The government is taking over land for a $58 million Flight 93 memorial.

[riverdeep]

They were in negotiations with the land owners, some of whom were holding out for more money. It's going to be 2200 acres where Flight 93 crashed. They decided to just condemn the property and take it over.

The government will begin taking land from seven property owners so that the Flight 93 memorial can be built in time for the 10th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, the National Park Service said.

Patrick White, the vice president of Flight 93 Families, welcomed the park service's action and had planned to ask for it at an upcoming meeting with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

"We appreciate the timely nature of this decision, which will keep us on the timetable for the tenth year dedication of the permanent memorial," he said in a statement.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090507/ap_on_re_us/us_flight93_memorial

Forget the issues of eminent domain and all that, do we need this? At a time when all kinds of things are being cut or eradicated, it seems $58 million could be better spent elsewhere.

edit: for clarity

[Dark]

1. Eh, I'm torn. One the one hand, the gov. shouldn't do it this way.

On the other, those douchebag owners shouldn't be trying to profit from 9/11.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

22. Are they really profiting or is it fair market value?

They have not had practical use of the land since it happened.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. I think a memorial/monument is fucking ridiculous. So is a 2200 acre "park".

Fucking hell, you idiot bovine shitbags, let it go.

There's no reason for anything, let alone anything that big, let alone stealing peoples' property for it.

What the hell is with the need to memorialize every fucking thing that happens any more?

Christ.

Especially, as you say, in this time of cutbacks and economic problems.

Not to mention that every piece of shit memorial and monument and park that's put up takes taxpayer's money every year for upkeep - it's a continuing burden, for no reason, passed down to our children.

:puke:

It just makes me sick to my stomach.

What's it gonna be - a great big statue of Reagan fucking Osama bin Laden in the ass with a sign, in 100 foot tall letters above in flashing Las Vegas style gaudiest possible neon, "LET'S ROLL!!!" and them some amusement theme park with the "LET'S ROLL Rollercoaster!" and the "LET'S ROLL log flume!"

fucking hell.

:puke:

I'm sure the souvenirs will be tasteful and barely findable.


"Hey, kiddies, we were attacked by terrorists! Let's buy a LET'S ROLL balloon and thimble and pen and pennant and fuzzy toy and some toy soldiers with "Flight 93 Memorial Park" poorly silkscreened on their backs in cheap imitation gold flake and, oooooh, look, some Flight 93 Memorial huge funny sunglasses and giant fake FLIGHT 93 MEMORIAL cigar! That's hilarious!! Seriously, no, terrorism is tragic, but this FLIGHT 93 Memorial fake nose with mustache eyeglasses crack me up!"

[livetohike]

4. Too bad I can't nominate this post for the greatest page

I totally agree and as a Pennsylvanian, this is doubly ridiculous.

[riverdeep]

8. I totally agree with this post.

The idea of memorializing everything is a strange fetish, like it never really happened unless there's a memorial. And there is no way this is going to come in at $58 million, these things never do. And didn't really think about the upkeep; that's going to be a permanent drain on the budget for years and years.

Fortunately, Pennsylvania is state that's awash in state money with plenty of jobs to serve as a tax base...oh, wait.

[Blue_Tires]

16. people need to realize just how fucking incredibly huge 2200 acres is:

In this news story, some soulless commercial developer is planning to do away with 2200 acres of orange orchard:

http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2009/apr/07/la-mega-2200-acre-project-planned/news/

In his plan, 2200 acres will hold 4,075 housing units, with 3,400 single-family homes and 675 multi-family units, plus more than 1 million square feet of commercial development, AND a 150-room hotel and possibly a golf course.

I'm not saying turn it into a development, but I don't understand what they plan to do with that much land...

[Arkansas Granny]

17. I am in total agreement with your post. It makes me think of an interview

that I heard with the wife of a man who was killed at the WTC. It had been suggested that 9/11 be declared a national holiday and she was not in agreement. She said that she would not want to think that the day that her husband was killed would be celebrated and looked forward to by most people as nothing more than a day off from work.

