Most of us will be enjoying a long weekend in honor of President’s Day on Monday. Though we will all use this holiday in different ways, it affords us a chance to continue to seek balance in our lives, as we spend time with friends, family or even personally renew by taking some time for ourselves.

This week’s e-Newsletter is full of information we hope you will find useful. VOICES is proud to have been awarded an American Red Cross grant to continue our ongoing support for all those impacted by 9/11. Our support programs are geared to address a variety of needs – including improving resiliency. Our website, an important resource for obtaining pertinent information, will evolve as we make changes to make it easier for you to navigate. VOICES Memorial section will expand as we create a page for each of your loved ones. We have been contacting families directly to obtain photographs and updated Memorial Foundation information. If you haven't been contacted, feel free to forward a photo of your loved one either by email to dwestfal@voicesofsept11.org or mail to: 93 Cherry Street, New Canaan, CT 06840.

One added reminder concerning the 5th year remembrance of 9/11. As we plan the VOICES Annual Information Forum and September 11th Commemorative Luncheon, we want your input to ensure your needs are met when planning our programs. We have heard from some families, but welcome your additional thoughts on how to use this as a “Time for Remembrance and a Time for Renewal."

As always, feel free to contact us by phone toll-free at (866) 505-3911 or by email at dwestfal@voicesofsept11.org if we can be of any assistance to you or your family.

Warm Regards,

VOICES is expanding its mental health program and seeking a full-time, master's level trained professional to add to the staff. We are currently in the process of interviewing applicants but are still accepting applications. If you or someone you know is interested, please click here for further information.

This week, VOICES is pleased to spotlight The Tribute Center, a 9/11 Family Organization dedicated to preserving the story of the WTC attacks for future visitors. The Tribute Center, a project of the September 11th Families Association, is looking to recruit new volunteers for its Walking Tour Program. Tribute volunteers lead walks of the World Trade Center site and share their personal experiences related to February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001 with visitors.

All volunteers are drawn from the September 11th Community – family members, survivors of the attacks, lower Manhattan residents and workers, rescue workers, police and firefighters. This program has brought these people together to help them heal as well as pay respects to those who died on September 11th. All Tribute Center volunteers go through a short training program that takes place over a weekend. The next weekend training program will take place on February 25th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm and February 26th from 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. For more information please contact Tribute Center Volunteer Coordinator Rachael Grygorcewicz at RachaelG@tributenyc.org or at (212) 422-3522. Please click here for more details on the Tribute Center Volunteer training program.

Jury selection for the death penalty phase of the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui continued this week in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. However, in the future it may continue without the defendant. Judge Leonie Brinkema ejected Moussaoui from her courtroom for the remainder of jury selection on Tuesday for repeatedly interrupting the court with bizarre statements against the integrity of the court and his three court-appointed lawyers, who he called a "federal lawyer," a "KKK" (Ku Klux Klan member) and a "geisha." Later Moussaoui lashed out at the Judge, claiming "You own everything -- the defense, the judge, the attack (prosecutors). I am al-Qaida. I am your sworn enemy," according to a vivid Associated Press article. When Judge Brinkema gave Moussaoui the choice to stay and behave or leave the courtroom, he chose to leave. Brinkema seemed to indicate that he would not return, and would have to watch the rest of jury selection on closed circuit TV from prison. At one point before he was ejected, Judge Brinkema told the accused 9/11 plotter: “Mr. Moussaoui, you are the biggest enemy of yourself." However, Moussaoui was back in court without explanation Wednesday, and obeyed orders from the Bench to remain silent, according to a New York Times Article.

Moussaoui Lawyers Lay Out Preliminary Defense

Despite Moussaoui’s lack of confidence in them, his defense team has continued their work on his behalf. The defense presented evidence in a closed hearing last month to support their claim that the federal government knew more about the 9/11 attacks in July and August, 2001 than Moussaoui did. According to defense lawyer Edward MacMahon, government records show that in August, 2001, officials knew Moussaoui was a “bin-Ladenite” who had traveled to Afghanistan, possibly for terrorism training, but did not act on the information by interrogating him more aggressively, as described in an Associated Press article. This statement is at odds with the 9/11 Commission Report, which states that the US government did not know about Moussaoui’s travel to an al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan until it was informed by British intelligence services on September 13, 2001. Click here for a timeline of important events in the Moussaoui investigation.

Can An Unbiased Jury Be Found For Moussaoui in Virginia?

Another Associated press article explores whether the defense and prosecution can find members of an “unbiased jury for a man who prosecutors say could have prevented the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, just a few miles from the courthouse where the trial takes place.“ To obtain the death penalty, prosecutors must prove that Moussaoui was directly involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, which he denies. They plan to do so by arguing that the government could have thwarted the attacks if Moussaoui had not lied to FBI agents about his knowledge of the plot after his August, 2001 arrest on immigration violations.

