Arizona 9/11 Memorial Rally

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BUMPED TO THE TOP – 10/27/06

Mike Broomhead sent me this today to remind everyone about the rally tomorrow:

Just a reminder that tomorrow (10-28-06) at noon will be meeting at the current 9/11 memorial. Please join us to show the Governor and the commission that the families who lost loved ones on 9-11 deserve an appropriate memorial. Please visit our web site: www.arizonahonors911.com for the address and more details.

On Saturday morning from 7-8am I will have Mike McAvoy in studio with me. You will hear first hand what that day was like for a New Yorker who lost his brother and best friend on 9-11-01.

I hope you will join us!

Sincerely, Mike Broomhead

END UPDATE

(10/23/06) Mike Broomhead, the director of the “Arizona Honors 9-11” organization which was formed to fix that disgusting memorial in Arizona, sent me an email this morning to tell me that on October 28th there will be a rally to take down this disgrace:

I want to thank everyone for supporting our efforts to change the 9-11 memorial to something appropriate that Arizona can be proud of. We are going to have a rally at the memorial this Saturday 10-28-2006 at 12noon. We invite you to join us. We’d like to have a large turn out to show the Governor and the commission that we want this memorial changed NOW!

Thanks and we hope to see you there, Mike Broomhead

If your an Arizonian, or just driving through, please mark that day on your calender. The larger the rally the bigger the message.

UPDATE

Kirly, a LGF commentor, has been actively involved in getting this memorial righted. He went to the Arizona Legislature Governmental Mall Commission Meeting on Oct 18th and reports about it in the comments section. It is a bit long but an important read so here goes:

I attended the Arizona Legislature Governmental Mall Commission Meeting this afternoon. The Senate Mall Commission regulates what goes in Arizona’s Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza which is right across the street from the state Capitol and the state Senate and Congress builldings. The topic of discussion was the Arizona 9/11 Memorial. It is chaired by former Senator and retired Lieutenant Colonel Tom Smith who was also a high school principal here in nearby Scottsdale for a number of years.

I thought the place would be mobbed so I showed up an hour early thinking that I wouldn’t be able to get into the Hearing room even then. I’m sad to say that other than the chairman and one State Senator (who turned out to be MY Senator), I was the only one there. I couldn’t help but overhear some of the conversation.

It turns out that the Senate Mall Commission did NOT see the inscriptions until the ring was installed. If they had, all this might have been avoided.

Before the meeting, I met a nice man who is also on the right side of the issue. He was there as a representative for Arizona Department of Transportation and so couldn’t testify. We chatted a bit and I mentioned my photos of the memorials and then he said he saw something like that on littlegreenfootballs! I described the entry which referenced “LGF Operative Kirly” and that waas what he was referring to! Small world, I’m Kirly!

Then the meeting started. All the members of the Senate Mall Commission had their chance to speak but they all believe the inscriptions need to be changed. The only areas of dispute were method and process. One Senator insisted on asking each person who testified if they thought the memorial needed to be changed.

My state Senator was the first to testity. I knew from our conversation before the meeting that he’s on the right side – ie, change it! He’s a fiery, bold, young (39) very tall, very handsome man, a bit charismatic. I believe he has greater political aspirations that he wishes to achieve. In fact, he recently threatened the Governor with impeachment (and had the votes to back it up) over some issue during the time Cindy Sheehan was here in Arizona and met with the Governor and called for her to remove the AZ National Guard from the border.

The Chairman informed us that the executive order from Governor Napolitano was to create a memorial to the events ON 911. But the artists were given direction, apparently by the AZ 911 Memorial Commission to create a memorial to the events AROUND 911. Key difference. But not one member of the AZ 911 Memorial Commission showed up to defend the memorial.

A few other state representatives testified. Even they didn’t argue that the memorial should not be changed exactly. Rather, they insisted that the existing Memorial Commision should be in charge of changing it and accused the Chairman of making this a political issue (we have a Governor’s election Nov 7). I presumed that these were all Democrats come out just to defend the Democrat Governor but will have to verify that later. The Chairman pointed out that this AZ 911 commission has already made their recommendation via the memorial. He also pointed out that this Mall Commission would make their recommendation and the AZ 911 Commission would basically take it or leave it. I found that a bit confusing and do not yet have an explanation for it.

Matt Salenger, Edward Jones, and the mother/mother-in-law of 2 other artists testified in defense of the inscriptions. They said they’ve received input from many people, including veterans. They all said no, the memorial should not be changed. They were defensive and seemed angry to me. Again, not one member of the AZ 911 Memorial Commission showed up to defend the memorial.

The first citizen to testify was a Mr. Harold. He lost a brother in the World Trade Center. He wasn’t eloquent, he said he drove a bus for 28 years, but through his tears he said we waited 5 years for a memorial and this is what we get?, he asked. He and another brother and sister live here in Arizona. He said yes, the memorial should be changed.

The second citizen to testify was a Mr. McAvoy. He lost a brother and his best friend (I believe they were NYPD or FDNY) in the World Trade Center. He was quite eloquent and spoke for quite some time. He said yes, the memorial should be changed.

The next person to testify was a vietnam era Veteran who said he thought it was fine until he learned, at the meeting today, about the key difference between “on 911” and “around 911”. Obviously a clear thinking individual. He said yes, the memorial should be changed.

There were a couple of other people to testify who all said yes, the memorial should change.

