Whose Memorial?

To the Editor:

The fact that Mayor Bloomberg will now head the WTC Memorial Board and that Governor Pataki will remain a lifetime honorary member underscores the fact that the memorial process has always been a behind-the-scenes effort devoid of external input.

They have championed aspects of the memorial that most victims' families - and indeed most Americans - are against. The current proposal still includes dangerous and unsafe underground locations, it is still ridiculously expensive, and it still does not list those killed together according to their affiliations.

This was not a random event. It was a diabolical, pre-meditated, serial act of war. Mayor Bloomberg says that no design will please everyone. True. But so far, they have managed to please virtually no one save the designer and a few powerful individuals. To think that they were willing to lend credence to a pernicious International Freedom Center, but they deny any say by the family members and most Americans regarding the memorial is a sad but true commentary that the will of the people is being denied as it relates to what should be America's Memorial.

JAMES McCAFFREY, Advocates for a 9/11 Fallen Heroes Memorial