9/11 Widow Shares Her Story

October 19, 2004
9/11 Widow Shares Her Story in Latest Kerry Ad
For Immediate Release

Watch the Ad: "Ever Since"

Washington, DC - 9/11 widow Kristen Breitweiser is featured in the latest Kerry-Edwards television ad. Titled “Ever Since,” the ad shows Breitweiser talking about the reasons she is supporting John Kerry for president over her 2000 choice, George W. Bush.

AD SCRIPT
Narrator: My husband, Ron, was killed on September 11th. I’ve spent the last three years trying to find out what happened to make sure it never happens again. I fought for the 9/11 Commission, something George W. Bush, the man my husband Ron and I voted for, didn’t think was necessary. And during the Commission hearings we learned the truth, we are no safer today. I want to look in my daughter’s eyes and know that she is safe, and that is why I am voting for John Kerry.

John Kerry: I’m John Kerry and I approve this message.

JUST THE FACTS
Kristen Breitweiser: My husband, Ron, was killed on September 11th. I’ve spent the last three years trying to find out what happened to make sure it never happens again.

Kristen Breitweiser, Like Her Husband Ron, Voted For George W. Bush in 2000. Far from being any kind of activist, she didn't know her Congressman's name before Sept. 11, 2001, the day her husband died on the 92th floor of the World Trade Center's Tower 2. But she knows her way around politics now…. As she has on countless talk shows, she described her fight to get the White House to appoint a commission to investigate the 9/11 attacks. Bush, she said, agreed only after the Senate voted 90 to 8 in favor of it. "We gave every opportunity to President Bush to do the right thing," said Breitweiser, a high-profile widow whose presence on the campaign trail is designed to project the message that women can count on Democrats to protect their kids. [TIME, 10/11/04]

Kristen Breitweiser: I fought for the 9/11 Commission, something George W. Bush, the man my husband Ron and I voted for, didn’t think was necessary.

Bush Stonewalled The Independent 9-11 Commission At Every Possible Turn. Bush opposed an independent inquiry into 9/11, arguing it would duplicate a probe conducted by Congress. He finally agreed to support an independent investigation into the 9/11 attacks after “the congressional committees unearthed more and more examples of intelligence lapses.” Bush then fought the extension of the 9-11 Commission, and refused to provide it with the funding it needed. He subsequently tried to limit amount of time the commission would have to testimony from himself, and tried to prevent Condelezza Rice from having to testify under oath. [Statement of Administration Policy, Executive Office of the President, 7/24/02; Los Angeles Times, 11/28/02; Los Angeles Times, 11/28/02; [New York Times, 1/28/04; White House Press Briefing, 1/27/04, emphasis added; Washington Post, 3/27/03; Associated Press, 2/28/04; 3/9/04; Washington Post, 3/26/04]

Pressure From Democrats, 9-11 Families Forced Bush To Change Position on 9-11 Commission. On September 21, 2002, the New York Times reported, “The White House gave in today to growing Congressional demands for an independent investigation of last year’s terrorist attacks, setting the stage for a comprehensive inquiry into the failures and vulnerabilities that made the hijackings possible. The reversal surprised some Republican lawmakers because the White House had opposed such a panel for months…” White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said the reversal was due to pressure from 9-11 families: “The administration has met with some of the families of the 9/11 groups who have talked about the need for a commission to look into a host of issues, and they have made compelling arguments.” [NYT, 9/21/02]

9-11 Widows “Fought Hard” For An Independent Commission. “They are known as the "Jersey Girls" - widows who lost their husbands on Sept. 11 and found a mission. "I don't want anyone to know what it's like to watch your husband burn alive on television," Kristen Breitweiser told CBS News Correspondent Mika Brzezinski. After the attacks they fought hard for an independent investigation, showing up in Washington on a regular basis. They wanted to know why so many government agencies failed to stop the 9/11 hijackers. "Two years out and there still seems to be a shroud of secrecy," she said.” [CBS, 7/24/03]
Kristen Breitweiser: And during the Commission hearings we learned the truth, we are no safer today.

Commission Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton: “A critical theme that emerged throughout our inquiry was the difficulty of answering the question: Who is in charge?” “Who oversees the massive integration and unity of effort necessary to keep America safe? … Too often, the answer is no one.” [New York Times, 7/23/2004]

Bush Has Failed To Produce An Integrated Terrorist Watchlist, The “Most Basic Tool” Of Efforts To Catch Terrorists And “Vital For Protecting The Country.” “The Inspector General of the Homeland Security Department, in the sometimes scathing report, cites poor cooperation among many agencies and says his own agency failed "to play a lead role" in oversight. Compiling a viable, unified list of terrorist suspects was mandated by Congress and ordered by President Bush after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Such a list is considered by law-enforcement agents as the most basic tool in their arsenal and vital for protecting the country. …[F]rom the Federal Aviation Administration to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, continue to use different lists that sometimes contain outdated or incorrect information and even contradict each other. That can hamper the sharing of vital data and identifying of suspects -- and make it easier for terrorists to slip through cracks in the system, officials say.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/1/04]

