Those Who Supported the Heroes of 9/11

After the attacks were over and all that was left was the hard, grueling, mentally and physically exhausting work of searching for survivors and the clean up of the site there were other notable stories that came from Ground Zero.

Little known, but just as important as the effort of the first responders was the efforts of people like Gary Suson, who was made the official photographer for Ground Zero. It is his pictures which documented the efforts of rescuers to find survivors among the rubble and finding the remains of those that perished.

He documented their efforts until the work was officially stopped on May 2002.

Then there was Rocco Vendome, owner of Nino's Restaurant on Canal Street. Two days after the attack he closed his restaurant to the general public and reopened it to serve free meals to all of those working in the recovery efforts at Ground Zero. The price of admission was a uniform.

Rocco passed away in 2009.

Heroes of 9/11 - Todd Beamer

Todd Beamer was a passenger aboard United Flight 93, the ill-fated airplane that would crash into a field just outside of Shanksville, PA after the terrorists were attacked by Todd and the other passengers aboard, thereby preventing them from hitting their primary target. The last piece of data recorded on the flight recorder was at 10:03 AM.

Heroes of 9/11 - The Pentagon

It is hard to cite any one person here since there were many. Most of their actions have gone ignored, primarily for the reason that they were military and therefore people expect them to act this way. These people bravely charged in and out of a burning building to rescue people and were only stopped when sufficient numbers of civilian first responders could physically restrain them. One name that does spur controversy from this day is Donald Rumsfield. Most people don't realize he was at the Pentagon that morning and he did indeed help get some of the wounded out, and there are pictures of him assisting in the moving of one victim who had died.

Lt. Col. Ted Anderson carried two of the injured away from the burning building. Then he re-entered the smoke-filled Pentagon through a broken window to drag out two more injured employees, one whose clothes were on fire.

Anderson kicked open an interior door and with the help of two others, carried a heavy woman out of the building and boosted her through the broken window. Then back inside a dark corridor, Anderson said he saw a flash go by and realized a man's clothes were on fire. He tackled the employee and rolled him on the ground to extinguish the flames.

After helping the burn victim out through the window, Anderson turned to go back in again, but was stopped by two firemen who grabbed his shoulders and struggled to keep him from returning into the flames that had ignited from the jet fuel. Anderson said he was upset with the firemen for not letting him go back.

Spc. Beau Doboszenski also helped provide first aid to the injured immediately following the plane crash.

A soldier with B. Co., 3rd U.S. Infantry, Doboszenski had been trained as an emergency medical technician before joining the Army. He served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Loretto, Minn., before enlisting.

"I come from a family of fire fighters," Doboszenski said.

Doboszenski was working in the Pentagon as a tour guide the morning the aircraft struck the building. The Tour Guide office is on the opposite end of the building from where the plane hit, so Doboszenski didn't even hear the explosion. But he heard a Navy captain screaming for anyone with medical training.

Doboszenski ran around the building, was stopped by police, so he went around barricades and ran down the George-Washington Parkway. He reached Pentagon North Parking where medics from the health clinic were beginning to perform triage on victims of the blast and fire. He joined in to help.

He treated a woman who was having trouble breathing and placed a tube down her throat. Then he helped load the woman and about 20 others who were injured into automobiles so they could be taken to a nearby hospital.

Doboszenski then went with a six-man team into the building where the fire was still blazing. They placed doused rags around their faces and spent an hour in calf-deep water searching for survivors.

Heroes of 9/11 - Fr. Mychal Judge

Father Mychal Judge was nicknamed "The Firemen's Friar". On 9/11, he did what he always did whenever he heard of fire in his area--he rushed to the scene to be with the firemen and the first responders who would be risking their lives to save others.

"Mayor Giuliani recalls that they were both down there very early in the event and the mayor saw him run by with the firemen," says Father Duffy. "Giuliani says he grabbed his arm and stopped the friar, saying, 'Mychal, please pray for us.' And Mychal just looked at him with a big grin and said, 'I always do!' And then he turned and ran off with his firefighters, right to the tower, and that's where he died."

There were conflicting early reports of the exact circumstances of Judge's death. Cassian Miles, O.F.M., communications director for the Holy Name Province, confirmed with the fire department battalion leader on-site at the World Trade Center that Mychal indeed was anointing a firefighter and the woman who had fallen on the firefighter. Father Judge had removed his helmet in prayer and was struck in the back of the head by falling debris. Judge's body, according to Father Miles, revealed severe injury to the back of the head.

