2008 Bulletins

12/31/08 — A Good Year… The year that is closing brought us a lot closer to the reality of new Twin Towers at The World Trade Center. Some people wonder how we could think there is a chance of that. We wonder how anyone could seriously think that a project that has so little to show for itself after all these years, with no popular support or market interest, a dud that is as flat as New Coke, can really withstand the logic and the enthusiasm behind new Twin Towers for a new America. We wish the Twin Towers’ supporters a safe and happy 2009.

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11/29/08 — A World of Thanks… On this Thanksgiving Day weekend, those who are dreaming of new Twin Towers have so much to be grateful for.
– We can be grateful that extraordinary amounts of power and money have not been able to force the wrong World Trade Center on us – as anyone who looks at the Ground Zero webcam can see.
The recent Port Authority website “answers” didn’t try to defend the current plan or the way the American public, regardless of the people’s enormous emotional and financial investment, was overruled. Officials have stopped pretending that their plan was the result of a legitimate process. They’ve even stopped pretending that they have made great progress.
Now it all boils down to the claim that it wouldn’t be prudent to go back to the beginning, which of course is not necessary because Twin Towers II is ready to convert the current plan into a 21st-century World Trade Center that will lift the confidence of the whole world as it rises. And do it ahead of the current schedule for a lot less money. Numbers don’t lie. If officials really think they have the better plan, let them prove that it makes sense. They can’t.
– We can be grateful that the book we have been working on for so long was finally printed and that every time we came so close in the past we held off. Now it frames the issue in a way that honest people can’t dismiss.
It is going to be directed to those who use their hearts for a living — those in business, journalism, and the arts who agree with the idea that “imagination rules the world” — who aren’t bogged down by small ideas and limited vision.
This country was founded on refusing to accept the unacceptable and we can’t afford to start now. So, if the power elite really thinks it can baffle the will of the American people when there is an alternative that is both fiscally prudent and economically viable, let them show us where we are wrong. They can’t.
– We can be so grateful that Ken Gardner never stopped developing the spectacular Twin Towers II plan. That is the only reason we are positioned to save the dream so many millions of people around the world share. Without it, many of us would still be fighting the good fight, because to accept the unacceptable would be another terrible casualty of 9/11. But it would most likely be an impossible dream.
Lots of people had good ideas, but Ken Gardner is the only one who had the vision and the guts to follow through. He is the only one who walked the talk. Because of him, those who want to impose a mediocre office park at the site of our deepest wound are going to find themselves trying to defend the indefensible. They can’t.
Since September 12, 2001, there has been only one way to really recover from what was inflicted on us the day before. There’s no reason to settle for less. And it’s not too late.

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11/19/08 — The World Trade Echo Chamber… There were two clear reminders in the press this week that those who deliver the news are out of touch with the people.
On November 12th, Donald Trump spoke with Dominic Carter on NY1. He said that he thinks the “Freedom Tower” is bottom-heavy, not great architecture, and that it could be a catastrophe for New York. He said building should stop because there is a glut of office space on the market. That much was reported.
He also said that what should be built are two new towers each one floor taller than the original towers. That was not reported and is not contained in either the NY1 OnDemand excerpts or on their review of the interview on their website. So, apparently that is not news because it doesn’t reinforce the bogus agenda.
Could it be any clearer how the bizarre situation at Ground Zero developed into the disgrace it is today?
It could. David Dunlap at the New York Times published a column on the Nov. 17th entitled “Where Two Towers Once Stood A Memorial Begins.” It is in praise of a project that depresses the hell out of most New Yorkers, but these guys obviously could not care less. It ends with the chillingly arrogant conclusion:
“Despite all the public negativity, great things have been accomplished, and we’re beginning to see the fruits of that work,” said Steven M. Davis of Davis Brody Bond Aedas, the architects of the museum. “The drawings and concepts are transforming into the built project, and it will continue to develop and materialize before our eyes. And isn’t that exciting?”
Imagine — great things have been accomplished because the public’s input has been dismissed. The only thing the public is good for is handing over the money.

