired 8 years ago?

Can just anyone report a contractor working without a licence? In CA it is a misdemeanor for an unlicensed contractor to do more than $500 in work on a single project. This law cannot be "waived" by the customer. (California Business & Professions Code sections 7028 & 7048). But the question is this: Can someone such as a neighbor of the homeowner report the contractor that the homeowner hired (to the Contractors State License Board, local police department, attorneys office, dept of insurance, etc,) even if they (the neighbor) have no evidence of them being payed more than $5000? If they simply see and hear weeks of work going on by that "contractor" and can prove that this contractor's license expired 8 years ago?

what is the website for the 'Statewide investigative fraud team' of the calif state license board. to report this is to report illegal contractors (unlicensed) I need `this website to snitch off other people doing this

Cumulative voting is a method of voting designed to allow minority shareholders representation on the board of 18. Damages awarded in a shareholder's derivative suit are paid to the shareholder who filed the suit. (Points: 4) True False 19. Delivery of intangible personal property must be done by symbolic delivery. (Points: 4) True False 20. A gift made during one's lifetime is a gift causa mortis. (Points: 4) True False 21. A gift made to a dying donee is a gift inter vivos. (Points: 4) True False 22. In a bailment, possession of the property is transferred to the bailee. (Points: 4) True False 23. In a bailment, title to the property is transferred to the bailee. (Points: 4) True False 24. For an effective bailment, the bailed property must be physically delivered to the bailee. (Points: 4) True False 25. A gratuitous bailment is one in which consideration is not required. (Points: 4) True False 26. Regional Bank wants to perfect its security interest in timber owned by Standard Lumber, Inc. Most likely, a financing statement should be filed with (Points: 4) the local chamber of commerce. the county clerk. the federal loan officer. the secretary of state's office. 27. Fine Furniture Store sells household consumer goods. To create a purchase-money security interest, Fine Furniture must (Points: 4) assign, to a collecting agent, a portion of its accounts payable. assign, to a collecting agent, a portion of its accounts receivable. extend credit for part or all of the purchase price of the goods. refer purchasers to a third-party lender. 28. Joyce works for Kappa Services Corporation as an independent contractor, and not as an employee, if (Points: 4) Joyce says that she works as an independent contractor. Joyce works on a permanent basis. Kappa does not control Joyce's work. Kappa withholds taxes from its payments to Joyce. 29. Holly takes temporary leave from her job at Interstate Assembly Company to care for her new baby. When she attempts to return to work, Interstate refuses to reinstate her. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, Holly may be entitled to (Points: 4) damages only. damages or job reinstatement only. double damages, job reinstatement, a promotion, and more. nothing. 30. Standard Company denies a promotion to Tony, a member of a minority, when he fails to pass a required test. Few members of minorities have passed the test. The number of promoted employees who are members of minorities does not reflect their percentage in the local labor market. In a suit against Standard, if Tony can show a connection between the test and the number of promoted minority members, (Points: 4) it must be proved that Standard had discriminatory intent. it must be proved that Standard has other discriminatory practices. it must be proved that the test had a discriminatory purpose. no evidence of discriminatory intent is necessary. 31. Ken, who is Hispanic, applies for a job at Local Plant, Inc. The interviewer says that Local Plant does not hire Hispanics. This is (Points: 4) impermissible discrimination on the basis of race. permissible discrimination because it is an honest response. permissible discrimination because it occurs before employment. permissible discrimination because "Ken" is not an Hispanic name. 32. Macro Corporation replaces Neal, a fifty-two-year-old employee, with Olivia. Neal files a suit against Macro under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. To establish a prima facie case, Neal must show that he was discharged under circumstances that give rise to (Points: 4) a certainty of discrimination. an impossibility of discrimination. an inference of discrimination. an unlikelihood of discrimination. 33. Eagle Equipment Corporation discharges Jay, who then sues Eagle for employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Eagle learns that Jay lied on his job application and argues that, had Eagle known of the lie, it would have fired him. This is (Points: 4) an affirmative action defense. a bona fide occupational qualification defense. a business necessity defense. no defense. 34. Amy wants to go into the business of construction contracting. Among the reasons that would probably convince Amy to set up her business as a sole proprietorship would be (Points: 4) its greater organizational flexibility. its limited liability. its perpetual existence. the ease of transferring the business to other family members. 37. Sandy is a limited partner in Total Enterprises, a limited partnership. To avoid personal liability for partnership obligations, Sandy must not (Points: 4) acquire an interest in the firm. contribute property to the firm. engage in activities independent of the firm's business. participate in the firm's management. 38. Dan is considering forms of business organization for his financial advisory firm. Like most states, Dan's state requires that to form a limited liability company, he must file with a central state agency (Points: 4) articles of certification. articles of formation. articles of organization. no specific documents. 39. Web Services, LLC, is a member-managed limited liability company. If the law in Web's state is like the law in most states, unless the members have agreed otherwise, decisions are made by (Points: 4) majority vote. minority vote. plurality vote. seniority vote. 40. Omega Sports Corporation licenses its trademark to Personality Products, Inc., to use in selling caps, sweatshirts, and similar goods. This is (Points: 4) a franchise. an entrepreneur. a principal-agent relationship. a sole proprietorship. 41. Jill and Kelly are architects and members of Jill & Kelly, P.C., a professional corporation. Jill supervises Lucy, an employee of the firm. As a member, Jill (Points: 4) is personally liable for any tort committed by Kelly. has limited liability for any of Kelly's acts of malpractice. has no liability for any torts committed by Kelly or Lucy. may be personally liable for malpractice committed by Lucy. 42. Stan is a registered agent for Transport, Inc., which incorporated in Utah. As a registered agent, Stan (Points: 4) agreed to buy stock in Transport before it existed. applied to Utah on behalf of Transport to obtain its corporate charter. does business for Transport in Utah. receives legal documents on behalf of Transport. 43. Lou and Mary act as the incorporators for National Corporation. After the first board of directors is chosen, subsequent directors are elected by a majority vote of National's (Points: 4) board of directors. incorporators. officers. shareholders. 44. Bart and Cary are directors of Digital Designs, Inc. Voting by Bart and Cary at corporate directors' meetings (Points: 4) may be cumulative. may be done by proxy in all states. must be done in person. all of the above. 45. Irma, Jim, and Kelly are the directors of Liberty Corporation. Liberty has nine officers and forty-six shareholders. Dividends are ordered by the firm's (Points: 4) board of directors. incorporators. officers. shareholders. 46. Visual Play Company makes DVD players. Visual Play is like most corporations in that its officers are hired by the firm's (Points: 4) board of directors. incorporators. other officers. shareholders. 47. Adam and Beth are officers of Computer Products Corporation. As corporate officers, the rights of Adam and Beth are (Points: 4) determined by their employment contracts. specified in state corporation statutes. the same as those of the directors. the same as those of the shareholders. 48. Applied Innovations, Inc., has thirty-five shareholders. The minimum number that must be present at a meeting for a shareholders' vote is (Points: 4) a proxy. a quorum. eighteen. thirty-five. 49. Tom is a shareholder of United Company. As a shareholder, Tom does not have (Points: 4) a right to compensation. dividend rights. inspection rights. preemptive rights. 50. April owns six 1967 Ford Mustangs in fee simple. April can (Points: 4) use the cars as she chooses, but not dispose of them or transfer them. use or dispose of the cars, but not transfer them. use or transfer the cars, but not otherwise dispose of them. use, transfer, or dispose of the cars, as she chooses.

