Put It Above Ground

To All,

As 2009 draws to a close and we embark on a new decade we would like to thank our volunteers and everyone else who made this a very successful year at Where to Turn.

Special thanks to Senators Savino and Lanza, Assemlymen Cusick, Tobacco and Titone, District Attorney Daniel Donovan, Councilmen Oddo, Ignizio and Mitchell, the Richmond County Bank Foundation and the Staten Island Bank Foundation for their ongoing support of our programs

Here are a few highlights.

Overall

Our two websites have attracted over 400,000 visitors and we continue to serve a distribution of over 10,000 on a daily basis.

The site is updated every day with articles of interest and our calendar lists upcoming events for any participating organization.

We continue to share information from numerous sources and allow all of our followers to form their own opinions on topics of interest.

We have links to over 800 support organizations and weekly update grant, employment and volunteer opportunities.

In the past year we have expanded our partnerships with the NYPD, the Mayor’s CAU, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the DA’s Office and both the Criminal and Family Courts, South Beach Psychiatric, Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries, the NRPA, the NY Blood Center and many local community and civic groups.

In 2009 over 2,500 volunteers participated in our programs including representatives from almost every school on Staten Island and we have provided volunteers and support for numerous other not for profits on Staten Island.

9/11 Support

We have posted updates to our site every day in 2009. We have also partnered with Arnie Korotkin and will continue to post 9/11 articles of interest on a daily basis.

We have kept pressure on our elected officials with letters and OP ED’s addressing everything from the continued lack of support for suffering survivors of 9/11, to the upcoming trials as well as the issue of the remains in Fresh Kills.

We continue to work on plans for the Hearts and Hands Memorial.

Preliminary designs are complete and we have commitments from most of the elected officials on Staten Island.

We have over 8,000 supporters following the memorial on Facebook and hope to begin construction in 2010.

We are trying to get “Extreme Makeover” involved in the project for a 10th Anniversary show.

Community Programs

Graffiti Cleanups

Working with the 122 and 123 precincts we completed over 350 cleanups with our court ordered participants.

Scott LoBaido also completed 51 American Flag Murals through our Flags Across Staten Island Program

Court Referrals

Working with the Criminal and Family Courts on Staten Island nearly 120 juveniles were sentenced to community service for non violent crimes and referred to Where to Turn. We coordinated
weekend activities and these juveniles performed nearly 3,500 hours of community service on Staten Island.

Information Forums

Over 100 local not for profits and nearly 1,000 students attended the two volunteer information forums that we held this year with the help of the Parks Department and South Beach Psychiatric.

Snow Shoveling for Seniors

Over 600 students participated in 2009 and shoveled for 650 seniors free of charge.

Re-Gifting for a Good Cause/Toy Drive

We collected over 2,500 items and toys most of which were redistributed to needy families on Staten Island. The remaining novelty items were sold at our yearly Blood Drive/Flea Market where we also collected nearly 100 pints of blood.

Academic All County Awards

In 2009 we once again partnered with St. John’s University and honored all graduating high school seniors on Staten Island who participated in a varsity sport while maintaining a 90 or above GPA in their junior and senior years.

Prom Dresses for All

We collected over 100 prom dresses which will be dry cleaned and made available to high school girls who are not able to afford them so that they might be able to attend their proms in 2010.

Park and Beach Cleanups

Partnering with the NRPA and the Department of Parks and Recreation we participated in over 20 park and beach cleanups in 2009

Restoration of the Asbury Methodist Cemetery

In the fall of 2009 we began the restoration with weekly cleanups which resulted in the clearing of half the property of 25 years of overgrowth. Our goal is to complete the cleanup in the spring and possibly convert some of the unused space into an urban garden while converting the exterior into the first dog walker’s park on Staten Island.

Looking Ahead to 2010

With the current state of the economy and the fiscal condition of New York we do realize that everyone is going to have to do more with less in 2010.

Our goal is to work with our elected officials and other not for profits to better coordinate and align our various projects.

