“This is a country that was founded on a belief in God, period. We are a country that was based on Judeo-Christian beliefs.”For background, read Atheists Sue to Remove Christ from 9/11 Memorial and also read Clergy & Prayer Banned From 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorial
-- Congressman Michael Grimm, Bay Ridge, NY
-- From "S.I. Congressman Wants WTC Steel Cross To Be National Monument" by The Associated Press 9/6/11
A Staten Island congressman . . . Rep. Michael Grimm said he was pushing for protective status for the 20-foot steel cross that was found amid the ruins of the World Trade Center site.
“The focus and goal of my legislation will be to make the cross a national monument. Therefore, once and for all, putting an end to whether the cross should be part of 9/11, whether it shouldn’t,” Grimm told 1010 WINS.
The congressman from New York’s 13th congressional district, said that the iron beams need to be memorialized because they “were a symbol of hope and comfort for so many enduring such a horrific time in our history.”
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From "Grimm: Make ‘9-11 cross’ a national monument" by Dan MacLeod, The Brooklyn Paper 9/7/11
The freshman congressman says that only federal protection [will] thwart a lawsuit from an atheist group that claims that displaying the Christian icon in a federally funded museum violates the First Amendment’s block on government-sponsored religion.
Grimm countered that in the context of the 9-11 attacks, the cross is not a religious icon, but rather a symbol of “hope and freedom at a time when New Yorkers were coping with loss and destruction in the aftermath of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.”
Grimm pointed out that a Star of David cut from steel from one of the buildings, and a Bible fused to a piece of Trade Center steel would also be included in the museum’s display . . .
There are no overtly religious symbols currently protected, though the Washington Monument has religious inscriptions in the stairway and a plaque bearing the words “Praise be to God” on its cap. And some nationally recognized monument sites have religious histories for American Indians or for Spanish missionaries.
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From "NY Lawmaker Proposes for 9/11 Ground Zero Cross to Become National Monument" by Nicola Menzie, Christian Post Contributor 9/6/11
With the legislation titled the "9/11 Memorial Cross National Monument Establishment Act of 2011," Rep. Michael G. Grimm hopes to convince his fellow legislators to approve the bill.
“I find it reprehensible that this [atheist] group would disgrace the beliefs of millions of people in an effort to garner a little media attention for their cause," the Republican lawmaker said.
[Jane Everhart, director of communications for New York City Atheists, laughed saying] "We think of this [steel remnant] as a big piece of junk."
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From "SI GOPer pans Bam's Sept. 11 script" by S.A. Miller, New York Post Correspondent 9/2/11
"How we choose to remember and reflect on that day is a deeply personal decision and not one that should be dictated by the White House," fumed Rep. Mike Grimm (R-SI). "For New Yorkers, 9/11 was a devastating and life-changing event."
The White House circulated the guidelines to government officials in the United States and at American embassies and consulates in foreign countries, trying to stage 9/11 observances so they have the appropriate tone for both American and foreign audiences.
The one-page document, which was produced after weeks of debate inside the White House, directs officials to honor both the American lives lost on 9/11 and the victims of subsequent terrorist attacks around the world.
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Also read Obama Honors 9/11 Muslim Heroes at White House
