The chronic mishandling of Ground Zero has put our country in a State of Emergency. Our national self-confidence has been compromised, our ability to act decisively is being tested, and our reputation around the world hangs in the balance. Anyone who thinks that is an exaggeration has a poor sense of history and a lack of imagination.

We are threatened by a pandemic that is much, much worse than Swine Flu — because it is a quiet killer — but one much easier to cure. All it will take is leadership. According to Wikipedia, “leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen.” Isn’t it about time? By every measure, the World Trade Center is the antithesis of that dynamic and an affront to everything this country stands for: courage, vision, dedication, and respect for the democratic process.

Our enemies have a giant propaganda trophy in their display case. The proportions of the mismanagement are colossal. A tribute to the USS New York in the New York Post recently predicted: “By the 10th anniversary of 9/11, New York will have a morbid memorial only partly finished and not yet open to the public. That, and nothing else. The only office tower that’s actually rising might not be finished for 10 years more…”

Meanwhile, the arbitration between Silverstein Properties and the Port Authority is expected to be decided before the end of the year and, according to the Downtown Express, a source familiar with Silverstein’s position said that “the developer would ask the arbiters to award him at least $2.75 billion as compensation…” If the panel rules in favor of Silverstein, the money the Port Authority will be required to give him will come out of the public’s pocket, to enforce something that the public does not want.

Lost in all of the confusion is the fact that Mr. Silverstein was contractually obligated to the people of New York and New Jersey to rebuild the Twin Towers, if they were damaged or destroyed. Those were the terms of his lease. His private property “rights” do not trump the public’s, which have only gotten more ironclad with every additional billion.

Now he is obligated to not just the people of New York and New Jersey, but to all Americans. He once admitted receiving encouragement from all over the world to rebuild the Twin Towers, but he obviously did not recognize his obligation. He would have been much better off if he had done the right thing. To now expect the public to pay for his mistakes is shameless.

Meanwhile, the New York Daily News revealed that the Port Authority is sinking $20 million — derived from our bridge and tunnel tolls — into developing a “Plan B” that would dispense with Towers Two and Three. So, now that the artificial spiral of “towers” leading down to the artificial “memorial” is expendable, what makes the current project A PLAN? Executive Director Ward insisted on MSNBC in January that it is all one plan — which now makes it all one failure.

What could make two random, unrelated towers beside a hideously expensive and irrelevant memorial worth the billions that have already been spent — let alone the many-times-more billions of public funds still required and the decade or more it will take to complete? And then, what will we call it? “Ground Zero” wouldn’t begin to express it. Maybe, “Ground Negative Ten?”

The News article noted: “Hanging in the balance is the fate of the PATH Transportation Hub, the budget-busting mega-terminal that would be shoehorned between Silverstein’s 79-story Tower 2 and 71-story Tower 3.” But who asked for an absurdly expensive PATH station? And why are executives still collecting a salary after their manifest betrayal of the public’s trust?

Have our officials’ bodies been taken over by aliens? Are they being controlled by creatures from another galaxy? The extent of the misconduct is staggering. How have they gotten away with it? We can thank the media for that. Reporting half a story isn’t news, it’s fraud. Withholding vital information and failing to connect the dots is no different than a butcher who weighs his thumb, along with the meat.

So who will stand up for the people, since the politicans don’t and the press won’t? We will have to stand up for ourselves. It is time for people to call upon the President of the United States with one voice for help — as prominent members of the 9/11 Families did last March. This is a national emergency because the validity of the democratic process is being challenged. It doesn’t matter if one voted for President Obama or not — he is our servant and it is his duty to straighten this out.

Yes HE Can — but will he?. He has the power. Does he have the character? We aren’t trying to move Mt. Everest. This is the least complicated situation imaginable IF one is willing to listen to the people and make good on a very bad mistake — period. Is his loyalty to the people or to the machine? Let’s find out.

This emergency will have a silver lining if what emerges from all of the disappointment and waste is the recognition that WE ARE the good-hands-people and then we determine that self-serving politicians, untrustworthy editors, and a greedy developer are not going to deprive us of of what is rightfully ours.

Please print out the following letter to the President on your own letterhead and fax or mail it to him. The time has come for concerted action. Don’t let this temendously promising time pass without raising your voice. You will be heard.  Letter to President Obama