(Albany) The local Green Party today questioned why 15 months after nearly 3,000 people were killed in the heart of New York City, Governor Pataki has failed to initiate any efforts to determine who is responsible for such murders or to bring them to trial.
"It is time for our state officials to demand justice for the victims of September 11th. We need Governor Pataki and our state officials to get serious about investigating those who were responsible for blowing up the World Trade Center, rather than enacting yet more restrictions on the public's access to the State Capitol or on our civil liberties. President Bush has been quite vocal in ensuring that the truth doesn't come out about this horrible event. Why isn't Governor Pataki and the State Legislature launching its own independent investigation into the murders of so many New Yorkers, or working with Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council to do a joint one?,". asked Mark Dunlea of the Peace and Justice Committee of the Capital District Greens.
Dunlea noted that the Governor's so-called security measuares is just the latest in a series of efforts initiated by Pataki from the moment he took office to restrict the public's access to the State Capitol. The media has dubbed the second floor of the Capitol Fort Pataki. The Greens said that the new security measures would eliminate many of the protests that take place in the Capitol. For instance, several years ago the Greens and other Earth Day protestors were able to sneak large puppets and a toxic drum into the Capitol; this will no longer be possible. While the Governor’s spokesperson said that protestors would still be allowed to bring signs into the Capitol, the police have always blocked such signs, forcing protestors to hide them until they were ready to be used. Now each protestor would be screened before being allowed to enter the Capitol. In addition, whenever the police are aware that large number of protestors enter the Capitol, they lock down all the access doors, confining the protestors to the entrance area.
Both President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney have repeatedly lobbied Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and others to block an independent Congressional investigation into the attacks on September 11, 2001. The recent compromise by Congress and the Bush administration fell far short of the independent commission sought by the victims of the families of September 11th. The scope of the committee is severely restricted, it is controlled by the President and the two major parties, and effectively allows a single member of the committee to veto any particular witness from being called.
The Greens severely criticized President Bush's naming of Henry Kissinger as Chair of the Commission, noting that it was public knowledge that while he was Secretary of State Kissinger had helped plan the assassination of democratically elected President Allende in Chile as well as other political leaders in South America. He is presently wanted by courts in at least four countires to account for his role in such acts. Kissinger withdrew his name on the grounds that he didn't want to reveal his list of private clients, several of whom reportedly have financial interests in the oil industry and the Middle East.
The Greens said that an investigation into the September 11th murders needed to focus on what individuals, organizations or countries provided assistance to the hijackers who flew the planes into the World Trade Center.
"It is certainly understandable that the state would initially defer to the federal government to take the lead into investigating these murders. But when 15 months go by and the Bush administration is clearly impeding a true investigation, it is time for New York's elected leaders to ensure that the truth about these murders is found out," said Dunlea, Chair of the Green Party.
Dunlea said that he had asked Sen. Tom Duane to sponsor a resolution in the State Legislature on the need for an independent investigation into September 11th. Sen. Duana and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver are the two state legislators who represented the WTC area at the time of the attacks. The Greens believe that the involvement of the families of the victims of September 11th is critical in any investigation to ensure that the truth is pursued.
