Archive for January, 2007
Until we are advised to the contrary we will post daily updates as to the disposition of the remains found during the current search. 766 - Deutsche Bank
HUMAN REMAINS UPDATE 1/26… 10 MORE REMAINS UNCOVERED
Friday, January 26th, 2007Â
As preparation for the pouring of the foundations of the WTC Memorial were being made there were 7 human remains recovered under the haul road. 3 remains were recovered at 11 Water Street. Bringing the total to 1,052.766 - Deutsche Bank
209 - Manholes
77 - haul road
1052 Total as of 1/26/07
You can expect the numbers to increase as the search extends further south along the road.
It is a disgrace that they knew that there was a very good possibility that these remains would be found under the haul road but delayed the excavation for over two months.
We still do not understand what is happening to WTC debris that has been found.
It is inconceivable to think that human remains are being found with no material from the towers.
Early on we were getting reports of parts of computers and desks etc being found even a part of what appeared to be an ID card.
Since we have raised the issue of the haul road possibly being constructed from material from the pit these reports have stopped.
Someone needs to look into this as something is wrong.
No report on the site of the Greek Orthodox Church but our sources insist that much will be found when that is excavated.
Everyone we have spoken to has told us that the church was bull dozed and paved over and the basement was never even searched.
While their may not be human remains the contents of the basement should still be underground at that site.
Still no response to Community Board 1’s recommendation and still not one DNA match from the nearly 1,000 DNA samples that we have been extracted and sent back for comparison.
Again something is very wrong.
We will keep you posted.
If you have not done so already please sign our petition at:
We have to continue to fight for every single thing.
Put It Above Ground
THE CRADLE OF DEMOCARACY
Friday, January 26th, 2007To All,
Below please find the makeup of the Board of the WTC Memorial Committee
It would be very interesting to see how each of these members feel about the current design for the memorial.
The funny thing is they never got a say in the matter.
The Executive Committee (who are not listed on the website) are the only ones who voted.
They actually voted on something that was not even on the agenda.
Not surprisingly the minutes of that meeting are not posted on the website.
Doesn’t seem very democratic does it?
So we wind up with a memorial that is supposed to represent the “Cradle of Democracy� (their term not ours) that:
Was decided by an elite group of hand picked members.
Has been commandeered by our mayor because he can raise money (how is this not a conflict of interest)
Will make no mention of 9/11.
Will not contain an American flag.
nd more importantly treat the victims with as little respect as possible.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone as this is they same way they have treated the recovery effort.
To think that anyone believes that by listing the company names would make this a corporate memorial is beyond comprehension.
You just wait to see how prominently the corporate donors get listed once it is completed.
We are sure that they will not perceive that as a problem.
The almighty dollar has always been the deciding factor in this whole process.
Put It Above Ground
Chairman
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
Board Members
Dr. Josef Ackermann
Paula Grant Berry
Debra Burlingame
John P. Cahill
Russell L. Carson
Kenneth Chenault
Keating Crown
Robert DeNiro
Samuel A. DiPiazza, Jr.
Christine A. Ferer
Maurice R. Greenberg
Dr. Vartan Gregorian
Patricia E. Harris
William B. Harrison, Jr.
Lee A. Ielpi
Monica Iken
Robert Wood Johnson IV
Thomas S. Johnson
Robert Kasdin
Anthoula Katsimatides
Peter M. Lehrer
Howard W. Lutnick
Julie Menin
Ira M. Millstein
The Right Hon. Brian Mulroney
Peter G. Peterson
Emily K. Rafferty
Kevin M. Rampe
Thomas A. Renyi
David Rockefeller
Dr. Judith Rodin
Thomas H. Rogér
E. John Rosenwald, Jr.
Andrew M. Senchak
Jerry Speyer
Anne M. Tatlock
Daniel R. Tishman
Savita B. Wakhlu
John C. Whitehead, Founding Chairman
John E. Zuccotti
Honorary Chairman
Governor George E. Pataki
Honorary Board Members
President George H. W. Bush
President Jimmy Carter
President William J. Clinton
Honorary Trustees
Governor Jon S. Corzine
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani
RELEASE OF ADDITIONAL 9/11 – 911 CALLS
Friday, January 26th, 2007TO: WTC FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS
FROM: COMMISSIONER PATRICK BRENNAN
MAYOR’S OFFICE, COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE UNIT
DATE: JANUARY 26, 2007
SUBJECT: RELEASE OF ADDITIONAL 9/11 – 911 CALLS
As you know, the City of New York has previously released redacted recordings of telephone calls made by persons who called 911 from the Twin Towers on September 11th. The New York City Police Department recently discovered additional portions of a number of calls that had been previously released and some conversations that had not been released at all. In all, 19 such calls or portions of calls are being released today.
