The Freedom Tower

In a pro-active move, Al-Qaeda or a wanna be released a taped message last week just ahead of 9/11 commemorations that mocks the United States. Lets not be fooled by the timing or content of this message.

The tape, allegedly made by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, threatens to escalate the war in Iraq. Bin Laden doesn’t have to do a thing to make the US look bad in Iraq. The administration is able to do this all by themselves.
Tape or no tape, the jig is up in Iraq and no amount of political rhetoric will patch up this blunder. Terrorists proved six years ago they are capable of delivering a blistering inside our borders and no amount of nonsense about how tough we are will cover up the effectiveness of those attacks.
Americans are worthy opponents even if our leaders are not. Too many good soldiers have died defending lies with political motivations. One good way to commemorate 9/11 is for the American people in San Francisco, Iowa, New Hampshire, Detroit and everywhere to join civic organizations opposed to the war. Soldiers are dying for no good reason, Homeland Security is deporting foreigners whose only crime is slipping across the Mexican border by the tens of thousands, political leaders are flip flopping on the effectiveness of the so-called surge and bin Laden may be gearing up to take out another 3,000 Americans.
Construction of the Freedom Tower and other buildings at Ground Zero are symbolic of our ability to recover. Lets not compound the mistakes of the past by ignoring the obvious – the people in charge are not capable of defending our borders. Mission not accomplished. Liars! Remember whose watch it was when the terrorists delivered a one-two-three punch in the first place. We are still trying to recover and the Administration is refusing to take care of wounded troops, First Responders now getting sick from the dust from the collapsing Twin Towers … and the fools in charge are now covering up their incompetence by claiming we have not been attacked since 2001. That is like the loser of a boxing match claiming the winner can’t do it again. Doesn’t matter if you got knocked the hell out in the first place.
Lets commemorate 9/11 by never forgetting who blew it in the first place. Democrats should be raising hell if they expect to win the White House. They need to get their game together too.

As relatives of 9/11 victims, national, state and federal officials prepare for the sixth anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, a movement to provide medical coverage for First Responder victims is gaining momentum.
A rally the spur on national legislation was held today in New York. Three members of the New York congressional deligation said they plan to introduce the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. It will be supported by a bipartisan group of legislators, Republican Vito Fossella and Democrats Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney.
“The heroes of 9/11 responded immediately when our country was attacked, but when these same heroes needed help, our government dragged its heels,” Maloney said. “Thousands are sick and that’s a fact,” the New York Times reported.

The bill would cover first responders and rescue workers, construction workers and volunteers from the nine-month cleanup of the rubble from the twin towers. It would also provide health monitoring and treatment for local residents, students and others who were in lower Manhattan after the attacks.

World Trade Center developer Larry A. Silverstein has unveiled the new designs for three towers to be built at ground zero, just days before the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

www.chinaview.cn reports that Silverstein said “each of the three towers is distinct. Yet all three are architecturally compatible and work together seamlessly,” said Silverstein.

He said the buildings will be environmentally friendly and will use the latest technology and safety innovations.

Construction on the three towers will begin next year.

Their designs pay respect to the Freedom Tower, the first of the total four towers to be built at the site, and the memorial where people can mourn the deaths of the thousands who died in the 2001 terror attacks.

Tower Two, a 79-story skyscraper, will rise to 1,270 feet and be topped by an 80-foot antenna. Its sparkling glazed crystalline form and diamond shaped summit create a bold addition to the New York skyline. It is set for completion in 2013.

Tower Three and Tower Four, which will rise to 71 stories and 64 stories respectively, are set to be completed in 2012.

The three buildings were designed respectively by British architects Lord Norman Foster and Lord Richard Rogers and Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki.

Foster’s three-story lobby will showcase large artworks. Rogers’ tower will feature a 35-foot-high media installation showing videos that can be viewed through the glass.

On the other side, Maki’s lobby features a polished black granite wall that would reflect the two memorial pools, and the walls around the elevator will be made of the same white oak treesthat will stand in the memorial plaza.

The completed towers, which will occupy nearly 16 acres of LowerManhattan, will feature millions of square feet of office space and half a million square feet of retail space.

The total price tag for rebuilding the site could be around $16 billion.

The Freedom Tower, the memorial and the wing-shaped transit terminal by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava are already underconstruction. Steel for that 1,776-foot tower has nearly reached street level, and the building is set to open in 2011.

This is a startling turn of events.
Compassion for the families of 9/11 is diminishing.
A survey released today by the World Trade Center Family Center “found a 19% drop in “strong support” from in-laws and other relatives since last year. That may suggest fatigue or the feeling the relatives should go on with their lives.
In last year’s survey, 61% of respondents said they were getting strong support from family while 42% said so this year; 23% say they are getting “poor or no support,” an increase from 15% a year ago.
The survey involved 100 adult family members and relatives of victims who died in the World Trade Center attacks in 2001.

