Friday, March 05, 2004
Who Owns September 11th?
by Nicholas Levis
911truth.org
Friday, March 5th, 2004.
NEW YORK CITY. Who owns the imagery of Ground Zero? Who controls
its meaning? When is it appropriate for a political campaign to
use traumatizing pictures in an effort to influence the vote?
These were the underlying questions conjured when relatives of
people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks and a firefighter involved
in the rescue attempts issued an impassioned plea to George W.
Bush, demanding he withdraw campaign ads that employ footage of
the smoking ruins of the World Trade Center.
Speaking today to an overcrowded hall of press and camera crews
at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan, Rita Lasar described how she
lost her brother in the attacks. He had worked on the 27th floor
of the North Tower, and decided not to evacuate after a plane
hit the building, but to stay behind with a quadraplegic
co-worker and await rescuers. They were caught in the building's
collapse.
"Ground Zero is a burial place," Lasar said. Two and one-half
years have passed, but: "Any family family member will tell you,
for us it's still like the first day." She noted that in a 2002
speech, George W. Bush promised never to use the Ground Zero
site for political purposes. "We trusted him, and he broke his
promise," she said. "To say we are outraged today is simply the
truth. We feel deep sorrow that any politician would seek to
gain advantage with these images."
Lasar is a founding member of Peaceful Tomorrows - a group of
victims' relatives who since the attacks have warned against
perpetuating the cycle of violence by waging war on whole
nations.
Bob McIlvaine lost his son, a 26-year-old employee of Merrill
Lynch, who worked on the 106th floor. "My son was murdered," he
said. "Although I have spoken about this a hundred times since,
saying that is always the hardest part to get through." He said
he was absolutely outraged that any political party would use
Ground Zero for gain. "It makes me sick."
The controversial ads, which suggest that Bush has made the
nation safer, are a misrepresentation given how little
disclosure there has been about what actually happened on the
day, McIlvaine said: "They say our nation is stronger, but
people forget the 3,000 who died. Many, many questions have been
left unanswered. I am absolutely outraged why these answers have
not been given. Instead of parading around telling us how secure
this country is, tell us why it was left unprotected."
Tom Ryan, a former firefighter who was with the rescue crews at
Ground Zero after the attacks, objected to the images of rescue
workers carrying the body of dead firefighters, as used in the
commercials for the Bush 2004 campaign. "We are not allowed to
see dead soldiers from Iraq. Why are we allowed to see dead
firefighters?" he asked.
"It's raw. you relive every moment," Ryan said. Ground Zero "is
a sacred ground, and it shouldn't be used for political gain."
He noted that he has had respiratory problems since his work at
the site, which was still smoking many weeks after the attacks.
"Hundreds of firefighters have problems, I don't want any
politician exploiting that," he said.
Ryan described as a further contradiction that even as the ads
run on television, the White House is still obstructing the
investigation of the 9-11 Commission. "At the end we have sixty
days?" he asked, referring to the recent hard-fought extension
of the 9-11 Commission's deadline - which the White House
initially opposed. "Is that enough?"
In response to reporters' questions, Lasar and the other
speakers clarified repeatedly that they by no means meant that
Sept. 11th should be avoided as an issue. On the contrary, they
suggested the real issues of Sept. 11th have yet to be addressed
- because of the failure of investigators to credibly answer
many of the open questions.
Instead, Lasar's point of contention is specifically with the
use of images of the attack, which she called manipulative, and
which McIlvaine characterized to one reporter as inspiring fear
in an effort to sway the hearts and minds of voters.
"I am not saying (Sept. 11th) is not to be talked about," Lasar
said. "Of course we must talk about this. This is what the 9-11
Commission is supposed to do. All we are saying is, don't use
sacred ground, don't use the images as a backdrop to change the
minds of voters. Don't show the firefighters. It's obscene."
One reporter wanted to know if the speakers were members of
political parties. "To tell you the truth, I have no clue what
party I am in, or anyone else here," McIlvaine said. He
explained that "Peaceful Tomorrows" is not a partisan group, and
that the name is from a speech by Martin Luther King.
A reporter asked McIlvaine to specify his concerns about the
9/11 investigations. "I am extremely frustrated, anxious," he
replied. "They are stonewalling everything." He recalled "all
the commissions in the 1990s" - on which more than 100 million
dollars were spent, he said - and compared that to the just 3
million dollars in the original appropriation for the 9-11
Commission. A later appropriation, of 8 million additional
dollars, was at first stiffly opposed by the White House.
