Fighting Victims Instead Of Helping Them, Welcome To The 9/11 Fund

You would think that the city would care about the victims of 9/11. Think again. The billion dollar insurance fund set up to take care of medical costs isn't helping those in need, instead they are fighting the claims in court, 8,000 to be exact. Michael Cardozo is the chief counsel for the fund, and he argues that because it is an insurance fund and not a compensation source, that every claim should be litigated.

So where does that money come from to defend the fund? Take a wild guess. Thousands of victims are in need to be compensated, and many claims are easy to see that they are open and shut. Medical bills should be paid out, but they are not. What a shame. Thankfully there are a few elected officials that are crying foul.

From The Daily News:

Homeland Security Department inspector general Richard Skinner said his probe will determine why the company "has chosen to litigate all claims instead of settling whenever possible."

Documents sent to Congress and due to be released later this week say the review also will determine "what procedures have been established to receive, review and pay medical, hospital, surgical and disability benefits to injured persons," as well as benefits to the relatives of those killed.

The insurance company has also been challenged by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the chairman of and ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

While Bloomberg wants an alternate fund to pay the open and shut cases, the city has not done anything to help in real terms. After more than six years, a matter like this should not even exist.

Unfortunately, it does.

A Billion Dollars Just Isn't Enough

After years of haggling and arguing to toss the lawsuit of 9,000 9/11 workers who have been injured as a result of their heroism after the Towers fell, the city is looking to negotiate a deal. NYC is talking about doling out a billion dollars. It sounds like a lot, but when you divide it by 9,000, you only get $111,111 per person and that is supposed to cover the medical costs for their lifetimes. That also excludes what death benefits would be given to the families that have lost roughly 150 people to the resulting diseases borne out of that toxic air. So what's chief lawyer Marc Bern to do?

From The Daily News:

Bern's clients have until the end of the month to decide whether to give him permission to begin settlement talks for them. Those who don't can continue their own litigation, but there's a good chance that Bern's firm won't handle their case.

"If we receive an aggregate settlement offer from the defendants, it will be up to you and our other clients to accept or reject the offer and, if you accept it, to agree on how the [money] would be divided," Bern wrote. "The defendants would have nothing to do with that decision."

It is a sad day when I have to agree with Bern's logic. He is fighting for justice for these people and because of the system, real monetary damages would take years or decades. The victims need some form of restitution now. Medical bills for lung diseases are expensive and a hundred thousand dollars or more would help, at least in the short term.

Ideally the federal government would have helped out more with these victims and their families, but you have to remember who is in charge at the moment down there in D.C.

Rally For Workers Rights: Sept 8th At WTC Site

Union leaders are ditching their plans to hold the regular labor day parade on 5th Avenue this year, and I couldn't be happier. Instead of a march, there will be a giant rally to address the concerns of the brave men and women who worked on the pile nearly six years ago. The air in the area damaged their lungs, killing some already while city, state and federal officials mostly turn a blind eye. People were outraged to see what Michael Moore brought to the screen with SiCKO and those were just a few of the victims. Now we want to see action, this is the beginning of it.

From 1010 WINS:

The parade, headed by the Central Labor Council, usually winds down Fifth Avenue and has about 50,000 participants. This year, the event will take place Sept. 8 at the World Trade Center site, "to address the chronic health impacts, ongoing monitoring, medical treatment and worker's compensation for first responders and other workers suffering from the long-term effects of 9/11,'' said Ed Ott, executive director of the New York City Central Labor Council.

Ott was left in charge after the former leader, Brian M. McLaughlin, was arrested on federal racketeering charges. The labor council is an umbrella group of unions.

Thousands of first responders who got sick after Sept. 11 now blame their health woes on exposure to the toxic fumes and dust at ground zero.

The terrible aftermath that has befallen these people still goes largely unnoticed. This event is one that will try to change things. If fifty thousand can march in a parade, I know that the citizens of New York can at least double that number at this rally. So take out your calendars and set aside a couple hours that Saturday to show your support for the workers at the World Trade Center disaster and for all workers across the nation and the world.

Giuliani Can't Help But Insult 9/11 Rescue Workers

Rudolph Giuliani is apparently suffering from an extreme case of a super-inflated ego. The "Mussolini of Manhattan" is on a quest to be our next President and he does not care who gets trampled. Even if those who are raked through the coals are the people that Giuliani builds his "America's Mayor" fame on, Rudy cares about no one but himself.

From The Daily News:

Rudy Giuliani drew outrage and indignation from Sept. 11 first-responders yesterday by saying he spent as much time - or more - exposed to the site's dangers as workers who dug through the debris for the missing and the dead.