Duffy, in his homily, told what happened next:"The firemen took his body and because they respected and loved him so much, they didn't want to leave it in the street. So they quickly carried it into a church and not just left it in the vestibule, they went up the center aisle. They covered it with a sheet. And on the sheet, they placed his stole and his fire badge. And then they knelt down and they thanked God. And then they rushed back to continue their work.

Often overlooked in the reporting and reminiscences of 9/11 is the fact that many people leapt to their death rather then face whatever sort of hell they were confronted with. In this case a woman who had leapt to her death and landed on a firefighter, killing him, also was being given last rites by the chaplain when parts of the building landed on him.



More on Father Judge from Peter Johnson Jr. of Fox News.

Bush Cheered at 9/11 Service

Hard to believe the New York Times even mentioned this.

At 9:03, the readers fell silent and the silver bell rang twice to mark the time that United Airlines flight 175 crashed into the South Tower.

Former President George W. Bush took his place behind the same lectern with the presidential seal where Mr. Obama had just stood.

Unlike Mr. Obama, Mr. Bush drew a brief cheer from the crowd before his reading.

Applause followed Mr. Bush as he left the stage.

Man in the Red Bandanna

I caught this on ESPN over the weekend. As we approach the anniversary of 9/11, remember great Americans like Welles Crowther.

A very touching piece that brings back both the anger and sadness felt that horrible day.

Sorry Barry, I Ain't Playing This Year

Barack is once again taking to the airwaves and attempting to turn the commemoration of the attack on 9/11 into one big national community organizing day. In his weekly address this week he led off with the reason that 9/11 holds a dear spot in the heart of Americans and then goes into talking about all of the great efforts and acts of volunteering and giving that went on in its aftermath completely oblivious to the irony of those statements. None of those acts were the result of any government program or mandate. They were organized and executed by private businesses, citizens, and charity groups. In the age of government intervention into everything from lemonade stands to guitar manufacturers it makes one wonder if such actions could be carried out today.


I refuse to let the day be turned into some sort of touchy-feely volunteer service day. There are good organizations and people who do this sort of thing on a daily basis and don't need that one special day of the year to carry out their acts just to fulfill some sort ego attention gratification. Groups I especially like are those like the Wounded Warrior Project and Soldiers Angels, since I have a strong affinity for the military community.

For those seeking some sort of attention and their 15 seconds of fame on the local newscast, go for it. Mug for the camera, say something pithy and then make sure to get copies of footage so that you can show it to family and friends to show them that for one day out of your life you were somebody. For those that do this daily, unseen and without much fanfare, you have my deepest appreciation and I hope that you will be able to continue to do your good work without fear of our Department of Justice also carrying out a raid on your charity or business because it is discovered you didn't contribute to the 'right' political people.

Help Put 911 In The Winner's Circle

I probably shouldn't be doing this, but what the heck I've got a forum and I might as well use it, although this may constitute abuse, but it is family and that means a lot to me.

I have a niece who has gotten into dirt track racing, previously she raced in Minnesota but has now moved to Arizona to continue her pursuit racing in a class known as X-Mod. She has a new car but needs some help bringing it up to speed to get to the winners circle. She is doing very well with the limited resources she has right now but I want to get this girl to the winners circle. Here is what she is looking for right now.

I bought a used car and it does need several improvements, better motor and I want to get a floater rear end. The seat in it is also very old and I want to get a full containment seat which costs around $500 (on the low end), a spare set or 2 of tires/wheels.

As far as sponsorships, they can be any range. Of course the bigger they are means more car exposure (graphics, colors, & extras for the sponsor) and better & more competitive equipment for me to race. It also can help how much I can travel to other tracks.

The seat is a safety item and dadgummit I want her to be safe in that car. We have so little family left on my side of the ledger, her mother, my aunt, succumbed to pancreatic cancer a couple of years ago.

The car number is 911 and when she raced in Minnesota she was fortunate enough to have sponsorship from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) which is a private organization which assists military members.

So for you gear heads out there, motorsports fans or just folks who want to help a special girl out I encourage you to reach out to her. Any help at all will be appreciated. Help her put that 911 car into the winners circle.

We Don't Forget

The way the media is in a feeding frenzy over some crank in Florida who wants to burn a Koran you'd think his potential offense was something greater than the act perpetrated nine years ago this morning by Islamists. It's a safe bet you'll see more photos of that guy today that you will see photos of the greatest act of terror in our lifetimes.

