Summer 2005

Doing the right thing is the best tool we have
for making progress in this world.

When Donald Trump took his courageous stand in support of rebuilding the Twin Towers, he breathed new life into the hopes most Americans still have of seeing the Twin Towers restored.

And predictably, the usual suspects in the media jumped all over him for grabbing headlines. That was far from the case. Mr. Trump could hardly be any more famous than he already is. And he had a great deal to lose by speaking out in favor of rebuilding the Twin Towers since he was not only opposing the political powers that be, but also advocating something that could draw tenants away from his own buildings.

Meanwhile, as the people cheered the man who has become a legend for getting things done and getting them done right, the know-it-alls panned him. Never having approved of the Towers in the first place, their efforts to thwart plans to rebuild them began while the ground was still smoldering, and it incensed them to have such an influential man threaten their agenda.

That is not to say there aren't good and dedicated people who have aligned themselves with the plan for Downtown and the efforts to move it forward. But, while originally motivated by a desire to serve the city, it is time for them to recognize what a colossal disservice they are engaged in and shift their support to rebuilding.

As usual, the self-appointed elite carries on as if it had a divine right to decide what belongs at Ground Zero. These people are always enamored of the latest novelty, no matter how worthless or trite. Many of them are the same people who applauded as the magnificent old Penn Station was torn down to be replaced by the current maze under Madison Square Garden.

Since shortly after 9/11 this bloc, with the help of many in the media, has been trying to advance the notion that there is no hope of rebuilding the Twin Towers. It's a credit to our good sense that we don't believe it.

While they found the Towers uninspired, millions found them beautiful. In some respects they were elegant. And anyone who ever saw how they reflected a dazzling sunset found them stunning.

If Big Ben had been destroyed by fanatics, would the British build something else in its place because it was simply too Victorian for modern times? If the Eiffel Tower had been demolished, would Parisians decide it was just too passé for trendy tastes? No doubt both landmarks would have been rebuilt in record time, with careful attention to every old-fashioned detail. So what is the matter with us?

Particularly troubling is the selective way our guardians in the press gave credence to the bogus selection process and continue to present rebuilding the Towers as a pipe-dream. Is that because the New York Times, with its powerful grip on public policy, has its own tower going up in Midtown, while its partner, Bruce Ratner, is planning to build acres of office towers in Brooklyn? Could it possibly be that they covet the tenants that rightfully belong Downtown?

Rebuilding the Twin Towers was a foregone conclusion on September 12, 2001 but unthinkable a year later. Why? We are still owed the full report. To what degree was the press complicit in propping up the unholy alliances and overriding the will of the majority who want to resurrect the Towers?

Advocacy journalism gave the "Freedom Tower" a respectability it didn't deserve, conveyed the damaging impression that the "families" were united against rebuilding, and lent credence to those who opportunistically seized on an act of war as their chance to redesign a landmark they never approved of. The design competition was clearly hijacked by the elitist element that George Orwell had in mind when he famously said "only an intellectual could be that stupid."

Fortunately, there are some outstanding journalists who have been courageously sounding the trumpet, but what we now need is a 24/7 charge. The number one champion of rebuilding has been Nicole Gelinas in the New York Post, who with clarity and power has kept us hoping and hanging on. Deroy Murdock of the National Review Online and David Shuster of MSNBC have proved to be dedicated reporters and thought-provoking journalists; and not long ago Alicia Colon of the New York Sun wrote a piece that was particularly inspiring.

And in the July 4th issue of Forbes Magazine, Steve Forbes issued a clear-headed call to inject the magic of "The Donald" into the mess Downtown because "He has the iron-fisted stick-to-itiveness to surmount seemingly insurmountable political and economic difficulties. Let him loose on this task and there will be no stopping him - or it." Mr. Forbes echoed the conviction many share that there would be no dearth of tenants eager to move into rebuilt Twin Towers. And, he concluded, "These structures would be a fitting memorial for those who lost their lives on 9/11 and a fantastic rebuke to the terrorists who destroyed the originals."

