911 Rescue and Recovery workers

UPDATE: FDNY DEUTSCHE BANK FIRE DOUBLE LODD

2011-06-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

Today a Manhattan jury cleared foreman Salvatore DePaola of charges that he should have known a crucial water standpipe was damaged in the former Deutsche Bank building at Ground Zero which caught fire in August 2007, killing 2 firefighters in the Line of Duty.

The jury was still deliberating the case of Jeffrey Melofchik, the building site safety manager, who like DePaola was charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the blaze.

Also charged are the building's toxin cleanup director Mitchell Alvo and the Galt Corp., the subcontractor that employed Alvo and DePaola. They have chosen to have Judge Rena Uviller, not the jury, rule on their cases and the judge has not yet ruled. The jury found DePaola not guilty of all charges.

Firefighters Robert Beddia, 53, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33, died in the Line of Duty of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning when they became trapped in the nine-floor fire.

The defense argued that the construction managers removing asbestos could not have anticipated the circumstances that led to the firefighters' deaths.

They had argued that if local government inspectors had repeatedly failed to identify a damaged water pipe in the basement, it was unreasonable to expect construction supervisors with less expertise to recognize the potential danger. The defense argued that the conditions were caused not by a lack of water but by a fan system that pulled smoke downward, leaving firefighters blind and disoriented.

Source: The Secret List 6-28-11 / 2147 Hours
www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

DOD Announces Charges Sworn Against Five Detainees Allegedly Responsible for 9/11 Attacks

2011-05-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

The Department of Defense announced today the office of military commissions prosecutors have sworn charges against five individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi.

The prosecutors have recommended that the charges against all five of the accused be referred as capital. Capital charges may only be pursued with the convening authority's approval. Under rules governing military commissions, the accused will have the right to counsel learned in applicable law relating to capital cases.

The charges allege that the five accused were responsible for the planning and execution of the attacks on New York, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, Pa. that occurred on September 11, 2001. Those attacks resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.

The charges are allegations that the accused committed offenses that are chargeable under the Military Commissions Act of 2009, 10 U.S.C. §§ 948a, et seq. There are eight charges common to all five of the accused: conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, hijacking aircraft, and terrorism. The accused are presumed innocent and may be convicted only if their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

These charges go beyond what is necessary to establish that the 9/11 co-conspirators may be lawfully detained under the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, as informed by the laws of war -- an issue that each Guantanamo detainee may challenge in a habeas petition in federal court.

In accordance with the Military Commissions Act of 2009, the sworn charges will be forwarded to the Convening Authority, Bruce MacDonald. The convening authority will make an independent determination as to whether to refer some, all, or none of the charges for trial by military commission. If the convening authority decides to refer the case to trial, he will designate commission panel members (jurors). The chief trial judge of the Military Commissions Trial Judiciary would then assign a military judge to the case.

Source: U.S. Department of Defense - Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

Decade Later: Osama Dead, Obama Visits Ground Zero

2011-05-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

Obama's Visit: Pictures of Ground Zero a Decade After 9/11

As the President journeys to lower Manhattan to give New York City its own moment of justice, TIME looks at the evolution of the historic site of Osama bin Laden's deadly attack

Osama Bil Laden Dead: Thank-You DevGru Seal Team 6 #Winning

2011-04-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

On April 29, 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama authorized a Kill raid ("Operation Neptune Spear" with "Geronimo" as the code name for bin Laden himself. on bin Laden's suspected location near Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Location: It was originally believed that bin Laden was hiding near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas, but he was actually found 100 miles (160 km) away in a $250,000 three-story mansion in Abbottabad at 34°10′9.67″N 73°14′33.60″E.[157] Bin Laden's mansion was located 0.8 miles (1.3 km) southwest of the Pakistan Military Academy (Pakistan's "West Point"). Google Earth maps show that the compound was not present in 2001, but was present on images taken in 2005.

The Raid: On May 1, 2011, in Washington, D.C. (May 2, Pakistan Standard Time), U.S. President Barack Obama announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed. The operation (dubbed Geronimo "E-KIA") was successfully carried out in the early morning of May 2 by U.S. Navy SEALs with intelligence support from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). During the raid, bin Laden was fatally shot in the head and chest The entire raid, including intelligence sweeps of the compound, was completed in less than 40 minutes.

Among those killed in the raid were one of bin Laden's sons, a man described as a courier, and the courier's brother. Four years of surveillance of the courier led to the intelligence which made the raid possible. It was reported that the courier was the owner of the compound where the assault took place.

The day after the raid John Brennan, the White House counterterrorism chief, said that the woman that was killed was one of bin Laden's four wives and was being used as a human shield at the time, though this claim was later retracted. Two other women, who were also used as shields, were injured during the raid. He also said that the al-Qaeda leader put up resistance, but was unarmed. Bin Laden was shot twice. A shot above his left eye blew away a part of his skull. He was also hit in the chest.
The Team: U.S. officials reported that a team of 24 U.S. Navy SEALs from the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (SEAL Team Six), under the command of the Joint Special Operations Command and working with the CIA, stormed bin Laden's compound in two helicopters. Bin Laden, three other men, and a woman were killed in a firefight in which U.S. forces did not experience any injuries or casualties however one of the helicopters experienced mechanical difficulties, and was destroyed by the SEALs onsite. In his broadcast announcement President Obama said that U.S. forces "took care to avoid civilian casualties."According to U.S. officials, the attack was carried out without the knowledge or consent of Pakistani authorities.

Aftermath: The U.S. State Department issued a "worldwide caution" for Americans following bin Laden's death and U.S diplomatic facilities everywhere were placed on high alert, a senior U.S official said. Crowds gathered outside the White House, in New York City's Times Square, as well as the World Trade Center, the site of the September 11 Attacks, to celebrate bin Laden's death. Chittral News, a Pakistani news site, claimed that some people were dismayed that Pakistan has lost its sovereignty.

The Body: His body was taken and biometric facial recognition tests were performed. Subsequent genetic testing reportedly supported the preliminary identification.

Within 24 hours of his death, his body was transported to the aircraft carrier "USS Carl Vinson" for final rites and burial at sea. According to the United States military, the decision to bury his remains at sea was to circumvent international difficulties in choosing a burial site. Some observers at the time suggested it might also have been designed to prevent any physical enshrinement of the terrorist leader. His death attracted protests from hundreds of people in the city of Quetta, in southwestern Pakistan, burning U.S. flags and paying homage to the late al-Qaeda leader.

DNA from bin Laden's body, compared with DNA samples on record from his dead sister's brain confirmed bin Laden's identity the following day according to assertions to ABC News by unnamed sources. The 193 cm long body was recovered by the U.S. military and was in its custody until his body was buried in the North Arabian Sea from the USS Carl Vinson, within 24 hours of his death in accord with Islamic traditions. One U.S. official stated that, "finding a country willing to accept the remains of the world's most wanted terrorist would have been difficult."MSNBC reported, "There also was speculation about worry that a grave site could have become a rallying point for militants."

9/111 Lawyer on Vacation as payments wait...

2011-02-01T09:15:00.000-08:00

The city has released more than $5 million in initial payments for some Ground Zero workers, but many plaintiffs are still getting requests for required documents they thought were already filed -- while their top lawyer took a posh, two-week vacation in Switzerland, The Post has learned.

The first funds -- up to $3,250 each for 2,210 workers and their spouses-- were wired Friday to the law firm representing most of the 10,000 suing 9/11 responders, Worby Groner Edelman & Napoli Bern, said a spokesman for the WTC Captive Insurance Co, the city-run entity controlling a $1 billion federal fund.

The law firm is expected to deduct its 25 percent fee, plus expenses, and send checks to their clients.

Under the mass settlement, worth $662.5 million, the first payments must be made 20 days after the deal was finalized on Jan. 5, or after an outside firm verifies the claims.

The first $5 million is going to plaintiffs “who have met the requirements for payment under the final settlement agreement,” said a WTC Captive statement yesterday. “We will continue to make timely payments as these requirements are met.”

Some responders received letters from the law firm this month, warning:

“YOU WILL RECEIVE NO COMPENSATION UNDER THE SETTLEMENT UNLESS YOU SATISFY WORK PROOF REQUIREMENTS.”

Lawyers have known about the requirements for at least 10 months.

Meanwhile, lead lawyer Paul Napoli took a getaway in Zermott, a Swiss resort near the Matterhorn, from Dec. 18 to Jan. 2, insiders said. He also spent Thanksgiving week in Anguilla, a Caribbean island, and went to Paris and Aix en Provence in southern France last September, after a deadline for workers to sign onto the settlement was extended two months to Nov. 8.

"A lot of people need this money for medical costs -- or because they're flat out broke -- and he thinks its a perfect time to see Europe." fumed a 9/11 responder awaiting payment for his illness.

Napoli yesterday denied delays on his end, saying "All forms and documents have been submitted timely. The paperwork needs to be processed before payments are made. That is out of our hands."

He said his office is staffed every day and holidays -- and time with his family is "always an important priority."

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/payouts_on_hold_as_lawyer_vacations_mw9lwMJLW1bgfPFCirujcJ#ixzz1CjDDC1cV

9/11 Forensic Expert Dies...

2011-02-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

Brick - A man who participated in the forensic investigations of the Sept. 11 attacks, American Airlines Flight 587 crash and other accidents has passed away, according to a report on APP.com.

Haskell Askin, 75, of Brick, served as the tour commander for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of New York City and spent more than 25 years as the chief forensic odontologist for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's office.

986th First Responder Dies From 9/11-Related Illness

2010-11-23T20:29:00.000-08:00

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS:
- Robert 'Bobby' Ehmer, 47, of East Meadow, Long Island died Sunday after succumbing to a three-year battle with kidney cancer.
Ehmer raced to the site of the World Trade Center and worked there for several weeks as he assisted in the search for survivors and removal of debris.
He along with several thousand first responders were exposed to toxic dust that blanketed the area. He was an officer for the 100th Precinct in Queens and retired in 2005.
He also dedicated his time to his community as a volunteer firefighter and an EMT for St. John's Hospital. In 2007, he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
His condition worsened over the last three years as the cancer spread throughout his body. Ehmer was single and did not have any children.
Ehmer's family will hold a wake for him on Tuesday and Wednesday. His funeral is scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m. at Chapel Funeral Home in East Islip.
On Friday, more than 10,000 Sept. 11 first responders and New York City reached a settlement worth at least $625 million over the city's failure to provide protective equipment to the responders, which allowed deadly soot enter their lungs and make them sick.
Source: McClatchy-Tribune News Service Link

NY- NYFD- WTC Settlement is for a few leaves thousands out in cold

2010-11-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: NY- NYFD- WTC Settlement is for a few leaves thousands out in cold: "

I am a forgotten Ground Zero Vet, I have been left out of settlement, Why? Because I did not contact the right law firm!

More than 10,000 people have joined a legal settlement that will pay hundreds of millions of dollars to ground zero workers exposed to toxic World Trade Center dust.
The acceptance of the deal was announced by a court Friday. It will mean an end to most litigation over New York City's failure to provide protective equipment to construction workers, police and firefighters who cleared rubble.
Apparently the law firm Napoli Bern Ripka LLP

did not really care about the workers, they only cared about money! They will not even talk to me now!
I will continue to have serious medical problems, and will try to live with the WTC cough...

I have been forgotten.

911 Rose Bowl Parade float construction LaCFBW part 1

2010-09-18T00:38:00.000-07:00

911 Rose Bowl Parade float construction YouTube video:
911 Rose Bowl Parade float Twitter Tags: #RoseParade #Video #LACFD #Float #LaCFBW
Original You Tube: video link… via @youtube

FDNY 343 THE LIST

2010-09-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

NY-NYFD- WTC TOWER IC - NEVER FORGET ... FDNY 343 THE LIST

Never Forget! Honor the Fallen...


List of 343 FDNY Firefighters Killed at the World Trade Center September 11, 2001

Joseph Agnello, Lad.118	Lt. Brian Ahearn, Bat.13	Eric Allen, Sqd.18 (D)	Richard Allen, Lad.15	Cpt. James Amato, Sqd.1	Calixto Anaya Jr., Eng.4

Joseph Angelini, Res.1 (D)	Joseph Angelini Jr., Lad.4	Faustino Apostol Jr., Bat.2	David Arce, Eng.33	Louis Arena, Lad.5 (D)	Carl Asaro, Bat.9

Lt. Gregg Atlas, Eng.10	Gerald Atwood, Lad.21	Gerald Baptiste, Lad.9	A.C. Gerard Barbara, Cmd. Ctr.	Matthew Barnes, Lad.25	Arthur Barry, Lad.15

Lt.Steven Bates, Eng.235	Carl Bedigian, Eng.214	Stephen Belson, Bat.7	John Bergin, Res.5	Paul Beyer, Eng.6	Peter Bielfeld, Lad.42

Brian Bilcher, Sqd.1	Carl Bini, Res.5	Christopher Blackwell, Res.3	Michael Bocchino, Bat.48	Frank Bonomo, Eng.230	Gary Box, Sqd.1

Michael Boyle, Eng.33	Kevin Bracken, Eng.40	Michael Brennan, Lad.4	Peter Brennan, Res.4	Cpt. Daniel Brethel, Lad.24 (D)	Cpt. Patrick Brown, Lad.3

Andrew Brunn, Lad.5 (D)	Cpt. Vincent Brunton, Lad.105	F.M. Ronald Bucca	Greg Buck, Eng.201	Cpt. William Burke Jr., Eng.21	A.C. Donald Burns, Cmd. Ctr.

John Burnside, Lad.20	Thomas Butler, Sqd.1	Patrick Byrne, Lad.101	George Cain, Lad.7	Salvatore Calabro, Lad.101	Cpt. Frank Callahan, Lad.35

Michael Cammarata, Lad.11	Brian Cannizzaro, Lad.101	Dennis Carey, Hmc.1	Michael Carlo, Eng.230	Michael Carroll, Lad.3	Peter Carroll, Sqd.1 (D)

Thomas Casoria, Eng.22	Michael Cawley, Lad.136	Vernon Cherry, Lad.118	Nicholas Chiofalo, Eng.235	John Chipura, Eng.219	Michael Clarke, Lad.2

Steven Coakley, Eng.217	Tarel Coleman, Sqd.252	John Collins, Lad.25	Robert Cordice, Sqd.1	Ruben Correa, Eng.74	James Coyle, Lad.3

Robert Crawford, Safety	Lt. John Crisci, H.M.	B.C. Dennis Cross, Bat.57 (D)	Thomas Cullen III, Sqd. 41	Robert Curatolo, Lad.16 (D)	Lt. Edward D'Atri, Sqd.1

Michael D'Auria, Eng.40	Scott Davidson, Lad.118	Edward Day, Lad.11	B.C. Thomas DeAngelis, Bat. 8	Manuel Delvalle, Eng.5	Martin DeMeo, H.M. 1

David DeRubbio, Eng.226	Lt. Andrew Desperito, Eng.1 (D)	B.C. Dennis Devlin, Bat.9	Gerard Dewan, Lad.3	George DiPasquale, Lad.2	Lt. Kevin Donnelly, Lad.3

Lt. Kevin Dowdell, Res.4	B.C. Raymond Downey, Soc.	Gerard Duffy, Lad.21	Cpt. Martin Egan, Jr., Div.15 (D)	Michael Elferis, Eng.22	Francis Esposito, Eng.235

Lt. Michael Esposito, Sqd.1	Robert Evans, Eng.33	B.C. John Fanning, H.O.	Cpt. Thomas Farino, Eng.26	Terrence Farrell, Res.4	Cpt. Joseph Farrelly, Div.1

Dep. Comm. William Feehan, (D)	Lee Fehling, Eng.235	Alan Feinberg, Bat.9	Michael Fiore, Res.5	Lt. John Fischer, Lad.20	Andre Fletcher, Res.5

John Florio, Eng.214	Lt. Michael Fodor, Lad.21	Thomas Foley, Res.3	David Fontana, Sqd.1	Robert Foti, Lad.7	Andrew Fredericks, Sqd.18

Lt. Peter Freund, Eng.55	Thomas Gambino Jr., Res.3	Chief of Dept. Peter Ganci, Jr. (D)	Lt. Charles Garbarini, Bat.9	Thomas Gardner, Hmc.1	Matthew Garvey, Sqd.1

Bruce Gary, Eng.40	Gary Geidel, Res.1	B.C. Edward Geraghty, Bat.9	Dennis Germain, Lad.2	Lt. Vincent Giammona, Lad.5	James Giberson, Lad.35

Ronnie Gies, Sqd.288	Paul Gill, Eng.54	Lt. John Ginley, Eng.40	Jeffrey Giordano, Lad.3	John Giordano, Hmc.1	Keith Glascoe, Lad.21

James Gray, Lad.20	B.C. Joseph Grzelak, Bat.48	Jose Guadalupe, Eng.54	Lt. Geoffrey Guja, Bat.43	Lt. Joseph Gullickson, Lad.101	David Halderman, Sqd.18

Lt. Vincent Halloran, Lad.8	Robert Hamilton, Sqd.41	Sean Hanley, Lad.20 (D)	Thomas Hannafin, Lad.5	Dana Hannon, Eng.26	Daniel Harlin, Lad.2

Lt. Harvey Harrell, Res.5	Lt. Stephen Harrell, Bat.7	Cpt. Thomas Haskell, Jr., Div.15	Timothy Haskell, Sqd.18 (D)	Cpt. Terence Hatton, Res.1	Michael Haub, Lad.4

Lt. Michael Healey, Sqd.41	John Hefferman, Lad.11	Ronnie Henderson, Eng.279	Joseph Henry, Lad.21	William Henry, Res.1 (D)	Thomas Hetzel, Lad.13

