Michael Goodwin: Mamdanis toxic Ground Zero blame game just latches on to still-open 9/11 wounds to boost himself

The 25th anniversary of the horrific events of 9/11 will be, as it must, a somber reminder of those we lost on the deadliest day in American history.The reading of the names of the fallen and the tolling of the bells are rites that never grow old.They vividly remind New Yorkers and the world of the ultimate price 2,753 innocent people paid that day in the Twin Towers, on the ground, in nearby buildings and in the two hijacked jet liners.Nearly 200 other innocents perished when a third hijacked plane smashed into the Pentagon, and 40 passengers were killed when they heroically fought terrorists on a fourth jet that crashed in Shanksville, Pa.The Manhattan ceremony at the site known around the world as Ground Zero will properly salute the undaunted courage of hundreds of firefighters and police officers — the Bravest and the Finest — who perished while valiantly trying to save others.Remembered, too, will be the crews and passengers of the two giant airliners seized by terrorists and flown into the buildings.The immediate impact was an ocean of shock and anger that quickly forged a rarely seen national unity.

A fervor of patriotism previously reserved for world wars and national calamities swept the nation.Yet as time passes, events shaped by the attacks and the aftermath also must be included to gain a more complete picture of that historic day.Most tragically, a total of 9,677 first responders and survivors have died from 9/11-related illnesses, according to federal data, meaning those deaths far exceed the number of fatalities from the actual attacks.Most have died from various cancers related to the toxins released by the collapsing and burning of the skyscrapers.Reports say that in total, more than 57,000 cases of cancer that can be traced to the aftermath have been documented.Just as the attack dramatically heightened the national awareness of Islamist terrorism and led to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the devastating health fallout continues to roil o...