Hard hats take the pledge to prevent building of the mosque at GroundZero

NEW
YORK - PRN - USN - GHN News Editor--"That building is being illegally
occupied" is the premise being used by hard hats to stop the building of
the mosque near Ground Zero.


Andy
Sullivan, Founder of the 9/11 Hard Hat Pledge, continues with this
observation, "You cannot issue any type of Certificate of Occupancy
either permanent or temporary without an inspection of the premises"in
his argument against the building of the mosque.

The
blue collar, hard hats are stepping to the plate on the matter of
building the mosque near Ground Zero.  Andy Sullivan, founder of the
9/11 Hard Hat Pledge was an eyewitness to the World Trade Center
attacks. After seeing the first plane hit he successfully evacuated all
of his construction crew.  His one regret from that day is "not knowing
that the first girl I ever loved was working at Cantor Fitzgerald. I
could have saved her."

Mr. Sullivan, a lifelong construction worker and a member of New York's
largest construction union has  been researching the building permits
for the proposed Ground Zero Mosque. According to Mr. Sullivan's
research, the 9/11 terrorist attacks the building was damaged when the
landing gear from one of planes landed on it causing damage.  So what is
his recommendation?

"Work has been done on that site since 9/11, yet there is no record of
inspection since this work was completed," says Sullivan. Without the
necessary permits and inspections Mr. Sullivan states that, "No one can
be sure that this building that is illegally being used to hold services
is safe. There are real concerns for the safety of those occupying this
building illegally."

Sullivan
discovered, "the last work permit filed for the location was filed in
2000. That permit was for installation of air conditioner units."
Department of Building records show that there have been no additional
permits issued since 2000. Sullivan asks, "What about all the damage
that occurred from the landing gear? Work to repair the damage done by
the landing gear has been done without permits."

According
to Sullivan, in order for this site to meet Department of Building
requirements, "all work done without permits has to be taken down and
removed. They need to start over from scratch under the strict
supervision of the DOB." Sullivan wonders why the DOB is ignoring the
lack of proper permits.

"This
site would be shut down if it was any other entity in the this city.
Tremendous fines would be levied against any other project. I believe
that Mayor Bloomberg is in cahoots with the DOB and figures no one with
construction expertise has scrutinized the work permits," states hard
hat Andy Sullivan.

Andy Sullivan,
a 9/11 survivor, is founder of the 9/11 Hard Hat Pledge. Over 28,000
people have signed his pledge to not work on the Mosque, if built near
Ground Zero. His blog can be found at www.bluecollarcorner.com.

Sullivan
has joined forces with people like Pamela Gellar, an outspoken critic
of the mosque near Ground Zero and someone who has taken out
high-profile attack ads against Muslims in California and other parts of
the country. 

Those
who are in support of the building of the mosque remind the public how
bars and betting places are within Ground Zero, and the mosque is going
to be built two blocks away from it.  They wonder how close is too close
for the building of a mosque since there have been random attacks
against Islamic places of worship not related to this building, as
people object to the presence of Muslims in their midst.

In
his press release, Sullivan does not examine any other buildings who
may have been damaged in other areas and what limitations might be
placed on the whole area. 

The
issue continues to be the first amendment rights of the Muslims in
relationship to building the mosque and those who believe it must be
adjusted to reflect the emotional nature of the building and the

concerns of the victims of 9/11.