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11/14/08 — More of the Same… The Director of the Port Authority, Chris Ward, published his answers to some of the questions that were submitted by the public over the past week..
In answer to “Jonathan in Columbus, Ohio” who asked “Why not rebuild the Twin Towers?” he wrote that ““If we were to start from scratch and develop a plan that called for rebuilding the Twin Towers, billions of dollars that already have been spent on design and engineering work, as well as hundreds of construction trade contracts, for all of the projects would be wasted.”
The Director’s answer neither surprises nor disturbs us. We are supremely confident that adopting Twin Towers II will save money and save time. We believe Mr. Ward will be pleasantly surprised when he looks into it. When he sees that the obstacles he has been led to believe exist do not apply to the specific plan proposed, then there would presumably be nothing standing in the way. Since what we are endorsing does not require going back to scratch, the remarks did not specifically address the merits of this plan.
We believe it will become clear that not only is this obviously the most honorable solution, since it honors public opinion and is the time-honored way of responding to acts of war, but it can be demonstrated to be the most prudent solution. If we are wrong about that, then all it will take is a published cost analysis to make the case.
Only when the generalities stop and the specifics are examined will this matter be properly resolved. And that is exactly what the TTA booklet is meant to achieve. Because it will engage people who can dig for the answers that the nation is entitled to.

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11/7/08 — ACTION ALERT… The Port Authority of NY and NJ has a new website aimed at keeping the public informed of the “progress” at the WTC. Between now and Tuesday, November 11th, they are inviting the public to send in questions. They will then post a selection of questions, followed by their answers.
The Twin Towers Alliance encourages supporters to send in their questions. Good questions can be basic or more complex. We think some that deserve a direct answer include:
– Please explain why rebuilding the Twin Towers was never an option.
– In what specific ways would the current plan be a better investment or a more fitting response to the 9/11 attacks than the Twin Towers the public has always preferred?
– The Twin Towers Alliance and WTC2011 sites claim that adopting the Twin Towers II plan at this time would save at least $3 billion and, even with the transition, could be built far ahead of the current schedule. They also insist that it could be adopted using the groundwork that has already be done. Given the popularity of building new Twin Towers, as well as the Twin Towers II popularity with many 9/11 family members, what steps should be taken to evaluate the validity of these claims? And if they can be substantiated, what would justify continuing with a plan that has failed to attract private tenants or to gain the support of the public?
Even though the support for rebuilding is clearly mainstream, those in the media who want to prop up the current failed policies have made it a point to mischaracterize the support for rebuilding as coming from the fringes of our society. SO PLEASE keep that in mind when writing and do not indulge in rants and hyperbole — no matter how “rantworthy” the official policies may be. Gov. Paterson and Director Ward are very impressive gentlemen and we believe that they are not cut from the same cloth as the earlier administrations. Please be respectful and a credit to the goal of new Twin Towers.
We believe that the FACT that there is a fully developed plan ready to take the place of the current boondoggle, and that it would be the most popular, respectful, and fiscally responsible course to take, is the only reason that restoring New York’s legendary and beloved skyline is a definite possibility and not pie-in-the-sky. None of us can thank Ken Gardner enough for the incredibly arduous efforts he put into his project year after year. No one else had the vision or the heart or the guts.

