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IT’S JUST A MATTER OF TIME
An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not the invasion of ideas. – Victor Hugo
When someone dies it is impossible to bring them back to life, but we are given a unique opportunity to do just that in this case; bring the Twin Towers back to life instead of being haunted by their absence. — Matt Franzblau | All Other NY & NJ Residents
The Twin Towers Alliance is on Twitter
When we post a new page or a bulletin below, we will often post an alert there.
The Twin Towers Alliance does not have an official Facebook page,
but supporters are running a couple of unofficial sites…
This is EVERYONE’S FIGHT and it CAN BE WON. Please give what you can, using a PayPal account or by credit card — no PayPal account required.
3/17/10 — Happy Fourth Birthday, Twin Towers Alliance… There was a very simple reason for choosing March 17th to launch the Twin Towers Alliance: Legend has it that St. Patrick chased all the snakes from Ireland — so there could not be a more perfect patron for an organization that is dedicated to clearing Ground Hero of the twisted priorities and false promises that have created such an unholy mess.
The reason we started the TTA, almost five years after 9/11, was because everyone we knew said that everyone they knew couldn’t understand why the Twin Towers weren’t being built, as most of us wanted. So we thought that if we created a vessel for supporters to leave a comment with their signature, we could start to change officials’ minds and hearts. That was naive. We learned that what most of us want is irrelevant to those we have entrusted with our country, and nowhere is that more apparent than in that colossal broken promise in Lower Manhattan. Far from wanting to know what we think, they have done their best to make our cause look farfetched. While researching the Freedom of Information Act appeal we are preparing for the Port Authority, we Googled the term “Twin Towers” today to help illustrate our “standing” as representatives of the “public” everyone claims to listen to, but never quite hears. We found that out of 2,890,000 search results, the TTA was at the top of the list. The results are dynamic and shift from day to day, but those were impressive results.
That position represents at least 15,000 hours of work. It is a great honor to be part of this labor of love. The situation is now certainly reaching a climax. The TTA letter to the Attorney General is just the beginning of making the case for how badly officials have failed us. The appeal of the Port Authority’s decision to keep us from seeing the “Master Development Agreement,” which is the basis for the current arbitration, along with a final submission to the Arbitration Panel, are still being formulated and have to be completed before we can properly finalize “Let It Begin Here,” our report on the current status and future options for the World Trade Center. It has been a long time coming, because the situation is so dynamic and keeps evolving, but we’re really close and it will be worth the wait.
We found the new Winston Churchill quote at the top of the home page in a very perceptive op-ed in the New York Observer by a student of antropology at Yale. It’s title, “Twin Towers,” refers to the comparison it makes between the Burj Khalifa and the “Freedom Tower.” Her conclusion was that, because we shape our buildings and then they shape us, “it is time to open up the dialogue again, and this time, maybe my generation should be included.”
If officials can’t read the writing on the wall, if they are so married to their pet failures that they would rather do the wrong thing than admit a mistake, in this of all places, then they are snakes whether they will admit it or not. If they cannot be trusted with sixteen acres, then they are unfit for office. Thank you to our supporters for believing that citizens can and must “fight City Hall” when officials put their own prerogatives before the public good.
3/16/10 — Making it Better… Two thousand names were suggested for the fabulous restaurant at the top of the world before the winner that was based on the Bacharach/David song The Windows of the World was chosen. Click on the image at the bottom of the To The Rescue page to hear the beautiful Dionne Warwick version of the song. It should let you hear the whole song through once or twice – but at some point will restrict it to a 30 second play. It is well worth hearing all the way through, so buy it from whatever music service you may use. It is incredibly moving to look back on how perfectly the words captured the Towers’ twin muses. They were, at the same time, glorious temples to the worldly can-do spirit and, from the very beginning, soaring shrines dedicated to a better world. In the shadow of 9/11, the song is particular poignant and wistful. But when the Towers are shining again, we will be well on our way to making our world better — much better.
3/14/10 — Walking the Talk… This is by far the most promising time for our cause since the struggle began. We expect to post a number of significant updates on the “Latest Developments” page in the coming days. We ask our supporters to hold off on the phone calls at this extremely challenging time. As always, we welcome your emails, but will not be able to respond for the immediate future.
We will be sending out a broadcast this week asking everyone who thinks of themselves as a supporter of rebuilding the Twin Towers to contribute to the battle by donating whatever they can manage — many for the first time. There is so much going on and it is an opportunity to be part of something great. We have rarely asked, which makes the current appeal all the more credible. We need YOUR help now and are offering a choice of three full-size TTA posters on our Cafe Press site for a $100 donation. Those who have not been to that site before will find some terrific bumper stickers and other items designed by our talented and devoted graphics guru, Fard Muhammad. Or, to make any size donation without a purchase, click on the “Whose Country Is It?” banner above.
Two opinions that appeared this week in North Jersey’s The Record show how clearly the battle lines are drawn between the Port Authority and Silverstein Properties…
The first one noted that:
“The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is not a bank. It is not a commercial real estate corporation. Its core mission is transportation. And if it could, the smartest thing it should transport would be developer Larry Silverstein away from the former World Trade Center site.”
The second one pointed out:
“The problem here is that Silverstein doesn’t own the land at Ground Zero. He’s a renter who agreed to a long-term lease with the Port Authority to rent the Trade Center’s twin towers. That Silverstein signed this rental agreement only days before hijacked commercial jetliners smashed into those towers and knocked them down makes him something of a tragic figure.
“But Silverstein, who turns 79 in May, has managed to turn his victimhood into a cause for bullying. And now he has actually managed to place himself in the position of demanding to control what is actually built on land where he merely rented a building. Preposterous notion.
“Think of a homeowner renting to a tenant – and then being told that the tenant wants to control how to rebuild after the home is gutted by fire. That’s how ridiculous Silverstein’s position has become. How did he manage to stay in charge of such an important landscape?”
But the Port Authority is not the white knight here. They can hardly claim to be the voice of fiscal reason while they are prepared to sink $4 billion and counting into a transit “hub” that served its purpose efficiently and effectively when it was just a lowly PATH station underneath the Twin Towers.
They are all self-serving, scoundrels with delusions of grandeur and no sense of shame. It is becoming more apparent all the time that the inmates are running the asylum and yet, respectable and thoughtful people are giving them and their pitiful plan credence, while acting as if the idea of rebuilding the Twin Towers is far-fetched. Those who are content to let this scene of so much sacrifice, and a landmark in every sense of the word, that was once the epitome of confidence and idealism, become the scene of ever more diminished expectations have a lot to answer for.
Meanwhile, it was no surprise that the Senators who could actually have brought all the madness to a quick end by calling for a cost/benefit analysis, reauthorized the Liberty Zone program without the rider we urged them to attach. What possible excuse can there be for failing to make such a straightforward call? There is only one: They have no sense of responsibility to the people who pay their salaries, and benefits, and pensions — and they have a distorted sense of responsibility instead to those who sold us all out at Ground Zero.
We will accomplish our goal without their help, but they lost a golden opportunity to distinguish themselves by putting the country first at Ground Hero.
3/3/10 — Here Comes the Sun… The Port Authority refused our Freedom of Information request to see the 2006 “Master Development Agreement,” which is the basis for the current project. They said it “would impair present or future negotiations.” That’s for sure!
It is easy to imagine the look on Mike Wallace’s face, if he were still on “60 Minutes,” pointing out to Christopher Ward that if letting the public in on the terms of an agreement that is sucking up billions of public dollars with very little to show for it could “impair” negotiations, then it’s a very good bet those negotiations are not promoting the public’s best interests. Maybe the Attorney General will finally recognize that the public is getting bashed at the WTC.
Meanwhile, we came within a couple of days of having the booklet ready for the printer, but had to change tracks again because of all the intensive follow-up on the 2/21 segment of “60 Minutes” and our Senate initiative. The Twin Towers Alliance will turn four-years-old on the 17th of March and that is our new target date for the mailing to Washington. The good news is that, with every delay, our case on paper becomes stronger.
