Flight 93 Memorial Blocked

Rep. Charles H. Taylor (R-NC) has blocked a proposal to purchase 486 ha of land in Shanksville, PA for a memorial to those killed in Flight 93 on 2001-09-11. He believes that, as the largest landowner in the country, the federal government should not purchase any additional land. Given the current management at the agencies charged with the stewardship of America's public lands, I would tend to agree with him. But I digress. The benefits of federalism with respect to the protection of our heritage is subject matter for another post.

While its full historical context is still unclear, the events of 2001-09-11 deeply affected the character of the Nation as a whole. For this reason, it is very appropriate that the federal government have some role in preserving its associated landscapes for future generations. In fact, the establishment of a September 11th National Historic Park, with additional units at the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon and Boston's Logan International Airport, would be a fitting memorial to the deadliest foreign terrorist strike on U. S. soil to date. We have a national memorial for the U. S. S. Arizona, the site where the U. S. last entered hostilities after a domestic strike by the enemy. Likewise, we should establish an enduring memorial to the thousands of lives which were so senselessly taken that clear morning and, if the moniker "The Long War" proves correct, to remind us what we're fighting for.