Grand Lake Theater - 2009 9/11 Film Festival

September 11th, 2009 –
Remembering, Questioning, Challenging
Continuity of Government
(Report on the Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance's 5th Annual Film Festival and events)

Last year when the Bush/Cheney regime was voted out of office, there was rejoicing at the possibility of change for the better. Sadly the looting of the country, the expansion of war, the policies of torture, rendition, lack of accountability continue under Obama. The “myth” of 9/11 has been cited as justification for a continuation of the foreign and domestic policies pushed by the last administration. With the anniversary of the attacks drawing closer, the Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance began planning our 5th annual 9/11 film festival, the 8th annual 9/11 truth rally and march, and working in support of other events and campaigns, notably Richard Gage’s talk at the Commonwealth Club on “9/11 Blueprint for Truth: The Architecture of Destruction,” and the New York City Coalition for Accountability Now (NYCCAN) efforts to get an initiative on the ballot calling for a new investigation of 9/11.

2009 saw the publication of paper by Dr. Niels Harrit, Dr. Steven Jones, and 7 other authors in the Bentham Open Chemical Physics Journal chronicling the presence of ignited and unignited nanothermite in the WTC dust. In August the truth movement had some positive breakthroughs. A Denver public television station aired two 9/11 truth documentaries- 9/11 Press for Truth and Gage’s 9/11: Blueprint for Truth. National Geographic was scheduled to air a documentary on 9/11 featuring Richard Gage, Steven Jones, David Ray Griffin, and Dylan Avery which would include the destruction of World Trade Center 7. Not surprisingly, considering National Geographic’s treatment of Peter Lance’s book, Triple Cross, the National Geographic special edited out the most important information and facts that were presented by Jones, Griffin, and Gage. Reminiscent of the mainstream media treatment of those questioning the Kennedy assassination, each time compelling evidence or information is brought to light, a robust attack upon the messenger and message is launched by the defenders of the official story. A Pew Research survey reports that confidence in the media is at an alltime low with less than a third (29%) say that the media generally gets the facts right and 63% say that news stories are often inaccurate.

The National Geographic special tried to frame the truth movement’s most visible spokespeople as unscientific, well meaning, conspiracy kooks. Another major assault came in the form of an attack upon a member of the Obama administration who had signed the 911Truth.org petition. A right-wing blogger cut and paste a couple of articles posted at Rense.com together to accuse Van Jones of being on the organizing committee of the first march demanding a congressional investigation of 9/11 back in January 2002. Fox National News called me to verify the story, and I assured them that Jones knew nothing about the march (which I had organized), and that the article that mentioned that Jones was on the organizing committee, only referred to the debut of an Oakland anti-war publication called War Times. I suspect the attack upon Jones was to send a much broader message to any current or future politicians that “to challenge the official 9/11 story would be political suicide.”

In August and September, I worked to find newspapers, book stores, radio stations to support and sponsor the 9/11 film festival. We didn’t have a lot of lead time and simply asked those who had helped us in the past and bookstores that generally support KPFA events. Before the film festival, the SF Weekly attacked the film festival and our sponsors, even phoning them and persuading a few of the bookstores to withdraw their public support for the event.

Richard Gage, AIA speaking at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco September 8, 2009

On September 8th Gage’s presentation to a nearly full house at the Commonwealth Club received a standing ovation, and on September 9th an excellent cover story on Gage came out in the Silicon Valley Metro entitled “Explosive Theory.”

September 9th, 2009 - Cover Story

The only television station that expressed an interest in the 9/11 film festival was Swedish TV which arrived on the 8th and interviewed Dylan Avery in the afternoon of the 9th, before the world premiere of Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup. At the same time, Ken Jenkins and others were setting up lights and equipment to shoot David Ray Griffin’s talks. Janette MacKinlay with the help of Scott Beery was setting up her dramatic Ikebana floral arrangement onstage entitled “Wake-Up Call” which consisted of two blue towers swathed in explosive red and white leaves and branches. Certainly, the arrangement was the largest Ikebana endeavor that Janette ever undertook. We hung up the 10’ large “NYCCAN vote for answers!” banner at the entrance to the theater. Slowly and steadily people filled the theater. Considering that we were unable to finalize the program and begin our publicity/outreach until less than a month before the event, we had a respectable turnout between 350 and 400 people. Before the program began, Vic Sadot and Jeremy Goodfeather played their guitars and sang a few songs.