2/20/10 — Grabbing Power… We are in the final stages of getting our book to the printer this week. It has been a great lesson in the benefits of patiently letting things develop, instead of trying to force the issue. Aside from the comments and some of the images, the contents are completely different than they would have been even a month or two ago. The way the various aspects of the current situation are coming together is quite amazing…
Larry Silverstein will go on “60 Minutes” tomorrow and make some version of the current plan seem inevitable, but we think that the only thing inevitable about it is that it will fail. How soon is what is still unclear — but it’s getting close. Now that Mr. Silverstein has decided to postpone/cancel one of the towers — the one that everyone liked the best, how can they pretend that they are building a “center,” when the skyline will now just be some motley towers with a gap in the middle. This is just one more step towards destroying the World Trade Center. With the address of two or three towers on “Greenwich Street” and no symmetry at all to the overall plan, how does it qualify as a center? Where did the center go?
The papers are full of Mayor Bloomberg’s irresponsible assault in the Port Authority for resisting calls to plow more public money into the Silverstein Towers, but as long as the PA plans to build a ridiculously grandiose $4 billion transit “hub”/shrine to the Port Authority, they can hardly claim the mantle of defender of the public purse. Our book is going to tie it all up with a big bow and send it to the WTC arbitrators, the media and the Congress — we’ll post it online as well — and if they then fail to acknowledge the real issues, we won’t need a thermometer to tell us this country is cooked. But we expect that even those who would rather keep ignoring the substance of our concerns are going to have to address them.
What apologists for the current agenda fail to understand is that while we loved the pre-9/11 New York, there is no way we would sink years of our lives into trying to rebuild just buildings. If a poll were to establish that the American people prefer the official plan to new Twin Towers, all of us, Ken Gardner included, would be satisfied and not feel that we had wasted our efforts. But knowing that this is the ultimate power grab is what we find impossible to accept. Tomorrow, we will post and tweet the statement we sent to “60 Minutes.”
2/3/10 — The World Trade Center Phoenix… Ken Gardner has been updating the “Twin Towers II” website and it looks sensational. He is working the original name back in to the official identity. “World Trade Center Phoenix” is imprinted on all the original Belton-Gardner plans going back to 2003. “Twin Towers II” is the popular name of the project, perhaps first used in print by New York Times architecture crtic Herbert Muschamp in 2004.
The new site is still being finalized, and there are enhancements to the Towers’ design that are not reflected in some of the images, but it is convincing proof that the rightful heir to “Twin Towers I” is “Twin Towers II.”
2/2/10 — The Foundation of a Dream… The goal of the Twin Towers Alliance has always been twofold: To see the Twin Towers back where they belong and to show how instrumental the role of citizen is in the destiny of our nation. We, therefore, formed The Twin Towers Alliance Foundation, a Delaware Not-For-Profit Corporation, at the end of January 2010, to advance those twin missions.
People United To Rebuild The Twin Towers, Incorporated, our New York State non-profit, is being retired. It was an important step in the right direction, but a foundation is, by definition, something to build upon and, through our Delaware Non-Profit, we are well-prepared to promote the practice of muscular, engaged, citizenship.
1/27/10 — The Force IS With Us… News that arbitrators ruled against Silverstein Properties is the best possible outcome for those who still hope to see new Twin Towers rise.
Now, if the two sides really want to take the arbitrators’ instructions seriously — to work out a new plan to finish the WTC project quickly — then the plan that costs half as much and could be built twice as quickly would probably be the best bet. Since it is a rare bureaucrat who can think outside the box, it seems unlikely that the Port Authority will step off its conveyor belt. But if Mr. Silverstein is as savvy a businessman as they say, how can he fail to see the chance to change the dynamic at the WTC and become a world-class hero overnight?
The fastest way for him to regain his 10,000,000 square feet of space is to build the Twin Towers. It could be done for the money that is already budgeted because of the economy of construction, before building costs escalate further due to the delays. They would feature all the architectural bells and whistles that the Freedom Tower can offer and then some.
They would attract high-value tenants, instead of being stuffed with government offices, as is currently planned. And the Silverstein buildings, which are an eyesore at Ground Zero, would be an attractive addition elsewhere in the city. If he is his own man, he can’t fail to recognize the opportunity. If he is under Bloomberg’s thumb, then that’s another story.
Those who seriously think that we are stuck with a consolation prize at the World Trade Center need to remember that New York is in the middle of tearing down its second stadium in two years, just because the teams wanted better ballparks. Well, the people want a better World Trade Center, so if it means tearing down what never should have been built, whose fault is that? If we wanted to cap off what’s there we could do that too, but there is nothing special about a concrete bunker that needs a veneer of glass to hide the reality that it is cold and blank.
People who are making believe we are too far gone to change course are engaging in wishful thinking. One would think we were advocating moving Mt. Rushmore. Correcting a bad mistake before it gets worse is something we never seem to do anymore, but this is the perfect place to start. It would only involve taking down the above ground work. There is nothing below ground that would interfere with building the Twin Towers. We have that assurance from not only Ken Gardner, but also from unimpeachable experts in the field. The same applies to all the work that has gone into the 9/11 Museum, which is independent of the morbid memorial.
Those who think it’s all over at Ground Zero can be forgiven for their lack of faith in the rightness of this cause, and their lack of vision to see beyond the obvious. They aren’t taking into consideration how quickly things can change. We expect things will change, because there is no logic to what is being built, except the logic of money and power, which only goes so far. It’s like those experiments in science class where a drop of the right additive into the beaker suddenly cleaned up a murky mess.
At best, if the Port Authority and Silverstein come to an agreement on how to build the four towers, it will include massive amounts of public financing. If not, we will have a Trade Center with stumps instead of towers. Either one would be a travesty under the circumstances. It would be the height of irresponsibility for the Senators to miss the present opportunity to tie the reauthorization of the Liberty Bonds to a long overdue cost/benefit analysis.
When the current, incoherent plan is compared to a project that is not only ready to go, but would save time and money, respect the will of the people, and remove the terrorists bragging rights for having changed our skyline, it will just be a matter of time before common sense finally kicks in. Then, people will come from around the world to applaud.
1/27/10 — On Second Thought… Our recent decision to substitute Ground Hero for Ground Zero was a little too sweeping. It sends an important message, but there are times when it would be viewed as contrived and counter-productive. So we will definitely use it whenever we think it will help to raise conciousness — but not when we think it undercuts our objective.
1/17/10 — And the Band Played On… The “Restoration Alternative” was the manipulative name officials gave to the option of rebuilding the Twin Towers — no doubt trying to suggest that new Twin Towers would just be the old Twin Towers. — in other words, like just rebuilding the old Yankee Stadium all over again. Of course, the true Restoration Alternative would restore the skyline, not 40-year-old buildings.
Even though they made sure that no real Twin Towers made it into their “competition”, when it boiled down to two semi-finalists, the public chose “neither,” but the twin-towered THINK design received a higher percentage of popular approval than the Libeskind design and also was the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s choice.
But, as Gov. Pataki explained last year on national TV, he and Mayor Bloomberg thought it was “just terrible.” So the real winner (according to the accepted usage of the word) was the closest any of the “innovative designs” came to twin towers and, just as the elements of the Libeskind design went through significant redesigns, the THINK plan redesigns might have brought us much closer to reclaiming what we lost. But, so what? The “democratic process” got trashed and Libeskind it was. And the press played along — and is still playing. There is plenty of shame to go around.
1/16/10 — A World-Class Blunder… The Science Network announcement that Steven Spielberg “will join forces with the network, DreamWorks Television and KPI Productions to create the definitive documentary series about the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site in New York City,” was spectacularly good news.
There is no way to “create the definitive documentary” and leave out the sordid history that spawned the current project. Nicole Gelinas wrote in “World Trade Sellouts” in 2004 in the New York Post, “Osama bin Laden gave the order to destroy the World Trade Center — but Gov. Pataki & Co. are paying for the funeral.” In other words, they were accessories-after-the-fact of outright grand larceny. Two 110-story landmarks were stolen and then, when they could have returned the stolen property to its rightful owners, officials buried it instead.
