Saturday, March 28, 2009

The One World Trade Center

No more Freedom Tower? CNN is reporting that the owners of the parcel of land where the majestic gleaming World Trade Center towers once stood has leased the property to a Chinese interest. Amazingly, the 'freedom' moniker has simultaneously been dumped in favor of a more worldly title:
"Many will always refer to it as the Freedom Tower, but as the building moves out of the planning stage and into full construction and leasing, we believe that going forward it is most practical to market the building as One World Trade Center."
What next, an announcement that Saudi Arabia has purchased the Statue of Liberty and placed a veil on her? It's like an out-of-body experience watching this stuff. But it doesn't end there, here's the mayor:
"I would like to see it stay the Freedom Tower, but it's their building, and they don't need me dumping on it. If they could rent the whole thing by changing the name, I guess they're going to do that, and they probably, from a responsible point of view, should. From a patriotic point of view, is it going to make any difference?"
Yes, dammit. It's a monument, like it or not. It will always be remembered for 9/11, just like the Arizona will always represent Pearl Harbor. To allow the Chinese of all people, who hate freedom (they just banned You Tube the other day) to get their hooks into this sacred ground and force them to drop the word "freedom" from the title is appalling, to say the least, and I would expect the mayor to 'get' that.

Now, a smarmy lib or hard-core libertarian (or even classical conservative) might sneer at any such outrage by reminding everyone that it's an example of unbridled capitalism at work. And they would be right. But there are some things that should ring in every American's heart, especially those who work for the Port Authority or who lead the people where ground zero is located.

We'll have to wait and see how the most anti-capitalist administration in years reacts to this news. Billions of federal dollars have been invested in this project so perhaps the White House will command Geithner to step in seize the property once his new powers are vested. But don't bet the mortgage (unless you're underwater and can qualify for a bailout). Obama is still bashing the previous administration, a group known for their "freedom agenda", on a daily basis. So the new name might actually be a tad more appealing.

Whew. I'd be more outraged but my outrage reservoir is almost tapped out.


HT Angry Free Thinker blog

8 comments:

Darth Rob said...

Thanks for commenting. I understand what ya mean about being tapped out on outrage. I feel like I should expect this kinda crap anymore.

A.C. McCloud said...

It's exhausting, really, as if we're watching our country disappear in slow motion.

That Mayor Bloomberg would not be appalled is appalling as well. I bet Rudy doesn't like this one little bit.

Anonymous said...

I don’t think I have the capacity for surprise any more. Our government is capable of heaping any indignity upon we the people, and our citizenry is capable of electing clowns, orangutans, tax cheats, prostitutes, and pre-convict felons. Of that entire group, only the prostitutes know what they hell they’re doing. If I were capable of surprise, it would be over the fact that no one yet suggested One Trade Center be named in honor of … you know who. I don’t want to write his name; otherwise, people will lame me for coming up with an idea no one has thought about yet.

Anonymous said...

And Just HOW LONG has this been in the works? The BO administration has only been in power since January. The other Criminals for 8 long years. To suggest that it is BO's fault only insults thinking people's imagination. I agree, this is an outrage.

A.C. McCloud said...

Nobody's suggesting it's "BO's" fault here. My question was how they might react, if asked.

Kevvy D said...

Uhhhh...

This is a non-story. Who the fark cares what they call the building? Call it the Large Erect Pole, sponsored by Magnum Condoms. The US government doesn't own the thing. So YOU don't get a say in it, and who cares whether YOU are outraged?

The name of the building has no bearing on what happened at the site, and neither does your opinion. Get over yourself. There will certainly be tribute placed there, in some form of monument. This is business. Call it the Shitehole Tower, sponsored by Charmin. It doesn't matter. Freedom Tower just sounds like hokey, jingoistic, pretentious BS anyway. It would have just been the same appeal to misplaced patriotism that the last administration exploited in order to justify the inappropriate aggression, ie, Iraq, that has helped land us where we are...

Anonymous said...

Please look into how this building is financed..then determine who owns what..this project would NEVER have been built without taxpayer financing in the form of NYC / state bonds.

As usual, our esteemed gov't officials had no foresight and never thought ahead to include a provision to protect the name..and of course it is now sold out to the Chinese. Truly embarrassing..for all involved.

A.C. McCloud said...

So Kevvy D, can I infer that only YOUR opinion matters here?

Also, your anger wouldn't have anything to do with Bush's so-called 'freedom agenda', would it? I've looked around at the threads on this issue and the liberals all seem pretty outraged about the outrage, saying some of the same things you just said. It reeks of Bush hate.