We don't forget. Stop today and say a prayer for the victims and families. Too many people want to "move on" and pretend they don't hate us. Others tell us to get over it. Others now see a much greater threat.

We remember, and we remember who did it.

Never Forget

Ever.

'It's So Wrong'

I wonder if King Bloomberg and Imam Obama will see this?

Keep America Safe is the group behind this. No doubts the networks will ignore this because of some hallowed cultural sensitivity. Or they'll figure out who's on their board.

Thanks to Ace for the link.

Now the slippery operators behind this mosque won't rule out accepting money from Iran. I can imagine Obama and Pelosi just giving them the money before long.

Smoking Qatari Was Heading to See Al Qaeda Prisoner

He probably just wanted to share a funny story with his buddy from Al Qaeda. Nothing to see here, move along.

A Qatari diplomat was on his way to meet an imprisoned Al Qaeda agent when he touched off a bomb scare by slipping into an airline bathroom for a smoke, officials said Thursday as they announced plans to send the diplomat home.

A State Department official and another person close to the matter say Mohammed Al-Madadi was going to meet Ali Al-Marri in prison. Consular officials frequently visit foreigners held in the United States to make sure they are being treated well.

Al-Marri, a citizen of Qatar, is serving eight years in prison after pleading guilty last year to conspiring to support terrorism. He was arrested after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, accusing him of being a sleeper agent researching poisonous gases and plotting a cyberattack.

The visit with such a high-profile prisoner suggests that Al-Madadi would have been very aware of terrorism concerns when he sneaked into the plane's bathroom for a smoke and, according to authorities, joked about lighting his shoe on fire.

Interestingly enough, al-Marri was the subject of one of Barack Obama's first official acts as president. He's got dual citizenship in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and was a legal resident of the United States on 9/11.

Al-Marri, a legal U.S. resident and native of Qatar, was arrested in late 2001 while studying at Bradley University after federal authorities alleged he was tied to organizers of the 2001 attacks. The Bush administration declared al-Marri an "enemy combatant" in late 2001 and held him without charges for more than five years at a Navy jail in South Carolina.

The designation was dropped when he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Illinois. Al-Marri got a bachelor's degree in business management administration from Bradley in 1991, then went to work for a bank in Qatar.

The government said he met with Usama bin Laden in the summer of 2001 and was sent to the U.S. to help Al Qaeda operatives carry out post-Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Al-Marri obtained a student visa and returned to the U.S. the day before terrorists crashed two hijacked planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Obama to 9/11 Heroes: Drop Dead

Spit on by Obama

The day after proclaiming we're all got to come together (for his sake), today Barack Obama callously flips the bird to those who sacrificed their health and well-being in the aftermath of 9/11. It's difficult to comprehend how a man can recklessly spend trillions of dollars yet he can't find the need to spend a puny portion of that helping those with illnesses related to their time spent at Ground Zero.

The word inhumane springs to mind. Oh, and to further rub it in, he'll have us spend a billion dollars holding trials in lower Manhattan for the monsters who you could say caused these illnesses.

Such callousness stuns even the Democrats representing New York.

The Obama administration stunned New York's delegation Thursday, dropping the bombshell news that it does not support funding the 9/11 health bill.

The state's two senators and 14 House members met with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius just hours before President Obama implored in his speech to the nation for Congress to come together and deliver a government that delivers on its promises to the American people.

So the legislators were floored to learn the Democratic administration does not want to deliver for the tens of thousands of people who sacrificed after 9/11, and the untold numbers now getting sick.

"I was stunned — and very disappointed," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who like most of the other legislators had expected more of a discussion on how to more forward.

"To say the least, I was flabbergasted," said Staten Island Rep. Mike McMahon.

The 9/11 bill would spend about $11 billion over 30 years to care for the growing numbers of people getting sick from their service at Ground Zero, and to compensate families for their losses.

Eleven billion dollars over 30 years, an amount dwarfed by the now $860 billion stimulus slush fund at his employ.

Staggering.

The legislators were shocked the idea was falling lower on the administration priority list than other parts of the war on terror and financial bailouts.

"She made it clear that the administration does not support any kind of funding mechanism that goes into the bill," said Bronx Rep. Eliot Engel. "I think it's fiscal restraint… but you know what? They find money for everything else, they need to find money for this," Engel said.

"We were attacked because we're a symbol of our country." McMahon was furious that caring for the heroes of Sept. 11 would take a back seat to anything but military funding.