They “listened to the City” and when they didn’t like what they heard, they started lying and never stopped. So seven wasted years later we are in a position where Larry Silverstein, the man who signed a contract in July, 2001, agreeing to rebuild the Twin Towers if they were ever destroyed, is poised to sue the Port Authority for $2.5 billion for fraud. After reimbursing himself and his backers for their initial investment, and using the insurance proceeds to pay the ground rent and finance his architects, Mr. Silverstein is enjoying a free ride.
Collecting an entire year’s worth of rent in penalties from the Port Authority seems to have given him a taste for easy money. Mr. Silverstein forgets whose money it is that the Port Authority is holding — whose pocket he is in fact picking. But then, the Port Authority forgets whose money it is too, or they wouldn’t be wasting it on a $4 billion dollar transit “hub”.
The iconic DreamWorks logo of a boy with a fishing pole in his hands and a leg dangling off the edge of the moon is the absolute antithesis of the corrupt, arrogant process that produced the current project. The struggle for the Twin Towers is the ultimate David and Goliath match up. Those who imagine they can tell the story, while leaving out the truly inspiring part, are deluded. Just because they move in the same circles and attend the same parties, it is insulting to a man of Mr. Spielberg’s stature to assume he could be used to present a “definitive” history that is anything but. We can think of some other big name producers/directors who could be used as propagandists, but Mr. Spielberg is most certainly not one of them.
It is common to hear people from all walks of life say they don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to rebuild the Twin Towers. We are often asked how a “no-brainer” like rebuilding the Twin Towers could have been so mishandled. Watching any documentary on the World Trade Center provides a big part of the answer, because there is not a word about the popular support for rebuilding the Twin Towers that has been evident from Day One. We don’t think Steven Spielberg would ever be part of something so downright creepy.
There is still one person with more power than Mr. Bloomberg — any citizen who stands on principle with the full backing of the US Constitution to defend it. In fact, isn’t that Mr. Spielberg’s kind of story?
1/16/10 — The Smell Test… It certainly is curious that men like Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Silverstein, who know that terrorist targets in Israel are always quickly rehabilitated back to their pre-target state — as the best relief for the victims and the best demoralizer for the victimizers — would work to deprive their country of the same relief. Why the double standard? Why are they going along with towers and a memorial that do just the opposite, making the physical proof of the attacks permanent and giving our enemies the most gigantic terrorist trophy the world has ever seen? ? It doesn’t compute — it boggles the mind.
Why would officials be so hostile to the natural desire of their own countrymen to apply that same simple standard, knowing what an effective deterrent it is in Israel against the very same enemy? Especially when the possibility of restoring the skyline to its world-famous profile is so much more popular, economical, buildable, and ultimately rewarding for all concerned? Why would they seek to marginalize and defame those who object? Whose side are they on, anyway?
Instead of making the footprints a trophy, the “Twin Towers II” memorial — in conjunction with the World Memorial, both of which have much more support than the official “Reflecting Absence” among 9/11 Families — does not build on the footprints, but neither does it glorify them and make them the focus of the remembrance.
Preserving and fixating on the footprints is an obscene gesture of recognition of the attackers “success’ that the Israelis would find outrageous and offensive. Again: Why the double standard? Because George Pataki’s ill-advised pledge not to build on the footprints following the attacks perverted the whole memorial and the site. Bin Laden and his culture of death are the ultimate in morbid.That is no way to remember the beautiful, sparkling people who loved life and were so loved. But it’s not too late…
1/13/10 — Ground Hero… A ”Google Alert” recently drew our attention to a thread on hannity.com that mentioned the Twin Towers Alliance. We have avoided taking part in online political discussions because this is such a bipartisan issue, but did get involved with this one when someone commented that the WTC is a gravesite and should have nothing more than a memorial. It’s not a long thread, for those who want to read it. It was the inspiration for deciding to use Ground Hero instead of Ground Zero, as we explain in “Duty Calls”.
1/12/10 — For the Record… We got our first video on the Facebook page, by dedicated supporter Travis Dixon. The platform is simple and works well. In addition to uploading existing videos, it is possible to make a video on the spot using a webcam. Please announce your name and give background info on who you are and where you live. And then just tell the President what you want him to know about rebuilding the Twin Towers.
Travis also posted an equation on the site that puts the so-called progress in perspective: 8 years, 5 floors — 2 months, 0 floors(deconstruction) — 2 years, 2 towers… When people ask us if we seriously think they are going to tear down what they have started we tell them “of course we do.” It’s done all the time with much more established properties. Why would anyone consider tearing down Yankee Stadium or Shea, why do whole hotels in Las Vegas disappear? Because they do not make economic sense. And if there ever was a project that lives up to that criteria, the bogus World Trade Center is it. After all the willful, reckless, and dishonest mistakes our country is trying to recover from, this is one mistake we do not have to make. It will be far more costly in every way to continue with a clear loser than to just face facts and get building the World Trade Center everyone wants to see.
1/11/10 — A Good Bet… The Worldwide Coalition to Rebuild the Twin Towers now has a Facebook page. The purpose of the new site and the new page is to literally give supporters of rebuilding the Twin Towers not just a voice, but also a face. As soon as we have finalized the process for uploading videos we will ask everyone to actively invite their networks to get involved. This all comes at an ideal moment as our request to the Senate Finance Committee to attach a rider to the reauthorization of the Liberty Zone program is waiting for Congress to reconvene at the end of the month. As soon as the healthcare legislation is resolved, Senators will turn their attention to H.R. 4213, which includes the Liberty Zone reauthorization.
The proceeds of the Silverstein Liberty Bonds are being held in escrow. We think there is a good chance that some Senator is going to recognize that the request for a cost-benefit analysis is, without question, reasonable and that to proceed without it would be, without question, irresponsible — since, it is safe to say, the current project would flunk with flying colors. We hope to include some individuals’ videos with the collection of website comments we have been waiting to send to Washington. We held back on the comments and DVD we planned to send in December because, with the healthcare debate sucking up all the oxygen, it would have been a big waste. We think that our coordinated petition to redress the abuse of power that has so deformed the World Trade Center will be a real challenge to the current dysfunctional plan and that our dark horse has a real chance to win this race. We know what we’re up against, but still think we can beat the odds. And sooner or later, we believe we will.
1/10/10 — The Hole in Our Hearts… One of the most devoted advocates of rebuilding the real World Trade Center, Robert Martin a/k/a Bobby Shred, whose dynamic webpage is a great tribute to the fabulous Twin Towers recently passed on of a chronic heart ailment. It is easy to see from his site how he could have worn out his heart at only 51 years old, because he was so intensely alive. Thank you, Bobby Shred, for sharing your passion. As you say on your site, the Freedom Tower “is not the appropriate structure to fill in the hole in the ground, the hole in the sky, or the hole in our hearts.” Rest in Peace, Bobby Shred.
1/1/10 — The Surest Way to a Better World… We will be adding information to the site throughout the weekend, but for today, we want to link to a new initiative that will become clearer in the near future: The Worldwide Coalition to Rebuild the Twin Towers
12/31/09 — Countdown to a Happy New Year… Happy New Year’s Eve to all the Twin Towers’ supporters! We think we have a lot to look forward to in the year ahead and we will explain why over the weekend. We will post a recap of what we’ve gained and where we are headed in 2010.
Meanwhile, the recent comments have been particularly powerful, but the one that was left today by John Winkler | All Other Americans is a real high note to end a challenging year:
I think that rebuilding the Twin Towers is by far the most satisfying dedication to the memory of what really happened on 9/11 and offers the most vivid proof of American values and spirit of perserverance in the face of great challenge. The message of “When you try to destroy America we will just rebuild stronger and better” is stongly evoked by rebuilding the Twin Towers. This is EXACTLY what Americans want and need to say in the face of our enemies. DO THE RIGHT THING!
Best wishes to all for a year of peace and prosperity!
12/5/09 — Government Accountability 101… There will be a link on the Home page before the end of the weekend to our report on the December 3rd Liberty Bonds hearing. In addition to our own statements, Louis Epstein of the World Trade Center Restoration Movement (a modern-day John Brown if ever there was one) spoke with his accustomed fervor and clarity. Devoted supporter Tal Barzilai also made, as usual, some very perceptive remarks.
