A time-sucking boondoggle by any other name...
03/27/09
At the New York Port Authority, symbolism has given way to practicality:
Freedom is so passe at Ground Zero.
Once hailed as a beacon of rebirth in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the Freedom Tower's patriotic name has been swapped out for the more marketable One World Trade Center, officials at the Port Authority conceded today.
But more than seven years after the terror attacks and amid an effort to market the iconic tower to international tenants, sentiment gave way to practicality.
Whatever.
At this point in time, I don't care if they call it the Wal-Mart/Macy's/Chevrolet Tower at One World Trade Center and adorn it with corporate logos as if it were a vehicle in a NASCAR race. I don't care if they cede the project to Donald Trump, with construction to be overseen by the "tallest midget" surviving this embarrassing season of "The Celebrity Apprentice", with the name "TRUMP" emblazoned at the top.
Just BUILD the damn thing.
That we are now over 7 years removed from the attacks of September 11th and "Ground Zero" still looks like this...
...is sad, pathetic and enraging.
And, it's a testament to just how poorly projects proceed when they're overseen by the government.