DeMediacratic Nation: Arizona 9/11 Memorial; One Year Later

On September 11, 2006 I visited the Arizona 9/11 Memorial at its opening. Following the fanfare led by Governor Janet Napolitano at its unveiling I visited for a closer inspection to read the panels.

Unfortunately I had no camera in hand; I certainly did not expect to have the reaction that I did; seeing it was a memorial to those lost on that sorrowful day. Suffice it to say, I brought my camera the next day and posted my reaction in my Arizona's Offensively Politically Correct 9/11 Memorial post.

Yesterday’s Arizona Republic called the memorial “still a lightning rod,” and covered the slow effort to edit this appalling “piece” of Leftist trash that rather than honor those on that day, tries to perform an educational experiment representing various views in negative PC-speak.

A “lightening rod” could have been avoided had the commission responsible for the debacle kept to the day and the sorrow; a memorial as it should be to the victims of Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

Some plates included on the memorial that miss the 9/11 target, but not the Leftist one:

"Fear of Foreigners" Balbir Singh Sodhi, A Sike, murdered in Mesa"

"Foreign-Born Americans Afraid"

"Must Bomb Back"

"You don't win battles of terrorism with more battles"

"1st US soldier killed by enemy fire in Afghanistan"

"Middle East violence motivates attacks in US"

"Erroneous US air strike kills 46 Uruzgan civilians'

"Avtar Singh Cheira, a Sikh, shot in Phoenix"

"Terrorist organization leader addresses American people"

Interestingly, the commission has been revisiting and working on replacement panels, which according to The Republic would:

“Remove two inscriptions, including an inaccurate reference to an "erroneous" U.S. air strike that killed civilians in Afghanistan.

Add two explanatory panels near the front of the memorial that emphasize the historical events of 9/11 and help visitors interpret the memorial.

Etch as many as seven new inscriptions into the memorial, including "Let's roll" and "God bless America."”

Remove an “inaccurate” panel regarding an “erroneous” U.S. air strike? Inaccuracy misses the point; does anyone recall that “erroneous” U.S. air strike on the 11^th of September 2001? Remember the images above?

Adding “Let’s roll” and “God bless America” are certainly more appropriate as they were spoken that day, but they still appear to be missing the point. Sure, you can include the words of those that took the bull by the horns and dealt with a life threatening moment.

According to the paper, this “revision” is a “delicate balance;” because:

“the public remained divided. Supporters rallied to the memorial's defense at a series of public hearings, saying the memorial reflects the nation's conflicted psyche in the days surrounding the terrorist attacks.”

May I suggest at this time that we approach this “delicate balance,” with the raising of the “Nation’s Conflicted Psyche 9/11 Memorial,” in Wesley Bolin Park in Phoenix Arizona.

In an era when so much is politicized that we keep the political garbage out of a local tombstone memorializing families’ losses? Memorializing Americans and others that walked into work one morning just like any other day prior, but did now walk out.

A memorial such as this that claims to be a memorial to “the family, friends and fellow citizens we lost on September 11,” because they “should never be forgotten.” One way to avoid forgetting the names of those taken, would be to include their names in a “memorial” to them, rather than a plaque listing the members of the “Governors September 11^th Memorial Commission;” especially in a memorial so unmemorable.

A “lightening rod” could have been avoided had the commission responsible for the debacle kept to the day and the sorrow; a memorial as it should be to the victims of Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

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