Cpt. Brian Hickey, Res.4	Lt. Timothy Higgins, S.O.C.	Jonathan Hohmann, Hmc.1	Thomas Holohan, Eng.6	Joseph Hunter, Sqd.288	Cpt. Walter Hynes, Lad.13 (D)

Jonathan Ielpi, Sqd.288	Cpt. Frederick Ill Jr., Lad.2	William Johnston, Eng.6	Andrew Jordan, Lad.132	Karl Joseph, Eng.207	Lt. Anthony Jovic, Bat.47

Angel Juarbe Jr., Lad.12	Mychal Judge, Chaplain (D)	Vincent Kane, Eng.22	B.C. Charles Kasper, S.O.C.	Paul Keating, Lad.5	Richard Kelly Jr., Lad.11

Thomas R. Kelly, Lad.15	Thomas W. Kelly, Lad.105	Thomas Kennedy, Lad.101	Lt. Ronald Kerwin, Sqd.288	Michael Kiefer, Lad.132	Robert King Jr., Eng.33

Scott Kopytko, Lad.15	William Krukowski, Lad.21	Kenneth Kumpel, Lad.25	Thomas Kuveikis, Sqd.252	David LaForge, Lad.20	William Lake, Res.2

Robert Lane, Eng.55	Peter Langone, Sqd.252	Scott Larsen, Lad.15	Lt. Joseph Leavey, Lad.15	Neil Leavy, Eng.217	Daniel Libretti, Res.2

Carlos Lillo, Paramedic	Robert Linnane, Lad.20	Michael Lynch, Eng.40	Michael Lynch, Lad.4	Michael Lyons, Sqd.41	Patrick Lyons, Sqd.252

Joseph Maffeo, Lad.101	William Mahoney, Res 4	Joseph Maloney, Lad.3 (D)	B.C. Joseph Marchbanks Jr, Bat.12	Lt. Charles Margiotta, Bat.22	Kenneth Marino, Res.1

John Marshall, Eng.23	Lt. Peter Martin, Res.2	Lt. Paul Martini, Eng.23	Joseph Mascali, T.S.U. 2	Keithroy Maynard, Eng.33	Brian McAleese, Eng.226

John McAvoy, Lad.3	Thomas McCann, Bat.8	Lt. William McGinn, Sqd.18	B.C. William McGovern, Bat.2 (D)	Dennis McHugh, Lad.13	Robert McMahon, Lad.20

Robert McPadden, Eng.23	Terence McShane, Lad.101	Timothy McSweeney, Lad.3	Martin McWilliams, Eng.22 (D)	Raymond Meisenheimer, Res.3	Charles Mendez, Lad.7

Steve Mercado, Eng.40	Douglas Miller, Res.5	Henry Miller Jr, Lad.105	Robert Minara, Lad.25	Thomas Mingione, Lad.132	Lt. Paul Mitchell, Bat.1

Capt. Louis Modafferi, Res.5	Lt. Dennis Mojica, Res.1 (D)	Manuel Mojica, Sqd.18 (D)	Carl Molinaro, Lad.2	Michael Montesi, Res.1	Capt. Thomas Moody, Div.1

B.C. John Moran, Bat.49	Vincent Morello, Lad.35	Christopher Mozzillo, Eng.55	Richard Muldowney Jr, Lad.07	Michael Mullan, Lad.12	Dennis Mulligan, Lad.2

Lt. Raymond Murphy, Lad.16	Lt. Robert Nagel, Eng.58	John Napolitano, Res.2	Peter Nelson, Res.4	Gerard Nevins, Res.1	Dennis O'Berg, Lad.105

Lt. Daniel O'Callaghan, Lad.4	Douglas Oelschlager, Lad.15	Joseph Ogren, Lad.3	Lt. Thomas O'Hagan, Bat.4	Samuel Otice, Lad.4	Patrick O'Keefe, Res.1

Capt. William O'Keefe, Div.15 (D)	Eric Olsen, Lad.15	Jeffery Olsen, Eng.10	Steven Olson, Lad.3	Kevin O'Rourke, Res.2	Michael Otten, Lad.35

Jeffery Palazzo, Res.5	B.C. Orio Palmer, Bat.7	Frank Palombo, Lad.105	Paul Pansini, Eng.10	B.C. John Paolillo, Bat.11	James Pappageorge, Eng.23

Robert Parro, Eng.8	Durrell Pearsall, Res.4	Lt. Glenn Perry, Bat.12	Lt. Philip Petti, Bat.7	Lt. Kevin Pfeifer, Eng. 33	Lt. Kenneth Phelan, Bat.32

Christopher Pickford, Eng.201	Shawn Powell, Eng.207	Vincent Princiotta, Lad.7	Kevin Prior, Sqd.252	B.C. Richard Prunty, Bat.2 (D)	Lincoln Quappe, Res.2

Lt. Michael Quilty, Lad.11	Ricardo Quinn, Paramedic	Leonard Ragaglia, Eng.54	Michael Ragusa, Eng.279	Edward Rall, Res.2	Adam Rand, Sqd.288

Donald Regan, Res.3	Lt. Robert Regan, Lad.118	Christian Regenhard, Lad.131	Kevin Reilly, Eng.207	Lt. Vernon Richard, Lad.7	James Riches, Eng.4

Joseph Rivelli, Lad.25	Michael Roberts, Eng.214	Michael E. Roberts, Lad.35	Anthony Rodriguez, Eng.279	Matthew Rogan, Lad.11	Nicholas Rossomando, Res.5

Paul Ruback, Lad.25	Stephen Russell, Eng.55	Lt. Michael Russo, S.O.C.	B.C. Matthew Ryan, Bat.1	Thomas Sabella, Lad.13	Christopher Santora, Eng.54

John Santore, Lad.5 (D)	Gregory Saucedo, Lad.5	Dennis Scauso, H.M. 1	John Schardt, Eng.201	B.C. Fred Scheffold, Bat.12	Thomas Schoales, Eng.4

Gerard Schrang, Res.3 (D)	Gregory Sikorsky, Sqd.41	Stephen Siller, Sqd.1	Stanley Smagala Jr, Eng.226	Kevin Smith, H.M. 1	Leon Smith Jr, Lad 118

Robert Spear Jr, Eng.26	Joseph Spor, Res.3	B.C. Lawrence Stack, Bat.50	Cpt. Timothy Stackpole, Div.11 (D)	Gregory Stajk, Lad.13	Jeffery Stark, Eng.230

Benjamin Suarez, Lad.21	Daniel Suhr, Eng.216 (D)	Lt. Christopher Sullivan, Lad.111	Brian Sweeney, Res.1	Sean Tallon, Lad.10	Allan Tarasiewicz, Res.5

Paul Tegtmeier, Eng.4	John Tierney, Lad.9	John Tipping II, Lad.4	Hector Tirado Jr, Eng.23	Richard Van Hine, Sqd.41	Peter Vega, Lad.118

Lawrence Veling, Eng.235	John Vigiano II, Lad.132	Sergio Villanueva, Lad.132	Lawrence Virgilio, Sqd.18 (D)	Lt. Robert Wallace, Eng.205	Jeffery Walz, Lad. 9

Lt. Michael Warchola, Lad.5 (D)	Capt. Patrick Waters, S.O.C.	Kenneth Watson, Eng.214	Michael Weinberg, Eng.1 (D)	David Weiss, Res.1	Timothy Welty, Sqd.288

Eugene Whelan, Eng.230	Edward White, Eng.230	Mark Whitford, Eng.23	Lt. Glenn Wilkinson, Eng.238 (D)	B.C. John Williamson, Bat.6 (D)	Capt. David Wooley, Lad.4

Raymond York, Eng.285 (D)

The List of 343 NYFD Firefighters killed at the World Trade Center on 911 - full list with pictures from the unofficial NYFD Blog: http://nyfd.com/9_11_wtc.html

About half of the 11,000 World Trade Center workers suing the city have no illness or proof of illness

2010-04-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Mere fear of illness gets plaintiffs 3G+

About half of the 11,000 World Trade Center workers suing the city have no illness or proof of illness -- but still would get $3,250 to $6,500 each under a proposed settlement.
Some 9.9 percent of plaintiffs claim no injury, according to a report prepared last September for Manhattan federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein.
"All they have to do is sign up," said attorney Gregory Cannata, who represents about 60 workers. "They just have to say, 'My name is Bill Jones. Please pay me $3,250.' "
Another 40.9 percent of claimants provided only a doctor's letter. They offered no further proof, such as medical tests or records. They would be entitled to collect $6,500.
The filed report was based on data from 9,000 Ground Zero workers. It excludes another 2,000 claims, many of which were filed after the report was completed.
Cannata has argued to the judge that those cases should be dismissed.
The "giveaways" drain about $25 million that could otherwise go to the most seriously ill and disabled workers, he said.
A source close to the city said payments were included for non-injured workers because they claimed "a fear of getting sick" and could use the money for medical monitoring.
By the numbers
Details of the World Trade Center workers' settlement plan:
* 11,000 claimants
* Up to $657.5M in payouts if 100% of plaintiffs opt in; $575M in payouts if 95% opt in. 95% percent is minimum required for settlement.
* $59,773 to $65,750 the estimated average award; $1M for some severe illnesses.
* 25% to 40% of total proposed to be set aside for lawyer fees and expenses.

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS

2010-03-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

Light for the Ground Zero forgotten - Settlement for first responders

NYC To Pay Up To $657M To Settle WTC Health Cases

Deal Still Needs To Be Approved By Judge And Workers

NEW YORK -- After years of fighting in court, lawyers representing the city, construction companies and more than 10,000 ground zero rescue and recovery workers have agreed to a settlement that could pay up to $657.5 million to responders sickened by dust from the destroyed World Trade Center.

The settlement was announced Thursday evening by the WTC Captive Insurance Co., a special entity established to indemnify the city and its contractors against potential legal action as they moved to clean up the site after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The deal, which still must be approved by a judge and the workers themselves, would make the city and other companies represented by the insurer liable for a minimum of $575 million, with more money available to the sick if certain conditions are met.

Most if not all of the money would come out of a $1 billion grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the settlement "a fair and reasonable resolution to a complex set of circumstances." "The resolution of the World Trade Center litigation will allow the first responders and workers to be compensated for injuries suffered following their work at Ground Zero," Bloomberg said in a statement.

"We are gratified that these heroic men and women who performed their duties without consideration of the health implications will finally receive just compensation for their pain and suffering, lost wages, medical and other expenses, as the U.S. Congress intended when it appropriated this money," - Marc Bern, a senior partner with the law firm Worby, Groner, Edelman & Napoli, Bern LLP, which negotiated the deal.

Workers who wish to participate in the settlement would need to prove they had been at the World Trade Center site or other facilities that handled debris. They also would have to turn over medical records and provide other information aimed at weeding out fraudulent or dubious claims. For the settlement to be enforced, 95 percent of the workers would need to agree to be bound by its terms. The agreement comes with just two months to go until the first trials are to begin in the case.

Thousands of police officers, firefighters and construction workers who put in time at the 16-acre site in lower Manhattan had filed lawsuits against the city, claiming it sent them to ground zero without proper protective equipment. Many of those workers now claim to have fallen ill. A majority complained of a respiratory problem similar to asthma, but the suits also sought damages for hundreds of other types of ailments, including cancer.

Source: CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: -> News.10 article - Link

Special article by Dennis Smiith - 9/11 Hero's derserve their due.

2010-01-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

Give September 11th heroes the special memorial they deserve

BY DENNIS SMITH

Sunday, January 24th 2010, 12:10 PM

Anderson/News

Fallen firefighter Jonathan Ielpi's son, Andrew, 10, salutes at memorial service for his father at St. Aloysius Church.

NYPD

Moira Smith is one of many fallen heroes from 9/11. CLICK TO READ MORE ON OTHERS WHO SAVED LIVES.

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There is a very good reason the 9/11 Memorial now under construction has had feint praise or no praise at all from many 9/11 families: Because there are so few distinctions made among those murdered.

Those behind the memorial apparently believe that there is an absolute equality in death.

This is a sentiment that most Americans reject. Most of us believe that God has ennobled us by giving us the opportunity to be different in our ability to contribute in our work and in our charity — in the way we try to make our world a better place. Our differences are part of the human condition.

If everyone is equal in death, we would not have structures like the Washington Monument or the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.

In my mind, these Presidents were great men, and their heads should be cut into mountainsides, but they are no more important in our democracy than Firefighter Jonathan Ielpi, to consider just one of the 403 first responders who died in the line of duty on 9/11. Jonathan did not have the opportunity to become President, but what our Presidents did and will do is no more important than what Jonathan did — which was to give his life for others.

All men are created equal, but we are also endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, and those rights enable us to become, because of the choices we make, firefighters, police officers, nurses, EMTs, doctors, judges, priests, privates and generals.

The current design of the 9/11 Memorial ignores this precious reality. It therefore runs contrary to the most deeply held values of many Americans.

There is still time to fix this — if we act soon.

Under current plans, the names of those killed will be displayed randomly on the walls that rim the eight sides of the memorial. There is just one exception to this rule: first responders, whose names will be attached to their units.

There will be no rank given for any victim, and no age.

But I cannot let go of the fact that Jonathan Ielpi was just 29 years old, the young father of two now fatherless boys. To me this impacts even further the great harm that was done to us by Islamic mujahids in their murderous jihad.

Nor should I let this go. I want to see how young others were in their age as well. I want to see their rank. With Jonathan were 18 other men from Squad 288 who were taken. Who was their officer? Where are all the captains and the chiefs? It is such a difficult challenge to become a captain or a chief in the Fire Department.

Yet their ranks are not given on the memorial wall.

Calif. paramedic recalls helping firefighters on 9/11

2010-01-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

Sandra Bradley remembers giving breathing treatments to firefighters who were 'irrevocably lost'

By Judith Prieve
The East County Times

OAKLEY, Calif. — Sandra "Sam" Bradley has been a paramedic for 30 years and disaster responder for half that time, but she will never forget the night that she was asked to assist firefighters in the center of the ground zero digging operation.

The Oakley resident responded to what was known as "the pile" with a nurse to set up some advanced life support, and the area was considered sacred ground to Bradley and other rescue volunteers. Wearing a double-filter respirator, she and her partner were asked to descend into the hole.

"We were in fact in the deepest, darkest place on the planet at that time. We felt the same thing. We weren't alone," she said. "At one point, the firefighters walked up to the top and were looking down on us. The mist from the smoke was coming up around the firefighters. We knew that they felt that they had failed to do what they had went there to do."

Although experiences at ground zero were unique to each volunteer, Bradley said this was her most compelling moment. Bradley decided to share some of her stories at ground zero when she saw something in the Journal of Emergency Services magazine asking for contributors to a book titled "To the Rescue: Stories from Healthcare Workers at the Scenes of Disasters." She will talk about this book, which was published late last year, during a signing event at Barnes & Noble in Antioch from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Bradley is a self-proclaimed "disaster junkie" and has served as the training officer for the federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team, CA-6, for a decade. She is a field supervisor and instructor at Los Medanos College to EMTs and firefighters, but she said that no natural disaster was quite like 9/11.

About six weeks after she arrived at the scene of the disaster, Bradley remembers giving breathing treatments to firefighters who were "irrevocably lost"; she was concerned about their physical health as they were already suffering from respiratory problems because they refused to wear the proper breathing apparatus. Bradley was also worried about their emotional well-being.

"It was a pure obsession for them," she explained. "Physiologically and psychologically these people were never going to be the same."

After undergoing a lot of critical incident stress training in her career, Bradley said she knew that these dedicated firefighters would have been digging there to this day to give peace and closure to the families of the victims.

"It was so sad," she said. "We didn't only lose firefighters and the citizens. We also lost part of these people who were trying to make sense of all of it."

One positive thing that came out of Bradley's experiences is a relationship with one of the victim's family members that remains to this day. She and others on her volunteer team befriended the mother of a fallen Marine who was in his 30s and made him an honorary team member after attending his memorial service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in uniform.

They later discovered that he had attended UC San Francisco, which gave his story a local connection to Bradley's team of volunteers from California. He was also an artist and the team members went to a private showing of his work.

"He was an inspiration for us," Bradley said. "He was all of the New York firefighters to us. It reconnected us again."

For more information on the book, check out www.totherescuestories.com .If you go WHAT: Book signing for "To the Rescue: Stories from Healthcare Workers at the Scenes of Disasters" WHEN: 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 9 WHERE: Barnes & Noble, 5709 Lone Tree Way at Antioch's Slatten Ranch COST: free INFO: More on the book at www.totherescuestories.com

Cancer Kills Another 9/11 Responder

2009-12-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

BY WILL VAN SANT and MATTHEW CHAYES - Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
Posted: Mon, 12/28/2009 - 09:19

Jim Ryan, a Kings Park father of three who achieved a lifelong dream when he became a New York City firefighter, died Christmas morning of pancreatic cancer, an illness he believed was caused by his months of service in the toxic dust at Ground Zero. Ryan was 48.

Mike Ryan said his younger brother underwent major surgery after being diagnosed in 2006, determined to beat the disease. For a time he appeared to be winning, Ryan said, but the cancer returned in 2008.

"I used to think he was stubborn," he said. "Then I realized later in life he was unyielding. He just refused to give up."

Mike Ryan said his brother was known to have a fighting spirit and a great sense of humor, on full display the night before he was to have his surgery in May 2006. Jim Ryan's doctor, his brother said, came to check on the patient.

