"This is a time for reflection, not retribution." - Barack Obama, 2009

Obama is no hero. Only after so many wrongs could the recently passed 9/11 Health legislation seem right.

The Twin Towers on 9/11, had they not been destroyed by demolitions, would have been a hard days work for the NYPD and NYFD; yet the fires would have been put out. In fact in many parts of the buildings the fires were put out, or going out. It is quite possible that the NYFD would have lost a few good men through the day fighting the fires inside the WTC on 9/11 had they had the chance to do so, maybe 10 to 15 firefighters even. But surely not hundreds, especially not a thousand.

343 of NY's first responders were killed in the World Trade Center demolitions of 9/11/01. They were murdered along with thousands of civilians and no one responsible has gone to jail for those crimes.

The WTC demolition created a cloud of debris-turned-to-dust that covered the city of Manhattan streets, homes, schools and lungs of tens of thousands of people.  This could not have happened without explosives and demolitions; volcanoes aside.

The month following 9/11 was so filled with mistakes, possible criminal intent, disinformation, and irresponsibility from the EPA  and CEQ that I will just have to list some highlights below:

• September 11, 2001: Ground Zero Dust Sample Contains 4.5 Percent Asbestos - A dust sample is taken by EPA employees as they flee the collapsing buildings. The samples are later tested and found to contain an asbestos level of 4.5 percent.
• September 13, 2001: EPA Administrator Tells New York Residents near Ground Zero to ‘Wipe All Surfaces with a Damp Cloth’ - The recommendation is made despite two studies completed for the EPA in 1993 demonstrating that HEPA vacuums do not effectively remove asbestos from carpets and upholstery (see 1993) and that vacuuming actually increases asbestos levels in the air during use (see 1993).
• September 14, 2001: EPA Spokesman Says Business Can Resume Near Wall Street on Monday - “There’s nothing at this point that indicates that business can’t resume..”
• September 15, 2001: EPA Administrator Says ‘No Reason for Concern’ about Manhattan’s Air Quality
• September 16, 2001: EPA Misleads Public about Health Risks at WTC Site - “New samples confirm previous reports that ambient air quality meets OSHA standards and consequently is not a cause for public concern...”
• September 18, 2001: Sulfur Dioxide Hits ‘Hazardous’ Levels near Ground Zero; EPA Fails to Inform Public - “according to one industrial hygienist, they exceeded the EPA’s standard for a classification of ‘hazardous,...’”
• September 20, 2001: Experts Contest EPA Claims about Ground Zero Air Quality
• September 21, 2001: EPA Administrator Tells New Yorkers Manhattan Is Safe - "I am relieved to be able to reassure New York and New Jersey residents that a host of potential contaminants are either not detectable or are below the Agency’s concern levels." Chrisitne Todd Whitman (EPA) Director)
• September 23, 2001: EPA Detects High Lead Levels near Ground Zero
• September 27, 2001: USGS Scientists Send Test Results to EPA and FEMA Indicating that WTC Dust Has High PH
• October 2, 2001: Record Benzene Levels Found Near Ground Zero
• October 11, 2001: EPA Says No ‘Significant Public Health Hazard’ near Ground Zero

The White House was shown to be involved in covering up the information that exposed the health risks of the air samples taken. Look at this:

The White House’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) dictates the content of EPA press releases to the EPA’s Public Information Officer in a series of emails. “100 percent of what CEQ added was added: 100 percent of what CEQ deleted was deleted,” an internal EPA investigation will later report.

In 2003 the Inspector General for the EPA released a  critical report highlighting the following mistakes, along with many more:

The agency did not have sufficient data to support its claim that air in Lower Manhattan following September 11 was “safe to breathe” (see January 5, 2006).
 The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) “heavily influenced” the EPA’s press releases, minimizing the risk to public health. Selected emails analyzed by OIG “indicated that CEQ dictated the content of early press releases” (see (September 12, 2001-December 31, 2001)).
The EPA does not have an adequate system for reviewing and approving the content of EPA press releases.

In 2004, a lawsuit was filed by New York City residents against the EPA, Christine Todd Whitman and others.

In 2006, that lawsuit was allowed to proceed by Judge Deborah Batts who called the actions of Christine Todd Whitman "conscience shocking." This was also the year that James Zadroga, a former NYPD detective would pass away. His death was attributed to his work at "Ground Zero" by most accounts. By most if not all accounts his death was not the first post-9/11 health-related death and it sure would not be the last.

In 2008, a panel of judges ruled that Christine Todd Whitman could not be held liable for their statements regarding the air quality of Manhattan in the weeks following 9/11.

In 2010, a multi-million dollar settlement was approved for a separate lawsuit not against the EPA. This lawsuit originally named Con. Ed., the City of New York, Silverstein Properties, and many others in its claim, however the Judge ruled out Silverstein and other defendants in 2006. The lawsuit was filed in 2004.

Also in 2010, the James Zadroga Health and Compensation Bill was, ironically, attached to a war funding bill and sent to the Senate. The bill did not get enough votes but blame was passed back and forth from each political party for not "helping our heroes of 9/11."

We then learned that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had been trying very hard to block the legislation,  none-the-less it was pushed through the Senate in another effort late in 2010.

During all of these years the 9/11 first responder death toll was rising.

By the end of 2010, the number of 9/11 first responders who had died had reached nearly 1,000, compared to the 343 killed on 9/11.

Obama signed the legislation on Sunday Jan 02, 2011.

I am happy that aid is being delivered. I am happy that the legislation was passed. I am more hopeful now for the 9/11 first responders. However....

People should be in jail, their estates should be divided up for auction, the proceeds should be feeding the families of the 9/11 responders who have passed, along with aiding the 9/11 responders still suffering. The lies told were lies. The truths that were not told amount to crimes against the public health and well-being.

I just can't help but say it.