Never forget... the local politicians in New Jersey who made ultimate sacrifice to install a 9/11 memorial in Washington Township. The memorial, which opened with pomp and bagpipes on Sunday, features a piece of World Trade Center steel and a granite stone inscribed with the names of the town's committee members and mayor. None of them died on 9/11, but each of them was bravely holding public office when the memorial was dedicated. Doesn't that count for something? Not if you ask the bagpiper.
"I got really angry when I saw these six politicians decided to immortalize their names on something that should pay tribute to the 3,000 innocent victims of the attacks," former cop and bagpiper Dennis Ryan tells the Star-Ledger. And he's not the only one—some of the people named on the stone didn't even know they were getting a shout-out until they saw it on Sunday. "I didn't want to disrupt the festivities," Committeeman Robert Finke says. "What am I going to do? Make an issue out of it?" Good point—nobody likes a guy who brings down a festive 9/11 gathering.
The stone has been removed, and CBS 2 reports that it will be replaced with a marker dedicated to the victims of 9/11, those who died at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and on Flight 93. "I am truly sorry if we have offended anyone," Mayor Samir Elbassiouny said in a classic half-apology statement. "The intent was to honor the victims and in no way was this meant to be disrespectful." But speaking to NBC New York, the mayor added, "If I write a proclamation honoring someone, I sign my name to it." In fact, Elbassiouny was elected in large part because of his ability to chisel his name into legislative tablets faster than any other candidate.
