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CaféAuLait;8765990 said:You're not getting it.
When Baroni - one of the top Christie guys at the PA - was there -- HE changed the rules. In fact, no other state, including New York, were able to get those pieces without going through the application process.
I already posted this for you earlier.
See that part in red there? He changed the rules.By September 2011, the 10th anniversary of the attacks, 80 percent of the steel had been distributed, in a program managed by Nancy Johnson, a career employee of the Authority.
Around that time, Bill Baroni, the deputy executive director of the agency, who was appointed by Mr. Christie, took effective control of the steel distributed in New Jersey. Accompanying Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno to ceremonies, Mr. Baroni gave speeches about the work that was being done at the Port Authority under Governor Christie, and spoke emotionally on the losses of Sept. 11.
It was New Jersey only rules.
You might note again, the very same week the world was finding out about this wretched gift-giving scheme regarding the sacred 9/11 relics -- they changed the rules at the PA so it wasn't done by appointee cron-ee...
"The distribution policies for the steel given out in New Jersey were changed at the Port Authority last week, officials said Tuesday, and will no longer be handled by Mr. Christie’s political appointees, but by the agency’s professional staff, which handles the steel for the 49 other states and the rest of the world."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/n...litical-patronage.html?hpw&rref=nyregion&_r=0
Yes, I am getting it. The article is trying to imply they usurped federal law which dictates that the judge has to sign off on it. You say they "changed the rules" even though this is considered "evidence from a crime" a judge no longer needed to sign off on it. Such is belied by the fact a year after the above dates where you say "they changed the rules" it's evident they have not.
In fact, in the ceremony which the NY times mentions in 2012 (and I linked to which you seem to be ignoring) it still says the federal judge must sign off on it.
From the presentation in 2012 Baroni reiterates such during the ceremony and states such to the press present.
Veterans Plaza in Secaucus now has a piece of World Trade Center steel on permanent display | NJ.com“In order to present a municipality with a piece of WTC steel, we actually need to have a federal judge release it since it’s evidence in a crime,” he said.
Unless you are trying to say he is publicizing and attending events where the press is invited and publicizing them on the Port Authority website ( links on prior pages) and basically Spouting lies about NYC federal judge Hellerstien signing off on it when he was not. Seriously, that's a reach IMO.
To add to that last:CaféAuLait;8765990 said:You're not getting it.
When Baroni - one of the top Christie guys at the PA - was there -- HE changed the rules. In fact, no other state, including New York, were able to get those pieces without going through the application process.
I already posted this for you earlier.
See that part in red there? He changed the rules.
It was New Jersey only rules.
You might note again, the very same week the world was finding out about this wretched gift-giving scheme regarding the sacred 9/11 relics -- they changed the rules at the PA so it wasn't done by appointee cron-ee...
"The distribution policies for the steel given out in New Jersey were changed at the Port Authority last week, officials said Tuesday, and will no longer be handled by Mr. ChristieÂ’s political appointees, but by the agencyÂ’s professional staff, which handles the steel for the 49 other states and the rest of the world."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/n...litical-patronage.html?hpw&rref=nyregion&_r=0
Yes, I am getting it. The article is trying to imply they usurped federal law which dictates that the judge has to sign off on it. You say they "changed the rules" even though this is considered "evidence from a crime" a judge no longer needed to sign off on it. Such is belied by the fact a year after the above dates where you say "they changed the rules" it's evident they have not.
In fact, in the ceremony which the NY times mentions in 2012 (and I linked to which you seem to be ignoring) it still says the federal judge must sign off on it.
From the presentation in 2012 Baroni reiterates such during the ceremony and states such to the press present.
Veterans Plaza in Secaucus now has a piece of World Trade Center steel on permanent display | NJ.com“In order to present a municipality with a piece of WTC steel, we actually need to have a federal judge release it since it’s evidence in a crime,” he said.
Unless you are trying to say he is publicizing and attending events where the press is invited and publicizing them on the Port Authority website ( links on prior pages) and basically Spouting lies about NYC federal judge Hellerstien signing off on it when he was not. Seriously, that's a reach IMO.
You're making a big deal about the judge, who basically rubber stamps the release. Whether in the case of the gifting he had a judge rubber stamp it is not that important. We also know Baroni LIES - his elaborate ruse about the phony "traffic study" was epic. That's why he's out of a job now.
