VOICES is very excited to announce the launch of our newest site, VOICES 4 KIDS. This site contains artwork “by 9/11 kids” and “for 9/11 kids” as well as important resources for children and caregivers. We encourage you to share this site with your children and we welcome their contributions of artwork to add to our collection. I am sure you will find the artwork both uplifting and inspiring.

Fortunately, we have seen some progress made this week in the Dubai port security issue and the controversy surrounding funding for medical care of 9/11 Rescue Workers. However, as you are likely aware, next week's scheduled groundbreaking for the WTC Memorial Museum has sparked intense debate. We remain concerned about safety and security issues related to the decrease in entrance/exit ramps, as well as the preservation of the footprints of the building. VOICES will continue to advocate in an effort to reach a fair and respectful solution. We will continue to update you on these important issues.

With spring less than two weeks away, we look forward to the season’s change: flowers, longer daylight hours, warmer weather and an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.

As always, VOICES of September 11th is here as you need us.

Warm Regards,

VOICES is pleased to announce our new VOICES 4 KIDS website, providing artwork "for 9/11 Kids" and "by 9/11 Kids" as well as information and links for children and caregivers. VOICES 4 KIDS features beautiful paintings by students from Legacy Co-op in Seattle, Washington and artwork created by kids attending VOICES Forums in 2005. Links are provided to a variety of resources for wellness, disaster preparedness and community engagement--all developed with young people in mind. Also, a Caregiver's section developed by VOICES Director of Family Programs, Dr. Robin Goodman, provides a recommended reading list as well as advice on a variety of topics of interest to 9/11 families. We invite young people and schools to submit their artwork to post on the VOICES 4 KIDS website by email or by mailing a photograph of the art to Voices of September 11th, 93 Cherry Street, New Canaan, CT 06840. Click here to explore VOICES 4 KIDS.

VOICES OFFERS TELECONFERENCE GROUPS FOR 9/11 FAMILIES ATTENDING MOUSSAOUI TRIAL Second Group Will Take Place Wednesday, March 15th from 7pm to 8pm

VOICES has scheduled teleconference support groups for 9/11 Family Members attending the Moussaoui trial or watching the proceedings on closed-circuit television at one of five satellite locations set up at courthouses in Boston, Manhattan, Newark, Philadelphia and Long Island. The group will be facilitated by Judy Stotz, a VOICES Mental Health Professional. Those who missed last week's meeting are welcome to join in this Wednesday evening.

The second group teleconference group will take place Wednesday, March 15 from 7pm to 8pm. The group will continue to meet every Wednesday evening from 7pm to 8pm on March 22, and March 29. Additional meetings will be added upon request. All VOICES groups are free of charge, but advance registration is required by calling the VOICES office at (203) 966-3911 or toll free (866) 505-3911.

This week VOICES is pleased to spotlight the UK 9/11 Scholarships Fund, a generous program providing an exceptional educational experience for students affected by 9/11. Established jointly by the World Trade Center Disaster Fund and the British Council, the Fund gives full scholarships to children or dependants of victims of 9/11 for undergraduate or Master’s level study at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom. The scholarships cover funding for full-time study leading to a degree at in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scholarships include funding for tuition fees, accommodation, travel expenses to and from country of residence and living expenses in the United Kingdom.

There are no age restrictions for applicants for 9/11 scholarships, and there are no restrictions on mature students applying; however, you must meet the entrance requirements of the UK institution(s) you are applying to. The UK 9/11 Scholarships Fund is required under the terms of its endowment to ensure applicants demonstrate need, hardship or distress, and financial statements are required as part of the application process. Applications are now being accepted and the deadline is May 31st. Click here for the program's website, which includes eligibility requirements and the application form. The UK has many fine Universities—not just Oxford and Cambridge—offering all types of specialized and general degree programs. Click here for a map showing all UK Universities with hyperlinks to their web pages.

PROTEST SHOWS STRONG OPPOSITION TO WTC MEMORIAL DESIGN
Mayor, LMDC Say Construction Must Proceed

The WTC Memorial debate intensified this week with bold action by 9/11 family members and Rev. Bill Minson focusing a spotlight on problems with the planned design of the Memorial. Rev. Minson, who since the attacks has been a chaplain providing support for people affected by 9/11, joined Family members for a prayer service and protest at Ground Zero Tuesday. The protest cited safety concerns for the millions of visitors expected at the site and criticized the placement of the Memorial below ground level, as well as other issues. "Should we be going down in a confined, crowded space at a site that will always be a target?" said Rosaleen Tallon, who lost her firefighter brother Sean, as quoted to a New York Daily News Article.

Rev. Minson announced plans to continue a hunger strike until the LMDC accepts a 90-day moratorium on construction. He remarked on Tuesday "Some people might want to call us gripers. But they should walk a mile in the shoes of these families who have each lost something precious. To put this thing underground would be an insult to these people and an insult to the heroes who died on 9/11. We're going to have a 24-hour vigil out here until the voices on our petition are heard," he is quoted in a Staten Island Advance article.

