Monday, May 26, 2014

Remains, Respect and 9/11: The Disgrace of New York Officials and Their Despicable, Shameful Coldness

A piece that examines the amazingly indifferent and offensive behaviour by the state against the 9/11 family members.

A poignant, upsetting essay for American Memorial Day. I urge you to read the whole thing.

Remains, respect and 9/11.

"When the National September 11 Memorial Museum at Ground Zero finally opened to the public last week, it housed almost 8,000 unidentified human remains of those who died on 9/11."

"That is contrary to the wishes of many family members, who view the museum — which charges $24 for general admission — as a commercial venue."

"As Jim Riches, who lost his firefighter son on 9/11, said:"

“None of us, whether we’ve received recovery or not, should have to walk past thousands of tourists and the 9/11 Museum store on the 1st floor, selling its WTC cups, shirts and books on our way to pray over our loved ones’ remains.”

"The objecting family members feel strongly that the remains should be in an above-ground tomb in the Memorial Plaza, akin to the tomb of the unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. That view was reinforced this past week, when they learned that a private party was held at the museum."

“It was another awful phone call,” said Rosaleen Tallon, whose brother Sean was an FDNY member killed on 9/11, when her mother Eileen let her know about the party"

“To them (museum and city officials) the remains mean nothing. But, to us, they mean everything. We love them so much.”

Just to restate:

American state officials are partying and quite literally dancing on the graves, on the bones of their fellow citizens, who were murdered by jihadist terrorists on 9/11. The sacred, human remains are being held against the wishes of the families, in a place where money making off of the bodies is the priority. All this when there were alternatives possible.

What would you call this?

It's astonishingly callous, and so un-American that I can't even think of a word that accurately conveys my disgust.

It's pouring salt in the never-healing wounds of the broken, tattered hearts of bereaved fellow Americans. 

Despicable.

RELATED: 

Bodies of 28 Veterans At Los Angeles Morgue Will Finally Receive Proper Burial