The Government Accountability Office has condemned the cleanup and testing program for Ground Zero-area buildings, saying the federal Environmental Protection Agency has largely ignored New Yorkers’ health and safety concerns.
 The Government Accountability Office says if federal agencies don’t develop better plans for handling environmental crises, “the nation may face the same challenges after future disasters” as it did when the collapse of the twin towers blanketed the streets and buildings of Lower Manhattan with toxic dust and debris nearly six years ago.
Studies over the past year have begun to show links between the toxins released during the collapse and respiratory illnesses suffered by people who worked and lived in the area, particularly the rescue workers who toiled for weeks at ground zero.
The GAO report examines a voluntary program that the federal Environmental Protection Agency began in January to test and clean apartments near ground zero following concerns that its initial decontamination attempts were inadequate.
Senator Clinton and two New York lawmakers seized on the findings yesterday to escalate their long-running criticism of the Bush administration’s response to the attacks. At a Capitol Hill press conference yesterday afternoon to release the report, Mrs. Clinton said the study “confirms our worst fears about the Bush administration’s incompetence and indifference” in responding to the health threats posed by the trade center collapse.
“EPA’s first testing and clean-up program was an utter failure, mere window dressing, and today’s GAO report confirms that the second program is no better,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler, whose district includes the trade center site, said.

There was a meeting in a room across the street from City Hall in Manhattan last month. It was a public meeting where city, state and federal officials once again tried to quell fears that environmental toxins were released when fire broke out in the Deutsche Bank building.
People in the crowd were not easily persuaded they were safe. They had been fooled in the past.
Marc Ameruso, a member of the lower Manhattan Community board complained that the “ghost of the World Trade Center” had reared its ugly head in the neighborhood.
“It was hard to blame the doubters. The Bush, Pataki, and Giuliani administrations have either misled or poorly informed the public about the toxic dangers of what has been described “as the largest acute environmental disaster that ever has befallen New York City,” according to a story in the Village Voice
“In the early days following the attacks, even the men and women who worked on “the Pile” expressed skepticism about the negative health effects of 9/11’s toxic cloud,” the Voice said, “But that initial doubt has given way to a popular view that blames the dust cloud for virtually every ailment experienced by someone who was at or near Ground Zero. And broad public acceptance of the notion that the cloud has sickened people is creating a powerful momentum for long-term government support for the vast number of people affected.”
Based on a Voice count, more than 52 illnesses have been mentioned in connection with the 9/11 toxic cloud, either anecdotally in press reports, more broadly in government comments, or with some scientific underpinning in research studies. “In the six years since the attacks, we have accumulated a mountain of evidence that tens of thousands of those exposed are suffering from chronic respiratory disease and, increasingly, a variety of rare cancers,” said Representative Jerrold Nadler, who has emerged as a leading advocate on the issue, during a June 25 congressional hearing.
More than 100 scientific papers have been written exploring a link between 9/11 and health ailments. Many of those strongly suggest that the dust was a factor in increased respiratory illnesses among people exposed to the cloud.

Pamela Skillings at About.com:Manhattan says It’s impossible to forget the terrible images of the World Trade Center from September 11, 2001. Many in New York witnessed the destruction in person and millions more saw it on TV. As a result, it’s understandably easy to forget what the World Trade Center looked like during happier days.

But the World Trade Center was part of the New York skyline for 30 years. During that time, millions enjoyed the views from the Top of the World observatory and the legendary Windows on the World. Thousands more worked in those towers. We dined and shopped in the concourse. We lingered in the plaza over lunch. We looked up at those towers to orient ourselves. And now they are gone.

The photos of the World Trade Center in this collection were taken by talented photographers from all around the world. The gallery includes striking images of the pre-9/11 skyline, views from the Top of the World Observatory, and even photos taken inside the towers.
This is a quiet way to pay tribute to Ground Zero. Seeing them will strike a familiar chord. Go there.

A second firefighter injured while investigating the Deutsche Bank building fire has been released from the hospital.
Two firemen were hurt last month looking into the cause of the blaze at the Ground Zero site when they were hit by a piece of construction equipment which fell from the 23rd floor. Ned Nally and William Corbetis were hospitalized after the accident. Nally was released after one day. Corbetis spent nine days in the hospital and was discharged yesterday. Corbetis underwent several surgeries, including the removal of his spleen and a head injury required 100 staples.
In a related development, the Gothamist reports that new FDNY tests show that veteran firefighter Robert Beddia, who died during the Deutsche Bank fire, had 5 minutes of oxygen left in his tank. Some sources think he may have been trying to save fellow firefighter Joseph Graffagnino.