[LakeSamish706]

3. I agree, I don't think we need to be spending this money at this time....

It has been 8 years now, why not wait until we get this Recession/Depression behind us and put that 58 mil to better use. Don't like Government expropriating personal property either, thats not cool.

[madaboutharry]

5. I do think there should be a memorial, but I don't know

why they need to speed that much money.

If the price offered was fair market value, then these holdouts are in the wrong, imo.

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. If you had farmland that had been in your family for five generations,

would you let it go at 'fair market value'?

[madaboutharry]

21. Yes, I would.

I would because I understand the power of the government.

[RaleighNCDUer]

23. Well, I wouldn't because I understand the LIMITS of government

power. If they want to take my heritage and inheritance from me they'd have to pay through the fucking nose.

(Caveat: hypothetical - I am not a property owner.)

[madaboutharry]

25. That is a battle you would lose.

n/t

[alarimer]

24. I think I would probably refuse to sell at any price.

It bugs me that the government can just steal land for any purpose these days. It's not like it's something useful, like a road or something. Okay, a park may be sort of useful and at least it's not a gigantic disgusting housing development or something but I still do not like eminent domain.

The definition of what it can be used for has been stretched too far and that case in Connecticut didn't help. These people had to give up their land (which has been in the family for generations) for some kind of private commercial development, which, in my opinion, is not what the law should be used for.

Also I don't get what we have to memorialize everything to such a sickening degree. Let it go, people.

[uppityperson]

6. k&r since I agree that the $58billion could be better spent elsewhere. nt

[MyUserNameIsBroken]

7. The $58 mil...

...appears to be the cost of the whole schmeer, not just property acquisition. That would mean part of it, at least, would go to construction workers, NPS personnel, etc. Of course, it's AP, so who knows if it's accurate?

[onenote]

14. that's 58 million, not billion.

[riverdeep]

18. Yeah, that's the way I read it.

That the $58 million is for everything. But there's gotta be better ways to spend it that would do more than put some construction workers and what not employed. I'm sure there's roads that need fixing, and then people might have roads instead of some giant memorial park for no reason. Hell, people of the state would be better off if they just traveled in an airplane letting $100 bills out the window all over Pennsylvania.

And I would be willing to make a fair bet that there's no way this is only going to be $58 million after it's said and done. Heh, I used the word 'only' when referring to $58 million.

[riverdeep]

9. Looks they updated the original story, those quotes I selected aren't there anymore.

This part for example:

"Patrick White, the vice president of Flight 93 Families, welcomed the park service's action and had planned to ask for it at an upcoming meeting with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
"We appreciate the timely nature of this decision, which will keep us on the timetable for the tenth year dedication of the permanent memorial," he said in a statement."


got changed to:


"Patrick White, vice president of the families' group, said: "The families continue to support dedication of the permanent memorial by the 10th anniversary and that we are equally committed to working within the process with those landowners who are willing to sell."

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. If they called "Phase II of Bush's failed Krystallnacht attempt", I'd support it.

especially if, on the plaque with all the names, every entry reads like this:

Joe Blow, executive and father of two, New Jersey, murdered by then acting president George W. Bush, September 11, 2001
Jane Smith, actor and mother of one, Oklahoma, murdered by then acting president George W. Bush, September 11, 2001
Steve Smith, college student, Washington, murdered by then acting president George W. Bush, September 11, 2001


and so on

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. OK, let me be the first tinfoiler -

the reason they are in such a hurry to make it a HUGE federal parkland is to keep people from digging for any possible remains of the plane that might prove it was shot down instead of crashed by the hijackers.

[GeorgeGist]

13. Celebrate, celebrate, listen to the music ...

The 9-11 Party is still going strong.

[flvegan]

15. 2200 acres? What kind of monument is that, an airport?

[yodoobo]

19. $58 million is really a small amount

when you look at the entire budget.

If we can give 1,000 times that about to an individual bank, this is nothing really.

[LeftinOH]

20. There is already a memorial at the site - but it doesn't need to expand to 2200 acres

-or cost $58m. That said, have NO problem with a simple memorial to ordinary citizens who tried to make a difference in the face of certain death.