An American Speaks Out on the Flight 93 Memorial

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,

My name is Bill Steiner. I live in Mt. Pleasant, PA

I come to Somerset today with the same deep respect and heavy heart that my wife and I carried here over 2 ½ years ago on Sunday July 31, 2005 when we came to see the five finalists in the Flight 93 Memorial design competition.

We came with eager anticipation to experience each of the designs, knowing one of them would carry a most important final tribute forever into time and into the minds and hearts of all Americans.

After only a few minutes in the display room, it was abundantly and unequivocally clear that the most well done design was horribly flawed with Islamic symbolism.

We were truly dumbstruck that the main feature was a huge perfectly shaped Red Islamic Crescent and was called the “Crescent of Embrace”.

We knew for certain that those two features alone were enough to cruelly taint this

design and to make grossly inappropriate.

My wife knew the “Crescent of Embrace” would be chosen as the winner because it was by far the most esthetically pleasing and was the most well done.

After dropping a disapproving comment in the suggestion box, we came home and did our best to urgently sound the alarm to everyone we possibly could.

Our mission was urgent, the choice was about to be made.

Unfortunately, we find it necessary to come again today with the very same warning... that nothing substantive has been changed, except for a different name and with a few trees added to make the Crescent look like a circle.

We find only cosmetic changes...a disguise...an alias and a beard. It is the same design we found in July 2005.

While nothing much has been changed, much, much more has been found...noting the extensively documented discoveries and claims of my collaborator, Alec Rawls.

Everyone in this room is familiar with this controversy.

We are certainly not alone in our expressions of concern and dismay for what this design contains.

Representative Tom Tancredo and family member Tom Burnett, Sr. have been very outspoken in calling for the design to be scrapped and another chosen. We certainly agree and so do many, many others.

Thousands and thousands of our citizens are now fully aware that our claims have merit.

Well over 95% of those with whom I share the design easily comprehend the inappropriate content and cannot understand why you would allow it to remain.

Most all strongly ask, “Who is responsible for this design?”

There is simply just too much of an obviously questionable nature contained in the Murdoch design to let it stand unchallenged.

It must be fully, publicly, and most of all, independently, vetted.

We are requesting an open, honest, properly constituted congressional investigation of what we have found.

The victims of Flight 93 and their families deserve to have the air cleared so they can rest.

The American people deserve to know completely the nature of what they are purchasing here as a memorial to this horrific tragedy and dastardly act of war. It must be a proper and fitting one with no hint or suggestion of anything Islamic involved, whatsoever.

Please consider the consequences of allowing this flawed design to pass into our history and into perpetuity.

We ask you to let the light shine in. Please let the American people know the details. Please let them decide.

Thank you very much.

End public comments.