"I thought there was a complete lack of understanding of the issue by the secretary and quite frankly, I did not expect that lack of compassion and failure to understand the urgency of the issue."

Obama has no problem endowing the full menu of constitutional rights upon our worst enemies but blithely dismisses the health and well-being of their victims. It's as if he's hoping the New York Democrats are defeated this fall.

Thanks to Allahpundit for the link.

Total cost: $11 billion … over 30 years. The optics of this are so appallingly bad, especially in light of the rumors circulating about the U.S. and UK offering the Taliban $1 billion to play ball in Afghanistan (which may be paying off), that I can’t believe there’s no ulterior motive. Is this actually some sort of kabuki aimed at giving Obama an excuse to reverse himself about the spending freeze? There’ll be a public outcry, The One will accede and agree to fund the 9/11 bill, and then Gibbs will use it every day going forward as a lesson in how they can’t cut spending because the compassionate American public simply won’t let them make hard choices about denying services to those in need. Or maybe they’re planning to add this to ObamaCare, as a lesson in how desperately some people need health care? Or am I overthinking this because I simply can’t believe they’ve become this tone deaf? What’s up, seriously?

'This Is Not a Decision I Would Have Made'

Add New York Governor David Paterson to the list of un-Americans to question the idiotic decision by Barack Obama to put the 9/11 mastermind on trial in New York City. And yes, it is Obama's decision, no matter what his stooge Eric Holder may say.

If you're Paterson, the lamest of lame ducks, it's not as you have anything to lose speaking out here and it probably would help his anemic poll numbers. Speaking of which, I notice the state-controlled media hasn't been blaring any polls on how unpopular this lunacy is.

Hmm, I wonder why?

Gov. Paterson on Monday joined the chorus of critics questioning the government's plan to try Kalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other accused 9/11 terrorists in New York.

"This is not a decision that I would have made," the governor said when asked about the upcoming federal trial of KSM and his four underlings.

"Our country was attacked on its own soil on Sept. 11, 2001, and New York was very much the epicenter of that attack," Paterson said after an appearance at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new CUNY campus in East Harlem.

"Over 2,700 lives were lost," he went on. "It's very painful; we're still having trouble getting over it. We still haven't been able to rebuild that site, and having those terrorists tried so close to the attack is going to be an encumbrance on all of New Yorkers."

Obama may well manage the impossible over the next year. He could well turn a reliably dark blue state very red considering the governorship and both Senate seats are on the ballot next year. Is it any wonder they're so vociferously attacking Rudy Giuliani.

Thanks to Ed Morrissey for the link.

'Thank You for Your Kind Gift'

These people should know better and realize they should volunteer to organize a community before they get any recognition, especially on the anniversary of 9/11.

A group of Sept. 11 responders finally got an answer from the White House to their plea for help: a thank you card.

A year ago, members of the Fealgood Foundation delivered that plea to the future President and other lawmakers in a DVD telling the tale of four ailing heroes.

One of the four, Greg Quibell, had just died of 9/11-linked leukemia. Another, former FDNY firefighter John McNamara, died of cancer last month.

They wanted to show Congress why it must pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, an $8.4 billion bill to help ailing Sept. 11 workers.

But the act has languished. What the responders have gotten are thank you's, not just from the White House, but from members of Congress who also got copies of "Save the Brave."

"One congressman's office sent it back with a letter that said we're sorry, we don't accept gifts," said John Feal, who lost half his foot at Ground Zero.

Feal got the note from the White House saying "Thank you for your kind gift" last week.

Quibell's widow, Theresa, said the off-tone response was "disturbing," but would forgive it if the President delivers. "My God, at least take care of these guys now," she said.

Adminstration officials say Obama remains committed to those who answered the call on Sept. 11, and the days after. He reaffirmed his pledge Friday in the Daily News.

Congressional leaders insist they're committed as well, and the House could finish its bill this month - and vote by November.

Yes, Obama is so committed to the cause he couldn't be bothered to show up in Manhattan today, or even send his sidekick with the bad hair plugs. Obama had plenty of time this week to show up at a memorial for Walter Cronkite, but can't be bothered to show his face on 9/11.

Naturally, on a day when we all come together as one, leave it to the unctuous Carolyn Maloney to take a cheap political swipe.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan) blamed the glacial pace on the GOP. "The previous administration denied there was even a problem," she said.

Maloney has been in Congress every day since 9/11. What has she doen to help?