"Wake Up Call" by Janette MacKinlay

Our mistress of ceremonies, Bonnie Faulkner, host of KPFA’s Guns & Butter (who has hosted 4 of our 5 film festivals) welcomed the audience and introduced Mike Daly, an Ironworkers 377 member, born and raised in NYC Metro Area, a Steel Industry Construction Manager and a member of the LaborFest Organizing Committee, as well as a delegate - to Bay Area Labor Councils. Mike had persuaded Rachel Maguire to allow us to show a 27 minute excerpt of her film Metal of Honor which allowed those who built the World Trade Center and who immediately pitched in with the rescue work to tell their story.

Metal of Honor

One of the great tragedies of 9/11 was the false assurances of the safety of the air in the wake of the attacks. The first responders were hardest hit and have suffered from their exposure to the toxic dust, over 800 have died. We listed in the program the names of over 100 of them and a diagram and some information on the “Captive Fund” – the billion dollars designated by Congress for the health needs of those who did the clean-up at Ground Zero. So far, almost no money has gone to those who need it, but hundreds of millions of dollars has gone towards the administrative costs and fighting the health claims.

Mike Daly

Our next speaker was Richard Gage, AIA, who gave us an update on Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, following the 10 minute version of “Blueprint for Truth.” Richard’s tireless work in the past three years has greatly increased the credibility and visibility of the truth movement. He was moved to become involved after hearing David Ray Griffin speak on Bonnie’s Guns and Butter radio show about the testimony describing explosions that were released through the efforts of the New York Times.

Richard Gage at the 9/11 Film Festival

David Ray Griffin spoke briefly on Osama bin Laden, the subject of his recent book, and the basis of the myth that has been used to expand the war into Pakistan and increase troop levels in Afghanistan. He cited many reports that Osama bin Laden was dead and that the videos of him were fabrications used for political purposes.

David Ray Griffin at the 9/11 Film Festival

Dylan Avery introduced his “final” new Loose Change film. Despite the big budget (compared with his first film), and the cooperation of Daniel Sunjata, the narrator, and his intent to not actually have to do all the editing himself, Dylan found himself once again at the editing table. He spent a month editing the film, in order to have it done, produced, in time for the 8th anniversary.

Dylan Avery at the 9/11 Film Festival

Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup opens with the Reichstag fire and reviews key points in history that set the stage for 9/11, before beginning to lay out compelling new evidence that contradicts the official narrative. Without historical context, 9/11 is a traumatizing, incomprehensible event, exposing the larger historical patterns nurtures the possibility of breaking the pattern. The film includes Janette MacKinlay who provided the dust that she collected from her apartment, across the street from the World Trade Center, to Dr. Jones. Dr. Jones gives the highlights of his latest research on the chemical composition of the dust, which can be traced to US military labs. The film challenges the viewer to become involved, to not allow the criminals behind 9/11 to get away with it or repeat it on a larger scale.

Peter B. Collins, another local radio personality, helped with Q&A. Dylan was joined by producer Korey Rowe and together they explained how the film was made for the general public and how they hoped that it would reach a much wider and broader audience through retail distribution at major chain stores. Dylan also explained, for perhaps the thousandth time, the concept behind the title “Loose Change” which he conceived of as unstoppable, uncontainable change.

The final film of the evening was 7/7 Ripple Effect, the British “Loose Change,” produced by Muad’ Dib. The film was originally released on the internet on Guy Fawkes Day, the day of the first “false flag operation” that was a catalyst for a war between Britain and Spain and between Catholics and Protestants. The film opens with a BBC program on a drill of how government officials and the media would behave in response to a terrorist attack, remarkably similar to the one which took place on 7/7/2005. The film is a damning look at the impossibility of the official 7/7 story and at the media that has tried to sell that story to the public.

Muad’ Dib was arrested after he sent a DVD of his film to the court that was trying three young men who knew the “7/7 alleged suicide bombers.” Out on bail, he is now appealing the attempt to extradite him to the U.K.. I substituted for Gabriel Day, who was the most knowledgeable about the situation in the UK and the international 9/11 truth movement. I shared my own experiences with the media, and tried to explain how the court cases against “alleged terrorists” and “their friends” serve to support the official myths, and draw attention away from the culprits in higher office who have the means, motive to attempt to get away with the crimes.

