I just returned home from New York (at least for a few hours before I head back to Seattle on business). Today was a special day on Roosevelt Island in New York City: the dedication of the FDR Four Freedoms Park. There is a link below to photographs from the wonderful opening ceremony this morning (provided by gothamist.com). The headline of the website should be Ambassador Bill vanden Heuvel opens the FDR Four Freedoms Park. Yeah, President Clinton, Governor Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg and Tom Brokaw were there on stage too, but this park would not have sprung back to life without Bill vanden Heuvel. Another chapter in the preservation of the life and legacies of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt because of Bill’s tireless work and genius has now been written.
Although those of us in attendance came to the FDR Four Freedoms Park from different states, different countries, different political parties — the liberal spirit and legacy bequeathed to us by our greatest president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, electrified the opening and sustained the grand opening. The speeches by President Clinton and Governor Cuomo, and the closing speech by Bill vanden Heuvel, renewed our faith in what progressive government can do for the American people, even in our factious political age where government is too often portrayed as an enemy to the people. There is nothing more special than an event mainly populated by those to whom I refer (like myself): unreconstructed New Dealers!
I urge you, your families and friends to travel to New York City and visit this special place now that it is open. I am so pleased I was there today. Thank you, Bill.
http://gothamist.com/2012/10/17/photos_franklin_d_roosevelt_four_fr.php#photo-1