"We have lots of questions - not one has been answered,"
McIlvaine continued. "All investigations are compromised, all
are political. There is no cooperation" with the investigations
by government authorities, McIlvaine said. He said the families
had expected the investigations to be run by "independent
people," not exclusively by politicians and former members of
the government.
"Why do you think that is?" one reporter asked.
"Well, you should tell me!" McIlvaine shot back. He went on to
the next question, but whether intended or not, the remark stood
as an accusation against the mass media's failure to cover or
even acknowledge the many open questions of Sept. 11th and the
ongoing controversies in the investigations.
"We get threatening phone calls telling us every day to get over
it, to forget about it," McIlvaine said, asking how the families
could forget when so much remains unresolved.
It was a non-reporter who had to ask the next question, finally:
"What are some of your unanswered questions?"
In rapid-fire phrases, McIlvaine brought up three issues:
• The failure of U.S. air defenses to mount interception
attempts of the four Sept. 11 flights, as required under
standard operating procedures.
• The 45 minutes of inactivity by Bush during the attacks as he
stayed at a Florida school with children, which was covered live
on television.
• The government admission that 140 Saudis left the United
States in the days after the attacks, and were allowed to fly
during the period when all civilian flights were grounded. Among
those who left were relatives of Osama Bin Laden and members of
the Saudi royal family, whom some in the FBI had wanted to
question.
McIlvaine cautioned these questions represented only the
beginning of an inquiry.
The Family Steering Committee, which is tracking the work of the
9-11 Commission, recently issued a set of 23 questions they
would like George W. Bush to answer in public testimony under
oath.
A Daily News reporter spoke up to say that some family members
differ views on the issue, and have said they are not offended
by the Bush ads.
"It's so hard to deal with this as a family member because it is
in your face," McIlvaine replied. "A lot say, I don't want to
deal with it."
Question: "How would you like to see Bush talk about Sept 11th?"
"Go to the Commission," McIlvaine said. "That is the forum for
it. Why do we use war as a political tool?" He noted the example
of John Kerry also using his service in Vietnam as a political
tool, and wondered how this was relevant to actual policy
questions of the day.
"What matters (about Sept. 11th) is that, until we find out what
happened, we will never protect this country," McIlvaine said.
"Because the world is at war due to Sept. 11, we are not normal,
breathing families who can be left alone. Every single day, we
are called upon and reminded."
A final admonishment to Bush: "Find some other way to run a
campaign, without stepping on the bodies of the dead."
---------------------------------------------
© 2004 Nicholas Levis
5 Mar 04 / 3 p.m.
Draft cleared for free further distribution by author. Please
employ ethical standards of editing.
------------- APPENDIX---------------
23 QUESTIONS OF THE FAMILY STEERING COMMITTEE TO GEORGE W. BUSH
The Family Steering Committee Statement and Questions Regarding
the 9/11
Commission Interview with President Bush February 16, 2004
February 16, 2004. The Family Steering Committee believes that
President Bush should provide sworn public testimony to the full
ten-member panel of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks
Upon the United States.
Collectively, the Commissioners are responsible for fulfilling
the Congressional mandate. Therefore, each Commissioner must
have full access to the testimony of all individuals and the
critical information that will enable informed decisions and
recommendations. Before an audience of the American people, the
Commission must ask President Bush in sworn testimony, the
following questions:
1. As Commander-in-Chief on the morning of 9/11, why didn't you
return immediately to Washington, D.C. or the National Military
Command Center once you became aware that America was under
attack? At specifically what time did you become aware that
America was under attack? Who informed you of this fact?
2. On the morning of 9/11, who was in charge of our country
while you were away from the National Military Command Center?
Were you informed or consulted about all decisions made in your
absence?
3. What defensive action did you personally order to protect our
nation during the crisis on Sept. 11? What time were these
orders given, and to whom? What orders were carried out? What
was the result of such orders? Were any such orders not carried
out?
4. In your opinion, why was our nation so utterly unprepared
for an attack on our own soil?
5. U.S. Navy Captain Deborah Loewer, the Director of the White
House Situation Room, informed you of the first airliner hitting
Tower One of the World Trade Center before you entered the Emma
E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. Please explain
the reason why you decided to continue with the scheduled
classroom visit, fifteen minutes after learning the first
hijacked airliner had hit the World Trade Center.
