From the October 2005 Idaho Observer:

9/11—Ground Zero: Four years later

Politicians, media pretend not to see or hear America’s protests

Pretending is not making us go away

NEW YORK CITY—"The 9/11 truth will be told. Bush and Cheney will be indicted for treason and murder. And immediately stop the killing and illegal war in Iraq."

These were the strong and poignant words ringing through the streets of New York Sunday as more than 250 9/11 truth protestors marched carrying "Impeach Bush" and "9/11 Inside Job" signs. The rally started at the New York Times building and ended at the United Nations building.

Organized by members of www.ny911truth.org the rally was called to vent anger and make the public aware of the concerted effort by the mainstream media and the government to keep the truth about what really happened on 9/11 from the American people.

Although the corporate-elite media came out earlier in the day in force to cover the Ground Zero activities in honor of the 9/11 victims on the fourth anniversary of the tragedy, the media was predictably absent from protest rally just like it has been purposely absent for four years in covering compelling stories that contradict the flimsy government official account..

Protestors picked the New York Times building for a starting point, passing by the FOX, CNN and NBC buildings, to emphasize their feelings that media suppression has been primarily responsible for keeping the America from the truth about 9/11 and largely responsible for allowing government officials to get away with the murder of 3,000 fellow citizens at Ground Zero.

At the Sunday rally, William Rodriguez, the WTC janitor and last survivor of the North Tower, told the crowd his story about hearing and feeling explosions emanating from the sub-level basement of the tower, prior to the plane striking the upper floors. He has been systematically suppressed by the government, mainstream media and 9/11 Commission. "They have done everything in their power to ignore my statements which directly contradict the government story," said Rodriguez as the crowd chanted "let the truth be told."

"I have at least 27 other people who are ready to testify that they also heard explosions, all who have been completely ignored by the 9/11 Commission. Also, the last drop of water fell from the glass and I realized all hope was lost to get at the truth when, the testimony I gave the commission behind closed doors last year, was omitted from the final report."

This weekend, however, Rodriguez and his compelling story showing a controlled demolition took down the towers broke new ground as for the first time in four years a major news outlet carried his story.

Although he still hasn’t broken the television network barriers, his story aired on a one hour pre-recorded special for ABC radio and its nationwide affiliates. The story aired on the east coast Sunday evening at 7 p.m. along with comments made by author David Ray Griffin who has written a scathing report about at least 101 lies presented in the final 9/11 Commission report.

Griffin, who also has been relegated for years to the alternative press, finally received a national audience for his scholarly efforts at revealing the truth about 9/11. Previously, Griffin, who has written two books about government lies and its cover-up of 9/11, said the 9/11 Commission report that received a national book award should have been declared a ""national disgrace."

After Rodriguez finished speaking, former Lt. Col. USAF Dr. Robert Bowman gave the crowd a rousing political speech, calling for the immediate removal of Bush, Cheney and their cronies on charges of treason and murder.

The former fighter pilot who flew over 100 Vietnam combat missions and directed the Star Wars program under President Ford and Carter, said he took a solemn oath to protect his country from enemies both foreign and domestic, including defending against a rogue President like Bush.

"9/11 is based on a pack of lies. It wasn’t misjudgment, it was treason," said Dr. Bowman as he called fro the immediate removal of what he called the mob and crooks in the White House.

Saying he received a kiss on the cheek by a family member who lost a loved one at 9/11 while waking in the march, Dr. Bowman reassured the audience those seeking truth about 9/11 and the illegal war in Iraq were "doing the right thing."

"The entire Bush administration is based on deception and lies. They are needlessly killing off the youth of this country in the name of freedom and democracy when it is really for nothing but oil and greed."

One of the final speakers at the rally, Donna Marsh, a mother who lost her pregnant daughter at Ground Zero, gave the most heart-felt emotional appeal, as tears came to her eyes and the eyes of many in the crowd, when she recalled how her daughter perished at the hands of what she called "criminals in the White House."

"My daughter called after the first plane hit at 8:46 a.m. and said she was told not to leave the South Tower because it was safe. In fact she was told not to leave or she would be fired," said Marsh to the crowd as well as repeating her statements on a Monday morning radio show called The Power Hour on Genesis Broadcasting Network.

"Where was NORAD? What really happened in those buildings? Why did they collapse so quickly like a controlled demolition? There are just so many unanswered questions the government refuses to answer, what other conclusion can be made other than our own government was involved in killing my daughter and 3,000 other Americans.

"I want George W. Bush, as of this day forward to no longer use my daughter’s name to spread war and killing throughout the world. From this day forward, I want my daughter’s name removed permanently from the official 9/11 victim’s list."

After the rally lasting two hours, protestors doubled in size as they congregated at St. Marks Church where more speakers, including Pastor Frank Morales, attorney Phil Berg, who has filed a federal RICO conspiracy lawsuit against Bush, and attorney Mimi Rosenberg of WBAI radio, assured listeners they were in the movement "for the long haul, adding no longer can we as a people live in fear of our government.

They added that the 9/11 truth movement is just as important as the Revolutionary War in terms of preserving American freedoms and protecting against a tyrannical dictatorship bent on the ultimate destruction of America.

"As Americans we can no longer live in fear of George W. Bush and his band of criminals who all belong behind bars in jail," said Berg, as he promised to work for people like Donna Marsh, who lost her daughter and William Rodriguez, a true American hero, adding he wouldn’t stop fighting for their freedoms until he put the entire neo-con gang behind bars.

"I promise I will never stop searching for the truth and one day the truth will be told."

Earlier Saturday, 9/11 family members, survivors and victims held their own rally outside Ground Zero in what they called "Take Back the Memorial" in order to block government plans to build the International Freedom Center on the WTC site.

Family members say the government proposal seeks to honor America’s freedoms in general, including remembering such things as the holocaust and other wars, which minimizes the significance and long term remembrance of the victims who lost their lives at Ground Zero.

"All of those who were killed on 9/11 need to be remembered at a place that will pay homage to their story and show reverence to their memory," said James Slevin, vice president of Legislative and Political Affairs of the 22,000 strong Uniformed Firefighters Association.