Ground Zero is located in lower Manhattan, but it is a living part of every American who experienced September 11, 2001. It is our sacred site, an aching scar of war upon America's body. As fellow Americans, it is our hurt, our loss, our sorrow and grief that defines the essence of Ground Zero.
Ground Zero has nothing to do with Hitler's concentration camps, Stalin's gulags, or Mao's prisons. To drag any foreign country, or the actions of their various dictators, into a commemoration of 9/11 is well beyond a travesty of justice. It is defamation of a purely American tragedy, an insult to our fellow citizens who were murdered, and an affront to their families.
But that is of no concern to the International Freedom Center (IFC). The ideologically "global" window dressing they intend to install at Ground Zero will effectively obscure any sense of the intense post-9/11 suffering that is uniquely American.
What is the genesis of this refusal to allow any modicum of national dignity to remain for America? Why must "the globe" always be the bottom line in any collective endeavor undertaken within this country? Wasn't the United States of America born of a yearning for freedom and independence? Is it not true that people still flock to our shores and borders today in search of a better life? So why, then, must we become homogenized and "international" in our focus?
September 11 is an American loss. It ranks with December 7, 1941, as a "date which will live in infamy." If you think it would be appropriate that the U.S.S. Arizona be remodeled to reflect assorted conflicts and tragedies in other countries, then you probably agree that "this ambitious and vital new forum" at Ground Zero is a good idea.
If you believe, as I do, that only the stories and memories of the Americans who died that day should be honored at Ground Zero, then you will probably want to visit the "Take Back the Memorial" website to see how you can help the efforts to preserve this precious memorial site for America.
Ground Zero, located in lower Manhattan, belongs to America. It is ours, alone.
Let's take it back.
