Freedom Towers Makes a Reason-able Mistake
Reason magazine editor Nick Gillespie pointed out their coverage of the WTC and Pentagon attacks at their "Terror Strikes" page, and it contains lots of terrific stuff, including Nick's own excellent piece about rebuilding at the WTC. He points out that it also the origin of the Yamasaki quote I attributed to andrewsullivan.com (see below). Andrew runs an excellent site and you should still visit it, but I wanted to post the correction. And make sure you check out the Reason.com site, too.

Financing the new WTC through private contributions is a great idea in
the libertarian spirit. Don't use any tax money to do it. It will be a
great example of what The People can accomplish without any assistance from
the government---other than the waiving of taxes and EPA-type restrictions.
"Get out of our way!"
Be sure to include in the fundraising provision for a budget for
providing security for the new center. I'm thinking of a surplus of money to pay
higher than normal wages for security personnel and for better than
ordinary background checks. The buildings should not be known only as the
tallest in the world but also as the safest.
This, won't ever happen, but at least in my own mind I'll indulge
myself in imagining that the two new towers would be named "Howard Rourk Tower"
and "John Galt Tower".
-- Charlie MacDonald in Kobe, Japan

The Port of the World
Rebuilding the towers would be a beautiful act of defiance against those bringers of terror--the opponents of liberty across the world who would attempt to subjugate free men. They should be built bigger and better--to act as the pinnacles that drew men's eyes to the heart of downtown New York, the port of the world.
We should also resist the knee-jerk reaction to give up our freedom for that ellusive shadow of security that cannot be attained. We must push forward to broaden our freedoms and those of our neighbors, as well as those of all the people around the world. Any other path would be a victory for terrorism, which we cannot abide.
-- Gary Galloway, Cullowhee, NC

Rebuild them as big or bigger than they were before!
and GOD BLESS AMERICA!
-- Angie Staffieri

I'm ready to sign!
-- Nancy Hudson of Weatherford, Texas

Freedom, Unity, and Remembrance
Remember that WTC 7, a 45-story building, has also collapsed. Build
*three* 125-story towers on the sites of WTC 1, WTC 2, and WTC 7. Cap
each then with a Petronas-towers like pinnacles, which will house
memorials. Name the towers Freedom, Unity, and Remembrance. At the
top of each tower, place statues of Liberty similar to the one on the
Capitol dome -- the one on Freedom holding a pole topped with liberty
cap (an ancient symbol of freedom), the one on Unity weilding sword and
shield, and the one on rememberance holding a poppy (an international
symbol remembering the war dead).

Contrary to the opinions of many, I always thought the WTC towers were some of the most beautiful architectural wonders in the world. I would very much like them back. And I want to own stock in the Freedom Tower REIT.
-- Tim Hartigan, Bass Lake Wisconsin

Do buildings have cornerstones anymore?. .. containing the names of all that died along with a copy of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights should be laid on the day the last of the rubble has been cleared.
-- David

If we fail to rebuild then we have let them win. The new towers will be a living memorial to those who were lost. New Yorkers, and Americans, should not settle for less.
-- Susan Murphy, Hartford, CT

With Steel In Our Back
The rebuilding of the WTC tower(s) will be a punch in the gut of world terrorism. We must never give up. With steel in our back and a smile on our face, we will all unite to rebuild a soaring monument to American ingenuity and determination. Not only that, but it will have to be the tallest building in the world - Kuala Lumpur does not deserve to outpace the United States in architecture. The sight of two (or three) gleaming new towers filling in the NYC skyline will alert all would-be terrorists that we will always recover, while their nations will be smoking holes in the ground.
--Brian Hinkle of Littleton, CO

Let's rally! And get it done!
-- Michelle Binker

Add my name.
-- Tom Hughes of Culloden, WV

Absolutely rebuild. We must show America is more than a building. A
few billion to the federal government is nothing or we could really show
our unity and sell bonds as others have suggested. We must be in your face
to these sub humans.
-- Doug C.

