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Cornell Republicans, Democrats Co-Host 9/11 Memorial Flag Planting
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Cornell Democrats and Cornell Republicans hosted a joint flag planting memorial to commemorate the 9/11 attacks.
The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/911/)
Cornell Democrats and Cornell Republicans hosted a joint flag planting memorial to commemorate the 9/11 attacks.
As is the case with 9/11, events of the past become etched in our memory and recur with disregard for the shackles of time.
We can aspire to have President Trump look up to better crisis managers than George W. Bush, as is urged by the Sun’s recent opinion piece. When former President Bush released his video statement on the coronavirus, I appreciated it; why not? He said something thought out, smart and agreeable. But as awesome as unifying rhetoric may be and as necessary as it is from the President of the United States, it’s a low bar to meet. Crisis management isn’t just putting out a good statement — it’s taking real action.
The most impactful event that has happened in my lifetime is one I don’t even remember. On Sept. 11, 2001, I was nearly one year old. Any adult can tell you where they were and who they were with when the largest terrorist attack on American soil occurred. Sept.
The groups planted 297 American flags in the grass on the Arts Quad as a temporary memorial, each representing 10 lives of the 2977 lives lost in the attacks.
On September 11, 2001, nearly three thousand Americans tragically lost their lives at the hands of terrorists. Those terrorists carried out a heinous attack on our way of life, our sense of safety and our freedom. Our fellow citizens were forever immortalized not just as victims, but as heroes. Every year, on the anniversary of this dark day, we solemnly say — or nod in agreement when someone else says — “Never Forget.” On social media, we solemnly retweet and “like” posts bearing the hashtagged phrase. And every year, we are liars.
A Cornell professor lamented on Wednesday that the United States is abandoning its humanitarian tradition by limiting the number of refugees it resettles in the country during the first “Chats in the Stacks” book talk of the semester.
Dozens gathered on Cornell’s Arts Quad on Monday evening to pay tribute to the thousands of Americans who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks 16 years ago.
“The memorial provides a permanent home where we can remember our alumni who were lost that day,” Murphy said. “It helps the families know that Cornell has not forgotten their family members.”
This year’s remembrance will include three more events than in previous years, when the clubs only hosted a fundraising event for Ithaca Veterans of Foreign Wars.