Steve Malzberg
Sunday, March 10, 2002

I have just finished watching the much-anticipated special documentary, "9/11" on CBS Television. I must admit it wasn't exactly what I had expected. It was more than I could have imagined.

Not only did the program take us back to the days leading up to Sept. 11 and make us relive the horrors of the day itself, it gave us a gift. For a small portion of the time, we the viewers were taken inside WTC tower #1.

We found ourselves with a perspective that we could only have imagined before. We saw the damage from inside the tower after the plane hit and we saw the devastation inside tower #1 after the the second plane struck the second tower. We also saw how the lobby of tower #1 turned into a hellish scene with the collapse of tower #2.

If we thought before that firemen had a tough job, we now know there can be no job that is tougher. What kind of a person runs up 70 flights of stairs, in the direction of the fire, with 60 pounds of equipment on his back, for the chance to save a life? The bravest of the brave.

Thanks to two French photographers, we got to see these brave men as they turned to head up those stairs.

We also were privileged to view the faces of some of the bravest who would not make it out of tower #1 on that day. Father Michael Judge is one face that we were able to attach a name to. The others, I just know that they are heroes who have gone to heaven.

The documentary also told the story of a rookie firefighter who was feared lost, but did survive his first "real fire."

At this point I do not know how many people watched this documentary. I hope the ratings are huge. I hope everyone was able to see on that broadcast what we thought we knew all along.

We thought we knew the fears and courage of those who ran into those towers. The police, EMS workers and, of course, the firemen. But only after seeing with our own eyes, thanks to the eye of the camera, do we now have a real clue.

Now, some much less inspiring news. As we reach the six-month mark since 9-11, I am truly amazed that so much remains undone.

I'm not referring to our war effort. I applaud the job that our armed forces are doing. I applaud the leadership of the president and those who serve under him.

However, there is much more that needs to be done here at home, and on this front the president and his people are not getting the job done.

Let's start with our student visa program. We should have put a freeze on students seeking to come to this country, who are coming here from countries that sponsor terrorism. In fact, we should have halted the program completely while we find the tens of thousands of "students" who are already here and are missing.

Another commonsense approach for a country that has been attacked the way this country was attacked on 9-11 would be to close the borders completely for a year or two.

This would give us a chance, again, to find the illegals who are already here and to re-evaluate the system. I am sad to say that not only has the president not pushed for either of these two safety measures, but he's also fighting for a new offer of amnesty to illegals who are now in the U.S. We're talking nearly 1 million illegals.

According to Congressman Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, President Bush has consulted with the House leadership to place legislation offering an extension of amnesty on its consent calendar for Tuesday, March 12, 2002. This would be before Bush completes his state visit with Mexico's President Vicente Fox.

Tancredo says, "Fox has been begging the president to push this amnesty proposal. We're increasing our own vulnerability to terrorism, while simultaneously rewarding people for violating our laws. The proposal not only rewards lawbreakers, it has the potential to allow criminals, ranging from petty thieves to suicide bombers, to remain in America legally."

And get this. This provision for the extension of Section 245 i of the Immigration and Nationality Act will be added to the widely supported H.R.3525, The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act. This is likely to ensure quick passage of Section 245 i by the House.

I would urge everyone reading this who is as outraged as I am to call your congressman. He or she can be reached at 202-224-3121. Call now, because by Tuesday it could be too late.

CLICK HERE to send an URGENT PriorityGram through NewsMax.

I will be on MSNBC's "Alan Keyes Is Making Sense" show Monday night at 10 p.m.

Thank you all and stay safe.

Steve Malzberg is a talk host on 77WABC News Talk Radio (www.wabcradio.com) in New York City, where he can be heard from 6-9 p.m. and 9-11 p.m. solo weeknights Eastern time. He was recently named one of radio's Top 100 Hosts by Talkers magazine.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Homeland/Civil Defense
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