On The Transmigration Of Souls

'The Official Story Behind 9/11 is a Fraud'

Two and a half brain cells

Can it be long until crackpot actor Charlie Sheen gets himself a czar gig in the Obama administration?

CHARLIE Sheen -- the beloved star of TV's most popular sitcom, "Two and a Half Men" -- is still preaching the crackpot theory that "the official story behind 9/11 is a fraud" and demanding a new investigation. In time for this week's eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Sheen has written an open letter to President Obama claiming, "9/11 has been the pretext for the systematic dismantling of our Constitution and Bill of Rights."

Apparently they didn't dismantle the part where insane drug addicts are allowed to spew nonsense into any open microphone.

Sheen will be appearing on the radio with the king of the 9/11 Truthers, Alex Jones. Sure to be scintillating entertainment.

Sheen also presents a plethora of other evidence to illustrate how the official story is a fraud, including the revelations of whistle blowers like FBI translator Sibel Edmonds, who recently broke a Federal gag order to expose how Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda were working for the U.S. government right up until the day of 9/11.

The issues highlighted by Sheen do not represent idle speculation or conspiracy fodder, they are documented facts that have been deliberately ignored by other 9/11 programming that is now airing as the anniversary approaches, particularly last months' 9/11: Science and Conspiracy which was aired by the National Geographic Channel and wasted little time in portraying people who have doubts about the official 9/11 story as extremist cranks, while failing to acknowledge that the majority of the members of the 9/11 Commission have publicly expressed similar concerns.

The nutcase Jones, apparently more insane than Sheen, actually fabricated an interview between Obama and Sheen. That'll do wonders for his credibility.

Alex Jones, the controversial talk radio host and operator of conspiracy websites like Infowars.com and Prisonplanet.com, sparked outrage today by publishing an entirely fabricated Q&A interview between President Barack Obama and Two and a Half Men actor Charlie Sheen. For his part, Sheen appears to be a willing participant in this ploy.

Branded as the most explosive information of his career, Jones posted a transcript of the fake conversation on his websites this morning, deliberately misrepresenting it as a 20-minute interview between Obama and Sheen. He later modified the content – after it was presented to the public as being real – to include a disclaimer on the very bottom of the article, which states that this is merely an open letter from Sheen to Obama, and that no such conversation has taken place. One website, AboveTopSecret.com, has since published a cached edition of the original report, which clearly demonstrates how it was initially positioned to viewers.

Van Jones was unavailable for comment.

'If We Can't Say the Word Freedom Out Loud, God Help Us'

Sad to say, but freedom is on the way out. As in the absurd decision to rename the Freedom Tower. But considering terrorism is now a man-caused disaster and the War on Terror is now an overseas contingency operation, this is only the logical next step.

Freedom is out of fashion at Ground Zero.

Once hailed as a beacon of rebirth in the aftermath of Sept. 11, the Freedom Tower has been stripped of its patriotic name -- which has been swapped out for the more marketable "One World Trade Center," Port Authority officials conceded yesterday.

More than seven years after the terror attacks and amid an effort to market the tower to international tenants, sentiment gave way to practicality.

"As we market the building we will ensure that the building is presented in the best possible way," said PA Chairman Anthony Coscia.

"One World Trade Center is its address. It's the address that we're using. It's the one that's easiest for people to identify with, and, frankly, we've gotten a very interested and warm reception to it."

Debra Burlingame, whose brother Charles Burlingame was the pilot aboard American Airlines Flight 77 that was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon, said the renaming of the tower is one more example that the nation is forgetting 9/11.

"If we can't say the word freedom out loud, God help us," she said.

"I understand the decision from a marketing point of view. But it saddens me that it's no longer economically viable to declare who we are."

The issue of the name change -- toward which the PA has been shifting for more than a year -- came up at a news conference after the agency signed a lease with its first major tenant.

A Chinese firm, Vantone Industrial Co., will lease six floors. A four-page press release for the lease signing included the name "Freedom Tower" twice -- only in parentheses.

The only other tenants so far are the federal and state governments.

"Freedom Tower" was coined by then-Gov. George Pataki, who oversaw the initial designs for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center and wanted a tower to rise a symbolic 1,776 feet at a time of heightened patriotism.

Pataki yesterday bristled at the name change.

"The Freedom Tower is not simply another piece of real estate and not just a name for marketing purposes. In design and name, it is symbolic of our commitment to rise above the attacks of Sept. 11," he said.

"Where One and Two World Trade Center once stood, there will be a memorial with two voids to honor the heroes we lost. In my view, those addresses should never be used again.

