CitizenSugar -- Breaking News, Together.

9/11 Guantanamo Defendants Denied Access to the Internet

CitizenSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:00:40 -0700

Five defendants, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed professed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, are being denied Internet access as they prepare for their death penalty trial. The men are being held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval base for the 9/11 attacks on the United States and are facing charges from conspiracy to terrorism. The no-net ruling was handed down by a US military judge siding with prosecutors who argued at a pretrial hearing last month that providing these “high value” defendants access to extra-prison communications would pose a security risk.

Among the other items refused to the inmates by their captors were printers and the ability to speak with their families by telephone. They were, however, given laptops installed with a legal dictionary, the US Constitution and the Geneva Conventions. Three of the five awaiting trail are representing themselves although the Pentagon is providing standby counsel should they wish assistance.

Is the ruling fair? Can they fairly and adequately prepare without Internet access — or is even considering giving it to them, ridiculous?

Source

NYC Trade Center Dig Exposes Ice Age Landscape

CitizenSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:25:01 -0700

NYC Trade Center Dig Exposes Ice Age Landscape Crews excavating the World Trade Center site this Summer for the foundations of a new skyscraper have uncovered features carved into the bedrock by glaciers about 20,000 years ago, including a 40-foot-deep pothole. Exposing the solid rock beneath at the ground zero site in lower Manhattan is critical for supporting what will be Tower 4 of the new World Trade Center, being built by Silverstein Properties. The reminders of the power of glaciers won't be around for long. The pothole and other features are being covered, filled in or blasted away.

McCain and Obama Commemorate 9/11 Anniversary

CitizenSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:07:02 -0700

McCain and Obama Commemorate 9/11 Anniversary Recalling the nation's unity in a time of peril seven years ago, presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama placed their partisan contest on hold Thursday and spoke as one in honoring of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Obama and McCain were making ground zero in New York their common ground, joining in homage to the dead from the fallen Twin Towers and the hijacked planes flown into them.

Remembering September 11th

DearSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Today marks the seven-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country. And even if you didn't lose a loved one or weren't directly impacted by the events of this day, I'm sure September 11th still stirs up some emotion for you. So on this day of remembrance, tell me, how do the historical events of September 11th make you feel?

Source

Front Page: Pentagon Dedicates Memorial, Bush Allows Pakistan Raids, Thailand Renominates PM

CitizenSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:51:15 -0700

Pentagon Dedicates Memorial:
The two-acre memorial to American Airlines Flight 77 will be dedicated today by President Bush at the Pentagon. The memorial's 184 steel and granite benches are engraved with each victim's name and oriented along the plane's flight path the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Unlike the rest of the Pentagon, the memorial will be open to the public all day, every day, starting at 7 p.m. tonight.

Bush Allows Pakistan Raids:
President Bush approved orders in July to allow American Special Operations forces to carry out ground assaults into Pakistan without approval by the Pakistani government. Officials say they will notify Pakistan when they carry out missions, but that they will not ask for permission.

Thailand Renominates PM:
Two days after being forced to resign due to constitutional misdeeds, Thailand's prime minister has been renominated by his party. The party claims there is nothing in the constitution to stop them from doing so, but the opposition and the thousands of protesters who called for the prime minister's resignation will likely disagree. After a two-hour meeting, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said, "I am accepting the nomination in order to protect democracy in the country."

Source

Seven Years Later: The World Remembers September 11, 2001

CitizenSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:50:22 -0700

Just last week, construction workers erected the first steel column on the site where the north tower once stood. Building a museum and memorial on the former World Trade Center site, and despite setbacks, it's set to be completed on the tenth anniversary, in 2011.

The beams of the memorial will carry the signatures of tens of thousands of people. A project taking the beams to 25 states culminates in New York, with signings being held today and tomorrow, and a collection of notes of hope to be preserved in the new museum.