Do you believe in coincidences? The Coincidence Theorists Guide to 9/11 That governments have permitted terrorist acts against their own people, and have even themselves been perpetrators in order to find strategic advantage is quite likely true, but this is the United States we're talking about. That intelligence agencies, financiers, terrorists and narco-criminals have a long history together is well established, but the Nugan Hand Bank, BCCI, Banco Ambrosiano, the P2 Lodge, the CIA/Mafia anti-Castro/Kennedy alliance, Iran/Contra and the rest were a long time ago, so there's no need to rehash all that. That was then, this is now! That Jonathan Bush's Riggs Bank has been found guilty of laundering terrorist funds and fined a US-record $25 million must embarrass his nephew George, but it's still no justification for leaping to paranoid conclusions. That George Bush's brother Marvin sat on the board of the Kuwaiti-owned company which provided electronic security to the World Trade Centre, Dulles Airport and United Airlines means nothing more than you must admit those Bush boys have done alright for themselves. That George Bush found success as a businessman only after the investment of Osama's brother Salem and reputed al Qaeda financier Khalid bin Mahfouz is just one of those things - one of those crazy things. That Osama bin Laden is known to have been an asset of US foreign policy in no way implies he still is. That al Qaeda was active in the Balkan conflict, fighting on the same side as the US as recently as 1999, while the US protected its cells, is merely one of history's little aberrations. The claims of Michael Springman, State Department veteran of the Jeddah visa bureau, that the CIA ran the office and issued visas to al Qaeda members so they could receive training in the United States, sound like the sour grapes of someone who was fired for making such wild accusations. That one of George Bush's first acts as President, in January 2001, was to end the two-year deployment of attack submarines which were positioned within striking distance of al Qaeda's Afghanistan camps, even as the group's guilt for the Cole bombing was established, proves that a transition from one administration to the next is never an easy task. That so many influential figures in and close to the Bush White House had expressed, just a year before the attacks, the need for a "new Pearl Harbor" before their militarist ambitions could be fulfilled, demonstrates nothing more than the accidental virtue of being in the right place at the right time. That the company PTECH, founded by a Saudi financier placed on America's Terrorist Watch List in October 2001, had access to the FAA's entire computer system for two years before the 9/11 attack, means he must not have been such a threat after all. That whistleblower Indira Singh was told to keep her mouth shut and forget what she learned when she took her concerns about PTECH to her employers and federal authorities, suggests she lacked the big picture. And that the Chief Auditor for JP Morgan Chase told Singh repeatedly, as she answered questions about who supplied her with what information, that "that person should be killed," suggests he should take an anger management seminar. That on May 8, 2001, Dick Cheney took upon himself the job of co-ordinating a response to domestic terror attacks even as he was crafting the administration's energy policy which bore implications for America's military, circumventing the established infrastructure and ignoring the recommendations of the Hart-Rudman report, merely shows the VP to be someone who finds it hard to delegate. That the standing order which covered the shooting down of hijacked aircraft was altered on June 1, 2001, taking discretion away from field commanders and placing it solely in the hands of the Secretary of Defense, is simply poor planning and unfortunate timing. Fortunately the error has been corrected, as the order was rescinded shortly after 9/11. That in the weeks before 9/11, FBI agent Colleen Rowley found her investigation of Zacarias Moussaoui so perversely thwarted that her colleagues joked that bin Laden had a mole at the FBI, proves the stress-relieving virtue of humour in the workplace. That Dave Frasca of the FBI's Radical Fundamentalist Unit received a promotion after quashing multiple, urgent requests for investigations into al Qaeda assets training at flight schools in the summer of 2001 does appear on the surface odd, but undoubtedly there's a good reason for it, quite possibly classified. That FBI informant Randy Glass, working an undercover sting, was told by Pakistani intelligence operatives that the World Trade Center towers were coming down, and that his repeated warnings which continued until weeks before the attacks, including the mention of planes used as weapons, were ignored by federal authorities, is simply one of the many "What Ifs" of that tragic day. That over the summer of 2001 Washington received many urgent, senior-level warnings from foreign intelligence agencies and governments - including those of Germany, France, Great Britain, Russia, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Afghanistan and others - of impending terror attacks using hijacked aircraft and did nothing, demonstrates the pressing need for a new Intelligence Czar. That John Ashcroft stopped flying commercial aircraft in July 2001 on account of security considerations had nothing to do with warnings regarding September 11, because he said so to the 9/11 Commission. That former lead counsel for the House David Schippers says he'd taken to John Ashcroft's office specific warnings he'd learned from FBI agents in New York of an impending attack - even naming the proposed dates, names of the hijackers and the targets - and that the investigations had been stymied and the agents threatened, proves nothing but David Schipper's pathetic need for attention. That Garth Nicolson received two warnings from contacts in the intelligence community and one from a North African head of state, which included specific site, date and source of the attacks, and passed the information to the Defense Department and the National Security Council to evidently no effect, clearly amounts to nothing, since virtually nobody has ever heard of him. That in the months prior to September 11, self-described US intelligence operative Delmart Vreeland sought, from a Toronto jail cell, to get US and Canadian authorities to heed his warning of his accidental discovery of impending catastrophic attacks is worthless, since Vreeland was a dubious character, notwithstanding the fact that many of his claims have since been proven true. That FBI Special Investigator Robert Wright claims that agents assigned to intelligence operations actually protect terrorists from investigation and prosecution, that the FBI shut down his probe into terrorist training camps, and that he was removed from a money-laundering case that had a direct link to terrorism, sounds like yet more sour grapes from a disgruntled employee. That George Bush had plans to invade Afghanistan on his desk before 9/11 demonstrates only the value of being prepared. The suggestion that securing a pipeline across Afghanistan figured into the White House's calculations is as ludicrous as the assertion that oil played a part in determining war in Iraq. That Afghanistan is once again the world's principal heroin producer is an unfortunate reality, but to claim the CIA is still actively involved in the narcotics trade is to presume bad faith on the part of the agency. Mahmood Ahmed, chief of Pakistan's ISI, must not have authorized an al Qaeda payment of $100,000 to Mohammed Atta days before the attacks, and was not meeting with senior