Senate Approves 9/11 Responders Health Care Bill: Real Healing Can Finally Begin

In less than one year, we will be commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy when the Twin Towers were attacked in New York. On Dec. 23 2010, an entire nine years after the tragedy happened and thousands of people gave their lives to help those affected, the Senate finally righted at least one major wrong. They passed the Zagroda Bill.

What the Bill Entails

The Zagroda Bill finally opens the government coffers to provide health care and financial compensation for the firefighters and other "First Responders" who helped out in the aftermath of the 9/11 attack. The original victims' compensation funds will also be reopened to them and full healthcare will be provided. Many of those who survived that day suffer greatly from illness and injury that they where exposed to, and many have since died; for them, this help comes too late.

Memorialization & Healing

For nine years, the 9/11 tragedy has haunted, inspired and vexed our national consciences. The 9/11 Memorial was marred in controversy for years until its construction finally began. The memorial will be located at "Ground Zero" and will include a museum and a memorial wall with the names of the victims inscribed, Vietnam War Memorial-style. The list will include "First Responder" names, as well as the victims of the 1991 World Trade Center Bombing.

In a quiet, central Pennsylvanian town of Stoystown, construction has begun on the Flight 93 memorial. This national memorial will commemorate the bravery of the passengers of Flight 93, the plane hijacked on 9/11, intended to target Washington D.C. The passengers plotted to attempt a retaking of the plane and its hijackers, but all were killed when the plane crashed. The memorial's dedication is scheduled for the tenth anniversary of the original attack.

Inspired by Controversy

These efforts are critical to the cleansing of the national grief and anger over the devastating attacks. While there have been many attempts to grieve and commemorate properly, there will be many more to come.

The most important may be a church meeting in northern New Jersey. At the Trinity Lutheran Church in Allendale, New Jersey, a discussion panel was held Dec. 8, 2010, which included Nuray Sonmez, President of the Islamic Dialogue Center Women's Association, and Rev. Lisa Green, Diocese of Newark, New Jersey's Ecumenical/Interreligious Office, among others. The discussion was organized by Rev. Micheal Allen, rector of the Church. The panel discussed issues of hostility and misunderstanding between Christians and Muslims while attempting to explore ways to foster closer community relationships.

The panel was inspired by the controversy over another construction program in connection with 9/11, the Mosque that was proposed a few blocks from the World Trade Center site; it just may be the most important commemoration of all. This is the process of healing in action and there have been many such efforts, but the media leave them on the desk as being "not newsworthy enough."

Maybe that's a good thing. Considering the controversy and conflict that has marked every memorial attempt or effort to right the wrongs of that day, many hope that these efforts to heal are never in the news. Then perhaps they will proceed in a normal, healthy manner.