Baroni did gift it to those cities and municipalities -- they did not go through the application process because he changed those rules.
(and the rules are changed back to not having political appointees at the PA just this week! [I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fallout fromthe Times story. ha!])
And note in your very own link, Baroni also gifted the city with a 5,000 check!
In looking over some other stories, I found this little gem on the NJ Gov website.:
WTC Steel Dedication
Office of the Governor | Event Photos Sept. 9, 2013
- Event Date: Sept. 9, 2013
Pictures of the Lt. Gov and again...Bill Baroni - gifting WTC Steel to the municipality of Sea Girt.
That date was interesting to me -----> because
that's the first day of the 4 day long traffic mess created by Christies office. (yes, they pulled this stunt during the week of the 9/11 anniversary.)
No big whoop, just found it a curious tie in with the two events.
You can't possibly be a Jew. Jews are smart. Maybe your father was Jewish.
You're a Jew and a prick. They are not mutually exclusive. Being stupid and Jewish is also not unheard of.You can't possibly be a Jew. Jews are smart. Maybe your father was Jewish.
Oh, I am definitely a Jew. Only, I don't act like a dick, as you do. There is no way on Earth that you could be a Rabbi. No Rabbi would behave so disgustingly to other people as you do. You have not a slightest clue what Tikkun Olam really means, nor have you shown even one smidge of the ideas presented in V'Ohavta.
! בן-זונה להזדיין
CaféAuLait;8764635 said:Oh, indeed, calling someone a tool is something that news outlets would NEVER do, NEVER!
Questioner at Ryan rally 'outraged' that Obama camp used exchange as 'political tool' | Fox News
Obama Using Latinos as 'Political Tool,' Congressional Candidate Says | Fox News Latino
Using Iraq as a Political Tool? | Fox News
Navy SEALs used as a political tool? | On Air Videos | Fox News
Yessiree, Goddamn that NYT for using the word "tool" in terms of politics. G-d knows that FOX would NEVER do that!!!!
![]()
Hey, you're right. I mis-read it when I glanced at the title. I thought it said "Christie was a Tool" which would have made it an entirely different statement. My bad. As I said I screwed up. Wish I were perfect, but alas my human side showed for a moment.
Do you have any comments on the rest of my post you deleted by chance?
Like how they would have accomplished this. I see others stating these were gifts to democratic mayors, to get their vote. The indy pictured in the NYC article got that piece of the WTC a year before he endorsed Christie. Sounds kinda silly to believe that a piece of the wreckage would keep someone's interest or promise a year or more later.
Veterans Plaza in Secaucus now has a piece of World Trade Center steel on permanent display | NJ.com
Secaucus officials endorse Christie - NorthJersey.com
On an unrelated note, I'm curious about why you wrote "Goddamn" but then wrote "G-d". Doesn't that negate the "high degree of respect and reverence" given by writing G-d? It almost mocks such since many believe that is taking the name in vain. I'm really curious. I like to learn about religious practice.
[MENTION=13580]CaféAuLait[/MENTION] - Dude, it takes a big, big man with a big heart to admit when he has screwed up. I applaud that and I am going to be repping you for that posting of your (pos rep, of course).
The rest I deleted not because I found it unimportant, but rather, because I am often pressed for time and must pick and choose what to respond to and what not. My suggestion would first be to wait and see how many other independent news sources verify this story. It's too easy for the Left or the Right to vilify a news outlet they don't like, but in reality, most of the serious ones get it right most all the time, at least the base-line data is correct. When the story is independently confirmed, then I would be delighted to respond in great detail. Does that sound amenable to you.
About "G-d". I am a Jew and we Jews believe that G-d is so big, so omnipotent that even the attempt to completely spell his name with whatever word is being used, besmirches his name. It's our way of saying that we are so incomplete without G-d that we admit it by leaving a letter (probably a vowel) out. Also, in Ivrit (Hebrew), the word for G-d used in the Synagogue is "Adonai" - which I would personally write as "Ad-nai", and in Hebrew, most of the time, the vowels are not written in, but rather, mentally interpolated. Yes, there are Ivrit versions of stuff where every vowel in written, but more often than not, when studing Torah, Haftorah and such, the vowels won't be there. So, spelling "G-d" the way I do is a sign of love for and respect of "G-d", nothing more and nothing less.