Our Borders Porous: 9/11 Commission Report Found That US-VISIT Only Tracks Small Percentage Of Non-Citizen Border Crossers. The 9/11 commission's report found that the Department of Homeland Security’s current traveler screening system - known as US VISIT - covers only 12 percent of all noncitizens crossing U.S. borders and may not be fully installed before 2010. [National Journal, 7/30/04]

9-11 Commission: Bush Administration Has Failed To Combat Terrorist Financing And Coordinate Counterterrorism Efforts. “The report reserved the bulk of its criticism for the government's performance before Sept. 11, 2001. But it was also critical of several high-profile Bush initiatives adopted since the attacks to try to combat terrorist financing and to coordinate counterterrorism. Specifically, it questioned the effectiveness of the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, a repository of specialists from the FBI, CIA and Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. The report found the center and counterterrorism units of each of the agencies were duplicating work and spreading such assets as analysts and translators too thin. The report also criticizes U.S. efforts to halt terrorist financing since the attacks. The commission found that efforts to designate terrorist financiers and freeze their assets, in the United States and through the United Nations, have been ineffective. The intelligence agencies have had trouble linking individuals directly to terrorist groups, and the administration has had difficulty persuading foreign countries to fully cooperate, it said.” [The Baltimore Sun July 23, 2004]

Bush Has Left U.S. Ports Under-funded, Un-inspected, And Susceptible To Terrorism. For the first three fiscal years following 9/11, Bush requested $0 for port security. His Fiscal Year 2005 request was only $46 million, far short of the $150 million Congress has just appropriated, and vastly short of what is necessary to secure our ports. Nearly seven million cargo containers arrive in America’s 361 ports each year and only 5 percent of those containers are screened. Even a minor attack on America’s ports could shut down commerce for a month, yet Bush’s 2005 budget calls for a 63 percent reduction in port security grant funds. The 9/11 Commission highlighted port security as one area that needs more federal support. [Senate Democrat Policy Committee, 9/14/04; Boston Globe, 6/21/03; Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 8/01/04; www.omb.gov; House Select Committee on Homeland Security Democrats, America at Risk, pg. 10; Traffic World, 9/27/04]

Bio-Terror Attack Likely Yet America Still “Woefully Ill-Equipped.” “Scientists and biotechnology specialists still think the nation is woefully ill-equipped to handle a more sophisticated…terrorist attack using newer bioengineered germs or other unanticipated pathogens, according to the report by the Baltimore-based Center for Biosecurity…The lack of vaccines for SARS and the West Nile virus as well as the nation's difficulty in manufacturing large quantities of flu vaccine are seen as early signs of the potential problem. A major contributing factor is that the nation's system for developing drugs and vaccines operates on a peace-time pace, requiring 10 years on average to produce new products, the report states. The survey found nearly unanimous agreement that a biological terrorist attack is likely in the United States.” [Baltimore Sun, 10/13/04]

Recent Evaluation Of Airport Security-Undercover Investigators Able To Sneak Explosives and Weapons Past Security Screeners at 15 Major Airports. Undercover investigators were able to sneak explosives and weapons past security screeners at 15 airports nationwide, according to a government report on aviation security. The government watchdog for the Department of Homeland Security, Clark Kent Ervin, delivered the results of the tests in a classified report to members of Congress. "The performance was poor," said Ervin, the department's inspector general, in releasing a less detailed version Wednesday. [USA TODAY, 9/23/04]

The Nation’s Airports Are Short On Funds To Improve Baggage Screening. The National Journal reports “the overwhelming majority of airports nationwide need more federal funding to install advanced baggage screening systems, and almost two dozen still fail to meet a congressional mandate to electronically screen all baggage. At this pace, only 18 of the nation's 440 commercial airports will have installed in-line baggage screening systems by 2006. [National Journal, 7/14/04]

Bush Has Bowed To Special Interests And Has Failed to Secure Chemical Plants. There are over a 100 chemical plants that could threaten more than one million nearby residents, and 7,728 chemical plants where an attack could endanger more than 1,000 – yet Bush decided in 2002 to drop chemical plant security regulations, a major victory for chemical manufacturers. Three years after 9/11, there are still no federally required security measures for chemical facilities; any security measures are taken on a strictly voluntary basis. [www.govexec.com; Senate Democrats Homeland Security Committee; http://democrats.senate.gov/dpc/dpc-doc.cfm?doc_name=fs-108-2-240; GAO, 01-3233, 2/03; Wall Street Journal, 8/20/04; Senate Testimony of Frank Libutti 3/04; Washington Post, 8/5/02; House Testimony by Ridge on 9/21/04]

Nuclear Regulatory Official Found That Nuclear Plans Exhibited “Significant Weakness” In 46% Of Mock Attacks, Yet 3 Years After 9/11, Congress Acted To Reduce Threat At Nuclear Power Plants. The NRC security official who conducted these tests found “a significant weakness” in armed response during 37 out of 81 mock attacks, or 46 percent of the time. He also found that mock attackers were able to take actions “which would lead to core damage and in many cases, to a probable radioactive release.” Three years after 9/11, Congress still has not enacted any legislation to reduce the terrorist threat at nuclear power plants, and the Bush appointees at the NRC have teamed up with the nuclear industry to resist stronger safety standards. [Public Citizen, “Homeland Unsecured,” 10/18/04]

Kristen Breitweiser: I want to look in my daughter’s eyes and know that she is safe, and that is why I am voting for John Kerry.

John Kerry Will More Effectively Secure The Homeland

John Kerry and John Edwards Have A Plan To Win The War On Terror By:

Transforming America’s Military and Intelligence Capabilities to Win the War on Terror. John Kerry will ensure that our military is fully prepared to meet the new security challenges by expanding our active duty forces by 40,000 soldiers so that we have enough troops to take the fight to the terrorists wherever they are; and doubling America’s Special Forces capability and increasing other specialized personnel who are trained and equipped to destroy terrorists. He will act immediately on the 9-11 Commission recommendations and reform our intelligence services to better prevent terrorist attacks, including: creating a National Intelligence Director with real control over personnel and budgets throughout the intelligence community; reorganizing the intelligence community around issue-oriented task forces to maximize coordination and efficiency in addressing the greatest threats we face; strengthening human intelligence by doubling the CIA’s overseas clandestine personnel; and ensuring an independent domestic intelligence capability within the FBI. [Kerry-Edwards Plan to Win the War on Terror, press release, 9/24/04]

Stepping Up Aviation Security By Improving Screening of Cargo and Passengers for Explosives. Instead of the current “Known Shipper” program, which screens a tiny fraction of the cargo on passenger planes, the Kerry-Edwards plan will significantly improve the screening of cargo carried on passenger planes by installing the equipment to check passengers for explosives and to screen cargo just like we screen baggage. The plan will also undertake additional security improvements that experts have called for, such as tightening background checks for employees of carriers.
Defending against Bio-Terrorism. Kerry-Edwards will: (1) make the investments America’s public health system needs to detect bioterrorist threats to our communities, and that our hospitals and emergency rooms need to respond to bioterrorism; (2) improve the capability for our health system to develop and implement distribution plans for vaccines; (3) lead efforts to increase and improve our stockpiles of medicines; and (4) expedite development of new vaccines.[ http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/pr_2004_0924_2.pdf]

Securing America’s Ports and Borders. John Kerry will work with allies in Canada and Mexico as well as other trade partners to make commerce security measures more effective in order to keep commerce flowing while keeping terrorists out. He will make sure America has the Customs and Border agents and inspectors necessary to secure the over 7 million containers sent to the US annually. Kerry will ensure our borders have the trained personnel and vital equipment to increase security of our frontiers. And a Kerry administration will ensure that we create an effective and integrated terrorist watch list accessible to everyone who needs it, including agents along our borders and cops on our streets.

Implementing Strong, Mandatory Protections for Chemical Security. As president, John Kerry will identify high-priority chemical plants where a terrorist attack could cause massive loss of life and require measures to beef up security. Kerry would require adequate physical security around these plants, such as security forces, fencing, vehicle barriers, and surveillance equipment and the use of less dangerous chemicals and technologies whenever practicable.

Ensuring That Our First Responders Are Equipped To Respond to Any Attack. The Kerry-Edwards plan will provide direct assistance to our police officers and firefighters to ensure that they have the communications systems, protective gear, and manpower they need to protect our communities. It will also modernize our emergency warning system to provide localized warnings, treat the fighters on the frontlines as partners, and provide all Americans with the information they need.

Stepping Up Rail and Subway Security. As president, John Kerry will lead DHS in developing and implementing security guidelines in partnership with local and regional transit systems. John Kerry will make new investments of more than $2 billion to protect our mass transit systems and improve the security of our rail systems, including the purchase of more surveillance equipment, security personnel, chemical and biological detectors, and necessary measures for high-threat areas around vital bridges and tunnels.

Keeping Terrorists From Acquiring Nuclear Materials. Kerry will safeguard nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union within four years by making the effort a cornerstone of U.S.-Russian relations. He will lead an international coalition for a verifiable global ban on production of material for new nuclear weapons, and stop the development of a new generation of nuclear weapons and accelerate reductions in the US and Russian nuclear arsenals. [John Kerry, 6/1/04]


Paid for and authorized by Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.