As you know, ground breaking for the WTC Memorial is set to take place in less than two weeks. This week, a new voice, the influential National Trust for Historic Preservation, criticized how current plans will desecrate many of the remnants of the columns that once supported the towers' facades and the original foundation slabs. They stated that they are a “direct, irreplaceable and authentic link to the historic events of Sept. 11, 2001.” VOICES of September 11th remains concerned that the current memorial plans will not properly convey the authenticity of September 11, 2001. There appears to be a growing chorus asking to delay groundbreaking until these and other important issues, especially safety and security issues are adequately addressed.

We are very excited about our upcoming Building Bridges initiative – an exhibition and photo exchange project between two Connecticut high schools and a group of young female students in Afghanistan. VOICES has partnered with the UN Committee of New Canaan and the New Canaan Carriage Barn to hold a month long exhibition of the photography exhibit. As part of the exchange, students will be educated about cultural differences.

In order to prepare families for the upcoming Moussaoui trial Dr. Robin Goodman has prepared information and insights into some of the emotions that could result as the trial proceeds. Although some families plan to attend the proceedings, others will follow the trial in the media and others may simply ignore it altogether. We recognize that the trial may be another difficult time for our families. Teleconference groups are scheduled for participants, but feel free to contact our office if we can be of any help.

Warm Regards,

VOICES OFFERS TELECONFERENCE GROUPS FOR 9/11 Families Attending MOUSSAOUI TRIAL
first group will take place wednesday, march 8 from 7pm to 8pm

VOICES has scheduled special teleconference support groups for 9/11 family members in response to the penalty phase of the Zacarias Moussaoui trial. This special weekly group is open only to people traveling to the courtroom to attend the trial or those 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. 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.

The first group teleconference group will take place Wednesday, March 8 from 7pm to 8pm. The group will continue to meet every Wednesday evening from 7pm to 8pm on March 15, March 22, and March 29. Additional meetings will be added upon request.

For many, Zacarias Moussaioui has become synonymous with September 11, 2001. He is the one person in the United States who stands convicted of a crime related to the horror that occurred that day. In 2005, Moussaoui pled guilty to conspiring against the United States, a capital crime, in charges brought in response to the 9/11 attacks. Moussaoui denies that he was directly involved in the 9/11 conspiracy, but admits to being an active member of al-Qaeda and plotting to attack the White House with a hijacked plane. Government prosecutors accuse him of contributing to 9/11 by withholding information about the attacks from interrogators. The jury will decide first, if Moussaoui did contribute to the 9/11 attacks. If they find he did, they will then decide whether to apply the death penalty. Because of his earlier guilty plea, Moussaoui will at least be in a federal prison for the rest of his life.

What will happen
The penalty phase will take place in a federal courthouse in Alexandria Virginia. Jurors will be selected who will hear arguments related to the sentencing. Different individuals affected by the attacks and hijackings will testify about the impact on their lives. The proceedings are not open to the general public. However, about 1,100 family members have registered to view the proceedings via closed-circuit television at locations in Boston, Long Island, Manhattan, Newark, and Philadelphia.

How individuals will react
Over the course of the trial there will likely be a range of news reports. Once again viewers and the public will be exposed to vivid images of the day and a recounting of upsetting personal accounts. Individuals affected by 9/11 vary in their desire to be involved or even follow the proceedings. Certainly some feel that justice was served by Moussaoui’s conviction while others are committed to seeking a specific penalty. Individuals affected by 9/11 or contributing to the final outcome may also be eager to have the legal process come to a close.
Legal proceedings often stir up confusing, complicated, and painful feelings.
--Even if you have been coping well, the trial can be upsetting. The reminders of how dramatically life changed in an instant can trigger past reactions. You may be surprised by having a re-occurrence of some long forgotten feelings similar to those experienced after 9/11. You may even experience some new feelings. The emotions that get stirred up may or may not be as intense or endure.
--It would not be unusual to again feel anger about what happened and this could spill over into general feelings of irritability and to being short tempered. The anger may also be directed at Moussaoui. Some may even feel guilty for having such strong emotions.
--There is often an expectation and hope that once the penalty is decided there will be a sense of relief. Although justice may be served according to the limits of the law, those affected may not feel satisfied. The disappointment over not feeling better can cause further upset.

Managing complex feelings
In managing the complex feelings that can arise as a result of the penalty trial, it can be helpful to keep the following in mind.
--Get support. Talk to others who have been through the same experience and understand what you are going through. However, be sensitive to the other person as well; understand that not everyone feels the same way.
--Use what has helped in the past when feeling stressed or upset – for example, spending time with a caring friend, engaging in relaxing activities, seeking out spiritual resources - things that provide balance and take your mind off the sadness of the trial.
--Take a break from the trial, limit viewing and news about the trial to maintain perspective.
--Listen to your own inner voice. Give yourself permission to manage feelings and information about the trial in whatever way is best for you and your family. Other aspects of life, work commitments, social events, and leisure activities may now be more of a priority.
--Consult with a professional if feelings persist, seem worse, or interfere with doing routine activities or enjoying life. It may be time to learn new strategies for managing difficult feelings.
--Sadness and longing for someone who has died can continue throughout one’s life no matter what happens at the end of a trial. It is hoped that those affected have found some comfort from positive memories that exist among upsetting ones, have found meaning in their life, and have been able to experience moments of joy.

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. Or download a (PDF) copy directly by clicking here.