By working together we have a better chance of getting things done.

We plan to expand our outreach and supply volunteers to more programs outside of Where to Turn.

We plan to hold forums to get input from Staten Islanders to help us prioritize our efforts.

We hope to expand our Crisis Relief Network and get more organizations and schools to participate and post on our website.

We will continue to act as a voice for those in need from 9/11 families to senior citizens.

We will continue to work with at risk students giving them opportunities to better themselves through innovative programs.

We hope to double the amount of volunteers participating in our programs.

But most importantly we will continue to listen to the concerns of those in need and create new programs to address those needs.

We will also add programs that have worked in other areas such as “Pedals for Progress” where we will begin collecting used bicycles. These bikes will be restored and shipped to third world countries
where they are the primary form of transportation. Since 1981 this program has shipped over 125,000 bikes and kept them out of our waste stream.

We hope that others will use our programs as templates and use them in other areas of the country.

In addition we will be continuing with 3 capital projects for which we will require significant funding.

Hearts and Hands Memorial – Creating a permanent home for the United in Memory 9/11 Victims Memorial Quilt by restoring abandoned buildings at the Sea View Campus.

Restoration of the Asbury Methodist Cemetery - Restoring the cemetery to its original condition. Majority of cost will be restoring the stone wall along Richmond Ave.

Restoration of TV studio at South Beach Psychiatric – Updating an outdated facility and create a working space for students to learn TV production skills.

We once again would like to thank all of you who have helped us in the past and hope that even more of you will become involved as we move into this new decade.

Check out our website at www.where-to-turn.org as we look forward to your feedback.

Happy New Year

Dennis McKeon
718-966-6531

SENDING ON BEHALF OF NORMA MANIGAN –

Norma Manigan
Senior Manager, Public Affairs
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
225 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10003

Much is being made of the latest attempt of terrorism.

Once again the government is stating that all is well and that their security procedures that are in place are adequate.

What else do you expect them to say?

The fact of the matter is that if history has proven anything it is that our government has become almost 100% reactive and has become all about money.

Here is a little history lesson.

After 9/11 the government was in a panic but it was not solely related to terrorism.

Their major concern was not for the victims but a fear that law suits would bankrupt the airlines and send our economy into a nosedive.

To prevent this from happening the government did two things.

They created the Victims Compensation Fund to circumvent the lawsuits and in typical government fashion they created a new Agency the TSA to deal with transportation security.

Now they already had the Office of Homeland Security but that wasn’t good enough.

We needed this new Transportation Security Administration with a budget of over $1.3 billion and were told:

The events of September 11th underscore the importance of transportation security as part of America’s homeland security. There is a realization that protecting airports, bridges, highways, seaports, mass transportation, and the Nation’s transportation infrastructure in general is vital to protecting the Nation against acts of terrorism. During 2002, the Transportation Security Administration will become operational and the first steps towards an increased Federal role in transportation security will be taken. In 2003, TSA will continue implementing an aggressive, comprehensive aviation security program. The 2003 budget for TSA totals–the first full year of funding for the new agency–$4.8 billion, an increase of over $3.5 billion from current 2002 funding levels. The budget reflects estimated fee collections of $2.2 billion raised through a combination of passenger and air carrier fees authorized by the Aviation and Transportation Security Act.

Passenger Screening: Although TSA will take over the screener contracts in 2002, these contracts will be replaced by Federal screener personnel by November 19, 2002. As a result, the budget includes the costs of well over 30,000 airport security personnel, including screeners, law enforcement personnel, and screener supervisors.

Cargo Screening: Explosive detection systems must be in place to screen all checked baggage by December 31, 2002. The 2003 budget includes funding for equipment purchases, installation, and maintenance, more than three times the level of funds currently available in 2002.

Federal Air Marshals: The 2003 budget is the first year reflecting full funding of a greatly expanded Federal Air Marshal (FAM) program. The number of FAMs is classified information and, therefore, is not included in public documents. Following September 11th, law enforcement officers from other Government agencies were loaned to the Department of Transportation and trained as FAMs, which allowed the program to quickly expand. These loaned law enforcement personnel will be replaced before the end of 2002 with permanent FAM staff, and the number of FAMs significantly increased.