To the Innocents Who Perished
To rebuild would be the best monument to those innocents who perished.
-- Bernie Parsons of Greenup, KY

Wonderful idea, we all stand together now and this can show what an awoken America can do
-- Stephen Linder

U S A
how about rebuilding them in the shape of a U S A , so they could be
seen from outer space as is the wall of China ? My son is an AF
fighter pilot, & if he has to make the ultimate sacrifice, this is a worthy
cause.
-- Linda S.

God HAS Blessed America
I recommend the financing be secured through a public offering to USA citizens only of $10 per share, limit 10 shares per each. If investments averages $20 per American, that's around $5.4 billion. Is that enough? The towers should be named "Freedom" and "Liberty." There is a distinction.
Rudy Giuliani should be the anti-terrorism czar. ABC-CBS-NBC TV Newscasters should shut up about how they think the president is doing, and just report the facts, the silly asses. There needs to be a thing to do or a place to go for old farts like me (over 60) who want to battle but probably ought not to. Can I rejoin the U.S. Navy, even if only to show my support and love of country? Perhaps a Vietnam Memorial-type wall at the site showing the names of all who perished, and a special memorial for those airline passengers who apparently thwarted one of the suicide missions. God HAS blessed America, from Sea to Shining Sea, and we need to honor that blessing by preserving the U.S. Constitution exactly as it was written.
-- Ron Pavellas

I always thought the towers were beautiful. Re-build.
-- James A. Walsh of Wilmington, DE

Count me in! I'd be more than willing to kick in a few bucks myself to
help out, and I think the idea of following the architectural style of the
Empire State building is great.
-- Tim Loftus, MSgt USMC (Retired), La Grange, KY

Be Patient, Thoughtful, Intelligent
In addition to the horrible loss of life, America, and New York in particular, has lost a mighty icon representing our way of life. I personally agree with all the others who want to see the towers rebuilt; bigger, better, and in defiance of the ignorant bastards who took them from us. However it is the New Yorkers who would be taking on the awesome responsibility and risk of once again hosting these important symbols of America. We must realize that their path to recovery will be long and arduous, and include some extremely difficult decisions. As important as rebuilding the towers may be to all of us, the practical considerations of day to day life, such as safety and peace of mind, must be taken into account. I suggest we all put ourselves in their shoes and support their decision, whatever it is. We must rebuild. But just as with our retaliation, let's be patient, thoughtful, and intelligent with our progress.
-- Bill Jordan

I went to the WTC once in the mid-'80s... and now regret that after
having a drink in the bar somewhere around the third floor that we didn't go up
to the observation deck since we had dinner reservations somewhere else.
They truly defined the word "awesome."

I've read that the reason the towers collapsed is because the steel
melted... and it melted because the use of wet asbestos was
discontinued during the construction due to environmental concerns that were not
based upon sound scientific inquiry. The planes impacted above the asbestos
zone, and the resultant fire melted the steel causing the pancaking that,
like a fist hammering the top of each tower, resulted in their collapses. It
has been suggested that the wet asbestos coating would have allowed the
steel beams to meet the standard of retaining their strength for up to four
hours... and as a result the buildings and most of the people would
have survived.

You have to marvel at a structure that can take the incredible impact
of a massive wide-body airliner, with more explosive and kinetic energy (but
not as much brisance) than a cruise missile, moving at over 300 mph and
remain standing. Who would have thought that the towers could basically
swallow the planes? The planes were utterly destroyed by the impact, but the
building stayed largely intact until the fires weakened the few
remaining support beams.

For the sake of our national psyche we MUST rebuild the towers... only
we must do it so they are even stronger. I agree with the sentiment of
making them defensible, and with making the memorials at the top.
-- John Clifford of Bellevue Washington

The Barbarians Within
So many good ideas: defiantly higher; radar, ack ack guns & SAM sites;
REIT financing from millions of individual Americans and others who
understand and love freedom; an international contest for the best design
(perhaps we'll discover that the original remains best?). Still, the most
nagging challenge will be whether sufficient tenants can be found. Despite our
best defensive efforts, it will remain a target for those who despise
freedom, capitalism, liberty, and hence any future tenants will be forever at
higher risk at the hands of the barbarians, ever abetted by their postmodern,
morally equivocating leftist allies in academia, media, and the
political class - the barbarians within.
-- Steven Fogarty of Salt Lake City

A Canadian Says: 'George W. Bush Is My President, Too'
Last night, my wife and I had dinner at a restaurant in Victoria,
British Columbia, Canada, where we live.