In the emails prior to the proceedings, we were assured by the gentleman at the Empire State Development Corp. who led the hearing, that “if there is ’substantive negative testimony’ presented at the Hearing regarding the project, the Directors of the LDC will be given a summary of the testimony as well as copies of any written materials presented by the Public at the Hearing, and then weigh all of the testimony and vote again on the project.” We have already requested the minutes of the original Board meeting and will be looking into when the second vote will take place.
The transcript of the hearing is packed with “substantive negative testimony” — and transcripts of our statements will be going to Congress on Monday, prior to their vote to extend the Liberty Bond program. We have been in touch with a number of key legislative aides and are confident that we have their attention. We support the extension as much as any other New Yorker, but the time for rubber-stamping a failed project is over.
12/4/09 — A Slip of the HEART… President Obama kicked off his “Main Street Tour” today with a visit to Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. The following text is taken from the sixth paragraph of the President’s speech that was released by the White House and appeared on the New York Times’ website:
I just came from Allentown Metal Works, where I had a chance to visit with workers there. And they were working hard — not just to forge the heavy machinery that makes this country run. In fact, one of their projects is actually related to the rebuilding of the World Trade Center and the Twin Towers down there. So you could just tell the extraordinary pride that the workers take in this project.
Coming from another official, the statement could be seen as a mere slip of the tongue, but telling none the less. But when it comes from as gifted a politican as Barack Obama — which even his detractors will admit that he is — then it is a profoundly reliable reading of the national pulse. He was channeling the whole country when he made the natural linkage between the World Trade Center and the Twin Towers. We think it is the beginning of a sea change at Ground Zero.
The reference he made to the extraordinary pride the workers take in the project is particularly timely. When we appeared at the Liberty Bonds hearing last night in Lower Manhattan, one thing we pointedly included in our remarks is that the workers who are now engaged in raising the so-called Freedom Tower will whistle while they work when it comes time to tear down the steel to make way for the Twin Towers — there’s no doubt about it.
Of course all who are involved with rebuilding the World Trade Center are proud to be helping our nation recover. But anyone who really thinks that the builders who offered after 9/11 to work without pay for the privilege of putting the Twin Towers back in the skyline would actually choose the current project over “Twin Towers II” is seriously out of touch.
If the press were doing its job, this would be over before New Year’s. But we believe that the trend is in favor of this cause no matter what. We expect that the President and other key officials will find the book of comments we are preparing to send to Washington compelling. It will include transcripts of our remarks at the hearing, which are irrefuable calls to correct course. All in all, today’s slip of the heart by the man at the wheel is a very good sign…
11/29/09 — We, the undersigned… Our petition is a vehicle for people who share a goal. We are occasionally obliged to remove a comment, if it is not in support of the petition. It has only been necessary a few times, and in that case we have contacted the individuals to respectfully expalin that the Twin Towers Alliance is not a bulletin board. It isn’t that we are intolerant, but there are plenty of appropriate places to express opposing points of view and the TTA petition is not one of them.
The following comment that was left on the petition presents a different sort of problem. It agrees that the skyline should be restored, which is the central premise of the petition, but it goes on to advocate hollow buildings, which would never inspire our people or dishearten our enemies: “I believe that a possible solution to bring back the appearance of the NY skyline to the way it was before the Twin Towers were destroyed, would be to build a set of memorial structures the exact same dimensions/location as the original towers once stood. They would be 2 steel shells that would resemble the Twin Towers from a distance. The hollow cage like structures could have long external vertical steel beams with interior horizontal support beams. These structures could also be illuminated.”
We really appreciate the spirit behind the suggestion and it gives us the opportunity to address the idea that the skyline is not being restored for structural reasons. In fact, nothing could be more feasible, more economical, or more respectful than fully occupied Twin Towers, at least as tall as those destroyed by our enemies. Furthermore, they could be protected and would attract people to vist, work, or live in them who would have no interest at all in visiting, working in, or inhabiting the mongrel development that is planned. There is ONLY ONE REASON why the Twin Towers are not standing now and it is merely political. The situation is completely perception-based and could change overnight, when it becomes widely known that the current project is being built on a foundation of lies.
11/16/09 — Just the Facts… The Twin Towers Alliance wishes to publicly accept the resignation of Team Twin Towers President Randy Warner from our non-profit corporation People United To Rebuild The Twin Towers. Randy was invited to join the Board of Directors as a gesture of recognition for his efforts in the years immediately following 9/11. But a substantial difference of opinion regarding rebuilding policy led us over a year ago to ask to have our names removed from the TTT website and for his resignation from our Board.
For reasons that were never clear, our names remained on the TTT site until the end of August, but Warner’s resignation never materialized. And then last week, a shockingly libelous public resignation was gratuitously delivered through a TTT Excelsior, requiring this notice.
We trust that the level of professionalism and commitment we have exhibited year after year speaks for itself. Our only concern has been to see the Twin Towers rebuilt. Out of respect for a mission that means so much to so many, we are not going to get sidetracked in an unseemly quarrel. While we hope that the TTT site will remain online for the historical perspective it offers, we want it to be clear that we are in no way associated with that organization.
11/6/09 — It’s Just A Matter of Time… The Internet’s proliferation of information often obscures real knowledge. A good example of that is a poll and thread that have been posted on Skyscrapercity.com since the summer of 2006, but that we only discovered today!
The poll asks respondents to choose between “Twin Towers II” and the “Freedom Tower,” with “Twin Towers II” preferred by a margin of 2:1. The results are notable because skyscrapercity.com is for the most part enemy territory, where “Twin Towers II” supporters regularly get put down by opinionated “forumers”.
So, a poll that is definitely not tilted in our favor confirms what all the other polls have shown: Most people think that the natural and desirable response to 9/11 is to rebuild the Towers.
That’s no surprise. We think that there is a convergence coming that will repudiate the current failed and increasingly indefensible course and lead to a national insistence on putting the Twin Towers back where they belong. Our reasons will be posted over the weekend.
Now that the Yankees are champions for the first time since 2000, maybe New Yorkers’ luck is starting to turn. One thing is for sure — the tickertape parade today would pale in comparison to the celebration that would take place if people got the chance to welcome the Twin Towers back. Anyone who doubts that is in serious denial.
Skyscraping isn’t about how a building looks as much as how it makes you feel. If it makes your heart soar, it is a true skyscraper – otherwise, it’s just a tall building.
10/19/09 — Facebook Facts… There are a couple of “Twin Towers Alliance” Facebook pages that have been started by supporters. While they are not officially connected to the Twin Towers Alliance, anything that makes people more aware of the campaign to rebuild the Twin Towers is worthy of support. The reason we stress that it is not official is because we can’t monitor and vouch for what is said.
Supporters recently brought to our attention some really wild rumors that have been circulating on Facebook. We don’t have time to educate ourselves on what is happening there, but Ken Gardner, Richard Hughes and I leave it up to those who know how committed we are to this struggle to treat rumors the way you would the bizarre headlines at the grocery store checkout — and send us an email at rebuild@twintowersalliance.com if you really have doubts about what is true or not. But please don’t barrage us with questions about obvious fabrications or for the “latest” news. What we can share is posted on the TTA site.
The battle for the Twin Towers is intense — it always has been and it always will be until it’s over. And it will always look unlikely until the moment when it suddenly appears inevitable. That is what we believe and what keeps fueling our efforts. If one thing seems not to work, it is on to the next, until something does — because something will — and nothing along the way is a waste because it is all cumulative.
There is no way we are going to get off the track just to manage speculation. We understand that people who care deeply about seeing the Towers rise again get frustrated by the apparent lack of progress and information. That can’t be helped. One thing that supporters can be sure of is that “Twin Towers II” and the TTA are fully engaged behind the scenes in a variety of initiatives, but the situation is delicate, credibility is key, disclosure is counter-productive, and our focus is on the prize – not on building a movement or catering to supporters.
So, as we said below, more power to those who stop being spectators and get “in the arena.” Steven Eiselen and William Justice are good examples and there are plenty of others. Anyone who makes a constructive effort to advance the cause of rebuilding the Twin Towers at Ground Zero is a friend, whether they are aligned with the TTA or not. But those who try to build themselves up by tearing others down will probably regret it. We have seen over and over again that those with self-serving motives just don’t make it. The Twin Towers seem to have a natural selection process that rejects those who try to use this mission to promote themselves. So we don’t waste our time worrying about them.
