1,829 Days. Always in Sight. Always in Mind.

Political affiliation, blame, rhetoric, explanations, and conspiracy theories are all moot. Thousands of people died for no reason at all.

The pain still lives on. Not just the mental anguish. Lead, toluene, dioxin, benzene, mercury, and asbestos add up. The results are shocking: 70% of the first responders have a new or substantially more serious lung condition, 1/3 of the first responders have diminished lung function, and babies born within a two-mile radius of the World Trade Center weighed significantly less at birth than babies born elsewhere.

The response? Rhetoric. Words. Palliation. Partisan bickering over the meaning of "torture" and "secret prisons." A health coverage bill for 9/11 first responders was not even entertained on Capital Hill - Republicans blocked the measure before letting it come to a vote.

We'll come to the city once a year, early fall, just for breakfast and a chat. Reporters will snap some pictures. YOU can go to the doctor on your own time...with your own money. We have investments to attend to, incumbents to reelect, agendas to create.

Mesothelioma. Persistent Cough. Asthma. Those words don't sell papers. Those words don't fit the political midterm agenda. Iraq. Iran. Operational Freedom. Fear sells. Are you buying?

Pulmonary Function after Exposure to the World Trade Center Collapse in the New York City Fire Department - American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

DEAD PREZ - Turn Off the Radio Volume 1

JIMI HENDRIX - Woodstock