This week, VOICES is pleased to spotlight the presentation of a photo-exchange program between young women in Afghanistan and New Canaan, CT students. "ROSHAN: Light & Promise," is the premiere exhibition of photographs produced as part of a cultural exchange program between the Afghan girls and students at New Canaan High School and St. Luke’s School. Later this year, the images of life in New Canaan will travel to the province of Badakhshan, Afghanistan for display. Using simple point & shoot cameras, the first-time Afghan photographers (some of whom are pictured at left) captured the austere beauty of their homeland as well as the engaging smiles of friends and family. VOICES is proud to support this wonderful cultural exchange program and the beautiful photographs it has produced

The exhibition will open next Sunday, March 12, and continue through April 15 at Carriage Barn Arts Center's Betty Barker Gallery, located in Waveny Park in New Canaan, CT. For more information, please contact the Carriage Barn at 203-972-1895 and read an electronic invitation in Adobe .pdf.
"ROSHAN: Light & Promise" is sponsored by The New Canaan Society for the Arts and The United Nations Committee of New Canaan, and is underwritten through a grant from the Voices of September 11th Building Bridges Project.

This week, the National Trust for Historical Preservation, an influental advocacy group, called for a re-examination of the planned WTC Memorial's impact on preserving the remnants of the Twin Towers. In a strongly worded letter to the Port Authority, the National Trust claims that the planned Memorial will destroy or obscure the "tangible physical remains of the Twin Towers that are a direct, irreplaceable, and authentic link to the historic events of September 11, 2001." Click here to read the full Feb. 24 letter to the Port Authority in .pdf form. The letter also charges the Port Authority and LMDC with hiding the Memorial's real scope from the public, calling its analysis of impact on historical sites such as the tower footprints and column remnants "is disingenuous, misleading, and fundamentally inadequate."
Click here to read more on this important development.

Despite the return of winter weather, the battle over the planned 9/11 Memorial at the WTC site heated up this week. On Monday, a group of 9/11 Family members and Police, Fire and Rescue workers protested the Memorial plan at Ground Zero. Reports this week indicate that the controversy is affecting fundraising for the Memorial. Then the Port Authority was hit with a letter from the National Trust for Historic Preservation calling for a halt to construction until a new historical impact assessment is completed. Disregarding the stepped-up opposition, the LMDC and WTC Memorial Foundation plan to forge ahead with construction of the Memorial as planned this Month. This week we examine what these new voices, as well as some familiar movers and shakers are saying ON THE RECORD:

John Gallagher, LMDC spokesman: The Memorial Plan "pays homage to what exists today and also builds around it. After more than four years, we owe it to New Yorkers and the world to construct the memorial and to advance the redevelopment of lower Manhattan," quoted in the NY Daily News.

Michael J. Palladino, president of the Detectives' Endowment Association: "Those who made the ultimate sacrifice should be raised up. If you want to put people underground, go build a cemetery," as quoted in another New York Times Article.

Rosaleen Tallon, a 9/11 Family advocate who lost her Firefighter brother at the WTC: "It is all wrong in its symbolism. My brother was going up ... to save life. I look up to the sky to remember him. I will never go down," as quoted in an Associated Press article.

Steve Cassidy, Uniformed Firefighters Association President : "Firefighters and police officers must be recognized separately. Firefighters want to be recognized by their division, battalion, unit, rank and their badge number, and we will not accept anything less." According to the NY Daily News article (link above), the current plan calls for all victims' names to be listed randomly around two sunken pools that will mark where the twin towers stood. Uniformed responders will be identified only with department insignias next to their names. WTC family members have also criticized the random arrangement, saying victim's names should be organized alphabetically, by employer, or by location in the Towers.

Dr. John Howard, a veteran Federal medical bureaucrat, was appointed this week as coordinator for Federal medical services and monitoring for 9/11 rescue and recovery workers. Howard was named “Ground Zero Health Czar” at the urging of US Reps. Vito Fossella (R-NY) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), working in tandem with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt. Howard will assume control for overseeing the monitoring and treatment of those who are injured or sick from their service at Ground Zero. One of his first orders of business is to ensure that the exhaustive medical screening and monitoring program encompassing a large pool of responders and residents is operational. Dr. Howard will take on his new responsibilities while retaining his current position as Director of the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOSH), a division of HHS. “The long-term health impacts of 9/11 will remain unclear for many years, making it all the more important that we have a fully coordinated effort tracking the health and well-being of the responders. We also need to ensure that treatment is available to those who are sick or injured today as well as workers who fall ill in the future,” Rep. Fossella said in a press release announcing the appointment. Click here to read more on Dr. Howard's testimony before a House committee.

Battle lines seem to have hardened in the Dubai Ports World controversy, setting up a potential battle between President Bush and a bipartisan coalition in Congress over who sets policy on the Nation’s ports. This week DP World submitted a request to undergo the full 45-day investigation by the Council for Foreign Investment in the United States that some critics have said was required by law anyway. The move, widely seen as an effort to buy the Bush administration time to sell the deal to a skeptical Congress, has satisfied some Republican leaders, such as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. "I will recommend to the Senate that we await the outcome of [the 45-day review] before deciding on any legislative steps related to the DP World deal,” Frist said in a press statement. But Republicans are far from united. "Just because they're an ally doesn't mean we can overlook the fact that there could be an emir or a relative of an emir who is very close to al-Qaeda, who is still in the government and involved in this company," King said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "It has not been looked at," he added, as quoted in an Associated Press article. Click here to read more on the Dubai Ports transfer...

WTC Families For Proper Burial Court Date
A show of support is vital. Please make every effort to attend.
When: Monday, March 13th, 5:00 p.m.
Location: Judge Hellerstein's Courtroom, US Courthouse, 500 Pearl St. NYC
Contact: For more information, visit WTC Families for Proper Burial