A Moment of the Unforgettable Day - Reflection of 9/11

By: Maggie Griffin

In the early 1960s, Founder of the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Development Association, David Rockefeller, and his brother Nelson Rockefeller (former Governor of New York at that time) conceived the birth of what we know as The Twin Towers. It wasn’t until 1962, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began plans to build the center, hiring architect, Minoru Yamasaki. It took 4 years for the project to be approved. The birth of the Twin Towers called The World Trade Center. Construction began in 1966.

With 3,500 people working on this site, 10,000 people working on the towers, 60 of whom died working during its construction. The 16 acre World Trade Center Site took 1.2 million cubic yards of earth, which was used to create 23.5 acres of land along the Hudson River. In December of 1970, the North Tower was open. In January of 1972, the South Tower was open. Dedication of the New Towers that gleamed with pride, changing New York City’s skyline, took place in April of 1973. They became instant landmarks; and the first tallest buildings constructed in the world at that time. But Zip Code 10048 was destroyed on September 11th, 2001 by terrorist attacks.

Prior to that, in 1993 terrorist drove a truck loaded with 1,100 pounds of explosives into the basement garage, creating a 22 foot wide and 5 stories deep crater, killing 6 people and leaving over 1,000 people hurt.

The World Trade Center was a collection of towers with Tower one and two being the tallest. On September 11, 2001 the following collection of buildings of The World Trade Center Landmark was destroyed in the attack:


One World Trade Center – North; Two World Trade Center – South, Four World Trade Center, Five World Trade Center, Six World Trade Center, Seven World Trade Center, The Marriott Hotel, One Liberty Plaza, Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. About 24 acres, or more, of land – once had this collection of buildings.

The following buildings had major damage from the attack:
The Millennium Hilton Hotel, One World Financial Center, Two World Financial Center, Three World Financial Center, The Federal Building, Banker Trust Building.

In 2004,when the thought of re-building a new Tower, calling it “The Freedom Tower” was introduced and discussed by the Governors of New York and New Jersey, the thought and the plans of construction stopped because of security concerns. Understand the terrorist have a history attacking this landmark. They arrive to our country, live here, work here and now, in 2010, think they can build a Mosque at the cost of American Citizens. It seems to me that our legislation is missing an important fact. History!

In 1993 terrorist drove into the basement garage with 1,100 pounds of explosives. These terrorist resided and worked in America, but they needed to respect their religion using 1,100 pounds of explosives. In 2001, these terrorists learned how to fly planes by American Flight Schools. Again – these terrorists resided and worked in America – but they had to hi-jack jet planes to fly into the buildings to respect their religion.

Where am I going with this? As a United States of America Citizen who loves my country, I want all American Citizens to understand the concept of history of where once rested buildings that sat on 24+ acres of American Soil. Buildings of which has a history, remembering the following dates:

June 9, 1965: Demolition work begins to make way for the World Trade Center.
August 5, 1966: Groundbreaking
December, 1970: The first tower - One World Trade Center - is completed.
July 19, 1971: Two World Trade Center is topped out.
April 4, 1973: A ribbon cutting ceremony is held to open the twin towers.
1974: Construction is completed.
December 15, 1975: The observatory opens to the public.
February 26, 1993: A truck of terrorists with 1,100 pounds of explosives drove in the garage beneath Tower One. Six people are killed and more than 1,000 hurt.
September 11, 2001: The Twin Towers are destroyed by terrorists. They hi-jacked two jumbo jets from Boston and slammed one into each of the towers, killing thousands of people.

A third hi-jacked jet flew into the Pentagon in Washington, DC; and a fourth reported to be headed to the White House ended up crashing in a rural area 80 miles east southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
A Moment of The Unforgettable Day, documented the times and locations, leading thousands of innocent Americans, hard working citizens to their death. Americans that died; Americans who were somebody’s sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, grandparents or grandchildren.