"He said, 'I want to make sure you're game ready,' " Mike Ryan recalled the doctor saying. "And he said, 'I want to make sure you're game ready.' "

Jim Ryan was born in Bellerose, Queens, where he attended elementary school. After graduating from St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows, he enrolled at Iona College. He graduated in 1983.

Mike Ryan said his brother worked for an insurance company after college, but was not satisfied. In 1995, he realized his ambition of joining the FDNY.

"When we were kids, our heroes were cops and firemen," Mike said. "And he always wanted to be a fireman. When he got on, my brother became the most content man in the world."

Jim Ryan's first firehouse was Engine Company 320 / Ladder Company 167 on Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens. It was from there he joined the first responders descending on Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks.

Mike Ryan said his brother spent six months on the pile at Ground Zero, working in a soup of the "most toxic stuff that you could imagine." His brother, and his brother's surgeon, Mike Ryan said, had no doubt his cancer was connected.

Though the City of New York doesn't consider Jim Ryan's death to have resulted from work done in the line of duty, Mike Ryan said fellow firefighters had showed Jim tributes that are customary for one who had.

In addition to Mike, 50, of Centerport, Jim Ryan is survived by his wife, Magda; two sons, ages 17 and 15, and a daughter, 9; another brother, Bob, 51, of Glendale, Ariz., and a sister, Maureen Miller, 52, of Bellerose.

A wake will continue Monday from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at Brueggemann Funeral Home, 522 Larkfield Rd., East Northport. Ryan's funeral will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, Fort Salonga.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

WikiLeaks releases 573.000 pager intercepts from 9/11 2001.

2009-12-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

WikiLeaks releases 573.000 pager intercepts from 9/11 2001.

8:51:31 AM Andrew.Terzakis@pentagon.af.mil|Please call Pentagon Weather|UNCLASSIFIED
         Please call Pentagon Weather.......reference 1030 Meeting.....703-695-0406
         ANDREW J. TERZAKIS, Lt
8:53:44 AM "NYPD Ops Div" <|1 PCT WORLD TRADE CENTER|--- 1 PCT - WORLD TRADE CENTER -           POSSIBLE EXPLOSION WORLD TRADE CENTER BUILDING. LEVEL 3 MOBILIZATION TO CHURCH           AND VESSY. 10:05:57 AM Please don't leave the building. One of the towers just collapsed!           PLease, please be careful. Repeat,

From 3AM on Wednesday November 25, 2009, until 3AM the following day (US east coast time), WikiLeaks will release over half a million US national text pager intercepts.

The intercepts cover a 24 hour period surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.

To foster a deeper understanding, the messages will be released to the global community "live". That is, the first message, corresponding to 3AM September 11, 2001, five hours before the first attack, will be released at 3AM November 25, 2009 and the last, corresponding to 3AM September 12, 2001 at 3AM November 26, 2009.

To follow the release, please visit http://911.wikileaks.org

911 FDNY witness Tower explosions

2009-11-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

World Trade Center Reports---Lieutenant Bill Wall

This interview is getting much harder to find, but it can be located for the time being at archive.org

WTC: This Is Their Story
Firefighters Elevated to Almost Mythic Status
From the April 2002 Firehouse Magazine

We were additional units on the fifth alarm for the south tower. We went right down. We went down West End Avenue and we ran into West Street and just went straight down West Street. We parked about a block up from Vesey.

We saw a lot of smoke and flames in the upper floors. You really couldn’t see the south tower from where we were. We walked down the west side of West Street and we were keeping close to the buildings. And when we got to the Customs House, there was a policeman behind one of the pillars. He jumped out and said we got to get in because they’re tracking another inbound meaning another plane, but we ignored him. We kept going.

We went under the north pedestrian to the west side of West Street. And we made our way down to the south pedestrian bridge, crossed under that and we made our way into the Marriott Hotel. Chief Galvin was behind the desk and he was forming companies into groups. We eventually hooked up with 22 Engine, 13 Truck and, I believe, 21 Engine. And Chief Galvin told us to go to the 40th floor because that’s the lowest report they had a fire. The south tower. We were supposed to follow this guy who worked in the buildings. He was going to lead us to an elevator that still worked. But luckily, the guy who took us to the working elevator took us to the wrong tower. We went to the north tower. Saved our lives. Wrong place at the right time. We never got into the south tower. He took us right to the north tower.

We get into the lobby of the north tower and the first elevator bank, there was one elevator out of the six that still had the lights on, but they couldn’t get it to work. Meanwhile, all the other elevators were blown off their doors. So we tried the next elevator bank of six and they finally got one that worked to the 24th floor. I think it was captain of 21 he went up to check. He went up and he came back down. He went up with his guys and someone from the truck took the elevator. And then the other engine went up in the next load, 22, and on the load after that, the truck was going up. They wanted one of our guys to run the elevators since there was only one truck, so I gave the control radio to Fireman Louie Cacchioli.

It seemed like just as soon as the doors closed, the panel went out. But he had actually gotten to the top floor and the rest of the truck got off. And the last guy getting off was the irons guy, and Louie grabbed him back and says you got to stay with me because I need the tools. And as soon as the doors closed, the power went out and they were stuck in the elevator. It hadn’t moved yet. It was still on the 24th floor. They were able to force their way out pretty easy. They just popped the doors open because the elevator didn’t move yet.

The guy from the truck thought his company went to the right and Louie went to the left. And Louie found the staircase and I think he said he got down about six floors, but the staircase was blocked, so he crossed over and found another staircase and he made it to the lobby. And he had to force the door open at the lobby because it was jammed. He made his way out into the street and he hooked up with the chauffeur just before the second tower came down.

Meanwhile, in the lobby, it seemed like just as soon as the elevator doors closed, the power went out. They just went black. We couldn’t see a damn thing. It turned black and then it started rumbling and the wind and dirt was unbelievable. It was just like a hurricane. It threw me against the wall. Steve Viola said he was hurt and Keith Murphy said he was hurt. Steve lost his helmet, it got blown off his head.

After everything stopped, I looked down and I says count off, you’re supposed to take like a roll call, shout out your name. Everyone shouted out their name and said they were all right. We just like locked arms together and started walking out. There was a building worker there that was going to stay, but Tommy Terilli convinced him to come with us. We still don’t know who he was. He was worried about his job. Tommy Terilli says they don’t pay you enough, come on. When we got out of the elevator lobby, we made the right past the turnstiles and there was also people at the bottom of the escalator coming down. They were looking for a way out, so they grabbed on the line too. The visibility was zero. We got this whole line.

On the way in, I noticed that all the windows in the lobby were blown out, and that it would be a good way out if we needed to – and it was. We had to make a right out of the elevator corridor and then another right. But it was so dark that I bumped into a wall. That’s how bad the visibility was.

We started walking that way and it gradually got lighter, lighter and lighter to where we could see the windows. We went out the windows. We went straight across West Street straight out and then we got across the street and we went up north.

Debris was still falling. You couldn’t see the sky. Maybe you could see like 30 or 40 feet up. And the weirdest thing, you could hear these booms above you. It sounded like bombs going off above you, but it was actually the military jets flying overhead. It was like an eerie feeling. You couldn’t see anything, but you could hear these things going back and forth. It was like a real heavy fog.

We started heading north up West Street looking for ambulances for Murphy and Viola. We found a pumper and our eyes were burning, so we pulled the booster tank, opened the gate and washed our faces down.

Then we made our way north and we saw all the ambulances lined up on Vesey Street. We found an EMS worker and he promised to take good care of Steve and Keith – until he ran away on us. As the other one was coming down, he opened the back door and he took off.

We were on our own. We got them into the ambulance. Tommy Terilli and I started making our way back because now all the Maydays were starting. It was broken up a lot, but you could hear Mayday, Mayday and they were giving locations. So Tommy Terilli and I got some tools. We put our masks on and we headed back down, and we made it to Vesey and West Street. There was a chief directing everybody north saying they were going to regroup and go back in. I went over to him and kind of stressed the Maydays were here and now, and we were talking and that’s when the north tower came down. You heard it, a big snap and a crack. And we looked up and it looked like the whole top just exploded.

Everyone just started heading north. Everyone just ran. We got hit by the wind and the dust and I was running with Jack Ginty. He was running. I caught up to him and we were talking as we were running, what the hell are we doing here, Jack? The dust cloud overtook us and there was a big white Suburban. There was about seven of us behind it huddled. Jerry Riley was there from 22 Truck, me, Jack and a couple of other guys. And it was getting tough to breathe. I had my mask, so we were passing the mask around. You couldn’t see, so whoever was yelling for it, I would like feel their face and just like slap it on their face for a little while. Then feel the next guy’s face and then pass it to him and then take some for myself. My other guy, Tommy Terilli, he dove under a tow truck.

After like the wind and stuff subsided and we realized, all right, there’s nothing to do here, we just got to walk out of it. So we started walking north on West Street and walking and walking and we bumped into something and it turned out to be an apparatus. If you stick your face real close to it, you could see the light flashing. There was just no visibility.

I don’t know how far we got. A water truck showed up, somebody delivered the bottled water, like the five gallons of water, so we started grabbing them off the rigs and started washing our eyes out again. I tried making contact with my control man, but he had dropped his radio. I was trying to make contact with my chauffeur, but I forgot we were on Channel 3 and he was still on Channel 1. After a while, I switched back over to Channel 1 and I was able to contact the chauffeur, and the control man was with him.

They were pushing us up north, up West Street. And we all regrouped by Stuyvesant High School.

As soon as we sat down, I got all the gear off and we’re taking a blow, someone came running out of the high school saying there was a bomb in the building, so we ran further north. That’s pretty much it for the rest of the day. They wouldn’t let us back in.

9.11.2001 - We Will Never Forget

2009-09-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

The dead must be remembered, but the living are the monument, who in ordinary times save one another in extraordinary times.

World Trade Center Response

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 exposed rescue and recovery workers to unprecedented levels of risk for job-related injury, illness, and death. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) responded swiftly to address workers' needs in the aftermath of the attacks. NIOSH quickly sent to Ground Zero dozens of staff who applied their technical expertise to help meet immediate worker protection needs.

Currently, NIOSH funds programs to provide medical screening, monitoring, and treatment for responders who served at the WTC site. Links to information about the NIOSH response, and World Trade Center health resources, can be found below.

Respiratory Protection for Terrorist Threats and Other Emergencies

As we mark eight years since the attacks on the World Trade Center, the NIOSH Science blog summarizes advancements in respiratory protection for responders to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear emergencies.

Read more and comment on the NIOSH Science blog.

Medal of Valor pins stolen from Mom

2009-06-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Medals awarded to 9/11 hero stolen

CARROLLWOOD - Part of a fallen New York City firefighter's Medal of Valor has been stolen from his mother's home in Carrollwood. And despite two arrests, investigators have been unable to recover it.

"I'm sure they don't know what it was. To them it might not be worth much, but to us it is priceless," said Brian Muldowney, whose brother Richie was awarded the medal for his sacrifice on September 11, 2001.

The Muldowney family says the medal itself is safe with Richie's widow in New York. Two pins that came with the medal were stolen in March.

Hillsborough deputies last week accused Carlos Pierce and Alicia Sanders of the burglary, but sheriff's spokesperson J.D. Callaway said Monday the pair has refused to make statements about the whereabouts of the pins.

"Just tell us where it's at," said Brian Muldowney, the brother. "You've already broke into my mom's house. Now you steal this? Just fess it up."

Muldowney, also a firefighter, said he his optimistic that putting his brother Richie's story on television will help.

Source: Fox News - Link

9/11 Health: Lung transplant saves FDNY Lieutenant

2009-04-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

FDNY FIRE OFFICER LIFE SAVED FOLLOWING 9/11:

While "life goes on" for most....so many Firefighters, Police Officers and EMS members continue to suffer horrific illness from operating on 9/11. One positive story is about is an FDNY Lieutenant who suffered life-threatening injuries on Sept. 11....

he is set to be released from the hospital with a new lung today.

FDNY Lt. Martin Fullam, of Annadale (Staten Island) is set to be released at noon today from Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. FDNY Firefighters and fire officials have planned a sidewalk celebration at the entrance of the Washington Heights hospital. Lt. Fullam suffered severe lung damage in the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Doctors say the lung transplant saved his life. We wish him a rapid and successful recovery.

Take Care-BE CAREFUL.

BillyG

The Secret List 4-29-09 / 0830 hours

www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

New York lawmakers ask Obama to rehire 9/11 health czar

2009-02-23T15:32:00.000-08:00

by Associated Press Monday February 23, 2009, 4:21 PM

NEW YORK — New York lawmakers and Sept. 11 health advocates urged President Obama on Monday to rehire a World Trade Center health czar who was let go last year by the Bush administration.

John Howard's six-year term as director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health expired last July and he was not asked to stay on.

Since 2006, Howard had become the government's point person for post-Sept. 11 illness. He often found himself at odds with the Bush administration in his advocacy for a federal program to monitor and treat thousands who said they were sickened by exposure to toxic trade center dust.

Sept. 11 health advocates had said his departure could jeopardize future funding.

"The Bush administration made a good decision in appointing Dr. Howard and a typically bad move in letting him go," U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney said Monday at a news conference at ground zero.

The White House didn't immediately comment Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named an acting director to take over for Howard, while Howard took another job at the CDC.

An e-mail to Howard wasn't immediately returned Monday.

The government last year halted its plan for a national monitoring program, saying it was too costly. Several members of New York's congressional delegation reintroduced a bill to create the program earlier this month.

Source: AP - Link

Obama to reopen 9/11 victims compensation fund

2009-02-15T10:44:00.000-08:00

Pool photo by Chad Rachman/New York Post

Barack Obama spoke with 9/11 family members and first responders last Sept. 11 at the World Trade Center site. The president met with family members last week and spoke about closing Guantanamo Bay and answered a question about people suffering from health problems caused by 9/11.

Obama says he’ll ‘never forget’ those sick from 9/11

By Julie Shapiro

President Barack Obama last week renewed his pledge to help 9/11 first responders who are sick, a campaign promise his staff first made to Downtown Express in October.

Obama’s words came Friday during a meeting with about 40 family members of those killed on 9/11 and in the U.S.S. Cole attack. Obama spoke, took questions and greeted each of the attendees individually.

When Obama reached Jim Riches, a deputy chief in the F.D.N.Y. whose firefighter son was killed on 9/11, Riches handed Obama his son’s mass card.

“I said, ‘Don’t forget them,’” Riches recalled afterward. “I said, ‘Remember the firemen who died and the sick firemen.’ He said, ‘I’ll never forget them.’”

Obama’s support could be helpful as the U.S. House of Representatives weighs a new 9/11 health bill recently introduced by New York’s Congressional delegation, which would reopen the 9/11 victims’ compensation fund and provide free healthcare to first responders, residents, students and office workers who can demonstrate health problems caused by the toxic fallout of the attack. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also supports the measure.

The Senate does not have a similar bill pending, but Rachel McEneny Spencer, spokesperson for newly appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, said in an e-mail that Gillibrand “is planning to take up [former Sen. Hillary Clinton’s] work on the 9/11 healthbill. But we need to get to know the parties and speak with our colleagues before we introduce a bill.”

Obama’s New York campaign office told Downtown Express last year that he supported the House bill. Clinton’s office said then that she was working to build Senate consensus on a similar measure that could pass.

Last Friday, Obama was only supposed to spend half an hour with the victims’ family members, but he spoke with them in the Executive Office Building, next to the White House, for more than an hour, Riches said.

“He was very compassionate,” Riches said. “He hugged the widows and mothers who were crying…. He said as a parent he doesn’t know how he would be able to handle the loss of a child.”

The topic of the meeting was Obama’s decision to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, where former President George W. Bush sent terror suspects after 9/11. Some family members of terror victims initially objected to the closure, including Riches, who spent two weeks visiting Guantanamo in January.

“I was a little upset at first,” said Riches, who did not want the trials he saw to be interrupted by the closure. “It’s eight years, and we’ve had no justice.”

But after hearing Obama’s stern promises, Riches said, “I can wait a little longer. Let’s do it the right way.”

Another local activist who attended Obama’s meeting was Sally Regenhard, who founded the Skyscraper Safety Campaign after her son, a probationary firefighter, was killed on 9/11.

Regenhard brought a picture of her son with her to show Obama, and when Obama greeted her, he thanked her and offered his condolences.

“It was really just a moment in time, but it was an honor,” Regenhard said, choking up. “He treated us with such dignity and respect.”

Regenhard often finds doors slammed in her face at the local and state level when she tries to advocate for building safety and other 9/11-related causes, so she was particularly gratified to get a kind reception on the national level. Obama pledged to keep an open line of communication with the family members and to convene future meetings between them and his staff.

“It only took eight years, but it’s better late than never,” Regenhard said. “Good things do come to those who wait.”

Danger Room - killer zombie" QF-4 Phantom

2009-01-26T14:02:00.000-08:00

Danger Room - Wired Blogs: "killer zombie" QF-4 Phantom. It's an obsolete jet, resurrected as an unmanned drone for test-firing missiles.
Navy Turbocharges Its Missiles

The Navy is developing a new type of rocket engine to make missiles faster and more deadly.

A while back, we reported on the "killer zombie" QF-4 Phantom. It's an obsolete jet, resurrected as an unmanned drone for test-firing missiles. Now we know a bit more about the super-fast weapon fired by the killer zombie.

The Higher Speed Antiradiation Demonstrator (HSAD) is another project to upgrade the AGM-88 HARM missile, used to knock out enemy air defense radar. HARM is a modular weapon, with separate warhead, seeker, controls and propulsion. That means different elements can be upgraded separately. HSAD replaces the existing rocket motor with a "turbocharged" version.

