On September 11, 2001 America was devastated but not defeated. Families were broken but not destroyed. Our faith was shaken but hope was not lost. With the eyes of the world upon us we pulled ourselves up. Petty prejudices were forgotten. The lines that so often have separated us were forgotten. No one spoke of race, religion or political affiliation. We were one family that had been severely hurt and, we responded as a family. We did not ask how or why we needed to help. We just did. We need not forget how we as a nation responded that day and we need never forget that every member of our collective family deserves the same treatment today. No tragedy is too small, no trauma to insignificant for it is never too far removed from each and every one of us especially in today’s political climate.
This passage is from an article written in 2005 about support after 9/11.
From the Ground Up
http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=52444
Monday, September 6, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
OF MEMORIALS AND MOSQUES
As the controversy around the mosque near Ground Zero grows Postcards the 9/11 Memorial on Staten Island was vandalized with five 9/11 victims’ profiles being smashed.
Now one thing may have nothing to do with the other but the possibility always exists.
Don’t all involved see the potential danger of the Mosque being built just a few feet away from Ground Zero?
Say during the construction or after it is built some fanatic attempts to bomb the mosque.
Now this could happen.
It could be an Islamic extremist or a crazed American.
Either way people will die and the rift between all involved will be widened with each blaming the other.
Why would we want to create such a no win situation?
Now all of this should have been taken into consideration early on.
But now it has, as with all things related to 9/11, become a political hot item.
And all the same politicians who did not give a second thought about defeating the 9/11 Health Care bill just a few weeks ago are on their soap boxes attempting to gain a political advantage in the upcoming elections.
The same politicians that have allowed the 9/11 memorial/museum to be buried underground will use this for their political gain.
And mayor Bloomberg who continues to allow the WTC Captive Insurance Corp to pay lawyers millions to deny health claims to 9/11 victims is appalled that New Yorkers might actually have thoughts of their own about a mosque a few blocks from Ground Zero.
So unfortunately the sad saga of Ground Zero drags on into its 9th year.
Ex politicians who have made billions off the tragedy join with those still in office for photo ops on the 11th day of September each year and could care less about 9/11 or its victims for the other 364 days.
And the atmosphere of hate increases.
Nobody can convince me that a mosque a few blocks from Ground Zero is going to make things any better.
Now one thing may have nothing to do with the other but the possibility always exists.
Don’t all involved see the potential danger of the Mosque being built just a few feet away from Ground Zero?
Say during the construction or after it is built some fanatic attempts to bomb the mosque.
Now this could happen.
It could be an Islamic extremist or a crazed American.
Either way people will die and the rift between all involved will be widened with each blaming the other.
Why would we want to create such a no win situation?
Now all of this should have been taken into consideration early on.
But now it has, as with all things related to 9/11, become a political hot item.
And all the same politicians who did not give a second thought about defeating the 9/11 Health Care bill just a few weeks ago are on their soap boxes attempting to gain a political advantage in the upcoming elections.
The same politicians that have allowed the 9/11 memorial/museum to be buried underground will use this for their political gain.
And mayor Bloomberg who continues to allow the WTC Captive Insurance Corp to pay lawyers millions to deny health claims to 9/11 victims is appalled that New Yorkers might actually have thoughts of their own about a mosque a few blocks from Ground Zero.
So unfortunately the sad saga of Ground Zero drags on into its 9th year.
Ex politicians who have made billions off the tragedy join with those still in office for photo ops on the 11th day of September each year and could care less about 9/11 or its victims for the other 364 days.
And the atmosphere of hate increases.
Nobody can convince me that a mosque a few blocks from Ground Zero is going to make things any better.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
SO MUCH FOR TRUTH JUSTICE AND THE AMERICAN WAY
In a Sept. 13, 2001, press release, the EPA said the air around Ground Zero was relatively safe.
On Sept. 16, 2001, Christie Whitman as Director of the EPA said that tests showed air pollution levels "that cause us no concern."
Two days later, she said she was glad to reassure New York and Washington residents that their air and water were safe.
As most of you know the law suit against Christie Whitman was thrown out of court when a judge did not want to set a dangerous precedent that would make public officials fear making public statements in the future. In 2007 the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman's falsely reassuring and misleading statements of safety after the September 11, 2001 attacks were "without question conscience-shocking." The court also found the facts "support an allegation of a violation of the substantive due process right to be free from official government policies that increase the risk of bodily harm" by Whitman's misstatements regarding the air quality of the affected area. So the courts basically stated that government officials can lie and put us at risk and we have no recourse. The head of the Environmental Protection Agency that reports directly to the President can not be held responsible for lying to the people she was being paid to protect. And now on Thursday the House of Representatives play their partisan politics game to stop the 9/11 Health Bill once again.