Since I meant "Goddamn" in a pretty unserious way, and would never personally wish for "G-d" to damn anyone, anyway, I am quite at easy spelling the word completely, for in that case, I really don't mean "G-d" at all. I am not trying to mock even one little bit.
I hope that that explanation helped some.
Finally, I live in a time-zone that is usually 6 hours ahead of the East Coast (right now, 5 hours), so there will often be a delay in responses. I am a big fan of the @ function, so you can feel free to @ me any time - I like the use of that function, it saves a lot of time and doesn't disturb me in the slightest.
-Stat
THEN I saw in my quoted portion it did not say that, but that the Port Authority was being used as a tool. CaféAuLait;8765990 said:You're not getting it.
When Baroni - one of the top Christie guys at the PA - was there -- HE changed the rules. In fact, no other state, including New York, were able to get those pieces without going through the application process.
I already posted this for you earlier.
See that part in red there? He changed the rules.
It was New Jersey only rules.
You might note again, the very same week the world was finding out about this wretched gift-giving scheme regarding the sacred 9/11 relics -- they changed the rules at the PA so it wasn't done by appointee cron-ee...
"The distribution policies for the steel given out in New Jersey were changed at the Port Authority last week, officials said Tuesday, and will no longer be handled by Mr. Christie’s political appointees, but by the agency’s professional staff, which handles the steel for the 49 other states and the rest of the world."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/n...litical-patronage.html?hpw&rref=nyregion&_r=0
Yes, I am getting it. The article is trying to imply they usurped federal law which dictates that the judge has to sign off on it. You say they "changed the rules" even though this is considered "evidence from a crime" a judge no longer needed to sign off on it. Such is belied by the fact a year after the above dates where you say "they changed the rules" it's evident they have not.
In fact, in the ceremony which the NY times mentions in 2012 (and I linked to which you seem to be ignoring) it still says the federal judge must sign off on it.
From the presentation in 2012 Baroni reiterates such during the ceremony and states such to the press present.
Veterans Plaza in Secaucus now has a piece of World Trade Center steel on permanent display | NJ.com“In order to present a municipality with a piece of WTC steel, we actually need to have a federal judge release it since it’s evidence in a crime,” he said.
Unless you are trying to say he is publicizing and attending events where the press is invited and publicizing them on the Port Authority website ( links on prior pages) and basically Spouting lies about NYC federal judge Hellerstien signing off on it when he was not. Seriously, that's a reach IMO.
You're making a big deal about the judge, who basically rubber stamps the release. Whether in the case of the gifting he had a judge rubber stamp it is not that important. We also know Baroni LIES - his elaborate ruse about the phony "traffic study" was epic. That's why he's out of a job now.
Baroni did gift it to those cities and municipalities -- they did not go through the application process because he changed those rules.
(and the rules are changed back to not having political appointees at the PA just this week! [I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fallout fromthe Times story. ha!])
And note in your very own link, Baroni also gifted the city with a 5,000 check!
In looking over some other stories, I found this little gem on the NJ Gov website.:
WTC Steel Dedication
Office of the Governor | Event Photos Sept. 9, 2013
- Event Date: Sept. 9, 2013
Pictures of the Lt. Gov and again...Bill Baroni - gifting WTC Steel to the municipality of Sea Girt.
That date was interesting to me -----> because
that's the first day of the 4 day long traffic mess created by Christies office. (yes, they pulled this stunt during the week of the 9/11 anniversary.)
No big whoop, just found it a curious tie in with the two events.
You want to be more specific?CaféAuLait;8768847 said:CaféAuLait;8765990 said:Yes, I am getting it. The article is trying to imply they usurped federal law which dictates that the judge has to sign off on it. You say they "changed the rules" even though this is considered "evidence from a crime" a judge no longer needed to sign off on it. Such is belied by the fact a year after the above dates where you say "they changed the rules" it's evident they have not.
In fact, in the ceremony which the NY times mentions in 2012 (and I linked to which you seem to be ignoring) it still says the federal judge must sign off on it.
From the presentation in 2012 Baroni reiterates such during the ceremony and states such to the press present.