Transportation Network Security: Language is included in the 2003 budget that allows for the transfer of resources from the other modal budgets to the TSA budget, as necessary, to perform the security functions identified in the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. The resources currently residing in the other modal budgets are being identified and will, as appropriate, be transferred to TSA as soon as practical.

Here are a few things that the first audit of the TSA turned up.

There were serious questions raised about how over $300 million was spent by a firms contracted by the newly formed Transportation Security Administration.

$5.4 Million for 9 months salaries for executives of a firm that received a contract before it was incorporated and has subsequently gone out of business.

$8,100 for elevator operators at the Marriott Marquis Hotel

$125,000 rental fee for six magnetometers that could have been purchased for about $5,000 apiece

$4.4 Million for no show fees for exams not taken by potential candidates

$28,000 for coffee at the Sheraton Hotel in Reston

Now this audit took place in 2005 and as with most government audits we never found out if any of these items were addressed.

We also have not heard anything of subsequent audits.

What we have learned is that since 9/11 the TSA’s budget has ballooned to over $6 billion.

In 2009

• It devotes nearly $6 billion to the multi-layered, risk-based aviation security system.
o $3 billion for over 48,000 Transportation Security Officers and technologies to screen passengers and their baggage for weapons and explosives.
o $1.2 billion to recapitalize checked baggage screening devices and accelerate deployment of inline systems that will increase baggage throughput up to 300 percent. The Budget proposes a temporary, four-year surcharge in the passenger security fee of $0.50 per enplanement with a maximum increase of $1.00 per one-way trip. The additional fee collections of $426 million would be deposited in the Aviation Security Capital Fund to accelerate the deployment of optimal checked baggage screening systems and address the need to recapitalize existing equipment deployed immediately after September 11, 2001.
o $128 million for enhancements at passenger checkpoints to improve the detection of prohibited items, especially weapons and explosives, through the use of additional sensors, such as whole body imaging, liquid bottle scanners, automated explosive sampling, and cast and prosthesis scanners. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will continue to provide specialized training in the detection of suspicious behaviors, fraudulent documents, and improvised explosive devices.
o Nearly $100 million for air cargo security inspectors, canine teams, and the Certified Shipper Program to achieve 100-percent screening of passenger air cargo in 2010.
• Enhances security assessments. Funds security assessments on more than 2.4 million individuals in the Nation’s transportation system, including commercial HAZMAT drivers, airport and port workers, and international airline flight crews. In addition, TSA will continuously vet 13 million individuals who have already undergone a security assessment. These assessments will be based on terrorism and criminal information from the U.S. intelligence community and FBI databases. And, TSA will assume the watch list matching of over two million airline passengers daily with the implementation of Secure Flight.
• Addresses surface transportation vulnerabilities. $37 million for surface transportation security, including funding for nearly 100 inspectors to conduct risk-based assessments in the largest mass transit and rail systems.

Over $6 Billion and still a terrorist walks on a plane with explosives.

So what will happen now?

While the fear level is high the government will request additional funding.

Requirements will be written so that only certain companies will be able to be granted contracts.

We will hire more bureaucrats add more levels of government and spend, spend, spend.

But we will not adequately address any of the issues such as proper salaries and training for screeners.

It is almost impossible to separate salaries from technologies in the current budget.

We need to change that now.

We have an opportunity to change that now.

The government was reactive after 9/11 but for all the wrong reasons.

The government has been inactive since (except for spending)

We have a chance to be proactive moving forward.

And it starts with the basics.

Now there’s a real solution.

EDITORIAL   

Chief Leader   

12/25/09 

A CASE FOR THE TERROR TRIALS                    

A letter in the Chief advances several reasons why terrorists including Khalid Shiekh Mohammed should not be tried in U.S. District Court in lower Manhattan, including the cost of providing security, the possibility that this security will not be enough to prevent a terrorist attack pegged to the trials, and the chance that government secrets will be exposed. It concludes, “We don’t have the time or money to coddle murderers!”                   

