Posted on 08/06/2008 8:23:00 AM PDT by Sergeant Tim
Arizona Sen. John McCain’s campaign will donate $5,000 to the Flight 93 National Memorial.
Paul Lindsay, the senator’s Pennsylvania campaign press spokesman, on Tuesday confirmed a report by network television stations that the presumptive Republican presidential candidate’s campaign will donate the contribution it received in April from Ted Stevens’ Northern Light PAC to the memorial. Indicted Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska pleaded not guilty on Thursday to accusations of planning to conceal thousands of dollars worth of gifts from an oil-services company.
King Laughlin, campaign manager for the National Park Foundation, said he was aware of the news reports, but he hasn’t been contacted by McCain’s office. His comments came on Saturday during a recess of the joint meeting of the Flight 93 Memorial Task Force and the Flight 93 Federal Advisory Commission.
“I think the essential message is the capital campaign is open to all Americans to make donations,” he said. “When you choose to make a gift, you are joining 35,000 other people from every state and other nations who have donated.”
He said that $13 million has already been donated toward the goal of $35 million in private donations. That is on track for the $15 million goal for the first phase of construction, which will be the sacred ground area where Flight 93 crashed and the field of honor. Each of the three phases of fundraising will correlate to construction. The total estimated cost of the memorial, including land acquisition, is about $58 million.
“We are well on our way,” Laughlin said. “There are a number of outstanding commitments that will be coming to fruition in the next couple of months. They will be a catalyst for more. It’s been our experience that the best campaigns are the ones that have the best volunteers.”
Ken Nacke, task force member, told the groups that he came up with an idea for a motorcycle run to raise money and awareness of Flight 93. The goal is to leave the Newark, N.J., airport, where Flight 93 departed, and ride to San Francisco, the flight’s destination. He is planning for the ride to begin on Sept. 11, 2009.
“It will be a daunting task, but it will link the memorial, the Families of Flight 93 and the nation together,” he said.
Sharon Deitrick, owner of Deitrick and Associates, Akron, Ohio, spoke about the 93 cents for Flight 93 campaign, aimed at getting a million people to donate 93 cents each. It was started in schools and universities in Ohio. It has raised about $4,000 so far, she said. Kids are invited to create a logo for the campaign on the Web site 93centsforflight93.org.
Pete Mahoney, associate athletic director, Kent State University, said the university athletic department and the 93 cents for Flight 93 campaign will present “Flight 93: An Education on Everyday Heroes” on the college campus the week of Sept. 8. Various educational activities and displays will be presented. On Sept. 13, the home opener football game will be “Heroes’ Day” to honor members of the armed forces, police, fire and rescue squads.
This is class.
That’s great Tim...
At least McCain will be a good Commander-in-Chief for our troops...
Great.
Top that, Obambi.
This action is most admirable.
I have visited the site. It is a sobering and emotional experience. Never forget.
What a generous thing for him to do.
Crass.
Has anyone informed the McCain campaign this memorial is an insult to the brave Americans who died on that flight?
It is a crescent - facing mecca.
It is an insult - it is disgusting.
I didn’t realize how bad this memorial was until a few days ago after reading freepers.
Is he donating to help build “The Crescent Of Embrace” memorial?
The one that is a red muslim crescent, aligned with mecca?
this is politics. they had a toxic donation, and needed to find the most pr-worthy way of getting rid of it. He will get far more value per dollar from this 5k$ than possibly any other possible expenditure his campaign makes this month.
If they would put a Big middle finger salute where the star is and the finger pointed towards the center of the bow, I would approve it.
“Is he donating to help build “The Crescent Of Embrace” memorial? The one that is a red muslim crescent, aligned with mecca?”
When the design was first approved, I was outraged, along with many other FReepers. There were several threads here.
I wrote to many of my fellow Newark flight attendants and asked that they fight with me to oppose the design. They thought I was crazy for looking at this as a red muslim crescent, aligned with mecca.
This design was approved by the families whose loved ones perished on the flight. In fact, we have a FReeper whose father was on the flight. This FReeper made comments on the threads saying he totally approved of the design.
Chris...are you here? Do you still feel the same?
(Sorry. I forgot your screen name.)
That’s nice. He can have an opinion too.
Mine is different than his.
VERY different.
Just when I was thinking about voting/campaigning for him. NO! I will not support a candidate too stupid to see that the Flight 93 memorial is a Crescent-shaped Muslim Trophy.
There are many families who OPPOSE the design, but they were pushed out...shunned by those who are too blind to see.
I lost a brother-in-law (FDNY) in the South Tower and a friend (CSM, US Army) in the Pentagon on 9/11, live 50 miles north of Shanksville, am US Army retired, know both 9/11 family members and Shankville residents on the memorial boards, and have followed the Flight 93 National Memorial project closely.
The allegations of a conspiracy to create a memorial to the terrorists has been checked and found baseless. The exaggerated depiction of a red crescent onto the plan was crass at best. The plan long ago addressed the concerns.
For those who don’t know, the sugar maples — which are common to the area and leaf green except for three weeks of the year during the fall — have been changed out. The configuration of the bowl has been altered and the wall shortened after a site survey (that was going to happened all along yet could not be accomplished until enough of the land was acquired this year). The orientaion was always a B.S. issue as that is a natural bowl (for those who have not been there), and the crash occured at the southwestern edge of it next to the tree line. They were not going to knock down a forest to reorient the crash site.
Snipers: set down the kool aide, update your information, know of what you speak, and stop slandering the thrity-nine 9/11 families and the good people of Somerset County working hard to get the Flight 93 National Memorial right.
Ping!
Ted Stevens of Alaska pleaded not guilty on Thursday to accusations of planning to conceal thousands of dollars worth of gifts from an oil-services company."accusations of planning to conceal"???
Many thanks for that post #17.
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