For the record, once again, The Twin Towers Alliance is not only as committed as ever to seeing the Twin Towers rise at Ground Zero, but we think it is more likely than ever that they actually will, because the political situation is getting more rancid all the time. Ken Gardner’s statement of September 17th never said that the “Twin Towers II” plan won’t work at the WTC, but that the transition plan no longer will — and that is true.
The transition, which we discussed with the Executive Director of the Port Authority in his office a year ago, promised to save billions of dollars that now would probably be eaten up in deconstruction costs. After all, if officials weren’t willing to build them when there was nothing there, it’s not likely they will consider it with concrete and steel in place.
But there is no way, after years of sacrifice and hard work, that Ken Gardner would drop it. “Twin Towers II” is not a collection of AutoCad drawings. It is an incredibly thorough reengineering of the World Trade Center that could be put into construction in a matter of months and result in a spectacular world-class development. Ken is not going to spin his wheels trying to build on land over which he has no control, but is exploring the clear interest there is in building in New Jersey.
That in no way diminishes the effort we are making to reclaim Ground Zero for the American people. If demolition is required, that is a matter for the people to decide. We at the Twin Towers Alliance are committed to pressing all the buttons, and exploring every possible lead, until one of them works and people across the country get the information they need to make Ground Zero a national treasure, instead of a national disgrace.
10/13/09 — WTC2011… The WTC2011 site is showing up as a “Page Not Found” while the server is being moved — but it will be back online soon.
10/12/09 — More Light… We are posting this email from a supporter, followed by our comprehensive reply, because we think that his concerns are shared by many.
Dear Twin Towers Alliance,
I am a sixteen year old boy from Ohio who would like nothing more than to see new Twin Towers rise from Ground Zero. I have been following this effort since 9/11 of last year. I have seen everything that has transpired over the past year and it is disappointing. It’s kind of a weird siituation because Ground Zero has progress but at the same time it doesn’t. I look on their website and they have made a lot of progress over the past year with the memorial and some with the “Freedom Tower” or the libel of “One World Trade Center”. I know what Ken Gardner recently said about the feasability of Twin Towers II at Ground Zero and that it is pretty much impossible to make the transititon. Is this true? Is there really no hope for new Twin Towers at Ground Zero? I watched the video you recently posted and it almost made me cry because I know that THAT is what we need to see happening at Ground Zero. New Twin Towers would be the ultimate band-aid of the tragedy of 9/11. Everytime someone from New York goes past the site they probably think “why hasn’t anything been done?”, and I feel the same way. I will support Twin Towers where ever they are built, but it’s at Ground Zero where they truely belong and where it truely matters. I just want to know the possibility of it happening at this time. What I dont understand is how is it too late if the model of Twin Towers II basically calls for the Twin Towers to be on the east side of the site and there is like nothing on the east side! All the progression is on the west side, where the memorial is. I would be happy with their memorial. The thing that is important is the TOWERS! You know, the buildings that make up America’s skyline! I still believe that it’s not too late to rebuild the towers, but I know nothing about what is going on behind the scenes. So if you could just fill me in and tell me what is happening or what the chances are of new Twin Towers I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks for listening,
Harley Lytsell
10/11/09 — Not Our Style… A video of NBC and NY1 reports on the 2005 Trump Press Conference were sent to Ken Gardner this week and makes for very interesting watching. While it perpetuates the fiction that Donald Trump commissioned the project or had a stake in it, Mr. Trump is in great form and obviously believes it is a much better plan than what was on the table at the time — and from what we’ve heard him say on TV since then, his opinion hasn’t really changed. But it would be folly for any businessman who needs the cooperation of the NYC government to cross Michael Bloomberg.
It is particularly revealing because it records Gov. Pataki saying that “More than ten million people looked at the various competing site plans, and this is what’s selected.” But in February of this year, when David Shuster pointed out tto him that both the public and even the LMDC preferred the twin towers of the “THINK” design, he said that he and Mayor Bloomberg thought that design “was just terrible.” So drawing a connection between the process and the plan was clearly bogus, as we’ve known all along, but this was the first time we’d come across Pataki himself revealing the fakery that was the basis of all that followed.
More than any other official, the mess we’re in today is George Pataki’s doing, but Michael Bloomberg is running right behind him. There is a clip where he declares that “…we are not going to rebuild the two World Trade Center towers…” but the question that should have been asked then, and definitely should be asked now is: “Why — do you have something better to offer?” Most people don’t think so. Mayor Bloomberg likes to suggest that he had very little to do with the current plan, but his fingerprints are all over it.
President Obama has just endorsed the Mayor’s opponent, and, while we steer clear of partisan politics, it is safe to say that if Michael Bloomberg is defeated in November, in spite of outspending Mr. Thomspon 15:1, it will likely be the beginning of a whole new day for the World Trade Center.
9/24/09 — In the Arena… One hundred years ago next spring, President Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech at the Sorbonne entitled “Citizenship in a Republic“. Our society today is very different from his, but anyone who takes the time to get to the heart of his address will be better equipped to make a proud contribution to our world.
The temptation to be a critic instead of an actor is perennial, but in a society that is trending toward talking more and doing less — watching more and moving less — the Internet is presenting the “rebuilding community” with a unique challenge: to talk or to act. Long-time rebuilding advocate Steven Eiselen, who has been devoted to seeing the Twins reclaim their piece of the sky since he was fourteen, recently started a Facebook page aimed at attracting one million supporters to the monumental effort.
That is a perfect example of harnessing the idealism of youth and the power of the Internet, but the challenge is finding the ways to convert passive spectators into active participants. Once on board, supporters can either spend their time talking about the Twin Towers or finding new ways to reach out to the millions of others who don’t know that there is a vibrant movement to rebuild the Towers — or even why it matters. That means there is a huge opportunity to make a real difference.
The most energetic and hopeful segment of the population is the youth culture. That is why Ken Gardner agreed last spring to let Katapult Enterprises promote the idea of new Twin Towers in ways that never developed — but the prospect is still incredibly promising. Just as people were enrolled in the dream of bringing change to Washington last year, there are millions of young Americans and friends around the world who can still make rebuilding the Twin Towers the most defining and redemptive goal of a generation. More power to them…
9/23/09 — A Sense of Proportion… We have received alarmed emails from those who claim to speak for the “rebuilding community” telling us that the idea of building the Twin Towers in New Jersey is “unacceptable.” We hope that the follow-up to the press conference will reassure supporters that we are as committed as ever to the Twin Towers at Ground Zero. But what we think is unacceptable is how easily hot air substitutes for a meaningful contribution to an incredibly difficult effort.
It is one thing to share opinions online, but if that doesn’t translate into action, what’s the point? The press conference proved once again that we need to find a way around the media’s captivity by the-powers-that-be. The old saying to “put your money where your mouth is” is a tried and true measure of commitment. It is amazing how few of those who were laying down the law to us or criticizing Ken Gardner’s statement have ever contributed a dime to this effort.
The good wishes of those who are on a fixed income with little or no discretionary income to distribute are much appreciated, but the second-guessing of those who find fault, while offering nothing constructive, is a waste of time. We have spent years covering the costs of this campaign. For every dollar that comes in we have matched it with ten. We have only sent five or six fund-raising emails since the TTA was founded, but we see the same people contributing over and over again. What was remarkable about the recent outreach was that, for the first time, a significant number of the contributions, perhaps 80%, were $100 or $200!
9/8/09 — On Second Thought… We decided it would be a waste of time to continue with our plan for September 9th, with so much attention focused on the President’s Adddress to Congress the same evening. So we are rescheduling the event for Thursday, September 17th, at 6PM. Details will follow…
9/4/09 —Onward and Upward… Twin Towers II and The Twin Towers Alliance will hold a media-only Press Conference and Reception next Wednesday night, September 9th. Details will be published on Tuesday. The long stretch since our last post is because there is so much going into it behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, we are compiling images of complexes around the world that are designated as CENTERS. If any of you would like to contribute images, please send asap to rebuild@twintowersalliance.com – the higher the resolution the better, but send everything you have and let us sort it out.
