9/11 Memorial Heist by the International Freedom Center
No greater contrast could exist between 2 Editorial Page articles in the Wall Street Journal on June 7 and 9 respectively this week. The subject: the 9/11 Memorial project .
Richard J. Tofel, president of the International Freedom Center, attempts to justify the creation of a gigantic medley of “voids”, huge man-made waterfalls, surrounded by a forest and all of this to decorate the International Freedom Center and finally a somewhat smaller Memorial Center Museum. Not to forget the spectacular new transit hub designed by Santiago Calatrava. But the “heart” of this odd construction is designated to be the International Freedom Center.
My question is simply: what has all this to do with an appropriate memorial area for the victims of the 9/11 disaster?
My personal view of such an appropriate memorial would be to rebuild the towers as soon as possible, albeit structurally capable of withstanding even a collision with a jetliner but otherwise visually identical on the outside with the original towers. What better way to honor those innocent occupants of the building as well as those who lost their lives trying to rescue them, than to put the Towers back where they stood for so many years. Naturally, as part of the rebuilt Towers an area should be made available as a suitable venue for commemorating in a respectful and tasteful way the names of those who gave their lives that day, together with a photo-gallery of the day’s actual disaster and it’s aftermath.
Instead we are being told by a variety of people, from architects to politicians that they have come up with the perfect memorial concept. Don’t you believe it.
The promoters of this proposed Memorial Concept, because that is what they are, intend to make the World Trade Center Memorial into a brainwashing exercise where native American Genocide and KKK lynchings are found side by side with Hitler’s Third Reich and Soviet Gulags. What all this has to do with 9/11 is not clear and people would probably wonder what kind of Madison Avenue stunt they had been euchred into. I consider it an effront to be told we must equate the reasons for and the creation of the United States of America well over 200 years ago, with “democratic revolutions around the world” today. Where does the author of that idea think his worldwide revolutions of today would have been if the USA had not, for so long, fought for and demonstrated the superior attractiveness of its own moral and socio-economic success under the banner of Freedom. As a matter of fact the International Freedom Center, the biggest promotor, admits that it will not define Freedom as such, nor what people ought to think about it. It just wants them to think! If one doesn’t teach a child what is good and what is not, the child is not likely to appreciate the difference for a long time and becomes a tool in someone else’s political games, like Hitler’s Reich, Mao’s China or the Saudi’s Arabia. The same holds true for our concept and practice of freedom. Why is it that our “promoters” of the Freedom Center have a problem defining Freedom but neither the Vietnamese or Cuban boat people nor thousands of other escapees during the past 60 years from behind various political Curtains did not and knew precisely what it was. The promoters also seem to have a problem defining terror and the conditions which make it possible, yet the subject certainly should be treated for some serious reflection in the eventual memorial. But that doesn’t seem to be important to them but “a wish to base our society on free will in the context of a pluralistic public sphere” they consider vital. Whatever that means!
On the other side, the article by Debra Burlingame makes a moving and persuasive case for stopping this current effort on the part of the International Freedom Center to hijack the 9/11 Memorial project for their own anti-American, anti capitalist and anti military purposes. The sooner this message gets broad recognition the better it will be for the Country and future generations. The current proposal is frighteningly misleading and un-patriotic and should be stopped.
Richard J. Tofel, president of the International Freedom Center, attempts to justify the creation of a gigantic medley of “voids”, huge man-made waterfalls, surrounded by a forest and all of this to decorate the International Freedom Center and finally a somewhat smaller Memorial Center Museum. Not to forget the spectacular new transit hub designed by Santiago Calatrava. But the “heart” of this odd construction is designated to be the International Freedom Center.
My question is simply: what has all this to do with an appropriate memorial area for the victims of the 9/11 disaster?
My personal view of such an appropriate memorial would be to rebuild the towers as soon as possible, albeit structurally capable of withstanding even a collision with a jetliner but otherwise visually identical on the outside with the original towers. What better way to honor those innocent occupants of the building as well as those who lost their lives trying to rescue them, than to put the Towers back where they stood for so many years. Naturally, as part of the rebuilt Towers an area should be made available as a suitable venue for commemorating in a respectful and tasteful way the names of those who gave their lives that day, together with a photo-gallery of the day’s actual disaster and it’s aftermath.
Instead we are being told by a variety of people, from architects to politicians that they have come up with the perfect memorial concept. Don’t you believe it.
The promoters of this proposed Memorial Concept, because that is what they are, intend to make the World Trade Center Memorial into a brainwashing exercise where native American Genocide and KKK lynchings are found side by side with Hitler’s Third Reich and Soviet Gulags. What all this has to do with 9/11 is not clear and people would probably wonder what kind of Madison Avenue stunt they had been euchred into. I consider it an effront to be told we must equate the reasons for and the creation of the United States of America well over 200 years ago, with “democratic revolutions around the world” today. Where does the author of that idea think his worldwide revolutions of today would have been if the USA had not, for so long, fought for and demonstrated the superior attractiveness of its own moral and socio-economic success under the banner of Freedom. As a matter of fact the International Freedom Center, the biggest promotor, admits that it will not define Freedom as such, nor what people ought to think about it. It just wants them to think! If one doesn’t teach a child what is good and what is not, the child is not likely to appreciate the difference for a long time and becomes a tool in someone else’s political games, like Hitler’s Reich, Mao’s China or the Saudi’s Arabia. The same holds true for our concept and practice of freedom. Why is it that our “promoters” of the Freedom Center have a problem defining Freedom but neither the Vietnamese or Cuban boat people nor thousands of other escapees during the past 60 years from behind various political Curtains did not and knew precisely what it was. The promoters also seem to have a problem defining terror and the conditions which make it possible, yet the subject certainly should be treated for some serious reflection in the eventual memorial. But that doesn’t seem to be important to them but “a wish to base our society on free will in the context of a pluralistic public sphere” they consider vital. Whatever that means!
On the other side, the article by Debra Burlingame makes a moving and persuasive case for stopping this current effort on the part of the International Freedom Center to hijack the 9/11 Memorial project for their own anti-American, anti capitalist and anti military purposes. The sooner this message gets broad recognition the better it will be for the Country and future generations. The current proposal is frighteningly misleading and un-patriotic and should be stopped.
posted by Schaesberg at 3:37 PM
