Apr 25, 2006 8:39 pm US/Eastern
Congressman Blocks Flight 93 Memorial
(CBS) WASHINGTON Family members of those killed on United Flight 93 are urging a North Carolina congressman to lift his hold on funding for a memorial planned for the Pennsylvania site where the plane crashed on Sept. 11, 2001.
Nearly a dozen family members are scheduled to meet with their members of Congress on Wednesday to encourage them to sign a letter that asks Rep. Charles H. Taylor, R-N.C., to support $10 million for the project.
It was not clear if they would also meet with Taylor.
Taylor, chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Interior Department, has blocked millions in funding for the project in the last two years, and has expressed opposition to funding it when it comes up again before his committee May 3, said John Scofield, the House Appropriations Committee spokesman.
The White House has requested $5 million for the nearly 1,700-acre site in remote western Pennsylvania as part of a larger spending bill.
Hamilton Peterson, president of Families of Flight 93, said Tuesday he is confident the issue can be resolved.
"He still has time to act, so I'm extremely hopeful that he will share the patriotic views that we have relative to honoring and memorializing the courageous acts as now affirmed by the release of the cockpit recorder," Peterson said.
Multiple messages left Tuesday at Taylor's congressional and campaign offices by The Associated Press were not returned. The Washington Post, which reported on the issue Tuesday, said Taylor believes no more tax dollars should be used to buy federal land for memorials.
Earlier this month, during the trial of Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, cockpit recordings were released that vividly revealed the struggle between passengers and hijackers — confirming what had been described in the official 9/11 Commission report.
The Post reported Taylor had resisted requests from President Bush and key White House aides to approve the funding request. The GOP fears political damage from Taylor's opposition.
Political pressure on the Republicans could build with the release of "United 93," a film that tells the story of the fight waged by passengers and crew. The movie will open at New York City's Tribeca Film Festival on Tuesday night.
Trailers for the movie encourage people to donate to the Flight 93 Memorial Fund, and 10 percent of proceeds from the movie go to the memorial.
The flight was en route to San Francisco from Newark, N.J., when it was brought down near Shanksville, Pa. The 33 passengers, seven crew members and four hijackers on board died.
The memorial is estimated to cost nearly $58 million — $30 million of which is to be raised by private donations. Of the $30 million, about $7.5 million has been raised since a fundraising campaign started last year, according to a memorial spokeswoman.
The project is backed by Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., whose district includes the crash site.
"We need to build a memorial for these people," Rep. William Shuster, R-Pa., told the Post. Shuster's district includes Shanksville.
"These 40 people were the first counterattack of the war on terror, and they were victorious. We owe them a great debt of gratitude," Shuster told the newspaper.
What PA. people should do is go to this jackass's office and tell him:
'STAY THE HELL OUT OF PA. POLITICS' He doesn't live here, he doesn't pay taxes here, he doesn't represent us, so get out of our business.
If we want a Memorial, its none of N.C.'s business!!!
Generally I agree -- no more federal purchase of western lands for wilderness, parks, etc. But this is different, IMO. However, I hope the memorial designers have ditched the Islamic crescent landscaping -- that was a disgrace to the victims and to our way of life.
1,700 acres? Why is there a need for that many acres for a memorial? There's something going on in addition to a memorial.