Bipartisan Disgust as NH Republican State Rep. Compares Old Man of the Mountain Collapse to 9/11

In case you missed it, Republican State Representative Tim Cahill (R-Raymond) left the State House aghast this week when he compared the collapse of the Old Man of the Mountain to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 that killed nearly 3,000 Americans. Rep. Cahill made this appalling statement during a hearing on HB 96, a bipartisan bill to designate May 3 as "Old Man of the Mountain Day," the day the rock formation collapsed in 2003.

Boston Globe: N.H. representative blasted for comparing Old Man of the Mountain collapse to Twin Towers falling on 9/11

• Groans of disbelief sounded around the room as the words came out of the legislator’s mouth.

• More than 2,700 people were killed in the attacks in New York, some of whom had connections to New Hampshire, including Thomas McGuinness Jr., the first officer on American Airlines Flight 11, and John Ogonowski, the captain of the plane.

• “As someone who lost loved ones and family on 9/11 I found the comparison repulsive,” tweeted N.H. Representative Mike Bordes, a fellow Republican.

Seacoast Current: New Hampshire Rep compares old man of the mountain collapse to twin towers

• A Rockingham County Republican is taking heat for comparing the collapse of New Hampshire's iconic Old Man of the Mountain to the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.

• No one died as a result of Old Man of the Mountain collapse.

CBS News: NH rep likens Old Man of the Mountain collapse to Twin Towers falling on 9/11

• A New Hampshire state representative is drawing criticism for comparing the collapse of the Old Man of the Mountain to the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed thousands.

• Groans could be heard in the room when Cahill made the comment. The remarks came amid a debate in the Legislature on whether to recognize the anniversary of the rock formation's demise as Old Man of the Mountain Day in New Hampshire.

Boston.com: NH state rep. compares Old Man of the Mountain collapse to the Twin Towers

• Rep. Tim Cahill, a Republican representing Rockingham, N.H., made the comment Wednesday during a debate on the floor of the House. Lawmakers were considering whether to officially mark the 20th anniversary of the collapse with “Old Man of the Mountain Day.”

• The Old Man of the Mountain was formed on a cliffside 1,200 feet over Profile Lake by retreating glaciers. Over the generations, it became a proud symbol of the Granite State and its people.

NHPR: Push to honor Old Man of the Mountain advances in NH State House

• Among those supporting the effort are Rep. Tim Cahill, a Republican from Raymond. "The Old Man falling was akin to the Twin Towers for many of the Granite State and around the world," Cahill said ahead of the House vote Wednesday morning, drawing jeers from some of his colleagues.