On Thursday, September 10th, 2009, appropriately enough, President Obama declared:

“Because the terrorist threat continues, the national emergency declared on September 14, 2001, and the powers and authorities adopted to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond September 14, 2009. Therefore, I am continuing in effect for an additional year the national emergency the former President declared on September 14, 2001, with respect to the terrorist threat.”

The first film featured was Fabled Enemies by Jason Bermas which examines the links between the alleged highjackers and the US military, as well as evidence of the involvement of other intelligence agencies. Ken Jenkins spoke afterwards on how false flag operations affect targeted populations and how ignorance of history and the mechanics of psychological operations allow similar ruses to be used again and again.

Fabled Enemies by Jason Bermas

Kill the Messenger by told the story of Sibel Edmonds, perhaps the most gagged person in US history. The film revealed what she couldn’t say herself, what she learned from her work as a translator for the FBI, whose whistle blowing efforts got her fired. She started the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition. Mickey Huff gave an update on her more recent activities which included speaking under oath for five hours about how the Turkish government and a network of lobby groups and high-ranking U.S. officials and Congressmen have engaged in treason and blackmail. Between the Executive branch, Congress and the media, Sibel blames the media the most for the inaction and lack of accountability for the treasonous behavior of high government officials. (He directed people to learn more at Bradblog.com) Mickey also spoke of Project Censored and Media freedom International and how we all need to fight to bring the facts to light.

Kill the Messenger by Mathieu Verboud and Jean R. Viallett

The New American Century by the Italian filmmaker, Massimo Mazzucco, detailed the history of the Project for a New American Century, as well as the history of US false flag operations. He also looked at Unocal’s activities in Afghanistan before and after 9/11, and Halliburton’s “cost plus” contract with the US military and their spending spree in Iraq. The film also included the “shooting spree,” gleeful murderous war crimes committed by US soldiers, as well as contractors in Iraq. Paul Rea, a film critic and author of a paper entitled “The Zealots of Dominance: The Neocon Factor in 9/11” found it challenging to transition from the emotionally heart wrenching scenes of the film towards a more analytical grasp of the neocons. He observed that the neocons-

tend to be absolutist, black/white thinkers, who see "the free world" as near absolutely good and any challengers to its hegemony as inherently evil

tend to obsess on power, especially military power, and to be sociopathic about the human consequences caused by militarism,

after the Cold War, needed a new enemy and chose Islam

although they are often called "intellectuals," they qualify if the term is resticted to those who think and push ideas, not if the term refers to "people who seek the truth."

Star Wars and False Flag Terrorism, a short ten minute piece, looked at the Star Wars saga and the series of false flag operations and deceptions that transform the republic into an empire.

Swami Beyondananda warned everyone that we were running late and to turn back our watches twenty minutes to solve the problem. (It was my fault. We received the director’s cut of Kill the Messenger which was 80 minutes long, but I had scheduled the 52 minute edited television version. We didn’t axe any part of the program, but continued to run 30 to 40 minutes late, by the time David Ray Griffin spoke.) After the seriousness of the preceding films, the swami was a refreshing antidote and drew many laughs and applause.

Jeremy Goodfeather singing "The Truth About It" at the 9/11 Film Festival

Musicians Jeremy Goodfeather and Vic Sadot performed their best songs, including The Truth About It and Cheney’s in the Bunker before the evening program.

Eric Nadler introduced his film, Anthrax War, a very sobering look at the bioweapons industry, which cannot be separated from the vaccine industry. The film opened with the Anthrax attacks upon Congress and the media in the wake of 9/11 and the deafening silence on the part of the media when the anthrax was traced to US military labs. At the end of the film Francis Boyle warns that government and corporations will not stop the expansion of research into deadly pathogens which threaten humanity and that it really is up to us to stop them.

This was new material to the audience which failed to ask some of the harder questions about the latest media and legislative threats regarding the engineered H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic and the dangers of mass vaccinations.

