Ground Zero Museum Fight Reveals Divide-(9/11 survivors protest marxist propaganda "museum")

June 26, 2005, CONTACT: Anthony Gardner (973) 216-2623
Fourteen September 11 Family Groups Respond to Pataki and Reaffirm Unity and Resolve to “Take Back the Memorial”

New York, N.Y., June 26, 2005 –On Friday, Governor George Pataki held a press conference to address charges that cultural institutions selected for the World Trade Center Memorial site will include content and programming which will dishonor the victims of the September 11th attacks. We believe the governor's remarks demonstrate that he is not yet attuned to what the American people expect and deserve in a memorial at Ground Zero.

We are heartened that Governor Pataki likened Ground Zero to historic memorials such as those found at "the beaches of Normandy or Pearl Harbor," and that he affirmatively declared that the International Freedom Center (IFC), the Drawing Center and other institutions slated for the site "won't be there" without an "absolute guarantee," that they will respect the mission of the memorial. But he later sowed uncertainty and confusion by indicating that standards of taste and respect for the lost would be determined by the institutions themselves. While the governor may sincerely hope and even believe that the IFC and these institutions will observe the sanctity of the site, ultimately, compliance with appropriate standards will be, in the governor's words, "their call."

The governor's new plan to sanitize the IFC and Drawing Center and the other cultural programming is nothing more than an empty promise. The stated mission of these cultural facilities is irreconcilable to the memorial's own mission statement. Sadly, the governor's remarks confirm that the honor of those lost on September 11 will take a back seat to free speech and artistic expression as realized in works, exhibits and programming which is completely unrelated to the events of that historic day. We believe the solution is simple. The IFC and the Drawing Center must be removed from Ground Zero.

Also, it took a great deal of courage for Debra Burlingame to speak up in her Wall Street Journal opinion piece titled “The Great Ground Zero Heist.” We have all experienced first hand the efforts the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation will take to discredit victims’ families, divide and intimidate us and marginalize our concerns when we dare to disagree with the powers that be. This is not the first time this has happened, but it needs to be the last time. We will not let that happen to any victims’ family member ever again. Together we stand united to “Take Back the Memorial” at Ground Zero.
take back the memorial www link1.jpg

We remain resolved that the IFC, the Drawing Center and all cultural programming unrelated to the attacks on the World Trade Center must be removed from Ground Zero. The history of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 must be preserved for future generations. It must be told plainly, without distraction and with the respect that the victims and our country deserve. We are committed to achieving a proper memorial. We urge leadership in the state of New York to respond to our plea, but we will not allow inaction or indecision to deter us.

Please visit www.takebackthememorial.com to learn more and join in the effort to take back America's memorial.

-- end of press release --

NY Post on Pataki and the above press release:

"So now the question becomes: Will foes of the IFC and Drawing Center simply let the issue die — and risk having history hijacked and cherished ground debased? Don't bet on it. What can you do? Try this: Hit the institutions where it hurts most. That is, in their pocketbooks."

"Surely, many won't want to contribute to potentially anti-American projects at Ground Zero.

"Is it fair to deprive these groups of funds — even before giving them a chance to prove themselves? Absolutely. Because, by the time they open, as noted above, it will be too late. "We're not going to let [the museums] turn into something anti-American," Pataki vowed Friday. But, again, all he had to offer was words.

"Clearly, Pataki himself favors these projects — and the people running them. After all, just how did an obscure museum like the Drawing Center get chosen for Ground Zero anyway? And didn't Pataki — or anyone who reports to him — care that IFC co-founder Tom Bernstein and adviser Michael Posner also run the George Soros-funded Human Rights First, a bash-America forum of the first order? Weren't Pataki & Co. concerned that these are people with political agendas, and that it might be hard to keep those agendas from tainting the IFC's mission?

"Perhaps there were other factors — political connections, financial considerations — that account for the decision. Surely, there's more to this story than what's known.

