9/11 monument--a hole in the ground

I love Mark Steyn's quick wit, as well as his insight which sometimes make things clear. I have been thinking about a point he made the other day--that no one would care much about this issue of how close a mosque/Islamic center should be built to ground zero if ground zero were not still a hole in the ground nearly a decade later.

Above, "ground zero" in April 2010. Below, construction begins on the foundation of the World Trade Center in 1966.

The towers originally took seven years to build. And a lot of things have been built since 2001, including the tallest building in the world. There are a lot of things that have plagued the rebuilding effort: choosing a design, bureaucracy, government red tape, a lack of leadership, funding, etc. But let's not forget that the Empire State Building rose during the depression.

I've been thinking about that massive hole in the ground at the south end of Manhattan. It has a lot to say about who we are and the problems we face. I haven't worked it all out in my mind. Perhaps you have some thoughts. But I'm sure that until we rebuild, our national conscience will be troubled, though we may not always understand why.