Posted on 12/01/2005 2:52:44 PM PST by new yorker 77
Colorado Pilot Killed In Crash
PITTSBURGH -- Designers of a Flight 93 memorial have made a circular, bowl-shaped piece of land its centerpiece, replacing the original crescent-shape design that some critics had said was a symbol honoring terrorists, officials announced Wednesday.
The new design features most of the same details of the original, which was unveiled in September after a worldwide design competition. A tower with 40 wind chimes welcomes visitors to the site, where they can then walk to a large circular field ringed by 40 groves of red and sugar maple trees, symbolizing the 40 passengers and crew who died on the plane.
Officials say the circle enhances the earlier design by putting more emphasis on the crash site, according to details in the Flight 93 National Memorial's November newsletter. A break in the trees will symbolize the path the plane took as it crashed.
"It is the convergence of the land's beauty and power with the strength and sacrifice of heroic, personal action on September 11th that gave the memorial site its unique sanctity," according to the plan.
In September, Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., criticized the design in a letter to National Park Service Director Fran Mainella. Tancredo said many questioned the shape "because of the crescent's prominent use as a symbol in Islam -- and the fact that the hijackers were radical Islamists."
Paul Murdoch, president of Paul Murdoch Architects, which designed the memorial, had called the criticism of the crescent an "unfortunate diversion," but said they were sensitive to the concerns.
In the newsletter, he describes the new design as an "evolution" of what was announced two months ago. The changes reflect comments from the public, the competition's jury and others, he said.
"In the months to come, the design will continue to develop as more implementation issues are identified," Murdoch wrote in the newsletter.
The original design for the memorial was selected by a jury of 15 made up of design professionals and family and community members and was narrowed down from a pool of 1,011.
Besides the circular bowl, the memorial consists of a Tower of Voices at the entrance of the memorial with 40 metallic wind chimes for each victim. There will also be pedestrian trails and a plaza from which to view the crash site. The victims names will be inscribed there on a white marble wall.
Flight 93 was flying to San Francisco from Newark, N.J., when it was hijacked and crashed. The official 9/11 Commission report said the hijackers crashed it as passengers tried to take control of the cockpit.
The captain of the flight was Jason Dahl, a Colorado resident. He wanted time off to celebrate his fifth wedding anniversary on Sept. 14, so he agreed to take the Sept. 11 flight.
Copyright 2005 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Tom Tancredo helped a lot but many applied pressure to change this memorial to the better.
Of course Tom is great on illegal immigration and was great when he had the guts to say Mecca Medina should be on considered for nuclear retaliation should an Islamic nuke be detonated here.
Where is Tancredo claiming credit for the redesign?
Source please.
Did YOU support the original design?
He is also not "stonewalling" immigration reform. He is trying to get immigration to serve the interests of the American people, not Mexico or big corporate interests.
You can tell a lot about a person by their choice of enemies. It is interesting that you heartily dislike someone who is willing to stand up to the open borders crowd.
I agree. Evidently it still points to Mecca, and is a natural guage of when to pray if your a Muslem adherent. What the hell was this designer thinking.
Evidently he counted the terrorists in the body count to be memorialized too.
Tar and feathers come to mind...
ping!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
Thanks for that. We live in PA and wanted to visit it when it was finished. I will write them.
Kinda like the po'ed dad when they built crosses fro the Columbine killers...
I'm in. :\
No sir, this was an unfortunate DECISION on your part to begin with. One wonders the motive frankly to use that design.
As to something memorializing the 4 terrorists? How about a 4 hogs roasting on a spit? Something feeling the heat of an eternal flame to symbolize the 4 terrorist bastards burning in hell.
Maybe a crescent shattered into four flaming pieces dug into the hole where the plane crashed, surrounded by an elevated halo shape made up of glowing glass spheres, one for each of the passengers. It could be called "The Final Destination".
I have a feeling you may be right. I would hate to see a genuine memorial vandalized, but this one...well, it's a disgrace to start with.
Thanks for the ping!
"Why am I *not* surprised? Contrary to what the AP implies, I can assure you that the complaints from those living in the area, along with at least some of the flight 93 families were quick, loud, and long as soon as the "design" was unveiled locally."
Flight 93 families approved of the original design except one person.... Tom Burnett, whose son was a passenger. He was the only one who recognized the crescent and the meaning. If you go to the site http://new.petitiononline.com/NOCRSCNT/petition.html you will read his comments. They will be on the first page that appears.
I honestly feel that unless you follow a site such as freerepublic, the average person just doesn't know much about things like this. They watch the news on TV, and what does the MSM tell you? I feel that these families are just naive and were sold on the idea when they were told their loved ones were going to be memorialized with a "Crescent of Embrace." Now doesn't that sound so loving? I don't think the park service knows much about Islam either. They just have no idea! I saw the wife of one of the pilots on TV commenting on the contraversy, and she just didn't get it! She couldn't understand what the fuss was about!
ping
"Red Maples in a crescent? Calling all Freepers with chainsaws!"
Do you know that copper nails will kill a tree?
"Who's paying for it, the park service?"
No, YOU are....the taxpayer.
And they want to HONOR the four scumbags who did this? They DESERVE a part of this memorial?
As far as I am concerned, the only memorial the 9/11 hijackers deserve is the mushroom cloud over the f*cking Middle East.
If it's a complete circle, and if it's forty groves, and 40 wind chimes, I will go for it...although I still think better designs could be put forth.
Someone had told me it was 44 which would then also include the terrorists, in which case I am steadfastly against it.
If it's a complete circle, and if it's forty groves, and 40 wind chimes, I will go for it...although I still think better designs could be put forth.
Someone had told me it was 44 which would then also include the terrorists, in which case I am steadfastly against it.
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