Victims' families say GOP picked NYC to capitalize on 9/11

Jack Grandcolas would not mind if President Bush stood at ground zero two weeks from now -- on the third anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 -- for a solemn remembrance of the nearly 3,000 people, including his wife, Lauren, who lost their lives in the terror attacks.

But the Marin County resident does not want to see the president anywhere near the World Trade Center site when Bush arrives in New York later this week for the Republican convention.

"If he's going to pay tribute, he should go on Sept. 11 and not during the convention," said Grandcolas, whose wife was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93, the hijacked jet that crashed in a Pennsylvania field. "To go down to ground zero on a day other than Sept. 11 ... smacks of making political use of very sacred ground."

sfgate.com.../c/a/2004/08/31/FAMILIES.TMP

I have to agree with Mr. Grandcolas. 9/11 should not be used for political gain.

Originally posted by mrmulder
I have to agree with Mr. Grandcolas. 9/11 should not be used for political gain.

Gouliani missed the memo. The RNC was a horrific non stop pounding of the 9/11 = Iraq theme all night.

The left wing survivors of 9/11 need to understand that 9/11 does not belong to them alone. It belongs to all of us. 9/11 changed the nation and its imperatives. The attack and the war it declared is the most important issue to this nation and the Republican party has every right to use the atrocity and its influence on the nation as a center piece of its platform.

Terra all the time! That's the only thing they have to talk about. It's pathetic.

The DNC convention reminded me of the '96 RNC convention and what I saw last night was as painful as past DNC conventions. What a bizarre new world we live in.

People understand that the administration does not have anything else to show for 4 years but their "war on terror" and even that is starting to stink, where is bin-laden?

My husband believes that they are waiting for the last day of the RNC and when bush walk in he is going to unveil bin-laden on stage.

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
Terra all the time! That's the only thing they have to talk about. It's pathetic.

The DNC convention reminded me of the '96 RNC convention and what I saw last night was as painful as past DNC conventions. What a bizarre new world we live in.

I couldn't BELIEVE even the right wing pundit commentary last night.

Even they were scoring the opening night off. Saying the Dems put on a reasoned, reserved, unemotional showcase...and the Reps just went for the throat on pure emotion.

They were saying "strange times indeed" as everything is reversed in this bizarro world election season.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
The left wing survivors of 9/11 need to understand that 9/11 does not belong to them alone. It belongs to all of us. 9/11 changed the nation and its imperatives. The attack and the war it declared is the most important issue to this nation and the Republican party has every right to use the atrocity and its influence on the nation as a center piece of its platform.

Wrong. Making political hay by insinuation that they are the only ones to keep us safe, that the war jump from the Afgan campaign, which is woefully incomplete yet practicaly abandoned, to Iraq, was justified, besides the shifting reasons - each proved more false by the day, is to try and capitalize on my dead co-workers & associates here in NY as an extension of the protective "father" theme.
The "war as centerpiece" issue is one that your party's heads have logically run away from in word, not action. I applaude you for confessing to the obvious.
However, we can not look to a single variable when a wholistic approach is needed. Single minded unilateralism got us into this mess; the results are over 4000 US deaths, trillion dollar deficts grown from billion dollar surpluses and no remedy in sight via "staying the course".

If the Democrats had been in power at the time of 9/11 and had they had prosecuted a successful effort toward eradicating the havens of terrorism, then they would rightfully use the atrocity of 9/11 and their response as a theme of their re-election campaign. There is no reason to believe otherwise. There is no rational reason to castigate the Republicans for doing so. It would be sheer folly to do otherwise. John Kerry is using his Vietnam experience to tout his qualifications. Which is more relavent?

The RNC has becoming a disgusting frightfest. 9/11 is all Bush has, and he barely has that.

They cannot speak about any other accomplishments, because there are none.

So they will continue to terrorize the American people, until they are frightened back into the voting booths, and frightfully choose Bush, thinking that he is the only one who can protect us. A notion which has been pounded into the American people's heads by a sickening corporate media, and the disgusting Neo-Con Republicans.

9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11...we must never forget September 11, 2001, and if you do, we will remind you every 5 seconds.

Just because Bush was President, during a sickening tragedy, doesn't make him better than anyone else who was in America during that day.

And not only that, his leadership after 9/11 was pathetic. Forget about the pet goat thing...just look what he did with a UNITED COUNTRY, and a UNITED WORLD...he took it...and he smashed it, and he cleaved the country right down the middle. He is a pathetic flip flopping hypocrite.

One day we can win, the next day we can't, the next day we can.

And I know what you Bushies will say...he didn't mean we can't win, he was explaining his NUANCED position, speaking about how terrorism would be less acceptable...

Well, they hammer Kerry for being nuanced, so it looks like our simple President got a little too complicated for his normally ultra-simple self.

And another thing...when Lauer was asking him about "nucular" weapons in Iran..the President was smiling and giggling while talking about diplomacy....WTF is he laughing at? The potential "NUCULAR" fallout that will result as a consequence of this tyrants ridiculous "foreign policy."

[edit on 31-8-2004 by cstyle226]

BTW...I just downloaded a copy of the Republican Party Platform...

9/11 is mentioned over 25 times. Sometimes I wonder who the terrorists really are..

Republican Party Platform Based entirely on 9/11

Download it, and see for yourself...