The Inquisitr » 9/11

Disgraced former NYC commish Bernard Kerik has bail revoked for blogging

Kim LaCapria — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:20:24 +0000

You may remember former NYC Police Commissioner and Giuliani BFF Bernard Kerik for his national prominence after the attacks of September 11th.

Once a candidate to head the 9/11-inspired Department of Homeland Security, Kerik is now in hot water due to corruption charges, including an allegation of collusion with mafia construction outfits who allegedly renovated Kerik’s apartment for free. And today bought more bad news for NYC’s former top cop, as a judge revoked Kerik’s bail for attempted jury contamination via a blog post which has since been pulled from a site promoting Kerik’s defense. (An AP article posted on the site can still be viewed.)

U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Robinson ruled that Kerik’s decision to post confidential documents on the website indicates that he has no intention of complying with a court order barring such disclosure. Robinson said:

“My fear is that he has a toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance, and I fear that combination leads him to believe that his ends justify his means,” Robinson said. “The failure of Mr. Kerik to abide by the direct order of this court … must be appropriately addressed.

“He sees the court’s rulings as an inconvenience, something to be ignored, and an obstacle to be circumvented.”

Kerik was stripped of his belt, shoelaces and tie. He will likely be sent to the Metropolitan Corrections Center, just adjacent to One Police Plaza- the site of his former office as Police Commissioner.

[Image: Gothamist]

Nation Honors 9/11 Victims With Memorial Events; Obama Speaks At Pentagon

AHN — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:46:29 +0000

Washington, D.C. (AHN) – The United States marks the anniversary of 9/11 on Friday with ceremonies in New York, Virginia and Washington. President Barack Obama leads an event at the Pentagon Memorial, while Vice President Joe Biden will attend the annual event in New York City. September 11th has been designated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The President and First Lady Michelle Obama will observe a moment of silence at the White House at 8:46 am ET, the exact time eight years ago when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. They then both travel to Arlington, where the President will lay a wreath and deliver remarks at the Pentagon Memorial.

The $22 million memorial was built near the west wall of the Pentagon, where Flight 77 crashed, killing all 59 people on board and 125 military and civilian personnel at the Pentagon. It consists of 184 stainless steel benches, each inscribed with a name of a victim and constructed over a small pool of water.

In New York, Biden and Second Lady Jill Biden will take part in the city’s September 11th Commemoration Ceremony at Zuccotti Park. Names of the victims at the World Trade Center will be read following tradition, but this year the reading will be done by family members paired with volunteers to commemorate the day as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Four moments of silence will be observed to mark the times when each tower was hit, when each structure collapsed.

In Pennsylvania, where 40 people died after Flight 93 was thwarted by passengers from hitting the U.S. Capitol and instead crashed on Skyline Road in Shanksville, the National Park Service and family members of hold a morning service. There will be tolling of the Bells of Remembrance and speakers include former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Homeland Security Sec. Tom Ridge, and Gen. Tommy Franks, former commander of the U.S. Central Command.

Four planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001. A total of 2,973 people died. The United States launched its War on Terror and invaded Afghanistan the next month in pursuit of al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

Charlie Sheen/Barack Obama fanfic, as written by… Charlie Sheen

Kim LaCapria — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:02:02 +0000

While nearly one out of three Americans question the 9/11 Commission Report and nearly one out of five think that the Bush Administration had a hand in the attacks, Charlie Sheen has taken questioning the official account of September 11th to a whole new level.

He’s written a fanfic about it. He doesn’t call it fanfic, but any of us who used to be addicted to Harry Potter fanfic know what fanfic is- we recognize it when we see it. Sheen has written a long- boy howdy, is it long- fantasy interview between himself and Barack Obama (abbreviated as PBO in the “interview”) in which much like an action movie star, he takes on America’s most charismatic man with the hard hitting questions. And being conceived and carried out totally in Sheen’s head, he pulls no punches.

As a native New Yorker who thinks the 9/11 Commission Report was an insult and that the previous administration is at least guilty of criminal negligence, I don’t begrudge Sheen his fervor on the subject. (And if I do, for a minute, all I have to bring up in my memory is landing in Newark on September 15th and watching the smoke billowing over half of my beloved home city in stunned silence.) However, Sheen’s mock interview is downright adorable in parts. I particularly liked the ending, although I think he’s being a bit of a Charlie-Sue:

(The Senior aide appears again beside the President whispering in his ear. He then quickly moves off).