A "bum" approached us, as we were having a smoke outside the
restaurant. "Can you spare a cigarette?" he asked? My wife gave him three. He asked
us what we thought of the horrific disaster that had befallen our friends
and neighbors to the south.

"Since last Tuesday, George W. Bush is my president, too," he said. A
profound statement, indeed.

I weas born in Germany in 1935. When Hitler unleashed World War Two, I
was four years old. When my world collapsed in an unprecedented cataclysm,
I was 10.

That's when I met Americans for the first time. They were young
soldiers, many of whose comrades had died on the battle field. And yet, these
boys showed us, the German civilian population, no hostility whatsoever.
They were kind, especially to children like me.

It was the Marshall Plan that saved my life. It provided for one square
meal a day for the children of people who were America's enemies a scant few
months before. Without that help, I would not be alive today.

I emigrated to Canada in 1957. That was 44 years ago. Today, from my
living room window, I can see the Olympic Mountains in the state of
Washington, a mere 20 miles away. The strait between Canada and the U.S. is part of
the longest undefended border in the world.

Think about that one for a moment: about to six thousand miles of
border between two nations, undefended, no guns, not walls, not barbed wire,
no armed guards. Just friends. Just neighbors.

As I write this, my heart goes out to to families who lost loved ones
in last Tuesday's
horrible terrorist attack. I think back to these young American lads
who showed me so much kindness way back in 1945, and wonder whether one of
their sons or daughters, grandsons or granddaugters died last Tuesday at the
hands of terrorists.

I would like to say to Americans, thank you for being who you are. I
may not always like your politics. I am a journalist and must critize where
criticism is due.

But today, I am, once again, the 10-year-old, who on the first occasion
of meeting Americans, was full of wonder and admiration.

In conclusion, I would like to express my whole-hearted support for the
idea of rebuilding the two towers, taller and better than before.

And in defiance of those who would destroy our way of life, I say: yes,
call them Freedom and Unity, "and let the terrorists figure outr what the
intials stand for."
-- Hubert Beyer

A Vital Message
I can't imagine one person in this country that wouldn't sign this petition. Of course they need to be rebuilt - bigger, better
and more beautiful than any buildings in the history of the world. They will serve to send the vital message to the rest of the
world that we still have the essence, the drive, the unity and the willpower so overwhelmingly displayed during the
Revolution and WWII. Build a memorial atop the 200th floor right next to the anti-aircraft guns. I personally can't think of a
better name than Freedom Towers. May the tears we shed as a nation serve to strengthen our resolve towards this end.
-- Brian Asklund of Bondurant, IA.

Build them bigger and better than before! Lets show those terrorists
how wrong they were about America. We don't cower in the corner!
-- Dora Keller of Everett, WA

America has drifted for decades. It may be that we
require a life and death challenge to bare the steel
that lives beneath the skin of every free man.
So be it.
We must rebuild the towers. Not as a monument to
victims, or a statement of defiance in our national
outrage.
We don't really need a temple to our greatness; any
cathedral falls far short of touching God's welcome
mat. We...each man and woman, every boy and girl
raised to live free...are the true miracles in this
world.
We ARE the power that drives America. We are one
nation, out of many. I cried more than once this past
week, but less from sadness than out of pride. I have
doubted my fellows for years. I thought we had lost
the thread that joins but never binds. I was wrong.
Persons unknown attacked THINGS we made. They think
that we hold THINGS above people. That we would roll
over and die because they broke our shiny glass and
steel towers.
Barbarians. Animals.
They will die, not for broken glass and twisted steel,
but to atone tenfold for every single innocent life
wasted on Tuesday 11 September 2001. Things we MAKE,
we can go back and make again. We will make the next
towers a little better, a little bigger, with plaques
and sculptures and all sorts of little improvements
because it's what we do when something is broken.
I support a public subscription for a new set.
Scratch the AA and SAMs, though. Dead men don't
hijack airplanes.
-- A.R. Jonesof Orem, Utah