Janette MacKinlay spoke on behalf of NYCCAN, sharing the good news that the signatures on the petitions (over 80,000 now) to put an initiative on the ballot to establish a new investigation into 9/11 with subpoena power had been approved and urging people to support the New York City effort.

Janette MacKinlay speaking on behalf of NYCCAN

Peter Phillips, former director of Project Censored, explained, as a sociologist, why there was so much resistance to 9/11 truth and suggested a new strategy for the movement. Peter cited studies that show that people have emotional attachment to their beliefs, and seek information that confirms them rather than seeking the facts of the matter. The failure of the media to convey the most important information regarding events that shape everyone’s lives, crippling people’s ability to distinguish between what is real and what is not, Peter called it a truth emergency, and suggested that we align ourselves with the bottom up, critical thinking, fact finding, participatory democracy, election reform, media reform efforts, including 9/11 truth as one aspect of a much larger assault upon the public mind.

David Ray Griffin gave the keynote on the topic of his latest book- The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7 and Why the Final Official Report is Unscientific and False presenting a solid condemnation of NIST’s assertion that “thermal expansion” due to office fires triggered the unprecedented disintegration of the 47 storey World Trade Center 7 late in the afternoon of September 11th, 2001.

The evening closed with a call to action from activists organizing freeway blogging and truth actions on September 11th, 2009 and the 8th annual 9/11 Truth rally and march to the Power to the Peaceful Festival on Saturday in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Four 9/11 Truth videos were played, while most people headed for the lobby to talk and get books signed by Eric Nadler and David Ray Griffin.

David Ray Griffin signing a book for Joel Kohn

Since people came and went from Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon and evening, the audience varied in size, and some people spent most of their time in the lobby networking. I would estimate that between three and four hundred people attended each day, slightly more came on Wednesday than on Thursday. Since the previous film festivals were one day events, this year’s film festival was a success in raising awareness, generating media coverage, as well as raising about $5000 for the continuing efforts of the Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance, NYCCAN and ae911Truth.org.

Scott Page and Scott Sheckman, in the lobby, working behind the scenes

Despite the lack of sleep, activists were up early on the 11th to do freeway blogging, and bake cookies for the truth actions in San Francisco. In San Francisco, Eric Nadler and his cameraman showed up for the actions and started interviewing people. He is considering doing a documentary on the Truth Movement.

Freeway blogging, September 11, 2009, Berkeley

Freeway blogging, September 11, 2009, Berkeley

Friday night it rained, adding to the logistical challenges of setting up booths at Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park and handling the logistics for the rally and march. Generally, it is a huge challenge and I was surprised that Chuck and I actually arrived at the rallying point on time on Saturday morning. We set up the banners and the sound system and waited for people to arrive. Later, we learned that there were actually two rallies, ours at Ashbury and another at Baker, both on the Panhandle. Due to miscommunications one location was posted on the website and to the email list and another printed on the 5000 cards that were passed out. Several of us spoke at the Ashbury location, including myself, Jeremy Begin (author of Fighting for G.O.D. (Gold, Oil, and Drugs), William Veale, the lawyer who has launched a civil case on behalf of April Gallop against former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and former US Air Force General Richard Myers, who was acting chairman of the joint chiefs on 9/11.

8th Annual 9/11 Truth Rally at the Panhandle, San Francisco

8th Annual 9/11 Truth Rally at the Panhandle, San Francisco

Eventually, the other group joined us at Ashbury, with singer Vic Sadot, and their large banners. We had to negotiate with the police a bit, before we were able to march (with a police escort) along our traditional route up Ashbury to Haight to Golden Gate Park, where the police escort dispersed. Vic Sadot heroically sang almost the whole way. The public gave us the thumbs up, took photos and were supportive of the march. Those who weren’t carrying banners and signs, and the sound equipment, passed out flyers and deception dollars.

8th Annual 9/11 Truth March down Haight Street, September 12, 2009

At the Power to the Peaceful Festival, 2009

ae911Truth.org booth at the Power to the Peaceful Festival

When we reached Speedway Meadows, over 50,000 people were already in the park. We paraded right up to the stage, circling the crowd. On cue the speaker spoke out on behalf of truth. Cynthia McKinney also spoke. Our booths (ae911Truth.org and Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance) and our presence was very visible and we were one of the most popular of the activist group’s booths.