PBO – Well Charlie I can’t say this hasn’t been interesting. As I said earlier you’ve showed up today focused and organized. Regardless how I feel about the material you’ve presented, I must commend your dedication and zeal. However, our time here is up.

(the President rises from his chair , I do the same).

CS – Mr. President! One more second!

(The President starts towards the door – I follow him quickly step for step).

CS – Mr. President, I implore you based on the evidence you now possess, to use your Executive Power. Prove to us all Sir, that you do, in fact, care. Create a truly comprehensive and open Congressional investigation of 9/11 and its aftermath. The families deserve the truth, the American people and the rest of the free world deserve the truth. Mr. President -

(He pauses. We shake hands).

CS – Make sure your (sic) on the right side of history.

(The President breaks the handshake).

PBO – I am on the right side of history. Thank you Charlie, my staff and I will be in touch.

(I watch as he strides gracefully out of the room, the truth I provided him held firmly by his side; in the hand of providence.)

[Via Gawker]

The biggest 911 fail of all time

Duncan Riley — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:34:34 +0000

Your father is having a seizure. You call 911, and while waiting for someone to pick up the phone, you drop the f word. Is the response: where is the emergency; or you shouldn’t swear, followed by a lecture?

If you picked the latter, you win. The video below of a local news report on the Lincoln Park, Chicago Police Department demonstrates exactly that.

But it gets better. After ringing 911 three times, including one time where the officer hangs up on the girl calling her a buffoon, the girl heads to the local police station to both get help, and make a complaint. When she arrived, she was arrested for “disorderly conduct” and “abusing 911,” a charge that doesn’t exist.

The only remote sanity is that the officer’s boss tells local television that it’s not their finest moment, but never explains why she was never asked why she was calling. Fortunately her father survived, but imagine a more serious case.

Here’s the biggest 911 fail of all time:

Remembering 9/11 Online

Duncan Riley — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:59:23 +0000

As another anniversary comes and goes, the horror of one September morning in 2001 may pass into distant memory, but we will never forget what occurred.

In New York, four moments of silence are planned today to commemorate the precise times that two hijacked jetliners crashed into the World Trade Center, along with the times that each tower collapsed. Services will also be held in a field in western Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon outside Washington.

Online various services are planned, and for those unable to make a service, major memorials will be streamed online.

For coverage and services, visit Second Life, Ustream.tv, and LiveStation. Most major social networking services will have something to mark the occasion, so check with your preferred social network provider.

For archival footage that even 7 years later is beyond imagination, the Internet Archive has an extensive catalog of footage from 9/11 and the days following here. The Center for History and New Media maintains the September 11 Digital Archive that includes over 150,000 digital items.

If you’d like to make a donation, The National September 11 Memorial & Museum and Families of September 11 are looking for funds.

(img credit)

SnagFilms Remembers 9/11 with Five Online Films

Dominic Rivera — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:02:56 +0000

SnagFilms announced that it is streaming five films without advertising in its annual September 11tth Remembrance in Film.

Five documentary films, including 7 Days in September, is now available in full without commercial interruption at SnagFilms.com and IndieWire.com until September 12, 2008.

The slate of films include: Afganistan Revealed, Beyond Belief, Saint of 9/11, and We Are Family. Just like with all the more than 300 non-fiction films in SnagFilms’ library, each of these documentary films can be re-streamed via a widget and embedded on another website or social network page.

Comprising footage culled from more than two-dozen filmmakers’ material produced on the day and immediate aftermath of September 11th, 2001, 7 Days in September has been called by New York Times film critic A.O. Scott “an almost unbearably powerful documentary.” Director Steven Rosenbaum wove together the journeys of 28 New Yorkers – each of whom recorded their most private experiences during the attacks on the World Trade Center, and the week that followed. The storytellers, included a postal worker, a college student, an artist, and Rosenbaum’s 11 year old son Max, who together captured the sorrow and solidarity of the 9/11 story.

Viewers of films presented by SnagFilms.com are encouraged to become “filmanthropists,” either by opening a new movie theater widget on their personal website or social networking page, or by contributing directly to a cause tied to the films they watch. Viewers who respond to the “support” button connected to any of the Remembrance films will be able to contribute funds to the National September 11th Memorial and Museum, the builder, programmer, and operator of the Memorial and Museum at Ground Zero.

SnagFilms would match its viewers’ contributions during the Remembrance Week.