New Blog! "Rebuild Them"

[Shopaholic]

About the WTC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/

[WhirlyGirl]

1. Keith is right.

- - -
REBUILD THEM!
By Keith Olbermann
May 12, 2005

SECAUCUS - They were just a few feet tall and not even as solidly constructed as the old architectural models my father would sometimes bring home from the office for me when I was a kid - but they affected me in a way I never would have imagined.

The towers of The World Trade Center.

They were in our studios yesterday, plastic recreations of the originals, dragged in by groups who are taking advantage of the security concerns about the planned “Freedom Tower” to push the simple idea that the best way to memorialize the victims and restore the community is to re-build the towers exactly as they stood until three and a half years ago.

They’re absolutely right - with one minor caveat. One of the towers should be exactly 229 feet, four inches shorter than the other. I’ll explain why in a bit. . . .
- - -

PS: This is some mighty fine writing. As always, when exploring tender subjects such as these, Keith manages to personalize it without sounding self-indulgent.

[gkhouston]

2. Oh, man...

This is potent stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if this idea spread like wildfire, including the height difference, and rebuilding the original buildings could expedite the construction which is sorely needed, IMHO. God knows I hated driving by the Pentagon and seeing the damage after 9/11 and it's got to be a thousand times worse for the New Yorkers.

[WhirlyGirl]

3. So where do we write...

. . . to tell them to implement the Olbermann Resolution?

[SharonRB]

5. This actually wasn't his idea

I read last week about a group trying to do this, now that the other plans are starting to take some heat. That's probably why the models were at the studio -- They're probably doing a story on the plan. I think it's a good idea and probably what they should have talked about doing in the first place.

[WhirlyGirl]

6. Please clarify where you saw this idea previously, Sharon.

. . . Plagiarism is a serious charge.

My idea early on was to rebuild the towers, and to scatter little lights -- one for each victim -- across the outside of the building.

My husband also wanted to see the towers rebuilt, with a plaque commemorating the tragedy near the front entrance -- the idea being that a rapid return to a feeling of normalcy would be best for the population.

I never thought of subtracting an inch for each of the dead, but the symbolism is certainly on target. After all, each life lost was a loss to the community.

[gkhouston]

8. I don't see Sharon using the word "plagiarism"

so let's not jump the gun here. I expect what she read about was a group that's trying to get the original Towers re-built, and that's what she's referring to when she says it's not Keith's idea. No surprise there; I expect thousands of people have thought, "what's wrong with re-building the original Towers?" Subtracting an inch for each victim is an interesting wrinkle, and if that's an idea that someone mentioned to Keith when they brought the models to MSNBC, I'd expect him to have mentioned it. Nothing wrong with him supporting the notion, but it wouldn't be in his character to have put it forth without attributing it. Since Sharon's tone is informative, not negative, I think she was merely referring to a "rebuild the Towers" campaign and not to anything sinister.

[WhirlyGirl]

10. Alleging it "wasn't his idea" contains a negative - namely, "WASN'T."

[SharonRB]

12. Thank you, gk and ML (below) for sticking up for me

In no way was I accusing KO of plagiarism. I was just stating that I had just read an article about this group last week. I'm sorry if I don't remember where I read it -- it was either online or in the paper last week -- it was a pretty big article. As far as I know, the idea about the 4" was his -- this was the first I had heard about that.

Didn't mean to start a whole big to-do about this -- geez -- some people just jump at anything they can, dont' they?

[WhirlyGirl]

21. Sharon, it's an inch for each victim -- total: 229 ft., 4 inches.

From the blog:

- - -
I’d use the original blueprints and design the “new” Trade Center exactly as it had been. But I’d insist that one of the towers be exactly 229 feet, four inches shorter than the other. It’s an uncomplicated gimmick to guarantee remembrance. Because, as long as these new towers would stand, someone unaware would ask, “why is one of them shorter than the other?” Whereupon an old-timer could explain, solemnly, that the difference between the heights of the towers is intentional - it’s exactly 2,752 inches.

One inch for each of the victims.
- - -

And Sharon, please...

No "sticking up for" was necessary -- I just asked for a clarification of how the group's idea was the same as Keith's in his blog. IOW, when you say "This actually wasn't his idea," what does "This" refer to? You can see how your assertion could be interpreted as his swiping the idea from the group.

[Shopaholic]

23. Actually, no. I don't think she does because I don't see it either.

Nor does anyone else but you apparently.

[WhirlyGirl]

24. I got the clarification I was looking for, thanks.

. . . And as always, I wish you well.

[SharonRB]

25. I have to apologize about the inches -- I could have sworn it said

4", not 229 feet, 4". I didn't think you'd even notice 4" from the ground. Guess I was the one who didn't read it carefully enough. I'm really, really sorry about that part.

[WhirlyGirl]

26. It's totally okay Sharon! Writing's an inexact science, as this experience

. . . illustrates. :hug:

[Miami Liberal]

9. I don't see where Sharon accuses him of plagiarism either

I completely agree with gkhouston's post.