Washington officials over the week of 9/11, because I didn't read anything about him in the official report. That Porter Goss met with Ahmed the morning of September 11 in his capacity as Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has no bearing whatsoever upon his recent selection by the White House to head the Central Intelligence Agency. That Goss's congressional seat encompasses the 9/11 hijackers' Florida base of operation, including their flight schools, is precisely the kind of meaningless factoid a conspiracy theorist would bring up. It's true that George HW Bush and Dick Cheney spent the evening of September 10 alone in the Oval Office, but what's wrong with old colleagues catching up? And it's true that George HW Bush and Shafig bin Laden, Osama's brother, spent the morning of September 11 together at a board meeting of the Carlyle Group, but the bin Ladens are a big family. That FEMA arrived in New York on Sept 10 to prepare for a scheduled biowarfare drill, and had a triage centre ready to go that was larger and better equipped than the one that was lost in the collapse of WTC 7, was a lucky twist of fate. Newsweek's report that senior Pentagon officials cancelled flights on Sept 10 for the following day on account of security concerns is only newsworthy because of what happened the following morning. That George Bush's telephone logs for September 11 do not exist should surprise no one, given the confusion of the day. That Mohamed Atta attended the International Officer's School at Maxwell Air Force Base, that Abdulaziz Alomari attended Brooks Air Force Base Aerospace Medical School, that Saeed Alghamdi attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey merely shows it is a small world, after all. That Lt Col Steve Butler, Vice Chancellor for student affairs of the Defense Language Institute during Alghamdi's terms, was disciplined, removed from his post and threatened with court martial when he wrote "Bush knew of the impending attacks on America. He did nothing to warn the American people because he needed this war on terrorism. What is...contemptible is the President of the United States not telling the American people what he knows for political gain," is the least that should have happened for such disrespect shown his Commander in Chief. That Mohammed Atta dressed like a Mafioso, had a stripper girlfriend, smuggled drugs, was already a licensed pilot when he entered the US, enjoyed pork chops, drank to excess and did cocaine, was closer to Europeans than Arabs in Florida, and included the names of defence contractors on his email list, proves how dangerous the radical fundamentalist Muslim can be. That 43 lbs of heroin was found on board the Lear Jet owned by Wally Hilliard, the owner of Atta's flight school, just three weeks after Atta enrolled - the biggest seizure ever in Central Florida - was just bad luck. That Hilliard was not charged shows how specious the claims for conspiracy truly are. That Hilliard's plane had made 30-round trips to Venezuela with the same passengers who always paid cash, that the plane had been supplied by a pair of drug smugglers who had also outfitted CIA drug runner Barry Seal, and that 9/11 commissioner Richard ben-Veniste had been Seal's attorney before Seal's murder, shows nothing but the lengths to which conspiracists will go to draw sinister conclusions. Reports of insider trading on 9/11 are false, because the SEC investigated and found only respectable investors who will remain nameless involved, and no terrorists, so the windfall profit-taking was merely, as ever, coincidental. That heightened security for the World Trade Centre was lifted immediately prior to the attacks illustrates that it always happens when you least expect it. That Hani Hanjour, the pilot of Flight 77, was so incompetent he could not fly a Cessna in August, but in September managed to fly a 767 at excessive speed into a spiraling, 270-degree descent and a level impact of the first floor of the Pentagon, on the only side that was virtually empty and had been hardened to withstand a terrorist attack, merely demonstrates that people can do almost anything once they set their minds to it. That none of the flight data recorders were said to be recoverable even though they were located in the tail sections, and that until 9/11, no solid-state recorder in a catastrophic crash had been unrecoverable, shows how there's a first time for everything. That Mohammed Atta left a uniform, a will, a Koran, his driver's license and a "how to fly planes" video in his rental car at the airport means he had other things on his mind. The mention of Israelis with links to military-intelligence having been arrested on Sept 11 videotaping and celebrating the attacks, of an Israeli espionage ring surveiling DEA and defense installations and trailing the hijackers, and of a warning of impending attacks delivered to the Israeli company Odigo two hours before the first plane hit, does not deserve a response. That the stories also appeared in publications such as Ha'aretz and Forward is a sad display of self-hatred among certain elements of the Israeli media. That multiple military wargames and simulations were underway the morning of 9/11 - one simulating the crash of a plane into a building; another, a live-fly simulation of multiple hijackings - and took many interceptors away from the eastern seaboard and confused field commanders as to which was a real hijacked aircraft and which was a hoax, was a bizarre coincidence, but no less a coincidence. That the National Military Command Center ops director asked a rookie substitute to stand his watch at 8:30 am on Sept. 11 is nothing more than bad timing. That a recording made Sept 11 of air traffic controllers' describing what they had witnessed, was destroyed by an FAA official who crushed it in his hand, cut the tape into little pieces and dropped them in different trash cans around the building, is something no doubt that overzealous official wishes he could undo. That the FBI knew precisely which Florida flight schools to descend upon hours after the attacks should make every American feel safer knowing their federal agents are on the ball. That a former flight school executive believes the hijackers were "double agents," and says about Atta and associates, "Early on I gleaned that these guys had government protection. They were let into this country for a specific purpose," and was visited by the FBI just four hours after the attacks to intimidate him into silence, proves he's an unreliable witness, for the simple reason there is no conspiracy. That Jeb Bush was on board an aircraft that removed flight school records to Washington in the middle of the night on Sept 12th demonstrates how seriously the governor takes the issue of national security. To insinuate evil motive from the mercy flights of bin Laden family members and Saudi royals after 9/11 shows the sickness of the conspiratorial mindset. Le Figaro's report in October 2001, known to have originated with French intelligence, that the CIA met Osama bin Laden in a Dubai hospital in July 2001, proves again the perfidy of the French. That the tape in which bin Laden claims responsibility for the attacks was released by the State Department after having been found providentially by US forces in Afghanistan, and depicts a fattened Osama with a broader face and a flatter nose, proves Osama, and Osama alone, masterminded 9/11. That at the battle of Tora Bora, where bin Laden was surrounded on three sides, Special Forces received no order to advance and capture him and were forced to stand and watch as two Russian-made helicopters flew into the area where bin Laden was believed hiding, loaded up passengers and returned to