But other stakeholders remain committed to breaking ground on the Memorial as planned by the end of March. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg weighed in on Tuesday, telling the New York Post : “You will never please everybody. I have some reservations . . . But we have to pull together and finally do something.” The LMDC has been adamant about continuing on schedule. In a letter dated March 5 to its Family Advisory Council, (PDF format) LMDC President Stefen Pryor made it clear that groundbreaking would proceed. He wrote: “We very much appreciate your continued involvement as construction begins and as we work to further fine-tune the design.” Take Back the Memorial, the 9/11 Family Group that has led the fight against the WTC Memorial as designed, called Pryor's letter "misleading" and outlined concerns about the current design in their own letter to 9/11 families released yesterday.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, presiding: "I must warn the government it is treading on delicate legal ground here, I don't know of any case where a failure to act is sufficient for the death penalty as a matter of law." Brinkema made her comments at the conclusion of the day's testimony, after the jury had left the courtroom. Quoted in the Associated Press: Moussaoui Prosecutors Get Warning From Judge (March 10)

Robert A. Spencer, Assistant U.S. Attorney and lead prosecutor: “The FBI would have put on an all-out press. Moussaoui lied and nearly 3,000 people died. ... His lies killed the Sept. 11 victims as surely as if he had been at the controls of one of those planes. The FBI would have quickly been on to all four pilots of the hijacked planes. But Moussaoui lied so his brothers could go forward. He lied and nearly 3,000 people perished." Quoted in the Los Angeles Times: Jury is Told Papers Link Plotter to 9/11 (March 7)

Edward B. MacMahon Jr., lead Moussaoui defense lawyer: "Moussaoui poses the ultimate test for our legal system. You cannot judge him to get revenge for the victims of Sept. 11, or for what happened on 9/11 or as some substitute for Osama bin Laden." Quoted in the Washington Post: Could Moussaoui Have Stopped 9/11? (March 7)

Hamilton Peterson, Son of Donald and Jean Peterson, United Flight 93: "Had Moussaoui told the truth on Aug. 15 when he was first encountered, certainly that was 20-odd days in advance of Sept. 11. We would have been on notice of just how enormous and horrific this plot was." Quoted in Canadian Broadcasting Company: Victims’ Families Urge Death Sentence for Moussaoui (March 7)

Matthew T. Sellitto, father of Matthew Sellitto, WTC: “I want him alive. I'm alive and I'm suffering. I want him to suffer, too." Quoted in The Bergen, NJ Record: Penalty Trial Offers Wisp of Justice for 9/11 Families (March 9)

Zacarias Moussaoui, Defendant, admitted al-Qaeda conspirator: “God curse America!" Quoted in the Washington Post: Reliving Tragedy In Moussaoui Trial (March 8)

Click here to read impressions from the first week of the trial by 9/11 Family Member Carol Ashley.

$75 million in Federal grants for post-Sept. 11 health aid and research was announced this week. The money is part of $125 million in Federal aid that was preserved in a yearlong tug-of-war between budget cutters and New York lawmakers after President Bush moved to rescind it. The $75 Million will be divided among the following organizations (click names to find out more):

"Restoring this funding was one of the most important things we could do for those who sacrificed everything to help others on September 11, 2001," New York Senator Hillary Clinton said in a joint press release with other members of New York’s Congressional delegation. FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said he was "grateful" for the efforts of the politicians who helped restore the funding. "It will allow us to continue to provide long-term medical monitoring and treatment to firefighters and first responders who worked tirelessly during the rescue and recovery operations at the World Trade Center," Scoppetta is quoted in the Associated Press.

On Thursday, Dubai Ports World attempted to quell the uproar about their purchase of operating rights for 6 U.S. Ports by spinning off the contracts to a “U.S. entity.” The deal was facing increasingly negative public opinion as well as staunch opposition from a bipartisan coalition of Congressional lawmakers. A statement from DP World issued Thursday stated their intention to: "transfer fully the operations of U.S. ports to a U.S. entity… in an orderly fashion” so as not to suffer "economic loss," according to coverage in The Washington Post. The identity of the U.S. entity and a timetable for the transfer have not been announced.

Earlier on Thursday, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) met with President Bush to inform him that both houses would proceed with legislation to block the takeover despite a Presidential veto threat. Congressional critics reacted skeptically to the move. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), one of its fiercest opponents, said a transfer to a U.S. company was “promising” but would require close oversight, stating that if the Dubai-owned company ultimately retained control over the port operations: “I don't think our goals would be accomplished and obviously we will need to study this agreement carefully,” according to New York Times coverage. "The Devil's in the details," Schumer added. The New York Times points out that the unraveling of the Dubai Ports deal itself will not have much affect on US port security, considered by many to be a weak link in America’s homeland defenses. “No system will ever be airtight, but there is no excuse for being as far off the mark as the United States is now when it comes to port security. If the DP World debate distracts Congress from the larger issue, it will have only decreased overall homeland security,” they write in a Friday editorial.

On Thursday, President George W. Bush signed a reauthorized version of the USA Patriot Act only hours before some controversial provisions were set to expire. Bush called the Patriot Act: "A piece of legislation that's vital to win the war on terror and to protect the American people... It will improve our nation's security while we safeguard the civil liberties of our people," in his signing ceremony statement. The legislation was reauthorized over the objections of some lawmakers and advocacy groups who say it grants too much surveillance and subpoena power to the federal government. To achieve reauthorization of the legislation, which he considers vital to the war on terror, Bush was forced to accept new curbs on the Patriot Act's powers. One new civil liberties protection for the first time says explicitly that people who receive subpoenas granted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for library, medical, computer and other records can challenge a gag order in court. But some critics say these safeguards do not go far enough. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), who led opposition to renewal, called the bill "deeply flawed" despite the changes. "Today marks, sadly, a missed opportunity to protect both the national security needs of this country and the rights and freedoms of its citizens," he is quoted in a Reuters article. According to President Bush, who has pushed hard for more expansive executive powers in the fight against terrorism said that: "the Patriot Act has accomplished exactly what it was designed to do. It has helped us detect terrorist cells, disrupt terrorist plots and save American lives" as quoted in an Associated Press article.

WTC Families For Proper Burial Court Date
A show of support is vital. Please make every effort to attend.
When: Monday, April 3rd, 2:00 pm
Location: Judge Hellerstein's Courtroom, US Courthouse, 500 Pearl St. NYC
Contact: For more information, visit WTC Families for Proper Burial