Question on Bloomberg and prayer at the 9/11 memorial.

[Tennessee Gal]

I found this:

There have been 10 ceremonies at ground zero in New York to pause and remember the events of 9/11, one six months after the attack and on September 11 each following year.

Spirituality and religion have been reserved for the moments of silence in those events.

In past ceremonies, four moments of silence were observed to mark when each tower was struck and when each tower fell.

For this year's ceremony, organizers added two additional moments of silence to recognize the strike on the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Throughout the city there will be other prayer events leading up to September 11.

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There seems to be a controversy over this. Yet, if the moments of silence have been used in previous ceremonies, why is this one causing such a stink?

[Mz Pip]

1. I don't think it's

moments of silence that are creating the controversy. Bloomberg wanted the Ground Zero ceremony to be just for the families of the victims of 9/11. Of course the religious right took offense that clergy were not invited to speak or give prayers or do whatever they felt compelled to do.

So it's turned into another manufactured outrage by the right, always offended by some perceived slight. This isn't about them. It's about the families.

[Tennessee Gal]

2. Yes, that is my understanding.

The right is posting about it on Facebook as if Bloomberg is not allowing prayer or the clergy at the ceremony. They are in a snit that it is another case of "prayer and religion" being a right taken away.

[Mz Pip]

3. I suspect that if any

of the family members who may be speaking at this ceremony want to say a prayer no one would object. The Right wants to make it about them and they are doing their damnest to put the focus on their stupid outrage and not where it belongs which is with the family members.

They are so good at manufactured outrage and this just makes them seem even more mean spirited and petty than usual - which really is hard to do.