Speaking to reporters at a Cincinnati Reds ballgame he caught between fund-raisers, the GOP front-runner said he helped 9/11 families and defended himself against critics of how he managed the attack's aftermath.

"This is not a mayor or a governor or a President who's sitting in an ivory tower," Giuliani said. "I was at Ground Zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers. I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them."

His statement rang false to Queens paramedic Marvin Bethea, who said he suffered a stroke, posttraumatic stress disorder and breathing problems after responding to the attacks.

"I personally find that very, very insulting," he said.

I think many more people than Bethea find it insulting, including myself. Of course, it hits closer to home for Bethea than many people who find Giuliani to be a piece of garbage. On that terrible day, Rudy was exposed to toxins, but he was do nothing to help the people trying to rescue victims. Patting hard working people on the back does not help anyone. Screwing up the communication system between the NYPD and FDNY hurt the ability of New York to save more lives. His decision to limit time for rescue workers was nothing less than malicious. Telling people the air was safe is downright criminal.

Giuliani has no right to say what he did yesterday. His ego needs to be crushed, and that can start when he loses the Republican nomination.

Giuliani And Norm Siegel Agree On Something?

You wouldn't think that New York City's public advocate and the man referred to as the "Mussolini of Manhattan" would agree on anything, but Norm Siegel and Rudy Giuliani found common ground on at least one issue. The victims of September 11th have been remembered every year on the hallowed site where they perished nearly six years ago. Now that construction is kicking into full gear at Ground Zero, the mayor and others are moving it to a park nearby. The change has pissed plenty of people off from very different political persuasions, obviously.

From The Daily News:

The controversy over the plan to move this year’s 9/11 memorial out of Ground Zero for the first time has made for an unlikely alliance: Civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel and his onetime arch-nemesis, Rudy Giuliani.

The pair, who tussled frequently when Giuliani was mayor and Siegel was the head of the New York Civil Liberties Union, suddenly find themselves on the same side, backing families who want the memorial held at the World Trade Center site.

"Last night, I said to my wife, 'It’s finally come full circle,'" Siegel said with a smile today outside Zuccotti Park, the plaza across the street and one block South of Ground Zero where the city and state plan to hold this year’s memorial.

Siegel, who plans to run for public advocate for a third time next fall, is representing 11 family groups who filed a permit application with the Port Authority today to have the event at the site – which Giuliani said Tuesday he supports.

Well how about that, even polar political opposites can agree on some things....or at least one item that is very emotional for New Yorkers and Americans in general. Proponents of the move say they had to make the decision because of construction. I call bullshit, the Port Authority can take a break on September 11th, 2007 to honor the thousands that lost their lives on that tragic day.

Chiding 9/11 Victims? WTF Bloomberg?

Well it seems Bloomberg is still definitely out of touch with average New Yorkers. He is light years away from the heroes of September 11th. He blasted a lawsuit filed by 9/11 workers seeking to be compensated for their long term injuries caused by the air of Lower Manhattan in the aftermath of the attack. In a very condescending manner, he said the plaintiffs don't understand the situation concerning the victims' fund.

From The Daily News:

The workers' lawsuit seeks compensation from several parties, including Bloomberg and the World Trade Center Captive Insurance Co., which was charged by Congress with doling out money for treatment of people exposed to toxic dust at Ground Zero.

"Well, they just don't know the facts ..." Bloomberg said. "And the insurance company can only pay out monies if somebody sues us and wins a judgment against us. That's the way it's set up."

But an attorney for the ailing workers - a hospital staffer, an NYPD detective and a former detective - said the city's use of the money to challenge worker claims was a slap in the face to those who responded to the terror attacks.

"The city has spent more money on Post-it notes than to take care of one single hero from 9/11," said attorney Marc Jay Bern, who is suing in Manhattan Supreme Court.

How dare you Mr. Bloomberg. Those brave men and women deserve every penny they need for their injuries.

Firefighters And 9/11 Victims Continue Truth Campaign Against Rudy

The International Association of Firefighters has come out with a new devastating attack of facts against the Republican Presidential hopeful. As Giuliani remains high in the polls along with Fred Thompson, the non-partisan organization (though it tends to lean towards Dems) wants everyone to know the myth of "America's Mayor." They know him more as an urban legend.

From WCBS-TV:

(CBS) NEW YORK The International Association of Firefighters has gone on the offensive against "America's Mayor" Rudy Giuliani, releasing a 13-minute video that viciously rips into the former New York mayor, who has been using his leadership demonstrated on September 11th to urge people around the country to support him in his quest to become President of the United States.

