Nico & Siegel Hit The Post

For their (Correction: See update below) research into Ellen Mariani and her husband, who was one of the passengers on Flight 175. Or should I say "alleged" passengers on "alleged" Flight 175?

How could a retired, 58-year-old deliveryman help plan the destruction of the Twin Towers? The proof, presented as a kind of "gotcha!" smoking gun, is strikingly shallow.

Linked to the Web site is a copy of a deed transferring her husband's real property to Ellen. He took it out on July 26, 2001, 47 days before the trade center was destroyed.

As further "proof" that Louis Mariani - who went by his middle name, Neil - was involved, the Web site posts the lease transferring management rights of the World Trade Center to Larry Silverstein. The lease was taken out two days before Louis Mariani put his property in Ellen's name. Aha!

Yes, I certainly agree that's rather thin "proof" of anything. But I can't feel too sorry for Mrs Mariani; she's a 9-11 "Truther" herself:

The odd thing is that the loonies are picking on Ellen. She has been outspoken in insisting that the government knows more about the attacks than it is admitting. But a source familiar with the groups says they tend to target people who fall short of their extreme anti-Semitic, anti-everything views.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but Haupt and Siegel (who are mentioned by name in the piece) have never displayed any anti-Semitism that I can recall. Indeed, Siegel's name sounds Jewish, although I don't know or care whether he was raised in that faith.

Since it's come up again in the comments, let me reiterate my thoughts on the no-planers. I disagree with them entirely on their views on 9-11. Where I agree with them is that their theories are no more wacky than those of Webster Tarpley, David Ray Griffin, and Dylan Avery. There seems to be this oddball notion among the "mainstream" 9-11 Denial Movement that no planes at the WTC is going to discredit the "roboplanes at the WTC" and "no plane at the Pentagon or Shanksville" theories. As I've said before, that strikes me as quite similar to the man dressed up as Napoleon at the loony bin telling you that the guy pretending to be George Washington over there is off his rocker.

Hat Tip (in the comments): BJ Edwards.

Update: BG (posting as Woo Woo) informs us that neither Siegel nor Haupt wrote the post in question; he's got a copy of the post here. Nico states that the article incorrectly claims that he's been contacting 9-11 victims.