"BUT whatever the explanation, this travesty-in-the-making needs to be stopped. And Pataki & Co. can't be counted on to do that."

The battle over Ground Zero

By JENNIE FARRELL

Our leaders were charged with creating a memorial to honor those who were horrifically murdered on Sept. 11, 2001. But so far they have failed miserably.

Instead of creating a memorial solely dedicated to the events of 9/11, current plans call for another institution, an International Freedom Center, right at the heart of Ground Zero, overlooking the memorial's pools, Reflecting Absence, that mark the footprints of the World Trade Center.

Backers of the center say it will "tell freedom's story," and as a former educator, I am all for history lessons. But nothing from Sept. 10 belongs there. America was not attacked because terrorists were targeting the laudable figures in America's history whose stories would likely be told at the Freedom Center.

A center devoted to the fuzzy idea of international freedom would be a site that hosts political debates on issues here and across the globe that have no direct bearing on the events of 9/11. Every inch of Ground Zero needs to be filled with the events, the artifacts and the stories of Sept. 11.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. The memorial's mission statement says any developments on the site will be dedicated to strengthening "our resolve to preserve freedom, and inspire an end to hatred, ignorance and intolerance."

Those noble words refer only to Sept. 11. Words crafted from the broken hearts of mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and fellow citizens, have been co-opted by the Freedom Center, which is inserting politics into the process of creating a memorial.

Debates over the struggle for freedom here and across the globe are necessary, but they have no place at Ground Zero.

For example, an entire museum could be devoted to the work of the city's medical examiner. What story can be better testament to freedom than the honor and the integrity of work done by the men and women of that office?

But instead, as we recently learned, other agendas, including a museum with vulgar, America-bashing "art," have been trying to get a foothold at Ground Zero. Gov. Pataki has promised not to tolerate anything that denigrates our country or its heroes — but the fact that he had to step in shows how closely the process must be monitored. If any history lesson is going to be told, it should be this: On Sept. 11, 2001, we were attacked by terrorists and went to war to protect our freedom.

I fear that, when the children of our fallen soldiers come to Ground Zero to try to understand why their mommy or daddy went to Iraq or Afghanistan and died there, the Freedom Center will not give them an answer. Gov. Pataki and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. need to share that concern just as deeply as I do.

The minute a person steps foot on Ground Zero — as when one visits Gettysburg or the Pearl Harbor memorial — that person needs to begin understanding the magnitude of what happened there on Sept. 11, and walk away with a deeper resolve. They should come away understanding that freedom is not free — something that we who lost loved ones that day and lived through the attack already understand all too well.

If we put politics aside and allow the stories of that horrific day and the events that followed to be told fully and accurately, then the souls of every human being who goes there will be moved to utter the words: Never forget. Never again.

Farrell is the sister of James Cartier, who died on 9/11 and would have been 30 this week.

By RUDOLPH GIULIANI

Posted Sunday, September 1, 2002; 3:38 p.m. EST

Twelve months have passed. The debris is gone. The thousands who worked tirelessly to rescue and recover those who died no longer dig through the night. The twisted remains of New York's two biggest buildings no longer stand as reminders of the worst attack in American history.

But I haven't changed. When I go to ground zero now, I feel as shocked, angry and resolute as I did a year ago. On Sept. 14, 2001, I flew over the site in a helicopter with President George W. Bush and Governor George Pataki. I had been there many times during the three days after the attack, but that was the first time I had seen the smoking ruins from above. It was indescribably awful. A year has done nothing to erase these images from my mind.

What happened at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and outside Shanksville, Pa., was not a natural disaster or some colossal accident. This was mass murder perpetrated by madmen bent on destroying not only American lives but also American values. These attacks were not just on the people who were killed and injured but also on the very things that define us as a society: religious freedom, equality, economic opportunity and political choice. I learned as a prosecutor that intent matters. When a loved one dies in an accident, of course it's painful. But knowing that your husband or wife or mother or son is gone because of an intentional act cuts much more deeply.