We thank those of you who have contributed what you could – and sometimes more – not just last week, but in past appeals, to our common goal. We have personally invested our lives, livelihoods, and savings into what we believe really matters — and think that next week will be a watershed for this effort.
We also want to say “thank you” for the many expressions of support that come in to The Twin Towers Alliance, as does Ken Gardner for the many messages that have been sent to WTC2011.com and TwinTowersII.com. We are simply no longer able to respond to them one-by-one, but everything is read and truly appreciated.
Best wishes for a wonderful Labor Day weekend.
8/9/09 — Many Thanks… We apologize to those of you who faithfully check this page for news. There is so much going on right now that is momentous and takes precedence. The new site and the new links on the Home page are just a hint of what’s developing, but we think that the trend is very encouraging.
We want to thank Fard Muhammad for squeezing the new Twin Towers II site into his busy schedule — it is a very fine platform for what will be unfolding there. It will be completed as soon as possible. We also thank Shamis McGillin for his preliminary work on the site and for managing the Twin Towers II MySpace page — he is a very impressive young man.
We thank William Justice for the fabulous video collage he made by splicing together the videos on YouTube. And we thank Tony Grayson and Ali Al-Roubaie for pulling together dozens of YouTube videos into one Twin Towers playlist.
There is no way we can see them all at this point, when every day is a scramble, but one day we will and then we will make sure that everyone gets the credit and recognition they deserve for so many amazingly moving contributions to our common mission.
What really stands out is that the politicians and the media are obviously trying to keep from dignifying Twin Towers II with their attention. They are pathetically deluded because that is not in their power. The motivation that has driven Ken Gardner to put his life on hold for seven years is what dignifies it. The support and encouragment of 9/11 families is what dignifies it. The popularity of the project with the general public is what dignifies it. The passion that goes into the comments on the petition is what dignifies it.
And the depth of devotion in the hearts of so many of the young people who have created these videos, and written letters-to-the-editor, and essays, is what dignifies it and makes this effort such an honor to be a part of.
7/12/09 — An Inside Job… We can’t say often enough that this is not an us-against-them issue. Americans have one enemy above all and its fearless leader is hiding in a cave. While our politicians have not served the people’s best interests, we give them credit for thinking that they are. So we have to assume that the basis of the problem is that they don’t see what the rest of us see. And that could be because they are on the inside looking out, while most of us are on the outside looking in.
The fireworks last weekend were a literal illustration of that. Those who watched from the west side of Manhattan only saw the show, while those of us who watched from the other boroughs and New Jersey saw the glorious display against the backdrop of the most fabulous city in the world. The problem at the World Trade Center is Manhattan-centric. Manhattan is indeed the Big Apple and there are wonderful, talented, extraordinary people here, but there are also probably more inflated egos per square inch than anywhere else in the world. Which is fine — except when we’re talking about Ground Zero.
A new comment on the TTA petition said that “building and rebuilding of America is a continuing process showing the envious world our pride and determination.” But, we shouldn’t miss the fact that America has millions of friends around the world who are rooting for this country — and they need the inspiration of new Twin Towers as much as the American people do.
There is a great line at the end of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, where Jimmy Stewart is trying to get his fellow Senators to see what he is fighting for: “Just get up off the ground, that’s all I ask. Get up there with that lady that’s up on top of this Capitol dome – that lady that stands for Liberty. Take a look at this country through her eyes, if you really want to see something…”
We owe it to our fellow citizens — and our foreign friends — to do a better job of helping our leaders really see what the rest of us see. When they understand that this is not a struggle for two buildings, but a bipartisan battle for the future direction of the country, we are confident that they will join us.
Because it would be beyond belief that, having the power to bring more joy to the nation and even the world than by any other single act, politicians, our fellow Americans, would deliberately deprive the people of that happiness. Why would they choose that? For what?
7/11/09 — Through the Looking Glass… The spectacle at Ground Zero gets more bizarre with every passing day — stranger than fiction is putting it mildly. Mr. Silverstein, a man who put $124 million into a $3.2 billion purchase (how is that for a sweetheart deal?), keeps harping on his rights at Ground Zero, as if it were his private cash cow. Just because he gambled and lost, the Port Authority — a/k/a the public — is not on the hook for his “injuries.” We have rights, too, and it would be hard to exaggerate how badly they have been violated.
Now we read that the Port Authority, a public agency with a mission to serve the public good, has made Mr. Silverstein an offer to put another 1.2 billion public dollars into a project that was a bust in the boom, with the stipulation that if he assumes some of the exposure it would “help insulate the public against unmanageable risk.” So a building that has not attracted the commitment of a single tenant will suddenly become a responsible investment of public money, if Mr. Silverstein shares the risk — even though the overall risk is no less risky?
A project that has proven over the years to be a flop, a dud, a loser is seen as the proper place for public funds because… Has anyone heard one reason given as to why the public is being forced to pay for this delusional ivory tower non-sense that the American people and the international business community have rejected all along? It is insane to pretend that we have no choice and that it is too late to exert ourselves and get it right.
There is only one way to make the future World Trade Center a world-class property and then they can forget all about the risk, because the public acclaim would ensure its monumental success: New Twin Towers beside a noble memorial — one that has the decency to recognize the unspeakable bravery and sacrifice of 9/11 by noting the ranks of those who put duty first.
At one time, the Twin Towers Alliance and Twin Towers II were promoting the default option of building the Twin Towers beside the official memorial because, in the eyes of the world, restoring the skyline would be the greatest memorial of all. But Port Authority Executive Director Christopher Ward insisted on MSNBC in January of this year that it is all one project — and he was right. It has become clear that there is nothing about the current plan that makes sense or can withstand comparison to its Twin Towers II counterpart — in significance or feasibility — and it is time for Mr. Ward to be held accountable for putting a plan that had nothing going for it but political cronyism on steroids. The people would never warm up to a World Trade Center with an asterisk after its name and anyone who thinks they would in time is delusional.
It might be different if they actually had something exciting and spectacular to offer in place of the vision most people prefer. But they clearly do not. It’s not the Twin Towers Alliance that says so — it’s the private markets and the public square that have given the current project two thumbs down. The money that has been wasted since Mr. Ward was introduced to a far more suitable, popular, economical, feasible, and rewarding plan is a crime. But the savings of making the transition to Twin Towers II can still pay for it and leave us way ahead of where we are currently headed. So we think it is time for the Red Queen to decree: “Off with his head!” And while she’s at it, she shouldn’t forget about Larry…
7/4/09 — A Case of Mistaken Identitiy… Watching the Macy’s Fireworks from the George Washington Bridge on such a gorgeous night, with the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building and all the lights of the most spectacular skyline in the world at their most dazzling, was bittersweet — because it was impossible not to see what was missing.
How can anyone call himself or herself a New Yorker and be willing to accept a generic World Trade Center — one that would disfigure an incomparable city and incomparable country — in place of two of the most celebrated icons the world has ever seen? This is not a question of taste — it is a matter of spirit, character, and national honor. We deserve better and the world deserves better. It’s not too late to build a World Trade Center worthy of the price Americans have been paying for 233 years for the privilege of being Americans.
6/29/09 — Excalibur… Myths and fairy tales are enduring because they tell us things about human nature that stand the test of time. The sad spectacle of how some of the most powerful and wealthy men in the country haven’t been able to impose their will on Ground Zero, year after year, is reminiscent of the legend of the “Sword in the Stone.” That was the sword that Merlin the Magician buried in a rock, only to be removed by the rightful heir to the throne.
The reason it was such an effective way of finding the true successor was because all of the powerful men in the land felt entitled to it and took their turns trying to remove it, but it wouldn’t budge. So when a young man succeeded they found it hard to believe, but they couldn’t deny the future King Arthur’s authority, and that led to a Golden Age of chivalry.
The rightful heir to Twin Towers I is Twin Towers II. But in this case, the nobles think they can just camouflage the sword in the stone and build around it, instead of asking themselves if their lack of success in extracting it isn’t proof that their efforts are illegitimate.
