Families of 9/11 Victims Can View Remains

[deadparrot]

NEW YORK - Family members of Sept. 11 victims will be able to enter a private room in the World Trade Center memorial and look through a window at a chamber storing more than 9,000 pieces of unidentified human remains, development officials said.

In a "contemplation room" next door, the public will be able to pay respects to an empty, symbolic vessel. Development officials disclosed more information about the design this week as they sought construction bids for the memorial.

The climate-controlled, low-humidity storage chamber for the victims' remains is one of several rooms to be built where the trade center's north tower stood, said Anne Papageorge, who oversees memorial development for the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.

The remains will not be visible from the window, Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the city Medical Examiner's office, said Wednesday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060105/ap_on_re_us/attacks_memorial

[Heddi]

1. That's kind of, uh, bizarre

I suppose I can't understand the emotional needs of family members and loved ones of those who were lost on 9/11/01, so I can't judge anyone who would agree to do this.

However, the whole idea of this is just very bizarre to me. This is nearly 5 years after the fact. I understand the room is climate-controlled and all of that, but...is it bones? flesh?

I don't think that I would want to see "unidentified human remains" that may or may not be from someone I loved who perished in the WTC Attacks. I think I'd prefer to imagine they died in a very quick and painless way, and that their bodies were immediately incenerated. To view "bits", in my opinion, would force me to realize that many people, my loved one included possibly, died horribly and violently, not quick and without pain or realization. :shrug:

[uppityperson]

2. If this makes family feel better, fine. But ...

No family of mine was killed on 9/11, so I cannot say for sure how I would feel, but I think I would be appalled. Bury those body bits in a respectful way.

Not to compare apples with oranges, but why the hell haven't they spent the time finishing collecting the bodies after Katrina?

[Heddi]

4. to answer your question

"but why the hell haven't they spent the time finishing collecting the bodies after Katrina?"

because there's no faux patriotisim with regards to Katrina. It was mainly poor black people. In the South.

It didn't give us a cause to go to war. It didn't give us a cause for Patriot-Act type legislation.

9/11 did, though, and in a way, still does.

Our country wasn't covered in American flags and catch-phrase bumper stickers and jingoistic emails in the days and weeks after Katrina. There can be no vengeance in Katrina like there was in 9/11. The bodies/remains of 9/11 victims were quickly retrieved so that flag-draped coffins could be paraded around, as snapshots of greiving families were plastered on the front page of newspapers, and harried widows snagged interviews with Primetime and 20/20, all the while our government is rallying for "Vengeance" and "Justice" and "Evil doers", rattling sabers and writing plans for war.

But what "vengeance" and "justice" can one serve on a hurricane? How does one go about invading a Hurricane? Especially a hurricane that didn't affect generally affluent, generally white, generally male, generally white-collared Americans? When that hurricane didn't affect the largest city in the country, crippling our infastructure.

The government was never interested in collecting the bodies/remains of 9/11 victims. They were interested in collecting propaganda peices that could be trotted out whenever the masses forgot their duty to call for 24-hour war and vengeance and hostility and death.

I guarantee you that if the Twin Towers fell because of an earthquake, or shoddy engineering, 1/2 of those "unidentified human remains" would still be at the site, and the event would largely be forgotten by most Americans who weren't directly affected by the event. Much like Katrina....

[Minstrel Boy]

3. Families of Katrina victims can view their remains, too.

By visiting what remains of what used to be their homes.

[shance]

5. Kind of like they can view their votes.... through a window.

Don't look too closely.

How bizarre and lacking of any compassion and/or trust.

[MercutioATC]

6. So they can go to a window and view a big box?

Does that make any sense?

[thebigidea]

8. and why is the box only to be viewed by 9/11 families? Its all just weird.

whoever came up with this one thought himself right out of the box and out of his mind.

Can you imagine the planning sessions for this.

"Gee, Boss. What do we do with all this bone, flesh, and decaying body fragments?"

"gosh, Lenny. Why not put it all in a big box and have a special window that people can look at it through."

"Yeah, and maybe we can charge admission!"

"That's a little ghoulish. Lets keep it to t-shirts and coffee mugs."

[thebigidea]

7. wow, that's pretty macabre

next we'll hear about how some doctor is combining all the body parts into one giant being to "symbolize humanity rising from the ashes 9/11" or something.

Bela Lugosi is behind this all somehow.

[keopeli]

9. this is similar to Lenin embalmed in Red Square eom

[daleo]

10. This is truly strange

And the contrast with Katrina is amazing, as others have pointed out.

[flamingpie2500]

11. sounds like the medical examiners office needs room--what a crock!