Fox News host compares 9/11 memorials to confederate statues, frets memorials will be taken down – By Jen Hayden (dailykos.com) / Sept 11 2017
Today marks the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack on Washington, D.C., and New York City. To mark the solemn occasion, Fox & Friends invited Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who was serving as a Navy SEAL instructor on 9/11, to talk about his visit to Shanksville, Pennyslvania—the site where Flight 93 crashed on that horrific day.
After Zinke offered a moment of reflection, host Brian Kilmeade pivoted to the real question we should be asking ourselves today: In 100 years, will people be removing the memorials marking this tragic terror attack? Because Confederate statues erected 50 or 100 years after the Civil War ended in order to memorialize and celebrate the men who divided the country, engaged in treason against the Union, and fought to enslave an entire group of people is totally the same thing as a memorial remembering the thousands of Americans who died in a terror attack.
Watch Brian Kilmeade seamlessly and shameless pivot to the Confederate statue discussion. Frankly, it’s a bit of a miracle that Hillary Clinton’s emails and Colin Kaepernick’s civil rights stand didn’t somehow wind up in this discussion.
Thanks to Media Matters for the transcript and the video, which you can watch below:
AINSLEY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): Mr. Secretary, you and the vice president will be there [at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA] today. What can we expect? What are you going to be doing there?
SEC. RYAN ZINKE: Well, today is really a memorial for the 40 passengers. We’re going to talk to the families that are here. We were here yesterday dedicating a chime with 40 chimes, the design of it, shovel ground breaking for that portion of the monument. We’re really reflecting on how great this country is, the sacrifices we have made and also talking about the change that 9/11 brought to all Americans.
BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): Do you worry 100 years from now someone is going to try to take that memorial down like they are trying to remake our memorials today?
ZINKE: Well, I’m one that believes that we should learn from history. And I think our monuments are a part of our country’s history. We can learn from it. Since we don’t put up statues of Jesus, everyone is going to fall morally short. And I think reflecting on our history both good and bad is a powerful statement and part of our D.N.A. I’m an advocate of, again, learning from our monuments. Understanding the period they were made, but also we live in a great country and monuments are not Republican, Democrat, independent. Monuments are a tribute to all of us.
PB/TK – One of these things ain’t like the other.. The whole comparison argument is really pushing it. There’s no historical comparison between 9/11 and Confederate monuments. Why not complain that the Mr Rogers memorial should be torn down because he taught generations about compassion or maybe let’s compare the tearing down of the Joe Paterno statue to that of General Robert E Lee’s removal. Oh we can go all day.. Hey I’m tired of the Elby’s “Big Boy” statue mocking fat people…..
