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From early 1998 through 2007, thousands
of requests to politicians for meetings to discuss this matter have remained unanswered. One must therefore infer that, until
now, the political preference has been historical erasure as a result of formidable, powerful forces at
work that have prevented political access and acknowledgment of the nation's meaningful heritage and, in particular,
the State and City's legacy. Legislative sponsorship has therefore been wanting.
Neither an official visit to New
York City by a delegation from a preservation and restoration builder nor a pledge, made in the year 2000, of a $100 million
third-party contribution as an inducement to commence discussions ($10 million per year through 2009 until the tolerance park’s
opening) generated any political response (see "The Dutch are Back", Andrew Rice's article in the November 27, 2000,
New York Observer on hot link below). Therefore:
FIRSTLY, the Foundation needs MORAL SUPPORT and ACTIVE INTEREST!
(A) The very minimum that I, as reader of this web site, can do, given that I am positively inclined towards the ethical
force of tolerance and the Tolerance Park is to sign the petition
on www.GovernorsIslandToleranceMonument.com
and forward the web site promptly to as many conceivable interested friends and persons I know
while asking them to distribute the site in the same way, again and again, over and over. Yes, that is the least
I can do to help make a difference;
(B) I realize that the 50-acre canvas of global meaning and thematic substance,
which is to compose the National Heritage Triangle of America’s fundamental values, can only come into existence if
a sponsor for a bill can be found in the New York State Senate and Assembly as well as in the City Council. Co-sponsors will
automatically follow.
Political reality holds that most potential legislative sponsors, such as state senators,
state representatives and city council members, focus more readily on issues of immediate concern to their local constituents
or to their local districts. Parochial matters therefore often take precedent over larger and more important state and city
issues which by default are defered to the political leadership who, in turn, tend to answer to lobbyists and/or the governor
and mayor. The leadership's top for the State Senate is Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, for the State Assembly, Speaker Sheldon
Silver and for the New York City Council, Speaker Christine Quinn.
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I, as an American
(or world) citizen, need to address those five “decision makers” directly in writing, by fax and/or by e-mail
(see below). I (am I a New York resident?) must also contact my
local senator or representative as he/she could act as potential sponsor or co-sponsor of a bill that would dedicate the already
federally reserved acreage to the proposed Tolerance Park. I realize
that prior to February 2003, three political jurisdictions (federal, state and city) held the required political decision
in abeyance for five years in order to empower, ultimately, a state "agency", run by political appointees,
to plan and decide upon the island's future. An
agency and its technocrats, however, can or will obliterate a national heritage with impunity. Skirting political responsibility,
therefore, or delegating political authority to an agency conflicts with a verdict on a vision that, beyond question,
concerns the robust democratic process of the State Legislature because it involves the shared cultural heritage of two nations, New
York State's most important landmark and the State's historic legacy of national substance - Tolerance as an indispensable
subset of American freedom. Because
this is the people's business, their elected officials must determine the island's future whereas urban planners, at
the most, may help in coming to that explicit political yea or nay. Political initiative and action therefore must
come first. Ever-lasting silence is no option. It was
Governor Pataki who created GIPEC - the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, a state agency - and
appointed Secretary of State Randy Daniels as its chair. He was replaced, in late 2005, by deputy-mayor Daniel Doctoroff who,
in turn, was replaced in late 2007 by a Governor Eliot Spitzer appointee, Avi Schick, the COO and President of The
Empire State Development Corporation. I must therefore also inform Mr. Schick as Chairman of GIPEC of my interest. SECONDLY, the Foundation needs FINANCIAL SUPPORT and ACTIVE INTEREST from me! (A) I, as reader, could send as a minimum a $20 contribution to the Tolerance Park
Foundation (a nonprofit foundation.) To make that easier than writing and mailing a check I can do that via PAYPAL by clicking
BELOW on the credit card icon. I know that the Foundation's gratitude for even the smallest amount from me will be immense.
Naturally, if my interest and passion for the project warrant a
larger contribution, and if I can adjust thoughtfully to what I can afford, I will do so. This is, after all, a long process
which required and still necessitates many and varied, complex resources spanning two continents; (B) The park’s multiple functions (for instance, exhibition houses which feature semi-permanent
exhibits on religious, ethnic and racial tolerance, as well as many other components) will be privately sponsored. The minimum price for a sponsored “house” is envisaged to be around $1
million. Naming rights, etc. will be available so that potential wealthy donors (which could be me) can leave their legacy
for as long as the park exists. Perhaps I can help identify such
interested and willing private sponsors on behalf of the Foundation by writing or e-mailing: E-mail: President@Tolerancepark.org
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