Veterans Plaza in Secaucus now has a piece of World Trade Center steel on permanent display | NJ.com
Unless you are trying to say he is publicizing and attending events where the press is invited and publicizing them on the Port Authority website ( links on prior pages) and basically Spouting lies about NYC federal judge Hellerstien signing off on it when he was not. Seriously, that's a reach IMO.
You're making a big deal about the judge, who basically rubber stamps the release. Whether in the case of the gifting he had a judge rubber stamp it is not that important. We also know Baroni LIES - his elaborate ruse about the phony "traffic study" was epic. That's why he's out of a job now.
Baroni did gift it to those cities and municipalities -- they did not go through the application process because he changed those rules.
(and the rules are changed back to not having political appointees at the PA just this week! [I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fallout fromthe Times story. ha!])
And note in your very own link, Baroni also gifted the city with a 5,000 check!
In looking over some other stories, I found this little gem on the NJ Gov website.:
WTC Steel Dedication
Office of the Governor | Event Photos Sept. 9, 2013
- Event Date: Sept. 9, 2013
Pictures of the Lt. Gov and again...Bill Baroni - gifting WTC Steel to the municipality of Sea Girt.
That date was interesting to me -----> because
that's the first day of the 4 day long traffic mess created by Christies office. (yes, they pulled this stunt during the week of the 9/11 anniversary.)
No big whoop, just found it a curious tie in with the two events.
Now you are making up your own facts the 2 NYT articles do not even claim what you are claiming.
CaféAuLait;8768834 said:CaféAuLait;8764635 said:Hey, you're right. I mis-read it when I glanced at the title. I thought it said "Christie was a Tool" which would have made it an entirely different statement. My bad. As I said I screwed up. Wish I were perfect, but alas my human side showed for a moment.
Do you have any comments on the rest of my post you deleted by chance?
Like how they would have accomplished this. I see others stating these were gifts to democratic mayors, to get their vote. The indy pictured in the NYC article got that piece of the WTC a year before he endorsed Christie. Sounds kinda silly to believe that a piece of the wreckage would keep someone's interest or promise a year or more later.
Veterans Plaza in Secaucus now has a piece of World Trade Center steel on permanent display | NJ.com
Secaucus officials endorse Christie - NorthJersey.com
On an unrelated note, I'm curious about why you wrote "Goddamn" but then wrote "G-d". Doesn't that negate the "high degree of respect and reverence" given by writing G-d? It almost mocks such since many believe that is taking the name in vain. I'm really curious. I like to learn about religious practice.
[MENTION=13580]CaféAuLait[/MENTION] - Dude, it takes a big, big man with a big heart to admit when he has screwed up. I applaud that and I am going to be repping you for that posting of your (pos rep, of course).
The rest I deleted not because I found it unimportant, but rather, because I am often pressed for time and must pick and choose what to respond to and what not. My suggestion would first be to wait and see how many other independent news sources verify this story. It's too easy for the Left or the Right to vilify a news outlet they don't like, but in reality, most of the serious ones get it right most all the time, at least the base-line data is correct. When the story is independently confirmed, then I would be delighted to respond in great detail. Does that sound amenable to you.
About "G-d". I am a Jew and we Jews believe that G-d is so big, so omnipotent that even the attempt to completely spell his name with whatever word is being used, besmirches his name. It's our way of saying that we are so incomplete without G-d that we admit it by leaving a letter (probably a vowel) out. Also, in Ivrit (Hebrew), the word for G-d used in the Synagogue is "Adonai" - which I would personally write as "Ad-nai", and in Hebrew, most of the time, the vowels are not written in, but rather, mentally interpolated. Yes, there are Ivrit versions of stuff where every vowel in written, but more often than not, when studing Torah, Haftorah and such, the vowels won't be there. So, spelling "G-d" the way I do is a sign of love for and respect of "G-d", nothing more and nothing less.
Since I meant "Goddamn" in a pretty unserious way, and would never personally wish for "G-d" to damn anyone, anyway, I am quite at easy spelling the word completely, for in that case, I really don't mean "G-d" at all. I am not trying to mock even one little bit.
I hope that that explanation helped some.
Finally, I live in a time-zone that is usually 6 hours ahead of the East Coast (right now, 5 hours), so there will often be a delay in responses. I am a big fan of the @ function, so you can feel free to @ me any time - I like the use of that function, it saves a lot of time and doesn't disturb me in the slightest.
