Yesterday patriots and proud Americans joined Robert and me at CPAC to attend the AFDI/SIOA Ground Zero mosque conference. It was the most difficult and heartwrenching event I have put together in all my years in this fight.
Photo: 911 families watch the trailer for the film.
Photo: (11 family members Ilene Walsh and Rosaleen watch the film
Nelly Braginskaya , mother of 38-year-old Alex; Joyce Boland and Vince Boland who lost their son Vincent; Eileen Walsh, who lost her firefighter son; Dr. Rosaleen Tallon, who lost her firefighter brother (USMC) and is Family Liaison for Advocates for 9/11 Fallen Heroes; and Sally Regenhard, who lost her firefighter son, took the train in from New York state to testify and be heard. Their stories, their opposition to the mosque, has been embargoed by the media. Just as images from the bloody, black day have been embargoed by that same enemedia.
Most of them took the train back that night to care for their families. But they all came to be heard, and what they said was devastating. Their accounts of that day and of the ensuing eight years were chilling.
Rosaleen holds up a picture of her beloved brother Shawn while speaking
Rosaleen Tallon (above) spoke movingly of her brother Sean, a firefighter who was killed on 9/11 -- or, in her word, "demolished." She chose that word deliberately, she said, and illustrated why by reading from his autopsy report. Rosaleen explained that we needed to hear the horrifying details of this report in order to understand the magnitude of what was done in the name of Islam on that day, and she was right. She also described camping out on a cold New York City sidewalk to protest the placement of the 9/11 Memorial underground, and the exclusion from it of the names of the victims.
Joyce Boland introduced us to her son Vince, who was working at Marsh and McLennan on the 97th floor of Tower 1 when the jihadis crashed into that exact spot. She said that she frequently visited Ground Zero, as any grieving mother would visit the gravesite of her son, and felt his spirit there. Nelly Braginskaya spoke of her son Alex, and of how the years had not dulled the pain of his loss, but had made it even sharper -- and of how the Ground Zero Mosque would only compound this pain. Sally Regenhard, the mother of another fallen firefighter, Christian Regenhard, described her experiences being interviewed by PBS's "Religion and Ethics Newsweekly," whom she told: "Our loved ones’ blood really consecrated that site forever and ever," and "You can never change hearts and minds by shoving your culture or religion down the throats of others." Rose Leonetti and Eileen Walsh had the crowd riveted with their heart-rending accounts of how the loss of their loved ones had changed their families forever.
Sally and her son ........
Eileen Walsh lost her son Michael
Patricia Walsh lost her older brother Michael. Brazinsky in the foreground
Joyce Boland lost her son Vincent. Her husband Vince was with us as well.
NYC Councilman Daniel Halloran, the only council member (out of 49) who stood up against the mosque, receiving a hug from 911 mom Nelly Braginskaya.
Politicians with political courage must be supported. Volunteer, donate ..... you must
Pamela Hall will be uploading the videos -- you will hear and see it all.
Rosa Leonetti lost her brother-in-law.
Ilario Pantano, the finest, most thoroghly decent man running for Congress in 2010. I had scheduled him to speak, and after all of the 911 families, he could only bring himself to offer his deep condolences. Pantano served in Iraq as former United States Marine Corps officer. He knows.
911 family member Michael Braginskaya
Photos -- huge thanks to Migom
I will have more .... but wanted Atlas readers to look at what happened.
UPDATE: The New York City premiere of the Ground Zero mosque film is on Muhammad's birthday, February 20th, at the St. Lukes Theatre, 308 W 46th Street, New York, 7:30 pm. You must RSVP GroundZeroMosque@aol.com.
