PHOENIX-
A panel that oversaw Arizona’s memorial to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, will re-examine the language of some of the monument’s inscriptions after a hail of criticism, the commission’s leader said.
Billy Shields, chairman of the Arizona 9/11 Memorial Commission and president of the United Phoenix Fire Fighters, said Friday that he would wait until after the November election to reconvene the panel. He said Sept. 11 victims and their family members should not be politicized.
“I firmly believe this would not be an issue if it were not a political year,” Shields said.
Len Munsil, the Republican candidate for governor, is among those who say some of the memorial’s inscriptions contain messages that “blame America” and fail to include sentiments related to faith, unity and patriotism.
Former Gov. Jane Hull, a Republican, appointed half the commissioners and Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano appointed the rest. Napolitano said she did not approve the quotations but recently said some inscriptions were being taken out of context.
The memorial includes lines such as “You don’t win battles of terrorism with more battles”; “Congress questions why CIA & FBI didn’t prevent attacks”; and “Erroneous US air strike kills 46 Uruzgan (Afghanistan) civilians.”
The memorial could easily be modified, Shields said, adding that he would oppose any change to the its design.
The memorial was dedicated on the fifth anniversary of the attacks.
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