Anyone who doubts the magic that would sweep our country and the world at the sight of those iconic tridents rising above Ground Zero has no imagination. Anyone who doesn’t doubt it, but doesn’t care has no heart. Anyone who thinks that the current plan could produce anything close to the inspiration of new Twin Towers has no sense.
6/28/09 — Silver is Golden… New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wrote a powerful opinion in The Huffington Post earlier in the week. Mr. Silver pulled no punches when he said:
“The absence of any sense of moral and national obligation to rebuild an American community where terrorists took nearly three thousand lives in an attack that has sickened countless citizens and ignited two wars that to date, have claimed five thousand American casualties, is incomprehensible to me.
“Along with the obligation came an opportunity to demonstrate our resolve; to build a bigger and better World Trade Center in defiance of our enemies. Yet, there has been little willingness in the executive branches — both in Washington and in Albany — to take ownership of this historic urban rebuilding project.
“This leadership vacuum at the top fed an endless series of delays, as did the well publicized but obviously unachievable construction deadlines, and the lack of a comprehensive rebuilding plan complete with a detailed construction schedule. The cost of this delay is incalculable.”
But his solution, which would allow for a patchwork World Trade Center financed by cannibalizing the city’s other Port Authority obligations, is no solution at all. We believe that all the delay will be looked back on as a blessing in disguise, because, far from being incalculable, the cost of the delay is nothing compared with the exorbitant cost to our national honor of building the wrong project.
Just last week, in an interview on NY1, the man who personifies New York City, former Mayor Ed Koch, reiterated his belief that the Twin Towers should have been rebuilt on their footprints. In the “Twin Towers II” plan, shifting the position of the new Towers, while maintaining the precise offset of the originals would restore the skyline. At the same time, the lower buildings would act as a buffer, protecting the Towers from the sort of exposure that only twenty stories of concrete in the base of the “Freedom Tower” can overcome.
It is hard to believe that anyone truly thinks that the official plan rises to the level of “a bigger and better World Trade Center” — or that our enemies would read defiance in the motley development that would replace two of the boldest icons the world has ever seen. A lot of mistakes have been made, but politicians are our fellow citizens, not our adversaries, and we therefore assume those mistakes were honest mistakes.
Speaker Silver concluded with the words of Gov. Rockefeller: “America is not just a power, it is a promise. It is not enough for our country to be extraordinary in might. It must be exemplary in meaning.” Now more than ever, we can’t afford to raise mere buildings at Ground Zero when shining, new Twin Towers would raise our spirits and our confidence in the future as they rise.
The rebirth of the Twin Towers would encourage us and bring us together as no mere real estate development ever could. And it would show villains everywhere that they will never gain a permanent advantage over us — because Americans are united in the ways that matter and will rise above our blunders and wrong choices.
6/24/09 — Desperados… Officials are in desperation mode. The logic behind what they are blindly trying to do is unsustainable. The only strategy those with megabucks and zero ideas have is to keep the public in the dark about the option to adopt a far more appropriate, feasible, rewarding, and popular plan. How do they think that can succeed? That’s like banishing Cinderella to the cellar so her stepsisters can try to jam their feet into the glass slipper. It won’t work.
Even at this point, the economy of new Twin Towers eclipses what the official plan (whatever that is) can offer and pays for the transition. The fact that anyone is considering scrapping the two towers of any distinction in the current plan, while going full-steam ahead with the funereal windowless wonder shows how out of touch officials are.
People are starting to wake up to the fact that it is still in our power to build a World Trade Center worthy of the price this country paid on 9/11. The momentum is all on the side of reason and respect.
6/20/09 — How Tweet It Is… The Twin Towers Alliance is Twittering. From now on, we will post a notice on Twitter when there is a new bulletin. The timing for using the Twitter platform is ideal, because there is so much going on now that needs to be disseminated. For that reason, our future press releases will be distributed through PR Newswire.
The political tectonic shifts that are taking place have put the future of the site front and center. As Mayor Bloomberg, Sheldon Silver, and Larry Silverstein square off against the Port Authority and the two Governors, it is becoming clear how ill-conceived the current project is. But it always has been, so why they are so surprised now is a mystery.
Meanwhile, Ljubica Djemant, a supporter in Yugoslavia, sent a message to info@WTC2011.com yesterday that reminds us how this looks from a distance:
“Hello!
I just want to express my full support and hope that you will succeed in rebuilding the magnificent Twin Towers. I don’t know if there is a real chance that the NYC government will show signs of common sense and cancel the building of that derision called “Freedom Tower”. That building would be nice maybe in Hong Kong but not in NY. Please, give your best to persuade the city government to restore NY’s famous skyline from before 9/11.
Best wishes from Serbia”
People for whom English is a second language have a unique perspective on the meaning of the words they use. It would be hard to find a more perfect word to describe the current project than “derision.” This message is a reminder of how useless the constant references to the “iconic” towers that are planned really are — as if icons can be manufactured — as if we don’t have eyes in our heads.
An act of war destroyed two of the world’s most famous icons and murdered thousands of innocent people. The only self-respecting response is to replace them — better than ever — and heal our world. Otherwise, the proposed so-called icons will become permanent eyesores and nothing can ever change that.
6/17/09 — The Politics of Getting it Right…The Joint Statement of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is ample proof that the deadlock at Ground Zero is profound. If politicians with all the power of Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Silver couldn’t make headway, that is a sure barometer of how broken the project is. They would never have gone out on a limb and set deadllines unless they were confident of getting results. The Summit could have been convened without any ultimatums if they had doubts. Thier promise to “continue to work with all the parties to fulfill our collective obligation to rebuild the site” only holds the keys to success if those concerned decide to finally work with all parties — even the lowly citizens and taxpayers — and when they finally recognize that they do have a collective obligation to rebuild — not completely reimagine — the site.
The Port Authority is being responsible in cautiously committing public funds to the project. If the opinion we linked to below, challenging the legality of the Port Authority’s investment in the Silverstein Towers, is well-founded, then there may well be a legal challenge even to PA investment in Tower 4. But there are a number of pragmatic ways to finance the Twin Towers II World Trade Center. It is completely inappropriate to limit the future of such a defining national effort to what New York and New Jersey can afford. This is a matter for all Americans. New Twin Towers would win the public’s vote of confidence and support in a very big way, while there never has been and never will be any support for the current project. Twin Towers II is the responsible and prudent course of action — and it raises people’s spirits as nothing else could. In other words, it’s a winner. As the political season heats up, that will stand out.
6/16/09 — Our Hero… It would be hard to imagine events taking a better turn than they have since Mayor Bloomberg decided to settle the matter. The deadlines that keep coming and going are eloquent proof of the breakdown at the site. Larry Silverstein insists that “failure is not an option” — but one would have to be delusional not to see how likely that option is. To make things even more interesting, an attorney, in a well-reasoned op-ed, called into question the legality of the Port Authority investment of public money in private buildings. If they reach an agreement to go ahead with the three Silverstein towers a challenge is likely that could even extend to Tower 4 — the one that is not in dispute.
But the real game changer is that official misconduct is no longer a matter of past dereliction of duty. Mayor Bloomberg, Gov. Paterson, Gov. Corzine, and Sheldon Silver all took an oath to faithfully discharge their duties to the best of their abilities. The requests to make a presentation have been substantial and respectful. It defies reason to refuse to even consider an option that offers such an elegant solution to the myriad problems that exist at the site. We are quite sure they will find that they are overstepping their legitimate authority. If they can refute the Twin Towers II claims that the plan would save billions of dollars and years of effort, now is the time to present their case against it. But no case is possible, because the assertions are true. To ignore them, particularly in the face of the stalled negotiations isn’t just ludicrous — it’s malfeasance.
A call to the Mayor’s office today revealed the surprising information that our 5/29/09 letter is still being considered. We will follow up at the end of the week. What is certain is that if they refuse to even consider the tremendous possibilities presented by Twin Towers II, they are going to be in a very uncomfortable position come September 12th, when we let the cat out of the bag. Because we are going to spend the summer preparing a stunning multimedia presentation that will make what they are attempting to force down the public’s throat completely indefensible. We are absolutely certain of that.
