September 11th Remembered - Pictures From Ground Zero

On Thrusday, September 11th, New York City commemorated the anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Here are a few pictures from Ground Zero.



















More pictures from Talk Radio News on our Flickr.

McCain and Obama Speak at Columbia University

On the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, presidential nominees Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), spoke at the ServiceNation Presidential Candidates Forum in New York. This event was held to open the two-day ServiceNation Summit, which aims to promote a culture of service in the United States. The two candidates spoke about their views on what service and civic engagement are.



The event was held at Columbia University, in New York. According to the Columbia Spectator, the student newspaper, only 100 seats were allocated for students. The rest were reserved for donors and dignitaries. Several students told Talk Radio News that the seats were dolled out in a lottery system. Columbia accommodated student overflow seating outside the Low library (picture above). University officials had no comment.

The Governor of New York, David Paterson, introduced the event, speaking on the importance of service. He mentioned how fortunate the United States is that both presidential candidates know the great importance of civic engagement.

The moderators, Richard Stengel of Time and Judy Woodruff of 'the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer', asked Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama similar questions on the issue of service and their views on it. The two candidates largely agreed on all issues, differing mainly on the role of government in promoting service.

Both Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama expressed what 9/11 meant for them and the rest of the United States: they stressed the unity that the terrorist attacks brought, with Obama commenting that 9/11 demonstrated America's ability to "come together." The candidates also agreed that 9/11 had been a perfect time to lead change in government and encourage a greater culture of service, by tapping into the spirit of volunteerism that was created.

Both candidates stressed the need to reform Washington. Obama remarked that "we are not on the right track", and McCain drew attention to the fact that 84% of Americans believe that the country is heading in the wrong direction; he declared that his long career in Washington made him especially able to "fix it."

The importance of military service to the two candidates was clear throughout the discussions, though both stressed the importance of civilian service also. Obama stressed the need for a foreign service, for example, to help in war-torn regions such as Iraq and Afghanistan by improving health and infrastructure.

The difference between McCain and Obama, however, was clear in their opinions on the role of government in encouraging service. McCain emphasised the strength of faith based organisations and private companies in the response to Hurricane Katrina, referring to his own theory of government that the government should not do what the private sector is capable of doing already. Obama, on the other hand said that "government should expand,", for example by creating a Clean Energy Corps to mobilise civilians in the bid to make energy cleaner.



Still, both candidates insisted that the issue of service was non-partisan and of vital importance: Obama said that one of his primary objectives, and one of the main reasons why he is running for president, is that he wants to lift up opportunities for service in the United States.

The Pentagon becomes a place of remembrance

Seven years after the airborne attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York, President Bush, accompanied by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates dedicated memorial to the memory of Pentagon employees and passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 77 which crashed into the building on Sept. 11, 2001.

"We claim this hallowed ground for peace and for healing. We claim it in the affirmation of our strongest belief as a people that every life is precious," said Gates. The memorial is a series of 184 silver metal benches spread out over a flat park of gravel. Beneath each bench a pool of water reflects the luster of the metal bench that stretches over it. For the ceremony each bench was draped in a blue flag, giving the appearance of a covered casket.

Quoting the poet Robert Frost, Rumsfeld spoke of Sept. 11 as a day that the United States "became acquainted with the night." Rumsfeld was lauded by the other speakers for his quick actions at the Pentagon on Sept. 11. Speaking of those who died that day he said, "Make no mistake, it was because they were Americans that they were killed in this place."

Rumsfeld also spoke the the resolve of the American people and of the U.S. military, "We have been acquainted with the night, we have taken it's measure and in the darkest of times we stood together. In defiance our nation has pressed on toward morning...Our nation will force the dawn."

Admiral Mike Mullen the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also spoke to the families of those who died in the Pentagon, "We honor the heart wrenching sacrifice, the quite courage of those who called these souls dad, mom, son, daughter, husband, wife, brother, sister, friend."

Bush spoke about the wars that have followed the attacks on the Pentagon. "Since Sept. 11 our troops have taken the fight to the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home," he said. Shortly after the attacks the U.S. began military operations in Afghanistan to unseat the Taliban government which was harboring the al-Qaida terrorist group that planned and executed the attacks. Thanking the men and women of the U.S. armed forces, Bush noted, "There has not been another attack on our soil in 2,557 days."

With the newly dedicated memorial and the Pentagon behind him, Sec. Gates spoke of the new meaning of the Department of Defense's main building. "From this time forward the Pentagon will be more than a symbol of government, more than the seat of military power, it will also be a place of remembrance."

Kerry: al-Qaeda more capable of attacking today

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) says terrorist attacks are currently at historic highs, stating that that al-Qaeda is more capable of attacking the United States now than it was in 2001. He says the next president should reform the war on terror and include more intelligence, making it possible to prevent terrorists from being recruited. (1:12)

Lack of political leadership continues in Guantanamo

The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commision) held a hearing on “Guantanamo Detainees after Boumediene: Now What?” Chairman Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) presided over the hearing and said that six years after the Guantanamo camp was opened, there seems to be little progress made in addressing the fundamental problems that plague the detention facility. Hastings also said that the fact that Guantanamo is still open is testament to the genuine challenges the U.S. faces in relocating its residents, and also “speaks to a lack of political leadership” in fixing the problems there.

The International Legal Director of Human Rights First, Gabor Rona, explained that each successive decision of the Supreme Court on the subject of post-9/11 detention has brought the U.S. further back toward the “fold of respect” for international human rights and humanitarian law and the purposes they serve. Rona said that popular notion continues to persist that existing laws of war and criminal law are inadequate because they did not anticipate today’s conflicts, that there is conflict and a requirement to choose between “war” and “crime” paradigms, and that therefore, a new “legal architecture” needs to be developed.

Matthew Waxman, an associate professor of law at Colombia Law School, agreed with Rona and said that on September 11, 2001 the U.S. confronted a grave threat for which it was “poorly prepared.” He explained that Congress needs to reconsider the basic legal and policy decisions taken immediately after 9/11, and the next reform effort should also focus on two interlocking issues: the future of Guantanamo and the appropriate role for courts in reviewing detention decisions. Waxman said that Guantanamo is a symptom of a much larger problem and Congress should not consider it in isolation from other U.S. Government detention operations. He also said that closing Guantanamo will be hard, but despite the challenges it should be closed because doing so will improve the country’s ability to combat terrorism.

Jeremy Shapiro, a Fellow and Research Director with The Brookings Institution, compared Europe’s “long and troubled history” of terrorism with the United States’. Shapiro said that the problem of creating a system of norms and laws for detaining terrorism suspects has been a challenge for every democratic government that has faced a terrorist threat. He explained that each democratic country that has faced a terrorist threat has struggled with precisely the same issues being dealt with in the U.S. Shapiro explained that one general lesson emerges strongly from the experience of other democratic countries: counterterrorism measures, including those regarding detention, need to be rooted in preexisting notions of law and fairness and they need to have broad support across the political spectrum.