Pakistan, demonstrates how confusing the modern battlefield can be. That upon returning to Fort Bragg from Tora Bora, the same Special Operations troops who had been stood down from capturing bin Laden, suffered a unusual spree of murder/suicides, is nothing more than a series of senseless tragedies. Reports that bin Laden is currently receiving periodic dialysis treatment in a Pakistani medical hospital are simply too incredible to be true. That the White House went on Cipro September 11 shows the foresightedness of America's emergency response. That the anthrax was mailed to perceived liberal media and the Democratic leadership demonstrates only the perversity of the terrorist psyche. That the anthrax attacks appeared to silence opponents of the Patriot Act shows only that appearances can be deceiving. That the Ames-strain anthrax was found to have originated at Fort Detrick, and was beyond the capability of all but a few labs to refine, underscores the importance of allowing the investigation to continue without the distraction of absurd conspiracy theories. That Republican guru Grover Norquist has been found to have aided financiers and supporters of Islamic terror to gain access to the Bush White House, and is a founder of the Islamic Institute, which the Treasury Department believes to be a source of funding for al Qaeda, suggests Norquist is at worst, naive, and at best, needs a wider circle of friends. That the Department of Justice consistently chooses to see accused 9/11 plotters go free rather than permit the courtroom testimony of al Qaeda leaders in American custody looks bad, but only because we don't have all the facts. That the White House balked at any inquiry into the events of 9/11, then starved it of funds and stonewalled it, was unfortunate, but since the commission didn't find for conspiracy it's all a non issue anyway. That the 9/11 commission's executive director and "gatekeeper," Philip Zelikow, was so closely involved in the events under investigation that he testified before the the commission as part of the inquiry, shows only an apparent conflict of interest. That commission chair Thomas Kean is, like George Bush, a Texas oil executive who had business dealings with reputed al Qaeda financier Khalid bin Mafouz, suggests Texas is smaller than they say it is. That co-chair Lee Hamilton has a history as a Bush family "fixer," including clearing Bush Sr of the claims arising from the 1980 "October Surprise", is of no concern, since only conspiracists believe there was such a thing as an October Surprise. That FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds accuses the agency of intentionally fudging specific pre-9/11 warnings and harboring a foreign espionage ring in its translation department, and claims she witnessed evidence of the semi-official infrastructure of money-laundering and narcotics trade behind the attacks, is of no account, since John Ashcroft has gagged her with the rare invocation of "State Secrets Privilege," and retroactively classified her public testimony. For the sake of national security, let us speak no more of her. That, when commenting on Edmond's case, Daniel Ellsberg remarked that Ashcroft could go to prison for his part in a cover-up, suggests Ellsberg is giving comfort to the terrorists, and could, if he doesn't wise up, find himself declared an enemy combatant. I could go on. And on and on. But I trust you get the point. Which is simply this: there are no secrets, an American government would never accept civilian casualties for geostrategic gain, and conspiracies are for the weak-minded and gullible. "wegottagetoutofthisplace," the democrats are just as guilty as the republicans on this one. they are trying to cover up just as much as the republicans. Sandy Berger, for instance...obviously helping save BJ Clinton's ass.

9/11 Coincidences? The Coincidence Theorists Guide to 9/11 That governments have permitted terrorist acts against their own people, and have even themselves been perpetrators in order to find strategic advantage is quite likely true, but this is the United States we're talking about. That intelligence agencies, financiers, terrorists and narco-criminals have a long history together is well established, but the Nugan Hand Bank, BCCI, Banco Ambrosiano, the P2 Lodge, the CIA/Mafia anti-Castro/Kennedy alliance, Iran/Contra and the rest were a long time ago, so there's no need to rehash all that. That was then, this is now! That Jonathan Bush's Riggs Bank has been found guilty of laundering terrorist funds and fined a US-record $25 million must embarrass his nephew George, but it's still no justification for leaping to paranoid conclusions. That George Bush's brother Marvin sat on the board of the Kuwaiti-owned company which provided electronic security to the World Trade Centre, Dulles Airport and United Airlines means nothing more than you must admit those Bush boys have done alright for themselves. That George Bush found success as a businessman only after the investment of Osama's brother Salem and reputed al Qaeda financier Khalid bin Mahfouz is just one of those things - one of those crazy things. That Osama bin Laden is known to have been an asset of US foreign policy in no way implies he still is. That al Qaeda was active in the Balkan conflict, fighting on the same side as the US as recently as 1999, while the US protected its cells, is merely one of history's little aberrations. The claims of Michael Springman, State Department veteran of the Jeddah visa bureau, that the CIA ran the office and issued visas to al Qaeda members so they could receive training in the United States, sound like the sour grapes of someone who was fired for making such wild accusations. That one of George Bush's first acts as President, in January 2001, was to end the two-year deployment of attack submarines which were positioned within striking distance of al Qaeda's Afghanistan camps, even as the group's guilt for the Cole bombing was established, proves that a transition from one administration to the next is never an easy task. That so many influential figures in and close to the Bush White House had expressed, just a year before the attacks, the need for a "new Pearl Harbor" before their militarist ambitions could be fulfilled, demonstrates nothing more than the accidental virtue of being in the right place at the right time. That the company PTECH, founded by a Saudi financier placed on America's Terrorist Watch List in October 2001, had access to the FAA's entire computer system for two years before the 9/11 attack, means he must not have been such a threat after all. That whistleblower Indira Singh was told to keep her mouth shut and forget what she learned when she took her concerns about PTECH to her employers and federal authorities, suggests she lacked the big picture. And that the Chief Auditor for JP Morgan Chase told Singh repeatedly, as she answered questions about who supplied her with what information, that "that person should be killed," suggests he should take an anger management seminar. That on May 8, 2001, Dick Cheney took upon himself the job of co-ordinating a response to domestic terror attacks even as he was crafting the administration's energy policy which bore implications for America's military, circumventing the established infrastructure and ignoring the recommendations of the Hart-Rudman report, merely shows the VP to be someone who finds it hard to delegate. That the standing order which covered the shooting down of hijacked aircraft was altered on June 1, 2001, taking discretion away from field commanders and placing it solely in the hands of the Secretary of Defense, is simply poor planning and unfortunate timing. Fortunately the error has