Burlington to answer ballot question on 9/11
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/a...703040304/1007
Published: Sunday, March 4, 2007
By John Briggs
Free Press Staff Writer
Burlington voters will vote yes or no Tuesday on a ballot question asking them to decide if a new investigation into the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is warranted. No matter how they vote, the result will not interest the state's congressional delegation.
U.S. Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, and Rep. Peter Welch have made clear that they won't push for a new investigation.
The ballot question asks whether Vermont's congressional delegation should be "advised to demand a new, thorough, and truly independent forensic investigation that fully addresses the many questions surrounding the tragic events of September 11, 2001."
Burlington's message will likely be muted because turnout for the off-year city election is expected to be light. Jo Lamarche, who directs elections from the Clerk-Treasurer's office, said Friday that fewer than 1,000 absentee ballots have been requested this year. No single issue has emerged to draw voters to the polls. Candidates for City Council across the city have said excitement is missing from this year's campaign.
A local group, convinced that many questions remain unanswered surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, gathered enough signatures to put their concerns before Burlington voters. Voters in Lincoln will see a similar question.
The group responsible for the ballot question -- it is allied with multiple groups and individuals across the county -- argues that the government-run investigation was deliberately narrowed and, as a result, inadequate.
The 585-page official 9/11 Commission Report can be found online at www.9-11commission.gov. The local group's Web site is www.vt911.org. It provides links to numerous related Web sites.
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