Finally, Team Twin Towers, which has been an imaginative advocate and a tireless participant in this struggle announced "The real  World Trade Center Restoration Design Competition" on July 14th, opening up the process, which has been closed from the start under Pataki and the LMDC. It is designed to further expand and accelerate the growing trend toward discarding the Libeskind/Childs Freedom Tower in favor of restoring Yamasaki-based Twin Towers. The judges are from a cross-section of our society and Team Twin Towers President, Randy Warner, and Executive Coordinator, Robin Heid, are very satisfied with the response from around the world.

The submission window of the carefully-conceived competition runs through October 28th, with the announcement of the finalists on November 29th and the winner on January 23rd. Imagination is the greatest power on earth and this competition is giving anyone from anywhere the chance to develop and present their ideas on how to make the original Twin Towers design a lot safer, a little more beautiful, and at least as tall.

A press conference announcing the competition was held at the venerable Soldiers', Sailors', Marines' and Airmen's Club on Lexington Avenue in Murray Hill, and the highlight of the affair was the display of a spectacular nine-foot stainless steel model of the Twin Towers that had been exquisitely, and heart-wrenchingly, crafted following the attacks, by Ed Schramling, an 85-year old master metalworker from Columbus, Pennsylvania. One of the Greatest Generation, he was so distressed by the destruction of the Towers and the terrible suffering involved, that his form of therapy was to build them again. He spent the next year doing just that. Mr. Schramling, who made the eight-hour trip from western Pennsylvania, and was present to answer questions, touched everyone with his dignity and devotion to seeing the Towers rise again. One day his model will likely be housed in the Memorial Museum or in The Smithsonian, but in the near future will be on display in New York, at a location yet to be chosen.

After the presentation, Olga Cherny of the Russian Television Network of America observed that immigrants to this country seem to care more passionately about restoring the Towers than do many native-born Americans. Around the world the Twin Towers stood for America and opportunity — that's what made them such a prize for Bin Laden. And people who came here from other lands regarded them in much the same way earlier immigrants had been awed by the Statue of Liberty.

A number of creative and faithful adaptations of the Twin Towers have been privately developed, but never given any official consideration. The model of one fine design, the Belton-Gardner model, was on display in Trump Tower in May and June. It is gaining in prominence and may become the people's choice in the days to come, but we believe that after all this time whatever is built will be widely acknowledged as the best of the best — and the free flow of ideas can only raise the profile of this cause and bring us closer to that goal.

In the months ahead, we at Rebuild-the-Towers will work to build a groundswell of support for our common goal: two towers, and, in the words of Louis Epstein, an intrepid pro-rebuilder, not an inch shorter.

To Governor Pataki we ask: Whatever possessed you to sign on to this destructive misadventure at Ground Zero? You could have easily ridden into the White House on the coattails of rebuilding the Towers, if you had put them back with lightning speed. But you can still choose to be their champion.

One thing we are sure of: you cannot ascribe it to the influence of the victims' families. Even though the media has highlighted those who speak out against rebuilding, while the chorus of supporting voices has been granted no coverage at all, you know that many family members fervently believe that rebuilding the Twin Towers is the best way to honor their lost loved ones.

We do regretfully acknowledge that there are indeed family members of the victims who are vehemently against rebuilding. We understand why they think as they do and we are sorry to oppose them. But, we agree with the family members who believe the best possible way to undermine those who ordered the murder of their loved ones is to rebuild the Towers and show we cannot be intimidated. We honor all of their feelings and yearn with them for an awe-inspiring memorial that will truly capture the horror, bravery, and sacrifice of that day we can never forget.

Perhaps you were misguided by a blindness rooted in grief, and if so, this is your chance to think better of the direction that you have chosen to take us in against our will. Now that four years have almost passed, we hope that you, Mayor Bloomberg, and anyone else aligned with your unpopular plan, will look at the issue anew through the eyes of a good 200,000,000 Americans, and many more citizens of the world, who long to see the Towers reborn. And after you do, you may very well be relieved that there have been so many stumbling blocks to your plan.

Finally, we share John Updike's belief that "Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them." And we expect to see the Towers rise again. In the meantime, we want to be, along with Team Twin Towers, and the many others who have dedicated themselves to this mission for so long, a force multiplier for the will of the American people. We hope to start a wildfire of indignation over the contempt you have shown for our wishes. Governor Pataki, please get out of the way!

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