been corrected, as the order was rescinded shortly after 9/11. That in the weeks before 9/11, FBI agent Colleen Rowley found her investigation of Zacarias Moussaoui so perversely thwarted that her colleagues joked that bin Laden had a mole at the FBI, proves the stress-relieving virtue of humour in the workplace. That Dave Frasca of the FBI's Radical Fundamentalist Unit received a promotion after quashing multiple, urgent requests for investigations into al Qaeda assets training at flight schools in the summer of 2001 does appear on the surface odd, but undoubtedly there's a good reason for it, quite possibly classified. That FBI informant Randy Glass, working an undercover sting, was told by Pakistani intelligence operatives that the World Trade Center towers were coming down, and that his repeated warnings which continued until weeks before the attacks, including the mention of planes used as weapons, were ignored by federal authorities, is simply one of the many "What Ifs" of that tragic day. That over the summer of 2001 Washington received many urgent, senior-level warnings from foreign intelligence agencies and governments - including those of Germany, France, Great Britain, Russia, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Afghanistan and others - of impending terror attacks using hijacked aircraft and did nothing, demonstrates the pressing need for a new Intelligence Czar. That John Ashcroft stopped flying commercial aircraft in July 2001 on account of security considerations had nothing to do with warnings regarding September 11, because he said so to the 9/11 Commission. That former lead counsel for the House David Schippers says he'd taken to John Ashcroft's office specific warnings he'd learned from FBI agents in New York of an impending attack - even naming the proposed dates, names of the hijackers and the targets - and that the investigations had been stymied and the agents threatened, proves nothing but David Schipper's pathetic need for attention. That Garth Nicolson received two warnings from contacts in the intelligence community and one from a North African head of state, which included specific site, date and source of the attacks, and passed the information to the Defense Department and the National Security Council to evidently no effect, clearly amounts to nothing, since virtually nobody has ever heard of him. That in the months prior to September 11, self-described US intelligence operative Delmart Vreeland sought, from a Toronto jail cell, to get US and Canadian authorities to heed his warning of his accidental discovery of impending catastrophic attacks is worthless, since Vreeland was a dubious character, notwithstanding the fact that many of his claims have since been proven true. That FBI Special Investigator Robert Wright claims that agents assigned to intelligence operations actually protect terrorists from investigation and prosecution, that the FBI shut down his probe into terrorist training camps, and that he was removed from a money-laundering case that had a direct link to terrorism, sounds like yet more sour grapes from a disgruntled employee. That George Bush had plans to invade Afghanistan on his desk before 9/11 demonstrates only the value of being prepared. The suggestion that securing a pipeline across Afghanistan figured into the White House's calculations is as ludicrous as the assertion that oil played a part in determining war in Iraq. That Afghanistan is once again the world's principal heroin producer is an unfortunate reality, but to claim the CIA is still actively involved in the narcotics trade is to presume bad faith on the part of the agency. Mahmood Ahmed, chief of Pakistan's ISI, must not have authorized an al Qaeda payment of $100,000 to Mohammed Atta days before the attacks, and was not meeting with senior Washington officials over the week of 9/11, because I didn't read anything about him in the official report. That Porter Goss met with Ahmed the morning of September 11 in his capacity as Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has no bearing whatsoever upon his recent selection by the White House to head the Central Intelligence Agency. That Goss's congressional seat encompasses the 9/11 hijackers' Florida base of operation, including their flight schools, is precisely the kind of meaningless factoid a conspiracy theorist would bring up. It's true that George HW Bush and Dick Cheney spent the evening of September 10 alone in the Oval Office, but what's wrong with old colleagues catching up? And it's true that George HW Bush and Shafig bin Laden, Osama's brother, spent the morning of September 11 together at a board meeting of the Carlyle Group, but the bin Ladens are a big family. That FEMA arrived in New York on Sept 10 to prepare for a scheduled biowarfare drill, and had a triage centre ready to go that was larger and better equipped than the one that was lost in the collapse of WTC 7, was a lucky twist of fate. Newsweek's report that senior Pentagon officials cancelled flights on Sept 10 for the following day on account of security concerns is only newsworthy because of what happened the following morning. That George Bush's telephone logs for September 11 do not exist should surprise no one, given the confusion of the day. That Mohamed Atta attended the International Officer's School at Maxwell Air Force Base, that Abdulaziz Alomari attended Brooks Air Force Base Aerospace Medical School, that Saeed Alghamdi attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey merely shows it is a small world, after all. That Lt Col Steve Butler, Vice Chancellor for student affairs of the Defense Language Institute during Alghamdi's terms, was disciplined, removed from his post and threatened with court martial when he wrote "Bush knew of the impending attacks on America. He did nothing to warn the American people because he needed this war on terrorism. What is...contemptible is the President of the United States not telling the American people what he knows for political gain," is the least that should have happened for such disrespect shown his Commander in Chief. That Mohammed Atta dressed like a Mafioso, had a stripper girlfriend, smuggled drugs, was already a licensed pilot when he entered the US, enjoyed pork chops, drank to excess and did cocaine, was closer to Europeans than Arabs in Florida, and included the names of defence contractors on his email list, proves how dangerous the radical fundamentalist Muslim can be. That 43 lbs of heroin was found on board the Lear Jet owned by Wally Hilliard, the owner of Atta's flight school, just three weeks after Atta enrolled - the biggest seizure ever in Central Florida - was just bad luck. That Hilliard was not charged shows how specious the claims for conspiracy truly are. That Hilliard's plane had made 30-round trips to Venezuela with the same passengers who always paid cash, that the plane had been supplied by a pair of drug smugglers who had also outfitted CIA drug runner Barry Seal, and that 9/11 commissioner Richard ben-Veniste had been Seal's attorney before Seal's murder, shows nothing but the lengths to which conspiracists will go to draw sinister conclusions. Reports of insider trading on 9/11 are false, because the SEC investigated and found only respectable investors who will remain nameless involved, and no terrorists, so the windfall profit-taking was merely, as ever, coincidental. That heightened security for the World Trade Centre was lifted immediately prior to the attacks illustrates that it always happens when you least expect it. That Hani Hanjour, the pilot of Flight 77, was so incompetent he could not fly a Cessna in August, but in September managed to fly a 767 at excessive speed into a spiraling, 