Let's think about a hallowed ground for a moment, and what obligations the hallowing of a ground imposes on us. Let's take the World Trade Center for a moment; let's think about another ground that definitely deserves to be hallowed: Hiroshima. More than 100,000 people died there, either from the explosion itself or from radiation poisoning.
And what did the residents of Hiroshima do after the war? They built a Peace Park at ground zero. They declared themselves a Peace City. Hiroshima's Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, that familiar domed and gutted building that stood near ground zero, is the largest building in the Peace Park. There are no symbols of Japanese triumphalism, no shiny towers to declare its unbreakable spirit. No, the mayor of Hiroshima (and all the mayors after him) decided that the best way to honor the dead was to campaign against nuclear weapons. The city continues to do that today.
It would be nice if our ground zero could become an international home of reconciliation. Instead of continuing the hatred, defuse it. Islam is a religion of peace, just as Christianity is. Each religion has slipped off the peace wagon many times, often in military clashes with each other, but nothing is very wrong with appealing to the better angels of their natures. A peace park in Lower Manhattan; what a concept.
http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/carroll/