As you may know, when a person calls 911, the call is usually answered by the Police Department. If the call concerns a fire it is then usually transferred to the New York City Fire Department. Fifteen of the calls being released had been transferred to the Fire Department; the Fire Department portions of these calls have been released previously. It is only the initial Police Department portions of these calls which have not been released previously, and which are being released today.
In addition, there are 4 calls which were not transferred to the Fire Department. The Police Department portion of the call is the entire call. Those calls have not been previously released, and will also be released today.
As in the past, in accordance with the ruling of the New York Court of Appeals, the 911 callers’ part of the call is protected by the right of privacy and has been redacted from these calls (except for one caller, a Fire Safety Director at the World Trade Center, who was performing his job duties and whose conversation was thus not protected by the right of privacy.)
The City of New York has been able to identify some of the callers. We have already contacted the next of kin of the identified callers (except for one person who moved out of the country without leaving a forwarding address), and have informed them that we have identified one or more calls made by their loved one and offered to provide them with unredacted recordings of their loved one’s calls. If any one else has not been contacted, it means we have not identified a call from his or her loved one.
We are sorry for any additional pain that is caused by this public release of additional 911 calls.
We ask that you share this information with members of your organization and anyone else you think appropriate. If you have further questions please call the Mayor’s Office, CAU at 212-788-7418. Thank you very much for your assistance.
DIANE HORNING COMMENTARY
Friday, January 26th, 2007Dear friends and families,Â
    On Wednesday a national media effort was launched. Edie Lutnik had spearheaded a sensible, moderate and well constructed solution to the way in which names could (should) appear on the WTC site memorial. At the press conference, Kurt and I were deeply moved by the family members and representatives of uniformed personnel who spoke. They spoke without rancor. They were poised in their grief and respectful in their pleas. I urge you all to go to the links copied below. Read all the material. Then go to www.savethe911memorial.com, and sign the petition. Pass this link to everyone you can. If you could have seen and heard Lee Hanson speak on the very day his son, Peter, would have turned 38 years old, you would not hesitate to sign this very reasonable petition. To read that Mayor Bloomberg’s response was a callous, “you can’t please everyone…” was a slap in the face. Apparently, the only one who needs to be “pleased” is Mr. Mayor. We will never be “pleased” by seeing the names of people we love written on a wall of the dead. But, as Edie Lutnik so eloquently and simple stated our position, we want the names and the event remembered with integrity.Â
Thank you,
Diane Horning, WTC Families for Proper Burial, Inc.Â
REMEMBER, RESPECT, RECOGNIZE AND INSPIRE
Thursday, January 25th, 2007The purpose of the WTC Memorial was to remember, respect, recognize and inspire. (See below from Memorial website)
We are sorry Mr. Mayor but your Memorial, and it has become your memorial, does none of theses things. It appears that sanitizing the most brutal attack in the history of our country has become your underlying theme.The fact that the current Memorial Design does not even mention 9/11 or contain an American Flag speaks volumes as to what you want this memorial to be.We ask everyone to please sign our petition at:
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We need to let the mayor know that we want the memorial to reflect history and not his story
Put It Above Ground
Notes from the Draft Memorial Mission Statement Committee
The mission statement committee took great care in considering the meaning and significance of each word of the mission statement. Important themes incorporated within the mission statement were the result of lengthy discussions and debates about the naming of particular groups such as firefighters, police officers, rescue personnel, recovery and construction workers, and those working in the WTC buildings and surrounding area. Based on these discussions the committee decided it was important to honor the loss of life equally and the contributions of all without establishing any hierarchies. Descriptive words were carefully considered for their meaning and implications for the statement: “murdered, killed or lost,� “senseless, horrific or devastating,� “sacrifice,� “hero,� “Islamic or Muslim terrorists.� All of these words raised issues that were debated and decisions were made that best reflected the intentions of the committee. The draft mission statement contrasts the darkest depths of humanity and the bright light of human compassion and bravery. Remember, respect, recognize and inspire are its essential guiding themes. These themes are drawn as an arc, beginning with remembering those who died, recognizing courage and sacrifice and ending with a resolution of hope.
Families Against The WTC Memorial
http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2007/01/25/families_agains.php
For Additional Articles Go To
HUMAN REMAINS UPDATE 1/25… 4 MORE REMAINS UNCOVERED
Thursday, January 25th, 2007766 - Deutsche Bank
209 - Manholes
 67 - haul road
1042 Total as of 1/25/07
Three more remains were uncovered from the haul road at the site and one additional remain was uncovered at 11 Water Street.
