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Six Years and Counting
The anniversary of the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks was with us again this past week. It always is a bitter anniversary. Remnants of the tragedy are still with us and the suffering of the day is still felt in the lives of those who suffered through the event and those who still suffer the effects of cleaning up afterward.
Insurance compensation has been uneven to the point of being unjust. Firefighters and construction workers still suffer. Some recently even have lost their lives because debris from that day has not been removed. These brave young and strong men and women have had their bodies torn and wasted. Planning for the future comes down to avoiding premature death.
Rebuilding the site of the tragedy has been delayed by bureaucracy and politics. Public officials quibble over the nature of memorials. The entire scene is more a symbol of confusion than anything else and, yet we are faced with the memorial of that terrible day and violent event.
Much has been said and written but the challenge remains of what to do. One certain mandate is for prayer in memory of those who lost their lives and for their families forever broken, wives and children living on through the tragedy.
May the survivors never lose hope, nor courage. May we never forget the feelings of anguish and torment of that day six years ago. To forget would be an additional injustice to those who gave their lives.
Prayer must also include the families who are living on with those wounded by the tragedy and its aftermath. The prayers must be for hope, courage, and justice.
People are living with heavy burdens made worse by public indecision over the meaning and remedies of the tragedy. Let our prayer extend also to those public officials who are entrusted — may we say burdened — with the grave responsibility of making sense of all this.
The Passing of Astroland
The potential dismantling of Astroland in Coney Island marks the definitive end of Coney Island as the poor man’s Mecca on Brooklyn’s Oceanside.
Coney Island has suffered many deaths through the process of its long-awaited revival. Fire destroyed Dreamland, a memory only to the oldest among us. It was also fire that took away Luna Park, said to have been the brightest of all the amusement areas. Thus the expression “all lit up like Luna Park.” Most recently – 40 years ago – Steeplechase Park closed at the site where now stands KeySpan Park, home of the divisional champion Brooklyn Cyclones.
Each change has meant the end of an era for an ethnic group that found recreation close to home by the seashore. Nothing could beat the accessibility of Coney Island. You didn’t need a car to get there. Public transportation was readily available.
At its end, Astroland was a refuge for many minority children who lived nearby in high rise city housing. One wonders what the future of the poor and lower middle class will be in the new Coney Island!
The passing of an amusement park marks the passing of an institution, an element that contributes to the mysterious element we speak of as quality of life.
We should look into the reality of the quality of life as we look at the lives of the less fortunate, whose homes are tenements and the local grocery store is the bodega and public schools and schoolyards are the playgrounds of the inner city.
Many point proudly at their ability to get out of the ghetto and better their lives. We must look back at what fueled those escapes from poverty. Too bad a trip to Astroland will not be among them!
Welcome Back, Great Irish Fair
In a special pullout section this week, we have printed the schedule and the details of the Great Irish Fair which will be conducted, Sept. 22 and 23 at KeySpan Park in Coney Island.
But it would be wrong to allow this opportunity to pass without congratulating Martin Cottingham, chairman of the Fair, and his stalwart committee, for resurrecting The Great Irish Fair, which was not held last year.
Not only did the group bring back the Fair but it also recognized the value and the need of Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens and designated them as the beneficiary of the Fair. Catholic Charities, which ran the Fair for 25 years, also will receive a portion of the proceeds.
The Great Irish Fair grew into a major social event on the Catholic calendar in Brooklyn and Queens. It would have been a shame if it had been allowed to go dormant. Instead Cottingham and friends got together and have brought the Fair back with increased enthusiasm and energy.
We welcome back the Great Irish Fair. We wish it a successful run. We hope to be covering it for many years to come. See you next weekend at the Fair.
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