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10/14/08 — It’s Becoming Clear… The last month has been a whirlwind of activity, much of it astonishing. The prospects of seeing new Twin Towers rise get better every day. Unfortunately, we can’t say more at this time. But it’s starting to become clear to many that all roads lead to putting bigger and better Twin Towers back where they belong.
We now have the cost analysis that shows rebuilding the Twin Towers would save billions of dollars over the current flawed plan. Furthermore, they could be built more quickly and efficiently. It has become obvious, particularly in today’s economic turmoil, that rebuilding the Twin Towers is the only responsible course.
No one can seriously doubt that new Twin Towers is what most construction workers want to build, most first responders want to protect, most tourists want to visit, and most New Yorkers want to celebrate. And that is the kind of support that would attract the businesses in droves, who have run from the current plan.
Restoring the skyline would be the most fitting and inspiring memorial of all. For that reason, our current proposal focuses on the fact that the Twin Towers would work with the plans for the current memorial. It makes no sense to fight the memorial, too. But it would be negligent not to point out that many, maybe most, 9/11 families strongly prefer the Twin Towers II memorial, which is respectful of their wishes, much more buildable, and would solve the tremendously expensive operational costs that are still unresolved in the “Reflecting Absence” memorial.
So who is standing in the way? That’s what citizens need to know, because there is something foul going on when what matters to the people doesn’t matter to their public servants. The future of America depends on us getting to the bottom of what went wrong here, because it will continue to undermine our society in other pernicious ways, and it is up to all of us to correct that.
When amNY offered to post a column on their blog we took them up on it, but the heading isn’t part of what we submitted. It was the amNY editor who announced: It’s time to listen to the people and rebuild the Twin Towers.
It’s still a very hard fight, but we are gaining ground and, now more than ever, need all the help we can get. Those who think the future of America is bleak will settle for the current plan. Those who know that what we do at Ground Zero can make it very bright indeed will support this effort.

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9/11/08 — The High Road… This is a fight against the forces of contempt for the American spirit and we will probably be fighting it for the rest of our lives. The campaign to build new Twin Towers has been far more challenging than anyone could have imagined and we are relieved to see the finish line in sight. We honestly and wholeheartedly believe that we are about to achieve our goal of bringing the matter into the open, where the people of this nation and the world will get a chance to have their say before a plan that has no merit is forced down the public’s throat. We deserve so much better. We think that’s an easy case to make and that we are about to make it loud and very clear.
We want to share what Fard Muhammad, our web designer, posted on the TTA Facebook page today:
Things are continuing to happen behind the scenes of the TTII Plan. Don’t worry- we haven’t stopped, and we’ll keep you updated as much as we can.
While there continues to be infighting on how we responded to the attacks — whether its militarily, politically, or architecturally — what happened seven years ago today is indisputable. The lives lost and the families shattered are apparent in the faces in the family members who are now standing at the site where the Twin Towers proudly stood for 30 years, and where they and the people within them were horrifically destroyed within mere seconds. We may try to get the Towers back, but they will not bring the people that were in them back. Those people are gone forever. Take a moment and honor them in your mind — whether it’s a prayer for them, a moment of silence, or just simply taking a moment to take note if you’re busy.
On this day, it’s important to take stock of your loved ones and friends. Call some of them up or e-mail them and let them know how much they mean to you. Whatever gets built at the WTC Site, it is essential to remember that not only buildings will reclaim America’s skyline, it is the people that inhabit them when they get built. The architecture is simply enclosed space, but the people within that space make all the difference. It is the business that takes place to revitalize Lower Manhattan. It is the world trade that promotes world peace. It is the city life that promotes city unity within NYC.
This date seven years ago was a truly awful day. Let’s make today a truly great one for you and those around you.

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9/6/08 — Tribute in Light… The brilliant memorial beams have been lit as we approach the 7th anniversary of 9/11. Seeing them again is a reminder that we really can be thankful that the redevelopment has been so unsatisfactory, because it gave us time to rethink our options and now people are really starting to see that it’s not too late to do the right thing!
The lack of new material on this website and on the 2011 site are due to a very strong effort that is going on behind the scenes. We are coming to the end of a marathon, have a lot of energy, and are sprinting ahead. We are well-prepared and well-positioned for victory and thank everyone who believes in what we are doing. We think that we’ll all finally know what’s what by the end of this month.

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8/24/08 — Progress Report…We want to let those of you who have written to us over the past few months, and particularly those of you who sent us contributions in June toward the upcoming booklet, that we are currently engaged in activities that are very promising and dynamic. So, while we read every message that comes in, we are not able to respond as we would like to because we are putting every ounce of energy into the current strategy. But, if you have written to us about something that needs an answer, please resend. Our mail was down, and everything may not have come through, but is back in order.
As for the booklet, it has turned into something more exceptional and compelling than we ever dreamed of at the start. And, each time we think it is ready to launch, something else develops that needs to be included. It’s gorgeous to look at and will cost $50 per copy to print and mail, so we know that no one will be disappointed by it. Those of you who were promised a copy for your donation will see it as soon as it is printed and we have completed the worldwide distribution, most likely before the end of September. We will also post it on the site as soon as it has been distributed, but for now, we have the cover page at the top of the TTA home page that gives a hint of what it contains.
We are expecting a fabulous September. Thank you for your support. We are giving this our all.

