Ayiekie beat me to it, and probably did it much better than I could; that's an excellent rebuttal and/or restatement of many of the points so far in this discussion. Thank you for making those posts, and furthermore, doing so in a restrained and civil tone.
I do want to follow up on one thing Ayiekie said. Blackaeronaut, why is Ground Zero hallowed? Yes, it is the site of a tragic loss of American life due to enemy action, but what has consecrated it? 3000 deaths? Does death consecrate? If so, why are hospitals not hallowed grounds? Is it death per unit time, or deaths per unit acre? If so, are Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki not in their entirety hallowed grounds? If they are, why have they been allowed to be rebuilt? Is it simply American deaths that hallow grounds? (In which case, do not the non-Americans lost in the WTC attacks reduce the inherent holiness of the grounds?) If Ground Zero is so hallowed, why are we building commercial buildings on top of it? Yes, there's a memorial and a museum planned. Why aren't they the only structures if the ground is so holy?
The answer is they aren't. There's nothing particularly holy about a killing field, except maybe to a god of death or war. Calling Ground Zero "hallowed" is nothing but propaganda and an appeal to emotion. The former is despicable, the latter unnecessary except insofar as the Bush Administration squandered the patriotism and unity the attacks ignited in the American people, using them to fuel a private agenda against Iraq in addition to the proper pursuit of those who committed the attack.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
I do want to follow up on one thing Ayiekie said. Blackaeronaut, why is Ground Zero hallowed? Yes, it is the site of a tragic loss of American life due to enemy action, but what has consecrated it? 3000 deaths? Does death consecrate? If so, why are hospitals not hallowed grounds? Is it death per unit time, or deaths per unit acre? If so, are Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki not in their entirety hallowed grounds? If they are, why have they been allowed to be rebuilt? Is it simply American deaths that hallow grounds? (In which case, do not the non-Americans lost in the WTC attacks reduce the inherent holiness of the grounds?) If Ground Zero is so hallowed, why are we building commercial buildings on top of it? Yes, there's a memorial and a museum planned. Why aren't they the only structures if the ground is so holy?
The answer is they aren't. There's nothing particularly holy about a killing field, except maybe to a god of death or war. Calling Ground Zero "hallowed" is nothing but propaganda and an appeal to emotion. The former is despicable, the latter unnecessary except insofar as the Bush Administration squandered the patriotism and unity the attacks ignited in the American people, using them to fuel a private agenda against Iraq in addition to the proper pursuit of those who committed the attack.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.