Crosscut, David Brewster (excerpted) :
……… a neutral-to-sympathetic portrayal of terrorism through the centuries,………….something no other American city has had the vision or moral courage to do, at least yet. There would be hands-on weapon-building instruction (particularly compelling for teen-aged boys), a film series with rare footage of al Qaeda luminaries explaining their grievances and issuing calls to action, and never-before-seen memorabilia from hideouts and compounds. The public and company employee groups could also attend weekend retreats designed to intensify feelings of guilt among Americans and their sympathizers. This proposal is not a request. Naturally the names of the backers, mostly from abroad and extremely well funded, cannot be disclosed.
ETC would be a huge draw for tourists, since no other city offers such an experience. As with the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit, ETC will put Seattle on the world map, and could expect heavy and continuous media coverage, particularly from FOX. Seattle is an appropriate location, owing to its famously tolerant political/cultural climate, but also because of its brush with terrorism: ETC will tell “the other side” to the story of the arrest in Port Angeles of that courageous idealist, Ahmed Ressam…..
The Experience Terrorism Center has already lined up significant political support, as you might expect. Among those tentatively backing the idea: five members of the Seattle City Council, Rep. Jim McDermott, the Church Council of Greater Seattle, the UW Department of Victim Studies (formerly the English Department), The Stranger, the tourism industry, and all Seattle Democratic legislative district caucuses. Mayor Mike McGinn, while calling for more studies of the opportunities for nightlife at ETC, has hailed the idea as more evidence that his jobs-creation strategy is working. The Metropolitan Seattle Chamber of Commerce said it was intrigued by the way ETC could lead to significant new foreign investment in the region.