An overzealous security guard at the 9/11 memorial and museum in New York City deserves a serious reprimand by the New York Port Authority that employs him.
The guard told a North Carolina middle school class to stop singing — here it comes — the National Anthem at the memorial.
It seems that singing isn’t allowed at this sacred site without someone or some group paying for a special permit to do so.
To which I would add: what pure baloney!
The museum staff has issued an apology to the students and their adult chaperones. It said the guard acted inappropriately.
Gee, do you think?
Perhaps the most stunning element of this story might be the reaction from the teachers. They said they viewed the incident as something of a teaching experience for the children. It taught them to “respect authority,” according to the New York Times.
I give huge credit for the teachers for their restraint and their respect for the authority of the guards.
However, it wasn’t as if the kids were singing some kind of raunchy rock song or a ’60s protest song that criticized the federal government.
The students sought to honor the nation with their rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
It seems the museum brass ought to rethink the rules it has set out. Some clarity at the very least is in order, given that the teachers who led the students were told it would be OK to sing the anthem.
Whatever the outcome, the 9/11 museum and the Port Authority deserve the criticism that is coming their way.