What a breathtakingly beautiful blog. :loveya:

[WhirlyGirl]

11. The assertion calls for clarification. What, exactly, "wasn't his idea"?

[SharonRB]

14. I don't appreciate being accused of something I didn't do

I did not accuse KO of plagiarism. I don't think he put this idea forth as his own -- obviously he knew someone else was talking about it. That's why the towers model was in the studio. Tweety just did a story about it with The Donald.

By the way, WG, reread the blog. He didn't say to subtract an inch for each of the dead. He said to subtract 4" to bring it to a height that would represent a foot for each of the dead. Obviously, you don't read very carefully.

[WhirlyGirl]

18. Sharon, "he knew someone else was talking about"... what?

. . . You're still leaving the REFERENT unspecified -- and, consequently, a question hanging in the air.

Do you mean REBULIDING THE TOWERS "wasn't actually his idea"? Well, he said that in the blog, so to inform us of that would be unnecessary.

Do you mean that SUBTRACTING AN INCH from one of the towers FOR EACH VICTIM "wasn't actually his idea"? Then you need to specify where you saw it before he said it.

[Shopaholic]

19. Why does she have to give you a source?

It's obviously a widely publicized story--I mean, they just interviewed Trump about it on Hardball. :shrug:

[SharonRB]

20. Why is it that everyone else seems to understand what I said

"It" means rebuilding the towers as they were. I wasn't trying to inform you, other than to state that I had read about it last week.

And, he didn't say to subtract an inch for each victim -- he said to subtract 4" from one tower, which isn't exactly an inch for each victim, is it? Reread the blog and what I said before and maybe you'll understand what it is he said.

[WhirlyGirl]

22. Thank you for the clarification.

. . . That's all I needed.

See my other post for the portion of the blog where he specifies how much for each victim he thinks should be subtracted from one of the towers.

[WhirlyGirl]

27. For those wondering why I was so persistent in asking for clarification...

. . . on this one issue: it's because I know others read this forum who would love to burn KO with something, and I wondered what (if anything) was out there that maybe even he wasn't aware of, that a detracter could make something of.

I made an effort to search Google News for anything matching the ideas expressed in Keith's blog before asking you to clarify, Sharon, and I'm glad the clarification is on the record. No hard feelings... please. Certainly none from my side.

TTTTB

[crispini]

4. Wow.

Wonderful, potent, very touching blog. Just when I start to go off the show a bit (for not covering the UAL pension scandal), he goes and does this and makes me adore him all over again: :loveya:

[WolverineDG]

7. wow, just wow

that's a great idea.

dg

[Berry Cool]

13. So. Keith did do something

that would restore people's faith in him as something other than a puppeteer who reports on funny animal stories and runaway brides.

I thought I was going to be a hard sell on this idea, but once he mentioned one tower being built shorter, I understood. I once had an argument with someone who went around saying that if the towers weren't exactly rebuilt, only TALLER than ever (agh, which Chris Matthews just said Donald Trump wants--typical!), "the terrorists will have won." (How many times have you heard THAT used as an excuse for doing things?) I accused him of engaging in typical male phallic thinking. All we have to do is get a bigger one than we had, and we can forget everything, right? We can pretend it never happened, right? Is that what we really want to do? I don't think so.

This is a great idea--whoever thought of it (and it doesn't have to be Keith's original idea to be good--and he doesn't have to have thought of it in order to promote it--it's not plagiarism to say you think someone else has a good idea). The nice thing here is he has a big forum to get the idea he supports out there.

The bad news? That projects like these are usually accomplished by large committees of people, all with different opinions and deep ego investments. And what comes out is usually a mishmash compromise that pleases no one. I wish one strong individual with a strong vision were in charge of it. If that were the case, there might be half a chance of something great being built.

One thing that I have always tried to keep front of mind about that place is that no matter what else it is used for, it will always be a cemetery...the final resting place of many people. In that sense it deserves respect. It will always be more than just another piece of Manhattan business real estate. Whatever is built on it should keep that in mind.

Oh God. Donald Trump is telling Tweety that if we don't build the towers back, only one story HIGHER, "the terrorists will have won."

No, I do not know Donald Trump. Thank goodness. But he has a lot of phallically minded friends, I guess.

[SharonRB]

15. BB --

thanks for realizing I wasn't accusing KO of anything.

[Shopaholic]

16. Don't worry Sharon

The vast majority of us in this group do know how to read and do so carefully and got the point you were trying to make. Too bad that not ALL of us could get it however.

[SharonRB]

17. Thanks, Shop!

[Berry Cool]

28. My comment was not meant as any insult to anyone

so please don't take it as such.

Thanks.

[SharonRB]

29. BB -- your post wasn't the issue

What you said was just fine.

[Berry Cool]

30. What I meant is this...

My post was not meant as an insult to ANYONE else here. Repeat: ANYONE else.

I never meant my statement that "it's not plagiarism to say that someone else had a good idea" to be seized upon and used as a beating stick by anyone else. I am very sorry that it was.

Also: I have many rules in life by which I operate, and one of them is that whenever someone uses the words "everyone," "no one," "always" and "never" (except in a joking context), take whatever statement is being made with a grain of salt. A BIG one. I highly recommend this rule to others.