Friday, 11 September 2009

In Passing

Eight years on...


[The Empire State Building] sits on the space that used to be the Waldorf, at the time one of the most famous hotels in the entire world...  But [in just over 400 days] they knocked it down, cleared the space, ...and built the icon of America... with less technology, with men who threw hot steel and hot rivets at each other.

We changed the space of a small island that we bought for beads forever.  And yet, [eight years later], the space of the World Trade Center sits empty.  Why?  Are we less of a people than our grandparents were?  Do we have less ability?  Do we have less drive?  Do we have less imagination?

Do you know what they used to call the Empire State building?...  They used to call it the “Empty” State Building...  For years during the Great Depression it was a symbol of hope.  Many tried to tear it down and say, “[This] is the real message of America: It’s empty.”

But the owners of the Empire State building... turned on the lights so it looked like there were people inside.  They built it anyway.  They built it as an icon.  They built it for the future.  They built it for the wonderment of man in America.

We keep hearing that nobody wants to buy into the new World Trade Center, the Freedom Tower.  In fact, it’s no longer called the “Freedom Tower.”  It’s going to be “World Trade.” ...  Let me add the other offensive word: “One World Trade.”  “One World Trade.”  That’s fantastic!  Why have a “Freedom Tower” when we can have “one-world trade?”
...
Why did we change it?  Well, because of occupancy.  We needed to get some occupancy.  A “Freedom Tower” might be a little offensive.  It might make it a little more of a target.  The Freedom Center and Chinese investors also were a little ruffled at the idea of freedom.

I contend that today we need to remember, not just 9/11 but remember who we are.  Are we mice or are we men?  Are we Europeans or are we Americans?  Are we one-worlders, or are we free men?  Are we people who will sit around, and look and see this scar on this island, and accept it because of political correctness, because of special interests, because of labor unions, because of big corporations, because of big government?  Is that who we are?  Who, who’s stopping us?
...
I contend that [since] the day that rubble was cleared, ...the only things stopping us [have been] special interests, political correctness and politicians.  Because if it was up to me ([and] I believe [if] it was up to you), we would have built it, we would have built it at twice the speed, we would have built it 25 stories taller and we would have built it with our own damn hands if we had to.

Sending a message to the world:  “We are America!  Anything you destroy will only make us stronger.  We will only make it better.  We will only make it bigger.

“Not to gloat.  But because we can.”

Where is our American spirit?  Where is our ingenuity?  It’s still alive. Listen. You can hear it. It’s no longer calling for help.  It’s digging itself out from beneath the rubble and the wreckage.  It has laid dormant for a while.  It lay confused and dazed, but it’s about to come out of the smoke, dust itself off, and declare itself free again. - Glenn Beck*



Elsewhere (added 09/12):

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* with a little rhetorical tightening by O.G.

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 20:27:05 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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