6/7/09 — What Are They Afraid Of…?We have a number of initiatives ready to roll, once the WTC Summiteers release their decision on June 11th. We are relieved that we held off on publishing the material we will take down to Washington — now it will have maximum effectiveness.
6/4/09 — The Stimulus America Deserves…There are a number of really great YouTube videos dedicated to rebuilding the Twin Towers. We haven’t been methodical about finding and watching them, but hope to gather the best of them soon onto the Twin Towers Alliance YouTube channel. Until we do, we want to recommend one that perfectly captures the spirit of what this struggle is all about. It is very moving and very encouraging that there are individuals out there who care so much and are using their heads and their hearts to help. There are a number that a very well done, so we don’t want to single out any others, and risk overlooking some that are just as good. But this one is in a class of its own.
6/3/09 — One Big, Happy Family… The future of the World Trade Center is looking brighter than at any time since 9/11/2001. That is because the official plan has now failed in every respect – and everybody knows it. Mr. Silverstein needs public money to build his towers; the Port Authority is willing to give him public money, but not nearly as much as he needs; the PA wants to put retail “stumps” in place of the only two towers that have any character; the so-called transit “hub” is now going to cost between $3 and $5 billion – as much as one Twin Tower and almost as much as both of them; and the depressing 9/11 Memorial is back to costing over a billion dollars – as well as requiring another billion-dollar private endowment to produce the $50 million-plus needed annually to operate it – but it still leaves 9/11 families and the public cold.
So, now that officials have demonstrated how not to rebuild the Trade Center, it is time for them to look at a plan that has impressed everyone who has looked into it – including some of the most eminent skyscraper authorities in the world. They don’t have the luxury of using public funds to evade the public’s will. We do not believe they can get away with imposing a news blackout on the intensive meetings leading up to the next summit, scheduled for June 11th, or that the media will fail to recognize the impropriety of the scheme.
Even though New York and New Jersey are well-known for being run more like banana republics than US states, we think that our system is going to back us up on what is going on with the Gracie Mansion Summit. We’ve asked the Mayor to honor the public’s role in arriving at a solution by inviting Ken Gardner to make a presentation to the decision makers and by opening up the secret talks to public scrutiny. And we’ve asked Attorney General Cuomo to uphold the right of the people to monitor the negotiations. Now, if the media will ask the obvious questions, this should quickly start to resolve itself in favor of the American people.
We get asked all the time, WHY are they doing what they are doing? Who knows? Who cares? Let’s just move on. As long as people think they have to cover their tracks, it’s human nature to resist making the correction, no matter how obvious. But there is a solution that everyone can feel good about — and we want everyone to be part of the celebration of our country.
6/2/09 — 0 World Trade Center… Devoted Twin Towers advocate Joe Wright sent us a copy of a letter he sent to the New York Times last week in response to an editorial. It’s a shame that more people won’t get a chance to read what he wrote, but at least we can share it with TTA supporters:
Re your editorial, “Stalemate at Ground Zero,” you say, “We all want the ground zero memorial and other structures finished.”
Whattaya mean, “We?”
I detest the idea of a memorial of any kind or size on the site. It will be a disgrace and an insult. It will mean that the terrorists have succeeded in destroying the WTC, creating the WGC (World Grief Center). If that happens, you may as well call the site Mohammad Atta Plaza.
I want two new twin towers, taller and stronger than the original towers. And I want them to be put on the footprints from which the original towers were taken.
About the fraudulent tower being renamed 1 WTC, if it is built, it really should be 0 WTC. That’s Zero World Trade Center.
Twin Towers supporters have different viewpoints on the footprints and the memorial, but what Joe has to say is well worth being discussed.
What distinguishes the Twin Towers II memorial is that it is uplifting, not morose. And both memorials, particularly the North Memorial, act as buffers that protect the Towers, making the stunning lobbies possible. If the new Tower One were rebuilt on the footprint of the original, it would have the same problem as the “Freedom Tower” — the lobby would have to be reinforced and windowless. In every sense, Twin Towers II is an elegant solution.
5/25/09 — No News Is Bad News… Following the brief summit meeting last week at Gracie Mansion, Mayor Bloomberg said: “We have a duty to make Lower Manhattan whole again, we understand that and we want to honor it.” If that is true, then the most direct way to do that is to give Twin Towers II a chance to prove that it can resolve every one of the current problems at the site.
If the politicians really want to honor their duty to make Lower Manhattan whole again, paying attention to the most recent comment on the TTA petition today would take all the complications out of their calculations:
I lost my cousin and dear friend in the 9/11 attacks. There is no doubt in my mind that he would’ve wanted them back taller and stronger. It’s been said a million times over but there is good reason for that… anything BUT the new and improved Twin Towers shows the terrorists (and the world) that we aren’t the people we once were when this wonderful country began.
Danny, you are always in our hearts and minds. — Jose Gonzalez | 9/11 Families and Close Friends
A news blackout is being imposed in the weeks leading up to the next summit meeting on June 11th. Given the byzantine politics at Ground Zero, that is clearly suitable for officials’ purposes — but not for giving people a chance to evaluate their methods and motives. The Twin Towers Alliance sent an op-ed to a New York paper today asking them to stand up for the public’s right to know what is being discussed and specifically how the merits of Twin Towers II are being addressed. We hope they will publish it — otherwise we will keep sending it on.
In September 2005, when the Wall Street Journal printed Debra Burlingame’s op-ed “Take Back the Memorial” it led to tens of thousands of signatures on their petition and Gov. Pataki had no choice but to cancel the International Freedom Center. We aren’t asking for support, just an honest chance to make the case.
Just three weeks ago the New York Daily News wrote in an editorial: “Come clean on Ground Zero: Port Authority must end secret talks with builder.”
The future of Ground Zero remains shrouded in secret negotiations between the Port Authority and builder Larry Silverstein. It’s time to bring the discussions into the open.
Silverstein and the authority are haggling over billions in public money as well as the shape and timing of construction on the city’s most important development site.
Outrageously, they have signed a confidentiality agreement to prevent scrutiny of their talks. PA Chairman Anthony Coscia and Executive Director Chris Ward should have known better than to enter such a deal. They should shred the pact forthwith.
Paralyzed by the economic downturn and the financial crisis, Silverstein has reportedly asked the PA to finance two office towers with at least a couple billion dollars. Coscia and Ward have reportedly countered by offering $1 billion to help Silverstein build a single skyscraper.
The authority has no business diverting public money from transportation projects, let alone a billion or two, to support a real estate development that has no tenants and not a prayer of private financing.
We hope that they and the other editors will demand the same transparency now that there is finally a chance to get this mess sorted out. But we won’t wait to see. We will start by calling the Attorney General’s office Tuesday morning. We think that the bankruptcy of the current plan changes things substantially and that the solvency represented by Twin Towers II requires official attention.
5/20/09 — The Eleventh Hour… On the eve of Mayor Bloomberg’s May 21st WTC Summit, with two of the four towers about to be scrapped, The Twin Towers Alliance sent a proposal to Mr. Ward and Mr. Silverstein. The citizens of NY and NJ should not have to pay to rebuild a site that is the emotional property of every American. Hundreds of billions of dollars are flying out of the public’s hands to bail out mismanaged banks and corporations – but a real World Trade Center is something we would all dearly love to pay for. It would be great to have something to show for our money for a change and it would only be a temporary bailout.
If NY and NJ were to sell the American people the air rights over Ground Zero and a public corporation is formed that we can all buy into, it would surely attract much more private investment than would be required. But until the venture is fully funded, Washington could front Mr. Silverstein what he needs to move full speed ahead with the Twin Towers, which could still be topped off by the 10th anniversary of the attacks. NY and NJ would get the money they so badly need, the Port Authority could build the below ground portion of the transit hub, and then go on to build a great Moynihan Station, the 9/11 Families would get the Twin Towers II memorial they prefer, and we, the people, would finally get our Twin Towers back – and they would be OUR towers.
It is time to give the people of the United States a chance to contribute to building a World Trade Center that is worthy of our country. Instead of asking us to accept the weakest elements of a bad plan, give us something to celebrate.
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