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The difference is that there are artifacts of 9-11 that the shocked and grieving citizens of this country have latched onto...that the citizens of other countries have latched onto as well.

The flag: Britain, Canada and Australia (I'm still a little shocked at this) ESPECIALLY Britain, had the American flag flying on their desks and on their websites and on their homes...as a tribute not only to those who were killed in the attacks, but to that flag - the one everyone signed - which they had seen so many times on television and had come to associate, in their own minds, with freedom, and of the simple human unity which MOST of the world felt in the wake of such an atrocity. That beat up, signed piece of cloth which contains the thoughts and feelings of those most immediately affected should be preserved for posterity at the site upon which it first took hold upon the hearts and minds of humanity.

That cross. Well...for the same reasons. Rewriting this stuff brings it all back in living sound and color to me...

Anyhow, I'm tryng to say that certain sentimental symbols of 9-11 have already taken the hearts and minds of humanity regarding 9-11. They should be preserved...with an inclusion of the photograph park which memorializes the spot in OKC where so many died. I'd like to see the spotlights kept as well. The whole deal. Every artifact from ground zero, which has been mentioned on this thread has been deeply imprinted in the hearts and minds of the world.

In future generations, let them continue to look, as they do now and think, as they do now "That could heve been me. That could have been my country." Let history stand unchanged. Lest we forget.

The difference is that there are artifacts of 9-11 that the shocked and grieving citizens of this country have latched onto...that the citizens of other countries have latched onto as well.

The same can be said for any major attack. For instance, after OKC people latched on to the image of a firefighter carrying out the broken, battered body of a toddler. That image stays with us and is part of other OKC monuments and memorials. It is not, however, part of the large, official OKC monument, and that fact doesn't detract from the impact of that monument one iota.

Anyhow, I'm tryng to say that certain sentimental symbols of 9-11 have already taken the hearts and minds of humanity regarding 9-11.

Sure. That's human nature and happens after almost any traumatic event, both on a grand scale, like the WTC, and on a minor scale, such as the sudden death of a beloved pet. The sheer universality of the 09/11 attacks is testament to the fact that we need a new monument that is unbound by preconceived notions and cultural prejudices. The freedom afforded by non-representational architecture is a good part of why the Vietnam memorial is so very effective, and affecting.

They should be preserved...with an inclusion of the photograph park which memorializes the spot in OKC where so many died.

Not a thing wrong with that, and I don't think anyone, including the American Atheists, are saying that those items and images should be destroyed. The only thing I would disagree with you on is the linkage of the OKC terrorist attack with the WTC attack in the site monument. Both attacks deserve their own platform.

I'd like to see the spotlights kept as well.

I agree, but I believe the spotlights might prove to be unworkable in a permanent site monument. For one, they would not be observable during the day, a huge issue if you know anything about that neighborhood.

The whole deal. Every artifact from ground zero, which has been mentioned on this thread has been deeply imprinted in the hearts and minds of the world.

I'm sure there's a place for each and every one of those artifacts. Just because it's not incorporated into the site memorial does not mean they cease to exist. Consider the many items and images associated with Vietnam that exist apart and separate from the Vietnam memorial.