-Stat
[MENTION=46168]Statistikhengst[/MENTION]
I agree. I have not been bashing the NYT per se, I have been questioning the lack of any evidence. We have a tendency to jump on anything which is negative instead of asking for facts to back up the charges. That is all I would like to see, are facts. If they are presented, then as I said in previous posts, I will be there along with anyone else damning those responsible if this occurred.
Funny thing about my above post, I did not see my mistake even in my first reply to you. I had to delete it. ( thank goodness for your 6 hour time difference or you probably would have bust a gut reading my reply). I still saw " Christie was a Tool" for whatever reason and went on to explain to you that calling someone a tool and saying political tool were two different things.THEN I saw in my quoted portion it did not say that, but that the Port Authority was being used as a tool.
I thought perhaps you were Jewish and that is why you chose to spell God as you did, but I did not understand how the two could be seen different, however, now I do and I thank you for your reply. I really do enjoy learning about different religious practices. Thank you again.
You want to be more specific?CaféAuLait;8768847 said:You're making a big deal about the judge, who basically rubber stamps the release. Whether in the case of the gifting he had a judge rubber stamp it is not that important. We also know Baroni LIES - his elaborate ruse about the phony "traffic study" was epic. That's why he's out of a job now.
Baroni did gift it to those cities and municipalities -- they did not go through the application process because he changed those rules.
(and the rules are changed back to not having political appointees at the PA just this week! [I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fallout fromthe Times story. ha!])
And note in your very own link, Baroni also gifted the city with a 5,000 check!
In looking over some other stories, I found this little gem on the NJ Gov website.:
WTC Steel Dedication
Office of the Governor | Event Photos Sept. 9, 2013
- Event Date: Sept. 9, 2013
Pictures of the Lt. Gov and again...Bill Baroni - gifting WTC Steel to the municipality of Sea Girt.
That date was interesting to me -----> because
that's the first day of the 4 day long traffic mess created by Christies office. (yes, they pulled this stunt during the week of the 9/11 anniversary.)
No big whoop, just found it a curious tie in with the two events.
Now you are making up your own facts the 2 NYT articles do not even claim what you are claiming.
If you want to claim they did have to go through the arduous application process as Baroni gifted these pieces -- go ahead.
I'm ready for ya.![]()
Gonnelli produced emails between town and Port Authority officials dating back to 2011 that show Town Administrator David Drumeler reaching out to the Port Authority to obtain a piece of steel from the 9/11 attacks, which the mayor wanted for a Secaucus memorial.
"If you think, in September of 2011, I’m thinking about endorsing Christie in 2013, there's something wrong with you,” Gonnelli told The Jersey Journal. “It just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.”
Gonnelli said he has been fielding calls for the last two days from residents seeking his response to the New York Times story, which was also the basis for a segment on MSNBC Tuesday night.
Gonnelli, a Democrat-turned-Independent, last year endorsed Republican Christie over Democrat Barbara Buono, who lost to the governor in a landslide last November.
The mayor said it’s no secret that Christie’s office wanted his endorsement. Gonnelli said he told the governor he would only endorse him if Secaucus’ entire Town Council did as well.
“We felt that his leadership during Sandy deserved our endorsement,” Gonnelli said.
Secaucus lost three residents in the 9/11 attacks.
CaféAuLait;8768834 said:[MENTION=13580]CaféAuLait[/MENTION] - Dude, it takes a big, big man with a big heart to admit when he has screwed up. I applaud that and I am going to be repping you for that posting of your (pos rep, of course).
The rest I deleted not because I found it unimportant, but rather, because I am often pressed for time and must pick and choose what to respond to and what not. My suggestion would first be to wait and see how many other independent news sources verify this story. It's too easy for the Left or the Right to vilify a news outlet they don't like, but in reality, most of the serious ones get it right most all the time, at least the base-line data is correct. When the story is independently confirmed, then I would be delighted to respond in great detail. Does that sound amenable to you.