The program has been quietly progressing since 2002, when the Navy decided to develop a missile based on new propulsion technology. Work is being carried out at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake, CA.

The goal is to test a new propulsion system that can provide "additional range and average velocity to a next generation Anti-Radiation Missile," Jerry Kong, the Navy's HSAD program manager, tells Danger Room. To make it happen, his team is building a hybrid propulsion system called an "Integral Rocket Ramjet" -- also known as a "ram-rocket."

NIST: Final Report - Collapse of World Trade Center building #7

2008-11-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

Gaithersburg (MD) - Yesterday, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released its final report on the September 11, 2001 collapse of World Trade Center building #7 (WTC7).

The report states that a crucial column (number 79) failed due to uncontrolled fires burning on several floors which produced "an extraordinary event." Once column 79 failed, it "initiated a fire-induced progressive collapse that brought the building down."

Computer analysis

NIST received comments from "the building community," and conducted an additional computer analysis of the structural failure of column 79 to see if it would still bring the entire building down at free fall speeds without damage caused by the collapse of WTC1 and WTC2. The investigation team concluded that "the column’s failure under any circumstance would have initiated the destructive sequence of events."

The report follows a two-year investigation into the collapse of WTC7 which, approximately 7 hours after the collapse of WTC1 and WTC2, came down at free fall speeds.

Building code changes because of 9/11

NIST reports that a three-year study of the collapse of WTC1 and WTC2 was conducted. It began in August, 2002 and concluded in October, 2005. As a result, more than 20 changes to the U.S. model building and fire codes have been adopted.

Concerns over collapse

Several university professors, engineers and independent researchers, and even family members of those lost on 9/11, continue to question the government's official account of the event. Testimony by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, given before the 9/11 Commission, whereby he reports the Vice President had prior knowledge of the plane which hit the Pentagon while still many miles out and several minutes before the event, has never been acknowledged on officially published reports.

CNN and BBC both reported the collapse of WTC7 before it occurred. BBC reported it 20 minutes early, with on-air personality Jane Stanley reporting on the disarray downtown caused by the collapse of WTC7.

There were also pools of molten metal found six to eight weeks after the collapse on 9/11. Everyone agrees that a hydrocarbon-based fire (jet fuel) could not heat up steel sufficiently to cause it to become molten. It can heat up enough to weaken and soften it causing it to lose strength, but it cannot melt it to the orange-yellow color observed, and those seen from aerial photographs taken by NASA.

A 24/7 news program related to 9/11 documentaries, reports, presentations, speeches, and more has been created on channel 68078 of the you-broadcast network, TVUnetworks.com.

Read more about the report on the NIST press release, read the full report, view a video describing the collapse, look at all of the comments received on the first draft of the WTC7 report, and look at a chart which tracks the progress toward implementing all of the NIST WTC recommendations.

Shields Gets 8 Months For 9/11 Hero Fraud

2008-11-12T11:36:00.000-08:00

Scott Shields, a former Westport and Greenwich man who credited himself and his golden retriever Bear with recovering bodies at the World Trade Center after Sept. 11, 2001, has been sentenced to eight months in federal prison after his conviction for fraudulently obtaining thousands of dollars in government relief funds, according to court records.

Shields pleaded guilty earlier this year to illegally obtaining government money from two agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and American Red Cross, according to documents on file in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

He was arrested, along with his sister, Patricia Shields, in March 2007 and initially pleaded not guilty, records show. In March 2008, Scott Shields changed his plea to guilty, according to court records.

"Mr. Shields has pleaded guilty to defrauding the American Red Cross and FEMA, in an attempt to exploit programs that were providing financial assistance to people affected by one of this country's greatest tragedies," read the sentencing opinion handed down by District Judge Robert Sweet on Oct. 14.

The sentence opinion said that Shields had a previous conviction for bank fraud 18 years ago involving a "significant sum."

After his release from prison, Shields will enter into three years of supervised release. He also was ordered pay back $49,439 to the government. His sister received an identical sentence.

According to court records, Scott and Patricia Shields applied for mortgage and rental assistance from FEMA after Sept. 11, 2001, claiming they lived in Manhattan at the time. However, government records show they were living and working in Greenwich and not eligible for FEMA assistance.

The aid only was meant for people who lived near the World Trade Center, those who had been injured by the events and businesses that were damaged.

Scott and Patricia Shields were evicted from their rental unit in Greenwich in October 2001 for nonpayment of rent, court documents show.

While they did move to lower Manhattan after their eviction, they were not eligible for the funds they received and did not use them to pay rent owned on their city apartment, according to court records.

They were evicted for nonpayment of rent at the Manhattan location, according to court records.

Scott Shields' sentencing comes after six years of making claims about his search and rescue exploits, which were detailed in a book titled Bear: Heart of a Hero, credited to Capt. Scott Shields and co-author Nancy West.

The book was pulled from shelves in 2006, according to a spokesman from the publisher, Hero Dog Publications, after the firm realized Shields was not a captain.

Shields' main claim was that he and his dog Bear aided in the rescue of victims at ground zero. Roy Gross, chief of the Department at the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, whose organization maintained logs of every dog who assisted in the rescue effort, said Shields and Bear were never documented in its records.

"He was a fraud, unfortunately," Gross said.

Shields claimed in a Greenwich Time article in 2001 that he was a marine safety specialist who consulted with the New York City parks department.

Phil Abramson, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, said the department was aware of Shields' claim, but that it was not true.

"Scott Shields was never employed by the parks department and he was never connected to the parks department," Abramson said.

Shields' Manhattan-based attorney, Joel Mark Stein, said he had no comment about the case.

Shields is scheduled to begin serving his term on Wednesday, according to the clerk's office for the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York.

Birmingham Conwoman preys on 9/11 heroes - Sunday Mercury

2008-11-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

A CONVICTED Midlands fraudster is facing an FBI probe after being accused of trying to rip-off heroes of 9/11 in an £80 million scam.

Former Black Country businesswoman Gill Hope allegedly targeted ex-New York fireman Vincent Forras who worked at Ground Zero in the vain search for survivors in 2001.

The brave firefighter now battles for compensation for emergency workers who suffered health problems in the aftermath of the terrorist attack.

He was recently approached by the former fraudster, via Facebook, and says she offered his charity £80 million if it could raise the same amount – and allow her access to the cash.

Speaking from his home in Connecticut, Mr Forras said: “This woman is a disgrace and what she is trying to do is deplorable.

“I knew something wasn’t right from the start but I was amazed to see how quickly our communication went from friendly introductions to talk about millions of dollars.”

Hope, originally from Wolverhampton, strongly denies the claims.

Mr Forras set up his Gear Up Foundation after the 9/11 attacks. He has been fated for his tireless charity work by the likes of former New York Mayor Rudi Giuliani and Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

But his high-profile role attracted the attention of Hope.

The firefighter said: “She approached me on Facebook and proposed that she had already secured £80 million and just needed to set up final meetings in New York with the Mayor and people like that.

“I knew something was not quite right but I was amazed to discover the truth about her past when I found previous Sunday Mercury articles about her on-line.

“I told the FBI immediately who are currently investigating. To think she would try and do this to the firefighters who responded to Ground Zero on 9/11 when I lost so many brothers is disgusting.”

It is not the first time Hope, formerly known as Gill Edwards and who now calls herself an ‘Ambassador’, has caused controversy in the USA. We previously revealed how she had transformed herself into a bizarre Mother Teresa-style figure, who claimed to know President Bush and A-list celebrities including Angelina Jolie and Elton John.

She also once posed as a nun and appeared in bizarre videos on YouTube to promote her supposed humanitarian work.

Hope fled Britain in 2002 while a warrant was out for her arrest for charges brought by the then Department of Trade and Industry. But it was withdrawn in June 2004 after the authorities failed to trace her.

Yet she was a one-time star of the Midlands’ business world.

In 1988 she scooped the prestigious British Sales and Marketing Award – but after that things went downhill.

Marketing and advertising company E.G. Group of Dudley, where she was managing director, collapsed with debts of almost £250,000.

She later became a director of Global Vouchers plc, of Redditch, Worcestershire, but this firm also crashed with £600,000 debts.

Yet despite being insolvent, the firm carried on trading.

Hope was the only director to be prosecuted and was jailed for 12 months in 1994 for fraudulent trading. She was also disqualified from being a company director for seven years. The fraudster eventually skipped Britain for the US after failing to turn up at court to answer charges brought by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Yet when contacted by the Sunday Mercury, Hope claimed that the 9/11 scam accusations were completely false.

She said: “I think Vinny has misinterpreted our discussions and requests as we have not made any offer of funding to Gear Up Foundation. We have developed a solution for these unmet social needs including two financing offers.

“This is a serious humanitarian and Homeland Security issue and needs to be addressed.

“It would be awesome if you would actually write about what’s possible with imagination, innovation and a desire to provide solutions.”

* To donate to the Gear Up Foundation visit www.gearupfoundation.org

Sunday Mercury: source

World trade center thermite demolition angle cuts

2008-10-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Great Angle Cut was made by a linear shaped charge, using thermite or thermate.

Fred "Scumbag" Parisi faked letter from priest

2008-04-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Prosecutor: Alleged 9/11 con man faked priest letter

A letter from a priest to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office last month heaped praise on a Jefferson man now under investigation for allegedly defrauding people who donated money to his 9/11 charity.

In the letter, "Archbishop" Stephen Petrovich called Fred Parisi a Sept. 11 hero who is being unfairly treated by Jefferson police and wrote that the police department needed to be investigated, not Parisi.

But Petrovich never wrote that letter, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi said.

Petrovich said Parisi wrote the letter. And Petrovich added in an interview that he is a priest, but not an archbishop.

"He called me and told me he wrote it last month after he sent it," Petrovich said. "I told him he can't do that. That's not right."

Bianchi said the matter remains under investigation.

Parisi, 40, was arrested March 29 and remains at the Morris County jail in lieu of $250,000. He is charged with theft and failure to allow his business partner to access company money -- some $235,000.

Those charges are unrelated to Parisi's charity, the 9/11 Rescue Workers Foundation. But because of his arrest, his 9/11 fundraising activities are now being reviewed.

Although he claims he was a New York City police officer who rescued thousands from Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2001, authorities said Parisi was a police recruit training miles away in Brooklyn on that day.

Petrovich, a 57-year-old retired Ukrainian Orthodox priest who lives in Ohio, met Parisi by phone three months ago when the priest was calling 9/11 groups to find volunteer mental health workers to assist a friend providing counseling to rescue workers who moved to Florida.

14 Structural Engineers demand answers

2008-04-10T09:06:00.001-07:00

14 Structural Engineers Now Publicly Challenge Government's Explanation for Destruction of the World Trade Center

14 structural engineers now publicly challenge the government's account of the destruction of the Trade Centers on 9/11:

A prominent engineer with 55 years experience, in charge of the design of hundreds of major building projects including high rise offices, former member of the California Seismic Safety Commission and former member of the National Institute of Sciences Building Safety Council (Marx Ayres) believes that the World Trade Centers were brought down by controlled demolition (see also this)

Two professors of structural engineering at a prestigious Swiss university (Dr. Joerg Schneider and Dr. Hugo Bachmann) said that, on 9/11, World Trade Center 7 was brought down by controlled demolition (translation here)

Kamal S. Obeid, structural engineer, with a masters degree in Engineering from UC Berkeley, of Fremont, California, says:

"Photos of the steel, evidence about how the buildings collapsed, the unexplainable collapse of WTC 7, evidence of thermite in the debris as well as several other red flags, are quite troubling indications of well planned and controlled demolition"

Ronald H. Brookman, structural engineer, with a masters degree in Engineering from UC Davis, of Novato California, writes:

"Why would all 110 stories drop straight down to the ground in about 10 seconds, pulverizing the contents into dust and ash - twice. Why would all 47 stories of WTC 7 fall straight down to the ground in about seven seconds the same day? It was not struck by any aircraft or engulfed in any fire. An independent investigation is justified for all three collapses including the surviving steel samples and the composition of the dust."

Graham John Inman, structural engineer, of London, England, points out:

"WTC 7 Building could not have collapsed as a result of internal fire and external debris. NO plane hit this building. This is the only case of a steel frame building collapsing through fire in the world. The fire on this building was small & localized therefore what is the cause?"

Paul W. Mason, structural engineer, of Melbourne, Australia, argues:

"In my view, the chances of the three buildings collapsing symmetrically into their own footprint, at freefall speed, by any other means than by controlled demolition, are so remote that there is no other plausible explanation!"

Mills M. Kay Mackey, structural engineer, of Denver, Colorado, points out:

"The force from the jets and the burning fuel could not have been sufficient to make the building collapse. Why doesn't the media mention that the 11th floor was completely immolated on February 13th, 1975? It had the weight of nearly 100 stories on top of it but it did not collapse?"

Haluk Akol, Structural Engineer and architect (ret.)

Charles Pegelow, structural engineer, of Houston, Texas (and see this)
Dennis Kollar, structural engineer, of West Bend, Wisconsin

Doyle Winterton, structural engineer (retired)

Michael T. Donly, P.E., structural engineer

William Rice, P.E., structural engineer, former professor of Vermont Technical College

There are many other structural engineers who have questioned the government's account in private. We support them

Source: georgewashington.blogspot.com

Clueless: Heartless GOP rep. Darrell Issa

2008-04-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

San Diego right wing wacko - GOP Rep. Darrell Issa under fire from everywhere after 9/11 comments

BY RICHARD SISK and MICHAEL McCAULIFF
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Thursday, April 3rd 2008, 4:00 AM

Hamburg/News

San Diego GOP Rep. Darrell Issa was under siege for suggesting the federal government had already done enough to help New York cope with 'a fire' that 'simply was an aircraft' hitting the WTC.

WASHINGTON - The California congressman who called the Sept. 11 attacks "simply" a plane crash ran for cover Wednesday under a barrage of ridicule from fellow Republicans, first responders and victims' families.

San Diego GOP Rep. Darrell Issa was under siege for suggesting the federal government had already done enough to help New York cope with "a fire" that "simply was an aircraft" hitting the World Trade Center.

"That is a pretty distorted view of things," said Frank Fraone, a Menlo Park, Calif., fire chief who led a 67-man crew at Ground Zero. "Whether they're a couple of planes or a couple of missiles, they still did the same damage."

"New York was attacked by Al Qaeda. It doesn't have to be attacked by Congress," added Long Island Rep. Pete King, a Republican.

"I'm really surprised by Darrell Issa," King added. "It showed such a cavalier dismissal of what happened to New York. It's wrong and inexcusable."

Lorie Van Aucken, who lost her husband, Kenneth, in the attacks, slammed Issa's "cruel and heartless" comments.

"It's really discouraging. People stepped up and did the right thing. They sacrificed themselves and now a lot of people are getting really horrible illnesses," she added.

Under pressure from all sides, the Golden State pol - who got rich selling car alarms after getting busted for car theft as a teen - pulled a partial U-turn. He issued a statement but cowered from the press.

"I continue to support federal assistance for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks," he said.

But he didn't retract his wacked-out rhetoric claiming the feds "just threw" buckets of cash at New York for an attack "that had no dirty bomb in it, it had no chemical munitions in it."

He went on: "I have to ask ... why the firefighters who went there and everybody in the city of New York needs to come to the federal government for the dollars versus this being primarily a state consideration."

In his statement yesterday, Issa insisted he only "asked tough questions about the expenditures" during a hearing Tuesday on an aid bill for sick New Yorkers.

"He realized he stepped in it," said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-Manhattan), who was leading the hearing when Issa popped off.

"The sound I'm hearing is him slamming the brakes and going in reverse," crowed Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn-Queens). Issa also belatedly admitted 9/11 was "an attack on America" in his statement.

It shouldn't have been that hard.

He took to the floor of Congress on Sept. 11, 2001, to argue passionately that America - not just New York - had been attacked, but conveniently forgot that during his Tuesday diatribe.

"It seems that with the passage of time, something happened along the way where the scope of the problem and the real extent of the problem has not drifted out to California," fumed Staten Island GOP Rep. Vito Fossella.

Health officials estimate it could cost $1 billion to care properly for the ailments that may emerge in the people who lived through the horror of Sept. 11 or breathed that toxic dust.

New York lawmakers now want Democratic leaders to bring the 9/11 care bill to the floor soon - before more members of Congress start spouting off like Issa.

Source: nydailynews.com

Another scumbag: Capt'n Clown Scott Shields pleads guilty

2008-04-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

Editor: Scumbag Scott Shields with a new dog former dog (Bear) has passed away- Notice rescue vest and patches! This dog has no training! How many people has this idiot put in danger? -I hope someone is able to care for this beautiful animal and possibly arrange for the proper training when the Scumbag starts doing his time!

He faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison and deserves to do some time for defrauding so many well intentioned people....

Shields' attorney, Jonathan Marks, confirmed that Shields pleaded guilty yesterday to all counts of a federal indictment alleging he lied about needing housing assistance funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency

Shields has not been sentenced and the guilty plea, entered at a federal court in New York, was not contingent on any agreement regarding sentencing, Marks said.

Combined, the crimes of theft of government funds, mail fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States carry a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison

News article related to Scumbag Scott Shields pleading guilty:
Scott Shields pleads guilty in 9/11 rescue fraud case

Scott Shields and Theodore, a successor to Bear, the rescue dog Mr. Shields claimed performed heroic work at the World Trade Center site following the Sept. 11 attacks. Photo was taken in 2005.

Staff photo by Mark Czajkowski

WEST WINDSOR — A West Windsor man has pleaded guilty to fraud charges for the misuse of Sept. 11-related funds after he made false claims of rescuing victims with his dog Bear from the rubble of the 2001 terrorist attack.