Our government was set up with 3 branches the Judicial, Legislative and Executive to assure that the people were properly treated and that one branch did not dominate decisions.
Who would have thought that the sick and dying heroes of 9/11 would get screwed by all three?
So much for truth justice and the America way
Isn’t it time we took our government back?
On Sept. 16, 2001, Christie Whitman as Director of the EPA said that tests showed air pollution levels "that cause us no concern."
Two days later, she said she was glad to reassure New York and Washington residents that their air and water were safe.
As most of you know the law suit against Christie Whitman was thrown out of court when a judge did not want to set a dangerous precedent that would make public officials fear making public statements in the future. In 2007 the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman's falsely reassuring and misleading statements of safety after the September 11, 2001 attacks were "without question conscience-shocking." The court also found the facts "support an allegation of a violation of the substantive due process right to be free from official government policies that increase the risk of bodily harm" by Whitman's misstatements regarding the air quality of the affected area. So the courts basically stated that government officials can lie and put us at risk and we have no recourse. The head of the Environmental Protection Agency that reports directly to the President can not be held responsible for lying to the people she was being paid to protect. And now on Thursday the House of Representatives play their partisan politics game to stop the 9/11 Health Bill once again.
Our government was set up with 3 branches the Judicial, Legislative and Executive to assure that the people were properly treated and that one branch did not dominate decisions.
Who would have thought that the sick and dying heroes of 9/11 would get screwed by all three?
So much for truth justice and the America way
Isn’t it time we took our government back?
Friday, July 30, 2010
An Open Letter to Our So Called Representatives
Dear Congressmen and Congresswomen,
I could not even address this letter to our Representatives as you have once again shown that you do not warrant that title.
Your rejection of the Zadroga bill is just another slap in the face to those who actually attempted to do something after 9/11.
As you sit in your offices paid for by those who elected you and meet daily with lobbyists to discuss how you can promote their interests brave people continue to die.
People who did not hold press conferences after 9/11 to swear they would never forget.
But people who did the right thing and worked at Ground Zero or Fresh Kills in an attempt to find the victims of the most vicious attack in the history of America.
And when we came to you to help those who are sick and dying because of their efforts you turned your backs.
You hide behind Congressional tricks that allow you to change the voting rules to get your desired results.
You line up behind Nancy Pelosi who has stonewalled this bill since it was first introduced with the hopes that it would die in committee.
Well the bill didn’t die but many of our loved ones will continue to as you play politics with their lives.
It is amazing how the House continues to be held hostage as its members sell their votes to the highest bidders every chance they get.
Unfortunately we do not have the money or the influence to buy your votes.
But be assured we will keep up the fight.
And we will let everyone know who voted against this bill.
We will also make them aware of what to expect “God Forbid” something like 9/11 happens again.
So the next time you are counting the money in your campaign war chests, money that you will most likely need to use to pay lawyers to get you out of trouble most of you seem to find yourselves in, remember we are still here.
We expect to be represented.
We expect you to care for the victims who where lied to by the Federal Government about the quality of air after 9/11.
We expect you to make decisions based on what is right and not what fills your pockets.
And most importantly unlike you……”We Will Not Forget”
Dennis McKeon
I could not even address this letter to our Representatives as you have once again shown that you do not warrant that title.
Your rejection of the Zadroga bill is just another slap in the face to those who actually attempted to do something after 9/11.
As you sit in your offices paid for by those who elected you and meet daily with lobbyists to discuss how you can promote their interests brave people continue to die.
People who did not hold press conferences after 9/11 to swear they would never forget.
But people who did the right thing and worked at Ground Zero or Fresh Kills in an attempt to find the victims of the most vicious attack in the history of America.
And when we came to you to help those who are sick and dying because of their efforts you turned your backs.
You hide behind Congressional tricks that allow you to change the voting rules to get your desired results.
You line up behind Nancy Pelosi who has stonewalled this bill since it was first introduced with the hopes that it would die in committee.
Well the bill didn’t die but many of our loved ones will continue to as you play politics with their lives.
It is amazing how the House continues to be held hostage as its members sell their votes to the highest bidders every chance they get.
Unfortunately we do not have the money or the influence to buy your votes.
But be assured we will keep up the fight.
And we will let everyone know who voted against this bill.
We will also make them aware of what to expect “God Forbid” something like 9/11 happens again.
So the next time you are counting the money in your campaign war chests, money that you will most likely need to use to pay lawyers to get you out of trouble most of you seem to find yourselves in, remember we are still here.