About "G-d". I am a Jew and we Jews believe that G-d is so big, so omnipotent that even the attempt to completely spell his name with whatever word is being used, besmirches his name. It's our way of saying that we are so incomplete without G-d that we admit it by leaving a letter (probably a vowel) out. Also, in Ivrit (Hebrew), the word for G-d used in the Synagogue is "Adonai" - which I would personally write as "Ad-nai", and in Hebrew, most of the time, the vowels are not written in, but rather, mentally interpolated. Yes, there are Ivrit versions of stuff where every vowel in written, but more often than not, when studing Torah, Haftorah and such, the vowels won't be there. So, spelling "G-d" the way I do is a sign of love for and respect of "G-d", nothing more and nothing less.
Since I meant "Goddamn" in a pretty unserious way, and would never personally wish for "G-d" to damn anyone, anyway, I am quite at easy spelling the word completely, for in that case, I really don't mean "G-d" at all. I am not trying to mock even one little bit.
I hope that that explanation helped some.
Finally, I live in a time-zone that is usually 6 hours ahead of the East Coast (right now, 5 hours), so there will often be a delay in responses. I am a big fan of the @ function, so you can feel free to @ me any time - I like the use of that function, it saves a lot of time and doesn't disturb me in the slightest.
-Stat
[MENTION=46168]Statistikhengst[/MENTION]
I agree. I have not been bashing the NYT per se, I have been questioning the lack of any evidence. We have a tendency to jump on anything which is negative instead of asking for facts to back up the charges. That is all I would like to see, are facts. If they are presented, then as I said in previous posts, I will be there along with anyone else damning those responsible if this occurred.
Funny thing about my above post, I did not see my mistake even in my first reply to you. I had to delete it. ( thank goodness for your 6 hour time difference or you probably would have bust a gut reading my reply). I still saw " Christie was a Tool" for whatever reason and went on to explain to you that calling someone a tool and saying political tool were two different things.THEN I saw in my quoted portion it did not say that, but that the Port Authority was being used as a tool.
I thought perhaps you were Jewish and that is why you chose to spell God as you did, but I did not understand how the two could be seen different, however, now I do and I thank you for your reply. I really do enjoy learning about different religious practices. Thank you again.
[MENTION=13580]CaféAuLait[/MENTION] - thanks for the good and thoughtful response.
I will be content to wait and see what a number of independent news sources say, something I generally do with any breaking story. I am also not the type to dismiss a news outlet just because it has a political bent I don't like. From my view, a lot of Fox's reporting, at least on the editorial side, is bullshit. But when it comes to hard facts and figures, Fox does a pretty decent job of getting the facts out there. Yes, now and again Fox screws up the numbers, everyone does it occasionally. On election night, some of the best reporting of the night, until Rove's unnecessary meltdown, was on FOX. In fact, FOX called a great number of states for Obama long before either ABC or CNN did, for instance: WI, MN, NM. So, I look to get my news from many, many sources. Just one NYT article is not good enough for me. That being said, NYT has had to retract very, very few things in it's long history of journalism. I suspect that the NYT story will hold.
WTC Steel Dedication
Office of the Governor | Event Photos Sept. 9, 2013
- Event Date: Sept. 9, 2013
Baroni made a big deal in his many commentaries about the arduous application process to get the steel. (see: all the 9/11 steel giveaway ceremonies)
Look here: Baroni's parents are from Ireland. (he was po black chile)....no, scratch that, he was born to an Irish unwed mother....
Anyway,
He makes a phone call to a (former) mayor in the pa-lace his momma hailed from -- that former mayor, earlier, had written a letter requesting a piece of the 9/11 steel. A letter.
Wanna see how Baroni (now the former PA authority - resigned in disgrace for lying) went about his gifting?
Have a look:
![]()
Baroni is planning a trip to Ireland ~~~ Erin Go Bra? He calls up a few years later as he plans a junket -- and says: Hey y'all "I gotta piece -- I'll bring it." <-- Not actual quote.
http://dungarvanobserver.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Dungarvan-Observer-22-5-2013-Edition.pdf
Let's go back to this: "The application to be given artifacts is long and the process is complicated, intended to discourage frivolous requests.
For the St. James Fire District in Long Island, New York, it took two years to be granted a "bow-tie" piece of steel which was part of the outer steel lobby of the World Trade Center."
This lady wrote a letter. (that's all) ...and he goes a giftin' aglee.
You want to take apart the NYT article, but it's pretty clear, and will be made even more clear as the shenanigans play out -- 9/11 relics were made a tool for favors.
Why do you not comment on how the rule was now changed back just this last week?