Writer’s Voice with Francesca Rheannon
This is a special edition of Writer’s Voice produced on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Many questions about the terror attacks remain unanswered for the families of the 9/11 victims. They remain unanswered for many other Americans, as well.
For example, why did WTC Building 7 collapse some eight hours after the North and South Towers, despite being a block and a half away and untouched by either of the planes that took the Towers down?
Or, why did NORAD, charged with keeping America’s skies safe from attack, fail to bring even one of the hijacked planes down — an unprecedented failure for an agency that incessantly practiced just such maneuvers?
And why did the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund specify that the victims’ relatives would lose their benefits if they tried to sue any of the alleged Saudi funders of terrorism related to the attacks? That was just one of the ways that the focus was taken off the Saudi attackers and misplaced onto Saddam Hussein, who had nothing to do with the attacks.
All these questions and many more are explored in my guest Ray McGinnis’ book, UNANSWERED QUESTIONS: What the September Eleventh Families Asked and the 9/11 Commission Ignored.
It’s a detailed account of the FSC, the Family Steering Committee for the Independent 9/11 Commission: the stories of the families, why they created the Commission, what they wanted to know, and how they were stonewalled and stymied in their efforts to get an accounting of the truth.
Kristen Breitweiser, one of the FSC members said “We are going to get to the bottom of this and we are going to make sure someone is held responsible so that nobody else ever had to walk in our shoes.”
Ray McGinnis’ book is a sober, even-handed, meticulous exploration of the questions still outstanding after 20 years.
Monday, September 13 at 10:00 PM and archived.
First Voices Indigenous Radio with Tiokasin Ghosthorse
Dylan Shields talks about his experiences on the recent Whitestone Hill Memorial Horseback Ride, held in remembrance of ancestors who were at Whitestone on September 3-5, 1863, when white soldiers led by General Alfred Sully attacked a tipi camp of Yaktonai, Dakota, Hunkpapa Lakota and Blackfeet. Between 100 and 300 Native men, women and children were massacred or captured.
In the second segment, we hear “My Last Warning,” featuring Chief Oren Lyons, Wolf Clan, Onondaga Nation.
Tuesday, September 14 at 12 noon.
Jim Motavalli
8:30 PM – Honey Dewdrops, a husband and wife Americana duo.
9:00 PM – Chanteuse Kat Wright, jazz and original songs.
9:30 PM – Rosie Newton, ace fiddler, accordionist (with a Cajun band) and old-time country singer.
10:00 PM – Lloyd Alter talks about his book “Living the 1.5-Degree Lifestyle” about climate change.
Tuesday evening, Sept 14.