All these arguments have been made by others, including those who protested near the Federal Courthouse Dec 5th while demanding that those linked to the 9/11 attacks go before military tribunals, where the rules are different than in the court of law.                 

Some of them are legitimate concerns. Nonetheless, we agree with President Obama and activists like Jim Riches, a retired FDNY Deputy Chief whose son was killed responding to the terrorist attacks, that a Federal trial is the appropriate venue.                 

The notion that a fair trial is too good for those accused of mass murder is a misreading of how our justice system works. We routinely give such trials to those responsible for smaller body counts, but whose killings are even more vicious and depraved.                

Yes, security will be costly and create significant inconveniences for those in the area. But the same arguments could be made regarding other, domestic killers whose followers are willing to take extreme action to prevent them from being brought to justice or to intimidate their jurors.We don’t sacrifice the right to a fair trial on those grounds.                

In extreme cases, a judge has the option to close a courtroom, either to prevent disruptions or to ensure that government secrets are not widely disseminated.                

As Chief Riches has pointed out, far more terrorists have been convicted in our courts- including quite prominently the one at issue here –than in the military tribunals.                 

So long as the Federal Government is prepared to take the necessary security steps — and pay for them– we believe the trials should go forward as an important statement of what this nation believes, in difficult circumstances as well as under less stressful conditions.

Another 9/11 hero will not live to see the New Year.

As all the Senators lined the pockets of their pork projects in the name of Health Care they all continue to turn a blind eye to all those who continue to die because of 9/11.

$300 Million to Louisiana for disaster relief after they misappropriated nearly $1 Billion in Katrina aid. Nebraska gets free Medicare and the list goes on and on.

For the past eight years we at Where to Turn have been working on giving back to the 9/11 families everything that have asked for in a memorial.

http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/index.php?c=21

The annual Ground Zero Midnight Mass will gather at 11:45 p.m. on Thursday evening Dec. 24 on the steps of Brooks Brothers which is located on Church St. between Cortland and Liberty Streets.

The Mass begins promptly at 12 Midnight.

All are invited to pray!

Father Brian Jordan

646-473-0413

     When retired and active first responders protested Dec. 5 in lower Manhattan against the planned Federal trial for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shiekh Mohammed, saying that he and other terror suspects should face a closed military tribunal, retired Fire Department Deputy Chief Jim Riches, a 9/11 first responder whose firefighter son died in the attacks, was present to offer a dissenting view.

     Mr. Riches, who has been vocal on many issues related to 9/11 - from criticizing former Mayor Giuliani’s 9/11 record when he ran for President last year to questioning the Obama’s administration’s decision to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay - voiced support for the Federal trial at both  the protest and in an op-ed in the Daily News, saying, “New York is where they perpetrated their crimes; New York is where they must face justice.”

                                 HIGHER CONVICTION RATE IN FEDERAL COURT

     While some family members of 9/11 victims as well as first responders ,such as ,retired Firefighter Tim Brown, who is the founder of the web site, TheBravest.com, argued that terrorists are war criminals and therefore do not have the right to a civilian trial, Mr. Riches countered that nearly 300 terror suspects have been tried and convicted in civilian courts, while three have been successfully convicted in military tribunals.

     Mr. Riches said in a Dec 11 telephone interview that he attended the protest in order to give his side of the story to several television media outlets, including CNN and Fox News. He maintained that his support for keeping the facility at Guantanamo open while also favoring federal court trials was consistent because the Obama administration assured him an a meeting with 9/11 victim’s family members that the terror suspects would be brought to justice.

                                  ’LET THE TRIALS GO FORWARD’

      “My concern wasn’t where the trials were; I wanted them tried,” he said, “I wanted the trials to go forward.”

