New York, NY - March 28, 2007 — While most Americans have hoped that the confusion and corruption at Ground Zero would finally give way to new Twin Towers, politicians have failed to show the leadership required, according to a spokesman for the Twin Towers Alliance – www.twintowersalliance.com. “Governor Spitzer announced reluctant support for the unpopular “Freedom Tower”, but no one has told us why we’re all stuck with it. Or why, after calling it an Enron-style debacle during his campaign, he has failed to dispense Enron-style justice now that he is in power. If the Governor wants to fix a broken government, this is the battle he should fight first. This is the one the whole world would notice.”

The Twin Towers Alliance, a grassroots organization, rallying under the banner “What the People Want – What New York Needs – What America Deserves”, has announced an accelerated effort to “bring our leaders to their senses and prevent a needless and terrible mistake from being made.” Margaret Donovan, the group’s director, promised that the TTA is “pulling out all the stops in an effort to hold our state, local, and federal officials accountable for what rises from the ashes of the World Trade Center.”

She added, “We have awakened to the fact that the justness of our cause is not enough to counter the powerful interests who covet the World Trade Center. Our focus will be on fundraising and advertising because in a match of ideas we can win hearts and minds. They cannot. There are vast amounts of money available to those who oppose us. If we are finally able to overcome their scheming, it will only be by attracting the resources we need to broadcast the truth and expose the lies.

“That’s our strategy, pure and simple. But it is sad that we should have to fight this fight at all. The terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 loathed our democratic way of life and hoped to bring it down. And in the aftermath, our own officials and civic leaders have paid only lip service to the will of the people, while climbing into the pockets of special interests.”

The group revealed that it has formed “People United to Rebuild the Twin Towers Incorporated,” a New York State non-profit corporation, as the fundraising arm of the TTA. They intend to overcome the lack of media interest in reporting their efforts by advertising directly to the public. “Once people see that there is still hope of rebuilding the real World Trade Center they will respond and, as the Presidential season heats up, it is inevitable that this issue will gain prominence. The Empire State Building went up in fourteen months – less than the time from now to the next election – and if given the attention this matter deserves, we can get a bad situation turned around in no time.”

Their efforts coincide with Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s appearance before a Congressional Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on March 21, seeking more federal help. “After all, 9/11 wasn’t just a strike against New York – or Washington,” he said. “It was an attack against all of America. It was an act of war, and our government has a clear responsibility to the casualties of that terrible morning.”

Donovan, speaking for the TTA, welcomed the acknowledgment that all America is involved. “When Mayor Bloomberg refers to government obligations, he is referring to the American people. We fund the government. So while strongly agreeing that we should support those who were on the front lines, we think that the officials of our government have just as clear a responsibility to finally acknowledge and respect most Americans’ desire to put the Twin Towers back where they belong. That part of the equation is never considered. Let’s have the public discussion that never took place.

“Tens of billions of taxpayer dollars enabled New York to recover. And that, coupled with our enormous emotional investment, makes the people of America the majority stakeholder in what gets built at Ground Zero. But you would be hard-pressed to find the popular will, the people’s choice, even mentioned in the records of the official process or in the media that we rely upon to be our watchdogs. They all let us down at Ground Zero. It is alarming how this has been handled – without any true oversight or conscience.

“But it’s not too late. A lack of political courage created the problem and a show of political courage can solve it. The only reason that the Twin Towers are not already standing, as they could have been and should have been, is that money talked and drowned out our voices. Every public official is either underwriting the problem, by default, or the solution. This transcends politics and we wish, for once, that our officials would do the same.

“‘Excelsior!’ is the motto of New York. It means ‘Higher!’ It means raising your eyes up to the summit and refusing to give up until you get there. Everyone knows that that spirit is a big part of the magic of New York City – or used to be. People are fed up with politicians who are always lowering our expectations to their level. This is the defining issue of our time – we can reclaim that spirit and vote to rebuild. It’s about time we showed the world that in America money and power can still be trumped by what is in the hearts of her people.”