OK, it’s only PBS (and Moyer’s minor fraction at that); and Gail Sheehy had to poison taste the story in NY before they would even touch it; and according to Mindy Kleinberg. out of the 16 hours filmed with them, NOW only used the softest, limpest stuff; and even so NOW felt obliged to jokingly intro the piece with a lot of “conspiracy theory” badinage. But EVEN SO, it’s the first time on American television that the “official 9/11 story” and the government’s bizarre response have been questioned or attacked.
Check out the NOW “ 9/11 Widows Speak” web page for excerpts and their still unanswered questions. They also have a place there to ask questions of your own.
Show them that you care – send in comments and get involved…
EXCERPTS FROM “9/11 WIDOW’S SPEAK”
AND THEIR LEADING QUESTIONS:
DEMOCRACY IN ACTION
MINDY KLEINBERG: I felt responsible. I really felt like, “Had I done what I should have done as a citizen, had I heard the stories of Lockerbie, had I called the Senators and Congressmen, had I rallied together with those people who are victims then maybe we could have affected a change that could have stopped this.”
And so I couldn’t then just shut this off. How do you go forward knowing that there are still glaring errors, knowing that, you know what, our role as citizens isn’t just to sit and watch. If we really want to be a democracy we have to participate. That’s what made me start to get involved in the process.
PATTY CASAZZA: These people [politicians] don’t retain the same level of awe after you know that they have failed you. And you realize in failing they’re probably no better than you or I; however they are paid to do a job and we pay them as citizens to do their jobs. And we have the right in a democracy to ask the questions of our government: What did you do? Where did you fail? And what are you doing to prevent that the next time around?
LORI VAN AUKEN: I learned that … if you want to live in this great country of ours, with our fabulous democracy, and our Constitution, and our different rights. Freedom of speech, and all the things that we take for granted, you have to fight for those things.
And if you don’t speak out…you’re censoring yourself. If you don’t research and understand the issues then you’re voting on somebody maybe who isn’t representing your interests. These are things I didn’t understand until September 11th.
I voted. I always voted. And I was always interested in environmental issues, and ecology, and you know, those kinds of things. But I didn’t really pay attention to these other issues. I didn’t understand how big they were. And I didn’t understand that somebody’s voice, that didn’t have the same interests as mine, could be so much louder than my voice.
KRISTEN BREITWEISER: On the morning of 9/11 I was still an innocent person. And I believed that my government was protecting me, was doing it’s job. I thought I was a stockholder in the country of America. I thought that my taxes were being spent wisely. I thought that things were being taken care of. After I watched my husband’s building collapse, I lost my innocence. Two years out, I have lost my hope that something like September 11th will not happen again.
MINDY KLEINBERG: When you really are passionate and believe in what you are talking about, it tends to transcend whoever you’re talking to. I can’t explain it. This is not something that any one of us has done prior to 9/11. But really, when you feel that you’re right about something, it’s not hard to go into an office and ask for what you want. We had three or four meetings at the West Wing…Although it was impressive to go to the White House ’cause that’s always impressive, but you know what? We weren’t awestruck by the people we were talking to. They were just other Americans who we needed to help us. So you know what? We did it.
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QUESTIONS ABOUT 9/11
NOW’s segment “Unanswered Questions” focused on four 9/11 widows who have posed their questions about the terrorist attacks to Congress, the media, and the public. Their voices were among those demanding an independent investigation — realized in the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. The Family Steering Committee of that group issued a list of questions that remain unanswered after the release of the Congressional report on the 9/11 attacks in July, some of which are listed below.
But those widows are not the only ones with unanswered questions; some politicians, media and citizens are also not satisfied. One of the major points of contention surrounding the Congressional report on 9/11 relased in July is the decision not to release 28 pages of the report which reputedly deal with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government, and numerous members of Congress have asked the President to release the pages. The pages, as yet, remain classified.
Tell us what you would still like to know about 9/11.
SOME QUESTIONS FROM THE FAMILY STEERING
COMMITTEE OF THE 9/11 COMMISSION
What connections did our government have with the terrorists prior to 9/11? Specifically: State department negotiations with Taliban re: pipeline through Afghanistan; interaction with the Taliban and/or bin Laden; CIA training and arming of terrorists
In what ways might our government’s policies toward Saudi Arabia have contributed to September 11th?
On September 9th the president had a war plan on his desk to go into Afghanistan. What was the origin of this plan? Why was this plan drawn up even before the September 11th attacks?
Why did Donald Rumsfeld, immediately after the September 11th attack, say that Saddam Hussein was involved?
Does the FBI have proof that it was in fact Al Qaeda that perpetrated 9/11? Do they know if the names the hijackers used were their real names?
Who were the terrorist informants working with the FBI? Specifically: What did the FBI learn from them? What were the 9/11 warnings provided by these informants? What was done with these warnings to protect the American public?
How did and do US energy policies play into Islamic terrorism?
How do corporate and big business interests play into foreign policy decisions?
What role did American think tanks, which make policy recommendations to the administration, play in American foreign policy decisions and the proliferation of Al Qaeda?
Did U.S. intelligence agencies share information about Al Qaeda with foreign governments? Did foreign governments share information with our government about Al Qaeda?
Regarding the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which is a collaboration between the FBI and NYPD, also at times NYS Police, NY/NJ Port Authority PD and the US Secret Service: Was the JTTF aware of 20 warnings of an impending terrorist which were mentioned in Joint Intelligence Inquiry testimony? What did the JTTF know prior to 9/11 regarding potential terrorist attacks in NYC and specifically, the WTC?
What sanctions can the U.S. place on individuals of non-terrorist states who aided and abetted terrorists through funding or other means? If there is no recourse, will the CIA continue to monitor their activities in the future?
Will the State Department and other allied countries seek to ban their entry into the U.S. and their nations? How long does an individual remain a terrorist threat according to our policies? Will those individuals be banned from doing business with the U.S.?
Since September 11th, has our government developed specific policies regarding individual sponsors of terrorism?
Were individuals with ties to terrorists or states which sponsor terrorism involved in shorting airline and other stocks which were impacted by the terrorist attacks on September 11th?
Additional questions from the Family Steering Committee of the 9/11 Commission
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