At a distance from New York, I can only observe that this memorial is
intended for generations to come.

If a mistake was made, it was not waiting until next Sept. 11 to unveil it.
The act of raising that flag was not (so far as I know) on behalf of the
three men who carried it out, but on behalf of the entire fire department.
The three men were the messengers for the fire department, but the
departmental "message" was the patriotism and valor of all of the rescue
teams of various ethnic origins.  No matter whose faces are depicted, that
is the information I receive from this memorial.

In time, people from all over the globe will see it - having never seen the
photograph that inspired it.  Creating this memorial was inspired by
idealism, not political considerations, in my humble opinion.

We certainly get caught up in emotions of the moment, don't we?

Ross Weeks Jr.
Historic Crab Orchard Museum & Pioneer Park
Tazewell, Va.
http://histcrab.netscope.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ellerbe, Genevieve" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2002 9:51 AM
Subject: Re: Blame the Devil - Follow-up to Flag Raising


> []  Indigo Nights wrote (and the devil made her do it!):
> > After all, do you think it's really plausible that
> > Jesus Christ had blonde hair and blue eyes, or do you
> > suppose there's been a little substitution for
> > symbolic reasons or in the interest of being PC in the
> > era in which the masterpiece was created?
> >
> []  Well, we don't have a picture of JC to compare with the portraits, but
> that's kind of besides the point.  I think the problem most people have
with
> changing the people represented in the photo is that the photo itself has
> already become a very potent symbol/memorial of 9-11.  If it were just
some
> random photograph that hadn't gotten as much fame and publicity, I think
> people would have less of an issue with it.  People have already
identified
> strongly with that photograph, and the idea of having it reproduced in an
> altered state is what's troubling them.  If the people organizing the
statue
> had said from the start that the photograph would be the starting
> inspiration for the sculpture, but that it wouldn't be an exact
> reproduction, I would guess that there would be less discomfort over the
> idea of changes.
>
> Personally, I think they should come up with a unique idea for the
memorial,
> and I agree with those who have said that it's probably too soon.  These
> sorts of things should be allowed to be sifted by time a little bit, so
that
> longer-term implications can come forward, before memorials should be
> erected.  For now, the makeshift ones of flowers, teddy bears, photos, is
> plenty moving enough.
>
> Genevieve Ellerbee
> Associate Registrar
> DAR Museum
> Washington, D.C.
>
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
>
> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help"
(without the quotes).
>
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).