Republican lawmaker blocks Flight 93 memorial

April 25, 2006

If there’s any political wisdom in this, I can’t find it.

For emotional wallop, there are few rivals to the windswept, grassy field outside of Shanksville, Pa., where United Airlines [tag]Flight 93[/tag] crashed on Sept. 11, 2001.

But for three years, that field has made do with a makeshift monument while one member of Congress, Rep. [tag]Charles H. Taylor[/tag] (R-N.C.), has blocked a $10 million request to buy the land for a permanent memorial to the 40 passengers and crew members who overpowered hijackers bent on crashing their jet into the Capitol or the White House.

And why is [tag]Taylor[/tag] opposed to the memorial? Because, on principle, Taylor believes the government should not spend tax dollars to buy more public land.

Taylor is sticking to this position, but he’s not exactly proud of it. As the WaPo reported, “Neither Taylor nor his press secretary returned phone calls and e-mails yesterday. His chief of staff, Sean Dalton, would not comment.”

If Taylor has some unyielding standards about private-land ownership, that’s up to him. But it’s foolish to deny the political implications here. If a Democrat stood in the way of a 9/11 memorial, Republicans would be apoplectic. But in this case, a Republican is doing it, in a district and state that he doesn’t even represent.

Call it a hunch, but I predict that Taylor will, probably before the end of the day, suddenly decide that this memorial is a great idea after all. A few factors might help drive the change of heart:

* This story about him blocking the money was on the front page of the Washington Post, and resisting a 9/11 memorial is not the kind of election-year publicity members want;

* Everyone else in DC, including the president, wants this memorial;

* There’s no way Taylor will want to be known as the guy who blocked this memorial and the guy who helped Jack Abramoff;

* And he’s facing a well-financed Democratic challenger (and former pro quarterback) in November.

Stay tuned.

Wanna bet it’s some kind of shakedown? Families of victims didn’t want to pay?

  • Wow! I didn’t even know Representatives could put holds on legislation. I thought only Senators could do that.

    Isn’t it nice to know there are principled Republicanite politicians out there.

    Or maybe he just thinks the memorial should be in New Jersey 😉

    (Stupid twit)

  • I didn’t even know Representatives could put holds on legislation. I thought only Senators could do that.

    Just to clarify, Taylor is blocking funding for the memorial through his position as chairman of the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee, who oversees funding for federal acquisition of property.

  • And just how do the Republicanites keep finding these idiot chairman?

    Roberts, Stevens, and now Taylor!

    Do they have a crazy off and the crazyist gets to be chairman of the most important committees?

    Gah!

  • Heath Schuler. Calling him a “professional” QB would be an exaggeration.

  • Rethugs seem to be doing their damndest to cover up all sorts of things about the events of 9/ll … other than the fear they hope it will induce in the electorate.

    I wonder: Why?

  • Let me just make sure I got this right…

    “The House Interior Appropriations subcommittee, who oversees funding for federal acquisition of property,”

    believes he does not oversee funding for federal acquisition of property

    because on principle he believes that there should be NO funding for federal acquisition of property to oversee.

    It’s almost like a pharmacist, who fills prescriptions written by a Doctor, on principle believes that certain prescriptions shouldn’t be filled, and therefore chooses not to fill them.

    No?

  • Why won’t some enterprising Dem rep from PA make a big stink abt this? Why do we let the republicans score political points? We should capitalize on this one now!!!!!

  • Actually, if he really is acting on principle I find it rather charming.

    If he’s just waiting to be bought off, I’d file it under ‘hilarious.’

  • I get the impression, from trying to get on, that his congressional web site is overwhelmed by hits from peeved Americans telling him to shove a red hot poker up his….

    I suspect that Jonathan Wiseman (the WaPo reporter) will win this one all by himself.

  • … But I bet if we bought the land for Halliburton Taylor would vote yes.

    The achilles heel of the Repubs is that they’ve become idealogues at all costs. No flexibililty, no grey areas, no compromise and certainly no thinking: just strict adherence to their commandments of a castrated government, no taxes and individual profit uber alles. Maybe the voters will finally realize they’re not in Washington to do the will of the people – they’re there to fulfill their own personal ideologies.

  • And why is Taylor opposed to the memorial? Because, on principle, Taylor believes the government should not spend tax dollars to buy more public land.

    Good for him! I had thought, mistakenly, that the Republicans didn’t have any principles left.
    This reminds me of the White House opposing Clinton’s tightened standards on mercury. Total tin ear, but I did get the impression that they were acting out of principle.

  • You know what makes me laugh at Taylor’s ‘principle’?

    The fact that the Republicanites are trying to put up memorials to Ronald Reagan in EVERY COUNTY in this country.

    I suppose 40 real American heros don’t deserve even a fraction of the same consideration.

  • Wow. That’s… I just can’t believe that.

    I don’t actually have anything constructive to add, but I thought since this was so very roguish of him, anybody else notice who else shares the name Charles Taylor? Yeah.

  • 16 (Lance):

    “There you go again.”

    I still haven’t figured out what that phrase means, but everyone seems to think it was the most brilliant thing Reagan ever said. Come to think of it, maybe it was. Anyway, it’s fun to say. Try it on a Republican sometime and watch blood squirt out his ears.

    P.S. It’s still Washington National Airport to me.

  • And he’s facing a well-financed Democratic challenger (and former pro quarterback) in November.

    Please tell me that this is now considered a competitive race? Please!

  • Perhaps the State of Pennsylvania can purchase the land and turn it into a state park.
    That would piss off the congress critters, no?

  • Who owns this land? What kind of greedy, heartless scumfuck wouldn’t willingly *donate* the land (tax deductible, no doubt) to the state or federal gov’t for use as a memorial?

    Please. It’s an open field. Someone is trying to shake down us, the taxpayers, for $10 million. There’s “free enterprise” for ya.

  • see the documentary “loose change” and youll see very clearly why he wants nothing to do with flight 93…….there was no crash!!!

  • That some Flight 93 passengers “fought like warrior poets” is encouraging for our future. For surely “we the people” are able (but are we willing?) to recapture the bridge of the ship of state, and seize the helm from postmodernist hijackers. See: http://www.tell-usa.org/flight93

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