6. Is it normal procedure for the Director of the White House
Situation Room to travel with you? If so, please cite any prior
examples of when this occurred. If not normal procedure, please
explain the circumstances that led to the Director of the White
House Situation Room being asked to accompany you to Florida
during the week of September 11th.
7. What plan of action caused you to remain seated after
Andrew Card informed you that a second airliner had hit the
second tower of the World Trade Center and America was clearly
under attack? Approximately how long did you remain in the
classroom after Card's message?
8. At what time were you made aware that other planes were
hijacked in addition to Flight 11 and Flight 175? Who notified
you? What was your course of action as Commander-in-Chief of the
United States?
9. Beginning with the transition period between the Clinton
administration and your own, and ending on 9/11/01, specifically
what information (either verbal or written) about terrorists,
possible attacks and targets, did you receive from any source?
This would include briefings or communications from:
* Out-going Clinton officials
* CIA, FBI, NSA, DoD and other intelligence agencies
* Foreign intelligence, governments, dignitaries or envoys
* National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice
* Richard Clarke, former counterterrorism czar
10. Specifically, what did you learn from the August 6, 2001,
PDB about the terrorist threat that was facing our nation? Did
you request any follow-up action to take place? Did you request
any further report be developed and/or prepared?
11. As Commander-in-Chief, from May 1, 2001 until September 11,
2001, did you receive any information from any intelligence
agency official or agent that UBL was planning to attack this
nation on its own soil using airplanes as weapons, targeting New
York City landmarks during the week of September 11, 2001 or on
the actual day of September 11, 2001?
12. What defensive measures did you take in response to pre-9/11
warnings from eleven nations about a terrorist attack, many of
which cited an attack in the continental United States? Did you
prepare any directives in response to these actions? If so, with
what results?
13. As Commander-in-Chief from May 1, 2001 until September 11,
2001, did you or any agent of the U,S, government carry out any
negotiations or talks with UBL, an agent of UBL, or al-Qaeda?
During that same period, did you or any agent of the U.S.
government carry out any negotiations or talks with any foreign
government, agents, or officials regarding UBL? If so, what
resulted?
14. Your schedule for September 11, 2001 was in the public
domain since September 7, 2001. The Emma E. Booker School is
only five miles from the Bradenton Airport, so you, and
therefore the children in the classroom, might have been a
target for the terrorists on 9/11. What was the intention of
the Secret Service in allowing you to remain in the Emma E.
Booker Elementary School, even though they were aware America
was under attack?
15. Please explain why you remained at the Sarasota, Florida,
Elementary School for a press conference after you had finished
listening to the children read, when as a terrorist target, your
presence potentially jeopardized the lives of the children?
16. What was the purpose of the several stops of Air Force One
on September 11th? Was Air Force One at any time during the day
of September 11th a target of the terrorists? Was Air Force
One's code ever breached on September 11th?
17. Was there a reason for Air Force One lifting off without a
military escort, even after ample time elapsed to allow military
jets to arrive?
18. What prompted your refusal to release the information
regarding foreign sponsorship of the terrorists, as illustrated
in the inaccessible 28 redacted pages in the Joint Intelligence
Committee Inquiry Report? What actions have you personally
taken since 9/11 to thwart foreign sponsorship of terrorism?
19. Who approved the flight of the bin Laden family out of the
United States when all commercial flights were grounded, when
there was time for only minimal questioning by the FBI, and
especially, when two of those same individuals had links to
WAMY, a charity suspected of funding terrorism? Why were bin
Laden family members granted that special privilege � a
privilege not available to American families whose loved ones
were killed on 9/11?
20. Please explain why no one in any level of our government has
yet been held accountable for the countless failures leading up
to and on 9/11?
21. Please comment on the fact that UBL's profile on the FBI's
Ten Most Wanted Fugitives poster does not include the 9/11
attacks. To your knowledge, when was the last time any agent of
our government had contact with UBL? If prior to 9/11,
specifically what was the date of that contact and what was the
context of said meeting.
22. Do you continue to maintain that Saddam Hussein was linked
to al Qaeda? What proof do you have of any connection between
al-Qaeda and the Hussein regime?
23. Which individuals, governments, agencies, institutions, or
groups may have benefited from the attacks of 9/11? Please
state specifically how you think they have benefited.
The Family Steering Committee for the 9/11 Independent
Commission –
www.911independentcommission.org
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