Support The 9/11 Resolution

To the Editor:

By the time this letter is published the Newtown Legislative Council will have met on Wednesday, October 15.

A proposed 9/11 Resolution is now on the council’s agenda, thanks to the efforts of many local resident. Council members themselves have expedited consideration of this item. This resolution is a statement of support for the 9/11 widows and family members who make up the Family Steering Committee for the Independent 9/11 Commission.

Members of the Family Steering Committee and other 9/11 family members and activists have written and called me to express their deep appreciation for our efforts. Now, we who have organized this local effort appeal to all residents of Newtown, please call the first selectman’s office at 270-4201. Tell the selectman that you support the 9/11 Resolution, and ask that he convey that fact to the Legislative Council. You may also obtain the phone number for your own elected representative on the council by calling the town clerk at 270-4210.

All members of the Family Steering Committee responded with great enthusiasm to my suggestion that the resolution be placed on the World Wide Web where anyone could copy it and go get it passed in their town or city. So I created a website: www.911resolution.org. Robin Weiner in Washington, D.C., a member of the Steering Committee, has now informed hundreds of 9/11 families and activists on the committee’s email list across the country. They know that the resolution directly supports the position and recommendations of the Family Steering Committee. They are, no doubt, watching our progress — news of which is published at the site. Let’s send them a powerful endorsement by passing the 9/11 Resolution without delay. It will set a precedent for other towns and cities to follow.

Readers should go to the site now and see why this is such an important issue; read the resolution and then read all of Addendum A: Questions of the Family Steering Committee.

According to the Steering Committee, “Some things about September 11 just don’t make sense in light of intelligence gathered and established protocol and procedures in place prior to 9/11, so the Family Steering Committee has submitted questions to the commission on a wide range of topics. To date, none of our questions have been answered. We should not have had to fight our government for an independent commission. Each subsequent misrepresentation or manipulation of facts by government officials has caused further erosion of trust.” (source: FSC website).

Key members of the Steering Committee are publicly voicing severe doubts and discouragement. They need our support now, and this resolution makes pure common sense. Look for news of the recent October 15 meeting in this issue of The Bee. Call the first selectman’s office at 270-4201, and come to the next Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday, October 29, at 7:30 pm, at the library on Main Street. For more information, see the official site of the Family Steering Committee at www.911independentcommission.org.

James Allen

Main Street, Newtown                                               October 14, 2003