9/11 Air: The Guility Attack The Guilty

Ex- E.P.A. Director Christie Todd Whitman is about to testify to Congress tomorrow about how she mishandled the situation after the towers collapsed. But first she gave an interview to WNBC to do what almost all Republicans do before having to testify, blaming someone else. To her credit, she is aiming high, going after Presidential front-runner Rudy Giuliani. But of course, the truth lies in the middle, both of them are to blame for masking the quality of the air.

From The Daily News:

In an interview scheduled to run the day before Whitman testifies in front of Congress on Monday, she told WNBC-TV she warned the city of the risks almost every day.

And she said she believes illnesses killing first responders can be blamed on the city's lack of action.

"I'm not a scientist ... but I do [believe that]," she told WNBC's Brian Thompson.

Whitman specializes in political shillery (as do most good Bush appointees), definitely not having to do with anything scientific. She did run the E.P.A. and that certainly does not require any knowledge about science, right? Of course, she was aware that something bad was going on, two massive buildings collapsing into rubble would obviously have an adverse affect on the air quality. But for her to avoid all the blame is ludicrous. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is getting ready to question her tomorrow and he already knows she has difficulty telling the truth. Perhaps he can ban the phrase "I don't recall" before the testimony begins.

9/11 Claims More Victims

The death toll was recently upped by one after officials determined that Felicia Dunn-Jones died as the result of the collapse of the World Trade Towers. She had been consumed by the smoke and debris that poured through the streets of Manhattan. Physically she came out of that fateful day but the damage done was internal. A few months later she died of sarcoidosis, which inflammed the heart muscle due to damaged lungs. So what does this case mean? A whole lot.

From The New York Times:

By making a formal connection between Mrs. Dunn-Jones’s death and her relatively brief exposure to the dust, the medical examiner’s decision could have a wide impact on how the city deals with the growing number of illnesses and deaths linked in some way to ground zero.

The city is already under pressure to re-examine the deaths of people like James Zadroga, 34, a New York police detective who worked at the debris pile in the months after the towers fell. Although a New Jersey pathologist who conducted an autopsy last year concluded that Detective Zadroga’s death was linked to trade center dust, city officials have not accepted that finding.

“The city medical examiner has now accepted what thousands of people with 9/11-related illnesses and their doctors have long understood: that ground zero dust was harmful and even deadly,” said Representative Carolyn B. Maloney.

I am proud to say that Carolyn Maloney is my Congresswoman. She is speaking truth that the city still refuses to accept. Many more than Dunn-Jones and Zadroga succumbed to the effects of the dust. There are countless more that are sick and possibly dying. Meanwhile the city and especially then EPA chief Christine Whitman want to deny the reality. By doing that they can escape blame for not adequately protecting the rescue workers from the toxic air.

New York City and the entire nation deserves more than this. It is time for the various responsible factions of our government stand up and take responsibility for their negligence. And if they try to avoid it, they will be pulled into the glare of the spotlight so everyone can see their callous disregard for the brave men and women that helped rescue survivors and begin to repair Lower Manhattan.

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.