      Mr. Riches also argued that a civilian trial in federal court would bring justice to those who perpetrated the attacks.

                          RICHES ON TERROR ATTACKS: A BETTER RECORD

     “The Federal courts have a superior record in prosecuring high profile terrorist cases without compromising national security,” Mr. Riches wrote in the op-ed. “In Guantanamo, the military prosecutors assured me that there is much evidence that does not rely on any information that was obtained through torture or by confessions. I take them at their word.”

     He also dismissed the idea that the terror suspects should be treated like soldiers in a war. While supporters of a military tribunal believed a civilian trial was unjustifiably good treatment for alleged terrorists. Chief Riches believed that a military tribunal would grant what he called “criminals” an undeserving title of soldier.

     Mr Brown and other activists said during a press conference last month that a civilian trial would allow terror suspects  to make a “mockery” of the American justice system., but Mr. Riches argued that military tribunals were no alternative, judging by one such tribunal at Guantanamo. “The terrorists made a mockery of the military courtroom with frequent outbursts,” he wrote.  “They asked to have their foot shackles removed, requested softer seat cushions and wanted chairs and computers in their cells. They got everything that they asked for. Yet, eight years later , there is no accountability for their heinous crimes.”

                         QUESTIONS ‘TARGET FEARS’

     In the interview, Chief Riches said the claim that having the trials in the city would make Manhattan a terrorist target was illogical. “Bringing them here doesn’t make us any more of a target,” he said.

     On the subject of people like Mr. Brown, Chief Riches said, ” I think they’re blinded by their hate for Obama. They are not looking at the facts, I think it’s wrong.”

      Patrolman’s Benevolent Association President ,Patrick J. Lynch has called for a military tribunal, saying “It is our belief that the attack on the World Trade Center was an act of war and that those who participated in that attack are war criminals.” Uniformed Firefighter Association President Steve Cassidy did not denounce the civilian trail, but said that having it in the city was a safety risk and suggested that a different venue  be chosen.

     Some lawmakers, such as U.S. Rep. Peter King, have blasted the Manhattan terror trials, saying that they pose a security risk. The Federal Protective Service said that it did not have enough city based members to secure the courthouse along with the nYPD, and that it would have to bring staff in from other regions.

      U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, whose district includes Ground Zero, have both endorsed the administration’s decision to hold the trials in Manhattan federal court.

                        FEDS WILL PAY FOR THE SECURITY

     “The bottom line is these are Federal terror cases that will bring to justice, in Federal Court, the evil men behind the attack on our nation on 9/11,” Senator Schumer said in a statement responding to Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly saying that the trials

 could cost the Department more than expected. He continued, “It’s common sense that the Federal Governmant pay for the security costs, because these trials will place a significant burden on the NYPD and the city to keep lower Manhattan safe and secure. Additionally, the tools and resources needed for a trial of this scale are enormous. Attorney General Eric Holder told me that he will press to fully reimburse the city’s security expenses and I will hold the administration’s feet to the fire to do just that– no matter what the cost.”

                     By ARI PAUL   THE CHIEF-LEADER  Friday Dec 18,2009

To All,

Over the past 8 years we have done many things that people said could not be done.

I now ask you for one more favor.

Please read the e-mail below.

Kerry is a good friend of mine who has done countless great things for our community.

Let’s try for a Christmas miracle and get him a donor.

Please pass this on to all your distributions and list serves.

Let’s blanket the country through Facebook and other social media outlets.

“Those who don’t believe in miracles, don’t believe in themselves”

I believe in miracles and I believe in you.

Let’s do this for Kerry

Dennis

——————————————————————————–

Hello Everyone…….

It’s easier to do an e-mail blast like this, rather then to try to explain it over the telephone, and break down every time I have to tell this story……….as it stands right now, I am not eligible for a Liver Transplant, as I do not have “Liver Disease”, I have “liver cancer”, which does not fit the criteria for a liver transplant from the national transplant organization ……… How I made it through life without a liver disease, amaze’s even me !