The resident, Scott Shields, pleaded guilty on Thursday to all counts.

That guilty plea pertained to the crimes of theft of government funds, mail fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States after receiving almost $50,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross between November 2000 and early 2002.

Mr. Shields was actually living in Greenwich, Conn., at the time, but he signed assistance papers certifying he was living below Canal Street in Manhattan, and needed federal money due to the Sept. 11 attacks.

Those funds were supposed to be used for assistance for people living in and around Ground Zero, but Mr. Shields instead lied on his application, according to his attorney, Jonathan Marks.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

”He admitted he knew that the funds that he was getting from FEMA were to pay for rent only, and he used them to get a new apartment,” said Mr. Marks.

Mr. Shields now awaits sentencing in a New York federal court, where he faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison.

His initial fame stemmed from his story of searching and locating victims in the debris left over from the collapse of the Twin Towers with his golden retriever Bear.

Following the publicity surrounding Mr. Shields, law enforcement officials and other critics eventually countered those claims. Mr. Shields was ordered to leave the disaster site with his untrained dog, they said.

A book about his alleged exploits in lower Manhattan — “Bear: Heart of a Hero” — was also disputed after its release by the book’s co-author, Nancy West, who eventually denied much of the information contained in the book.

Mr. Shields’ attorney maintained that his client had assisted in the rescue efforts, stating there was a video posted online showing rescue workers speaking about the efforts of Mr. Shields and his dog.

”There is certainly evidence that Bear was successful in finding some of the victims, and there is a tape on YouTube,” Mr. Marks said, referring to the Internet video site.

More information related to this scumbag:
Scott Shields fraud: http://www.scottshieldsfraud.com/
Trading in on Tragedy: http://landofpuregold.com/truthiness.htm
Man admits 9/11 fraud: http://www.nj.com/news/times
UK group exposing the Clown: scottshieldsfraud.co.uk

Tags: Bear, Scott Shields, Golden retriever, fraud, Ground Zero, 9/11, rescue dog,

Bobonit News Blog - Bob's news blog

2008-03-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Bobonit News Blog - Bob's news blog:

Scumbag Alert: Ground Zero 'hero' arrested

Scumbag Alert: New York City cop is a fraud

Fred "Scumbag" Parisi a self-styled 9/11 hero who brags he helped 'rescue thousands' as a New York City cop is a fraud who never set foot near the World Trade Center that day and quit the force before graduating from the academy, law enforcement sources told the Daily News.Ground Zero 'hero' - The Scumbag arrested at fund-raiser actually a fraud, officials say

BY MICHAEL DALY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, March 30th 2008, 4:00 AM

Picture of Fred "Scumbag" Parisi
standing next to an FDNY deputy chief
who lost a son at the World Trade Center,
at a rally for 9/11 first responders on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol
February 26.

BY MICHAEL DALY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Fred "Scumbag" Parisi at a rally for 9/11 first responders on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on February 26.

A self-styled 9/11 hero who brags he helped "rescue thousands" as a New York City cop is a fraud who never set foot near the World Trade Center that day and quit the force before graduating from the academy, law enforcement sources told the Daily News.

The allegation came after Fred "Scumbag" Parisi at a rally for 9/11 first responders on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on February 26.

Scumbag Parisi was arrested in Carlstadt, N.J., last night while entering a fund-raiser for the 9/11 Rescue Workers Foundation that he founded.

The actual theft charges against the 40-year-old father of three from Jefferson Township, N.J., are unrelated to Sept. 11. Local cops said he looted at least $235,000 from Berkshire Valley Custom Wood Designs, a woodworking company that he also founded.

Just last month, he joined a delegation of legitimate 9/11 rescue workers at the Capitol in Washington to lobby for better health care. He appeared in news photos holding an American flag and standing next to an FDNY deputy chief who lost a son at the World Trade Center.

Scumbag Parisi touts himself as director and founder of the 9/11 Rescue Workers Foundation. His phone number is (866) WTC-HERO.

A foundation press release states, "Fred was there as the second plane hit. But what haunts him is the memory of what the firefighters said on the way up: 'Stay here, Fred. We'll be right back.' " A flyer to raise money to send his 10-year-old son to a baseball program in Holland adds that Parisi "was a New York City Police Officer and staged dramatic rescues to save thousands of New Yorkers."

Scumbag Parisi had said he suffers from a "rare lung disease attributed to the rescue and recovery efforts from Ground Zero on Sept. 11."

But law enforcement sources said Parisi (See Scumbag ) and the rest of Police Academy Company 01-16 were on Floyd Bennett Field for driving training during the terrorist attacks and never got close to the Trade Center.

Sources added that on Sept. 12 and 13, 2001, Parisi was assigned to traffic duty at E. 34th St. and Madison Ave., far away from Ground Zero.

Records show he joined the NYPD on July 1, 2001, and quit on Nov. 1, 2001, without graduating from the academy.

Parisi lied on his application, failing to list disciplinary problems in the military and resignations from two other police departments, as well as an arrest for impersonating an officer, sources said.

His impersonation of a 9/11 hero persuaded a public relations executive and a Web site designer to donate their services to assist his foundation.

The public relations executive, Lori Widmer, said she eventually began to suspect that Parisi was not the hero he made himself out to be and asked him if he was trying to cheat people.

He responded with a "veiled threat," she said.

Cops have not determined if Parisi pocketed any of the money raised for his foundation or for his son's baseball trip.

Last night, Parisi arrived at the Waterfront Café dressed for his fund-raiser in a green button-down shirt and khakis. He seemed stunned by his arrest, and in an emotional outburst threatened to kill the investigator who developed the case, Jefferson Township Police Detective Joseph Kratzel.

"Surprised is not even the word," Kratzel said of Parisi. "Dumbfounded."

Parisi was held on $107,500 bail on charges he looted the woodworking company he started up with a woodworker he originally hired and then presented with a "business opportunity" rather than pay him, police said.

Cops said that the uncommonly talented woodworker, Roy Jensen, did all the work and Parisi took all the money, including cash for materials that were never purchased.

Ground Zero 'hero' arrested at fund-raiser actually a fraud, officials
Source: See Scumbag: "Ground Zero 'hero' arrested at fund-raiser actually a fraud, officials say

Prison awaits 9/11 truth seekers?

2008-03-06T05:35:00.000-08:00

An MSNBC reporter says there should be a secret CIA prison for anyone who questions the official account of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"I hope there is a secret prison for all 9/11 Conspiracy Theorists in Eastern Europe," said the reporter on the MSNBC news program Morning Joe.

In recent weeks, the US government and the country's mainstream media have begun adopting extreme measures toward anyone who dares question the publicized account of the events of September 11.

Earlier this week, at a campaign stop by former President Bill Clinton police arrested a protester holding a sign which read '9/11 was an inside job' charging him with 'disorderly conduct'.

The piece on MSNBC was run following comments by the Oscar winning actress Marion Cotillard suggesting that the twin towers were outdated 'money suckers' that it was easier to destroy them; “I think we're lied to about a number of things," she maintained.

The French actress was later forced into a climb-down after the notoriously patriotic Hollywood film industry reacted against her remarks

Sick 9/11 first responders on trip to Washington

2008-02-27T17:04:00.000-08:00

On a bus on I-95 - Dozens of sick 9/11 first responders rumbled down to the nation's capital Monday to do what they shouldn't have to: beg lawmakers to fund crucial programs that help pay their growing medical bills.

"I feel like a charity case," said Charles Giles, 40, who worked as an emergency medical technician for 16 years - including five months at Ground Zero. He got sick in 2002 and, after 13 separate hospitalizations, has had to sell his house to pay medical bills.

"[Sept. 11] has destroyed us," said Giles, of Toms River, N.J. "We gave our heart and souls on 9/11. What this government is doing to us now is a shame."

The bus ride was organized by the FealGood Foundation, a group founded by John Feal, a 9/11 volunteer whose foot was crushed by an 8-ton steel beam.

"This is like show and tell," Feal told the Daily News Monday. "For 6 1/2 years we've been neglected, denied and lied to."

He said New York's congressional delegation hasbeen helpful, but "the national delegation needs to see these people."

The group will hold a protest on Capitol Hill today to ask Congress to restore millions of dollars to programs like Healthcare for Heroes. Only $25 million has been earmarked for 2009 - compared with $108 million in 2008.

"If that closes, all of us are going to have to find other doctors and start all over and for some people, that will be too late," said Keith LeBow, a 44-year-old ironworker from Manhattan.

LeBow, who would have to spend about $2,000 a month on his medications alone without help from the government, said he went to Washington even though he has a hard time getting out of bed.

"They don't want to hear it anymore," he complained.

Joe Picurro, 40, an ironworker who is also from Toms River, walks with a cane now and takes about 35 pills a day.

"I'm ashamed that I have to go down to Congress to beg for money," he said.

The News, in a series of Pulitzer Prize-winning editorials, has also fought for proper funding for the city's sick heroes.

Source: nydailynews.com

911 Responders Need Our Help NOW! Pay it forward.

2008-02-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

911 Responders Need Our Help NOW! Pay it forward.:

The First Responders who rushed to Ground Zero on September 11th and who stayed behind for months to assist in the recovery effort and clean-up were exposed to pulverized concrete, asbestos, mercury, glass, and other deadly toxins. Respiratory protection was not made available in the early weeks after the attack.

Reports state that over 70% of First Responders are suffering with mesothelioma, cancer, and other very serious illnesses. Some have already died.

Government at the local, state, and national levels has denied that these health issues are related to the work the First Responders did at Ground Zero. Consequently, our First Responders are struggling to pay for their healthcare expenses, mortgage payments and sometimes food for their family's tables. They need our help and they need it now.

My name is Michele Little and I am the sister of Fallen Firefighter David M. Weiss of Rescue 1 Midtown Manhattan. He was murdered in the North Tower of the WTC.

I believe that if David were alive he would be one of the thousands of heroes who are being diagnosed with cancers and leukemia as well as respiratory diseases today.

This situation is NOT going away. These men and women AND their families need our help!

I urge you to donate to the 911 Responders money bomb between now and February 16th.

Visit www.911RespondersFund.com and on The Money Bomb link. See YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9C3WxqB7Ju8 See YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QbZa6qjIYA0 www.wearechange.org

Thank you,

Michele Little

www.UniteInPeace.org

www.911RespondersFund.com supporting John Feal and the www.FealGoodFoundation.com for all the great work they are doing for 911 Responders

Take action -- click here to contact your local newspaper or congress people:
911 Responders Need Our Help NOW! Pay it forward.

Click here to see the most recent messages sent to congressional reps and local newspapers

9-11 Memorial: Man has taken his life by gun - Suicide

2008-02-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

A distraught man has commited suicide on Staten Island at The Staten Island September 11 Memorial which honors the Staten Island victims of terrorist attacks

Police say the 37-year-old man called cops to say he was going to take his own life shortly.

When cops got to to the memorial they found the man with a gun to his head. Moments later he pulled the trigger.

According to the Staten Island Advance, the man killed himself at around 5 am.

The Staten Island 9/11 Memorial is located along the North Shore Waterfront Esplanade adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and the Richmond County Ballpark at St. George. The site provides panoramic views of New York Harbor, Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

Super Challenge: A Journey for 9/11 Web Site

2008-02-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

http://ajourneyfor911.info/

GLENDALE, AZ -- Eyewitness News is in Arizona for you to cover Super Bowl XLII. And we had the opportunity Friday to speak with one of the few Giants players who has a Super Bowl ring.

George Martin was a defensive end and captain for the Giants and helped them win Super Bowl XXI.

He is now working toward an even greater cause. He is walking across the country, all 3,200 miles, to raise money for hundreds of ailing 9/11 rescue workers.

He calls them the true heros of our time.

Martin has been walking since September when he crossed over the George Washington Bridge. After the Super Bowl he will fly back to Oklahoma City and resume his cross-country trek.

His goal is to raise $10 million to help defray medical costs for those ailing rescue workers.

If you would like to monitor Martin's progress or donate money you can log on AJourneyfor9/11.info

NYPD attempts to outlaw personal monitors

2008-02-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

“When air monitors have been outlawed, only outlaws will have air monitors!”

The slogan, which has become the unofficial rallying cry of an ad hoc coalition of labor unions, environmental groups, elected officials and community activists, was environmental activist Bob Gulack’s reaction when he heard a report about the New York City Police Department’s plan to require a permit for any independent environmental sampling used in the city.

A long list of organizations and individual activists all oppose the proposed law, known as Intro 650, which was unveiled by NYPD brass at the City Council’s Public Safety Committee Jan. 8 meeting.

The proposed legislation would make it a misdemeanor for anyone in New York City to own, or use, any device that measures chemical, biological or radiological contamination. Banned devices could include smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors, Geiger counters, and any device that collects and analyzes air or water samples, for contamination without first obtaining a permit from NYPD.

It was the independently collected air samples in Lower Manhattan after 9/11 that debunked the claim by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the air was safe to breathe.

Among those opposed to Intro 650 is U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, whose congressional district includes the site of the World Trade Center. Testifying to the City Council, Nadler called the bill “a great potential to threaten the important contributions made by academic research institutions, unions, and environmental and community-based organizations that conduct independent chemical, biological and radiological environmental sampling.” Nadler is a leading proponent of federal legislation to provide healthcare to people now sick due to exposure of 9/11-related contamination.

The overriding question is why would NYPD want to control the use of air monitors and other environmental sampling equipment?

“Our mutual goal is to prevent false alarms and unnecessary public concern by making sure that we know where these detectors are located and that they conform to standards of quality and reliability,” said Richard Falkenrath, NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Counter-Terrorism in his testimony for the bill.

The bill’s opponents call this justification for the bill a smokescreen. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer noted that he had never heard of a false alarm caused by private environmental monitoring. “This is a fake emergency that doesn’t exist,” he said. “If it’s not a problem, let’s not try to create one.”

“As introduced, Intro 650 has the potential to adversely impact, delay or even prevent unions, environmental activists and others from doing the kind of work that is now done under the protection of laws such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the National Labor Relations Act,” said Dave Newman, an industrial hygienist with the non-profit New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health. Also according to the police department’s testimony, the driving force behind the bill is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The police testified that the federal government asked NYPD to lobby for the bill, with the intention of using the proposed New York City law as a model to be adopted by other cities and states. In response to the strong opposition, the city prepared a revised version of the bill, which was made public Jan. 25. The revised bill exempts any detector that, “presents no significant possibility of triggering an alert of a possible biological, chemical or radiological weapons attack” from its requirements.

Despite the exemption for smoke detectors, opposition to the bill remains solid because it would require permits for almost all sampling equipment used by environmental and labor organizations to test for environmental degradation or dangerous working environments.

The bill has no provision for an appeal if the NYPD refuses to issue a permit, except to allow the applicant to submit an amended application.

Source: NYPD-terror-bill

Health News: A Dormant Danger in the Dust

2008-02-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

As time elapses, the fateful and devastating effects of the terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001 continue to unfold. Countless hopes and dreams went down with the collapsing World Trade Center towers—an intangible loss that can never be calculated or aptly assessed. However, a looming concern regarding the health effects of the aftermath continues to rise.

When the World Trade Center (WTC) towers crumbled, a dust cloud containing more than 2,500 contaminants spread across the city—reaching as far as New Jersey. The toxic dust was composed of harmful elements such as construction debris, glass and other fibers, and poisonous compounds such as lead, mercury, and asbestos. Those living and working near the WTC and those who assisted in cleanup were gravely affected by this contaminated dust. Many of those exposed to the dust have experienced disquieting health issues, ranging from problems with breathing to various forms of cancer, the most common being lung cancer.

On January 6, 2008, the New York Post released the preliminary results of a study by the New York State Department of Health, which reported at least 204 rescue and recovery workers and volunteers have died since 9/11, falling victim to a range of cancers and other disorders. The lead researcher informed The Post that a total of 98 fatalities have been confirmed with death certificates. The research shows that 77 persons died of illnesses, including 55 deaths caused by lung and other cancers.

Lung cancer and various respiratory ailments seem to be the most common health issues facing those affected by the WTC attacks. In early April 2006, the Centers for Disease Control reported an alarming 62 percent of individuals caught in the toxic dust cloud are suffering with respiratory problems. Additionally, 46 percent of those living or working near the WTC that avoided the dust cloud have reported consistent respiratory problems.

An honorary keepsake saved by a WTC volunteer has illuminated a possible leading cause to the disconcerting lung ailments. Community liaison Yehuda Kaploun, who spent 48 hours volunteering immediately after the attacks at Ground Zero, saved the dress shirt he wore in a plastic bag to honor those lost on 9/11. Kaploun submitted the shirt to authorities in April 2006 with hopes that results of contamination would help volunteers get medical support for the diseases they are likely to develop or may have already developed.

Test results revealed the shirt contains a highly toxic level of chrysotile asbestos, otherwise known as white asbestos. The contamination was 93,000 times higher than the average amount found in U.S. cities, and also higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s reports of the most contaminated building after 9/11.

Kaploun’s shirt was also contaminated with mercury, barium, zinc, chromium, antimony, cobalt, copper, lead, and molybdenum. Heavy metals like these burned in the fires that lasted for nearly four months after the attacks.

With these disturbing levels of asbestos and other contaminants, it’s no wonder so many individuals associated with the aftermath are suffering with respiratory problems and lung cancer. How could such high levels of asbestos be recorded when the EPA banned and ordered a phase out of asbestos in 1989?