We expect to be represented.
We expect you to care for the victims who where lied to by the Federal Government about the quality of air after 9/11.
We expect you to make decisions based on what is right and not what fills your pockets.
And most importantly unlike you……”We Will Not Forget”
Dennis McKeon
Monday, July 12, 2010
Haiti....6 Months Later
Most of the media outlets are doing their 6 month update on Haiti and surprise surprise not much has been done and they are questioning where the billions that were donated or supplied by governments went.
This is like a broken record.
After every tragedy or natural disaster millions are collected by agencies that state they are using the funds for that specific event.
They get kind hearted people to donate and the money goes into their general administration fund to be spent when and where they want it.
We warned people up front that this was happening. (see below)
If the government really wanted to do something it would be really easy.
Compare the amount of money that was collected by these charities this year (from Jan through July) with last year.
The bulk of the increase could be associated with what was donated for Haiti.
Then check how much of that money was actually sent to Haiti and how was it spent.
But this will never happen.
Do you know that we could not get one of these charities to give us $15,000 to ship our T Shirts to Haiti?
We had to rely on individuals and small organizations and we are finally going to be able to ship the shirts.
Many of the people who we reached out to stated they already gave to these major charities and were shocked that they would not support our effort.
100% of what we collect will go towards shipping the shirts and the shirts will be distributed directly to those in need in Haiti.
We are making the final arrangements and should be shipping by the end of the month.
We are going to give everyone who donated a dollar or a shirt to sign labels that we are going to be placed on the shipping cartons to let them know who helped out.
We will also ask everyone who comes to help us load the container to bring a bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid which we will be sending to the Gulf area to help with the cleaning of wildlife impacted by the oil spill.
We would like to thank everyone who has helped us with this effort. We will also let you know about a small fundraiser we will be planning to cover any additional costs we may run into getting the shirts through customs.
We hope that you will take part in some of our future events and hope that you continue to support other grass root efforts that are always there at every tragedy and really give you a bang for your donated buck
Follow the Money...The Donation Shell Game
http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=50415
This is like a broken record.
After every tragedy or natural disaster millions are collected by agencies that state they are using the funds for that specific event.
They get kind hearted people to donate and the money goes into their general administration fund to be spent when and where they want it.
We warned people up front that this was happening. (see below)
If the government really wanted to do something it would be really easy.
Compare the amount of money that was collected by these charities this year (from Jan through July) with last year.
The bulk of the increase could be associated with what was donated for Haiti.
Then check how much of that money was actually sent to Haiti and how was it spent.
But this will never happen.
Do you know that we could not get one of these charities to give us $15,000 to ship our T Shirts to Haiti?
We had to rely on individuals and small organizations and we are finally going to be able to ship the shirts.
Many of the people who we reached out to stated they already gave to these major charities and were shocked that they would not support our effort.
100% of what we collect will go towards shipping the shirts and the shirts will be distributed directly to those in need in Haiti.
We are making the final arrangements and should be shipping by the end of the month.
We are going to give everyone who donated a dollar or a shirt to sign labels that we are going to be placed on the shipping cartons to let them know who helped out.
We will also ask everyone who comes to help us load the container to bring a bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid which we will be sending to the Gulf area to help with the cleaning of wildlife impacted by the oil spill.
We would like to thank everyone who has helped us with this effort. We will also let you know about a small fundraiser we will be planning to cover any additional costs we may run into getting the shirts through customs.
We hope that you will take part in some of our future events and hope that you continue to support other grass root efforts that are always there at every tragedy and really give you a bang for your donated buck
Follow the Money...The Donation Shell Game
http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=50415
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
GROUND ZERO: ABOVE GROUND MOSQUE AND UNDERGROUND MEMORIAL
As plans are underway to build a huge mosque AT Ground Zero remains are still being found.
Just today another 4 potential human remains were uncovered bringing the total to 1831 since the second recovery effort was started in 2006.
While you may not think that these have anything in common they certainly do.
Shortly after 9/11 in an effort to bring business back to Lower Manhattan the process began to remove the stigma of 9/11 from Ground Zero.
The mayor rushed to convert the site from a recovery area to a construction zone and the search for any additional remains was called off.
They couldn’t have remains being found because that would remind people of what happened on 9/11 and keep business away.
If not for an accidental discovery in 2006 the new search that turned up nearly 2,000 remains would have never even taken place.
At the same time the site was turned into a construction zone plans began on what type of memorial would honor those who died on 9/11.
Once again the concerns of the community and economic factors cast the deciding vote,
An above ground memorial would make Ground Zero too much like a cemetery and they couldn’t have that.
