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July 25, 2005
July 15, 2005 |
Dear Families and Friends, To date, over twenty-five VOICES members have posted their messages of good will to the families touched by the London bombings on our bulletin board. We ask all of you to join them by adding your own thoughts and feelings. We will be collecting the postings throughout the coming weeks and are currently working with British officials to find the best way to reach the families. Also, VOICES has mental health professionals available for family members or friends feeling renewed distress because of the events in London. Please contact our office at 1-866-505-3911 or 203-966-3911 to speak with a mental health professional. VOICES advocacy work continues. We were in Washington, DC again this week for a very candid panel addressing the need for important reforms in Congressional oversight of the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies charged with keeping us safe. A summary of this week’s hearing and a preview of next week’s, on the very important subject of Civil Liberties and Security, are available for you in this issue of our weekly e-Newsletter. We hope you feel our weekly e-Newsletter is a valuable addition to your inbox every Friday. We are very interested in getting feedback from our readers on what you like and don’t like about the e-Newsletter and suggestions on how VOICES can serve you better. Thanks in advance for sending your thoughts or comments to info@voicesofsept11.org. Warm Regards, Mary Fetchet
Father's Group at a New Time In an effort to make our in-person Fathers’ group more convenient, the group will now be meeting at our office on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:00 PM EST at 93 Cherry Street, New Canaan, CT. This group was formed in response to a request from several fathers to join together with others to discuss their grief and lives after 9/11. This group is open to all fathers who lost a child on September 11th. It will be meeting next on Wednesday, July 20, 2005. For those dads of victims who cannot join the in-person group, we offer a Dads’ Teleconference on Tuesdays from Noon – 1 pm EST. The next teleconference will be on July 19, 2005 and meets every other Tuesday. There is no cost, but pre-registration is required. We encourage you to call VOICES at 1-866-505-3911 for more information and to register for this and other groups.
Summary of 9/11 Public Discourse Project Panel on Congressional Reform
On Monday, July 11th, the 9/11 Public Discourse Project held its fifth public hearing in Washington, DC on the subject of Congressional Reform (transcript). The panel offered a candid assessment on the need for changes in the culture of Congress and the way the two chambers oversee our national security agencies. The panel, moderated by former 9/11 Commissioners Tim Roemer and Slade Gorton featured Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), the sitting chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and former Speaker of the House Tom Foley (D-WA). The panelists agreed that Congressional oversight of the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other new government entities is, in the words of Speaker Foley, “divided and fractioned.” The panelists agreed that although Congress has made some progress in reorganizing other branches of government by passing the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act last December, they have resisted acting on the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to reform their own oversight practices. In a Baltimore Sun Op-Ed last month, 9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton said, “ Congress is not organized to be an effective partner and watchdog in the post-9/11 era." For more information on Congessional reform, read an Op-Ed published in December 2004 by former House Speakers Tom Foley and Newt Gingrich. Although the House of Representatives and the Senate both have permanent Homeland Security Committees, these committees do not exercise full oversight over the department. The DHS was created in 2002 from 22 other government groups that were under the purview of many different Congressional committees. Representative Christopher Cox (R-CA), the first Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, who will leave Congress soon to run the Securities and Exchange Commission, worked hard to make the Committee permanent and vest it with sufficient authority. His successor will have to work even harder to defend the Committee’s oversight authority and effectively supervise the new department on behalf of the American people. Panel 6: Civil Liberties and Security On Monday, July 18th, the Public Discourse Project (PDP) will hold its sixth public panel to discuss the relationship between civil liberties and security in the post-9/11 age. This panel comes at an apt time, with the reauthorization of the Patriot Act looming over Congress, and the recent appointment of several members to a civil liberties oversight board. A July 13th article in the New York Times outlines some of the current debate over the Patriot Act. Please read a letter in support of.
Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Heads to Conference The House of Representatives passed their version of the 2006 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill on May 17. The House version devotes $31.9 billion to the Department of Homeland Security operations, from border control to transportation security and counter terrorism. The London Attacks have sparked debate in the Senate on Homeland Security funding levels, with many Senators calling for more money for rail safety and securing chemical plants. The Senate passed their version of the 2006 HS Appropriations Bill with an amendment proposed by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) that will protect funding for small states. The amendment mandates that 40% of funds be distributed to all the states, with each state receiving a minimum of .55% of the total amount. More densely populated states will receive a larger percentage of the total funds. For example, Connecticut is guaranteed .72% of the total appropriation. The remaining 60% will be distributed based on a risk assessment conducted by the Department of Homeland Security. These funds will be devoted to areas considered high risk, such as dense urban centers, ports, and critical infrastructure. Click here for a summary of the Collins Lieberman Amendment. Senator Lieberman's office prepared a press release discussing the benefits Connecticut will see because of the amendment. An alternate amendment proposed by Senators Dianne Fienstein (D-CA) and John Cornyn (R-TX) would have guaranteed only 13 percent of the funding to all the states, with the remaining 87 percent determined by risk analysis. The Fienstein-Cornyn amendment was supported by President Bush and members of the 9/11 Commission but was defeated 65-32 by a coalition of Senators from less populous states. The Senate and House will now meet in conference to decide the final bill to be sent to President Bush for approval, but the Senate has insisted that the joint bill retain the Collins-Lieberman amendment to guarantee 40% of funding for all states.
As with the Flight 93 memorial, the Pentagon memorial is progressing in a timely and respectful manner. The design for the Pentagon memorial has already been selected and construction is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2006. The memorial consists of a Memorial Park inscribed with 184 Memorial Units—one for each of the victims inside the Pentagon and on board American Airlines Flight 77. The individual memorial unit is at once a glowing light pool, a cantilevered bench and a place for the permanent inscription of each victim’s name. The park is organized as a timeline of the victims’ ages, spanning from Dana Falkenberg, 3 years old, to John D. Yamnicky, age 71. Fifty-nine memorial units face one direction, 125 face the other – thus distinguishing victims on board AA Flight 77 from those who were inside the Pentagon. When visiting a memorial dedicated to a victim who was in the Pentagon, the visitor will see their engraved name and the Pentagon in the same view. Conversely, one would see the engraved name of a victim on Flight 77 with the sky. Please visit the Pentagon Memorial website for more pictures and information. If you would like to make a donation, visit the Pentagon Memorial Fund.
Featured Memorial Event Matthew J. Burke Memorial Golf Classic When: Monday, July 25 at 12:30 pm Where: Rockville Links Golf Club, Rockville Center, NY Join together with the friends and family of Matthew J. Burke for a day of golfing to benefit a memorial scholarship fund for students of Xavier High School. Please contact Paul Burke at (845) 735-2034 for more information. Please click here to send us information on your memorial or foundation event. The information will be posted on our website and distributed in the newsletters.
Mario and Karen Canzoneri and Jake, Jessie, Mattie and Macie
Mario and Karen Canzoneri are the proud owners of four registered therapy dogs: Jake, Jessie, Mattie and Macie. For many, these four-legged therapists rekindle memories of comfort and affection in a time of despair. Since 9/11, the Canzoneri’s have frequented Ground Zero and numerous other sites with their golden retriever’s to provide comfort and companionship to the grieving families, rescue workers and volunteers. In the words of the Canzoneri's, "We will continue to help and support the family members of 9/11 for as long as we are wanted and are needed." We thank the Canzoneri’s, as well as Jake, Jessie, Mattie and Macie, for their dedication and commitment to all those in need of a smile.
July 15, 2005
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