Next thing you know we'll be having Club Gitmo guests living on the dole on American soil.

Oh wait...

Look Who Wanted Bush to Fail On 9/11

Why none other than the odious James Carville, one of the chief architects of Obama's campaign targeting Rush Limbaugh.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, just minutes before learning of the terrorist attacks on America, Democratic strategist James Carville was hoping for President Bush to fail, telling a group of Washington reporters: "I certainly hope he doesn't succeed."

Carville was joined by Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg, who seemed encouraged by a survey he had just completed that revealed public misgivings about the newly minted president.

"We rush into these focus groups with these doubts that people have about him, and I'm wanting them to turn against him," Greenberg admitted.

The pollster added with a chuckle of disbelief: "They don't want him to fail. I mean, they think it matters if the president of the United States fails."

Minutes later, as news of the terrorist attacks reached the hotel conference room where the Democrats were having breakfast with the reporters, Carville announced: "Disregard everything we just said! This changes everything!"

The press followed Carville's orders, never reporting his or Greenberg's desire for Bush to fail. The omission was understandable at first, as reporters were consumed with chronicling the new war on terror. But months and even years later, the mainstream media chose to never resurrect those controversial sentiments, voiced by the Democratic Party's top strategists, that Bush should fail.

That omission stands in stark contrast to the feeding frenzy that ensued when radio host Rush Limbaugh recently said he wanted President Obama to fail. The press devoted wall-to-wall coverage to the remark, suggesting that Limbaugh and, by extension, conservative Republicans, were unpatriotic.

"The most influential Republican in the United States today, Mr. Rush Limbaugh, said he did not want President Obama to succeed," Carville railed on CNN recently. "He is the daddy of this Republican Congress."

Limbaugh, a staunch conservative, emphasized that he is rooting for the failure of Obama's liberal policies.

Windbags like Carville shoot their mouths off so often they din't even realize how the things they say will come back to haunt them.

There's a special place in Hell for people like Carville.

There's a huge difference between oily hatchetmen like Carville and people like Rush Limbaugh.

"The difference between Carville and his ilk and me is that I care about what happens to my country," Limbaugh told Fox on Wednesday. "I am not saying what I say for political advantage. I oppose actions, such as Obama's socialist agenda, that hurt my country.

"I deal in principles, not polls," Limbaugh added. "Carville and people like him live and breathe political exploitation. This is all a game to them. It's not a game to me. I am concerned about the well-being and survival of our nation. When has Carville ever advocated anything that would benefit the country at the expense of his party?"

H/T Nick Rizzuto.

Update: Rush Limbaugh points out Carville and Greenberg have some silly poll today claiming how unpopular Rush Limbaugh is. Maybe Rush ought to commission a poll on how unpopular they are.

Nobody will point it out, of course, but Limbaugh's "approval ratings" are higher than the Democrat Congress.

More here.

Grim News for Troofers: Club Gitmo Guests Admit 9/11 Planning

There are the people Barack Obama wants to give rights to when he closes Guantanamo Bay. Glad to see he thought this one out.

The five detainees at Guantánamo Bay charged with planning the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have filed a document with the military commission at the United States naval base there expressing pride at their accomplishment and accepting full responsibility for the killing of nearly 3,000 people.

The document, which may be released publicly on Tuesday, uses the Arabic term for a consultative assembly in describing the five men as the “9/11 Shura Council,” and it says their actions were an offering to God, according to excerpts of the document that were read to a reporter by a government official who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.

The document is titled “The Islamic Response to the Government’s Nine Accusations,” the military judge at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp said in a separate filing, obtained by The New York Times, that describes the detainees’ document.

The document was filed on behalf of the five men, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who has described himself as the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks.

President Obama halted the military proceedings at Guantánamo in the first days after his inauguration, and the five men’s case is on hiatus until the government decides how it will proceed.

Several of the men have earlier said in military commission proceedings at Guantánamo that they planned the 2001 attacks and that they sought martyrdom. The strategic goal of the five men in making the new filing, which reached the military court on March 5, was not clear.

In their filing, the men describe the planning of the Sept. 11 attacks and the killing of Americans as a model of Islamic action, and say the American government’s accusations cause them no shame, according to the excerpts read by the government official.

“To us,” the official continued reading, “they are not accusations. To us they are a badge of honor, which we carry with honor.”

Maybe Obama and his smart power diplomacy can open up some dialogue with them.