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The Family Steering Committee sent the following
letter in response to an article which
appeared in the Daily Telegraph (UK).
June 28, 2004
Dear Editor,
Regarding “Families of 9/11 are 'the rock stars of grief' says
sister of Pentagon pilot.” [June 27, 2004]:
The headline featuring Ms. Burlingame’s comment that
members of the Family Steering Committee for the 9/11
Independent Commission (FSC) are “Rock stars of grief”
sets a disrespectful tone for the article by implying
that our members have exploited the death of our loved
ones for fame and the limelight. This is untrue and it
denigrates the important goals of our group.
Ms. Burlingame’s allegation that the FSC has been advised by
Move-on.org or any other organization is patently false.
Your reporter, Mr. Julian Coman, should have asked Ms.
Burlingame for proof of her charges. Had he done so, he
would have discovered that there is no proof because it
never happened.
No one tells us what to say or gives us talking points. Both individually
and collectively, the twelve of us are quite capable of thinking for ourselves,
and have been doing so since we first began the push for an independent
investigation in the fall of 2001. Our statements and goals have been
consistent from the first and can be found on our website at
http://www.911independentcommission.org. Our main goals were to obtain
legislation creating an independent Commission to investigate 9/11 (a goal
achieved), to understand why our nation was so vulnerable, and to do
whatever we could to help prevent another catastrophic terrorist attack.
The 9/11 Commission's investigation and recommendations, once implemented,
constitute the vehicle for achieving the last two goals.
The FSC will respond to the information in the Commission’s report when it
comes out next month. It is expected that there will be references to both
former President Clinton and President Bush in the Commission’s report.
Information about the actions of either President are legitimate topics
for discussion. To suggest that the FSC is using the 9/11 Commission
or its report to bash President Bush is yet another defamation.
Although we regularly submit questions to the bipartisan Commission or
discuss issues related to the investigation with them, we have no control
over their actions or conclusions. Further, the FSC has often been
critical of the Commission and made numerous recommendations which were
mostly ignored. This can be easily confirmed by comparing the FSC statements
to the Commission’s subsequent actions.
Our questions, statements, and concerns about the 9/11 Commission's decisions and
progress are a collaborative effort, but we do not sit around the kitchen table
with a bottle of wine to discuss them. To imply that we do is extremely offensive.
The written work which we produce involves numerous group e-mails and conference
calls. We live in central and coastal New Jersey, New York City, Long Island,
Connecticut, Massachusetts and Washington, DC. The interviews given by our
members reflect the thinking which produced our written work. It is appalling
that such an insidiously malicious portrayal of our group has been foisted
on the public via this article.
It is also not true that we scorn those who tried so hard to help on the morning
of September 11th. We do not fault the air traffic controllers on duty that morning.
They performed remarkably well under adverse conditions. Our issue is with the fact
that no one from the top advised or alerted those on the front line of defense to the
possibility of a terrorist attack involving hijacking. In preliminary findings at
least, that seems to have been characteristic of most government agencies investigated.
When we say that many fire fighters died because they did not hear the call to evacuate due
to faulty radios, it does not imply that fire fighters weren’t heroes. Had the radios been
working properly, many precious lives would have been saved. Surely no one would expect
a fire fighter or other rescuer, uniformed or civilian, to stay in the burning building
when conditions become lethally dangerous. Nothing can detract from the heroism of so many
that day. We will always honor and remember the sacrifice of those who died trying to help
and the valor of those who survived. Did your reporter actually read our remarks, or did
he just accept as truth the perversely inaccurate version that was presented?
In one area, we agree with Ms. Burlingame. The FSC wants to see the terrorists defeated.
But it is extremely naïve to focus on that alone to ensure our security. Islamic extremism
which produced the terrorists is not going to disappear in the near future. It is likely
that despite the War on Terror, the terrorists will try again. If we are to prevent
another catastrophic attack, America cannot ignore the multiple failures within our
national security system which facilitated the surprise attack.
Our military cannot correct the failures or close the security loopholes
here in America. Those are internal problems. Americans must ask tough
questions of our government officials about our domestic security prior
to and on September 11th. And our government must fully cooperate with
the investigation. The answers are critical to an analysis of transmittal
problems in the intelligence stream which inhibited the flow of information
from the top down and as well as within and between agencies. Such analysis
is required if America is to devise an enhanced security network and strategy.
Asking questions and demanding complete answers is not equivalent to beating
up on each other as was implied, nor is it politically motivated. It is a
quest for truth--- unbiased, unvarnished truth that has a direct bearing
on the security and well-being of every American.
Unlike politicians and their minions, the Family Steering Committee has no need
to cast aspersions on those who have a differing viewpoint. Such character
assassination will not accomplish our goals, further our cause or promote
respectful discussion. Other than attempting to discredit the FSC, what
motivation could there be for the false accusations and insinuations about us?
Printing false statements, slurs and innuendo about the Family Steering Committee
without investigating our goals or verifying the facts has unjustly maligned the
integrity of each individual member of the FSC. Even if a correction or retraction
is printed, some of your readers will not see it and much damage will have been done
to our reputation by such an irresponsible article.
Sincerely,
The Family Steering Committee
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