Being someone who lost his best friend on September 11th – I am appalled that it was decided that progress, real estate and money have overshadowed loss, terrorism and crime – meaning that those in charge of the World Trade Center site have decided to rebuild what was destroyed on that fateful day. But if that is not bad enough, it was recently announced that Port Authority officials have decided to rename the building “One World Trade Center” – and drop the name “Freedom Tower” – because it wasn’t marketable.

Wow.

So it’s bad enough that the Port Authority, World Trade Center Site Owner Larry Silverstein and all of the other “big wigs” in charge of the site are going to bury the souls of those we lost – including my best friend Douglas Farnum – under thousands of tons of steel, cement and glass – but now they are going to take away the very name that memorializes those who were killed and provides some comfort to their families?

At a recent press conference, Port Authority Chairman Anthony Coscia, when asked why the name of the building was changed, said, “As we market the building we will ensure that the building is presented in the best possible way. One World Trade Center is its address. It’s the address that we’re using. It’s the one that’s easiest for people to identify with, and, frankly, we’ve gotten a very interested and warm reception to it.”

From who? Vantone Industrial Co., a Chinese firm and the building’s first major tenant who leased six floors and probably could care less about the events of September 11th? The house I live in has an address, but guess what? I still call it, “home.” My mother’s house has an address, but I still say, “I’m going to Mom’s.” And One World Trade Center did have an address – but I still call it “Ground Zero” – or, “The sacred ground where my best friend was murdered.”

The term, “Freedom Tower” was coined by Former New York State Governor George Pataki, who oversaw the initial designs for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center and wanted a tower to rise a symbolic 1,776 feet at a time of heightened patriotism. When he heard of the plans to drop the term, “Freedom Tower,” he wasn’t happy. “The ‘Freedom Tower’ is not simply another piece of real estate and not just a name for marketing purposes. In design and name, it is symbolic of our commitment to rise above the attacks of September 11th. Where One and Two World Trade Center once stood, there will be a memorial with two voids to honor the heroes we lost. In my view, those addresses should never be used again.”

In honor of Doug and all the other innocent people whose lives were robbed that horrible day, I swear that I will never – ever – set foot in any of the buildings that are being rebuilt on that site. I will go to the memorial to pay my respects – but eating there, buying merchandise there – or simply touring the new “Freedom Tower” – which I will call it despite whatever soulless sub-humans like Anthony Coscia and Larry Silverstein wish to call it now – would be like pissing all over the graves of everyone who I love that is now gone.

My favorite part of this whole disgusting situation is that Anthony Coscia, when pressed during the news conference on whether the name, “Freedom Tower” will appear anywhere on the new building – he simply replied, “Next.” – and turned to answer a question from another reporter…

…why did he survive and not Doug?