I'm Mad as Hell, and I'm NOT Going to Take it Anymore...
The following is the rough draft of a letter that I will be sending to Congress.Dear Senator or Representative:
I am writing because I am outraged at the design for the memorial for the heroes of Flight 93, currently entitled “The Crescent of Embrace.”
Outraged or incensed? The words pale in comparison to the gut-wrenching horror I feel when I even look at the proposed design. No person could fail to identify the red crescent of maple trees as being ominously close to the Islamic symbol of the red crescent. And that, dear sir, is wherein my disgust lies. Would we memorialize the victims of the holocaust with a swastika? I don’t think so. When we remember the heroes who died on December 7, 1941, do we do so under the imperial flag of Japan? No, sir, we do not.
The use of the red crescent symbol, intentioned or not, well-meaning or not, is simply a slap in the face to the memories of those first heroes in our current struggle.
These individuals represented all that is good in this country. They were individuals of varied backgrounds and strengths who united under a common threat for a common cause. They were courageous, staring unblinking into the future, accepting their own sacrifices as necessary, and setting a spirit that should inspire all Americans. They didn’t wilt. They didn’t wallow. They stood up and attempted to take back their rights of self-determination. As Americans, who have stared down tyrants since the dawn of this country’s birth, we absolutely can not permit their sacrifice to be memorialized by a symbol that glorifies their murderers.
If we do so, we glorify the villain and not the hero. If we do so, we disrespect everything that they did, everything they gave for love of their country, in deference to those who wish to annihilate us all.
And that is just flat-out wrong!
I ask you to remember how you feel when you stand at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I was there this spring and can tell you that I was humbled. When you witness the World War II Memorial, you can’t help but be awed at all that this nation achieved. At Pearl Harbor, I have seen grown men moved to silent tears over the sacrifice made and the resolve it conceived. The grandeur of the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, too, can’t help but reach into any American’s heart and make it feel something – an undeniable truth about the people of this nation: we do not perish from the fight, but live on!
It is inappropriate to wallow in our grief and submit our memories to some sort of politically correct tripe. If one wants to be all-inclusive, a simpler design that doesn’t draw it’s inspiration from a religious symbol would be a start. Why not something that evokes pride and the strength of the nation’s character?
Are we really going to apologize for becoming victimized? That is disgusting, and not the American Way.
I urge you to take action on this matter. The design as it stands is offensive, culturally dismissive, disingenuous, and more than a little dishonest. It is a “bending over in submission” instead of a “standing up to the fight” sort of a thing that is entirely disrespectful and unfitting as a final resting place for these valiant front-line warriors.
Please don’t let Flight 93 be disrespected.
Sincerely,