The video, released early Wednesday evening, is titled "Rudy Giuliani: Urban Legend," and offers testimonials from various members of the organization and family members of firefighters lost in the terror attacks.

“We have the remains of dead heroes at the garbage dump because of Giuliani and his administration and they’re still there today and they won’t remove them,” claims FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Riches on the DVD, which was released to CBS 2 HD before its public debut.

Putting partisanship aside, the IAF looks at what really happened on 9/11. Rudy used the event to look strong without actually making good decisions. He ran around the distraught city aimlessly when he should have been in a secure location making smart decisions. Instead, many firefighters lost their lives due to bad communication. Not only that, he seemed to be more interested in recovering foreign countries' gold bullion than helping rescuers with air safety and recovering the bodies of their comrades. He is a despicable man, and everyone should know it.

The Air Of Ground Zero May Ultimately Choke Rudy

In the last five and a half years, Rudy Giuliani has profited enormously both financially and in stature from his stewardship of New York City during the terrible attacks of September 11th. The light shown on him from the press as it did for George Bush immediately following the tragedy. Since Bush has remained in the spotlight consistently until now, that surge in popularity has been erased and then some. Yet Rudy was mostly out of the picture until recently, so he kept up his favorable ratings.

Now that the harsh glare of the Presidential primary lens is upon him, the cracks in his veneer are beginning to show. "America's Mayor" is being called out by various groups affected by Rudy's leadership or lack thereof related to the aftermath of the terrorist attack. What is particularly dangerous to the candidate is how residents and rescue workers became ill from breathing the toxic air while Rudy did nothing about it.

From The New York Times:

An examination of Mr. Giuliani’s handling of the extraordinary recovery operation during his last months in office shows that he seized control and largely limited the influence of experienced federal agencies. In doing that, according to some experts and many of those who worked in the trade center’s ruins, Mr. Giuliani might have allowed his sense of purpose to trump caution in the rush to prove that his city was not crippled by the attack.

Administration documents and thousands of pages of legal testimony filed in a lawsuit against New York City, along with more than two dozen interviews with people involved in the events of the last four months of Mr. Giuliani’s administration, show that while the city had a safety plan for workers, it never meaningfully enforced federal requirements that those at the site wear respirators.

At the same time, the administration warned companies working on the pile that they would face penalties or be fired if work slowed. And according to public hearing transcripts and unpublished administration records, officials also on some occasions gave flawed public representations of the nature of the health threat, even as they privately worried about exposure to lawsuits by sickened workers.

The findings clearly show that Rudy cared more about making New York look pretty again to the detriment of those that cleaned up Ground Zero. Plenty of experts are ready to testify against Giuliani and his Administration for the way the situation was handled. There are also thousands of victims that can't breathe normally to this day. Some have even died as a result.

So if Rudy wants to run on an image that depicts him as tough on terror and a brave leader when faced with adversity, then he better be ready to pay the price when his demons come back to haunt him. His victims are ready to have their revenge on Rudy where it hurts him most. More importantly, with him being on such a stage, it might just set him up for a little bit of justice for the brave men and women that breathed the air of Lower Manhattan for far too long without the proper equipment.

9/11 Air Victims Screwed By The Courts

The Federal Court of Appeals in Manhattan turned its back on the citizens of Lower Manhattan and the first responders to 9/11 by denying them litigation against the EPA. The Federal Court decided to protect Christine Whitman's awful and deadly declaration that the air was safe to breathe around Ground Zero. I personally feel that these people should be sent to jail for their criminal behavior, but to deny their victims compensation is atrocious.

From WCBS:

The court's decision to throw out a suit brought against then-EPA head Christie Whitman, infuriated lawyer David Worby, who represents thousands of first responders and construction workers who are suing the city.

"There was 400,000 pounds of asbestos, 91,000 liters of burning jet fuels, 125,000 gallons of burning Con Ed transformer oils with PCBs in it, 500,000 units of mercury 200,000 pounds of led, among other things," Worby said. "Should she be let off the hook for saying that was safe? I don't think so."

Exactly! Whitman had to know that there were deadly chemicals in the air, yet to show that America was tough and wanting to work on the scene as soon as possible the government cared nothing about the workers' safety. Now there are people dying from their lung conditions with tens of thousands who are sick from the toxic air.

David Worby should not give up in his quest for justice. The problem is that Bush has been stocking the courts with people that will support his government and not regular people who are made into victims due to unethical actions such as Christine Whitman's.