One way of dealing with this lasting pain is to talk about it. I frequently discuss Sept. 11, often with those who have been most affected by the attacks. I try to confront what was done to us and the importance of being resolute. I've also attended many memorials and funerals, which reinforced a lesson my father taught me long ago about being there for people when they need you most. It's a two-way street. People absorb strength from you, and you get it back from them.

Back at ground zero—16 barren acres, including the footprints of the towers—the debate continues about how best to commemorate the loss. There are many competing pressures and different viewpoints. I am convinced that ground zero must first and foremost be a memorial. All other decisions should flow from that goal. If anything else is added to the site, it should complement and not overshadow the memorial. People a hundred years from now should be able to grasp the enormity of this attack by visiting this sacred ground. Ground zero is a cemetery. It is the last resting place for loved ones whose bodies were not recovered and whose remains are still within that hallowed ground. We must respect the role these events play in our history.

It is the place where the President came and told the exhausted rescue workers, "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." President Bush has been determined to keep his commitment to eliminate global terrorism. An appropriately large and enduring tribute at the site will remind future generations of that commitment. Recalling these attacks and their aftermath will remind people today that we need to be unyielding in completing the war on terror. And it will remind people tomorrow that we must never let something like this happen again.

If it were up to me, I'd devote the entire 16 acres to the memorial. A soaring structure should dominate the site, taking its place along New York City's wonderful skyline. It should be visible for miles to demonstrate the spirit of those who gave their lives to defend freedom. There should be a museum and a library. Those who visit should be able to relive the experience in a way that does justice to the enormity of the events. The memorial should echo the goals of the city's Museum of Jewish Heritage, which sits a stone's throw away. The purpose of that museum is to demonstrate the horror of the Holocaust as well as celebrate the survival and strength of the Jewish people. Done correctly, the memorial at ground zero will commemorate the horror and the heroism of Sept. 11.

If we don't do this correctly—if we let some minor memorial be dwarfed by office space—people a hundred years from now will say this generation did not understand the significance of that world-altering day. Sept. 11 must not lose its resonance as time dulls the sharp edges of our collective memory. Ground zero is the site of the worst attack in the history of this country. I pray it will be the worst attack in the history of this country a hundred years from now. Done correctly, a memorial will inspire people. It should not symbolize the loss of our world before Sept. 11 or of an America that no longer exists. It should symbolize our survival and our triumph.

I'm an optimist. Our way is the way of the future. Nation after nation sees that and embraces democracy. It is not a perfectly smooth road. But it's undeniably the way the world is headed. And that's a good thing.

Because—and I don't mean this belligerently—we're right and they're wrong. Those who attacked us had no idea how deep the American spirit runs. I think our grief, rage and resolve have surprised even us. One year later, that might be the most resonant lesson of all. America's resilience—the depth of this nation's character—should never be underestimated.

'Violated ... again'

Kin slap art center's 9/11 pieces

By DOUGLAS FEIDEN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Several pieces of artwork that have been displayed at Drawing Center have drawn protests from relatives of 9/11 victims, including 'A Glimpse of What Life in a Free Country Can Be Like #6' and 'Homeland Security'.

A museum that is set to rise above the hallowed soil of Ground Zero has showcased art that the families of 9/11 victims are denouncing as offensive, anti-American - and a slap in the face of nearly 3,000 dead innocents.

The Drawing Center, a little-known cultural group in SoHo, has mounted works linking President Bush to Osama Bin Laden and showing a hooded victim of U.S. abuse at Abu Ghraib prison.

The storefront museum currently features a "pseudo-didactic PowerPoint presentation on the Axis of Evil" that appears to mock Bush's famous description of Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

Previous exhibits include a drawing of four airplanes swooping menacingly out of the sky - one of which is flying directly at a naked woman lying on her back, legs spread-eagled. The acrylic image is titled "Homeland Security."

"It's truly the most vulgar thing I have ever seen in my entire life," said Jennie Farrell, whose brother James, 26, an electrician, died on the 105th floor of the south tower.