Completed in 1977, the WTC was originally designed to utilize 5,000 tons of asbestos-containing fireproofing on the first 40 floors of the buildings. Anticipating a ban on the use of asbestos in construction in New York, the builders stopped using the material after reaching the 40th floor on the north tower. A spokesperson from the New York Port Authority stated more than half of the asbestos-containing fireproofing was replaced at a later date.

Despite these measures, an estimated 2,000 tons of asbestos was released into the air in the form of fine dust. Microscopic asbestos compounds are easily inhaled, and due to its atomic structure, readily adheres to any substance and is indestructible by the human body. Once absorbed, asbestos sticks to the inner lining of the lungs, heart and stomach, and cannot be broken down or expelled by the body. Asbestos exposure could potentially lead to a variety of destructive and deadly illnesses, such as asbestosis and lung cancer. Exposure to asbestos over time can also lead to a very rare form of cancer, known as mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that develops in mesothelial cells, which form the protective membranous linings that surround the body’s organs, and line body cavities such as the chest. The most common forms of mesothelioma infect the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), the peritoneum (lining of the abdominal cavity), and the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart). Every form a mesothelioma, except the benign form, is most likely fatal, as beating the disease is exceptionally rare.

Unfortunately, mesothelioma is extremely difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Once an individual is diagnosed with mesothelioma, the cancer is usually in its late stages and is highly resistant to treatment. The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, and an individual’s risk for developing this cancer increases with extended exposure.

This elusive disease typically remains dormant for 20 to 50 years before symptoms begin to appear. Symptoms of mesothelioma are relatively non-specific and are often quite similar to symptoms of other diseases, which undoubtedly contributes to late diagnosis. For example, pleural mesothelioma, the most common form of the cancer, exhibits symptoms ranging from a persistent cough to night sweats or fever. These early warning signs are often misdiagnosed as pneumonia or influenza, allowing the cancer to develop and spread unnoticed.

Nearly 10,000 individuals in the United States die annually from asbestos-related diseases, such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. If you or anyone you know was near the WTC on 9/11, helped in the cleanup, or live or work near the site, you are advised to closely monitor your health and seek assistance from a licensed doctor. For additional resources on mesothelioma and mesothelioma treatment please see the resources at Asbestos.com

If you have not done so already, it is not too late to contact The World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program. This program provides free and confidential monitoring examinations to workers and volunteers who responded to the WTC attacks. For the next five years, those who participate in the program will receive free medical examinations at regular intervals to monitor responder health. The program’s website, WTCExams.org, offers more information on how to sign up and where to go for examinations.

For more information on asbestos, its uses and harmful health effects, please visit Asbestos.com.

Source: WRH

9/11 Toxic Dust Deaths Continue

2008-02-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

9/11 Toxic Dust Deaths Continue

Wednesday, February 06, 2008 - FreeMarketNews.com

When the World Trade Center (WTC) towers crumbled, a dust cloud containing more than 2,500 contaminants spread across the city—reaching as far as New Jersey. The toxic dust was composed of harmful elements such as construction debris, glass and other fibers, and poisonous compounds such as lead, mercury, and asbestos. Those living and working near the WTC and those who assisted in cleanup were gravely affected by this contaminated dust. Many of those exposed to the dust have experienced disquieting health issues, ranging from problems with breathing to various forms of cancer, the most common being lung cancer. On January 6, 2008, the New York Post released the preliminary results of a study by the New York State Department of Health, which reported at least 204 rescue and recovery workers and volunteers have died since 9/11, falling victim to a range of cancers and other disorders. The lead researcher informed The Post that a total of 98 fatalities have been confirmed with death certificates. The research shows that 77 persons died of illnesses, including 55 deaths caused by lung and other cancers. Lung cancer and various respiratory ailments seem to be the most common health issues facing those affected by the WTC attacks. -What Really Happened"

Witnessing Horror at the World Trade Center -- KELLY 165 (2): 261 -- Am J Psychiatry

2008-02-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

Witnessing Horror at the World Trade Center -- KELLY 165 (2): 261 -- Am J Psychiatry:

"Witnessing Horror at the World Trade Center

KEVIN V. KELLY, M.D.
New York, N.Y.

To The Editor: The study reported by Megan A. Perrin, M.P.H.,et al., published in the September 2007 issue of the Journal(1), involved a methodologic decision which may have resultedin the loss of some clinically important data and an underestimateof the traumatogenic experiences of firefighters.

The article stated that "witnessing horror," one of the variablesstudied for its effects on the prevalence of probable posttraumaticstress disorder (PTSD), "was defined as witnessing any of thefollowing: an airplane hitting the World Trade Center, a buildingcollapsing, people running from a cloud of dust/debris, individualsbeing injured or killed, or people falling or jumping from theWorld Trade Center towers" (1, p. 1387). These experiences aresurely horrific, but the list includes only events at the timeof the collapse.

As noted in the Cohort section, work at the World Trade Centersite continued for nearly 9 months after the collapse. Duringthat time, members of the New York City Fire Department performedthe bulk of the recovery work and were repeatedly exposed tohorrific scenes of decaying and dismembered human remains. Inthe early days of the recovery effort, firefighters often hadto disassemble corpses in order to remove them from the wreckagebefore they burned. In later months, the remains they foundwere in states of increasing decomposition. All these conditionscontributed to the cumulative traumatic effect of the ongoingWorld Trade Center experience and may help to explain the greaterprevalence of PTSD found among firefighters than among othergroups, such as the police.

In my capacity as staff psychiatrist for the New York City FireDepartment’s Bureau of Health Services and CounselingServices Unit, I have had occasion to interview and treat hundredsof firefighters traumatized by their experiences at the WorldTrade Center. While large-scale bereavement and threats to personalsafety were surely traumatic for them, it is the horrific experiencesof the recovery period in the months after the collapse itselfthat regularly appear in their nightmares and flashbacks.

Footnotes

Dr. Kelly is a medical officer in the New York City Fire Department.

This letter (doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07091491) was acceptedfor publication in October 2007.

Reference

Perrin MA, DiGrande L, Wheeler K, Thorpe L, Farfel M, Brackbill R: Differences in PTSD prevalence and associated risk factors among World Trade Center disaster rescue and recovery workers. Am J Psychiatry 2007; 164:1385–1394[Abstract/Free Full Text]

FIRE NEWS - Marc Mullenix passed away

2008-01-31T18:15:00.000-08:00

FROM CAL FIRE NEWS:

Fire News: Marc Mullenix passed away

Marc Mullenix of Fairmount Fire Dept near Denver passed away on 1- 28

Marc Mullenix (ICT1 trainee on Rocky Mtn Team) passed away last night.

Last year he was a Type 1 Incident Commander trainee on Kim Martin's Incident Management Team in the Rocky Mountain Geographic Area.

Marc was a veteran of Ground Zero/ 9-11 and an IC IMT2 during Katrina operations.

Previous employers and assignments included:

Bureau Land Management Station Forman for the Benton Fire Station, California (1989)
Wildland Fire Division Chief for the Boulder Fire Department, Colorado.
Fire Management Officer for Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado.
Fairmont Fire Protection District, Colorado.
Ground Zero New York, New York 9-11-2001
Katrina -Texas - IC IMT2

Here is a link to a short article of Marc recounting his work at Ground Zero
Here is a link to a short article of Marc recounting his work at the Snaking fire outside of Denver which appeared on the CNN web site.
Here is a link to a short article on Cal Fire News of Marc discussing the Neola North Fire

Marc Mullenix quote found on the web:
In regards to Ground Zero - "We saw the faces; we heard the stories; we were at the pile when they found a body," he says."In 22 years of fire service, this was by far the worst thing and the best thing ... the most psychologically draining thing I've ever done. Every nerve ending was ripped open like a scab. I'll never forget the smell. The noise was unbearable ... every one of your senses is maxed out. "

Join the discussion of Marcs passing at: WildlandFire.com Theysaid Forum
As friends and colleague's share remembrances about this larger than life professional wild land fire fighter's life, the following quotes in regards to Marc are from Theysaid.

" Marc was a colleague, mentor, and friend. Words fail to express our loss.
Please say a prayer for our brother, his family, and his friends.
Rest assured, his passion will live on in all of us fortunate to have worked
with him.
Godspeed, Marc, Godspeed."

"Marc was an excellent firefighter, leader, teacher, motivator, and friend"

"When someone as fine as Marc passes on it's hard to know what to say.
He was a good thinker, good strategist, cared for the troops, knew how
to communicate. He was a LEADER. It's hard to think that he won't be
around doing what he did well. Our loss, fire's loss. My condolences to
his family."

"I am deeply saddened to hear of Marc's passing. Marc was an excellent firefighter, leader, teacher, motivator, and friend. The most important thing I learned from Marc was 'always take care of your people'. It was hard not to have fun when around Marc, even when situations got to be a bit rough he had a way of keeping morale up while keeping the troops focused on the task at hand. He was a great guy that will be dearly missed.
My condolences to his family.
Godspeed, Marc."

" I met Marc at least twenty years ago in Boulder, CO and wrote a story about this larger-than-life wildland guy. Just talking with him, I could sense that this man was going places in the wildland fire world. And, he sure did! He was known far and wide in that world, thinking out of the box. Doin great things for his wildland fire folks. He reminded me of wildland fire legend, Paul Gleason. Since they knew each other, I should think that they are sittin side by side under a big old pine tree swapping fire stories up yonder. Ya, that's how I picture him and his friend, Paul."

To his wife Shawna, and to his daughter, extended family and vast numbers of friends and colleagues, the sincerest condolences on the passing of one of wildland fire's memorable and excellent personalities. He's home now.
RIP
Please leave comments here

9-11 rescue workers abandoned by White house

2008-01-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

Bush Administration avoiding hearing on aid for out-of-state 9/11 responders

The White House is ducking Tuesday's hearing on why it scrapped a plan to help ailing 9/11 responders who live outside New York.

The decision to skip the hearing is angering critics who say the Bush administration has all but abandoned the generous souls who raced to New York after 9/11.

"Responders rushed from all over the country to help New York on 9/11. But [the U.S. Health and Human Services Department] couldn't find one person in the building to come to New York?" said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens).

"They don't fight for 9/11 health programs. Instead, they fight to stop them."

A spokeswoman who returned a call to the Health and Human Services Department said officials would answer questions at another time.

That's not good enough for Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn), who leads the House oversight subcommittee on government management, organization and procurement.

"If I must issue subpoenas, that is what I will do," Towns vowed. "The administration's handling of 9/11 health care is one of the worst-managed programs I have ever seen."

The nationwide 9/11 health program would have offered pharmacy benefits to sick responders and processed medical reimbursements, a key step in setting up regional clinics.

Many ailing responders are still forced to travel to New York for care. Federal officials have said the program was canceled because bidders were confused and cost estimates had ballooned.

IAFF: ‘Fire Brigade’ Descends Upon Orlando

2008-01-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

‘Rudy Lied, Fire Fighters Died on 9/11’

IAFF ‘Fire Brigade’ Descends Upon Orlando
More Than 100 Fire Fighters Rally Against Giuliani

11:30 am, Tuesday, Jan. 22
Orlando City Hall, 400 S. Orange Avenue Orlando , Florida

Media Contacts: Bill Glanz 202 824-1566,202 329-5856 (cell)
David Roscow 703-276-2772 x21 


9/11 FDNY Veteran Fire Fighters Fault Giuliani for Lack of Preparedness


Orlando – More than 100 Orlando fire fighters will join the International
Association of Fire Fighters “Fire Brigade” to protest former New York Mayor
Rudy Giuliani’s presidential candidacy at a demonstration outside of Orlando
City Hall. The “Fire Brigade,” a group of retired New York City fire fighters
and family members of fire fighter victims of the September 11, 2001, attack on
the World Trade Center will expose Giuliani’s trumped up 9/11 credentials as a
myth.

Prior to the demonstration the Orlando fire fighters will gather at a rally at
10 am at the Fire Fighters Council of Central Florida, 4005 North Blossom Trail
in Orlando.

“This is about the judgment of our country’s next President,” said IAFF General
President Harold A. Schaitberger. “Voters in Florida, where Rudy has pinned his
hopes for his election, need to know Giuliani’s record of poor judgment so they
understand why we don’t believe he’s nearly qualified to be our next President
of the United States.”

Jim Riches, a newly retired Deputy Chief of the Fire Department of New York,
has been leading the IAFF “Fire Brigade.”  Riches has trailed the Giuliani
campaign over the last week protesting at events in Titusville, Sun City
Center, Celebration, Coral Springs, and other sites.

“No one knows better than fire fighters who were at the World Trade Center that
Giuliani failed to prepare first responders before 9/11 and that he is totally
unprepared to become our commander-in-chief,” said Riches, who responded on
9/11 and lost his fire fighter son, Jimmy Riches, at Ground Zero. “We object to
Giuliani using 9/11 as his calling card in this campaign. He and his campaign
cronies say New York City fire fighters love him, but that is far from the
truth. We despise him. Giuliani’s failure on 9/11, and in the days and months
leading up to the attack prove he is unfit to serve as President.”

The first event was held in Jacksonville on Thursday, where he met with members
of Jacksonville Fire Fighters Local 122, retired and active, to discuss
Giuliani’s record.

To explain Giuliani’s failed leadership, the IAFF created a 13-minute video,
which can be viewed at www.rudy-urbanlegend.com, and on YouTube, where with
more than 380,000 views it has become one of the most popular video in the news
and politics category on the video sharing Web site.  The IAFF is funding and
assisting the “Fire Brigade” as it crisscrosses Florida.

“Rudy doesn’t know anything about fighting terrorism, as far as we are
concerned he has terrible judgment,” Riches said. “He couldn’t even protect his
own fire fighters, forcing us to use radios that didn’t work, placing the
emergency command center in a known terrorist target that collapsed on 9/11 and
then disrespecting fire fighters and families when he cut short the recovery
effort and began scooping and dumping bodies in a trash dump.”

“I was in FDNY for more than 40 years, and was the Chief of Safety, so I know
that Giuliani did nothing for fire fighters,” said Al Santora, a retired Deputy
Chief who lost his fire fighter son, Christopher Santora, on 9/11. “His actions
at the time and leading up to the attack, and during the day itself, showed a
tremendous lack of judgment, and failure of leadership.”

“Rudy talks a big game about 9/11, but the fact is he was on the street that
day, not in a controlled place making command decisions, because he had placed
his emergency command center at 7 World Trade Center – the number one terrorist
target in the world, which collapsed on 9/11,” Santora said. “That video that
everyone has in their heads of Giuliani on the streets is him running away from
the scene because he had nowhere to go because of his bad decisions.”

“Rudy continues to lie about his role on 9/11, but we’re not going to let him
get away with it,” Riches said. “The IAFF and our Fire Brigade are going to be
the conscience of 9/11, haunting Giuliani’s footsteps in this campaign. We will
not forget his failures, and we want the American people to remember, as well.”

The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington,
DC, represents more than 287,000 full-time professional fire fighters and
paramedics who protect 80 percent of the nation’s population.  More information
is available at www.iaff.org.

New study - 9/11 Health Effects Persist

2008-01-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

New University Online: "9/11 Health Effects Persist
By Daniel Johnson

9/11 Health Effects Persist

By Daniel Johnson
A new study helmed by Alison Holman, professor in nursing science at UC Irvine, shows that stress responses linked to the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 are greater than previously thought.

The study shows that the attacks have been connected with a 53 percent increase in cardiovascular ailments in the three years following the events, according to a UCI press release.

These findings contrast considerably with an earlier study that showed 17 percent of America’s population outside of New York had reported post-traumatic stress symptoms in the months following the attacks.

Holman commented on the groundbreaking nature of the study, as well as the impact the events of 9/11 had on individuals not immediately connected with the tragedy.

“Our study is the first to show that even among people who had no personal connection to the victims, those who reported high levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms in the days following the 9/11 attacks were more than twice as likely to report being diagnosed by their doctors with cardiovascular ailments like high blood pressure, heart problems and stroke up to three years later,” Holman said.

The study consisted of a randomly selected body of 2,000 volunteers from across the United States.

According to the UCI press release the participants filled out surveys that included questions that indicated whether they had stress-related responses, continuing concerns about such issues as terrorism, and medically diagnosed ailments.

With close to 3,000 deaths resulting from the events of Sept. 11, the gravity of the attacks cannot be denied. For this reason, among others, 9/11 has become one of the defining traumatic events of the decade on a global scale.

According to Angela Wang, president of the Public Health Association at UCI and a fourth-year public health policy major, traumatic events generally contribute to stress on an emotional and physical level, which can linger on for years.

“Traumatic events can contribute to the usual stress by disrupting our emotional and physical being. Even years later, people can still have flashbacks of the events,” Wang said.

Wang gave specifics concerning the emotional and physical reactions caused by traumatic events and confirmed their connection to cardiovascular difficulties, as was similarly stated in the UCI study.

“Emotionally, you may experience mood swings, anxiety and sometimes depression. Physically, as you think back to the event your body may [experience] shock and become numb.

Even worse, your heartbeat may increase and you develop a difficulty in breathing,” Wang said. Wang went on to note a list of seven side effects caused by traumatic events.

These effects include an increased difficulty in decision-making, a disruption in sleep and eating patterns, becoming distant with family and friends, suffering panic disorders and depression, a tendency toward substance abuse, chronic sleep deprivation and having relationship problems when support is needed.

Although such concerns as terrorism have lingered on past the Sept. 11 attacks, on a global scale many health ailments go untouched by such issues.

Vy-van Tran, co-president of the World Health Organization of Students at UCI and a fourth-year biological sciences major, addressed how many suffer throughout the world from diseases such as huntington’s disease, muscular dystrophy and juvenile diabetes that are in no immediate way tied to traumatic events such as those caused by terrorism.

