Editorial: No stump speeches on 9/11
A wreath is laid at the World Trade Center's South Tower during a ceremony at the Sept. 11 memorial to honor recovery workers and first responders. (May 30, 2012) Credit: Craig Ruttle
Sometimes less really is more. The ceremony at Ground Zero marking the 11th anniversary of the 9 / 11 attacks will be limited to family members reading the names of the victims. There's an elegant simplicity in that approach.
It just feels right, and not only because it means no speeches by politicians. Elected officials, such as Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, actually demonstrated admirable restraint in last year's 10th anniversary ceremony, tastefully drawing their remarks from the Bible, Abraham Lincoln and Shakespeare. But by stripping the 2012 program to its essence, there's no danger the event will be politicized in this election year.
Befitting the occasion, the ceremony will be simple, solemn and profound.
