What the crap?

I was going through some of my rarely used email boxes this morning. They are rarely used because I set them up to catch incoming spam..ie when I go to a site that I just have that feeling are going to put me on every list known to man, I use those email addresses.

I found an email from the Arizona 9-11 commission, it was dated and sent 12/14, the day before the meeting:

Thoughts on the AZ 9/11 Memorial
By Steve Speisman

It's with great sadness that I feel compelled to make this statement in response to the accusations and attacks made against the Arizona 9/11 Memorial in recent months. My only brother, Bob, was on American Flight #77 which crashed into the Pentagon. Words cannot come close to expressing the hurt I've felt these past five years. On Sept 11 of this year the Arizona Memorial for 9/11 was unveiled. At 6:oo AM that morning I attended a dedication ceremony within the memorial. There were religious leaders from all different denominations; a rabbi, a priest, a minister, a monk, a Muslim, a Native American and others all giving their blessings to the memorial and to the families who lost love one's that day. As the ceremony progressed I was moved by the retired fire fighters from New Your City, the police choir and the students from Shadow Mt. High School who sang with deep passion and the busload of students and teachers who came from my high school and greeted me with tears in their eyes. Sitting with my wife and family I felt as if I were being hugged by the state of Arizona. It was a feeling of strength and comfort I hadn't felt in five years.

During the past few months certain individuals have found it necessary to attack this memorial, claiming it doesn't represent America and is no more than a liberal political statement. They have even gone so far as to suggest they'd like to start a movement to rip it down. Let me go on record as saying that as a direct victim of the 9/11 attacks they don't speak for me. While some of the phrases displayed in the monument taken in isolation may convey different opinions and viewpoints it was never the intention of the committee to offend anyone. Personally I find the memorial healing. It's a true work of art capturing the Arizona experience in the magic of sunlight. Standing at the memorial this Sept 11 I truly felt that America is the greatest country in the world because of our ability to honor and respect diversity of opinions. This monument makes me proud to be an Arizonan and proud to be American. It's my deepest hope that as we reflect upon this monument and the events of 9/11 we can grow together, not apart.

During the planning and construction of this memorial the committee faced many challenging questions---How do we make the Arizona 9/11 experience live forever? How do we embrace the varied experiences faced throughout our state? Is this monument just for the victims who died that day? Should it be a reflection of the piece of everyone's heart and mind that was taken that day? How will future generations view 9/11? For the past three years these thoughts became the nucleus for discussions and meetings. As we moved forward with our decisions the spirit that drove us was consensus. Nothing was ever done in private. All meetings were announced and open to the public. No one's feelings were ever denied or not listened to.

I am extremely proud to have been a part of the 9/11 memorial committee and am continually awe struck by the monument we created. It was never our intention to create a headstone for those who died. We have left that task for the communities living in NY, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. Rather we have produced a work of art that embraces the Arizona experience by illuminating events and inspiring conversation. Perhaps the fact that we are still meeting and talking about its substance today is a testimony to its success. The phrases included in the monument represent both historical and emotional pieces of history. They were chosen from the research done by the graduate school at Arizona State University. While individual statements may not represent everyone's opinion they do represent the cross section of views that is Arizona.

In closing, we should not forget the piece of the World Trade Center given to Arizona Firefighters that's housed at our memorial. Nor should we forget the piece of the Pentagon that I personally carried back from the wreckage in Washington and mixed together with earth from Shankfield, Pennsylvania, to form the base of the plaque upon which the memorial poem is written. Look around and realize that very few states have achieved what we have in the construction of this memorial. It is my hope that Arizonans can continue to lead by coming together, talking and respecting different ideas. That's the America that I want to live in and that's the America that I believe we have here in Arizona.

I was feeling good about the possibility of the memorial being changed/corrected. I don't now. This email shows that the commission is only going through the motions. They never entered that building on Friday Dec 15 with an open mind, it was already made up.

Between this and other things.....I wonder why I ever gave up drinking.