We have heard nothing back from the Mayor’s Office in regards to Community Board 1’s Resolution but he will probably ignore that as well.It has become apparent that the haul road was not constructed from “fresh fill� but no one seems to be following up on that as well.We have been unsuccessful in our attempts to get footage from the 24 hour video cam that was installed early on at the site. We had hoped to view footage of when the haul road was constructed.We also find it very odd that no other than human remains have been uncovered or are they just not reporting them.
We met with Senator Clinton’s Office today and she is still in full support of brining in JPAC.
Her office also promised to follow up on the personal items issue with the NYPD Property Department.
Even though we are interested in the alleged missing $750,000 and over 1,000 personal items we are even more concerned about why the NYPD is not using the built in tracking system to identify remains.
For those who are not aware.
When items were recovered with human remains, (not to get too graphic a ring with a piece of a finger bone) each was given a number.
These types of items were linked in the database.
If a person game in to claim the ring, by using the inventory system the companion human remain would also be identified.
The problem is the NYPD is not using this information.
It is very possible that personal items have been picked up but the human remains were left behind.
The developer of the tracking database has all of the information but the NYPD will not say why they are not using it.
This same information could also be used for audit purposes to prove or disprove the allegations of missing funds and personal items.
Just like the recovery effort the questions continue to go unanswered.
We can’t even get the media to ask the questions.
We have written to the Governor as well and will follow up with the Attorney General.
We still have heard nothing back from Councilman Gerson and his resolution supporting JPAC has yet to be introduced into the City Council.
Maybe a few phone calls will help.
In closing if you have not done so already please visit the Save the 9/11 Memorial website
View the information on the new proposal, watch the PSA and sign the petition.
Thanks
Put It Above Ground
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HUMAN REMAINS UPDATE 1/24…A MEMORIAL IN NAME ONLY
Wednesday, January 24th, 2007There was one human remain recovered at Water Street today. Nothing was recovered at the site.
We attended the Save the 9/11 Memorial press Conference. It was a perfect example of how the city continues to mishandle not only the recovery of remains but the entire WTC process including the Memorial. Family members both uniformed and civilian stood together and applauded the efforts of Edie Lutnick as she presented a common sense solution to the placement of names on the memorial.For more details on this plan click the link below. Watch the PSA and sign the petition.
Family members spoke of how their loved ones would want to remembered with those with whom they died.
Members of the FDNY spoke of how those firefighters killed on 9/11 would want to be remembered with their brothers with whom they served.
Family members spoke of how important it was to show the age of the victims and their last known location.
For those who are unaware all of these things are not parts of the mayor’s memorial.
And that’s the real problem.
The Mayor and a select group of elite members of his committee of which he as been appointed chair have attempted to once again hijack the memorial.
About a year ago we had the same problem when they refused to move the names above ground.
We continue to have the same problem with the recovery effort.
As the family members showed again today we are not going to allow that to happen.
The solution is simple and will not impact the cost or the esthetics of the memorial.
Would you rather find your loved one on panel 12 line 2 row 3?
Or
On the Aon panel designating the company the floor and their age.
As Diane Horning stated these are the questions she is always asked when someone finds out her son Matthew was killed on 9/11.
The current plan shows now respect to those who were murdered on 9/11 as the Mayor is more concerned with showing respect for the architect.
Under the current plan the full flight names will not be listed.
Members of the armed forces or uniformed services will not have their rank designated.
Michael Judge will not even be listed as Father Michael Judge Chaplain of the FDNY.
As the PSA states “A memorial in name only is no memorial at all�
A version of the proposal that Edie presented today was presented to the Executive Committee of the WTC Memorial Foundation.
They did not even have the common decency to share it with the full committee.
The current design, the mayor’s design, was not even voted on by the full committee.
Once again we are put in a position where we must fight to make sure that things are done correctly
This is about preserving the integrity of the memorial for future generations.
As Arthur Schopenhauer stated:
“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.�
We have been ridiculed, we have been violently opposed but we will be here until we reach Stage Three.
Put It Above Ground
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Officer Who Epitomized Ills of Ground Zero Workers Dies
Wednesday, January 24th, 2007Police Officer Cesar A. Borja, 52
Officer Who Epitomized Ills of Ground Zero Workers Dies Â
By SEWELL CHANÂ Â
Published: January 24, 2007
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A former New York City police officer died of a lung disease last night, hours before his son attended the State of the Union address to draw attention to the plight of 9/11 rescue workers like him who became ill after they were exposed to toxic dust at ground zero.Â
http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=34788Â
For related Articles Go To
http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=23
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Never Forget Ground Zero Heroes
Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007Never Forget Ground Zero Heroes
FOX News - USA
By Neil Cavuto. Amidst all the panic, all the smoke, all the dangers, they dropped it all and risked it all. And now, more than five years after that
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,246102,00.html
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