And then I testified. I am going to write out a transcript of what I said as soon as possible (yes, i recorded myself!) but I was apparently quite a hit. Several staffers came over to ask me who I was and what did I do for a living and how did I get interested in this. One of the men who lost his brother and best friend stopped and gave me his card. As I was leaving an older gentleman, maybe a Senator, stopped me before I got to the door and asked me those same questions (who are you? what do you do?). And, as I walked out the door and down the hall to exit I passed by the Press Room from which someone ran out and asked the proper spelling of my name. Then, outside the building, I walked over to give my condolences to Mr. Harold and his brother and he just said can I give you a hug?! The Staffers and the Harold brothers all thanked me for saying what I did.

Before the meeting adjourned, the Chairman said he thinks the inscriptions should either be removed or covered up. Another member of the Governmental Mall Commission pointed out that legally, he isn’t even sure they can do that yet since apparently ownership has not been transferred. The Chairman said fine, then the artists can cover it up.

Well, that’s my report! When I play the tape this weekend I can post some of the more interesting points – like my testimony! 🙂

A few days later he typed out the transcript of his statement:

I’m not here representing anyone other than myself just so you know. I don’t know anyone that perished on 911; other than my fellow citizens. And I feel that deeply still 5 years later.

When I heard about this memorial, I came down here and I took a look at all those sayings and I want you to know that I had to climb up on the concrete and look down to see what they were saying becuase there was no way I was going to sit in the Arizona sun for 5 hours and wait for each of those sayings to become focused. so I have an issue with the physical design of the thing as well as what it says. Because as I was there for 2 hours taking pictures not only of that but of all the other memorials to show the other people around this country that we really do know, in Arizona, how to do a respectful memorial that honors the victims and that might give you a timeline of the events the day. Becuase it was humiliating and embarrassing to see those pictures go out to everyone on the internet that that is what Arizona is doing. That was humiliating. It’s embarrassing. It’s an abomination as far as if you want to call it a memorial. I don’t know what it is but my preference would be that it be, at a minimum, removed, in total, from state property.

I have a few other things to say as well.

The fact that many people are saying that this is not political…of course it is! We live in a representative republic. I vote based on what the people do. The governor appointed the commission, the commission, as I understood it from Mr. Smith, was not given a list of the sayings that were going to be placed on this memorial and they were not given the opportunity to approve them or reject them before they were set in steel. I think that’s an enormous mistake. And it should be correct and if all you do is remove some of the most egregiously offensive sayings, then please, approve them down to the letter. Don’t wait for them to be set in steel.

bout climbing up on the memorial…I don’t think handicapped/disabled people will be able to do that so they will have to sit there and roast in the AZ sun for 5 hours. I don’t think that’s a good idea.

The sayings…except for a very, very small number of victims, whose last names aren’t even on here, brother Terence, brother Robby, except for a very, very few people, this doesn’t memorialize anyone. Not a single human being. Except maybe the Uruzgans who were killed I think over a year later.

I also have some statements on some of these phrases. I want to know what the sinking of the Lusitania, Pearl Harbor, the Bay on Tonkin had to do with 911. Why in the world would those dates be on there? I don’t expect an answer but that’s a really good question. I would like to know why the artists those the bay of tonkin and the lusitania sinking should be on there.

Middle East violence motivates attacks in the US – what? because they kill each other, it’s our fault? You don’t win battles of terrorism with more battles – really? then how?

And the statements from those who lost loved ones on that day:

Micheal Herald, who attended with his brother John, lost his brother Gary Herald on 911 said,

these artists tried to get a little too fancy with this artsy-fartsy stuff….all we wanted was maybe a stone in the ground.

Political, I drive a bus for 28 years, I don’t even know who Len Munsil is.

At this point, he’s crying. It was all I could do not to stand up and put a hand on his shoulder as a show of support. This is the man I met outside later who gave me a hug.

Micheal McAvoy, who moved here 18 months ago from NY lost his brother, John (FDNY) and his lifelong best friend, James Ladley who was on the 104th floor. He said,

… to quote my mother “What does this crap have to do with 911?” …

The inscriptions made my stomach turn. They give creedance to OBL. It says “terrorist leader speaks to American people”. He may make statements but he’s never spoken to me. The “erroneous” statement is definitely a knock on our US military. For all they’ve done for us for our whole lives. My father was a US Marine….

What purpose that does to honor those on 911? Does it tell you who committed the atrocities on 911 on that memorial? I don’t think so. It’s someones liberal, leftist, political agenda that was put on there for some reason.

I called Billy Shields, another person on the commission but they didn’t feel that I should be on the commission. I lived in NY, I lost my brother and my best friend, I watched those buildings come done.

Email from my brothers firehouse – the memorial is despicable, does not honor those who were lost on 911.

The Chairman also pointed out that the memorial never says the planes were hijacked so how is someone going to know 20 years from now that is why the planes flew into the WTC. And, he wouldn’t use WTC because it doesn’t explain what WTC means and in the future, it may not be so clearly understood.

I believe Maria Salengers maiden name might have been Pensiero and her mother,Lois, and father, Alex, testified (?). Her mother said something about it being a forum. Well, Senator MacLain shot back, “you said this is a forum…i don’t think that’s what anyone expected the 911 memorial to be.”

Matthew Salenger tried to liken the AZ 911 memorial to the AZ Vietnam Memorial because of the references to the My Lai Massacres, students killed at Kent State, the Pentagon Papers, bombing on Christmas. But, the Chairman pointed out that the Vietnam Memorial is different because it was developed and erected by Vietnam veterans. The AZ 911 Memorial had specific instructions in Executive Order 2003-2.

The simple fact that these leftists gloss over the deaths and sufferings of those who died on 9/11, all to promote a obvious left-leaning moral relativist concept of that day is disgusting. The Salengers, Billy Shields, Napolitano, & Eddie Jones should be ashamed of themselves.

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