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8/13/08 — Developments… The new facade and the new “Metrics” page at are really stunning and are opening a lot of eyes. And at the top of the TTA Home page is a a draft cover letter that will soon go out with our booklet to people with the power to make a difference.
Meanwhile, please note that we had a bad spam problem on the TTA servers, which is still being addressed. So anyone who has written, but not received a reply should give it a week and write again. Or if it’s pressing, just give us a call at 212-568-0207.

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8/3/08 — Slowly But Surely… Some truly astonishing developments this week made us decide to hold back on the booklet a little while longer, because if we had already printed it, it would be obsolete now! Now, it has taken on a whole new and extraordinary character and is going to be quite amazing.

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7/26/08 — WOW!… The week that is just ending brought some amazing and far-reaching gains. This movement to rebuild our Towers and our country is really picking up steam. The booklet should get printed this week and mailed out the next, which will help frame the debate. But there are some other absolutely incredible developments on the horizon…
The situation at the WTC is a classic case study in elevating confusion over reason. The way that zookeepers trap monkeys is by putting a banana in a hole with a throat that is only wide enough for a closed fist. When the monkey reaches in and grabs the banana it can’t get its fist out of the hole. Then, the monkey watches in alarm and screams in terror as the captor approaches, but will not let go of the banana. So it ends up with a bag over its head and wakes up in a zoo.
Human beings are equipped to reason together. And we are sure that when we can establish that we have a plan that is not just “better in every way” but extraordinarily better, that everyone will win big time and no one will lose, and contrast it to a plan that is so dysfunctional and problematical that it would have been cancelled long ago, if it were in the private sector, then we think that the PTB are going to suddenly let go of the banana and the world is going to wake up to a dream come true.

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7/14/08 — Coming Up for Air… The behind-the-scenes developments over the past ten days have been extraordinary. We are doing our best to prioritize our efforts because this has really reached critical mass. Much of what has developed needs to be worked into the booklet presentation, which is why we are delaying that project a little longer, but it will be well worth the wait. We can promise our supporters that truly great shifts in attitude are underway. It is a privilege to be able to be involved in such a public service. Thanks for all the support…

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7/2/08 — Catching Our Breath… The events of the past few days have been stunning and we are suddenly finding that there is a lot of interest in the Twin Towers II plan. We need to rewrite some passages of the planned booklet, because the case is so much stronger now, so we will, therefore, hold off on the printing until next week at the earliest.
But from this perspective we can say with certainty that the tremendous work Ken Gardner did to have a plan ready to build now is THE ONLY reason why there is so much hope for the Twin Towers today. All the hypothetical observations regarding “design neutrality” don’t recognize that the blueprints that have been developed for the Twin Towers II plan are thorough and ready for the construction drawings to be drafted — making it possible to actually change horses in mid-stream. No political solution would be possible if it involved years of going back to the drawing board — no matter how inspired the design or responsive the official.
If anyone else had shown the level of commitment and resolve that Ken Gardner has shown, then the field would be that much richer, leading to a brainstorming to devise the best plan of all — but there aren’t any others that rise to that level of readiness – and that speaks for itself. All of the concepts that were put forth fall short of this plan because they didn’t involve the 1% inspiration to 99% perspiration creative ratio.
Ken Gardner sees what he and Herbert Belton devised as a starting point that is likely to evolve significantly. His entire purpose was to show the feasibility from every vantage of reborn Twins and he has accomplished that more brilliantly than most realize. Where it goes from here is in the hands of the Zeitgeist. We believe that a reasonable claim can be made that the Twins could be topped out by 9/11/11 and the memorial could be in place a year earlier. But whether the Towers are all the way up or halfway up on the tenth anniversary, is there really any rational person, regardless of their preferences and prejudices, that does not recognize that a wave of joy and relief and confidence would sweep over America and the world at the sight? Really?