“Honestly, I can’t say that terrorism has been a contributing factor for the health issues we’ve discussed. It hasn’t really come up, but it’s an interesting idea to think about,” Tran said.

Still, despite admitting a lack of medical expertise on the issue, Tran believes that continuing stresses over terrorism can negatively affect both an individuals’ mental and physical health.

“I think, to some extent, the stresses of terrorism can play a significant role in health, but I’d think that mental health rather than physical health would be impacted more,” Tran said.

Unlike many who took part in the study, Tran noted her personal experience of having a distant feeling to the Sept. 11 attacks and went on to hypothesize why many may feel this way.

“I think the level of stress someone may have felt from the attacks is probably correlated to how close they were to them … [such as] if a loved one was lost in the attacks or was sent overseas as a result of the attacks,” Tran stated.

CHARTING POST-9/11 DEATHS

2008-01-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

CHARTING POST-9/11 DEATHS: "January 6, 2008 --

January 6, 2008 -- At least 204 Ground Zero rescue and recovery workers have died since 9/11 - succumbing to a range of cancers and other ailments, according to preliminary results of a state Health Department study.

Researchers have confirmed 98 fatalities so far with death certificates. They show that 77 died of illnesses, including 55 from lung and various other cancers, the lead researcher told The Post.

Traumatic injuries, such as from car crashes or gunshots, killed the other 21, including three suicides. Five deaths were homicides - four of them cops in the line of duty.

"We're not saying they are all World Trade Center related; we're just saying this is what people are dying from," said Dr. Kitty Gelberg, the state Bureau of Occupational Health's chief epidemiologist.

The WTC Fatalities study, launched a year ago, expects to collect many more names of deceased 9/11 responders over the next 18 months.

"I think it's underreported right now," Gelberg said of the 204 figure. "We want to know about anyone who worked there and died."

Of those deaths, about a third occurred in New York City, a third in Long Island or upstate, and the rest in 15 other states.

The FDNY, the NYPD, the WTC Medical Monitoring Program at Mount Sinai Hospital, and the city's WTC Health Registry have yet to share their data, pending negotiations on patient confidentiality, Gelberg said.

Lawyers for 10,000 WTC responders or their families who have filed toxic-injury suits have turned over names on the condition that the next of kin not be contacted, she said.

The study received a $165,000 federal grant and authority to obtain medical records, autopsies and death certificates. Researchers are also interviewing relatives but will not release any names, Gelberg said.

Several of the 55 responders who died of cancer had the disease before 9/11, but the majority developed it afterward, Gelberg said. After 19 cases of lung cancers, the second-largest cause of death was heart disease, including 10 heart attacks.

Rudy Giuliani - His failed leadership and disrespect

2007-12-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

Firefighters: Giuliani Ditched 9/11 Body Recovery 24 Hours After Securing $230 Million In Buried Gold

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has regularly touted his leadership in the wake of 9/11 as one of his major selling points. A host of 9/11 responders have alleged, however, that Giuliani provided them with poor radios, misled them into working amidst toxic fumes, and most recently, hastily cleared out the rubble before bodies were all recovered.

Six weeks after 9/11, Giuliani abandoned efforts to recover remaining bodies and buckled to pressure from developers eager to “scoop” the rubble:

The fact is that the Mayor’s switch to a scoop-and-dump coincided with the removal of tens of millions of dollars of gold, silver and other assets of the Bank of Nova Scotia that were buried beneath what was once the towers. Once the money was out, Giuliani sided with the developers that opposed a lengthy recovery effort, and ordered the scoop-and-dump operation so they could proceed with redevelopment.

Yesterday, Harold Schaitberger of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) — the nation’s largest firefighters organization, consisting of 280,000 members — assailed Giuliani, detailing how the mayor ditched body-recovery efforts only 24 hours after recovering the $230 million in gold. “He found the gold on October 31, and on November 1 is when he issued the order to remove the firefighters from their recovery mode.” Watch it:

The IAFF has produced a video entitled “Rudy Giuliani: Urban Legend,” extensively documenting Giuliani’s negligence after 9/11, featuring “active and retired fire fighters, fire officers and families of the fallen speaking out about the ‘Real Rudy,’ his failed leadership and his disrespect for the recovery of those we lost.”

Already, the video has been attacked by the right wing as another form of “Swift Boating.” But as the Carpetbagger noted, “The comparison is ridiculous. The Swiftboat attackers were lying; the International Association of Fire Fighters aren’t.”

Source: Article

Judge: 9/11 defendants must turn over materials from 1992 -- Newsday.com

2007-12-22T12:28:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK - Defendants in lawsuits resulting from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks must turn over materials from as far back as 1992, when it appears that Osama bin Laden called for a holy war against the United States, a federal judge said Friday.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels affects defendants in lawsuits seeking billions of dollars in damages from numerous banks, charities and individuals worldwide who are alleged to have supported al-Qaida before the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Daniels said it was reasonable to require organizations such as the Muslim World League, the International Islamic Relief Organization and Wa'el Jelaidan to turn over evidence necessary to decide the merits of lawsuits brought by representatives, survivors and insurance carriers of the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. The groups had argued that they should not be required to turn over documents that were made prior to 1996, when Osama bin Laden issued a fatwah declaring war on Americans. They also argued that the materials were overly burdensome and outweighed any potential value to plaintiffs.

In ruling, Daniels noted that 1992 was the year when bin Laden is alleged to have joined other senior al-Qaida leaders to issue a formal fatwah calling for violence against the United States and other Western allies.

Lawyers for defendants in the lawsuits have said it was unfair to require them to turn over the earlier documents because the defendants were not adequately put on notice about al-Qaida's terrorist activities towards the United States until the 1996 fatwah.

A message left with a lawyer for defendants was not immediately returned Friday.

Firefighters group takes on Giuliani over handling of 9/11

2007-12-20T23:34:00.001-08:00

by Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON - In an effort reminiscent of the bitter "Swift Boat" campaign during the 2004 presidential race, a group of New York firefighters who lost sons in the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks is organizing a political committee to take on former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

A leader of the 9 /11 Firefighters and Families group met Tuesday with union leaders and political consultants, readying plans to set up a tax-exempt committee that would fund appearances and a media drive against Giuliani's campaign for the Republican nomination.

Jim Riches, a New York Deputy Fire Chief whose firefighter son was killed in the 2001 disaster, said the group aimed to raise doubts about the central premise of Giuliani's presidential campaign - his leadership role in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. "If we have to follow him around all 2008, we'll do it," Riches said.

Lauded as "America's Mayor" for his blunt talk and compassion amid the attacks, Giuliani's political stock soared and he went on to build a multimillion-dollar consulting group emphasizing his leadership skills.

"A majority of firefighters believe that Rudy was a great leader on 9 /11," said Howard Safir, who ran New York fire and police departments under Giuliani and now heads First Responders for Rudy, a group affiliated with Giuliani's campaign.

But the former New York mayor's frequent references to Sept. 11 on the campaign trail have infuriated Riches and about 20 activists who lost firefighter sons. The New Yorkers blame Giuliani for decision-making failures that they feel contributed to the deaths.

After protesting near Giuliani fundraising events in New York to little fanfare, they now plan to raise their voices in Florida, South Carolina and other primary states seen as essential to Giuliani's path to the GOP nomination. "When he announced his plans to run for president, we felt he was doing it on the backs of our dead sons," Riches said.

The Sept. 11 group already is being compared by some political observers to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group, which damaged Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry's candidacy in 2004 by impugning his Vietnam War service in the Navy. Both groups feature a self-sustaining constituency of passionate supporters and are aided by outside political forces eager to use them as vehicles in the presidential race.

"Starting small doesn't mean you can count them out," said Stephanie Cutter, a political consultant who countered attacks as Kerry's press aide in 2004. "When the Swift Boat group started . . . they had no money and no plan. In a matter of months they had enough money to go up with an ad buy, and that triggered their relevance."

The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth raised more than $25 million for media buys. Some of the money was donated in multimillion-dollar installments from reliable Republican fundraisers such as Texas businessmen T. Boone Pickens Jr. and Bob J. Perry. Last December, the group was fined nearly $300,000 by the Federal Elections Commission for exceeding spending limits and acting in concert with GOP campaign efforts.

The Swift Boat operation made use of an Internal Revenue Service exemption that allowed so-called 527 groups - a reference to IRS code - to raise funds and participate in political debate as long as they adhered to funding and election rules.

"To the extent that new 527 groups would like to do what the Swift Boat group did in 2004 may be subject down the road to much stiffer penalties than the Swift Boat people got," said Paul S. Ryan, associate legal counsel with the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan campaign-finance watchdog group.

According to several participants in Tuesday's discussions between Riches and his supporters from the International Association of Firefighters, the Sept. 11 group is leaning toward using a 527 structure. Riches said the group already had been pledged nearly $200,000 and hoped to raise as much as $1 million for a Web site, media buys and campaign travel.

The Giuliani campaign, reeling in recent weeks from dropping poll numbers and running controversies, already has taken steps to blunt the firefighters' attacks. Heading the campaign's First Responders for Rudy, Safir has appeared on several political talk shows alongside Riches but has been careful not to engage him face to face, recognizing the delicacy of debating a Sept. 11 victim.

"We owe all families that lost loved ones on 9 /11 an unpayable debt, but finally this small group is admitting that this is a political attack with no other objective than to tarnish Mayor Giuliani's good name," Safir said Tuesday.

Earlier this year, the union produced an ad for its Web site that featured Riches and other New York firefighters criticizing Giuliani for blunders before and after Sept. 11. The New Yorkers claimed that Giuliani failed to provide first responders with proper radio equipment before the attacks and afterward sharply reduced recovery teams at the World Trade Center site even though the bodies of many firefighters had not been found.

Giuliani and his aides have long disputed the radios' role in the collapse of emergency communications on Sept. 11. In a recent interview, Safir contended that the "radios worked" but the repeaters - which can extend the range of the radios into high-rise buildings - did not.

The Sept. 11 group's effort to raise questions about Giuliani's performance before and after the attacks "takes on Rudy's strength," Republican consultant Tom Edmonds said. "I'm not sure that will go over with an American public that was impressed with what they saw."

WNYC - News - NY Lawmakers Blast Feds Over 9/11 Health Screening

2007-12-20T21:32:00.000-08:00

WNYC - News - "NY Lawmakers Blast Feds Over 9/11 Health Screening

NEW YORK, NY December 16, 2007 —New York lawmakers say the federal government's plan to stop health monitoring for ground zero workers outside the metro area is unfair and misguided.

REPORTER: New York's congressional delegation and some ailing workers stood outside the World Trade Center site Saturday to protest this week's decision. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney says on 9/11, people came from many places to work on the toxic rubble.

MALONEY: They came from every single state in our country, and now many of them are sick.

REPORTER: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services filed paperwork this week canceling plans to pay a company to screen the affected workers. Officials were concerned the program could cost far more money than Congress has provided."

9/11 WTC Memorial Will Betray America

2007-12-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

The “National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center” foundation, under the direction of Chairman Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City is currently conducting a nationwide fundraising tour. However, what Bloomberg is not telling the American people is that the memorial will remake the WTC site so that it does not acknowledge the attacks. As per the 13 member memorial jury that dictated the memorial concept none of the authentic artifacts of the World Trade Center or 9/11 can be returned to the site “in order to preserve the integrity of the memorial.”

The jury was made up of intellectuals, artists, political appointees and one well connected 9/11 family member - who would later try and co-found upon the site the notorious “International Freedom Center” which laid responsibility for the attacks upon “an immoderate world.”

It was headed by Vartan Gregorian, born in Iran and educated in Lebanon. In his response to 9/11 he wrote “Islam, A Mosaic, Not a Monolith.” A history of Islam that told us how Muslim conquerors brought intelligence, enlightenment, and general religious tolerance while the West brought murder, plunder and religious persecution. Problems of Muslim nations today are attributed to Western colonialism and the creation of Isreal. Any transgression of Islam, no matter how barbaric, is equated with or topped by some action of the West, even if they occured ten centuries ago.

He chides Americans for their ignorance and belligerence toward Islam. Americans, he wrote, believe history is “irrelevant.” “Unfortunetly,” he wrote, “it is not.”

Except at the WTC site.

Returning any of what speaks directly to the attacks, such as the towers façade remnants or the Koenig Sphere, or identifying the victims as the “flyers of the missing” did, all that America embraced as commemorating 9/11 (because they spoke directly to the attacks) would be, the jury assured us in a brilliant display of Orwellian logic, “telling us what to think.”

Somehow, eliminating all of the authentic evidence of the crime from the site and all that we embraced as commemorating 9/11, is not “telling us what to think.”

Gazing upon the ruins of the WTC or the crushed fire trucks at the WTC site, or upon those facts of the “flyers of the missing” – “Cantor Fitzgerald, WTC 1, 104th floor” – we might conclude that the Islamic fundamentalists who attacked were “guilty” and their American targets “innocent.” We and future generations might draw from a visit to the site political and moral lessons. We, and they, might confront 9/11 and our responsibilities and obligations in response.

That, we are told, would be “didactic.” The site must be remade to eliminate that.

Instead, all history of Sept. 11, 2001 and all those authentic artifacts that speak directly to it will be discarded so that the jury can impose their own meaning upon the site.

At the WTC site, where America was attacked, a handful will control what you know in order to dictate what you think and feel.

In order that they might impose their own meaning, the jury ignored the history of the site and looked to Maya Lin’s (who sat on the jury) Vietnam War memorial for their inspiration. However, a memorial in Washington DC to a war on the other side of the world is not a viable model for a 9/11 memorial at the WTC site. No battles of Vietnam were fought on the Washington Mall; none of those soldiers whose name is on that wall died there.

The World Trade Center is the site of a vast crime against humanity. At what other place of equal or similar historical value have we discarded the history in order to impose our own meaning? Would anyone, for any reason, dismantle and dispose of the death camps at Auschwitz in order to do that? And specifically, to eliminate any moral or political lesson? Because that would be “didactic?”

Why are we doing it at the WTC?

If you discard or displace the authentic artifacts that speak directly to a history, you in effect deny it. It would be so if we did it anywhere else; it is so if we do at the WTC site.

That, however, was irrelevant to the jury.

We do not have the option of not confronting 9/11 at the WTC site. Indeed, that is what all go to the site for. The site must speak to future generations as equally as it does to us. No one may alter or omit history in order to impose their own meaning and to dictate what visitors should think and feel.

Yet this is all we are getting at the WTC site.

Bloomberg understands what the memorial must do; despite the fact that his will ignore 9/11 he claims it reminds us to “Never forget” and inspires us “Never again.” It, of course, does neither and that was the intent of the jury: to help us forget and thus inspire no more response than wallowing in the wonder of ourselves.

He is just clueless as to why. In response to the arrest of several men for allegedly plotting a jihadist threat against JFK airport his police commissioner told New Yorkers “to look at their world through the prism of 9/11.” In contrast, when neighborhood residents expressed concern, Bloomberg told them to “get a life. You have a better chance of being hit by lightening than killed by a terrorist.”

In response to the terrorists’ attacks upon America there was courage, there was heroism, there was sacrifice, there was compassion and there was wisdom. First, however, and this is the virtue from whence all those others come, there was humility. From the office workers who helped each other escape, to the firefighters who responded, from those trapped in the towers above, to the airline passengers in the skies over Western Pennsylvania. Thanks to Michael Bloomberg and the memorial jury, however, humility will not be found at the WTC site. And that is the final betrayal of 9/11.

Source: Original Article here
By Guest: Michael Burke on Dec 16, 07
For more info: see http://captbillyburke.blog.com/

Michael Burke

note: On 9/11, my brother, FDNY Capt. William F. Burke, Jr., of Eng. Co. 21 gave his life. I served on the family advisory committee on the memorial to the Lower Manhattan Development Corp and the advisory committee on the memorial and museum center.

Federal Government To Scrap Center For Those With 9/11 Health Issues

2007-12-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

Bush White House abandons 911 World Trade Center Vets again...

December 14, 2007

The federal government's decision to cancels plans for a national processing center dealing with health problems stemming from the September 11th terrorist attacks has local lawmakers demanding answers.

The Department of Health and Human Services filed paperwork Thursday scrapping plans to hire a company to set up the center, saying it just doesn't have money to cover the $165 million cost of the project.

The center was designed to improve various September 11th-related health programs and help victims living outside of the New York area find coverage.

Five lawmakers, including Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton, sent a letter to the head of HHS asking him to further explain the move.

A noon protest is scheduled for Saturday near the World Trade Center site

World Trade Center Rescue Workers Health Problems Extend Beyond First Responders

2007-11-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

World Trade Center Rescue Workers Health Problems Extend Beyond First Responders

World Trade Center first responders are not the only people suffering physical and mental health problems as a result of their work at Ground Zero following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Thousands of World Trade Center Emergency Workers who helped with recovery efforts in the days, weeks and months after the Twin Towers fell might also be coping with a wide variety of physical and emotional problems, says a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

In the days after 9/11, thousands of rescue workers descended on Ground Zero to help with recovery efforts. Sifting through dust and rubble, sometimes with their bare hands, many lacked the clothing and equipment that could have kept them safe from harm. Several studies earlier this year confirmed that Ground Zero first responders were suffering from ill health as a result of their exposure to toxic dust at the site. Released in May, the initial findings of a three-year study conducted by the Mt. Sinai Medical Center found that of the 9,000 WTC first responders examined, 70-percent had suffered some type of lung ailment after the attacks, and that 60-percent still faced respiratory problems. Another report released by the FDNY in early May reported that cases of the rare lung disease sarcoidosis had risen dramatically among firefighters and EMS workers who were first responders at Ground Zero. And the New York City Department of Health also found that one in eight first responders still suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Now, the New York State Department of Health has released findings of a study that investigated the health consequences suffered by 1,423 members of the New York State Police, National Guard and Department of Transportation who worked at Ground Zero following the attacks. A small number of study participants – 110 in all – where present at Ground Zero immediately after the attacks, and where caught up in the toxic dust cloud that was created when the Twin Towers collapsed. But the vast majority of the study participants worked at Ground Zero during the last two weeks of September 2001, and they would have had somewhat less exposure to toxic dust than World Trade Center first responders. Unfortunately, according to the New York State Department of Health’s study, lessened exposure did not translate into fewer health problems.

