Jan 20 2004
Loss of Liberty
While reading the always entertaining and informative New Yorker with my coffee this morning, I discovered that although I, too, am always entertaining, there are egegrious lapses in my information department.
A small ad caught my eye (I always check out the ads in the New Yorker, since quite a lot of them are for vintage jewelry and I love to decide which pieces I’d buy if I were the Idle Rich Suzy I should be) and revealed the appalling fact that the Statue of Liberty has been closed for the past two years (actually, since the dark, dreadful day of September 11, 2001). Despite being almost as patriotic as Colin, and born in the great state of New York, and an avid reader of the New Yorker, I had no idea.
The Statue is arguably one of the great American icons, a symbol of what our nation stands for, and should be available to people all over the world to visit. If you need a fabulous gift idea, why not make a donation in the name of your friend or relation to help reopen the statue? Talk about a win/win: you reduce your shopping (and wrapping and mailing) stress, your recipient doesn’t end up with yet another object s/he doesn’t really need, and you’ll be part of history, helping to relight the torch of liberty so it shines once again as a beacon of hope. Or make a donation in your own name and bask in the reflected glory.
7 Responses to “Loss of Liberty”
Wow I didn’t realize that it has been closed, how sad. I was fortunate enough to visit it twenty years ago (Wow it seems like yesterday). She was stunning and so huge in person!
Huh, I had no idea either. That’s a shame.
I knew it had been closed, but I hadn’t given it much thought. It would probably affect me more if I’d’ve lived up North or visited the city. Even so, I agree that it is a symbol of America and should be reopened. I may just have to dispocket a touch of money and toss it in their direction…
PS. I’m sure you just made Colin proud. lol
What a fabulous idea Suzy – it would be lovely if it works. I want to see the Statue when I eventually get to NYC.
I also knew that it was closed, but never really paid much attention to it. I guess I always assumed that it would be reopened eventually, and I believe it will.
I rarely disagree with anything you write Suzy (too busy giggling usually) but…
I agree that every effort should be made to re-open the Statue of Liberty but I won’t be donating. I think it would be a much better idea to divert some funds from the war coffers than to ask for public donations.
What you should do instead, as we recently reported in amNewYork, the new free daily newspaper in the city, is to pressure the Statue of Liberty Foundation, who run the monument, to put up the money.
They’re sitting on almost $40 million dollars, but they’re out begging the public for the $5 million to reopen the statue.
That’s a damn shame…