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6/28/08 — Change We Can Believe In… The Twin Towers Alliance booklet should be printed this week and we hope to have the first wave in the mail before the holiday. We are very pleased with the proof and just need to do a little work to get it ready for Monday.
What makes it really powerful is that where appropriate it will be accompanied by a second booklet of elaborate presentation plans and drawings that show how much work has gone into making the Twin Towers II plan ready to build. It is going to startle a lot of people. The only obstacles are political and we expect that to change, because the ineluctable conclusion after reviewing the material is that it would actually be more radical to dismiss this option than to adopt it.
There is an historic opportunity for Americans to recognize that the Twin Towers could be topped off and the skyline restored by 9/11/2011 if we come together. This is a post-political struggle that embraces all Americans. We can still build a World Trade Center that makes us proud. The people are weary of rhetoric that never leads anywhere. The only way anything will ever change is when our leaders bravely refuse to prop up what is unworthy — and the pretender World Trade Center would be the fitting place to start.
The blending of the practical and the sublime is precisely what the Twin Towers stood for. They were the pinnacle of worldly and spiritual striving. And that is why the current plan is such a tremendous letdown to so many. Last Monday, a New York Post editorial describing what went wrong at the WTC pointed out that it is a good practice to “under-promise and over-perform,” but diminshed expectations have no place at Ground Zero, where we have seen how superhuman mere mortals can be.
Who would have imagined a year ago that New York’s first African-American governor would be sitting in Albany and the executive director of the Port Authority would hold a Master’s degree from Harvard Divinity? One important difference in the climate today is that the public really likes David Paterson as much as it didn’t like George Pataki or Eliot Spitzer. This transcends political labels. He just really seems to be one of us. We think that this is meant to be and that building a World Trade Center we can be proud of is finally going to be official.
It’s not too late. In fact, it wasn’t really possible until now.

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6/22/08 — Two More Cents…The New York Times published an editorial this week that showed very little vision or grasp of the underlying issues involved in the rebuilding of the World Trade Center. They concluded: “Governor Paterson wants to gain his share of control over ground zero. He wants a real schedule and a real budget. That is a fine idea as long as his schedule and budget do not destroy the promise of the site and slow down its progress.”
Following years of false starts and unworthy plans, the governor may be on the verge of recognizing that the most cost effective, time-saving, and noblest development possible would be to reward the public with soaring Twin Towers alongside a stirring memorial. The NYT is missing the fact that nothing could do more to “destroy the promise of the site and slow down its progress,” than the inane fixation on restoring the street grid by destroying the “superblock’s” moat of protection. The editors in this city are a BIG part of the problem.
But new life is being infused into finding a solution and there is good reason to hope that Director Ward is a man who can discern not just the obvious, but the sublime, possibilities… which just might mean that common sense and respect for public opinion are about to prevail at long last.

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6/13/08 — It’s About Time…New York Post columnist Steve Cuozzo addressed Gov. Paterson’s request that the Port Authority executive director do an audit and report back by the end of the month this way: “If he’s honest, he’ll level with the public about what’s really been accomplished at the World Trade Center site: next to nothing.
“Sure, there are a lot of machines making a lot of noise. You can’t close down one “temporary” PATH terminal and put in an entirely new one just a few feet away without making a racket.
“But lots of what’s going on is what real-estate developers derisively call ‘moving dirt around.’ The likelihood it will result in even a single component of the new WTC being finished on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, just over three years from now, is nil.”
Cuozzo’s frustration is shared by just about everyone, but he can’t get around the fact that he contributed to the current situation by tolerating and accommodating the bogus process from the beginning. A foul ball is a foul ball — you can’t put it back in play, but that is what they have been trying to do at the World Trade Center all along. Almost everyone recognized that the process Pataki forced on the public was a sham, but officials turned a blind eye and decided to make do. Now everyone is surprised that make do has yielded make don’t…
It’s certainly getting interesting — and our forthcoming mailing is going to open a lot of eyes.

