Who?

I thought you might know something about the ex-museum: turns out I was right. You're right in that reward often correlates with risk. If the International Freedom Center would have fulfilled everything presented in its mission statement, of course we would all be better off. But I worry, having had a few walks around the World War II memorial on the National Mall over the summer, that anything designed by committee which seeks to draw a larger message from death and suffering is ultimately doomed to failure.

Contrast the World War II memorial with the Vietnam War memorial, for example. Three guesses as to which one I find superior in terms of expressing an understanding of sacrifice and loss, and ultimately providing a greater moral lesson. One is as minimalist as they come in presenting a record of sacrifice and loss: one indulges in giant bronze wreaths and eagles, quotes from generals and history books, and in every way ignores Abraham Lincoln's observation that the works of man are ultimately inadequate when compared to the sacrifice of those who die in war. I question the ability of a board or committee to recognize this and have the collective will to implement a solution accordingly. But, maybe I'm just a pessimist when it comes to government-constructed monuments.

I think you're correct in your assessment of efforts to memorialize September 11th: small, panicked advances and retreats do seem to be the order of the day.

Speaking of the order of the day, I nominate today for National Cronyism day. Clearly, FEMA is a bad place for apparatchiks of the Bush administration, but I suppose a life-tenure slot on the United States Supreme Court is as good a place as any for a former staff secretary and counsel. I mean, how much harm could a Category 5 hurricane Justice Myers do? I suppose Katrina only raged full bore for about a week: we may be stuck with Harriet Myers for the next twenty-odd years. Much smarter, more knowledgeable people than I are out there writing about this: but I particularly like Joel Achenbach's analysis of the situation, in particular the 8:56 AM post. Events like this are why I think they canceled Comedy Central's George Bush spoof sitcom--real-life events quickly attained a level of farce that no sitcom writer could hope to match.