Michael Bloomberg spoke to the delays in an op-ed in yesterday's Wall Street Journal saying:

We will now push the Port Authority to make two concrete commitments. Most important, the memorial must be completed by the 10th anniversary. No more excuses, no more delays. New York Gov. David Paterson and I are in complete agreement on this subject, and it's time for the PA to formally commit to the same goal. . . realizing our vision, without further delay, of Lower Manhattan as a global financial center, a dynamic family neighborhood, and a peaceful and inspiring place of reflection and remembrance.

How will you mark the day of quiet reflection?

Source

McCain, Obama plan joint stop at Ground Zero

CitizenSugar — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:50:13 -0700

McCain, Obama plan joint stop at Ground Zero Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama said Saturday they will put aside partisan politics for a joint appearance at Ground Zero to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The nominees said they will appear together at the World Trade Center site on Thursday "to honor the memory of each and every American who died" in the 2001 attacks. The campaigns already had agreed to suspend television advertising critical of each other on Sept. 11. The McCain campaign has said it will air no ads that day.

World Trade Center Steel Cross Placed Near PA 9/11 Site

CitizenSugar — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:45:30 -0700

World Trade Center Steel Cross Placed Near PA 9/11 Site Steel from the World Trade Center has been transformed into a cross and placed near where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11, 2001, in Pennsylvania. The 14-foot-high, 3,000-pound monument traveled from New York to the Shanksville fire station Saturday as part of a 300-mile motorcycle escort from New York. The cross will be dedicated at a ceremony Sunday.

Was 9/11 a Government Conspiracy?

CitizenSugar — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:00:13 -0700

The seventh anniversary of of September 11 is approaching and it seems like it's impossible to remember a time before. This horrific tragedy has entered the global lexicon of experience and colored everything since in a way few events in history have. Almost every person has a story of their own from that day, and a personal way of dealing with it since — some stay away from the movies and documentaries as if the facts are still too fresh; others obsessively pore over every true tale and listen to the 911 calls from that morning, hoping to that bitter medicine will hold answers. Still others out there think very differently about that morning — those who believe the events were perpetrated by the government. From thinking that the collapse of the buildings was actually caused by controlled demolition explosions, to wondering whether there was actually a commercial plane at the Pentagon crash site, theories abound. This passionate collection of conspiracy claims and arguments against them recently posted on YesButNoButYes, got me thinking about the different camps. New York Magazine a couple of years ago broke down the various schools of thought on the level of conspiracy people believe there to have been. The piece is called "The Ground Zero Grassy Knoll" and they list almost all of the theories ever floated including the "HOP" level: LIHOP (Let it Happen on Purpose) to MIHOP (Made it Happen on Purpose.) It's a comprehensive read and exposes the complexity of people's thoughts about 9/11. While it's possible we may never know a story that will satisfy everyone, what do you think? Source

Was 9/11 a Government Conspiracy?

No. Conspiracy theories disrespect the memory of those taken and our intelligence.

Yes. Given the evidence, we need more investigation; there are too many questions left.

Maybe. The aftermath of 9/11 in terms of civil liberties and the war, does make it odd.

It couldn't be more complicated. I'll tell you how I think in the comments.

Life After 9/11: One Young Arab Gets Thrown in US Jail

LibertySugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:00:18 -0700

A recent piece in the New York Magazine chronicles the nightmarish journey of a young Arab immigrant. After September 11, Rasha found herself in jail with her family. Rasha's story sheds light on a darker side of national security.

At five-years-old Rasha moved with her family from Syria to the United States on a tourist visa. When she was in the sixth grade, after years of trying to get permanent residency, and failing, Rasha and her family moved back to Syria. Eventually she would get her Brooklyn life back, after her family was finally granted their green-cards. But the joy didn't last forever.

In February 2002, fifteen US officers awoke Rasha and her family in the middle of the night — Rasha's family was being investigated for terrorist connections. Once in a holding cell, officials questioned each family member in a separate room. To find out what happened next,