I have been asleep at the wheel on the 9/11 memorial

As I am sitting here reading the blogs and sipping my morning coffee, I was reminded by Flopping Aces that I have been asleep at the wheel.

There is an editorial in the Tucson Citizen about the memorial. The author attempts to blame this whole issue on Len Munsil trying to garner votes because he is behind in the polls. Let me italicise some pieces of the article, if you wish to read it in its entirety, go here.

A new monument meant to unite Arizonans in honoring the victims of 9/11 is instead being exploited to divide us.
Don't let it happen.

Ummm, how can you have a memorial to unite us (its stated purpose) when you have comments on it that DIVIDE US.

Really? What's insulting here is that those calling for the removal or revision of the monument have essentially accused anyone who dares disagree with them of being dishonorable, anti-American and unpatriotic.

REALLY? I havent heard one accusation of this. What I have heard is that its an insult to the Americans who died that day. Guilty conscience? Or just re-writing history like liberals do?

What's shameful is how Munsil and the state Republican Party are trying to inflame emotions on this issue and exploit the 9/11 tragedy in a blatant bid to boost Munsil's long-shot campaign for governor.

No ma'am, what is shameful is how Napolitano isnt addressing this, what is shameful is how you are trying to sweep it under the rug knowing the Governor made a GRAVE error in putting her stamp of approval on this. One has to wonder..where is Gov Napolitanos VETO rubber stamp when she REALLY needs it?

The Arizona Republican Party has already produced a two-minute Internet ad on the memorial flap, ending with the words "dishonorable" and "disrespectful" plastered in red across Napolitano's face.

Truth hurts ... doesnt it?

"I definitely take offense to someone questioning mine or anyone else's patriotism on this commission. Each of them . . . are being wrongly and horribly attacked, people who have done a true service to try to build a remembrance for 9/11," he said. (Shields..a Phoenix firefighter)

Noone has questioned your patriotism Mr Shields...I respect you TRIED to build a rememberance to 9/11 but instead you have built a lasting slap in the face to the american people who lost their lives that day.

The commission met more than 50 times over 3 1/2 years, he said.

REALLY?? Isnt it funny that not one person in Arizona knew about these meetings other than the comission? Isn't it funny that the majority of Arizonans had no clue there was even going to be a memorial until it was unveiled with great fanfare on 9/11/2006? What were you hiding...why didnt you do more to get the word out MR SHIELDS?

And waiting gives Arizonans who would like to participate in the debate a couple of months to do the one thing both Munsil and Napolitano agree they should do.
Visit the memorial themselves and make their own judgment.

Umm, I dont NEED to visit the memorial to be slapped in the face, thanks to the bloggers who have kept on top of this, I have seen the entirety of the monument....and all the love that is shown with the positive inscriptions is being overshadowed with the negative slap in the face to Americans. The commission has politicised this...by including irrelevant inscriptions and blaming america for the attack. No..my mind is made up.

The comments page reads like a classic testimony of how Conservatives feel over who Liberals blame. Comments such as the following:

Conservative:

Man how stupid can you be Anne? Really.

You think a monument to honor our dead, should include items that assign blame for their death to their own country? That is how you honor them?

I find it sad how you try to make being a conservative a bad thing in regard to this. Bad news for you, my mother is a "carved in stone" liberal and she agrees with Munsil.

It is an absolute disgrace, that a memorial designed to honor Americans killed by cowards should somehow include reasons that justify their deaths.

I could say more but you myopic, anti-American zeal would be impossible to reason with.

Do the right thing and honor those who need to be honored and place blame where it should be place....on the terrorists

Liberal:

don't know the lessons we learned that day. I learned several thousand. Among them:

1. Not only do irrational religious extremists exist but their actions may have a direct impact upon my life.

2. The Bush administration is more incompetent than I'd suspected.

3. The Port Authority of NY/NJ ****ed up the fireproofing requirements of the steel frame of the WTC.

4. The FDNY ****ed up with their inadequate and antiquated communications systems.

I don't know what "memorials" are/are not. This particular memorial is apparently supposed to be as quoted above.

NAMBLA? What the **** is wrong with your brain? Oh, I see the connection now - it's just like Laran, the Etruscan god of war.

Blame everyone BUT the terrorists and take it as a shot to blame Bush and America Oh btw...notice the language that was *'d out...cant respond intelligently so instead use fould language....nice

Conservative:

Nothing is wrong with my brain. I post to several blogs daily and NaMBLA is the topic of another one. I happened to be on their website reading their mission statement when you started your quotes of a website. So I simply posted that the demonstrate that just because a website states something, doesn't mean that it is true.

Beyond that, any memorial that is used to make a statement about blame, is not a memorial at all.

Point out the obvious...that its not a memorial but instead a lasting political statement.

Liberal:

My apologies fb. I forgot that you are unable to think outside the box or apply metaphor or analogie to anything.

Why I even bother replying to such a simpleton is beyond me.

Cant argue with it...pick up the ball and go home

Conservative:

I think the passion around this topic has to do with a person's definition of what a memorial is supposed to be. For me, I don't believe aspersions should be cast if you're going to call it a memorial. A gravestone is a memorial. Would it be fitting to put on a gravestone of somebody who died of heart disease, "HE DIED BECAUSE HE WAS FAT AND HE ATE TOO MUCH" ? You see, whether you believe that the person ate too much or not, a memorial isn't a fitting place for the comment. It would be considered by many to be an insult to the person's memory. So why would Denogean fail to see that it's a normal reaction for some people to be upset about the things written on the 9/11 "memorial"? Her article doesn't make sense unless you look at it politically (the same thing she's accusing Munsil of.)

Point out a prime example

Liberal

My take on this 9/11 memorial is that it is for the next and ensuing generations.

Things are still too rough and raw and most of us have our own context for the surrounding events. Future generations may not.

I've seen many historical public memorials inscribed with names and dates and, to me, they've mean next to nothing aside from some "some people died a long time ago".

Trivialise the point of view and remind the world that its not memorable or honorable unless you include politics

Conservative:

To allow these comments to stand on such a memorial is insulting to citizens, soldiers, the dead and their families. What happened to patriotism? Memorials should honor the dead and focus on positive topics. Social commentary on a memorial is chicken***t no matter how close to the truth it may be. We are all aware of the fact that up until that morning in September the US was living in somewhat of a lala land where we thought that sort of thing could never happen to us. We get it. But to put these "I told you so" comments on a memorial is really shameful and anyone who supports it should be ashamed of themselves. Leave the social commentary to the TV and newspapers.

Point out that politics has its place, and its not on a memorial meant to honor the people who were victims of a cowardly attack on innocent civilians

Liberal:

This "flap" is pure politics. It is to get a conservative constituency motivated and to the polls.

These same politians railing about what the memorial was and what the content was going to be had numerous opportunities to participate or object...I have no knowledge that any of them said anything prior to their comments of two weeks ago.

All of the comments were acceptable to the committee members and particulary the individual that suffered a loss on 9/11.

I am curious, do any of you folks even know what the memorial looks like?

Politicise it and blame America..btw...YES WE DO KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE...HAVENT YOU BEEN PAYING ATTENTION?

And it goes on.

Any questions?