270-degree descent and a level impact of the first floor of the Pentagon, on the only side that was virtually empty and had been hardened to withstand a terrorist attack, merely demonstrates that people can do almost anything once they set their minds to it. That none of the flight data recorders were said to be recoverable even though they were located in the tail sections, and that until 9/11, no solid-state recorder in a catastrophic crash had been unrecoverable, shows how there's a first time for everything. That Mohammed Atta left a uniform, a will, a Koran, his driver's license and a "how to fly planes" video in his rental car at the airport means he had other things on his mind. The mention of Israelis with links to military-intelligence having been arrested on Sept 11 videotaping and celebrating the attacks, of an Israeli espionage ring surveiling DEA and defense installations and trailing the hijackers, and of a warning of impending attacks delivered to the Israeli company Odigo two hours before the first plane hit, does not deserve a response. That the stories also appeared in publications such as Ha'aretz and Forward is a sad display of self-hatred among certain elements of the Israeli media. That multiple military wargames and simulations were underway the morning of 9/11 - one simulating the crash of a plane into a building; another, a live-fly simulation of multiple hijackings - and took many interceptors away from the eastern seaboard and confused field commanders as to which was a real hijacked aircraft and which was a hoax, was a bizarre coincidence, but no less a coincidence. That the National Military Command Center ops director asked a rookie substitute to stand his watch at 8:30 am on Sept. 11 is nothing more than bad timing. That a recording made Sept 11 of air traffic controllers' describing what they had witnessed, was destroyed by an FAA official who crushed it in his hand, cut the tape into little pieces and dropped them in different trash cans around the building, is something no doubt that overzealous official wishes he could undo. That the FBI knew precisely which Florida flight schools to descend upon hours after the attacks should make every American feel safer knowing their federal agents are on the ball. That a former flight school executive believes the hijackers were "double agents," and says about Atta and associates, "Early on I gleaned that these guys had government protection. They were let into this country for a specific purpose," and was visited by the FBI just four hours after the attacks to intimidate him into silence, proves he's an unreliable witness, for the simple reason there is no conspiracy. That Jeb Bush was on board an aircraft that removed flight school records to Washington in the middle of the night on Sept 12th demonstrates how seriously the governor takes the issue of national security. To insinuate evil motive from the mercy flights of bin Laden family members and Saudi royals after 9/11 shows the sickness of the conspiratorial mindset. Le Figaro's report in October 2001, known to have originated with French intelligence, that the CIA met Osama bin Laden in a Dubai hospital in July 2001, proves again the perfidy of the French. That the tape in which bin Laden claims responsibility for the attacks was released by the State Department after having been found providentially by US forces in Afghanistan, and depicts a fattened Osama with a broader face and a flatter nose, proves Osama, and Osama alone, masterminded 9/11. That at the battle of Tora Bora, where bin Laden was surrounded on three sides, Special Forces received no order to advance and capture him and were forced to stand and watch as two Russian-made helicopters flew into the area where bin Laden was believed hiding, loaded up passengers and returned to Pakistan, demonstrates how confusing the modern battlefield can be. That upon returning to Fort Bragg from Tora Bora, the same Special Operations troops who had been stood down from capturing bin Laden, suffered a unusual spree of murder/suicides, is nothing more than a series of senseless tragedies. Reports that bin Laden is currently receiving periodic dialysis treatment in a Pakistani medical hospital are simply too incredible to be true. That the White House went on Cipro September 11 shows the foresightedness of America's emergency response. That the anthrax was mailed to perceived liberal media and the Democratic leadership demonstrates only the perversity of the terrorist psyche. That the anthrax attacks appeared to silence opponents of the Patriot Act shows only that appearances can be deceiving. That the Ames-strain anthrax was found to have originated at Fort Detrick, and was beyond the capability of all but a few labs to refine, underscores the importance of allowing the investigation to continue without the distraction of absurd conspiracy theories. That Republican guru Grover Norquist has been found to have aided financiers and supporters of Islamic terror to gain access to the Bush White House, and is a founder of the Islamic Institute, which the Treasury Department believes to be a source of funding for al Qaeda, suggests Norquist is at worst, naive, and at best, needs a wider circle of friends. That the Department of Justice consistently chooses to see accused 9/11 plotters go free rather than permit the courtroom testimony of al Qaeda leaders in American custody looks bad, but only because we don't have all the facts. That the White House balked at any inquiry into the events of 9/11, then starved it of funds and stonewalled it, was unfortunate, but since the commission didn't find for conspiracy it's all a non issue anyway. That the 9/11 commission's executive director and "gatekeeper," Philip Zelikow, was so closely involved in the events under investigation that he testified before the the commission as part of the inquiry, shows only an apparent conflict of interest. That commission chair Thomas Kean is, like George Bush, a Texas oil executive who had business dealings with reputed al Qaeda financier Khalid bin Mafouz, suggests Texas is smaller than they say it is. That co-chair Lee Hamilton has a history as a Bush family "fixer," including clearing Bush Sr of the claims arising from the 1980 "October Surprise", is of no concern, since only conspiracists believe there was such a thing as an October Surprise. That FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds accuses the agency of intentionally fudging specific pre-9/11 warnings and harboring a foreign espionage ring in its translation department, and claims she witnessed evidence of the semi-official infrastructure of money-laundering and narcotics trade behind the attacks, is of no account, since John Ashcroft has gagged her with the rare invocation of "State Secrets Privilege," and retroactively classified her public testimony. For the sake of national security, let us speak no more of her. That, when commenting on Edmond's case, Daniel Ellsberg remarked that Ashcroft could go to prison for his part in a cover-up, suggests Ellsberg is giving comfort to the terrorists, and could, if he doesn't wise up, find himself declared an enemy combatant. I could go on. And on and on. But I trust you get the point. Which is simply this: there are no secrets, an American government would never accept civilian casualties for geostrategic gain, and conspiracies are for the weak-minded and gullible. Here is where you can see this with links for every statement: http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/2004/08/coincidence-theorists-guide-to-911.html A good 9/11 truth movement website: http://truthmove.org/ What are your thoughts on these "coincidences"? What is the "Cole's Notes version"?

