Critics call WTC tower name change unpatriotic

[Kadie]

Critics call WTC tower name change unpatriotic
By AMY WESTFELDT, Associated Press Writer

Saturday, March 28, 2009

(03-28) 11:22 PDT NEW YORK, (AP) --

Even without the name, the symbolism of the Freedom Tower as an American response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks was hard to miss.

The original architect designed a twisting form he wanted to imitate the Statue of Liberty, with a spire that rose to the deliberate height of 1,776 feet to recognize the year of American independence. Politicians called the tower proof of the country's triumph over terrorism.

Former Gov. George Pataki said visitors to the iconic skyscraper "will know our determination to overcome evil" in a 2003 speech that first gave the Freedom Tower its name.

The tower — still under construction with a projected completion date of 2013 — no longer has the same architect, design or footprint on the 16-acre site. And this week, the owners of ground zero publicly parted ways with the Freedom Tower name, saying it would be more practical to market the tallest building in New York as the former north tower's name, One World Trade Center.

Critics called the name drop an unpatriotic shedding of symbolism by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Some newspaper editorials blasted the agency for years of missed deadlines and changing plans for the site.

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/28/national/a100035D08.DTL&tsp=1

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

1. Personally, I hate the name Freedom Tower and delighted that it's

just going to be One World Trade Center.

[TwilightZone]

2. Good, I'm glad it annoys them.

Freedom Tower was a ridiculous name.

[dbonds]

3. Freedom's just another word for nothing else to loose.

Yes, that makes a lot of sense to call a tower that.

[lunatica]

4. My very unladylike retort...

Fuck the Fucking Hell Off you Fucking Fucks!

[The Traveler]

6. This sort of eloquence cannot go unnoticed

I applaud your clarity

:applause: :headbang:

[TWiley]

5. Lets buy them all a carton of French Fries to ease their pain. n/t

[Smarmie Doofus]

7. The American response to Sept 11 has been mostly paranoia,......

>>>>>>Even without the name, the symbolism of the Freedom Tower as an American response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks was hard to miss.>>>>>>


... hysteria, dishonesty, demagoguery, belligerance, xenopohobia and stomach-churning self-righteousness. "Freedom Tower" spoke to the last of these. ( Actually some NYers were referring to it as "FreedomFries Tower"; far more descriptive of the actual legacy of 9-11 than the official "name" would have been).

BTW, what's this spot doing vacant after 8 years? Any other NYC mayor would have been Dinkinized by the $$$ media for that. Why not Bloomberg?

[krispos42]

8. "Tower of Republican Failure"

Now THAT'S an appropriate name.

[BuyingThyme]

9. Freedom is not what we got on 9/11.

[Davis_X_Machina]

11. It is, in large measure...

...what we lost.

[BuyingThyme]

12. Thus the problem with the name. It's 1984.

[NorthernSpy]

10. "Freedom Tower" reminded people of the Bush years, and nobody wants that.

Freedom Tower, freedom fries: embarrassing reminders of misrule.

[arcadian]

13. "proof of the country's triumph over terrorism"

...until somebody blows up a train station. It was rather convenient that all major western powers had one major terrorist incident. But only one.

[lunatica]

14. Freedom from what exactly?

[Davis_X_Machina]

16. Take your pick:

Change.
Colored people.
Higher marginal income tax rates.
The assault weapons ban.
Women.
Liberals.
Gays.
Change.
Foreigners.
Those Kids.
Non-Christians.
Change.

But mostly, change.

[crispini]

15. Thank heavens. What an awful name, Freedom Tower.

It's just so overly flag-waving, IMO.

[adamuu]

17. It says "Even without the name" it means "Even without a TOWER" n/t

[Webster Green]

18. Fuck the goddamned homelanders!

Suck it up, assholes! :rofl:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

19. Why has it taken so long to rebuild?

Has the economy made an overabundance of office space in Manhattan so that this building is really not needed?

Will the final design be a bit more inspiring than the two boxes that were the WTC 1 & 2?

Couldn't they just make it into a memorial park or something?

[ldf]

20. the FRENCH FRY TOWER

would be a good moniker, if they insist on "freedom tower".

:shrug:

[Bucky]

24. It does kinda look like a french fry

No, it doesn't. I take that back.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lex]

22. Welcome to DU.

You'll last a long time.

Enjoy your stay.

[benEzra]

23. The Bush administration's response to the 9/11 attacks had very little to do with "freedom," IMO.

The word "freedom" refers to individual civil liberties. "Freedom" was involved post-9/11 only to the extent that it was freedom being sacrificed in order to create the appearance of enhanced security (whether real or imagined). And I suspect there is a lot less freedom in post-9/11 NYC than almost anywhere else in the country, except perhaps the District of Columbia.

If the city, state, and Federal officials responsible for the rebuilding project actually believed in individual civil liberties, I think Freedom Tower might be a good name. But I think they actually value security and control more than individual civil liberties, and that makes the name a bit hollow.

[Touchdown]

25. Where does patriotism end and jingoism begin?

At The Freedom Tower.:eyes:

[Warren DeMontague]

26. As I said in the other thread, "freedom tower" sounds like a cross between

a 1970s band and a feminine hygiene product.

[shadowknows69]

27. The towers falling did nothing but take freedoms away from us

The name from the get go was obscene.