The New York State Department of Health evaluated these World Trade Center rescue workers in 2002-2003. While the 110 rescue workers who where present at Ground Zero on September 11 reported the most frequent and severe mental and physical symptoms, such problems where the norm in far too many study participants. Nearly half had respiratory symptoms, with 30 percent reporting a dry cough. A third of the Ground Zero rescue workers reported worsening psychological problems, including sleep problems, fatigue and irritability. Unfortunately, only 3% of the World Trade Center rescue workers who participated in the study reported seeking treatment for their health problems.

Advocates for Ground Zero rescue workers say that even the federal government has not done enough to ease the suffering caused by the World Trade Center toxic dust. Public health authorities are already bracing for what might be the next wave of health problems related to the 9/11 tragedy - a surge in cancer and cancer-related deaths among rescue workers. Advocates for the workers estimate that the cost of caring for them could eventually reach $393 million each year. They want the federal government to formulate a long-term plan to monitor the health of September 11 rescue workers. Such a program would allow 9/11 rescue workers to receive health screenings and treatment at government expense.

Source:1

Report: 79 Percent Of 9/11 Firefighters Have Health Problems

2007-10-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Click Here to Read FDNY Report

Story by wnbc.com

NEW YORK -- A new FDNY report shows that 79 percent of firefighters in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001 now have respiratory problems.

Some officials consider this the most credible proof yet of health problems, because the department has data about firefighters lungs from before 9/11.

Thursday Mayor Bloomberg also announced two new free clinics for residents and workers exposed to ground zero toxins on the lower east side and in Elmhurst, Queens.

Court To Hear Ground Zero Liability Case

2007-10-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

Story at The New York Sun:

A federal appeals court's reading of an obscure Cold War-era law, passed amid fears of a Soviet nuclear attack, will decide whether the thousands who toiled at ground zero can hold the city liable for their exposure to toxins.

The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, which sits in Manhattan, will hear oral arguments today on whether the city is immune from lawsuits brought by the thousands of firefighters, police officers, and construction workers who searched for survivors and cleaned up on the site of the World Trade Center.

Many of the workers say they now suffer from respiratory ailments linked to arsenic, asbestos, and other toxins found in the air and dust at the site. One estimate, by the lawyer who managed the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, Kenneth Feinberg, places the cost of settling the suits at more than $1.5 billion.

At issue is a U.S. District Court ruling from last year that allows as many as 10,000 of those workers to press forward with suits against the city. The city is asking a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court to overturn that decision, which was handed down by Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who sits in Manhattan.

The conditions at ground zero have long been under the microscope, with workers alleging that the Environmental Protection Agency put out falsely optimistic air quality reports and that government agencies failed to ensure that workers were wearing respirators. In May, the city's medical examiner amended a woman's death certificate to state for the first time that toxic dust from the site had been a "contributory" cause of death.

But today's arguments, and ultimately whether the suits are upheld or thrown out, will not turn on any single fact about the conditions at ground zero or the city's actions in the days following the terrorist attacks. Instead, the court's decision could hinge entirely on its reading of the New York State Defense Emergency Act.

That law, enacted in 1951, grants immunity from lawsuits to the government and companies responding to an attack. While the enemy the Legislature had in mind was the Soviet Union, Judge Hellerstein's ruling found that the passage of history had not made the law irrelevant. The city, the judge wrote, was certainly entitled to immunity in the days immediately following the attack.

However, the judge said it was an open question whether that immunity extended months later, as work at ground zero continued: "As the emergency condition fades … the need for immunity diminishes and the obligations and duties otherwise imposed once again must be protected," Judge Hellerstein wrote.

A brief filed on behalf of the workers stresses that in the months after the September 11, 2001, attacks, ground zero became a work site where ordinary workplace regulations and responsibilities applied.

During the nine-month cleanup operation, the plaintiffs' brief argues, "the site had been radically transformed from a place of chaos and public emergency to an orderly construction site not unlike those the City of New York has often seen."

The city, on the other hand, contends that it is entitled to immunity for the entire duration of the recovery operation.

The city's brief stresses the law's Cold War history, noting that lawmakers in 1951 were anticipating cataclysmic attacks, from which any recovery would be slow.

"The rescue and recovery from a nuclear attack would greatly exceed — perhaps by years — the roughly nine-month period of the 9/11 rescue and recovery operation," the brief argues.

The panel hearing the case today is to consist of Judges Jon Newman, Sonia Sotomayor, and Richard Wesley.

A lawyer from the firm of Patton Boggs, James Tyrrell, will argue on behalf of the city.

The plaintiffs will be represented today by Kevin Russell of Howe & Russell, P.C., and Brian Shoot of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo, P.C.

Giuliani $9.11 fundraiser - Giuliani is Asshole of the year

2007-09-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

Fire Fighters hot over Giuliani 9/11 fundraiser

September 26th, 2007 · No Comments

Giuliani is accused of exploiting 9/11 for his presidential candidacy

BBC | Sep 26, 2007

Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani has been criticised over a fundraising party at which participants are being urged to donate $9.11.

The International Association of Fire Fighters accuses him of exploiting the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks.

Mr Giuliani rose to national prominence as New York’s mayor on 9/11.

The Giuliani campaign says it did not plan the event, which is due to take place on Wednesday evening in California at the home of a supporter.

Nevertheless, the firefighters association said the stated theme of the fundraiser - “$9.11 for Rudy” was in poor taste.

“It is nothing short of disrespectful to the legacy of the thousands of civilians and 343 brave firefighters who died at Ground Zero,” said Harold Schaitberger, IAFF president.

Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd described the fundraiser’s theme as “unconscionable, shameless and sickening.”

Responsibility

A Giuliani campaign spokesman said the idea was selected without the campaign’s knowledge.

But the host of the party, Abraham Soefer, also said the theme was not his responsibility, and referred other questions to Mr Giuliani’s campaign team, the Associated Press reports.

The event is one of several Giuliani house party fundraisers across the US on Wednesday.

Mr Giuliani is seen as one of the frontrunners in the race for the Republican nomination.

But the BBC’s Justin Webb, in Washington, says that Mr Giuliani’s appeal as the man who led New York through the terrorist attacks is occasionally over-emphasised in his campaign.

This fundraiser looks like a big blunder, our correspondent adds.
. . .

Related

Official Account of 9/11 a “Joke” and a “Cover-up”
September 23, 2007 – Seven CIA veterans have severely criticized the official account of 9/11 and have called for a new investigation. “I think at simplest terms, there’s a cover-up. The 9/11 Report is a joke,” said Raymond McGovern, 27-year veteran of the CIA, who chaired National Intelligence Estimates during the seventies. “There are a whole bunch of unanswered questions. And the reason they’re unanswered is because this administration will not answer the questions,” he said. McGovern, who is also the founder of VIPS (Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity), is one of many signers of a petition to reinvestigate 9/11.

Categories: 2008 Election · Crime & Corruption · Operation 9/11

Before fire, toxic WTC skyscraper loomed as painful 9/11 reminder -- Newsday

2007-08-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

Newsday.com: Before fire, toxic WTC skyscraper loomed as painful 9/11 reminder --

"NEW YORK - For years, the black-shrouded eyesore looming above the ruined World Trade Center was as painful a reminder of the wounds of Sept. 11 as the 16-acre hole in the ground just below it. Even this year, the body parts of Sept. 11 victims, toxic dust from the trade center and aircraft pieces were still being removed from the former Deutsche Bank building, the tower that no one could agree on how to remove. On Saturday, once again the skyscraper resurrected images from Sept. 11, 2001, with potentially toxic smoke and fire, fears of a building collapse and firefighters killed on the job.

The 41-story tower has been plagued by court battles, toxic contamination, work stoppages and the ongoing search for body parts since the trade center's south tower tore a 15-story gash into it nearly six years ago.

The building was untouched for several months after the attacks, becoming infested with mold from fire sprinklers while over 1 million tons of trade center debris was being removed just across the street.

Deutsche Bank AG appealed to the government and to its insurers to pay to clean up the building, which also contained toxic levels of asbestos, lead, mercury and trade center dust. After several court battles, including a $500 million lawsuit against the city, the state agency in charge of rebuilding the trade center site bought the contaminated building in 2004.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corp., which still owns the tower, and trade center rebuilders needed the land as part of its master plan to rebuild the trade center site. Now plans call for the spot to be home to the fifth planned tower to replace office space destroyed in the attacks.

State officials have reportedly spent far more than the building's $90 million purchase price since then in a tortuous effort to remove the building. The Environmental Protection Agency and other federal regulators have cited contractors several times for violations, including how it disposes of environmentally contaminated material.

In mid-2005, contractors clearing the roof found hundreds of small bones and parts of the jetliners that crashed into the towers. More than 700 bones were recovered, the last found on a ledge in the spring.

In December, officials finally began removing the building's steel facade, beginning the painstaking, floor-by-floor deconstruction of structural steel. But a subcontractor's dispute over payment shut the site for nearly a week. In May, work stopped for another two weeks when a 15-foot-long pipe fell off the building and through the roof of the closest firehouse to ground zero, which has a wall covered by a bronze memorial to the 343 firefighters killed on Sept. 11.

Officials have been optimistic recently that the building, which had been dismantled to the 26th floor this week, was being removed with few problems. State development officials had said repeatedly that the building would be completely removed by the end of this year.

San Jose Mercury News - Fire next to Ground Zero kills 2 firemen

2007-08-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

San Jose Mercury News - Fire next to Ground Zero kills 2 firemen:

Fire next to Ground Zero kills 2 firemen

Click photo to enlarge

* Smoke rises from the Deutsche Bank Building, center, bordering ground... (AP Photo/Verena Dobnik)

NEW YORK—A blaze that killed two firefighters in an abandoned skyscraper being dismantled next to the World Trade Center may have been harder to combat because of plastics required by a federal agency to control asbestos, the governor said Sunday.

The blaze broke out Saturday on the 17th floor of the former Deutsche Bank office building, which has been a toxic site since it was damaged by falling wreckage when the trade center's twin towers collapsed and contaminated by toxic dust.

During demolition work, the federal Environmental Protection Agency had required that polyurethane sheets be used to prevent asbestos and other harmful debris from escaping, Gov. Eliot Spitzer said at a news conference.

The polyurethane "may in fact have made this fire harder to fight," Spitzer said.

Questions about other complications also were emerging on Sunday, including why the partially gutted building's water supply did not work, forcing firefighters to run hoses up to the 17th floor.

"The standpipe was not operating. We don't know why yet," fire department spokesman Frank Gribbon said.

Spitzer said the latest air-quality tests for asbestos and other fine particulate matter had been negative.

The once 40-story building was abandoned after the attacks because of extensive damage from wreckage falling from the towers and contamination by toxic dust containing asbestos, dioxins, lead and other materials. It had been largely gutted by demolition crews and workers have been taking its steel skeleton apart in pieces.

The cause of the fire was unknown, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it might have been fueled by plywood, boxes and other flammable supplies related to the dismantling work.

A worker in the building discovered the fire on the 17th floor, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said.

More than five dozen fire vehicles, carrying more than 270 firefighters, were sent to the site as pieces of burning debris fell to the streets. Smoke was visible from midtown Manhattan and the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

Nearby buildings were evacuated, and residents waited for hours before they were allowed to return.

"We heard this crackling," said Elizabeth Hughes, who saw the fire from her rooftop deck across from the Deutsche Bank tower. "And then a huge fire that went up three floors fast. It was massive."

The building's structure was secure and in no danger of falling, Bloomberg said.

The firefighters who died, Robert Beddia, 53, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33, were trapped and inhaled a great deal of smoke, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

The collapse of the twin Trade Center towers across the street killed 343 firefighters. Eleven of them came from the same firehouse where Beddia and Graffagnino were based.

Stairs to Remain Intact in Ground Zero Plan - New York Times

2007-08-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Stairs to Remain Intact in Ground Zero Plan - New York Times: "Stairs to Remain Intact in Ground Zero Plan

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By DAVID W. DUNLAP
Published: August 6, 2007

The Spitzer administration says it has taken steps to finally solve the quandary of the “survivors’ stairway” at ground zero.
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The “survivors’ stairway,” which led to safety on 9/11.
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The stairs, seen in a model, would lead to a memorial museum.

By that, it means every step — all 38 of them. Together.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s chief of downtown redevelopment, Avi Schick, proposes to keep the stairway whole and intact — but just the seven-foot-wide stairway proper, not the hulking concrete structure around it."

News: World Trade Center rescue dog dies of cancer

2007-07-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

World Trade Center rescue dog dies of cancer

NEW YORK (AP) - The Fire Rescue community is mourning the passing of

Jake, the 9/11 rescue dog, The black Lab who burrowed through smoking debris at the World Trade Center site has died of cancer.

Jake had been wracked with pain and fever and Mary Flood had the 12-year-old put to sleep after one last walk through the fields and a swim in the creek near their home in Oakley, Utah.

No one can say whether the dog would have gotten sick if he hadn't been exposed to the toxic air in Lower Manhattan. But cancer in dogs Jake's age is common.

The Labrador also searched for survivors after Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi.

Ailing 9/11 Workers Sue WTC Insurance Fund

2007-07-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

wcbstv.com -

Ailing 9/11 Workers Sue WTC Insurance Fund

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK Ailing Ground Zero workers went to court Tuesday to demand that the company overseeing a $1 billion Sept. 11 insurance fund spend the money to pay for their health care.

The workers have already filed a class-action lawsuit claiming the toxic dust from the World Trade Center site gave them serious, sometimes fatal diseases. On Tuesday, they sought compensation from the WTC Captive Insurance Co., the company in charge of money appropriated by Congress to deal with Sept. 11 health-related claims.

"The WTC Captive has consistently refused to pay any of the Ground Zero workers who have become ill on the work site, including any compensation" for lost salaries, pain and suffering, medical treatment, medical monitoring or burial expenses, said the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan's state Supreme Court.

It was filed by attorneys representing thousands who became ill after working to clean up the site while breathing toxic trade center dust, including more than 100 who have died.

"She hasn't paid a penny to one of my 10,000 people," David Worby, an attorney representing the workers, said of the company's CEO, Christine LaSala. "It was their mandate."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was named in the suit along with LaSala and board members, said Tuesday that attorneys are wrong about the company's structure.

"They just don't know the facts. The truth of the matter is, Congress didn't set up a victims' compensation fund," the mayor said. "We'd like them to do that, we've asked for that, they set up a captive insurance company. And the insurance company can only pay out monies if somebody sues us in court and wins a judgment against us."

Congress directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set up the fund, appropriating up to $1 billion "to establish a captive insurance company or other appropriate insurance mechanism for claims arising from debris removal, which may include claims made by city employees," according to the 2003 resolution.

The lawsuit, relying on testimony from federal officials over the years about the fund's purpose, said officials meant for the money to be used to compensate ailing workers. Federal and state governments never said "that a captive insurance company be established solely to defend the city of New York and its contractors from all rescue, recovery and debris removal related claims, at all costs," the lawsuit said.

In this case, the term "captive" refers to an entity created specifically to cover 9/11-related claims for the New York City government.

Since it began operating in 2004, the company has spent more than $73 million of the insurance money in legal fees and other expenses, the lawsuit says.

Worby and other attorneys plan to go to Washington later this week to lobby congressional leaders to urge the company to make the $1 billion available immediately for sick workers.

The largest study conducted of about 20,000 Ground Zero workers reported last year that 70 percent of patients suffer respiratory disease years after the cleanup. The city earlier this year added to its Sept. 11 death toll a woman who died in 2002 of lung disease, five months after being caught in the dust cloud of the collapsing twin towers.

Bloomberg and other city officials have estimated the cost of caring for the workers who are sick or who could become sick at $393 million a year and urged the federal government to pay for their treatment and monitoring.

9/11 'HERO' CHARGED IN 40G SCAM

2007-07-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

July 15, 2007 -- A self-proclaimed Ground Zero hero who says he and his golden retriever rescued victims from the World Trade Center rubble has been charged with fraud for allegedly ripping off $40,000 in federal relief funds.

Scott Shields could face up to 35 years in jail after a Manhattan grand jury indicted him and his sister last month for allegedly swiping rental-assistance money from FEMA and other agencies.

Shields showed up in the days after the attack, accompanied by Bear, his cancer-stricken canine, but the dog was too sick to do any real work, and the two were on hand only for "a couple of days," according to a former NYPD officer.

"There's something wrong with the guy," said Lt. Dan Denadio, who as head of the NYPD's K-9 unit spent nine months at Ground Zero. "I don't know how he got so far."

Shields claims he and Bear "made the only live finds" at the site.

"Nonsense," Denadio said.

After his brief stint on the pile, Shields, who had resided in Greenwich, Conn., moved into an apartment across from the site - a swanky $3,182-a-month pad on Rector Place - and got one check for $16,443.50 from FEMA to pay for it, records show.

Shields collected thousands in additional rental assistance, the indictment says.

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September 26th, 2007 · No Comments

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