<nettime> -- why fight WTC redevelopment by GOP?

[human being <human@electronetwork.org>]

[resending to nettime-l, sent to president@whitehouse, NYT
publisher, editors, architect Daniel Libeskind, NY City Council,
NYC Mayor, amongst others.]

  This e-mail is an update to the breaking story about the
  NYTimes pulling a story about GOP planning to lay the
  cornerstone of the Freedom Tower by Studio Libeskind,
  at the former WTC site, in New York City. Just received
  notice of movement on this issue, so will point to a few
  URLs for those who did not see the original article:

  For an excellent documented example of the changed
  headline via a screen-capture of the Google cache...
  <http://www.differentstrings.info/images/cornerstone.gif>
  {This contains one of the original, now missing, sentences.}

  For a whole-article scan of the offline newspaper, running
  under the same title that was switched/pulled online, see
  the excellent documentation, in full, at differentstrings.info:
  <http://www.differentstrings.info/images/nytpagescan.jpg>
  {The title of the article, and paragraph #1 were changed.+}

  Others have apparently been outraged by this story also,
  and have been documenting it online, for wider audiences:

June 14, 2003-- 9/11 Exploitation and NYT headline changes
<http://www.differentstrings.info/archives/002549.html>

The Cornerstone Of Shamelessness // Tom Tomorrow...
<http://www.thismodernworld.com/weblog/mtarchives/ 
week_2003_06_08.html#000769>

and Cursor.org for picking up the story....
<http://cursor.org/>

	'A June 13 article in the New York Times print edition, headlined  
"Goal Is To Lay Cornerstone at Ground Zero During GOP Convention," was  
changed in the Web edition to  'Officials Plan Speedy Ground Zero  
Environmental Review.'  The last line in the lead paragraph was also  
changed, from "This would allow them to lay the cornerstone of a  
1,776-foot tower in August 2004, during the Republican Convention," to  
"This would allow them to start construction by the summer of 2004."'

  A NY Daily News article has also been pointed out, which states:

	"In another development yesterday, Pataki insisted he
doesn't plan to lay the cornerstone for a 1,776-foot spire at
Ground Zero during next year's Republican convention.

  	"The comments came after a published report suggesting
that rebuilding officials were pushing to break ground for the
so-called Freedom Tower during the convention, which will
be held in the city in August 2004."

From: WTC garage plan 'horrible,' gov says. (June 14, 2003)
<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/92216p-83777c.html>

Commentary that this does not preclude any of the other
pantheon of GOPolitical party club members from breaking
ground, such as a Vice President or President, along with
Mayor or architect or whomever else gets skybox seats
around the smoldering ruins of Graham's preach-making,
is obviously of concern to citizens of constitutional nature.

Earlier, altered an image of lower Manhattan with this
in mind, and am placing it online to help spread the word:

IMAGE:  ideologicalGZ.jpg [image/jpeg] no copyright
<http://f05n16.cac.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A3=ind0304&L=design- 
l&P=1567909&E=2&B=--Apple-Mail-5-- 
169479155&N=ideologicalGZ.jpg&T=image/jpeg>
from:  
<http://f05n16.cac.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0304&L=design-l&O=D&P=13459>

one of many backstory article quotes at:
Bush's Aides Plan Late Campaign Sprint in '04
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and RICHARD W. STEVENSON
<http://f05n16.cac.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0304&L=design-l&O=D&P=10604>

and, like newspapers, i am adding a redundant piece
of commentary, as this is multiply-posted (and now the
electricity just went out from where I am writing this...)...

	`why fight WTC redevelopment by GOP?' [Earlier today]
	The Design-L list for art and architecture, since 1992...
	Visit archives: <http://lists.psu.edu/archives/design-l.html>

" hi ...., yes, I did send the e-mail to Studio Libeskind,
  the NYTimes Publisher and Editorial desk, the author of the article's
  e-mail was not available on their website, so sent it also to the
  NYC city government, including Mayor Bloomberg. In the past
  my experience with major news outlets and also 'rights' groups
  is that the issue has to be understood as being of significance to
  them, if it is not, it may not be considered worthwhile. In this case,
  the political use and privatization of architecture is un-noteworthy
  for a populace that may not relate to that idea, at all. Secondly,
  the NYTimes pulling the story may not be unusual (I do not know)
  but what effect it has is to provide 'political cover' for Republicans
  and the Republican agenda in NYC in 2004 during the elections.
  By not covering the story, by not investigating or sharing basic
  information, events will 'just happen' as part of the flow of events,
  and they will be reported after the fact, when valid criticism is too
  late, the barriers for constitutional protest are erected, and there
  is a safe zone for exploiting 9/11 for further political consolidation.
  Maybe it is unsurprising in that most all newspapers, on the whole,
  are doing exactly the same thing, as are mass media. I've seen
  local examples of protests against the Vice President go without
  any reporting, even when happening literally on the lawn of the
  local TV station (CBS owned). Without this dimension, there is
  no 'awareness' that this is even an issue, an important one at
  that, and basically it is not about political parties but the use of
  a collective event for political exploitation, which is beyond being
  plain wrong, it is irreparably dangerous- the U.S. Administration
  will then own the symbolic heart of NYC as a rallying cry for their
  political agenda, and the NY Times and NYC is handing it to them.
  when institutions are so timid as to 'unreport' an important story,
  and individuals have to beg for coverage (as they do not have
  the cover to guard against, say, not being able to dial-out since
  trying to send that message, without being disconnected) then
  something is seriously amiss with the role and legitimacy of such
  'institutions' and their value is lost, as is the architect who plays
  along with such propagandistic developments, the U.S. is now
  reinventing the totalitarian state, and its incorporated architect.
  that this reeks of horrific taste and ignorance needs no mention."

<http://f05n16.cac.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0306&L=design- 
l&F=&S=&P=4953>

  bc


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