“There was only one church on the 9/11 site that was destroyed. It was a Greek Orthodox Church, St. Nicholas. The Port Authority doesn’t want to allow it to be rebuilt because it would be offensive to put a church at that site. But, we have to allow a mosque near the site because otherwise it would offend Muslims.” –Mark Belling

Brookhaven, NY– George Demos, the Conservative Republican Candidate for Congress in New York’s First Congressional District, responded to the Port Authority’s dishonest statement in the Wall Street Journal about the Demos campaign’s call to rebuild the Ground Zero Church, and called on Tim Bishop to break his silence on the Mosque and Church.

George Demos said:
“Our campaign recently called it an outrage that the Port Authority is blocking the rebuilding of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church destroyed on September 11 by Islamic extremists while our own government facilitates a trophy Mosque nearby.

After our campaign’s national media interviews and extensive press coverage, the Port Authority finally responded to the Wall Street Journal that ‘the Church has the right to rebuild at any time.’   How disgraceful, disingenuous, and disrespectful for Port Authority Director Chris Ward to instruct his spokesman to lie to the American people.
The Port Authority demanded that the Church relinquish its deed to the property which the Church rightfully refused in the absence of a binding contract to rebuild in another location. Without the Church’s permission, the Port Authority nevertheless excavated the land where the Church stood. For the last year, the Port Authority has refused to meet with Church officials and is now reneging on its commitment to rebuild the Church.

Our own Congressman Tim Bishop refuses to listen to his constituents on this issue of national significance and is afraid to comment on the Mosque or the Church, other than to cavalierly dismiss the matter as a ‘local land use issue.‘ Even President Obama disagreed with Tim Bishop’s assessment when he offered his own imprudent comments on Friday.

As our Congressman, I will never be afraid to take a stand on issues of national importance and I will always fight hard to hold our government accountable for its actions. We may tolerate religious differences, but we will not tolerate our Judeo-Christian values being disrespected by our own government.” http://www.georgedemosforcongress.com/refresh/templates/in_the_news.php?id=81

How Can We Say “Never Forget 9/11” if We Forget the First Responders, Ignore Religious Leaders?

News Stories on the Exclusion of God from Ground Zero

Perhaps the most troubling development at Ground Zero has been systematic exclusion of God from Ground Zero.  As the Port Authority continues to fight against rebuilding the 9/11 Church, Mayor Bloomberg is sending precisely the wrong message: People of faith are not welcome at the new World Trade Center site.

Why are politicians invited to grandstand, but the event that caused more people to turn their eyes to heaven than any in recent history now attempts to exclude God from this sacred space?

First, the Port Authority has blocked the reconstruction of St. Nicholas, the only house of worship destroyed on September 11. Next, atheists sued to remove the steel cross found in the rubble of the great towers. Now, the City government is pandering to atheists again: Telling our religious leaders and heroic first responders to KEEP OUT.

“Those who lecture us that we must be tolerant even of radical imams at Ground Zero,” said George Demos, Republican candidate for New York’s first Congressional district, “would do well to remember that on that day 10 years ago, Americans of all backgrounds not only died together and cried together, they prayed together.”

It’s way past time our political leaders began respecting our Judeo-Christian values, authorize the rebuilding of the 9/11 Church, invite our hero first responders, and allow religious leaders to participate in the commemoration.

“Never Forget” may just be a slogan to politicians like Michael Bloomberg, but it’s a solemn pledge to Americans.

They were the first ones on the scene when the World Trade Center towers fell on September 11, 2001, but ten years later, the first responders are being told that they will not be invited to take part in this year’s tenth anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero. The city announced earlier this week that due to security and space issues, there would be no room for the first responders. Instead, they’ll be invited to a private ceremony on a different date.

– Fox News “9/11 First Responders to be Excluded From 10th Anniversary Ceremony” -August 17, 2011

Rudy Washington, a deputy mayor in former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s administration, said he’s outraged. Mr. Washington organized an interfaith ceremony at Yankee Stadium shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.”This is America, and to have a memorial service where there’s no prayer, this appears to be insanity to me,” said Mr. Washington, who has suffered severe medical problems connected to the time he spent at Ground Zero. “I feel like America has lost its way.”

….

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has publicly criticized the mayor about the list of speakers, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has quietly sought to play a larger role. But the exclusion of religious leaders has struck some as particularly glaring.

-“9/11 Exclusion Spurs Outrage,” Wall Street Journal, Michael Howard Saul, August 24, 2011

A cross-shaped steel beam found amid the wreckage in the days following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack was a symbol of hope for many working on rescue and recovery there, so much so that the construction worker who discovered it believes he stumbled on to a miracle.

…

An atheist group sued today over the inclusion of cross-shaped steel beams, dubbed the “World Trade Center Cross,” in the exhibit at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum.  … Jane Everhart the communications director for the New York chapter of American Atheists who said she was traumatized by the events of 9/11, said that she would not be able to visit the Memorial Museum as long as the cross is included in exhibit.

– “American Atheists Sue Over World Trade Center Cross,” ABC News, Reshma Kirpalani, July 27, 2011