NY Cop Who Lost Son On 9/11: Wrong To Request Son's Name On Iraq Bomb

[Hissyspit]

From today's Parade Magazine supplement. Jarecki, who interviewed Sekzer, is the filmmaker who made "Why We Fight":

"At First, I Wanted Revenge"

A former New York City cop tries to do right by the son he lost on 9/11.
By Wilton Sekzer as told to Eugene Jarecki

- snip -

After 9/11 I couldn't work. But I thought, "I gotta do something. Somebody has to pay for 9/11. I want the enemy dead. I want to see their bodies stacked up for taking my son." That's when the President said, "Iraq"...

- snip -

So I set out e-mails to the secretaries of all the armed forces: "My name is Wilton Sekzer. I'm a retired New York City Police Department sergeant and a proud Vietnam veteran. I lost my son on 9/11. I can't tell you in words what his loss means to me. I would respectfully request if you could put his name on some piece of armament in the Iraq war."

Finally, a Marine air division answered, "CAN DO, SEMPER FI!" with a report that a 2,000 pound guided bomb "was dropped on April 1st on forces of the Republican Guard and met with 100 percent success." Attached to the e-mail was picture of the bomb, and written on the side of it was 'In Loving Memory of Jason Sekzer.' It was unbelievable.

- snip -

Months later, I was watching TV when President Bush came on and said he didn't know why people connected Iraq to 9/11. He said: "We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11th (attacks)." I said "What did he just say?" I mean, I almost jumped out of my chair. I said, "What is he talking about? What the hell did we go in there for? If Saddam didn't have anything to do with 9/11, then why did we go in there?"

I'm from the old school. Certain people walk on water. The President of the United States is one of them. It's a terrible thing if someone like me can't trust his President. I began to wonder what the hell's with the whole system. There's something wrong with the entire system. I feel that the government exploited my feelings of patriotism...

MORE

[AX10]

1. K & R!

[Gregorian]

2. This post needs a link.

I'm curious where this story goes.

Does he realize his error? Maybe someone doesn't always have to pay.

Does he ride a bomb in to the zone, like the famous movie scene?

[kenny blankenship]

4. You should watch the film this quotation is taken from: Why We Fight

that is if you really are curious. Mr. Setzker is far from the asshole you seem to think him to be.

[Gregorian]

10. I love it when people find a willingness to see the truth.

Otherwise it would be the same age old story. I got the impression he came full circle.

I think the main reason we are even alive is to find the truth. And to change.

He was an asshole. From what I read here, he made that change. There is hope, when that happens.

[pretzel4gore]

11. there's this consituent who walks around cloaked in the flag

they wear heavy boots and sing patriotic songs, but mostly they act with dull certainty about things that devastate lives far away from them, and do so boldly. they are assholes kenny. maybe once it was ok to say 'love it or leave it' when the president arguably wished for the best for his country, but when bush stole that election, how can these dupes act like it never happened, or that 911 was an arab initiative, or that its the usa that has been misled?
how can anyone?
watching tv, i see it's a moot point. the pretending actually works, in its own dull way :(

[Stardust]

19. Excellent film! //

[Hissyspit]

7. Parade.com is not coming up for me. I transcribed it directly from the

print edition.

Here's more:

"It's not easy to be calm when you lose your child. You want revenge. When people heard my story, I got a lot of e-mails. One guy wrote: 'What about the other fathers whose sons were killed by that bomb?' You know what? He has a right to say that, because we were lied to. And if I found out the bomb killed innocent people. I'd feel terrible that I put my son's name on it. I'd say, 'Oh, my God, what did I do?'"

He says he is proud of the street sign in Queens that bears his son's name.

[leftchick]

9. what a moron

wtf are bombs for? TO KILL PEOPLE you jackass!!!!

[Hissyspit]

17. Well, when I spoke against such thinking five, four, three years ago...

I felt pretty lonely. There seemed to be a lot of morons out there.

[leftchick]

18. I know

I don't feel so lonely anymore. Thank God some of those jackasses are getting a clue.

[question everything]

25. Stories apparently not online

http://www.parade.com/

[leftchick]

3. linky?

please? :)

[LibDemAlways]

5. Parade Magazine is a rw publication. For the

editors to have included the information that the Bush Crime Family lied to get us into Iraq is quite damning.

It's a shame Mr. Sekzer's initial anger was so misplaced. His son died in no small part because the man he thought "walked on water" knew it was coming and did nothing to stop it. A retired NYPD officer ought to know better than to blindly trust anyone.

[Hissyspit]

8. There is a full-page ad for "Path To 9/11" next to the article.

Parade is right-wing, although the emphasis seems to be on "life-affirming." Occassionally something true gets through.