8:45am - Hijacked American Airlines Boeing 767 hits the north tower.
9:03am - Hijacked United Airlines Boeing 767 hits south tower.
9:50am - South tower collapses.
10:30am - North tower collapses.
11:40am - New York Fire Department pulls out of Seven World Trade Center as fire rages uncontrolled through the skyscraper.
5:25pm - Seven World Trade Center collapses.

Terrorists are lurking amongst us to “respect their religion” by killing people. And the thought of a Mosque is an answer – I think NOT! If they were allowed to live in America, work in America, breath in America, drive in America and fly in America – after this history – I have a security concern and I am sure thousands of people across America have the same concerns based on history.

We live in a world filled with unpredictable uncertainty, but we will learn from history and protect the landmarks that made history along with honoring those who died at these landmarks. Some of our legislators are blinded by facts of terrorist attacks by the terrorists who come across "innocent" on American Soil, but need to respect their religion by destruction and murder.

If the thought and plans by two bordering NY and NJ State Governors stopped in 2004 because of security concerns, well this is why. I ask all Legislators in all States to hear the words through this video below and say NO to a Mosque.

In researching the meaning behind Mosques built by Muslims, the following research states the same words as written on all research facts - the meaning behind Mosques and why Muslims build them: According to Muslim beliefs - Just as western civilization hoists flags to symbolize victory over conquered lands, Muslim armies have built mosques and converted churches and temples into mosques to symbolize their victory. In a public gathering in 1998, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the ruling Islamist party and current Prime Minister of Turkey, recited: "The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers..."

The intent is to un-veil a construction of a Mosque, they call a "community center" on the 10th anniversary of 9-11; leaving the date to be on 9-11-11, which to me is a symbol of two elevens, of which looked like the Twin Towers, however, repeating the two 11's as 11-11. On 9/11, taking out the backslash of the date it is 911, a call to emergency. To conclude my opinion, the two 11's is a pattern. A community center is a place where people meet and greet; Muslims welcome people of all religions to follow them; therefore, I cannot call this a "community center"; but a place where Muslims want to build a Mosque as a sign of victory, as research clearly defines, welcoming people of all religions to be at their "place of victory" without those people seeing and understanding their reason to build Mosques near or on places they destructed leading people to their death. Using the 1st Ammendment of the Bill of Rights written by those who signed the original Declaration of Independance as their reason to build a Mosque is not practicing the true value and meaning behind this Ammendment, yet a way to "convince" people and legislators as they do when welcoming all religions to their religion - which is also stated in researching facts behind the Muslim religion. Although I do respect all religions, I cannot respect a religion taking the First Ammendment of the United States Constition's Bill of Rights for granted as their way to "convince", rather, we the people have the right under the 4th Ammendment that states in all cases: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

It is important to research the Muslim belief in Mosques, why they build them along with research and historical terrorists attacks that took place in the past 10 years, the date of the 1993 bombing in the garage from terrorists using1,100 pounds (1-1-0-0) of explosives at the World Trade Center, zip code 10048. For some reason I see a pattern of the numbers here along with the pattern of the dates combined with the meaning behind their reasons to build a Mosque within, and near, the ground zero location of their first attack (ground zero "0") that took place on 9-11-01 (911); and plan to construct a Mosque on 9-11-11 (repeated number 11); on the 10 year anniversary; making it the year the attack on our Nation happen from year 01'; to build a sign of "victory" as a Mosque "community center to welcome all people of all religions", as research clearly shows the meaning behind Mosques built by Muslims, 10 years later of the terrorists attacks on 9/11, leaving the number 10
(1-0) reversed from the number 01' the year (0-1) 9-11-11; ten years later of
9-11-01.

Over-ride the plans and say NO to a Mosque, it is your duty to fulfill and protect our country as legislators, that includes protect the landmarks that are a part of American History, landmarks that were attacked by terrorists and by wars. Honor these landmarks and the American People who were lead to their death, which includes innocent children, and look at the entire history of how terrorists operate -- pay attention: