The NYTimes thinks that the Freedom Center should not have been kicked out of the WTC, and that the memorial is a great place to celebrate free speech and consider the lessons we can derive from 9/11. And I was under the impression that the NYTimes itself is that place, but I'm pretty sure there is little agreement about those lessons except the one about the unthinkable.
The memory of 9/11 is not about freedom. It is about going to work on a beautiful day and stepping into a mass murder. Nobody can actually get their mind and heart around that twisted day, but as often as they need to they must try. If we can be strong enough, our best selves do not want to be anaesthetized to the notion that every day may begin our last walk. Changing the focus may not dishonor the dead, but it dishonors the living.
Hijacking the memorial to promote the discussion and inevitable debate of the meaning of freedom is tasteless. Worse, it would be hypocritical to deny voice at the site to those who claim terrorism is simply one of very few weapons available to poor populations who are fighting for self-determination -- just one big Tea Party.
If it was really necessary to seal our grief and horror into a happy public monument, why didn't we solicit a proposal from Disney? Because a half-million square feet of retail space will work for those who want it, as it always has. Everyone could use a new pair of shoes.
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