Do you believe in coincidences? The Coincidence Theorists Guide to 9/11 That governments have permitted terrorist acts against their own people, and have even themselves been perpetrators in order to find strategic advantage is quite likely true, but this is the United States we're talking about. That intelligence agencies, financiers, terrorists and narco-criminals have a long history together is well established, but the Nugan Hand Bank, BCCI, Banco Ambrosiano, the P2 Lodge, the CIA/Mafia anti-Castro/Kennedy alliance, Iran/Contra and the rest were a long time ago, so there's no need to rehash all that. That was then, this is now! That Jonathan Bush's Riggs Bank has been found guilty of laundering terrorist funds and fined a US-record $25 million must embarrass his nephew George, but it's still no justification for leaping to paranoid conclusions. That George Bush's brother Marvin sat on the board of the Kuwaiti-owned company which provided electronic security to the World Trade Centre, Dulles Airport and United Airlines means nothing more than you must admit those Bush boys have done alright for themselves. That George Bush found success as a businessman only after the investment of Osama's brother Salem and reputed al Qaeda financier Khalid bin Mahfouz is just one of those things - one of those crazy things. That Osama bin Laden is known to have been an asset of US foreign policy in no way implies he still is. That al Qaeda was active in the Balkan conflict, fighting on the same side as the US as recently as 1999, while the US protected its cells, is merely one of history's little aberrations. The claims of Michael Springman, State Department veteran of the Jeddah visa bureau, that the CIA ran the office and issued visas to al Qaeda members so they could receive training in the United States, sound like the sour grapes of someone who was fired for making such wild accusations. That one of George Bush's first acts as President, in January 2001, was to end the two-year deployment of attack submarines which were positioned within striking distance of al Qaeda's Afghanistan camps, even as the group's guilt for the Cole bombing was established, proves that a transition from one administration to the next is never an easy task. That so many influential figures in and close to the Bush White House had expressed, just a year before the attacks, the need for a "new Pearl Harbor" before their militarist ambitions could be fulfilled, demonstrates nothing more than the accidental virtue of being in the right place at the right time. That the company PTECH, founded by a Saudi financier placed on America's Terrorist Watch List in October 2001, had access to the FAA's entire computer system for two years before the 9/11 attack, means he must not have been such a threat after all. That whistleblower Indira Singh was told to keep her mouth shut and forget what she learned when she took her concerns about PTECH to her employers and federal authorities, suggests she lacked the big picture. And that the Chief Auditor for JP Morgan Chase told Singh repeatedly, as she answered questions about who supplied her with what information, that "that person should be killed," suggests he should take an anger management seminar. That on May 8, 2001, Dick Cheney took upon himself the job of co-ordinating a response to domestic terror attacks even as he was crafting the administration's energy policy which bore implications for America's military, circumventing the established infrastructure and ignoring the recommendations of the Hart-Rudman report, merely shows the VP to be someone who finds it hard to delegate. That the standing order which covered the shooting down of hijacked aircraft was altered on June 1, 2001, taking discretion away from field commanders and placing it solely in the hands of the Secretary of Defense, is simply poor planning and unfortunate timing. Fortunately the error has been corrected, as the order was rescinded shortly after 9/11. That in the weeks before 9/11, FBI agent Colleen Rowley found her investigation of Zacarias Moussaoui so perversely thwarted that her colleagues joked that bin Laden had a mole at the FBI, proves the stress-relieving virtue of humour in the workplace. That Dave Frasca of the FBI's Radical Fundamentalist Unit received a promotion after quashing multiple, urgent requests for investigations into al Qaeda assets training at flight schools in the summer of 2001 does appear on the surface odd, but undoubtedly there's a good reason for it, quite possibly classified. That FBI informant Randy Glass, working an undercover sting, was told by Pakistani intelligence operatives that the World Trade Center towers were coming down, and that his repeated warnings which continued until weeks before the attacks, including the mention of planes used as weapons, were ignored by federal authorities, is simply one of the many "What Ifs" of that tragic day. That over the summer of 2001 Washington received many urgent, senior-level warnings from foreign intelligence agencies and governments - including those of Germany, France, Great Britain, Russia, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Afghanistan and others - of impending terror attacks using hijacked aircraft and did nothing, demonstrates the pressing need for a new Intelligence Czar. That John Ashcroft stopped flying commercial aircraft in July 2001 on account of security considerations had nothing to do with warnings regarding September 11, because he said so to the 9/11 Commission. That former lead counsel for the House David Schippers says he'd taken to John Ashcroft's office specific warnings he'd learned from FBI agents in New York of an impending attack - even naming the proposed dates, names of the hijackers and the targets - and that the investigations had been stymied and the agents threatened, proves nothing but David Schipper's pathetic need for attention. That Garth Nicolson received two warnings from contacts in the intelligence community and one from a North African head of state, which included specific site, date and source of the attacks, and passed the information to the Defense Department and the National Security Council to evidently no effect, clearly amounts to nothing, since virtually nobody has ever heard of him. That in the months prior to September 11, self-described US intelligence operative Delmart Vreeland sought, from a Toronto jail cell, to get US and Canadian authorities to heed his warning of his accidental discovery of impending catastrophic attacks is worthless, since Vreeland was a dubious character, notwithstanding the fact that many of his claims have since been proven true. That FBI Special Investigator Robert Wright claims that agents assigned to intelligence operations actually protect terrorists from investigation and prosecution, that the FBI shut down his probe into terrorist training camps, and that he was removed from a money-laundering case that had a direct link to terrorism, sounds like yet more sour grapes from a disgruntled employee. That George Bush had plans to invade Afghanistan on his desk before 9/11 demonstrates only the value of being prepared. The suggestion that securing a pipeline across Afghanistan figured into the White House's calculations is as ludicrous as the assertion that oil played a part in determining war in Iraq. That Afghanistan is once again the world's principal heroin producer is an unfortunate reality, but to claim the CIA is still actively involved in the narcotics trade is to presume bad faith on the part of the agency. Mahmood Ahmed, chief of Pakistan's ISI, must not have authorized an al Qaeda payment of $100,000 to Mohammed Atta days before the attacks, and was not meeting with senior Washington officials over the week of 9/11, because I didn't read anything about him in the official report. That Porter Goss met with Ahmed the morning of September 11 in his capacity as Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has no bearing whatsoever upon his recent selection by the White House to head the Central Intelligence Agency. That Goss's congressional seat encompasses the 9/11 hijackers' Florida base of operation, including their flight schools, is precisely the kind of meaningless factoid a conspiracy theorist would bring up. It's true that George HW Bush and Dick Cheney spent the evening of September 10 alone in the Oval Office, but what's wrong with old colleagues catching up? And it's true that George HW Bush and Shafig bin Laden, Osama's brother, spent the morning of September 11 together at a board meeting of the Carlyle Group, but the bin Ladens are a big family. That FEMA arrived in New York on Sept 10 to prepare for a scheduled biowarfare drill, and had a triage centre ready to go that was larger and better equipped than the one that was lost in the collapse of WTC 7, was a lucky twist of fate. Newsweek's report that senior Pentagon officials cancelled flights on Sept 10 for the following day on account of security concerns is only newsworthy because of what happened the following morning. That George Bush's telephone logs for September 11 do not exist should surprise no one, given the confusion of the day. That Mohamed Atta attended the International Officer's School at Maxwell Air Force Base, that Abdulaziz Alomari attended Brooks Air Force Base Aerospace Medical School, that Saeed Alghamdi attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey merely shows it is a small world, after all. That Lt Col Steve Butler, Vice Chancellor for student affairs of the Defense Language Institute during Alghamdi's terms, was disciplined, removed