From Bill Sutter’s Desk Sep/Oct 2005

Four years ago this month we experienced the horror of an evil hijacking. And as the memory of 9/11 slowly begins to dim, another may be under way.

On September 11, 2001, Muslim terrorists hijacked airliners and used them to destroy the massive twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and severely damage the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. It was a defining day in American history, when our national will was tested to the utmost.

These unprecedented acts of war committed on U.S. soil claimed the lives of almost 3,000 innocent civilians; and the loss of life, property, and jobs affected millions of us both directly and indirectly.

As Christians, we knew these deeds, terrible though they were, did not take our Lord by surprise. We were as confident then as we are today that He was in control and that His purposes will ultimately be served. As people looked for answers, we at The Friends of Israel had wonderful opportunities to point them to God’s Word and the hope that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. While terrorists sought to bring America to its knees, in the days following the tragedy, many people did bend their knees…in prayer.

In the aftermath of 9/11 a determined President George W. Bush demonstrated strong resolve to defeat the terrorists. And with God’s blessing, our economy has bounced back.

Now another sinister plot appears to be hatching. This one has as its objective the hijacking of the World Trade Center Memorial at the Ground Zero site in New York City. We would expect our national memorial to focus primarily on the events of 9/11, to remember the victims, and honor the many heroes who emerged from that tragedy. We would want the memorial to reenact the outpouring of patriotism—the sea of flags and handmade posters—symbols of our national pride. This memorial should relive the scope of the terrorist devastation, the human suffering the terrorists caused, and the accounts of bravery embedded in the American will. It should carry forward important lessons about the terrorists’ deceits and their designs to subjugate the freedoms and values we cherish as Americans.

Not So for This Memorial!
It is beyond disturbing to learn that the planning process for the future of Ground Zero has been captured by a collection of activists, globalists, human rights advocates, and radical educators. If their designs prevail, our hopes for a truly meaningful 9/11 memorial will be destroyed.

According to the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation’s plans for Ground Zero, the actual Memorial Center with 9/11 artifacts will be relegated to 50,000 square feet—underground yet! The real expansive “showcase” at Ground Zero will be above ground and known as the International Freedom Center. Here six times the space—300,000 square feet—will be devoted to a technology-driven educational center designed to be a “magnet” for the world’s “great leaders, thinkers, and activists.” People like activist lawyer Tom Bernstein; leftist billionaire George Soros; radical Columbia University history professor, Eric Foner; and Human Rights First’s executive director, Michael Posner, are among the project’s leaders.

This spells trouble for patriotic Americans. We can expect that instead of looking like the victims of 9/11, Americans will be made the villains. We can anticipate that this “memorial” will bombard visitors with lessons in “tolerance.” And we can predict that the meaning of freedom will be artfully crafted to support the globalist agendas of blame-America activists.

Another hijacking is under way, but this one is not using airplanes. Instead, powerful forces are attempting to seize our 9/11 memorial and use it to undermine our national values. The implications for our country and its future are profoundly important.

Americans must not stand by while a radical minority captures our Ground Zero memorial and uses it to attack our national will. To have your say, contact your congressional representatives plus New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (City Hall, New York, NY 10007, dial 311 [or 212-639-9675 outside NYC], fax: 212-788-2460) and New York Gov. George Pataki (State Capitol, Albany, NY 12224). Also log on to www.takebackthememorial.org for further information. We must demonstrate the patriotism and determination, under God, that helped bring America back from the rubble and ashes of 9/11.