No, they shouldn't...
The tenth anniversary of the attacks of 9/11 is fast approaching and there's some coverage in the media that New York City Mayor Micheal Bloomberg is way out of line by not inviting the "first responders" to the ceremonies that day.
Bloomberg's office issued a statement saying that due to space constraints, this year's September 11th memorial ceremony at ground zero (the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks) was to focus on the victims' family members, and that first responders (and other groups) would be honored at "different places and times."
There are those who feel everybody should be included in the ceremony, because leaving someone/anyone out seems wrong. I wouldn't say they're wrong. On the other hand, it seems likely to me that for this anniversary, they're trying to make it as special as they can for the family of those who lost loved ones. As much as the first responders; Police, Fire, EMS, etc. sacrificed that day, does the price tag they paid outweigh the price of the families? It's a damn sensitive question, but I say no, it does not.
It's important to note this is not an all or nothing position. If I suggest that the families suffered terribly it doesn't in any way mean I think the 1st responders did not. Of course they did. Everyone associated that day will carry scars of all shapes and sizes to the grave with them. It's silly and selfish of anyone to suggest that Mayor Bloomberg is purposefully elevating one group over another to discredit that group. Its ridiculous and offensive to try and turn this into some kind of political issue.
As I'm writing this, I see stories crossing the wires that Religious leaders will also be kept from the ceremony on September 11th. "There are hundreds of important people that have offered to participate over the last nine years," Evelyn Erskine, a mayoral spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal in response to religious leaders' outrage, "but the focus remains on the families of the thousands who died on Sept. 11."
The invited guests, who include President Obama, former President George W. Bush, will read prepared lines of poetry and not make speeches. “We’ve tried very hard every year to keep the focus away from politics and politicians, and on families, where it belongs,” Bloomberg said at a news conference Thursday morning in Queens. “This day isn’t about any of us,” the mayor added, referring to the elected officials who will participate in the nationally televised ceremony next month. “It is about the families of the 3,000-odd people who lost their lives 10 years ago. And none of us in elective office, I think, should ever forget that.”
There is an event to be held on September 6th to honor all the first responders, which will also include religious leaders making remarks.
Its a slippery slope to decide who does and who doesn't get to attend an event like this. Open it up to everyone and while you increase the scope of the experience you almost certainly sacrifice some intimacy, some solemness perhaps by doing so. To decide who gets to attend and who doesn't isn't a fun job. No one wants to hurt anyone's feelings, but a decision was made and its a reasonable one.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/25/911-ceremony-wont-include_n_936336.html
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/08/18/bloomberg-on-911-ceremony-no-political-speeches/
No comments:
Post a Comment