Just as Before
I have had no doubt since the towers first fell that they will be rebuilt. I say build them just as
before with the improvements that come from advances in technology. Same height. Same number
of floors. They were fine just as they were.
-- Jeff Wolfe

Standing In Wonder at the Base of the Towers
Just a few weeks ago I took my 6 year old son and my 3 year old daughter, along with their cousins to stand in wonder at
the base of those towers, marveling at how they almost seem to tilt toward you against the crystalline blue sky. Now the
next time I visit with my children a colossus will be brought down, scattered in pieces at their feet. Let me tell them that
Americans don't give up when knocked down, that our spirit and our strength is to go back, to go on, to go higher. And
God grant me the privilege of standing at the plaza with my children.. taller, smarter, stronger, on the day the Towers are
reopened. So we may all tilt our heads back to again marvel at America's reach into the sky.
-- John Dormin of Pearl River, New York

That cowardly murdering bastard Bin Laden said he wanted those towers destroyed, so to let them stay
demolished is to let him win. No Way!!! I can think of no better way to show that idiot what we think of
him (besides making Afghanistan a parking lot) than to put them back even bigger and better than before.
There is also no better way to memorialize our fellow Americans who were cold-bloodedly murdered. I
would bet each and every one of them would cheer the idea!
-- James Lewallen

Like many others, I was not enamored of the WTC's
design, but after this week's horrific events, I
absolutely agree that we *must* rebuild there! America
is not to be trifled with!
-- Meg Quinn of Dallas Texas

In the Aye Column
In my bedroom at my parents' house, there is a framed, matted poster of
the New York skyline, with the World Trade Center in the middle.
Unfortunately, I never got to visit the Twin Towers before the
bastards
knocked them down. Therefore, it is imperative that Freedom and Unity
be rebuilt. (I like the initials.) Put me down in the "aye" column.
-- David Guenthner of Austin, TX

To Heal Ourselves
Rebuild the Towers. The New York skyline does not and has never belonged solely to New Yorkers. It is a Symbol and a
sight of the United States. It belongs to all of us. The attack occurred in New York & Washington, but it really was an attack
on us all. We need to rebuild to heal ourselves and show the world that we can rebuild what was stolen from us. I like the
idea of a memorial on the top of the towers, a way to always remember those who were killed for the crime of being an
American!!!
-- Tom Harden of Muscatine IA

No Hiding
Absolutely! Make them the tallest, most spectacular buildings in the
world! All those citizens of the U.S. and other nations who were
cold-bloodedly murdered on Tuesday would not want us wallowing in grief
and
self-pity, hiding in our homes, and wondering where the next attack
will
be. Rebuild them! We have the technology! And let's do it while the
brave
men and women of our armed forces are overseas demonstrating to bin
Laden
and others of his sick, twisted, corrupt faith what it actually means
to
be AT WAR with America. Count me in!
-- Peter M.

Let's make em the tallest buildings in the world by far! Freedom and Unity will become the new symbols of everything America stands for.
-- Joe Joslin

Dont Forget the Side Buildings
So many good ideas here. Freedom and Unity it must be, but as someone who once worked in WTC 4 don't forget the side buildings. The tallest side building on one side of each tower, and two smaller ones on the other sides. Look at your hands to complete the picture - this is New York after all.
-- David M. - San Diego

Another volunteer
I'm still in college, but I'd gladly scrape up some money for this
project. And when I graduate, I'd be proud to work there.
-- Eric Jonak, San Antonio, TX

And the world grieves with us...
Not everybody around the world laughs at our misery.
A little much-needed salve for the heart . . .
Touching...this is one of the best ones I've seen thus far...
http://home.cfl.rr.com/teraflop/thank%20you.htm
-- Kathy

Count me in. Get those towers back up!
-- Laura J.