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6/6/08 — It’s Time to Do the Right Thing and Do the Thing Right… Here at the TTA we have been very busy planning what will soon be our own version of D-Day. The activity at Ground Zero makes this month critical to a political solution and we are ready to channel everything we have been working on into one final push to win hearts and minds. When the presentation is complete and ready to send out, it will be posted on the home page and much of the rest of the site will be archived. We are confident that this “Hail Mary pass” has the power to change the future dramatically.

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5/23/08 — If You See Something, Say Something… The post-9/11 dictum is sadly ironic advice. It recognizes that the only way we will be able to defeat the terrorists’ threat to our way of life is through an engaged population. But the brazen disregard for what most of us have always wanted for Ground Zero has sent a different message: If you see something, don’t bother saying something, because no one in power is listening or cares. So disengage and leave everything to us.

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5/5/08 — Appearances Can Be Deceiving… It appears as if brazen politicians are going to get away with forcing their incoherent, wasteful, irrelevant plan on the rest of us. Even though there is a plan ready to go that would restore the butchered skyline, could go up more quickly than the current project, would be more economical, would be more impressive, and has no drawbacks, it doesn’t seem to matter. And it appears that propagandists in the media are going to get away with distorting reality and defeating the popular will. But we don’t think they will.
There are 300 million people in this country. There must be one powerful individual, who isn’t under anyone’s thumb, who will be outraged and disgusted by what a gang of elites have pulled off at the scene of this generation’s Pearl Harbor, and who will step in and wake people up to the a giant scam going on at Ground Zero.
Two years ago today, Alicia Colon’s gutsy, pro-Twin Towers column in The New York Sun ended with these words: “So far, the will of the people hasn’t amounted to much in this city — but there’s always a first time.” And as long as there are people ready to sacrifice time and energy to make that happen, those who are abusing their power should think twice.

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4/19/08 — Downtown Unraveling… That is what New York Post columnist Steve Cuozzo dubbed the situation a few weeks back and it’s been all downhill from there. Yesterday’s news brought the bizarre disclosure that two sets of plans for the “Freedom Tower” were found in a Soho trash bin. That seems too appropriate to have been a mistake. Much more likely, a pro-Twin Towers Port Authority worker (of which there are many) decided to make a statement and put the plans right where they belong.
We are overhauling this site to put the focus on the solution presented at www.WTC2011.com. When every week exposes another negative about the current development, a thorough examination of the trouble-plagued plan is now more necessary than ever. Why are those in charge trying so hard to drive a square peg into a round hole when the most popular solution — new Twin Towers — would also be the easiest to achieve?

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4/4/08 — So Much More… Today was the 35th anniversary of the dedication of the World Trade Center. More precisely, it was the anniversary of the dedication ceremony. The real dedication of the World Trade Center came years before when architect Minoru Yamasaki envisioned its transcendent purpose:
“World trade means world peace and consequently the World Trade Center … is a living symbol of man’s dedication to world peace … beyond the compelling need to make this a monument to world peace, the World Trade Center should, because of its importance, become a representation of man’s belief in humanity, his need for individual dignity, his beliefs in the cooperation of men, and through cooperation, his ability to find greatness.”
The following message left on this website earlier today is a reminder that those who have confused the WTC with just a mundane complex of buildings to wrangle over are missing what is not lost on people around the world:
“Greetings from IRAN…I’m so sorry and I hope us to see the towers once again together…Those two towers are not just buildings…They are also the symbol of people who hate terrorism and everyone who brake the PEACE…so let us rebuild our world together!!“
The Twin Towers were so much more than a mere tangible asset. Their intangible value to the people of Metro New York and America was and is priceless. And we shouldn’t overlook how much they meant to many people in other lands. They had significance on both a personal and collective level. The Twin Towers may have been just trophy buildings for Larry Silverstein, but they were a significant part of America’s heritage for the rest of us.
Mr. Yamasaki’s vision took on even greater urgency after 9/11. The comment today is fresh proof that his dream was not destroyed with his Towers, but still resonates in hearts around the world and beckons us to come together to rebuild the Twin Towers and rebuild our world.