Since my liver is in perfect condition, and working, I cannot get on the liver transplant list, I have to find my own Donor….. Problem #2:……. Me being of Irish decent, I have O Positive blood type, the hardest to find. So I have to ask one of you for a donation of a piece of your liver …………

The type of cancer I have is extremely aggressive : hepacellular carcinoma…… 20 months ago, it grew from 3 centimeters to half my liver in two week’s time……..It’s growing fast again, I go in to Mount Sinai on Tuesday for what is called an Hepatic Arterial Chemoembolization (whew, big word!) …….

What that is, is this…. they will put a fiber optic tube in to my liver through my groin area, in to my liver, they will burn the cancer, radiate it, then encapsulate it in a chemo to keep it from spreading into my bloodstream, if the cancer gets into my blood, I am dead…….period

This will last about 2 months, then the cancer will start to break through it, and I will have to have it done again, and again…

So, I need to ask all of you, to consider giving me a piece of your liver….. an e-mail is a little impersonal , but it has been so hard on me, saying this over and over on the telephone to those of you I have spoken with so far…..that I have to do it this way, Vicky walks around crying every time I make a phone call, and it just adds to the difficulty in explaining the situation

You would be in the hospital for 3 days, and would have to take it easy for one week……..your missing piece will grow back within 30 days…….. Since our blood type is so hard to get a donor from, the surgeon will also use a small piece of your liver, and implant it in an yet, unknown baby. You will save two live’s ………..

You can be any type “O” blood, Plus or Minus, and must be younger then 55 years old…………The donation does not have to be from a family member, it can be from anyone with “O” Type blood

I have CC’ed some of my friends at the Natural Resources Protective Association and some of our compatriots in this e-mail, as it really is difficult explaining this time and time again. So I had to inform them about this, In this e-mail too ……

Thanks……..

Kerry

Mr. Kerry Sullivan

718 720-5951
kerrysull@aol.com

www.facebook.com/kerrysull

I have the consolation of having added nothing to my private fortune
during my public service, and of retiring with hands clean as they are
empty

Thomas Jefferson

I wonder how many of our friends in Albany and Washington would be able
to make the same claim.

Not many I am sure.

This will continue to be the case as long as we allow our
representatives to have outside interests with economic consequences.

Government should not be a part time job.

There should also be some type of Common Sense requirement for those to
hold office.

Right now we have the JAMES ZADROGA 9/11 HEALTH & COMPENSATION BILL stuck in committee
with no one even looking at it but Congress has time to look at bill that would require
the NCAA to have a playoff for the national football championship,

Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture?

Also we basically allow Congress to buy Health Care votes by giving
Louisiana anywhere from $100 million to $300 million in disaster
recovery aid.

Now I do not begrudge the victims in Louisiana but this is the state that
misappropriated nearly $1 billion in disaster aid after Katrina.

How about getting some of that money back before they get anything else?

But we will continue to toss good money after bad and while local grass
root organizations that actually do some good struggle to survive
billions will go to phantom not for profits or shell organizations under
ACORN.

This will not change until we get some accountability in place.

It will also not change until you get the aid to the people who need it
and not into the pockets of middleman and political cronies.

It was just announced that $150 million will be coming to New York.

I ask Senator Schumer and Congressman McMahon to make sure that this
money goes to what it was allocated.

I ask them to set up workshops to help organizations like CERT who at
the local level actually get things done get some of this money.

Don’t let the money be spent on garbage trucks and executive salaries or no show
jobs like it was after 9/11.

We should use some of the money to document what was done in New York at
the local level after 9/11.

Had it not been for these local efforts and all of the volunteers God
only knows where we would be now.

Many of these volunteers are now dying and being denied medical
benefits.

Possibly we could use some of this money to help them out.

Taking care of those who took care of us in our time of need would only
promote the same response if this ever happens again.

Thomas Jefferson also said “We in America do not have government by the
majority. We have government by the majority who participate.”

Participation begins at the local level and needs to be fostered.

We need to make sure that it is.