ARE YOU PLANNING TO PARTICIPATE IN, ATTEND, OR WATCH THE MOUSSAOUI TRIAL?
VOICES Would Like To Know So We Can Serve You Better

Please email VOICES to let us know if and how you plan to be involved in the upcoming penalty phase of the Zacarias Moussaoui trial. Some family members will travel to the courtroom to attend the trial or offer victim's impact statements, an important part of all death penalty trials. In addition, about 1,000 family members have told the Justice Department that they plan to watch the proceedings on closed-circuit television at one of five satellite locations set up at courthouses in Boston, Manhattan, Newark, Philadelphia and Long Island, NY, according to a recent Washington Post article.

Providing us information on your planned level of involvement in the trial will help us design mental health and support programs to better fit your needs. Thanks in advance for keeping us informed.

VOICES TO DISTRIBUTE HANDBOOK FOR FEDERAL DEATH PENALTY CASES

VOICES is distributing copies of "Victims and Survivors: Finding Your Way Through Court Proceedings in Federal Death Penalty Cases." The 80-page handbook, compiled by the Institute for Justice and Peacebuilding in Harrisonburg, Virginia, is full of information to help laypeople navigate the complicated process of a federal death penalty case. It has a step-by-step outline of trial proceedings and a helpful glossary of arcane legal terms. "Finding Your Way" is easy to read and a valuable resource for all 9/11 families as the Moussaoui penalty phase approaches. Please email VOICES or call us at (203) 966-3911 and toll-free at (866) 505-3911 to request a copy today at no cost to you.

This week a special House committee on Hurricane Katrina issued an intensely critical report entitled "A Failure of Initiative" on failures in the government's response to Hurricane Katrina. Though blame for the botched response was applied across the board, and at the Federal, state, and local levels, the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA were singled out for failing to recognize the scope of the disaster and act quickly enough to lessen its devastation. The Republican-dominated special House committee makes a chilling claim in their report released Tuesday: "The failure of initiative cost lives, prolonged suffering, and left all Americans justifiably concerned our government is no better prepared to protect its people than it was before 9/11, even if we are."

According to extensive Associated Press coverage, the report goes on to implicate President Bush for not becoming involved in the crisis earlier. It says he was not receiving guidance from a disaster specialist, who would have understood the scope of the storm's destruction and led to a more vigorous Federal effort. "Earlier presidential involvement might have resulted in a more effective response," the inquiry concluded. Chertoff also offered testimony to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Wednesday and faced tough criticism from some Senators. Committee chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine) said it was disheartening that Chertoff was "consistently behind the curve" during the response, according to a Los Angeles Times article.

Early indications that the response was flawed led to the quick resignation of Michael Brown, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), a branch of DHS. Brown later claimed he became the Administration’s scapegoat, but the hard-hitting House report seems to indicate there is plenty of blame still to go around. Lawmakers and journalists have openly speculated recently whether DHS secretary Michael Chertoff, appointed only a year ago and confirmed 98-0 by the Senate, can survive or will be forced out. "It's fair to say that Chertoff's vulnerable," said Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota, as quoted in a Los Angeles Times article. "He came in with really high expectations. He was a star. Now his halo has been diminished." However, in a recent interview on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Secretary Chertoff said, "Of course, my public trust here is really to serve the president and the public. As long as the president believes I can make a contribution, I am -- I stand ready to serve." To date, President Bush has made no indication that he seeks Chertoff's resignation.

Secretary Chertoff continues to overhaul DHS and FEMA in an attempt to fix the institutional flaws that hampered the response to Katrina. This week he announced the creation of a federal unified disaster command of the sort the department requires of state and local agencies. By last July, Chertoff said, he had recognized that "preparedness efforts we had made were not sufficient," and the components of DHS needed to find better ways to coordinate their disaster response efforts and that there was "no common operating picture" among agencies, according to a Global Security Newswire article. "Our concept of operations needs to be seamlessly built so that it operates whether we are dealing with a terrorist attack or an act of nature," Chertoff said in a speech on FEMA Reform at The National Emergency Management Association Mid-Year Conference on Monday.

Red Cross Announces Grant to VOICES -- The American Red Cross has awarded a September 11 recovery grant from its Liberty Disaster Relief Fund for the support and advocacy group VOICES of September 11th. (VOICES Press Release)

Shared pain, catharsis at conference for terrorism victims and their relatives -- Hundreds of relatives and survivors of terrorist attacks joined together Monday at an international conference on victims of terrorism in the Mediterranean port city of Valencia, Spain. (Associated Press)

Down to the Wire at Ground Zero -- Economists and lawyers working for New York City have shown why we should be concerned that Larry Silverstein, the real estate developer who held the lease to the World Trade Center, appears to have so much control over Ground Zero. (New York Times)

Judging Her Own Case -- Federal Judge Deborah Batts criticized ex-EPA boss Christie Whitman for saying it was safe to return to Downtown Manhattan after 9/11. But the New York Post editorializes that Batts may have a conflict of interest in the matter. (New York Post Editorial)

Click for a list of ongoing medical offerings for Ground Zero workers