"To call it art is reprehensible, and to place it at Ground Zero is committing a second criminal act against our dead," she added.

"It's offensive, it's America-bashing, it's a despicable insult to the families of people defending us in Iraq, and I'm sick and tired of it," said Jack Lynch, who helped carry the body of his firefighter son Michael, 30, out of the rubble.

"On 9/11, the families were violated by terrorists. Now we're being violated all over again, and it brings 9/11 right back home to each of us."

The center, founded in 1977, has displayed more than 10,000 works in 28 years, and supporters say only a tiny number have been overtly political.

Asked if the museum would display different kinds of works when it moves from SoHo to Ground Zero, spokeswoman Rebecca Herman said only, "Our mission is not changing."

But Lynn Rasic, a spokeswoman for Gov. Pataki, said: "The governor's first priority at the World Trade Center site is to build a lasting memorial that honors those we lost. That priority cannot be compromised."

And Joanna Rose, a Lower Manhattan Development Corp. spokeswoman, said: "We expect that the cultural institutions in the memorial area will be respectful of this hallowed ground."

Pataki controls the LMDC, which has ultimate authority over the cultural complex at Ground Zero.

The Drawing Center was largely unknown until it was tapped in 2004 as one of four cultural institutions for the World Trade Center site, out of 113 that had originally expressed interest.

It will vacate its cramped, 10,000-square-foot space at 35 Wooster St. to share a showcase Greenwich St. building with the WTC Memorial Visitor's Center and the controversial International Freedom Center. Groundbreaking is set for 2007, completion in 2009.

The IFC has sparked a firestorm of protests from victims' families who fear it will focus on U.S. wrongdoing throughout history, like the treatment of American Indians.

By contrast, the low-profile Drawing Center, which will occupy 36,000 square feet, has attracted scant attention.

But a News review of dozens of its catalogues since Sept. 11, 2001, revealed numerous politically charged works.

Among those recently featured:

# "A Glimpse of What Life in a Free Country Can Be Like," by Amy Wilson, was displayed in fall 2004.

A hood on his head and electrodes bearing the word "Liberty" connected to his arms, the iconic image of Abu Ghraib stands above a field peopled with dancing skeletons.

# "Global Networks: George W. Bush, Harken Energy and Jackson Stephens," by the late Mark Lombardi, was displayed in fall 2003.

A favorite of conspiracy theorists, this line drawing uses arrows and circles to link politicians, oil tycoons and international terrorists. Then-Texas Gov. George Bush and ex-President George H.W. Bush are linked to Bin Laden, indirectly, via another Saudi sheik and a business baron.

"There's more than 100 people in a 10-foot-long drawing, and it's a simplification to pick out two people and connect them like that," said Herman, the center's spokeswoman.

Check out what the NY Slimes had to say about this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/opinion/27mon2.html

Gov. George Pataki’s decision to side with increasingly vocal critics of the cultural plans for the World Trade Center site is not surprising, but it is alarming. The governor has been deeply and rightly sensitive to the concerns of the families of the victims of 9/11. Like all of us, he honors their loss and their grief. But by bowing to some of the survivors’ growing hostility to any version of 9/11 except their own, Mr. Pataki is doing a disservice to history and to the very idea of freedom.

The protesters have objected to the proposed International Freedom Center, which they fear might someday sponsor discussions that cast America in a negative light, and to the Drawing Center, one of the cultural institutions invited to move to ground zero, which has displayed art that appears to criticize the Bush administration and the war in Iraq.

The protesters - and the governor - seem to have little faith in the emotional power of the memorial to the victims, which will be the central focus of ground zero, emotionally, politically and architecturally. The memorial’s force will not be diminished by any other activities at the site, and it will inevitably serve as a locus of grief and remembrance for everyone who was touched by 9/11. But it is meant to remember something more than a day of tragedy. It’s meant to remember the lives of those who died there, lives that were rich, complex and politically and culturally divided.

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