[Canuckistanian]

6. Another pair of eyes just opened. Link here

The Parade site seems to be down, but I saw the name of the article "Memory of My Son"

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2006/edition_09-10-2006/Memory_of_My_Son

[lonestarnot]

12. And just imagine the men and women who have figured this out

and are now being forced to fight for these lies and how they feel about it. And all they get is, "support our troops."

[Occulus]

13. "I'm from the old school. Certain people walk on water."

Spot-on as to what's wrong with this country.

[John Gauger]

14. I saw that guy

In a documentary about the corporation. He was really cool. He seemed to realize that he had been misled his whole life about war. The turning point was when he heard Bush say that there was no connection between Iraq and 9/11. It was really sad to watch a Bush supporter learn the truth.

[Skittles]

28. I bet that was sad

but I wish more people would see the light

[leesa]

15. I wonder what happens on the day when OBLs name is de-linked

from 9-11 in the same way Saddam's was de-linked from 9-11. After all, it was the same liars who told you OBL did 9-11 and there is still not enough evidence available to even allow the FBI to link it to him.


What happens when we come to THIS realization?

[John Gauger]

16. But I thought we decided that the confession was real

OBL's 9/11 taped confession. I thought that was authentic. I thought Mueller's statement about not enough evidence was years ago.

[JohnyCanuck]

20. Quick, call the FBI and let them know.

FBI says, “No hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11”

A thought provoking e-mail circulated through Internet news groups in June, and was sent to the Muckraker Report by Paul V. Sheridan (Winner of the 2005 Civil Justice Foundation Award), bringing attention to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist web page for Osama bin Laden.

In the e-mail, the question is asked, “Why doesn't Osama bin Laden's Most Wanted poster make any direct connection with the events of Sept. 11, 2001?” The FBI says on its bin Laden Web page, http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/terrorists/terbinladen.htm, that Osama bin Laden is wanted in connection with the Aug. 7, 1998 bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. According to the FBI, these attacks killed over 200 people. The FBI concludes its reason for “wanting” bin Laden by saying, “In addition, bin Laden is a suspect in other terrorists attacks throughout the world.” The Muckraker Report contacted the FBI headquarters on June 6 to learn why their bin Laden's Most Wanted poster did not indicate that Osama was also wanted in connection with 9/11. The Muckraker Report spoke with Rex Tomb, chief of investigative publicity for the FBI. When asked why there is no mention of 9/11 on the Bin Laden's Most Wanted Web page, Tomb said, “The reason why 9/11 is not mentioned on Osama Bin Laden's Most Wanted page is because the FBI has no hard evidence connecting bin Laden to 9/11.”

Surprised by the ease with which this FBI spokesman made such an astonishing statement, I asked, “How was this possible?” Tomb continued, “bin Laden has not been formally charged in connection to 9/11.” I asked, “How does that work?” Tomb continued, “The FBI gathers evidence. Once evidence is gathered, it is turned over to the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice then decides whether it has enough evidence to present to a federal grand jury. In the case of the 1998 United States Embassies being bombed, bin Laden has been formally indicted and charged by a grand jury. He has not been formally indicted and charged in connection with 9/11 because the FBI has no hard evidence connecting bin Laden to 9/11.”

It shouldn't take long before the full meaning of these FBI statements start to prick your brain and raise your blood pressure. If you think the way I think, in quick order you will be wrestling with a barrage of very powerful questions that must be answered. First and foremost, if the U.S. government does not have enough hard evidence connecting bin Laden to 9/11, how is it possible that it had enough evidence to invade Afghanistan to “smoke him out of his cave?” The federal government claims to have invaded Afghanistan to “root out” bin Laden and the Taliban.

http://us-amnesia.blogspot.com/2006/07/fbi-says-no-hard-evidence-connecting.html

[Old and In the Way]

23. I wonder if they fear a grand jury investigation into charging OBL

with the 9/11 plot? I suspect that there could be problems in the discovery process....like, why did Bush let the extended bin Laden family and Saud royalty leave without FBI interrogation? Perhaps there's more to the Bush-bin Laden relationship then we realize.

[Lisa]

21. the full interview with Wilton Sekzer is on the "Why We Fight" DVD

Very moving and thought-provoking. At the end, he takes more comfort from his son's name being on a street sign, than on the bomb.

[ComerPerro]

22. his story in that documentary was really, really sad

[GETPLANING]

24. Great film.

I had a lump in my throat the size of Manhattan after seeing this film. Of all the recent films about what is happening to America today, this one takes the cake.

[nmliberal]

26. I ordered copies of the movie for this man's 'story'

For holiday presents, I want my clueless family to see one man's eyes opened. I'm keeping a copy to show people Bush saying there no connection between 9/11 and Saddam/Iraq. I have thought of this man everyday since I saw this wonderful movie. There is hope.

[Onlooker]

27. Here's the link

I don't think anyone posted it yet, but in the worst case here it is again:

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2006/edition_09-10-2006/Memory_of_My_Son

Great article.