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3/20/08 — A Rebellion Against Doom… At the end of an interview in the Jan 2007 issue of Psychology Today, high-wire master Philippe Petit was asked what he would like to see happen at the WTC. “I think they should be rebuilt exactly the same, or maybe even a little bit higher — as a rebellion against doom.” In another interview he explained that he has a “life wish.” English may be his second language, but he has quite a way with words.
Today, as part of our own rebellion against doom, the Twin Towers Alliance sent out the press release that distills everything we have been saying for the past two years. The surprise political opening in New York, the contentious presidential campaign, and the growing economic uncertainties, are ideal conditions for our message to resonate. The current site plan is nothing but a consolation prize, and a poor one at that. When the WTC2011.com site is fully launched, the alternative will become clear. We can do so much better. And the timing is right.

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3/13/08 — The Glass Is Half-Full… The downfall of Eliot Spitzer is a sad spectacle and we hope to see him channel his prodigious talents and energies into a constructive new life. Meanwhile, we have received many inquiries into what we think the change may mean for the World Trade Center. New York Post critic Steve Cuozzo wrote a column today entitled “Downtown: Eliot Leaves A Mess” and this letter we sent to the editor is how we see it…
“When Steve Cuozzo moans that the WTC is years behind schedule, he fails to appreciate that every one of those years is one in which we didn’t build the wrong plan. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Gov. Paterson, a man who never glimpsed the Twin Towers, had the courage to reject what was forced on us by elitists with no vision?
“Faced with spending more than $3 billion trying to undo the wanton destruction of Pennsylvania Station, our new Governor has compelling evidence that doing the wrong thing to satisfy short-term pressures is a losing proposition.
“Gov. Spitzer chose a remarkable and humble running mate. Wouldn’t it be rich if the sensory acuity that results from being blind means that for the first time in a long time the people of New York may have a Governor who not only “listens,“ but actually hears — and really cares what the people think?
“There is a world of difference between pragmatism and realism. Pragmatists think that expediency is what matters at the World Trade Center above all. Realists know that we are sure to regret it, if we try to replace the irreplaceable Twin Towers with anything except better versions of themselves.”

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3/2/08 — A World Trade Center Worthy of the Name… is what the American people want and should be able to expect from those we elect to protect our interests. A comment this week on our YouTube tribute illustrated the confusion that still exists over the WTC property rights and it can’t be repeated too often: Silverstein Properties bought the right to lease the Twin Towers for 99 years. Once the buildings were down, they had the contractual responsibility to restore the buildings, but Gov. Pataki, for his own selfish reasons, abrogated that requirement. That left Silverstein with a right to comparable space in comparable buildings — nothing more and nothing less. He never bought the right to reinvent our beloved skyline, because it was never for sale.
We have to challenge the vested interests that have demoted the rest of us to second-class citizens. The forces that have taken over at Ground Zero are typical of what’s wrong with our country. Straightening out this mess is going to prepare us to tackle other problems that are resisting correction across the nation. The launch of the USS New York, the battleship that includes over 7 tons of steel from the fallen Twin Towers, is a fitting reminder of what we stand for and what our Armed Forces fight for – to uphold our government of, by and for the people of the United States of America. If the sailors who salute Ground Zero every Fleet Week had their say, is there any doubt what they would prefer to salute when the World Trade Center is rebuilt? So whose country is it?

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2/18/08 — A Matter of Perspective Some of the cheerleaders for the current plan for the WTC boast that it will be much more impressive than the original complex — the real WTC. But that is absurd — as the photo at the top of our Restoration Alternative page makes incredibly clear. That doesn’t mean that the appearance of the Twin Towers couldn’t be enhanced. The 21st century materials and technologies planned for the site would look at least as fine on Twins. But that is where perspective comes in. At street level, either plan would impress. But from across the river, across the ocean, or across the years there is no comparison. We don’t say that the current plan is an embarassment to be nasty or condescending. We just think that that is self-evident, unless one is standing up too close.

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