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May 20, 2005
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Memorial Day is an opportunity for us to remember those who
have given their lives in service to our country. We at Voices of September
11th would like to offer our prayers for the families of the servicemen
and women who have died serving in Iraq
and Afghanistan
along with our hopes that those stationed overseas will soon return home
safely.
Also, we are reminding all 9/11 families that May 31 is the
final deadline for Jewelry claims to be filed with the New York City
Police Department's Property Clerk Division. The goal of the Property
Clerk is to return all items lost as a result of the World Trade
Center disaster to
the rightful owner. As of now, approximately 650 pieces of jewelry are
being held. If you have not yet submitted your claim form on behalf of
yourself or a loved one, please visit their website .
All of us at VOICES wish you and your families a safe
Memorial Day Weekend.
Warm Regards,
Mary Fetchet
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has come under increasing fire in
the past week from critics, some within the government itself, who say
the bureau is wasteful, unresponsive, and failing in the job it was
created to do: keep America
safe.
A series of articles from the Washington Post
details many of the criticisms leveled at DHS recently, including
inefficient contracting, lax border control and what many groups believe
is wasteful allocation of resources to the states. Click here to read the Post's investigative
reporting about DHS, and comments on the report
from Clark Kent Ervin, former Department of Homeland Security Inspector
General.
On Wednesday, the Government Accountability Office
(GAO) issued three reports critical of DHS for not adequately inspecting cargo and containers headed for the United States
from foreign seaports, and cybersecurity lapses that
leave vital information infrastructure open to attack.
In an attempt to reform Homeland Security,
lawmakers have recently introduced two bills intended to allocate more
resources to areas considered most at risk for a terrorist attack and to
provide "faster and better funding for first responders." The
Senate bill, S.1013, has been reported out of the
Homeland Security Committee, and H.R.1544 has passed the House of
Representatives and been referred to the Senate. Please click on the
bills for more information. Both resolutions enjoy bipartisan support and
should become law soon. Keep informed on new developments about Homeland
Security on our website.
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Diane
and Kurt Horning, co-founders of WTC Families for Proper Burial and
family members from their New York Chapter have been working diligently
to make sure all remains are removed from the Fresh Kills landfill site
for a proper burial. VOICES joins them in encouraging everyone to support
a bill currently before the NY State Legislature mandating that remains
are “placed in a respectful and dignified memorial/cemetery to
be determined by the Governors of NY and NJ.”
Please read a letter from our friends at WTC
Families for Proper Burial, New York Chapter on this important issue.
Residents of New York
State should
contact their local Representative or Senator using this form to make their feelings known.
Addresses are available for the NYS Assembly
and Senate . For
more information, please read a news article from
the Staten Island Advance and a supportive editorial from
The Journal News.
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In considering the
comparisons being made between 9/11 and Pearl Harbor,
John Michelotti was struck by a troubling fact:
he, like many others, knew nothing about the individual victims of that
attack. As a result, he strongly felt that the victims of 9/11 should not
be remembered simply as numbers, but as individuals.
That belief, along with the idea that
these individuals should somehow be tied to a symbol of America,
led to the creation of the Flag of Honor and Flag of Heroes. Since then,
these flags have traveled the world over, serving as a symbol of freedom
and an enduring tribute to the victims of 9/11. We thank John, and all
those involved in the creation of the flags, for their hard work and
dedication in creating this powerful memorial. The proceeds from sales of the flags
will be used to provide a framed, canvas flag to every family of 9/11.
If you would like to purchase a poster or flag, please click
here.
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May
26, 2005
Two government programs aimed at preventing
terrorists from using cargo shipping to smuggle weapons of mass
destruction into the USA are so badly run that they may be putting the
nation at greater risk of attack, government investigators said
Wednesday... More
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May
25, 2005
More than $800 million of Sept. 11
redevelopment money will be scattered among cultural, transportation
and park projects designed to foster vibrant neighborhoods in lower
Manhattan... More
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May 23, 2005
The House has increased the
Homeland Security Department's fiscal 2006 budget to combat cyber
crimes... More
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May 23, 2005
The
race to tighten the nation's borders began just after the terror
attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Authorities learned that hijackers had lived
illegally in the country, renting apartments, taking flying lessons and
moving around freely... More
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New Group
for Fathers Announced
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This group will meet in the Voices of September 11th office
in New Canaan,
CT.
The purpose of the group is to provide a time and place for father
or stepfathers to discuss issues related to the death of their children
and/or any other topics of their choice.
There will be an initial group meeting to decide how often to meet
and other organizational details.
The group will be facilitated by Michael Crouch, L.C.S.W. who has
experience working with 9/11/01 families.
If you are interested in participating in this meeting please call
Voices of September 11th for the required registration. Our phone number is
(203) 966-3911 or toll free (866) 505 3911.
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SUBSCRIBE | UNSUBSCRIBE | CONTACT US
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE
VISIT:
www.voicesofsept11.org
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Copyright © 2005
Voices of September 11th. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission
is prohibited.
Voices of
September 11th (“VOICES”) is a nonprofit advocacy group founded
in October 2001 by Mary Fetchet after the death of her son in the 9/11
attacks. She founded VOICES to provide resources, support and information
to all those affected by the terrorist attacks. Today, VOICES has grown
into a multifaceted organization. While VOICES continues work on its
original mission, it has expanded to include public policy issues and
global collaborations. VOICES has earned a reputation as a strong and
effective advocate for effective National Security, preparedness and
response as well as a valuable facilitator of stronger international
relationships as part of its Building Bridges program.
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