9/11 family members were pretty much eliminated from any planning sessions and any design that contained an above ground memorial structure was immediately eliminated.
So the 9/11 Memorial (I will not call it the WTC Memorial because it should be honoring all who died on 9/11) will be entirely underground.
Visitors will have to travel between four to seven stories underground to get to the memorial and museum.
They even wanted to list the names of those who died at the bottom of the two waterfalls and would have if we didn’t fight them tooth and nail to bring them above ground.
And who are the people who pushed for this underground memorial?
The same people who are pushing for a huge mosque to be built a block away.
The members of Community Board One and our local elected officials, that’s who.
They have and will continue to try to remove any reminders of 9/11 from the site.
The mayor has already stated that this is not the 9/11 families’ memorial but that it belongs to everyone.
So they continue to bury everything related to 9/11.
The memorial………….. underground.
Human remains ………..underground at the site.
Human remains ………..underground at Fresh Kills.
And unfortunately we continue to bury loved ones still dying from 9/11 illnesses because the city would rather fight claims than save the lives of 9/11 victims.
They even changed the name of the Freedom Tower because they didn’t want to offend anyone.
But that is how it has always been and will continue to be at Ground Zero.
And when family members come to the site to pay their respects they will have to walk by a huge mosque before they begin their long journey underground to visit the 9/11 memorial or museum.
But why would we expect anything different.
If it were up to them there would be no memorial at all.
Just today another 4 potential human remains were uncovered bringing the total to 1831 since the second recovery effort was started in 2006.
While you may not think that these have anything in common they certainly do.
Shortly after 9/11 in an effort to bring business back to Lower Manhattan the process began to remove the stigma of 9/11 from Ground Zero.
The mayor rushed to convert the site from a recovery area to a construction zone and the search for any additional remains was called off.
They couldn’t have remains being found because that would remind people of what happened on 9/11 and keep business away.
If not for an accidental discovery in 2006 the new search that turned up nearly 2,000 remains would have never even taken place.
At the same time the site was turned into a construction zone plans began on what type of memorial would honor those who died on 9/11.
Once again the concerns of the community and economic factors cast the deciding vote,
An above ground memorial would make Ground Zero too much like a cemetery and they couldn’t have that.
9/11 family members were pretty much eliminated from any planning sessions and any design that contained an above ground memorial structure was immediately eliminated.
So the 9/11 Memorial (I will not call it the WTC Memorial because it should be honoring all who died on 9/11) will be entirely underground.
Visitors will have to travel between four to seven stories underground to get to the memorial and museum.
They even wanted to list the names of those who died at the bottom of the two waterfalls and would have if we didn’t fight them tooth and nail to bring them above ground.
And who are the people who pushed for this underground memorial?
The same people who are pushing for a huge mosque to be built a block away.
The members of Community Board One and our local elected officials, that’s who.
They have and will continue to try to remove any reminders of 9/11 from the site.
The mayor has already stated that this is not the 9/11 families’ memorial but that it belongs to everyone.
So they continue to bury everything related to 9/11.
The memorial………….. underground.
Human remains ………..underground at the site.
Human remains ………..underground at Fresh Kills.
And unfortunately we continue to bury loved ones still dying from 9/11 illnesses because the city would rather fight claims than save the lives of 9/11 victims.
They even changed the name of the Freedom Tower because they didn’t want to offend anyone.
But that is how it has always been and will continue to be at Ground Zero.
And when family members come to the site to pay their respects they will have to walk by a huge mosque before they begin their long journey underground to visit the 9/11 memorial or museum.
But why would we expect anything different.
If it were up to them there would be no memorial at all.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
M MEMORIAL DAY PRAYER
As I stand with hand on heart
Pledging to the land I love
Proud to be an American
As Old Glory flies above
I see the red the white the blue
And my heart fills with pride
And a tear rolls down cheek
For those who fought and died
I remember those we have lost
Fighting to keep us free
And I pray you all do the same
And keep alive their memory
Remember these fine Americans
And the price that they did pay
And say a prayer for all who still
Answer the call today
The backbone of America
We honor on this day
For they are the only reason
We have a USA
Pledging to the land I love
Proud to be an American
As Old Glory flies above
I see the red the white the blue
And my heart fills with pride
And a tear rolls down cheek
For those who fought and died
I remember those we have lost
Fighting to keep us free
And I pray you all do the same
And keep alive their memory
Remember these fine Americans
And the price that they did pay
And say a prayer for all who still
Answer the call today
The backbone of America
We honor on this day
For they are the only reason
We have a USA
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