Media Coverage of the events (so far):

No Lies Radio-
Archives of the live coverage of the speakers- http://noliesradio.org/archives/5358

KPFA -
Bonnie Faulkner interviews Eric Nadler on Guns and Butter-
http://www.kpfa.org/guns-and-butter-anthrax-wars-investigative-journalist-author-and-filmmaker-eric-nadler

SF Gate-
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inoakland/author?blogid=123&auth=409
Truthers converge on Grand Lake Theater

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/27/MVPN199QQT.DTL
Films about 9/11

OaklandNorth.net-
http://oaklandnorth.net/2009/09/09/911-film-festival-brings-truthers-to-grand-lake/
9/11 Film Festival brings truthers to Grand Lake Theater

http://oaklandnorth.net/2009/09/10/up-close-with-moviegoers-filmmaker-at-911-film-festival/
Up Close with moviegoers, filmmaker at 9/11 film festival

East Bay Express-
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/events/5th_annual_9_11_film_festival/Event?oid=1181380
Critic's Choice- 5th Annual 9/11 Film Festival

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/artsculture/an_inside_job/Content?oid=1194797
An Inside Job
Members of the 9/11 "Truth" movement are typically disparaged as crackpots. In fact, they're actually wonks.

San Francisco Bay Guardian-
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=9107
Alerts- 9/11 Film Festival

http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/politics/2009/09/remembering_and_forgetting_911.html
Remembering -- and forgetting -- 9/11

Breakthrough Coverage-

Silicon Valley Metro Cover Story-

http://www.metroactive.com/metro/09.09.09/cover-0936.html

Santa Barbara Independent Cover Story-

http://www.independent.com/news/2009/sep/17/twin-towers-twin-myths/

The hit pieces-

SF Weekly-
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2009/08/9-11_truther_film_festival_bro.php
9/11 Truther Film Festival Brought To You By ... The San Francisco Bay Guardian?

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/last_night/
Movie Night With the 9/11 Truthers -- Conspiracy Theories, Bad Music, and, Hey! Free Popcorn!

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2009/09/versus_whos_crazier_--_birther.php
Versus: Who's Crazier -- Birthers or Truthers?

9/11 Film Festival Program Notes-

About the 5th Annual 9/11 Film Festival

The Film Festival originally evolved from a generous gift – the donation of the use of the Grand Lake Theater by Allen Michaan, a gracious patron of worthy causes. Our first film festival here at the Grand Lake coincided with another film festival we organized with Veterans for Peace in San Francisco. Bonnie Faulkner and Project Censored helped us with the film festival in Oakland that first year. The festivals could not have taken place without the support of many groups, filmmakers, speakers, and volunteers. We have featured narrative films, a film noire, music, comedy, a range of documentaries including those with subtitles (and some that have been dubbed by our talented local filmmaker Ken Jenkins). We could not show all the films that have been produced since last year, because some are very long, and there are so many of them. This year, we wish to draw attention and support to the work of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, and NYCCAN, in addition to the issues that the films raise and that we are learning about each day.

We are very glad to open the festival this year with an excerpt from Rachel Maguire’s film “Metal of Honor,” which gives the iron workers who built the World Trade Center and first responded to the crisis an opportunity to share their stories. Mike Daly, an iron worker from New York, will also speak and draw attention to the plight of those heroes whose health has suffered from their exposure to the toxic dust at ground zero.

Dylan Avery, whose “Loose Change” series has drawn world attention and the participation of many youth to the Truth movement, created the Avery Foundation this year to benefit the first responders and victims of 9/11 as well as all their families, who have been denied assistance by the state and federal governments.

The first responders were on-scene as soon as the attacks took place, and after the buildings fell they worked from sunrise to sunset, day in and day out, looking for survivors and helping to begin the process of rebuilding. Many are now sick and dying due to respiratory illnesses caused by exposure to airborne particulates at ground zero. To date, no bills have been signed into law by our government that provide them and their families with the necessary medical treatment they deserve.

The FealGood Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by John Feal, also strives to spread awareness and educate the public about the catastrophic health effects for 9/11 first responders, as well as to assist with the great financial burdens placed upon first responders in addition to their other injuries. John Feal created a special online wall to remember the heroes who have passed on due to health problems contracted directly as a result of 9/11. It is difficult to find exact records, but John estimates that over 800 first responders have died since 9/11/01.

About Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance-

The Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance held its first meeting in December 2002, and is the oldest locally based 9/11 truth group, founded by activists who organized the first street actions to demand a Congressional investigation into 9/11. Our mission statement is as follows:

Our mission is to seek and disseminate truths about the terrible crimes committed on September 11, 2001, exposing gaps and deceptions in the official story. Our goal is to inspire more eyewitness revelations, truthful media coverage, and a movement that will bring the responsible criminals to justice and eliminate governmental and corporate policies that enable criminal elements to commit such acts.

In addition to organizing events, rallies, marches, and conferences; and producing radio shows, television shows, films, books, printed materials, art, banners, and websites; the group has worked cooperatively locally, nationally and internationally to deepen our understanding of the events of 9/11, to raise consciousness, to demand accountability, and to expose the history and mechanics of false flag operations.

Members of the Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance have also created or co-created their own organizations and websites, the goals of which are aligned with our own, including the following: Jim Hoffman (www.wtc7.net), Don Paul (www.wireonfire.com/donpaul/), Gabriel Day (www.911truth.org), hummux (www.911tv.org), Cosmos (www.truthaction.org), Ken Jenkins (Marin Film Group for 9/11 Truth), Allan Rees (www.noliesradio.org), Richard Gage, AIA (www.ae911truth.org), and Carol Brouillet (www.911truthandcookies.org). The group website (which is in need of a major overhaul) is-

http://www.sf911truth.org

We currently meet at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists meeting room, 1924 Cedar (at Bonita), on the third Thursday of the month, from 7 to 10 pm. We are an all-volunteer organization and vote on major and financial decisions at the meetings, which are open to the public and those who wish to join us.

We have organized and/or participated in major 9/11 Truth, media reform, and anti-war conferences, in addition to organizing many smaller rallies, film showings, and events in the communities where we live. We produce and distribute materials to empower others, cooperatively sharing and swapping them with 9/11 Truth groups in and outside of the US. We have funded those who are willing to do the critical work involved in 9/11 Truth. What we can do is limited only by our imagination and physical constraints. We usually don’t run out of ideas, but are limited by the numbers of hours in the day

About the “Captive Fund” scandal

Congress created the “September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001” for surviving victims and for families of those killed in the attacks. The fund eventually disbursed over $7 billion, tax-free, to approximately 5,400 people. A different method was devised for persons harmed in the rescue and recovery efforts.

Congress authorized $1 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “to establish a captive insurance company, or other appropriate insurance mechanism, to handle claims arising from debris removal at the World Trade Center site.” Congress acted because New York City was unable to find private insurers willing to provide adequate coverage, due to known hazards, such as asbestos-laden dust, pulverized concrete, and glass fibers.

The WTC Captive Insurance Company [Captive] was established in July 2004 by agreements among FEMA, New York State and New York City with $1 billion to insure New York City and its private recovery-work contractors.

By mid-2006 with seriously injured workers still uncompensated, U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler requested that the Captive’s “possible mishandling of claims” be investigated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under which FEMA had been subsumed.

The DHS Inspector General reported in June 2008 that:

• Every claim for compensation had been contested in court
• 9,397 claims had been made; but only 6 claims had been settled (1,567:1) in the four years since the Captive’s inception
• No claims for respiratory or gastrointestinal injuries, nor for cancer, had been settled (all 6 settled claims had been for cuts or fractures)
• Only $320,936 (total) had been paid to claimants
• The Captive had expended $132,497,099 for administration, legal services, etc.—that is, for each $1 paid to an injured person, $412 in expenses were incurred

The DHS Inspector General found no violation of the law or of the contractual agreements, nor even any serious problem with the Captive’s conduct—indicating that the results were intended.

(In Congress now, under the leadership of the New York Congressional and Senate delegations, remedial legislation, known as HR 847 and S 1334, is proceeding to vote. This legislation is fully endorsed by the New York City Central Labor Council and the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council. Motions to endorse and support HR 847 and S 1334 are being proposed to local Bay Area unions in support of first responders and the workers at ground zero.)