from his post and threatened with court martial when he wrote "Bush knew of the impending attacks on America. He did nothing to warn the American people because he needed this war on terrorism. What is...contemptible is the President of the United States not telling the American people what he knows for political gain," is the least that should have happened for such disrespect shown his Commander in Chief. That Mohammed Atta dressed like a Mafioso, had a stripper girlfriend, smuggled drugs, was already a licensed pilot when he entered the US, enjoyed pork chops, drank to excess and did cocaine, was closer to Europeans than Arabs in Florida, and included the names of defence contractors on his email list, proves how dangerous the radical fundamentalist Muslim can be. That 43 lbs of heroin was found on board the Lear Jet owned by Wally Hilliard, the owner of Atta's flight school, just three weeks after Atta enrolled - the biggest seizure ever in Central Florida - was just bad luck. That Hilliard was not charged shows how specious the claims for conspiracy truly are. That Hilliard's plane had made 30-round trips to Venezuela with the same passengers who always paid cash, that the plane had been supplied by a pair of drug smugglers who had also outfitted CIA drug runner Barry Seal, and that 9/11 commissioner Richard ben-Veniste had been Seal's attorney before Seal's murder, shows nothing but the lengths to which conspiracists will go to draw sinister conclusions. Reports of insider trading on 9/11 are false, because the SEC investigated and found only respectable investors who will remain nameless involved, and no terrorists, so the windfall profit-taking was merely, as ever, coincidental. That heightened security for the World Trade Centre was lifted immediately prior to the attacks illustrates that it always happens when you least expect it. That Hani Hanjour, the pilot of Flight 77, was so incompetent he could not fly a Cessna in August, but in September managed to fly a 767 at excessive speed into a spiraling, 270-degree descent and a level impact of the first floor of the Pentagon, on the only side that was virtually empty and had been hardened to withstand a terrorist attack, merely demonstrates that people can do almost anything once they set their minds to it. That none of the flight data recorders were said to be recoverable even though they were located in the tail sections, and that until 9/11, no solid-state recorder in a catastrophic crash had been unrecoverable, shows how there's a first time for everything. That Mohammed Atta left a uniform, a will, a Koran, his driver's license and a "how to fly planes" video in his rental car at the airport means he had other things on his mind. The mention of Israelis with links to military-intelligence having been arrested on Sept 11 videotaping and celebrating the attacks, of an Israeli espionage ring surveiling DEA and defense installations and trailing the hijackers, and of a warning of impending attacks delivered to the Israeli company Odigo two hours before the first plane hit, does not deserve a response. That the stories also appeared in publications such as Ha'aretz and Forward is a sad display of self-hatred among certain elements of the Israeli media. That multiple military wargames and simulations were underway the morning of 9/11 - one simulating the crash of a plane into a building; another, a live-fly simulation of multiple hijackings - and took many interceptors away from the eastern seaboard and confused field commanders as to which was a real hijacked aircraft and which was a hoax, was a bizarre coincidence, but no less a coincidence. That the National Military Command Center ops director asked a rookie substitute to stand his watch at 8:30 am on Sept. 11 is nothing more than bad timing. That a recording made Sept 11 of air traffic controllers' describing what they had witnessed, was destroyed by an FAA official who crushed it in his hand, cut the tape into little pieces and dropped them in different trash cans around the building, is something no doubt that overzealous official wishes he could undo. That the FBI knew precisely which Florida flight schools to descend upon hours after the attacks should make every American feel safer knowing their federal agents are on the ball. That a former flight school executive believes the hijackers were "double agents," and says about Atta and associates, "Early on I gleaned that these guys had government protection. They were let into this country for a specific purpose," and was visited by the FBI just four hours after the attacks to intimidate him into silence, proves he's an unreliable witness, for the simple reason there is no conspiracy. That Jeb Bush was on board an aircraft that removed flight school records to Washington in the middle of the night on Sept 12th demonstrates how seriously the governor takes the issue of national security. To insinuate evil motive from the mercy flights of bin Laden family members and Saudi royals after 9/11 shows the sickness of the conspiratorial mindset. Le Figaro's report in October 2001, known to have originated with French intelligence, that the CIA met Osama bin Laden in a Dubai hospital in July 2001, proves again the perfidy of the French. That the tape in which bin Laden claims responsibility for the attacks was released by the State Department after having been found providentially by US forces in Afghanistan, and depicts a fattened Osama with a broader face and a flatter nose, proves Osama, and Osama alone, masterminded 9/11. That at the battle of Tora Bora, where bin Laden was surrounded on three sides, Special Forces received no order to advance and capture him and were forced to stand and watch as two Russian-made helicopters flew into the area where bin Laden was believed hiding, loaded up passengers and returned to Pakistan, demonstrates how confusing the modern battlefield can be. That upon returning to Fort Bragg from Tora Bora, the same Special Operations troops who had been stood down from capturing bin Laden, suffered a unusual spree of murder/suicides, is nothing more than a series of senseless tragedies. Reports that bin Laden is currently receiving periodic dialysis treatment in a Pakistani medical hospital are simply too incredible to be true. That the White House went on Cipro September 11 shows the foresightedness of America's emergency response. That the anthrax was mailed to perceived liberal media and the Democratic leadership demonstrates only the perversity of the terrorist psyche. That the anthrax attacks appeared to silence opponents of the Patriot Act shows only that appearances can be deceiving. That the Ames-strain anthrax was found to have originated at Fort Detrick, and was beyond the capability of all but a few labs to refine, underscores the importance of allowing the investigation to continue without the distraction of absurd conspiracy theories. That Republican guru Grover Norquist has been found to have aided financiers and supporters of Islamic terror to gain access to the Bush White House, and is a founder of the Islamic Institute, which the Treasury Department believes to be a source of funding for al Qaeda, suggests Norquist is at worst, naive, and at best, needs a wider circle of friends. That the Department of Justice consistently chooses to see accused 9/11 plotters go free rather than permit the courtroom testimony of al Qaeda leaders in American custody looks bad, but only because we don't have all the facts. That the White House balked at any inquiry into the events of 9/11, then starved it of funds and stonewalled it, was unfortunate, but since the commission didn't find for conspiracy it's all a non issue anyway. That the 9/11 commission's executive director and "gatekeeper," Philip Zelikow, was so closely involved in the events under investigation that he testified before the the commission as part of the inquiry, shows only an apparent conflict of interest. That commission chair Thomas Kean is, like George Bush, a Texas oil executive who had business dealings with reputed al Qaeda financier Khalid bin Mafouz, suggests Texas is smaller than they say it is. That co-chair Lee Hamilton has a history as a Bush family "fixer," including clearing Bush Sr of the claims arising from the 1980 "October Surprise", is of no concern, since only conspiracists believe there was such a thing as an October Surprise. That FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds accuses the agency of intentionally fudging specific pre-9/11 warnings and harboring a foreign espionage ring in its translation department, and claims she witnessed evidence of the semi-official infrastructure of money-laundering and narcotics trade behind the attacks, is of no account, since John Ashcroft has gagged her with the rare invocation of "State Secrets Privilege," and retroactively classified her public testimony. For the sake of national security, let us speak no more of her. That, when commenting on Edmond's case, Daniel Ellsberg remarked that Ashcroft could go to prison for his part in a cover-up, suggests Ellsberg is giving comfort to the terrorists, and could, if he doesn't wise up, find himself declared an enemy combatant. I could go on. And on and on. But I trust you get the point. Which is simply this: there are no secrets, an American government would never accept civilian casualties for geostrategic gain, and conspiracies are for the weak-minded and gullible. go to http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/2004/08/coincidence-theorists-guide-to-911.html for links for every statement made here. http://truthmove.org